High in the sky, white clouds drifted by as a broad Flying Carpet streaked past, the roar of wind ringing all around.
On the Flying Carpet stood five figures: the Qi Family Grand Elder, along with Qi Chuan, Qi Chan'er, and three other Qi Family Disciples about to head 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 current continually blew toward them from ahead; at the Flying Carpet's speed, an ordinary mortal's face might well have been flayed raw.
However, Qi Chuan and the others were Xiu Xian practitioners with Spell Power protecting their bodies, so they naturally came to no harm, though it was still far from pleasant.
Qi Chuan could only sigh inwardly and endure in silence. The Flying Carpet was indeed far more comfortable than the Iron-colored Flying Sword he had ridden before, but it had its own limitations.
You cultivated diligently and circulated the Evergreen Art through one Great Heavenly Cycle, triggering a Fivefold Critical Hit and gaining fivefold returns. Your Spell Power increased slightly.
After circulating the Evergreen Art through another Great Heavenly Cycle and returning 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—including the Qi Family Grand Elder—could sense that line of text in the slightest.
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 bore none of the technological pollution of his previous life. Everything was exceedingly pristine.
Yet though it was all equally pristine, different places still differed.
For instance, in places where humans gathered, the mountain ranges and grasslands beyond villages and cities appeared especially desolate.
Tall plants were rarely seen there. Many trees had been felled, either burned as firewood or put to other uses. Even Mortals gathering dried grass had to search far away.
As for mountains and rivers far from human settlements, their primitiveness carried a savage, ancient air. In the truly deep mountains and old forests, one could even occasionally spot traces of demon beasts moving about.
Some such places were likely dangerous enough that even Xiu Xian practitioners had to tread with utmost caution.
Along the way, Qi Chuan had also seen some unusual sights: ancient mountain ranges upon which halls and palaces stood, with human figures moving among them, somewhat similar to Red Maple Valley.
They were presumably other Cultivation Families similar to the Qi Family.
But did everything he had seen along the way—including Red Maple Valley, the Qi Family's Spirit Land—fall within the Sect Domain ruled by the Wind Moon Sect?
As he looked over the mountains and rivers below, a trace of contemplation appeared in Qi Chuan's eyes.
At that moment, however, he sensed a gaze cast upon him from not far to his left. Qi Chuan shifted his eyes and looked over, only to collide directly with the Red-clothed Girl's gaze.
Qi Chan'er had also just stopped cultivating and happened to look 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 out slightly, and beneath her hanging red sleeves, her Pink Fists clenched secretly.
In her heart, she silently swore an oath.
After entering the Outer Sect, she would certainly cultivate diligently, enter the Inner Sect, and surpass Qi Chuan.
She believed she was inferior to no one.
Qi Chuan entering the Inner Sect was merely a temporary advantage.
Just as she had possessed the advantages of background and early access to Xiu Xian four years ago, Qi Chuan had managed to come from behind and seize the Wind Moon Sect's Inner Sect Quota from her despite those advantages. Why could she not one day turn the tables and surpass him?
Moreover, she and Qi Chuan were both at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. Neither was weaker than the other in cultivation base; there was merely the difference between the Inner Sect and Outer Sect.
And her advantage of a Fourth-grade Spiritual Root was still there.
Meanwhile, the two Qi Family Young Men who had won 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 brimming with excitement and anticipation.
They both knew they were basically incapable of comparing with Qi Chuan and Qi Chan'er. They only hoped that, after entering the Outer Sect, they could use the sect's resources to improve their Cultivation Bases. Perhaps in the future, they might have a chance to advance into the Late Qi Refining Stage, return to the Lineage, and become Elders. That alone would count as great success.
This was already their greatest hope. As for Foundation Establishment, or even the Perfection of Qi Refining, those were things they could scarcely dream of attaining.
After withdrawing his gaze, Qi Chuan did not dwell on his surroundings. Instead, he immersed himself in the exotic sights of this Xianxia world, enjoying a moment of relaxation amid cultivation.
As for the occasional glances Qi Chan'er cast his way, he did not care. To be honest, his conscience was clear. Given the opportunity, no one would simply refuse to fight for the Wind Moon Sect's Inner Sect Quota and hand it over to someone else.
The Flying Carpet streaked through the sky toward the distance. As time passed, Qi Chuan finally saw an entirely different sight.
Ahead, the outlines of an ancient, continuous mountain range came into view. Its scale was unknown times greater than that of Red Maple Valley, and none of the Cultivation Family Spirit Lands Qi Chuan had seen along the way could compare to the mountains before them.
"Is this the land of the Ling Mai occupied by the Wind Moon Sect? I wonder what tier of Ling Mai it is?"
On the Flying Carpet, Qi Chuan looked at the ancient mountain range ahead, curiosity showing in his eyes. He remembered that Red Maple Valley, where the Qi Family resided, possessed a Tier 1 High-grade Ling Mai. Would the Wind Moon Sect's land have a Second-tier Ling Mai, or a Third-tier Spirit Vein?
The Flying Carpet continued onward. The ancient mountain range drew closer and grew larger, and gradually, everyone noticed something different from what they had expected.
"This is Wind Moon Lake, where the Wind Moon Sect is located!" the Qi Family Grand Elder announced from ahead of Qi Chuan and the others, standing with his hands behind his back.
"Wind Moon Lake?"
Everyone's eyes widened slightly. Amid the encircling mountains, a vast lake had appeared. Pale white clouds and mist floated over its surface, obscuring part of their view, but the lake's scale was still clearly extraordinary.
The enormous mountain outlines they had seen before happened to form a faint ring around the lake, enclosing it in the middle. That was why they had only seen the mountains earlier, not the lake.
Now that the Flying Carpet had drawn closer, they could see that among the pale white clouds and mist above the lake, numerous Water Islands of varying sizes protruded from the water, scattered throughout. There were quite a few of them.
Moreover, at the heart of the lake, where the clouds and mist were thickest, two gigantic outlines could vaguely be seen. They resembled two colossal beasts hidden among the mist, and merely looking at them inspired a faint sense of fear.
"Could those be... two Giant Mountains?"
After observing carefully, a guess surfaced in Qi Chuan's mind, leaving him slightly astonished. If the colossal objects at the center of the lake truly were two Giant Mountains, they had to be at least several times taller than all the mountains surrounding the lake!
"Can you all see it?"
At that moment, the Grand Elder's voice sounded again.
The Grand Elder smiled faintly and pointed toward Wind Moon Lake ahead as he introduced it to them.
"The surrounding mountains are where the Inner Sect and Outer Sect are located, and they will also be your places of cultivation in the future. The Ling Mai beneath them is no less impressive than that of Red Maple Valley. Cultivating there will bring great benefits."
"As for the many Water Islands of varying sizes within the lake, they are where the Wind Moon Sect's Elders and True Disciples reside."
"At the center of Wind Moon Lake stand two high mountains. It is said that this is 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!"
"These two high mountains enjoy immense renown among all the nearby Cultivation Families. 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, lies upon Moon Shadow Mountain!"
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