Third-tier Spirit Vein, Wind Moon Lake (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

High above, white clouds drifted as a broad Flying Carpet streaked past, the roar of wind resounding all around.

Upon the Flying Carpet stood five figures: the Qi Family Grand Elder, along with Qi Chuan, Qi Chan'er, and three other Qi Family Disciples preparing to travel to the Wind Moon Sect for cultivation.

Qi Chuan sat cross-legged on the Flying Carpet with his eyes closed in cultivation, his face carrying the weariness of travel. Wind currents continuously swept in from ahead; at the Flying Carpet's speed, an ordinary Mortal's face might well have been flayed raw.

Yet Qi Chuan and the others were Xiu Xian practitioners, protected by Spell Power, so they naturally came to no harm—though it was still far from pleasant.

Qi Chuan could only feel helpless about it and silently endure. The Flying Carpet was indeed far more comfortable than the Iron-colored Flying Sword he had ridden before, but it had its limitations as well.

You cultivated diligently, circulating the Evergreen Art through one Great Heavenly Cycle. Fivefold Critical Hit triggered. You gained fivefold rewards, and your Spell Power increased slightly.

Having once more circulated the Evergreen Art through a Great Heavenly Cycle and returned all his Spell Power to his Dantian, Qi Chuan opened his eyes to find a line of text floating before him.

Naturally, none of the other four people—including the Qi Family Grand Elder—could detect the slightest trace of those words.

Watching the text vanish, Qi Chuan smiled faintly. He had cultivated for quite some time already, so he did not continue. Instead, he turned his gaze ahead and observed the mountains and rivers below.

The scenery of the Cultivation World had never suffered the technological pollution of his Previous Life, so everything retained its primitive state.

Yet though it was all primitive, different places still had their differences.

For instance, in places where humans gathered, the mountains and grasslands beyond villages and cities appeared exceedingly desolate.

Tall plants were rarely seen there. Many trees had been felled, either burned as firewood or put to other uses. Even Mortals gathering dry grass had to search far afield.

As for mountains and rivers far removed from human settlements, their primal wilderness carried a savage, ancient flavor. In the truly deep mountains and old forests, one could even occasionally spot traces of demon beasts.

Some of those places likely required even Xiu Xian practitioners to proceed with utmost caution.

Along the way, Qi Chuan had also seen some peculiar sights: ancient-looking mountain ranges upon which halls and palaces stood, with Human Figures moving among them. They were somewhat similar to Red Maple Valley.

They were presumably other Cultivation Families much like the Qi Family.

But did these family Spirit Lands, including the Qi Family's Red Maple Valley, as well as everything Qi Chuan had seen along the way, all fall within the Sect Domain ruled by the Wind Moon Sect?

As he watched the mountains and rivers below, a thoughtful look appeared in Qi Chuan's eyes.

Yet at that moment, he sensed a gaze cast toward him from not far to his left. Qi Chuan shifted his eyes in that direction, only for his gaze to collide directly with that of the Red-clothed Girl.

Qi Chan'er had happened to finish cultivating as well and was looking toward Qi Chuan.

Scenes of their Four Eyes Meet had occurred several times during this journey.

Qi Chuan responded with a smile, then withdrew his gaze without giving it much thought.

Qi Chan'er, not far away, also looked away. Her cheeks puffed slightly, while beneath her hanging red sleeves, her Pink Fist quietly clenched.

In her heart, she secretly swore an oath.

Once she entered the outer sect, she would cultivate diligently, enter the inner sect, and surpass Qi Chuan.

She asked herself: she was absolutely no worse than anyone else.

Qi Chuan's entry into the inner sect was merely a temporary advantage.

Just as she had possessed the advantage of family backing four years ago, the advantage of encountering Xiu Xian first—Qi Chuan had been able to overtake her from behind despite that advantage and seize the Wind Moon Sect's Inner Sect Quota from her hands. Why could she not one day turn the tables and surpass Qi Chuan instead?

What was more, she and Qi Chuan were both at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. In terms of Cultivation Base, neither was weaker than the other; there was merely the distinction between inner and outer sect.

Besides, her advantage of a Fourth-grade Spiritual Root was still there.

Meanwhile, the two Qi Family Young Men who had secured the other two Outer Disciple quotas paid little attention to Qi Chuan and Qi Chan'er.

They merely gazed at the scenery around them, their hearts still brimming with excitement and anticipation.

They both knew that they were essentially unable to compare with Qi Chuan and Qi Chan'er. They only hoped that, after entering the outer sect, they could make use of the sect's resources to improve their Cultivation Base. Perhaps in the future, they might have a chance to advance to the Late Qi Refining Stage, then return to the Lineage and become clan Elders. That alone would count as tremendous success.

That was already their greatest expectation. As for Foundation Establishment, or even the Perfection of Qi Refining, those were essentially beyond anything they could hope to glimpse.

After withdrawing his gaze, Qi Chuan did not dwell on anything around him. He simply immersed himself in the strange sights of this Xianxia world, enjoying a moment of relaxation amid cultivation.

As for the occasional looks Qi Chan'er cast his way, he did not care. Truthfully, his conscience was clear. Given such an opportunity, no one would possibly refrain from competing for the Wind Moon Sect's Inner Sect Quota and simply hand it over to another.

The Flying Carpet swept through the skies toward the distance. As time passed, Qi Chuan finally beheld a completely different sight.

Ahead, the outline of an ancient, unbroken mountain range came into view. Its scale was unknown how many times greater than that of Red Maple Valley; even among all the Spirit Lands of Cultivation Families Qi Chuan had seen along the way, not one could compare to the mountains before him.

"Is this the Ling Mai land occupied by the Wind Moon Sect? I wonder what tier of Ling Mai it is?"

Upon the Flying Carpet, Qi Chuan looked toward the ancient mountains with curiosity in his eyes. He remembered that Red Maple Valley, where the Qi Family was located, possessed a Tier 1 High-grade Ling Mai. Would the Wind Moon Sect's land have a Second-tier Spirit Vein, or a Third-tier Spirit Vein?

The Flying Carpet continued onward. The ancient mountain range grew closer and larger, and gradually everyone noticed sights different from what they had expected.

"This is Wind Moon Lake, where the Wind Moon Sect is located!" Ahead of the four, the Qi Family Grand Elder stood with his hands behind his back and spoke.

"Wind Moon Lake?"

Everyone's eyes widened slightly. Amid the encircling mountains, an enormous lake had appeared. Wisps of white Clouds and Mist floated above it, obscuring part of their view, but they could still see that the lake's scale was extraordinary.

As for the massive mountain outlines they had seen before, they happened to form a faint ring around the lake, enclosing it in the middle. That was why they had previously seen only the mountains and not the lake.

Now that the Flying Carpet had drawn closer, they could see that amid the white Clouds and Mist scattered across the lake were numerous Water Islands of varying sizes, jutting out from the surface.

Moreover, at the heart of the lake, where the Clouds and Mist were densest, two enormous outlines could vaguely be seen. They resembled two colossal beasts hidden within the mist, and merely looking at them evoked a thread of fear.

"Could those be... two Giant Mountains?"

After examining them closely, a guess surfaced in Qi Chuan's heart, leaving him slightly astonished. If the gigantic objects at the lake's center truly were two Giant Mountains, they should be at least several times taller than all the surrounding peaks at the lake's perimeter combined!

"Can you all see them?"

At this moment, the Grand Elder's voice rang out from ahead.

The Grand Elder smiled faintly and pointed at Wind Moon Lake before introducing it to them.

"Those mountains on the outskirts are where the inner and outer sects are located, and they will also be where you cultivate in the future. The Ling Mai beneath them is no less impressive than that of our Red Maple Valley. Cultivating there will bring immense benefits."

"As for the many Water Islands of varying sizes within the lake, they are where the Elders and True Disciples of the Wind Moon Sect reside."

"At the center of Wind Moon Lake stand two high mountains. It is said to be where the Spiritual Qi of the entire lake is most concentrated. Some have speculated that the Ling Mai beneath them may even have reached the level of a Third-tier Spirit Vein!"

"Among all the nearby Cultivation Families, these two high mountains are exceedingly renowned. One is Wind Spirit Mountain, and the other is Moon Shadow Mountain. The Wind Moon Sect was named after them."

"Legend has it that the Cave Dwelling of the Wind Moon Sect's Core Formation Realm Grand Elder, True Sword Master Xuanjian, is on Moon Shadow Mountain!"