"It didn't work...?"
"The jade pendant seemed to react just now..."
"But it still didn't work in the end..."
The menial quarters of the Azure Pool Demonic Sect, Imprisoned Dragon Realm.
Lu Li opened his eyes from his cross-legged cultivation.
He cautiously reached into his robes and drew out a slip of paper.
There were only two brief words on it: "Didn't work."
Thoughts flickered through Lu Li's mind.
Ever since Ma Liu's death, control over the entire menial mining area had grown much stricter.
First, Bai Sheng had taken a compass-shaped Law Artifact and scanned the entire mining area again and again.
Then he had brought a Foundation Establishment cultivator in blue robes to search the mining area thoroughly.
Only after failing to find any trace of Ma Liu had they withdrawn.
This had left Lu Li afraid to make even the slightest unusual move.
He had even stopped taking out his mining drill to slack off down in the mines.
He feared that some measure within the mines might expose him.
I never expected Bai Sheng to react so strongly to one missing menial.
But... that might be because Ma Liu "vanished into thin air."
Perhaps Bai Sheng thought there was a loophole in the mining area's confinement formation?
That would explain such a strong reaction...
To be safe, I'd better stay cautious for the next few months.
Lu Li drew a deep breath, his gaze sweeping casually toward a corner of the wooden hut.
Over the previous month, he had devoted himself entirely to cultivation and communicating with Great Xia across realms.
He had overlooked the changes around him.
After settling his mind this month, he had finally noticed faint signs that something was amiss.
That menial... what was his name... Ye Chenfeng?
Right, him. This fellow...
Something's a little off about him.
Lu Li's brow furrowed slightly.
This month, he had concerned himself with nothing but cultivation.
His nerves were no longer stretched taut, either.
In his spare moments, his senses had become much sharper.
At last, he had detected something strange among all these menials.
Whether he's mining or cultivating, his face never shows the tension the others have.
Even... when he saw that blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator coming to inspect the place, his expression barely changed.
There even seemed to be a faint hint of disdain...
Strange... he only looks eighteen or nineteen...
Where does that confidence come from?
Lu Li was puzzled. Ever since noticing something unusual about Ye Chenfeng, he had found him increasingly strange.
The fellow did not resemble a frightened menial in the slightest.
Instead, he seemed like...
Why does he seem like... one of those characters in the novels I used to read, playing the pig to eat the tiger...?
Even his name is so flashy... Ye Chenfeng...
Could he really be the "protagonist"?
The kind with an old grandpa in tow?!
Lu Li was slightly startled, as though his own conjecture had given him a fright.
He could hardly be blamed for having a vivid imagination.
Over the past month, he had noticed Ye Chenfeng behaving strangely many times.
It was not just his expression.
More than once, Lu Li had caught the young man abruptly nodding or shaking his head during cultivation, his lips moving hesitantly.
Sometimes he frowned; sometimes understanding dawned on his face...
If he was not the "protagonist," then there was definitely something wrong with him...
Yes, he's very likely the protagonist.
I've transmigrated myself. Running into a protagonist wouldn't be that surprising.
But... if you're the protagonist, why hide in these menial quarters? Go defy the heavens and prove your Dao...
Puzzled, Lu Li could not help pulling his robes tighter around himself.
Judging by his dozen-odd years of experience reading novels,
"Protagonists" who hid among the crowd like this... were generally not easy to get along with!
Just look at how easily the background characters and supporting cast around a novel's protagonist got dragged into trouble.
The karmic entanglements were enormous.
That was all the more true for someone like him, whose priority was lying low.
Calling Ye Chenfeng a ticking time bomb would not be an exaggeration.
It would be best to avoid contact with him altogether.
I'd better keep my distance from him.
I just wonder... why he hasn't joined the outer sect...
Lu Li muttered softly, unable to figure it out, and shook his head.
In any case, he had made up his mind to cultivate like an ordinary mortal for the next few months.
He would mine when it was time to mine and cultivate when it was time to cultivate.
Until he entered the outer sect, he would make absolutely no unusual moves.
With that, he immersed his mind and continued cultivating...
A month later, relying on the 2.0 Five Elements Instruction, Lu Li successfully broke through to the third layer of Qi Refining.
He drew the attention of all the menials.
Another month later, Ye Chenfeng, the suspected "protagonist," suddenly advanced to the Qi Refining fourth layer.
He left the menial quarters and entered the outer sect.
Lu Li breathed a slight sigh of relief. Sharing a room with someone like that always felt unsafe.
But... whether it was his imagination or something else,
He kept feeling that Ye Chenfeng had given him a few extra looks before leaving...
Two more months passed, and nearly half the disciples in the menial quarters had broken through one after another and entered the outer sect.
New menials had also arrived to replenish their numbers.
Lu Li was in no hurry, silently keeping track of the time.
At last, spring gave way to autumn, and the land grew bleak.
When the leaves on a crooked-necked tree in the menial quarters had turned completely yellow,
Lu Li finally reached the moment of his breakthrough.
"Hummm!"
The sparse Spiritual Qi in the air flowed through his meridians.
It gathered in his Dantian, transforming into strands of Spiritual Power, also known as Law Power.
His Dantian was already three-tenths full of Law Power.
One more tenth would make it four-tenths, which meant... the Qi Refining fourth layer!
"Hummm! Hummm! Hummm!"
As his Spiritual Power circulated, the other menials sharing his room, whether newly arrived or yet to advance, seemed to sense something.
They looked at Lu Li with envy.
"Is Senior Brother Lu... about to break through?!"
"Yes... he has five spirit roots, but he comprehended the Intermediate Five Elements Instruction."
"He's actually a step ahead of me, even with my four spirit roots..."
"After this... Senior Brother Lu will be an outer sect disciple!"
"..."
Watching Lu Li make his breakthrough, the menials discussed it among themselves.
They were about to say more when an unusual sound came from within Lu Li's body.
"Crack!"
With that crisp sound,
Lu Li's presence suddenly surged.
"Qi Refining... fourth layer!"
"Phew... I've finally broken through!"
Slowly opening his eyes, Lu Li felt the Spiritual Power within his Dantian, far more profound and substantial than before.
He was delighted.
Six months. After six full months of secluded cultivation, he had finally crossed from the first layer of Qi Refinement into the Qi Refining fourth layer.
From this day onward, he could enter the outer sect!
He would become an outer sect disciple of the Azure Pool Sect, have his own cave abode, and break free of numerous constraints!
More importantly... he could finally communicate with Great Xia safely!
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Lu!"
"Congratulations on entering the outer sect, Senior Brother!"
"Congratulations, Senior Brother..."
Sensing Lu Li's presence, every menial cupped their fists.
Lu Li rose and returned the salute without saying anything more.
He opened the door and strode outside...