Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Bad News
’Han Tian sure moves fast.’
Thanks to her newfound internet access, Song Jiulai could keep an eye on Han Tian’s activities.
When she saw he had posted a live stream announcement, Song Jiulai simply followed him.
She figured she’d check out the stream’s progress whenever she was bored.
With the welcoming activities arranged and the newcomers having met her, they were all about to set off on their own paths. Naturally, Song Jiulai couldn’t afford to fall behind.
This time, however, she planned to hunt Second-tier Demon Beasts.
’It would be a bit embarrassing if she ran into her own disciples in the territory of First-rank Demon Beasts.’
Before preparing for her departure, Song Jiulai ran into Senior Sister Shui Ping of the Feique Sect outside a Medicine Workshop in Wang’an County.
She had met Senior Sister Shui Ping before when she bought the puppets. Compared to Su Huanli, Senior Sister Shui Ping was much more lively and outgoing.
Seeing Song Jiulai, she took the initiative to greet her. "Hey, Sect Master Song."
Senior Sister Shui Ping was a girl with a sunny, cheerful appearance that perfectly matched her personality.
She even looked more youthful than Song Jiulai.
It was just that in a backwater place like this, Senior Sister Shui Ping was considered a young prodigy; at only fifteen, she was already at Late-stage Qi Refining and on the verge of Foundation Establishment.
But the Cultivation World was a place where Realm was paramount. Even though Shui Ping was younger and a disciple of a ’major’ sect, Song Jiulai still had to address her as Senior Sister.
Of course, if her own Realm surpassed Shui Ping’s in the future, she could drop the ’Senior Sister’ title.
Song Jiulai immediately waved her hand at the title. "Senior Sister Shui Ping, what are you doing here too?"
Senior Sister Shui Ping had an aesthetic that seemed unusual for the Yunzhou Continent; her hairstyle wasn’t as complex as others’, just a very thick braid tied at the back of her head.
Senior Sister Shui Ping said with a grin, "I’m here at the Medicine Workshop to see if there are any new medicinal herbs. What brings you here?"
"I’m here to sell some Demon Beast Materials and restock on Elixir Pills. I’m preparing to go to First Mountain to continue my training."
Shui Ping was a bit surprised. "Going again? I thought you just got back."
Song Jiulai let out a heavy sigh. "I have no choice, Senior Sister. I’m poor. What can I do but work hard?"
Shui Ping’s expression grew complicated. "I remember your Sect recently took in quite a few new disciples, right?"
Shui Ping found it a little odd.
The Longevity Sect was just halfway up the mountain, and the Feique Sect members didn’t usually pay it much mind. However, the day she delivered the puppets to Song Jiulai, she had noticed that the Longevity Sect suddenly had many more people.
She remembered the Longevity Sect of the past as just a small sect with a Sect Master in the Foundation Establishment Stage.
It wasn’t easy to find dozens of disciples with Spirit Roots these days, so Shui Ping was naturally a little curious and surprised.
Song Jiulai blinked. "Yes, we’ve just had a lot of new disciples recently. I’m puzzled myself."
’It would be unrealistic to try and hide this, but there’s no need to make up any special excuses either.’
Even if others were suspicious, they could wrack their brains and never guess where these disciples came from.
Besides, they were just a group in the Early Stage of Qi Refining, so no one would pay them too much mind.
"Oh..."
Shui Ping didn’t give it much more thought. The main reason was that this group of disciples spent all their time running around in crowds and had even started doing business with mortals.
This ran contrary to the path pursued by the cultivators of the Yunzhou Continent.
At least, that’s what they thought for now. They figured if cultivators started doing business with mortals and became tainted by worldly affairs, wouldn’t that be even more detrimental to their path of Cultivation?
But that was another sect’s business.
Song Jiulai changed the subject to divert Shui Ping’s attention. "Senior Sister Shui Ping, have you heard any news about Senior Sister Su recently? Did she successfully achieve Foundation Establishment?"
As expected, Shui Ping frowned. "I’m not sure. The trial for Foundation Establishment can take anywhere from half a month to a month and a half. Maybe Senior Sister Su is stuck at a certain point and hasn’t had her epiphany."
Breaking through to Foundation Establishment wasn’t that difficult. With the help of some medicinal aids, most Qi Refining Disciples could generally succeed.
But that would also be their limit, just like the previous Sect Master of the Longevity Sect.
He spent his entire life stuck at the Foundation Establishment Stage, unable to break free.
Longevity was not only the dream of mortals but also the dream of many cultivators.
"I see," Song Jiulai said with genuine feeling. "I hope Senior Sister Su successfully breaks through and returns soon."
She was still waiting for Su Huanli to take her to the Immortal Sacrifice Ceremony in Liu Xian City to watch the excitement at the great cultivator assembly.
"If you’re going to First Mountain..." Shui Ping’s expression suddenly grew grave. "You’d better be careful lately."
Song Jiulai’s heart skipped a beat. "What’s wrong?"
Shui Ping said, "Just two days ago, our sect members on First Mountain sent back news that a cultivator’s body was discovered there. It looks like he was killed by another cultivator. They couldn’t identify the dead man—he was probably a Loose Cultivator. You absolutely have to be careful."
At that, Song Jiulai’s heart gave a heavy thump.
’Could this be about me killing Jin Shu?’
She hadn’t suffered any repercussions since killing Jin Shu.
’After all, Jin Shu was the one who tried to kill me first. Was I just supposed to let him?’
’But I disposed of Jin Shu’s body before I left. How was it still discovered?’
’Damn, high-level cultivators are terrifying.’
Song Jiulai’s expression showed a touch of lingering fear. "Really, Senior Sister Shui Ping? We’re just going there to train. Can things like that really happen?"
It was only then that Song Jiulai realized she had a bit of a knack for acting.
’At least Shui Ping didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss.’
Seeing Song Jiulai’s expression, Shui Ping’s own face became serious. "Of course. You have to be careful when you go to train. We have our disciples training there as well, but First Mountain is huge, and it’s impossible for them to be aware of every situation in time. Some people have wicked intentions, and that’s when things go wrong. If you encounter someone like that, and you can’t beat them, you must run. At the very least, run to a populated area."
Song Jiulai had realized that herself.
’First Mountain is huge.’
When she had trained with Lin Qian for so long, she hadn’t actually encountered a single soul.
She only occasionally sensed the fleeting auras of other cultivators passing by.
That area only had First-rank Demon Beasts, so it didn’t seem particularly dangerous; most disciples were in more treacherous places.
Even when she was being chased by the Demon Horned Snake, she hadn’t run into anyone.
The one person she did run into, Jin Shu, turned out to be a scumbag.
"Also, I heard that on the other side of Demon Cave Valley, something major happened with the Tianyang Sect."
’Tianyang Sect?’
That was a major sect, a neighbor to the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect.
A behemoth on the same level as the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect—something the current Song Jiulai could barely even imagine.
She asked curiously, "What sort of major event?"
Shui Ping shook her head. "It’s too far away. Even if word does get to us, it’s not something disciples in the Qi Refinement Realm are privy to. The fact that I heard anything at all proves it must be something huge. Most likely, something happened among the Great Power Cultivators."
Shui Ping looked worried. "The Immortal Sacrifice Ceremony is imminent. It would be best if no trouble breaks out. Otherwise, who knows what kind of impact it will have on us. I’m just afraid... there might be another demon beast riot."
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