“Senior Sister, please observe clearly. Although this Jin Buhuan wears an orange robe, he is now crippled, only at Ningqi Level 1, and is an Outer Sect Utility Disciple,” Kang Shenjun explained. His gentle expression was probably as warm as if he were seeing his own mother.
“Jin Buhuan?” That Senior Sister Yi Xiang murmured, her moth-like brows slightly furrowed. “One of the ten great Xiong Jun of the Inner Sect, a cultivation prodigy?”
Before Kang Shenjun could reply, she quickly withdrew her gaze and walked past us swiftly, seemingly no longer interested in Qian Duoduo’s identity.
“Senior Sister, walk slowly.” Kang Shenjun raised his right hand and waved gently, his expression fervent. After Senior Sister Yi Xiang’s figure disappeared, he turned back and snapped, “Still want me to help you up? Believe it or not, I’ll kick your dog leg off?”
Such scolding and beating could not make Qian Duoduo angry. What he thought in his heart was: “When I was in the village, whether it was people or dogs, if they barked and yelled rudely at me, I always treated it as rabid barking. Since it’s rabid barking, you just avoid it; why must you go up to it and get a face full of spit?”
Walking to the foot of the tall mountain, cheers came from ahead. Turning around a patch of woods, Qian Duoduo saw a large open space ahead, with a high platform in the center. On the platform were two young men, both in blue robes, their figures flickering, and golden light shining even more brightly around their bodies.
The high platform, several hundred feet in size, was surrounded by thousands of people, densely packed. There were blue robes, gray robes, but no orange robes like Qian Duoduo’s.
Several gray robes ran past Qian Duoduo, and one of them said, “Hurry, hurry! Mei Chenzhi and Lang Lidao, those two rivals, are fighting again in the training ground. When Outer Sect Xiong Jun at Qi Condensation Level Six fight, there’s both a show to watch and Dao to learn.”
Another person retorted, “You’re only at the third level; can you understand the sixth level? Still want to learn the Dao? Don’t be afraid of learning heterodox ways.”
Why are Immortals still fighting? Qian Duoduo was very curious and followed Kang Shenjun towards the high platform.
Still twenty feet from the high platform, Kang Shenjun ordered Qian Duoduo, “Just stand there, watch for a while, then we’ll go.”
On the high platform were two young men, one fat and one thin. The fat man had a three-foot-long sharp knife dancing in front of him. The tip of the knife shimmered with light, bringing forth bursts of cold wind. The thin man had a soft whip wrapped around his body. The soft whip was like a strange python, sometimes spitting out a poisonous tongue from the air, or suddenly sweeping out a snake tail from the ground.
The knife and whip collided from time to time, the roar deafening. The Killing Intent on the high platform was surging, much more formidable than Yan Qi and Ren Rong.
How much hatred do these two have? Qian Duoduo was secretly alarmed. The objects these two manipulated were much heavier than chicken claws, and their offensive and defensive Moves were even more complex. If one Move wasn’t blocked, they wouldn’t die, but they’d probably lose a piece of flesh, right?
“Qi Condensation Level Six is already so mighty. For this Ninth Level Cultivator, Jin Buque, wouldn’t it be as easy as stepping on an ant for me, a first-level Cultivator? All matters are small; Cultivation is first,” Qian Duoduo secretly resolved.
Without reaching the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation, there is no right to slack off.
Kang Shenjun watched the high platform intently, his hands constantly moving, clearly comprehending the Cultivation Technique.
On the high platform, the flying knife grazed the thin man’s shoulder, bringing forth a splash of blood. If it had been three inches closer, it might have beheaded the thin man.
“Oh!” Qian Duoduo exclaimed. The spectators also stirred.
“Can you understand? What are you yelling about—let’s go.” Seeing the battle situation clear, Kang Shenjun led Qian Duoduo around the crowd and walked towards the mountain entrance.
At the entrance of the mountain slope stood a huge stone archway.
The archway had three gates and three stories, tall and imposing.
At the plaque of the main building of the archway, the two large blue characters “Outer Sect” were boldly written. In the upper left corner of the plaque, there were also three small golden characters, “Mengyuan Mountain.”
So this mountain is called Mengyuan Mountain. Qian Duoduo looked up, his neck bent all the way back, but he still couldn’t see the mountain peak.
“This mountain is so big. For people on the mountain to run down, it must take several days, right?”
Just as Qian Duoduo thought this, he saw a golden light pierce through the distant clouds and fly towards Mengyuan Mountain. As the golden light approached, he saw that it was a long sword, and a middle-aged man was standing on it!
The man wore a large red Daoist robe, his figure as tall and straight as a green pine.
“Palace Lord Tang Honggong has come out of seclusion!” Kang Shenjun murmured, standing still, gazing fanatically at the man in the sky.
So he is Jin Buhuan’s maternal uncle; this is a true Immortal!
Qian Duoduo’s admiration for Tang Honggong was no less than Kang Shenjun’s.
“Moo…” A joyful cow’s bellow came from behind. The Golden Ox they had seen earlier was actually flying through the air towards the summit of Mengyuan Mountain.
Hearing the cow’s call, the red-robed Palace Lord stopped in mid-air.
The man and the ox met in the air. The Palace Lord sat on the Golden Ox and continued to fly towards the mountain peak.
Qian Duoduo saw that the Golden Ox’s hooves were actually rainbow-colored.
“Even a cow’s Cultivation is much deeper than mine!”
Watching the Palace Lord and the Golden Ox disappear into the mountain clouds, Qian Duoduo said to himself:
“I want to fly, I must learn to fly!”
“Keep up,” Kang Shenjun’s voice was cold as he called out to Qian Duoduo from ahead.
Stepping into the stone archway, Qian Duoduo immediately felt the Spiritual Qi three times denser than on the path they had taken.
Is this the treatment of the Outer Sect?
Qian Duoduo wished he could sit on the ground and immediately Cultivate the Golden Light Condensation Money Technique to break through to the second layer.
On the hillside within the stone archway, small courtyards were scattered.
Inside each small courtyard, there was a detached Wood House. In one courtyard, a Disciple in a blue robe was practicing controlling a silver sword.
These courtyards are where Outer Sect Disciples live and Cultivate.
Looking around, there were hundreds of them in sight.
Who knows how many there were on the entire Mengyuan Mountain.
As they walked higher, mist began to drift through the mountains.
Qian Duoduo inhaled it and felt very comfortable. Could this mist be condensed from Spiritual water?
Slowing his pace, Qian Duoduo carefully experienced the Spiritual mist entering his body.
He was sure that practicing the first layer of Qi Condensation here would save at least half the time.
“Walk faster. Are you embarrassed to see the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters of the Inner Sect?”
Kang Shenjun saw Qian Duoduo slow down and thought he was feeling self-conscious.
But Kang Shenjun was completely wrong.
How could he know that the one following him was Qian Duoduo, not Jin Buhuan?
After another hour of walking, they were almost halfway up Mengyuan Mountain, and a huge golden archway appeared ahead.
The archway had three gates and five stories, with four pillars and eight facets, and cloud patterns carved on the pillar tops.
It was seamless throughout, as if cast directly from metal.
In the center of the plaque, two large yellow characters read, “Inner Sect.”
Kang Shenjun brushed off his gray robe, and although there was no one around the archway, he still clasped his hands and bowed deeply inside:
“Outer Sect Utility Disciple Kang Shenjun, by order of Elder Bi of the Protectorate, has brought Jin Buhuan to the Inner Sect to retrieve personal belongings.”
“Immortal Cave of Qinglong District, number Bing Shen.”
A voice came from an unknown place, indicating the route.
Stepping into the Inner Sect, a terrifying consciousness swept over Qian Duoduo.
Every area of Mengyuan Mountain was either covered by a Formation or secretly guarded by someone.
Following the signs, they finally arrived at Qinglong District.
The Spiritual Qi here was already excessively dense.
Without even Cultivating, the Spiritual Qi in Qian Duoduo’s Spiritual Veins was stirring up wave after wave of tides.
Kang Shenjun, who had been cautious since entering the Inner Sect, sighed softly:
“As expected of the Inner Sect’s first district.”
His gaze towards Qian Duoduo held a hint of pity.
He finally understood what Elder Bi had meant by being high and mighty.
However, upon finding Bing Shen, Kang Shenjun was once again stunned.