Not To Be Provoked

The Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven is located beyond the western border of the Great Qi Dynasty. It's a lawless region, a rift between Qi and Wei. Because cultivators have traveled through it for years, it doesn't fall under the dynasty's control.

In the past, it attracted cultivators because the spiritual energy in the area was abundant. No one could have imagined that a grotto-heaven was hidden behind it.

In the early morning, sunlight streamed across the ship, illuminating everyone.

Deputy Sect Master Chen Anshi stood on the deck, introducing the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven. "The Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven is a cave dwelling left by an ancient Great Sage. It's a world of its own. Later, it was controlled by the Jihao Sect. Now, the Jihao Sect has vanished, but the artifact spirit of the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven remains. It maintains the rules of the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven. This time, when you enter to explore, the great cultivators from the Nine Great Sects cannot accompany you; you can only rely on yourselves."

"This exploration will last for six months. Everything you obtain belongs to you; you don't need to hand it over to the sect. After six months, I will wait for you at the entrance. All grudges within cannot be brought out. This means there is competition inside. You represent the strongest talents of the Taiyuan Sect. You must not only strive to survive but also bring glory to the Taiyuan Sect. Do you understand?"

Chen Anshi said sternly, his gaze sharp as he looked at all the disciples.

Fang Wang felt a pang of emotion, thinking how amazing the acting of a mole was. If Zhou Xue hadn't warned him, he would never have realized Chen Anshi was a spy for the Demonic Path.

Tsk, this guy must have already leaked their information to the Chimo Sect. It looks like the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven will be fraught with danger!

The disciples listened intently.

According to Chen Anshi, the threshold for entering the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven this time was set by the artifact spirit to be below the fifth level of the Mysterious Heart Realm. Furthermore, each sect could only send nine people. As for whether there were only nine sects, the artifact spirit was vague. Therefore, Chen Anshi reminded the disciples that they might encounter cultivators from the Great Wei's immortal cultivation world.

Fang Wang had defeated Xu Lang, who was at the ninth level of the Spirit Pill Realm. Facing the Mysterious Heart Realm, although he was wary, he wasn't to the point of fear. He hadn't even used his strongest spell yet!

Half an hour later.

The magic ship flew into a barren land. The earth was crimson, with sparse flowers, grass, and trees. Fissures crisscrossed the surface, forming intricate canyons.

Two straight mountain peaks appeared ahead, about thirty feet apart, as if split in two by a sword strike from a sword cultivator. It was a magnificent sight.

The magic ship landed, and Fang Wang and the others disembarked, following Chen Anshi. Zhao Chuangan and the elders walked behind.

Fang Wang looked closely and saw that cultivators had already gathered at the foot of the mountains. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be from six different sects, numbering over a hundred people.

The arrival of the Taiyuan Sect drew the attention of the various sects. Fang Wang felt numerous Spiritual Senses sweeping over him, which annoyed him greatly.

"Hmph!"

Chen Anshi let out a cold snort, like a muffled thunderclap. The Spiritual Senses on Fang Wang immediately disappeared, and the expressions of the other disciples also improved.

"Hahaha, isn't this the Deputy Sect Master of Taiyuan Sect, Chen Anshi? When will you be able to break through to the Spirit Condensation Realm?" an old man said with a hearty laugh, instantly easing the tense atmosphere. Elders from other sects chimed in with greetings.

"Deputy Sect Master Chen, this batch of Taiyuan Sect disciples is extraordinary!"

"Who is Fang Wang? To be able to defeat someone at the ninth level of the Spirit Pill Realm after only three years of cultivation is truly amazing!"

"With Fang Wang and Lu Yuanjun here, plus three Earth Origin Treasure Spirits, tsk tsk, it seems the top position among the Nine Great Sects will belong to Taiyuan Sect in the future."

"Alas, what a pity. Why doesn't my Taiqing Sect have such good fortune? We originated from the same lineage as Taiyuan Sect."

The great cultivators from various sects gathered together, praising the Taiyuan Sect.

Xu Lang, Ye Xiang, and other Taiyuan Sect disciples couldn't help but look at Fang Wang, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Fang Wang hadn't expected his reputation to spread so quickly in just a month. It seemed there were quite a few traitors in the Taiyuan Sect.

Lu Yuanjun, hearing others praise Fang Wang while belittling him, remained unfazed, wearing a harmless smile on his face.

Chen Anshi snorted, "No matter how talented Fang Wang is, he is still young. I hope all sects will be understanding. After all, the Nine Great Sects will work together to develop the Great Qi's immortal cultivation world in the future. Our opponents are the immortal cultivation worlds of the Wei, Chu, and Zhao dynasties."

With that said, the great cultivators from other sects found it difficult to tease further and shifted the conversation to the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven.

"It seems your troubles are great. Take care of yourself."

Zhou Xue's voice reached Fang Wang's ears. Fang Wang couldn't help but glance at her, giving her a look that made her understand.

Seeing this, Zhou Xue pursed her lips into a smile, walked to his side, and took out a secret manual from her Storage Bag, handing it to him.

Fang Wang glanced at it. The cover had four characters: Spirit Sculpting Manual.

His heart filled with joy, and he immediately put the Spirit Sculpting Manual into his Storage Bag.

Gu Li, not far away, noticed this scene. Through her veil, it was faintly visible that she was biting her lip.

An hour later, the remaining two sects arrived.

Fang Wang's attention was drawn to the Xuanhong Sword Sect. He scanned the crowd, looking for Xu Qiuming.

Zhou Xue had said that Xu Qiuming of the Xuanhong Sword Sect was absolutely not to be provoked. Taiyuan Sect would become the strongest sect in the Great Qi's immortal cultivation world, but Xu Qiuming would become the strongest individual. Only after he left the Great Qi's immortal cultivation world and ventured overseas in search of opportunities would Lu Yuanjun ascend to the top.

According to Zhou Xue, Lu Yuanjun was indeed powerful, but he was merely a prominent figure within the confines of the Great Qi's immortal cultivation world. Xu Qiuming, on the other hand, was someone who could truly pursue the path of immortality. By the time Zhou Xue reached the highest realm in the human world, Xu Qiuming would also reach it, but Xu Qiuming was not destined to ascend.

"The youngest-looking boy seems to be Xu Qiuming," Zhou Xue transmitted mentally, introducing him.

Fang Wang's gaze fell upon a black-clothed youth who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old. His features were not handsome, merely passable as refined. While other Xuanhong Sword Sect disciples wore precious swords, he had nothing at his waist and no sword on his back, lacking any aura of a powerful cultivator.

Sensing Fang Wang's gaze, Xu Qiuming looked at him and flashed a smile, appearing somewhat shy.

Fang Wang immediately nodded at him, then withdrew his gaze.

The deputy sect masters and elders of each sect communicated, while the disciples of each sect stood separately, with clear boundaries.

It was noon.

The two straight mountain peaks in front suddenly trembled, drawing everyone's attention.

"The Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven is opening! All sects, prepare to enter!"

An elder from the Taiqing Sect shouted loudly. Instantly, the disciples rose to their feet.

A blinding light appeared between the two peaks, so intense that it obscured the view of what lay beyond the canyon.

The nine disciples of Green Cicada Valley were the first to step into the brilliant light, their auras vanishing one by one. Following them were disciples from Taiqing Sect and Chimo Sect.

Chen Anshi turned and cautioned, "Remember, be careful with everything! Do not trust others easily. Your objective is to search for rare materials and inheritances. Do you understand?"

The disciples nodded in unison. Except for Fang Wang and Zhou Xue, they all felt that while this Vice Sect Master appeared strict, he actually had a warm heart.

Soon, it was Taiyuan Sect's turn. Lu Yuanjun led the way into the canyon.

Fang Wang followed behind Zhou Xue, with Gu Li behind him.

Silence reigned throughout the journey.

As Fang Wang stepped into the intense light, an unimaginable force enveloped him. He felt his body lose control, as if he were suddenly falling. The intense sensation of weightlessness made him uncomfortable, but he couldn't open his eyes.

A full ten breaths passed.

Fang Wang finally felt his feet touch the ground. The intense dizziness almost made him fall, but he managed to steady himself.

Control over his body gradually returned. Fang Wang felt Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, far denser than that in Taiyuan Sect's cave dwelling, surge towards him. He immediately felt refreshed and, on instinct, opened his eyes.

What greeted his eyes was a continuous expanse of rolling mountains and forests. Thunderclouds rumbled in the distance, and he could vaguely see enormous demonic beasts circling. He stood on the edge of a cliff, and five more steps forward would send him plummeting.

He immediately turned and looked around, but he couldn't see anyone. He extended his Spiritual Sense, but also detected no trace of anyone.

As Chen Anshi had said, they would be scattered upon teleportation, and the exact location would depend on the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven's artifact spirit.

Six months later, the artifact spirit would send them out, so they didn't need to find an exit.

Fang Wang didn't rush to search. Instead, he sat cross-legged by the cliff edge and took out the Spirit Sculpting Manual Zhou Xue had given him.

Spirit Sculpting required Heavenly Dao Spirit Stones. In Great Qi's immortal cultivation world, only the nine major sects possessed them. Even if aristocratic families had them, they had to hide them, lest they invite a deadly disaster.

Fang Wang had originally planned to return to Taiyuan Sect to perform Spirit Sculpting after this event, but now it seemed unnecessary, as the first page of the Spirit Sculpting Manual explained how to create temporary Heavenly Dao Spirit Stones!

Besides the crafting method, some special locations also allowed for Spirit Sculpting, though they had not yet been discovered by Great Qi's immortal cultivation world.

Despite being called the Spirit Sculpting Manual, most of the later content was about how to condense spirit pills. He suspected Zhou Xue had written it specifically for him.