Xu Chunniang listened in throughout. When she learned that Brother Dawu had entered the inner sect and had even been taken as a disciple by a Golden Core Elder from Artifact Refining Peak, she was truly happy for him.
As for the other two inner sect geniuses, she merely memorized their names in silence and paid no further attention.
All of a sudden, the surrounding discussions seemed to have had a pause button pressed. The silence was terrifying.
As if sensing something, Xu Chunniang looked up at the sky and saw an old man seated atop an enormous gourd, speeding toward them.
The old man wore a golden Daoist robe and possessed the air of an immortal sage. One look was enough to tell that he was an extraordinary cultivator.
When he reached the sky above the Lecture Hall, he did not descend. He remained seated on the gourd, his gaze sweeping indifferently across the crowd.
Everyone felt as though that gaze weighed a thousand jun. It pressed down on them until they did not even dare breathe too loudly, and each of them stood ready as if facing a great enemy.
The old man in golden robe withdrew his gaze, and his steady voice spread in all directions.
"I am a Golden Core cultivator of Artifact Refining Peak. Today, I will only explain matters related to artifact refining. What I will be explaining is Analysis of Artifact Refining, Level One..."
So, every half month, a Golden Core Elder would give a lecture. Whichever peak the elder came from, they would explain that peak's scriptures.
Today's elder was from Artifact Refining Peak, so naturally, the scripture he taught was related to artifact refining.
Xu Chunniang was left completely bewildered. Although this Golden Core Elder explained Analysis of Artifact Refining, Level One extremely well, the problem was that she could not understand a single bit of it.
She cautiously glanced around and saw that all the disciples were listening with twelve parts concentration. Even those who did not understand put on an attentive pose, so she could only put on a serious expression as well.
Xu Chunniang quietly began calculating in her heart. It seemed that what this Golden Core Elder taught was far too profound, nowhere near something she could understand at present. Rather than waste time listening to this, she might as well go back and continue trying to harmonize spiritual energy.
She had previously regretted missing two elders' lectures, but now it seemed there was nothing worth regretting.
However, the Golden Core Elder had already begun his lecture. She absolutely could not leave without permission and could only wait until he finished before returning to the dormitory.
Two hours later, after the Golden Core Elder finished lecturing, he directly rode away atop his gourd.
Watching the little black dot in the sky grow smaller and smaller, Xu Chunniang finally let out a breath of relief and hurriedly slipped away.
Those two hours had simply been torture for her. Not only could she not understand anything, she had to pretend that she did...
Still, this trip had not been entirely without gain. At the very least, she would not think of coming to the Lecture Hall again for quite some time.
She headed toward the dormitory, but the farther she went, the more desolate the path became. Along the latter half of the road, there was not a soul in sight.
If she had not still been holding the map of the Carefree Sect, Xu Chunniang would have nearly thought she had walked out of the sect.
After walking for a full three hours, Xu Chunniang finally reached her destination. Before her stood a tiny wooden hut in utter ruin.
Who knew how long this little wooden hut had been uninhabited? There was a huge hole in its roof, and it did not even have windows. It was practically more dilapidated than her home in Xu Family Village!
Could anyone live here?
Xu Chunniang was deeply doubtful. She even considered simply living in the Lecture Hall instead.
But when she thought of having to spend another three hours walking back, she ultimately suppressed the idea.
Besides, while the Lecture Room could be lived in, staying there long-term was not really appropriate.
Resigned to her fate, Xu Chunniang pushed open the door. Yet before she could even exert any force, the door fell over, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust.
Looking further inside, she found nothing but a bed and a table.
Yet even those two pieces of furniture were battered beyond repair. Xu Chunniang had no doubt that with the slightest force, both would fall apart.
Fine, it looked like she would sleep on the floor after all. She had become quite practiced at it these past few days, anyway.
Xu Chunniang wore a bitter expression. Fortunately, the disciple robes issued uniformly by the sect could automatically repel dust and ward off the cold. Otherwise, sleeping on the floor every day would definitely be too much for her small body to bear.
Walking out of the hut, Xu Chunniang looked around. She first needed to find a source of water.
Though she had Grain Abstinence Pills and did not need to drink water, cleaning the hut required it. Moreover, although she had persisted in using water to cleanse herself every day while staying in the Lecture Hall, she truly had not taken a bath in a long time.
But at a glance, where was there even a trace of water on this bare mountain?
Xu Chunniang shook her head helplessly. It seemed these six spirit stones really were not so easy to save.
It would be best if she could find water before nightfall and clean up the hut.
Fortunately, although Xu Chunniang had yet to achieve Qi Introduction, her daily meditative cultivation had not been wholly without effect. At the very least, she could clearly feel that her stamina had improved considerably. She had just walked such a long distance, yet did not feel too tired.
After a brief rest, Xu Chunniang opened the map and began searching for places nearby that might have a water source.
There was no need to consider the back mountain. She had not forgotten Steward Zhang's words. If she truly encountered a demon beast, then with her current ability, she would be nothing more than food delivered to its doorstep.
After marking several places that might have water, Xu Chunniang set off. There was still one hour before dark. Hopefully, she could find water soon.
It was also because Xu Chunniang had grown up in a farming household and had long been accustomed to climbing mountains and crossing rivers. If it were any other eight-year-old child, they would not even dare run around the mountains recklessly.
However, Xu Chunniang's luck was truly poor. She had hurried along at the fastest speed possible, but none of the places she visited had water.
The sky had already turned completely dark. If she did not return now, she would probably have to sleep out in the mountains tonight.
But when she thought of that decrepit, ancient wooden hut atop the mountain, Xu Chunniang shook her head speechlessly. If she stayed in that hut, she would have to worry whether the walls might collapse while she slept. Sleeping out in the mountains would be better.
Only one final place that might have water remained. Xu Chunniang spread out the map and checked the location she had marked. It was already very close to the back mountain.
Xu Chunniang folded the map and decided to go tomorrow. Tonight, she would simply find a cave and make do for the night.
According to the terrain shown on the map, the southern area was all mountain ridges. She should be able to find a cave there.
Sure enough, not long after heading south, the terrain became complicated. Fortunately, the moon rose at that moment, and its faint light illuminated the road ahead.
Yet the mountain paths were steep and difficult to traverse. Even with moonlight to guide her, there were many inconveniences. Furthermore, Xu Chunniang was young and weak to begin with, and she had labored hard all day. In one careless moment, her foot slipped, and her body plunged weightlessly downward!
Xu Chunniang was greatly alarmed. Only after coming to her senses did she realize she had fallen into a mountain crevice. She simply had not expected the crevice to be so deep. From such a height, she would likely die without a doubt.
Could it be that before she had even set foot upon the path of cultivation, she was going to die with injustice in her heart?!
Still another day of begging for bookmarks and votes—send all kinds of votes flying at me! Love you all! (づ￣3￣)づ╭~
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