Chapter 43

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Confronted with the ruin of her painstaking efforts, even someone as good-natured as Li Mengze could not help but grit her teeth in frustration. If she were given another chance to decide whether to upgrade her spatial realm, she would surely consider it more carefully before making a decision. Although she would still choose to upgrade, at the very least, she would first gather all the spiritual herbs from the space before proceeding.

Suppressing her heartache, she took out the Spirit-Sealing Box and collected the herbs that had fallen into the soil. They could still be used in future alchemy, and those plants that could be saved, she replanted and watered with a little spiritual spring, hoping it would help.

Only after she finished tidying up the entire spiritual herb garden did she fully realize the extent of her losses. Several ancient spirit plants had been snapped clean in half with no hope of recovery, and as for the lower-grade herbs, they were nearly all wiped out. The loss was so great that it made her heart bleed.

She spent the whole night without sleep, and when Li Mengze finally emerged from her space the next day, her back was so sore she could barely straighten up. This was truly unbearable. She had no time to explore Mount Daqing, but she consoled herself that if she had gone, perhaps her heart would not ache as much.

After leaving her space, she cast a Dust-Cleansing Spell on herself, changed into another set of black inner disciple robes, and only then did she step outside to join her senior brothers and sisters on their way to the testing site.

Over the next few days, the Kunlun Sect made significant gains, recruiting more than twenty single-spirit-root disciples and over a hundred others with different roots. However, these new disciples still had to be brought back to Kunlun for unified testing of their spiritual roots and bone structure before it could be decided whether they would catch the attention of any of the True Sovereigns.

Back in her day, Li Mengze had been brought directly to Kunlun by her uncle for spiritual root testing, so she had never crossed the legendary chasm. It was said that many single-spirit-root disciples failed at this very point, unable to proceed due to a lack of resolve, and were relegated to the outer sect. Conversely, some disciples with three or five spirit roots but steadfast minds managed to impress the True Sovereigns and soared to great heights. For sword cultivators, talent was not solely judged by spiritual roots, which is why Kunlun has often been a cradle for many outstanding talents—one of the reasons it became the greatest sect in the cultivation world.

With over a hundred people, a single flying artifact could not carry everyone back. Li Yongxin took out the sect’s Flying Dragon Boat, and after activating it, led the children aboard. This was not a luxurious vessel—there were only two or three small rest rooms, while the rest was filled with seats, just enough for the children to sit.

Li Mengze, being the laziest and youngest among them, naturally claimed one of the rest rooms for herself. At first, she felt a little embarrassed—after all, with only three rooms, the last two could not be fairly divided—so she considered sharing one with Wang Xueru.

Wang Xueru giggled, “Let’s each have a room. The senior brothers are cultivation fanatics, and they’ll be taking turns on watch anyway. One room is enough for them—they don’t need to sleep.”

Relieved by Wang Xueru’s explanation, Li Mengze entered her small rest room in peace.

Though the space was not large, the inscribed spatial array kept it from feeling cramped. The Flying Dragon Boat was incredibly fast, so the journey to Kunlun would not take long. She planned to spend the time in meditation, for if anything happened outside, she might still need to lend her support. Even if Li Senior Brother seemed perfectly capable of handling things on his own, she still intended to fulfill her duty since she had taken on the task—professionalism demanded it.

The day passed quickly, and the children aboard the Flying Dragon Boat soon shifted from curiosity to listlessness. If it weren’t for the awe inspired by the immortals, there would likely have been a cacophony of tears and wailing by now. This was precisely why Li Mengze and Wang Xueru remained inside; the three senior brothers believed their two junior sisters were too soft-hearted with the children, and if left in charge, the boat would not have been nearly so peaceful.

The three exchanged glances and smiled faintly, the amusement lingering at their lips. “Activate the protective array,” said Senior Brother Wang, and with those words, he triggered the Flying Dragon Boat’s shield. Milky white light rose from both sides of the vessel, forming an egg-shaped barrier that enveloped the entire boat.

As soon as the array was activated, a buzzing sound filled the air and a vast black shadow appeared not far away. The three men’s expressions grew serious.

Inside, Li Mengze and Wang Xueru also saw the scene outside and came to the deck.

Wang Xueru’s mouth fell open. “Senior Brother, where did so many Coldwater Crows come from? These things always move in flocks and never strike unless they’re certain of their prey. If they set their sights on you, it’s nothing but trouble.”

At this point, the children on the boat also saw what was happening, and despite their attempts at bravery, the sheer number of them soon led to a chaos of crying and panic that threatened to overwhelm the Flying Dragon Boat.

Li Mengze and Wang Xueru both frowned, not to mention the men. Senior Brother Wang, losing patience first, waved his hand to block out the noise, and the boat was much quieter, with only the cries of the Coldwater Crows audible.

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The group let out a collective sigh of relief; dealing with the crows while listening to a chorus of wailing would have been unbearable.

Coldwater Crows feared intense fire, and among them, Li Mengze had a pure fire spirit root and wielded a unique flame. As the primary attacker, she waved her hand and sent a fire dragon streaking forth—red tinged with violet, its destructive power immense. Nearly a third of the crows were reduced to ash.

This display drew considerable attention, even Li Yongxin and the others nodded in approval. This junior sister truly lived up to her uncle’s reputation; such a technique would be highly ranked even within all of Kunlun.

But when the crows parted, a human figure emerged among them. Li Mengze frowned and withdrew, taking position behind Li Yongxin, who was the strongest among them and thus took the lead.

Li Yongxin hadn’t expected to find a person behind the crows. Since Coldwater Crows were notoriously difficult to control—unlike spirit bees, which could be tamed by capturing their queen—very few ever attempted to domesticate them.

“Fellow Daoist, may I ask why you are blocking our way?” The Flying Dragon Boat was emblazoned with Kunlun’s crest; surely this person could see it.

In truth, the so-called Jade Crow Immortal was in a difficult spot. Though labeled a demon cultivator, he hadn’t actually committed any great misdeeds. He merely had a particular fondness for beast-taming, and the Coldwater Crows were his newest favorites. Now, after losing so many, he felt real pain—yet he had only himself to blame for skulking about. Perhaps if he’d simply shown himself, nothing would have happened.

His intentions were in fact simple: his years were running out, and he had long been stuck at the mid-Golden Core stage with no sign of breakthrough. Facing the end of his lifespan, he merely wished to take on a disciple to pass on his legacy. He was highly skilled in beast-taming, rivaling even the Beast-Taming Sect. Yet, when choosing disciples, he relied on a vague sense of affinity rather than testing for spiritual roots, and after several years he still hadn’t found a suitable candidate. Even the Beast-Taming Sect had noticed, inviting him to be a guest elder. Though the sect was small and far from the status of the three great sects, it was still formidable, with every disciple accompanied by multiple spirit beasts, making their combat strength on par with the larger sects.

This alone showed the Jade Crow Immortal’s reputation was well deserved. After refusing the Beast-Taming Sect’s offer, however, he found it harder to get by in the world, and had to lay low. Now, having finally found a child he liked, he was about to introduce himself when an old enemy appeared, forcing him to flee. When he returned, he learned his chosen disciple had already been taken away, so he hurried to pursue them. Hiding among the Coldwater Crows, he was mistaken for an enemy and suffered heavy losses. Whose fault was it? He could only consider himself unlucky.

He cupped his hands politely. “I am the Jade Crow Immortal. What happened just now was a misunderstanding. My years are nearly up and, though I have some skills, I have yet to find a suitable successor. Recently, I found a promising child, but my old enemy appeared and I had to leave. Upon my return, I discovered the child had been taken by your group, so I gave chase. I meant no harm and apologize for the trouble.” He explained briefly, making his intentions clear. In truth, he hoped that if his chosen disciple wasn’t particularly gifted, these Kunlun disciples might allow him to take the child, reasoning that such a great sect would not miss one disciple.

But for all his years, the Jade Crow Immortal was still a bit naïve, thinking as he did when he refused the Beast-Taming Sect, acting on impulse without considering the reputation of the sect involved.

He assumed that Kunlun, being so large, would not care about losing a single disciple to one who had genuine need, never realizing how improper it would look for the sect to simply hand over a disciple without protest, as if the mighty Kunlun were cowed by a minor Golden Core cultivator.

The group could hardly keep from laughing. He had rushed up with an aggrieved air to demand a disciple with no formal bond, as if someone had stolen from him—utterly rude.

Wang Xueru laughed coldly. “You really are amusing. If this child is your disciple, tell us their name, when they became your pupil, and what gift you gave at the ceremony. If you can answer, then we’ll admit we’re in the wrong and return the child to you.” She sneered, “But if you can’t, and you try to take a disciple from us, don’t blame us for seeking justice.” Her willow brows arched, giving her a sharp air.

The Jade Crow Immortal smiled bitterly. He had only met the child once—how could he know their name? He could hardly recall their face, only knowing that he would recognize them upon sight. But to ask to examine each child one by one would be to invite trouble.

He smiled wryly and cupped his hands again. “Young fairy, I am the Jade Crow Immortal. All these Coldwater Crows are my tamed beasts. I am skilled in beast-taming, but have no sect or affiliation. Might Kunlun be seeking a guest elder?” Elder was out of the question; his cultivation was not high enough for that in Kunlun. As long as he could join, he might eventually reclaim his disciple and pass on his skills, making his life’s work worthwhile.

Even the usually impassive Senior Brother Wang was stunned—how desperate for a disciple was this man, if he was willing to sell himself for one?

But this was not their decision to make. While some sects did take on older disciples or guest elders, Kunlun, with its many sword cultivators and unmatched combat strength, had little use for outside help and did not recruit older itinerant cultivators. Such self-recommendations were rare, and this one, chasing after them and offering himself in such a ridiculous manner, was simply preposterous. The man was clearly unreliable and not worth engaging further.

They exchanged glances and waved him off. “Senior, we cannot make this decision. You should speak to the sect leader at Kunlun. Farewell.”

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With that, they spurred the Flying Dragon Boat to full speed, ignoring the Jade Crow Immortal left behind.

After some distance, seeing that he did not give chase, Wang Xueru muttered, “Is that man crazy?”

Thus, they returned to Kunlun without further mishap. Upon reaching the entrance chasm, they released the young disciples and handed them over to their awaiting brothers, marking the end of their task. All that remained was to report to the Hall of Ten Thousand Laws and exchange their points.

While the rewards for this mission were generous, it could also be dangerous if one encountered trouble. The real issue was that, despite the rich rewards, the task was tedious—so while other sects fought for such missions, no one in Kunlun wanted to do them.

Li Mengze’s return happened to coincide with her uncle Li Yunzhan’s seclusion, so the two did not meet.

The next day, after exchanging her rewards, Li Mengze returned to Sword-Hidden Peak, notified her senior brothers and sisters, and entered seclusion herself. But her retreat was not for cultivation—instead, she intended to explore her space, and perhaps enter the First Gate. The artifact spirit had told her that entering the First Gate would bring her no harm and might even benefit her, so she decided to give it a try.

After activating all the formations and restrictions in her courtyard, Li Mengze entered her space. Since her last upgrade, she had kept Little Black, Little White, and the others there. The space was now brimming with spiritual energy, perfect for their training.

Sweeping her divine sense through the space, she soon located her pets in Mount Daqing. She wondered what had caught their attention, as all of them were gathered together.

Curious, Li Mengze teleported to their side—in her domain, she could go anywhere in a blink.

Her sudden appearance startled the little creatures, who all turned as one to gaze at her, their eager, sparkling eyes impossibly adorable.

Looking around, she soon found what had attracted them: a swaying, pearlescent grass. This plant was extremely beneficial for the cultivation of young beasts, though it had little effect on adults. Its aroma, only perceptible to younglings, was what drew them.

Thus, she wasn’t at all surprised that her pets had found it. Judging by the plant’s imminent maturity, she guessed they were waiting in hopes of sharing it. Glancing at the tiny grass—barely two or three leaves—she silently sighed, “Amitabha, how pitiful.”

She had a contract with her pets, allowing her to communicate telepathically. After asking, she learned the reason for their restraint: the pearlescent grass already had an owner. Her pets, being principled, had made many friends during their days in the space, and had only found the grass because a friend had brought them to see it. It was not at all what she had imagined.

Seeing their pitiful expressions, Li Mengze was both exasperated and amused. Their faces were a mix of envy and longing, but she could understand—if they stole it, they might lose a friend, so they waited, unable to eat yet unwilling to leave, presenting a truly woeful sight.

She was also curious about the identity of this friend. What a character—to bring other younglings to view his treasure. Was this showing off, or just showing off?