Boundary Stone

After the three left, Xu Yan and Qin Yiren did not emerge rashly. They stayed hidden for half an hour, and only after confirming the others had not returned did they slowly step out.

"If they hadn't kept chasing me, I'd have gone deep into the Immortal Treasury long ago," Qin Yiren said.

With her strength, she had only just reached the middle section of the Immortal Treasury because those cultivators kept hounding her.

If they truly were cultivators from the Blood-Listening Tower, as Xu Yan suspected, things would be troublesome indeed.

The sect roamed eastern Cang Province and had no fixed base. Many of its members were outcasts from major sects, while others were cultivators who lived by licking blood from a blade's edge. Pay them enough spirit wealth, and they would do anything.

Xu Yan's gaze turned grave. "Let's go. We need to reach Spirit-Sealing City quickly and make our plans there."

"All right!"

Outside the city was too dangerous. Since divine abilities could not be used in Spirit-Sealing City, it offered a place of respite.

They did not linger, heading east at once.

Along the way, both remained tense, not daring to relax for a moment lest those cultivators lay an ambush.

Two days passed like this before they finally glimpsed the outline of the second Spirit-Sealing City.

Compared to the one in the Immortal Treasury's first section, this city was a full size larger. Its pitch-black walls rose hundreds of zhang into swirling clouds and mist, like an ancient behemoth crouched among the mountains.

Xu Yan stopped a hundred zhang from the city gate.

To be safe, he first sent out a Gold Whistle Talisman, asking Fang Che and the others to come meet him. Their Dao Attainment might be a little weaker, but at least they had numbers on their side.

Thick mist swirled around the enormous gate, and cultivators occasionally flew through it. Xu Yan examined it with his Spirit Eye and saw that the mist was formed by Spirit-Sealing City's restrictions. Divine sense could not penetrate it, so naturally he worried that someone might be lying in wait.

Before long, he spotted Fang Che, Yan Qihu, and the others by the distant gate.

All nine Rogue Cultivators were there. Not one was missing.

Both men had improved their Dao Attainment. Fang Che had reached the fourth level of Pulse Opening, while Yan Qihu had broken through the second Spirit Meridian Gate.

In the Immortal Treasury, survival alone brought rewards. Even without fortunate encounters or spirit-rich lands, the energy of heaven and earth here was several times denser than where they usually cultivated.

"Brother Xu!"

Yan Qihu came riding the wind, his face bright with delight. Everyone greeted Xu Yan, but their expressions froze when they saw Qin Yiren beside him.

Once they learned her cultivation level, they were even more startled and grew somewhat ill at ease.

As a direct-line disciple of Tiandu Immortal City, she had a background they could only look up to.

Qin Yiren did not hide the fact that someone was hunting her.

The Rogue Cultivators' expressions changed as they listened.

Yan Qihu drew a sharp breath. "The eighth level of Pulse Opening? If we ran into someone like that, we wouldn't even be able to escape."

No wonder Qin Yiren had only now reached the middle section despite her high Dao Attainment.

Xu Yan said gravely, "Everyone, I may travel with Fellow Cultivator Qin from here on. This matter could have serious consequences. If any of you are unwilling to come, I won't force you."

Qin Yiren cupped her fists to the group as well. "I've dragged you into this. If you're willing to travel with me, I'll thank you with spirit wealth. If not, I won't hold it against you."

Qin Yiren had come to understand that traveling alone would likely end in disaster, and she might never make it out of the Immortal Treasury. Had she known, she would have listened to her father and brought guards inside with her.

The Rogue Cultivators exchanged uncertain looks.

Xu Yan and Qin Yiren had both received guidance from the Dharma King, and they might even become fellow True Disciples one day. Xu Yan had reason to travel with her.

But the others had no ties to Qin Yiren. They had no reason to take such a risk.

Spirit wealth was tempting, but being hunted by someone at the eighth level of Pulse Opening was no joke.

After a moment's silence, one Rogue Cultivator spoke first, looking troubled. "Brother Xu, Miss Qin, it isn't that we fear death. Our cultivation is simply too low. We'd only hold you back."

Once one person had spoken, another followed.

"That's right, Half-Immortal Xu. We were lucky enough to survive the journey to the middle section. If we get caught up in something like this..."

His voice trailed away, and he felt ashamed. After all, if Xu Yan had not discovered the Teleportation Array, they would have struggled to reach the middle section at all.

Yan Qihu's face darkened, and he was about to speak when Fang Che put a hand on his shoulder.

Fang Che looked around at everyone. "Each person has their own path. There's no need to force anyone. Those who wish to stay can stay; those who wish to leave can leave. Let's not sour things between us."

In the end, four of the nine Rogue Cultivators chose to leave.

Xu Yan said nothing more. He only urged them to be careful on the road and said that, if they made it out of the Immortal Treasury, they could meet again as fellow disciples of the Hundred Academies.

Five stayed: Fang Che, Yan Qihu, Yao Yu, and two other Rogue Cultivators, both at the second level of Pulse Opening. One was Zhou Yuan, a man of few words. The other was Zhao Chuan, good-natured and loyal to his friends.

Qin Yiren cupped her fists. "Thank you, everyone. I won't forget this kindness."

She took several bottles of pills and dozens of high-grade spirit stones from her Qiankun Bag and divided them among the five who stayed.

"Please accept these as a token of thanks. Once we're out of the Immortal Treasury, I'll reward you properly."

Fang Che and the others tried to refuse, but Qin Yiren insisted, so they accepted.

After making their preparations, everyone readied a magical artifact and walked cautiously toward Spirit-Sealing City.

Within the thick mist, the enormous city loomed over them.

Perhaps Xu Yan's group had been overly cautious. They sensed no cultivators from the Blood-Listening Tower, nor did they see any of them after entering the city.

The ancient city rang with constant clamor.

The Immortal Treasury had been open for nearly twenty days. Most cultivators had gathered in the middle section's Spirit-Sealing City; only a handful of prodigies had reportedly reached the latter half.

The city was crowded with people, all talking at once.

The seven of them reached the Ancient Dao Field at the city's center. It stretched hundreds of zhang across and was built entirely of Mystic Essence Black Stone, making it extraordinarily hard. Many cultivators were testing their spells and divine abilities inside.

Most striking of all was the strange stone at its center.

The stone stood about thirty zhang tall and was shaped like a pyramid. It shone brightly, its four sides smooth as mirrors.

It had nine tiers, each bearing a name. The names did not appear to have been carved; they seemed to have gathered from magical power on their own. The name on the highest, ninth tier was especially conspicuous: Jiang Beixuan.

"Jiang Beixuan?" Qin Yiren raised an eyebrow, then said thoughtfully, "At last, a gifted disciple has emerged from the Patriarch's lineage."

Jiang was the most sensitive surname within the Taiyuan Divine Sect. It was, of course, the Patriarch's surname.

The Patriarch's lineage had few descendants. For a long stretch, several generations of its young disciples had possessed such poor Root Bones that they did not even qualify to cultivate in the Divine Land. People within the sect said the Patriarch's talent had been so great that he had drained his entire family's fortune.

"What is this strange stone?" Xu Yan asked.

Fang Che turned to him. "It's a Boundary Stone. It can measure the grade of a Spirit Meridian."

"But this Boundary Stone is a little different. Besides measuring Spirit Meridian grades, it can also record names," Yan Qihu said. "They say that man's name has been there since the third day after the Immortal Treasury opened. No one's Spirit Meridian grade has surpassed his yet."

The grade of a Spirit Meridian rose as one advanced through Pulse Opening. A Spirit Meridian at the ninth level was naturally far stronger than one at the first.

Jiang Beixuan clearly had the highest-grade Spirit Meridian and the strongest talent and Root Bones among disciples at the ninth level of Pulse Opening.

Xu Yan looked down from Jiang Beixuan's name. On the eighth tier was another: Murong Ziyao.

She was from Nine Star Kui Island. Xu Yan frowned, recalling the cousin Huangfu Ziyang had mentioned. Could this be her?

The name on the seventh tier was another familiar one: Tushan Jiuyuan.

"These are all prodigies from great families. I reckon they've reached the latter half of the Immortal Treasury by now. In a few more days, they may already be out," Yan Qihu said.

Qin Yiren considered this, then stepped into the Dao Field. Mystic Qi surged around her as she sped toward the stone. "Let me try. I want to see what grade my extreme-yin meridian is."