Free Web NovelChapter 397: Chapter 305: The Other 4 People (2)
He now followed Ruan Hanfan toward the heart of the Purple Mist Sect.
They arrived at a mountain peak.
Ruan Hanfan led him to a pavilion to wait.
Not a single Inner Sect Disciple from the Purple Mist Sect had arrived yet.
"Fang Yun, I knew you’d be the first one here."
Fang Yun turned at the sound of a familiar female voice.
Lin Ke swiftly appeared before him.
"Fellow Daoist Lin."
"’Fellow Daoist Lin?’ Just call me Lin Ke. We’re already quite familiar with each other," Lin Ke said to Fang Yun with a smile. "When the others get here, I’ll introduce you properly."
"Then I’ll have to trouble you."
"No need to be so polite."
For a while, the two chatted as they waited.
During their conversation, Lin Ke did most of the talking, with Fang Yun simply nodding and agreeing.
「A little under an hour later.」
A graceful-looking man dressed in the robes of a Purple Mist Sect Inner Sect Disciple appeared.
Upon seeing him, Lin Ke immediately called out.
"Senior Brother Gao, over here, over here!"
As the man Lin Ke called Senior Brother Gao entered the pavilion, she immediately began her introductions.
"Fang Yun, this is our Senior Brother Gao, Gao Tianxing. He’s currently the strongest among the Inner Sect Disciples—way stronger than whoever is in second place. When we enter the ’Land of No Master’ Secret Realm, we’ll be counting on him to kill any Demons, Blood Demons, or Ghost Cultivators we run into."
"Senior Brother Gao, this is Fang Yun. I don’t need to introduce him; you have his file, just like I do."
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Gao," Fang Yun said, offering a slight bow.
"Hahaha, no need to be so reserved, Fellow Daoist Fang. And Junior Sister Lin Ke can be a bit... hyperbolic. She makes me out to be far stronger than I am. I’m really not that powerful. One must always be cautious when dealing with Evil Demons and Crooked Paths."
"Senior Brother Gao, you’re too modest."
"Indeed. To be acknowledged as the strongest in the Purple Mist Sect’s Inner Sect, Fellow Daoist Gao must possess incredible abilities," Fang Yun chimed in, agreeing with Lin Ke.
Their two-person conversation turned into a three-way chat.
As they spoke, Fang Yun observed them quietly.
He noticed that despite Gao Tianxing’s humble and approachable demeanor, there was a subtle distance in how he treated Fang Yun, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who came from a Core Formation Influence.
’As for whether Gao Tianxing secretly looked down on him, Fang Yun didn’t care.’
’All that mattered was that Gao Tianxing held no ill will toward him.’
’Back in the Celestial Cloud Sect, whenever he encountered a disciple who was hostile toward him, he would contact Wu Junxin and have the Law Enforcement Hall keep a close eye on them. Chances were, they’d uncover something.’
’Given his contributions to the Celestial Cloud Sect, no normal disciple would harbor animosity toward him, an Elder.’
’It wasn’t as if he had ever gone out of his way to target a disciple.’
"Fang Yun, this is my senior sister, Cai Qingyan. She’s just a *little* bit stronger than me. If it weren’t for her good luck, she never would have gotten the number two spot."
As a beautiful but cold-looking woman appeared, Lin Ke immediately introduced her.
Hearing this, Fang Yun also offered a greeting.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Cai."
"Mm." Cai Qingyan gave Fang Yun a nod, which served as her reply.
After that, she said nothing more.
"Don’t mind her, Fang Yun. Senior Sister Cai is like that even with me. The fact that she responded at all is good. It means she at least acknowledges your strength."
’Fang Yun doubted it was an acknowledgment of his strength. She had never seen him in action, after all.’
’More likely, it was Cai Qingyan’s trust in the sect’s leadership—her faith that they wouldn’t make a mistake in their choice.’
Even with Cai Qingyan’s arrival, the conversation remained between the other three.
She sat there, as still as a statue.
「Another half hour or so passed.」
The last Inner Sect Disciple from the Purple Mist Sect arrived. He was a burly man, and the sheer strength of his physical form suggested he was most likely a Body Cultivator.
Before Lin Ke could speak, the burly Inner Sect Disciple from the Purple Mist Sect let out a booming laugh.
"Senior Brother Gao, Senior Sister Cai, Senior Sister Lin! I bet you didn’t expect to see me!"
"You’re right, Junior Brother Chen, what are you doing here? Where’s Junior Brother Jiang?" Lin Ke was so curious that she completely forgot to introduce him to Fang Yun.
"Take a guess."
Cai Qingyan, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, opened them briefly before shutting them again, clearly indicating her lack of interest in the matter.
Lin Ke, her face a mask of curiosity, shook her head to show she couldn’t guess.
Finally, Gao Tianxing, the strongest of the four, ventured a guess:
"If I’m not mistaken, this has something to do with Elder Su, doesn’t it?"
"Senior Brother Gao guesses correctly! It is about Elder Su... Heh heh, Brother Jiang was put in confinement by her. I was just notified to come at the last minute."
"She didn’t lock him up earlier, she didn’t lock him up later, but she just had to do it right now. Elder Su really has Junior Brother Jiang under her thumb. Just what you’d expect from his mother."
’Hearing this, Fang Yun had a pretty good idea of what had happened.’
’It was likely a mother’s concern for her son. She didn’t want him to risk his life in the ’Land of No Master’ Secret Realm.’
’The dangers in a Secret Realm came not just from the realm itself, but also from the Demons, Blood Demons, and Ghost Cultivators. An encounter with them inside would lead to a battle nine times out of ten.’
In the midst of their chatter, Lin Ke suddenly remembered she hadn’t introduced the newcomer to Fang Yun yet.
Through Lin Ke’s introduction, Fang Yun learned that the "Junior Brother Chen" she mentioned was named Chen Daguan.
Originally, his spot was meant to replace Chen Daguan’s, but now that someone was missing, Chen Daguan was back in.
Just as he had with the other two Inner Sect Disciples from the Purple Mist Sect, Fang Yun offered a greeting.
No sooner had the greetings been exchanged than Chen Daguan turned the topic to him.
"Senior Brother, Senior Sisters, you might not know this, but this Fellow Daoist Fang here is a Five Spirit Roots Cultivator."
"Fang Yun, you have Five Spirit Roots?!" Lin Ke exclaimed, looking at him in surprise.
"Is that so strange?" Fang Yun asked, puzzled.
’There were surely Five Spirit Roots Cultivators like him in the Purple Mist Sect; in fact, there had to be more than just one or two.’
’A Nascent Soul sect has far more abundant Second Tier resources. As long as a Five Spirit Roots cultivator had a particular talent, or was the descendant of an Elder, they had a decent chance of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment.’
"It’s not easy for a Five Spirit Roots Cultivator to reach your level, Fellow Daoist Fang," Gao Tianxing remarked.
Lin Ke immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Our Five Spirit Roots Inner Sect Disciples in the Purple Mist Sect are generally on the weaker side."
"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Fang must be a man of abundant energy," Chen Daguan said with a persistent smile.
"If Fellow Daoist Fang has Five Spirit Roots... then the reward the Elder offered you must be something to cleanse your Spirit Root. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the Purifying Spirit Fruit."
"You’ve guessed correctly, Fellow Daoist Gao," Fang Yun said, making a gesture of admiration.
"The Purifying Spirit Fruit? That’s pretty common. It’s completely useless for me," Lin Ke said, her interest instantly fading as soon as she learned a bit about it.
"Senior Sister Lin, you have a Celestial Spirit Root. Of course it’s useless to you."
’Celestial Spirit Root Cultivators could also have their Spirit Roots cleansed.’
’However, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects capable of cleansing the Spirit Root of a Celestial Spirit Root Cultivator were typically of an extremely high grade.’
’He had read up on the Purifying Spirit Fruit.’
’The worse a cultivator’s Spirit Root, the better the fruit’s cleansing effect. It had no effect on Celestial Spirit Root Cultivators, and a negligible one on Abnormal Spirit Root Cultivators, making it a waste for them to use.’
’For those with Dual Spirit Roots, the effect was slightly better.’
’For Fang Yun, with his Five Spirit Roots, the effect would be outstanding.’
’This was one of the unique properties of the Purifying Spirit Fruit. Other Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects that cleansed Spirit Roots worked in the opposite way—the better a cultivator’s Spirit Root Talent, the better the effect.’
"Among all the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects that cleanse Spirit Roots, the Purifying Spirit Fruit is considered a very good one," Gao Tianxing added, then turned to Fang Yun. "Fellow Daoist Fang, this trip to the ’Land of No Master’ will absolutely be worth your while."
"That’s assuming I can actually get what your sect needs."
Four of them chatted while one sat with her eyes closed, meditating.
When Ruan Hanfan reappeared, two other people were walking ahead of him.
Fang Yun looked over. As expected, the other two were likely also Elders from the Purple Mist Sect.
At that moment, Cai Qingyan, who had been meditating, opened her eyes and immediately stood up.
As the leading Elder from the Purple Mist Sect drew near, Fang Yun could already sense his aura.
’Peak of Core Formation!’
"Prepare to depart for the ’Land of No Master’."
