His voice carried for thousands of miles. With this single display, Zhang Nian had revealed the mastery of space unique to a Dou Sheng Expert. After all, carrying a voice such a vast distance wasn't something that could be achieved merely by wrapping it in Dou Qi.
Within the barrier
Zhang Nian looked around and frowned slightly. This was, after all, a place someone else had lived in. He glanced at the prompt panel in his mind. Only ninety seconds remained. Then, under the watchful eyes of his two disciples, he raised both hands. A wondrous ripple appeared in the air, faint waves spreading endlessly like ripples caused by a droplet falling into a lake, flowing toward the surrounding buildings.
As the ripples passed through the buildings, they stirred up dust that drifted through the air. Only then did the two realize their master was cleaning their soon-to-be new home.
"Rumble!"
The space trembled, and cracks of all sizes appeared around them, like the open jaws of a giant beast swallowing the buildings on either side. After Zhang Nian was done, only several rows of wooden houses and two rows of meditation rooms higher up the mountain remained. Everything else had been swept flat.
The Misty Cloud Sect no longer resembled the grand and imposing place it had been a minute ago. The renovations gave it an even more mysterious atmosphere.
"Not bad. It looks much more comfortable now."
Zhang Nian nodded slightly, sincerely pleased with his sweeping renovations. He wouldn't have many disciples, and the buildings on either side of the plaza could serve as quarters for future servants. The cultivation rooms and resting quarters at the summit, which had once belonged to the sect master, would be homes for his disciples and himself.
With some time left, Zhang Nian waved his sleeve. A cluster of stones flew over from the nearby forest. Controlling them with one hand, he gently clenched his palm. The stones spun in midair and, in the blink of an eye, became uniformly sized diamond shapes. A moment later, hundreds of them descended gently to the ground, arranged in neat rows.
Because of the barrier, anyone without strength surpassing a Dou Sheng's—or spatial power—couldn't enter. These were the "keys" Zhang Nian had made.
"All right. Each of you, pick one. Take it with you whenever you leave the mountain."
He pointed to the pile of stones and gave his instructions. He was about to lose his Dou Sheng strength, but he doubted Medusa and Zi Yan would notice. After all, they hadn't been able to see through his cultivation before. Once he lost all his strength, Zhang Nian would look like an ordinary person. But wasn't that exactly what a Dou Sheng Expert was like? If I want you to see through me, you can. If I don't, there's nothing you can do.
The two had yet to recover from their shock. Medusa had never seen such an incredible technique, while Zi Yan looked at the diamond-shaped stones on the ground with interest and said in her childish voice:
"Master, could you make me a big stone lion to play with?"
-_-|| Sweat...
[Ding! Friendly reminder: the Battle Saint Experience Card is about to expire. Countdown: 10...9...8...]
Zhang Nian didn't hesitate. He released his spiritual sense and swept his sleeves through the air. As Dou Qi surged, the distant forest trembled. Then a tiny black dot shot toward them at high speed. A massive boulder spun through the sky as countless fragments broke off and fell, making the forest below sway.
[5...4...3...2...1...Experience ended.]
"Rumble~!"
The ground in the plaza shook, followed by a loud crash. Zi Yan excitedly clapped her hands, staring at the five-meter-tall stone lion before her.
Medusa's heart stirred. She couldn't help thinking, It seems I was overthinking things earlier. Judging from Master's behavior, he really does dote on his disciples.
After losing all his strength, Zhang Nian broke into a cold sweat. Good grief, he'd nearly been exposed with just one second to spare. At least he'd acted fast. Watching Zi Yan ride on the stone lion's back and laugh delightedly warmed his heart, and the familiar system notification sounded in his ears.
[Ding! Zi Yan's Favorability +10, current: 60 (loyalty), return multiplier increased to 500]
That's right.
After awakening the system, Zhang Nian had learned the rules: this panel only appeared once a disciple's affection reached a certain level. That was why he doted on his disciples so much. According to the system, once their affection reached 100, the multiplier would rise to an astounding ten thousand times.
Outside the barrier, Jia Xingtian, Yun Shan, and Hai Bodong exchanged glances. Jia Xingtian felt envious. Yun Shan hadn't lost anything in this exchange—just a mountain peak. Though he hadn't brought anything else out, those three Eighth-Tier medicinal ingredients could bring him quite a lot. They were Eighth-Tier, after all... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, in a wealthier place, they might be exchanged for a Dou Zong Breaking Pill or something even better. How could Jia Xingtian not envy him?
Hai Bodong thought it over carefully. He'd already lost the advantage, and if he wanted to overtake the others now, he'd have to make an unexpected move.
Jia Xingtian, too, began to consider how he could win the favor of this newly arrived sage.
"Elder Hai!"
A dense crowd surged over across the ground. Miteer Tengshan had arrived at the scene as quickly as possible, bringing gifts and a group of servants.
Hai Bodong's eyes lit up. Here was his chance to overtake the others. A sage was still human and needed to eat and sleep; he'd need people to attend to him. The gifts weren't as important, though they were better than nothing. As long as these people served the sage well, the Miteer Family would surely rise again. Or perhaps they could select a few outstanding young women from the clan. The two people with the sage looked quite different from each other, but neither seemed like his other half. Maybe...
His Dou Qi wings beat rapidly behind him. Hai Bodong turned and taunted the others. "Haha, looks like that fellow from the Miteer Family has the right idea. I'll be going on ahead!"
Yun Shan stared in astonishment at the dense crowd below, especially the young woman at the front. He immediately understood the Miteer clan's plan: they were starting with the sage's daily needs. Then he turned to look at his personal disciple, Yun Yun, also a graceful young woman in the prime of her youth. Perhaps he should...
Yun Shan suddenly felt that managing the vast Misty Cloud Sect wasn't so difficult after all. He could probably keep going for a few more years without any trouble. With those Eighth-Tier medicinal ingredients, it wouldn't be impossible to trade for something useful...
"No! If this keeps up, the Jia Ma Imperial Family will fall behind!" Jia Xingtian beat his wings rapidly. From Yun Shan's subtle expression, he could already tell what he was thinking, while the Miteer Family had already taken action. Without saying another word, he turned and flew toward the imperial city in the Imperial Capital.
Meanwhile, Hai Bodong led the crowd to a point a hundred meters in front of the barrier. He circulated his Dou Qi and called out toward the barely visible mountain gate:
"Greetings! Hai Bodong of the Jia Ma Empire, together with the Miteer Family, welcomes the sage to this place. We offer more than a hundred servants and various gifts~"
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