Secret Plan

Wei Lingkai escorted all eight of them to the Lecture Hall, then went alone to the Disciple Hall to see Elder Zheng.

The matter spread through the Outer Sect like a gust of wind. Wei Lingkai's Inner Sect robes were simply too conspicuous, and when he left, he flew away on his sword. Those with a taste for gossip only had to ask around a little to learn that he was the uncle of the eight newly admitted Wei family disciples.

A disciple who cultivated in the same courtyard as Chen Feng curled his lip and said,

"See? Didn't he just kick an iron plate?"

"Chen Feng's own Heart Technique is crooked. Does he think he can bully new disciples as he pleases just because they have no backing? We were once new disciples ourselves, and we hated people like that the most. Why become such villains ourselves?"

"Exactly. Rather than coveting what's in someone else's Storage Pouch, it's better to take a few more missions. Then both spirit stones and Contribution Points will come rolling in, and your conscience will be at ease."

"You're right. Come on, let's go to the Mission Hall and see whether any new missions have been posted."

After saying that, the three left together. All of them were at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. Once their one-year Novice Protection Period had passed, they had begun taking missions to earn spirit stones and Contribution Points.

This news eventually reached Chen Feng's ears as well. He knew that this time, he had misjudged his target and chosen the wrong person to provoke. Thus, over the following year, he never appeared before the Wei family members again. He intended to wait until the uproar had died down and no one mentioned the matter anymore before causing trouble for the Wei family disciples again.

His plan was sound. It was impossible for the other six Wei family members to all reach the Qi Refining third layer within a year. Once some of them became Miscellaneous Servant Disciples while the rest began accepting Sect Missions, they would inevitably separate. The moment they did, he could strike at the weakest little ones. He refused to believe that an Inner Sect martial uncle could watch these people every moment of every day.

Chen Feng's ideals were plump and logical, but reality was cruel. The very first person he chose to strike against left him shattered against the rocks and cost him his life.

Because of Wei Lingkai's appearance, the Wei family disciples' cultivation environment became relatively stable. Though they still maintained the habit of traveling together, each chose a different cultivation routine.

Every morning, all the Wei family members went to the dining hall together for a meal before going their separate ways.

Wei Yunting and Wei Zonghan had both reached the Qi Refining third layer. The two went together to the Outer Sect's Cultivation Hall, each selecting a quiet room to begin cultivating. Both planned to use the denser Spiritual Qi in the Cultivation Hall to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining. Only after reaching the fourth layer could they learn the basic spells recorded in the jade slips.

Wei Yunying, Wei Zongjin, Wei Zongyu, and Wei Zonghao chose to first attend lessons at the Lecture Hall and see whether its teachings differed from those of the family lecture hall, then take the strengths of each and make up for their weaknesses.

Wei Yunxi chose to go to the Library Tower and read. She wanted to fill in the gaps in her common knowledge of the Cultivation Realm. Though she had learned some things in the Wei Family and Feng Family, and some of her understanding came from her experience reading novels, those things had ultimately been fabricated and differed greatly from reality. Broadening her knowledge was therefore essential.

More importantly, she had already reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining. Having just advanced, she intended to consolidate her foundation in the early stages of Qi Refining, which was why she had chosen to act separately from the others.

As for Wei Yunqing, for reasons unknown, she chose to accompany Wei Yunxi. Her justification was particularly high-sounding:

"Big Sister said before that we should travel together. I'm worried about you being alone too, so it's better for us to act together."

Wei Yunxi smiled sweetly.

"You're right, Sister. But I just advanced to the first layer of Qi Refining, and I don't plan to advance again anytime soon. I want to steady myself first, so I plan to go to the Library and read. Will you be coming too, Sister?"

Wei Yunqing thought for a moment before saying,

"I'm still worried. I'll accompany you for a few days first. If everything is fine, you can act alone afterward."

The unspoken meaning was: I'm accompanying you out of responsibility, but I can't sacrifice too much of my own cultivation time. Once I confirm there's no danger, you can go alone. In any case, if something happens, don't blame me for not looking after you.

"Alright."

Wei Yunxi agreed readily. She did not yet know what Wei Yunqing was plotting, but she did not think that simply reading in the Library Tower could possibly invite any disaster. So, she decided to go with the flow and watch what happened.

On their first day at the Library, the two registered at the entrance before entering the first floor. The books there were free for Outer Sect Disciples to read. The books on the second, third, and fourth floors required Contribution Points or spirit stones. One Low-Grade spirit stone only allowed a person to read in the Library Tower for one day. If they wanted to make a rubbing copy of a jade slip they found interesting, they had to pay additional spirit stones. In short, the sect could not operate at a loss.

The moment Wei Yunxi entered the Library, she began browsing the books on the shelves: "A Brief History of Weiyu Realm," "Encyclopedia of Spiritual Plants," "Ranking of Heavenly Flames," "Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures Extinct in Weiyu Realm," "Analysis of Weiyu Realm's Mountain Trends and Veins," "Analysis of Basic Five-Element Techniques," "A Few Things I Had to Tell About the Haoran Sect's Founding Ancestor," and "The Rise of Haoran Sect."

The farther back she went, the less reliable the jade slip titles became. They felt like fabricated celebrity novels from her own world. They might be fine for passing the time, but it would be difficult to obtain any truly valuable information from them.

Wei Yunxi casually pulled out the first two books, found a corner, sat cross-legged, and began reading at a glance ten lines at a time.

Wei Yunqing, who had followed behind Wei Yunxi, saw this and the corner of her eye twitched. She always felt that her younger sister had not come simply to read. Since it was only the first day, she patiently pulled a book at random from a shelf, sat down on the floor, and began reading as well.

However, her mind was not on the book. Every so often, she would glance toward Wei Yunxi in the corner.

Wei Yunxi was not afraid of Wei Yunqing playing tricks. This was the Library, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator guarded the entrance. With Wei Yunqing's current first layer of Qi Refining cultivation, she could not stir up any waves. Thus, Wei Yunxi was genuinely reading in earnest.

The two read until afternoon. Only when her stomach growled with hunger did Wei Yunxi pull her mind away from the books.

Wei Yunxi looked up at the sky and knew she had missed dinner. She popped a Bigu pill into her mouth, then rose and returned the books to their places, preparing to go back to her residence.

Wei Yunqing also returned her book, then quickened her pace by two steps and asked,

"Yunxi, were the books you read interesting?"

Wei Yunxi glanced at her.

"They were quite interesting. I've already finished them. You can take them and read them tomorrow."

With that, she stepped out of the Library first, bowed to the Foundation Establishment cultivator at the entrance, and headed toward the Outer Sect residences.

Seeing that she could not get anything out of her, Wei Yunqing followed her back to their small courtyard. Once they entered, the two went their separate ways.

After activating the Isolation Formation, Wei Yunxi sat cross-legged and began cultivating. She first circulated the Qi Refining Art through one cycle, further purifying and compressing her spiritual power. After guiding the Spiritual Qi into her Dantian, she continued cultivating the Soul Refining Art, a cultivation method suited for nighttime practice.

She spent the entire night without sleep. After rising early and absorbing the first wisp of Purple Qi, Wei Yunxi left her residence in high spirits and repeated the first day's itinerary.

This time, however, she chose different books. The two books she had read yesterday fell into Wei Yunqing's hands, and this time, Wei Yunqing read them very carefully.

Wei Yunxi rubbed her fleshy chin and seemed to understand Wei Yunqing's purpose. The other girl appeared to be searching for something, and it had to be something that could only be found after passing through Wei Yunxi's hands. It reminded her of the title Fortune-Bringing Child from the novels she had read.