North of Cloud Saint Peak lay a picturesque gorge. A clear, shallow stream wound slowly through it, and dozens of buildings stood scattered across the valley. This was Orchid Creek Ravine, home to Zhao Youdao, the head of the Law Enforcement Hall, and his disciples.
By the time the two reached the mouth of the valley, a crescent moon had just risen over the eastern mountains. A few plaintive nightingale calls rang out, deepening the desolation of the quiet night.
"Senior Brother Wang, where do you live? I'll walk you there," Sanbao offered.
"No need. I can manage on my own. You should hurry back; it's late already. Be careful on the way..."
"All right, then. I'm off, Senior Brother Wang." Sanbao nodded, then turned to leave.
Walking beneath the moonlight along the winding mountain path was a pleasure in its own right.
"Wait, Sanbao!" Wang Liang called out after Sanbao had gone several hundred meters.
"Is something the matter?" Sanbao turned and stopped.
"N-no, nothing. I just wanted to thank you." Wang Liang had meant to say something else, but in the end, he chose to stay silent.
"It was nothing." Sanbao shook his head with a smile, then took off.
"Brother Sanbao, there's a secret I wanted to share with you. It's just... sigh..." Wang Liang murmured, then slowly walked into the valley.
Treating Wang Liang's injuries had taken the entire afternoon, and Sanbao had missed the second round of the Sect Selection Tournament. As a result, he'd been eliminated, losing his chance to have a proper battle against a low-level Spirit General.
Fortunately, Sanbao hadn't expected much from the tournament anyway, so he didn't take it to heart.
After the start of spring, all living things burst with vitality. Sanbao seized every moment to train with all his might, hoping to reach the Spirit General realm as soon as possible.
Once he entered the Spirit General realm, he would become a core disciple of the Cloud Saint Sect. Core disciples were the sect's main focus for training, and their status was naturally on an entirely different level.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
For Sanbao, the most important thing was that reaching the Spirit General realm would let him master his earth-grade Spirit Skill, the Ninefold Claw. If his bloodline power was strong enough, he might even awaken his innate skill, the Folded Void Claw.
Innate skills were tremendously powerful. By then, he might even stand a chance against a Spirit Commander expert.
His strength would increase dramatically, giving him some means of protecting himself even without relying on the Cloud Saint Sect.
With that hope in his heart, Sanbao trained in silence, determined to reach the Spirit General realm soon.
Three months passed in a flash.
Sanbao had reached the peak of the Spirit Scholar realm, but he was still just one step away from becoming a Spirit General. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through that final barrier.
This was only the easiest realm to advance into among the eight later stages of Spirit Cultivation, yet it was already so difficult. One could imagine how hard it would be to advance through the other realms.
By the same token, the increase in strength after a breakthrough was naturally immense.
By now, Sanbao's Dantian was already filled with spiritual power. The only way to reach the Spirit General realm was to expand it. He had to keep refining his spiritual power and compressing it inside his Dantian until it could no longer bear the strain and suddenly burst open.
Once the Dantian burst, it would quickly reform. Afterward, its capacity would increase greatly, allowing it to hold more spiritual power. That was when he would reach the Spirit General realm.
"Sanbao, you're too impatient. You can't force an advance in your realm. I suggest you spend more time practicing the Earth Fire Technique. While refining your fire-element spiritual power, work on calming your mind as well. When the work is done, success will follow naturally. With your talent, there's no need to worry about a mere Spirit General realm..."
Sanbao's cultivation had gone too smoothly before, and it had made him impatient. After several failed attempts to break through, he'd grown somewhat discouraged. Jing Yifei had noticed it all along, and when Sanbao failed once again that day, he quickly offered his guidance.
"I understand, Master." Sanbao nodded silently, then slowly walked out of Fire Cloud Hall.
"Sanbao, where are you off to?" A-Tie called from the entrance.
"Nowhere in particular. I'm just going down the mountain for a walk." Head bowed, Sanbao strolled away.
"Huh, the kid's changed his habits. He's been here over a year and hardly ever gone out. What's gotten into him?" A-Tie shook his head repeatedly as he watched Sanbao's retreating figure.
He'd been at the Cloud Saint Sect for over a year, yet there were only a few places Sanbao had visited.
Before long, he reached a lush maple forest behind the mountain. A few scattered maple leaves danced in the breeze, their lonely flutter seeming to mirror his melancholy.
Whoosh.
A white blur shot past Sanbao's eyes and quickly vanished into the maple forest.
"Let's see where you can run! Huh? Where did it go?"
A Light-Clad Woman carrying a longbow hurried to the edge of the forest, followed closely by a green-robed maid, panting for breath.
"Senior Brother, did you see a White Sable pass by?" the Light-Clad Woman asked softly.
"Oh, yes. It went into the forest."
Sanbao turned around and saw that the other person was a young woman. She wasn't tall, but her figure was full and shapely. Her delicate face was especially alluring.
Most striking of all were her glistening eyes, captivating and bewitching. Sanbao prided himself on having seen plenty of actresses of every kind, but there were few who could compare with her.
For a moment, Sanbao stared at her, dazed.
"Good heavens, she must have the legendary Fox Charm Physique."
"Hm? You're a junior brother. Are you sure you saw the White Sable?"
Only after Sanbao turned his face did the woman realize she might have addressed him incorrectly. Though he was tall and well-built, his boyishness hadn't faded, and his cultivation was only at the Spirit Scholar level. He was clearly quite young.
Still, anyone who could wander freely around the Cloud Saint Sect had to be a fellow disciple.
Since coming to Cloud Mountain, Sanbao had grown rapidly. In just over a year, he'd become taller than most men. But he was still not quite fifteen, so a trace of youthful innocence remained on his face.
"Y-yes, it definitely went that way." Sanbao snapped out of it, blushing in embarrassment. For some reason, seeing the woman had naturally brought to mind that famous line:
"Stop the carriage to admire the maple woods at dusk..."
Sanbao silently scolded himself, thinking he was far too impure. He'd only just met her, and already his thoughts had turned so wicked.
But then again, the Light-Clad Woman did have a wonderful figure. It was midsummer, and she wore only a single light layer. With her charming face and rosy cheeks, she was like a lotus rising from clear water. No wonder Sanbao's imagination was running wild.
"Boy, are you asking for trouble, staring at our young lady like that?" Sanbao blushed again, only then noticing the maid behind the woman glaring fiercely at him.
The Light-Clad Woman said nothing. She merely covered her mouth and giggled.
She was probably used to this sort of thing.
"Um, well, Senior Sisters, I have something to do, so I'll take my leave." Exposed, Sanbao was mortified. He quickly lowered his head and walked away.
"Stop right there! You think you can just leave? You have to help us find the White Sable. You're not going anywhere until you do!" The green-robed maid shouted imperiously.
"You two..."
Sanbao didn't want to argue with a girl, so he looked to the Light-Clad Woman to see what she would say.
"Junior Brother, we've been chasing this White Sable for a long time. We were just about to catch it, but it still managed to escape. Could you help me? I'd be very grateful."
The woman smiled lightly at Sanbao, then asked in a soft voice. Beneath her appeal, there was also something inexplicable in her tone.
Sanbao felt a wave of heat suddenly course through his whole body, and he found it strangely pleasant. This woman was something else.
"Of course. Wait here, Senior Sister."
Sanbao nodded, then rushed into the maple forest, leaving only the sound of laughter lingering around the two women.
"Hehe, Miss, you really are irresistible!"
"He's just a clueless boy. Get ready; we can't let the White Sable escape again this time." The mistress and maid split up, forming a pincer around the forest with Sanbao.
Once he entered the maple forest, Sanbao's expression gradually returned to normal. He knew the Light-Clad Woman had used a little bewitching art on him, but he had to admit it felt good. Since he'd happened upon them, helping out was a small matter. There was no harm in lending a hand.
Spreading his mental power to its full extent, Sanbao began searching the forest. The White Sable was fast, but its stamina was poor. After running for a while, it had to hide and rest, which was why it still hadn't escaped the two women.
"Hm, there you are. You're not getting away."
Sanbao suddenly spotted the White Sable. He was about to call the two women over to surround it when it abruptly darted to one side, clearly aware it had been discovered.
"Over here!" Sanbao shouted, then turned and chased after the White Sable. Unlike the two women, when Sanbao unleashed the Nine-Turn Golden Body with all his strength, even a Spirit General expert would be left in the dust over a short distance.
The two figures soon raced out of the woods. As the two women stared in stunned silence, they vanished into the mountain valley.
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