Chapter Ninety-Five: Wind City?

After four days on the road, Luo Tian finally returned to Mount Ziyang.

Not only had he completed every task in hand, but with the aid of the Flame of Mystic True Essence and the Boundless Life-Giving Wood, his own cultivation of vital energy had advanced greatly as well, leaving him not far from the Meridian Flow Realm.

By his estimate, he had reached the middle stage of the ninth circulation of the Condensed Qi Realm.

As for the Divine Eye’s advancement, however, it still seemed to have a long way to go. Even after so many days of accumulation, with some disciples coming more than once, he was still short by nearly a quarter.

Luo Tian had roughly calculated the experience gained from this. In the Body Tempering Realm, there were many people, but the experience each person contributed was pitifully little, and a great deal of time had been wasted. In the Condensed Qi Realm, however, not only were the golden specks produced at the moment of each breakthrough significantly larger, but the proportion of experience represented by each speck had also increased considerably. Thus, though the time spent was shorter, the results were quite good.

Only, he still did not know exactly how this thing was calculated. If he could understand its pattern and strike with precision, that would indeed be an excellent method.

Luo Tian shook his head faintly. There was simply too little information at present to draw any useful conclusion.

“Senior Brother Luo, you’re back?”

A disciple approached from the opposite direction, greeting him with a trace of respectful warmth.

This was one of the common-born disciples he had once guided. Luo Tian remembered him, and immediately smiled and nodded.

“I’m about to break through. When the time comes, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble Senior Brother Luo to guide me again! Otherwise, relying on myself alone is truly too difficult.”

The disciple said this a little bashfully.

“As long as I’m around, of course that can be done.”

Luo Tian would naturally not refuse business delivered to his doorstep. Small as a mosquito might be, it was still flesh; there was no reason to let it go to waste.

“As expected, it is Senior Brother Luo!”

“Senior Brother Luo!”

“Senior Brother Luo is back, wonderful!”

Another small group of disciples appeared, apparently preparing to head out for training and tasks. Seeing Luo Tian on the mountain path, they all hurried over to greet him.

Luo Tian answered with the same mild courtesy as before, neither overly warm nor cold.

He understood very well the deference and respect these disciples showed him. If not for the help he had given them in guiding their cultivation, it would have been impossible for them to feel any reverence for him at all.

In other words, once he lost this ability, both his standing and his reputation would likely vanish as well. How many people would still respect him as they did now?

“These past few days we couldn’t find Senior Brother Luo anywhere. It’s fortunate he’s come back, or we wouldn’t even know who to ask for guidance.”

“Exactly. Those disciples from the Four Great Families have resources and elders behind them already. We’re at a disadvantage to begin with. If we didn’t have Senior Brother Luo helping us too, we’d really have to think about leaving the sect early.”

“Thank goodness for Senior Brother Luo. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even have the slightest hope of standing against the disciples of the Four Great Families.”

Listening to these murmurs, Luo Tian’s mood did not fluctuate much. Such things had been within his expectations. Still, for these disciples to hope they could contend with the Condensed Qi cultivators born of the Four Great Families over the distribution of resources was probably not going to go very smoothly.

The higher ranks of the Four Great Families likely thought even less of ordinary outer disciples than they showed on the surface.

Thinking of Fang Zheng, Luo Tian could not help feeling a touch of gloom. Though that man did not live up to the purity of his name, he was nevertheless a genuinely pitiful person.

“Senior Brother Luo! Senior Brother Luo!”

Another voice came from ahead. Luo Tian looked up, and a smile naturally appeared on his face. “Li Yang, you’re back?”

Whether because of the symbolic meaning of bringing him the first good tidings to Mount Ziyang, or because of the familiarity and understanding that naturally grew through later contact, Luo Tian had a good impression of Li Yang.

“Looks like Senior Brother Luo’s training expedition went very smoothly this time!”

Li Yang’s eyes flickered with hidden excitement. “Senior Brother Luo, I’ve already taken part in destroying three bandit groups. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?”

“Only a few days, and you’ve wiped out three?”

Luo Tian remembered that he had only left not long ago, so he was naturally surprised by Li Yang’s efficiency.

“No, only one in these past few days. There were two before that, but I never saw Senior Brother Luo at the time, so I had no chance to mention them! If Senior Brother Luo hadn’t guided me through my second circulation breakthrough, I’m afraid no one would even have taken me along for such an easy task!”

Li Yang was deeply grateful to Luo Tian from the bottom of his heart.

Tasks like suppressing bandits were usually done by cultivators in the early stages of the Condensed Qi Realm. The danger was not high; they were simply somewhat time-consuming.

However, that group of Clear Wind bandits that Luo Tian had encountered before, led by Sun Huangkun, had been a coincidence. First, Sun Huangkun had just made a move nearby and was preparing to return to the mountain. Second, they already harbored a faint hatred toward disciples of the Divine Sun Sect. So even if it strayed somewhat from the original plan, they still had to act once.

Although the Clear Wind bandit group took its name from Clear Wind Town, it was still some distance away. After all, they were bandits; they would not dare set up camp brazenly right beside a town. That would be courting death.

“Although I want to help you find your sister, you still need to be careful with matters like this. There may be cultivators within the bandit groups. Don’t be too hasty.”

Luo Tian said.

“Yes, Senior Brother Luo, I’ll remember that!”

Li Yang nodded emphatically, then said with some disappointment, “But after three bandit groups, I still haven’t found her. I don’t know when I’ll be able to help Qing Die fulfill her wish.”

“If you want to win a girl over, putting in more effort is never wrong. Take it slowly.”

Luo Tian chuckled, patted Li Yang on the shoulder in encouragement, and then walked toward the task hall.

Win a girl over?

Li Yang looked after Luo Tian’s departing figure, quietly mulling over the words. Then his face reddened, and he finally understood what they meant.

Senior Brother Luo really was formidable. Even his words carried such skill, though they did fit the situation remarkably well.

The task hall was not far. Luo Tian reached it in no time. After handing over the tasks he had in hand, he was just about to return to his quarters and rest when a voice called out to stop him.

“Elder Liu?”

Luo Tian looked at Liu Neng with some surprise. It had been Elder Liu who presided over the Eastern District competition before, but he did not know why the man had come to the task hall.

Could it be that he had come here just to wait for him?

“Come, Luo Tian, follow me. I have something to say to you!”

Liu Neng said gravely to Luo Tian, then led the way toward the back and out of the main hall.

“Look, how impressive Senior Brother Luo is. Maybe Elder Liu is about to talk to him about joining the Liu family!”

“He really is amazing. His cultivation advances so fast, and he can even guide others. If I had Senior Brother Luo’s luck, how wonderful that would be.”

“Don’t envy him too much. Even if Luo Tian went to the Liu family, that would still be a trap. Think about it: among the true elites of the Four Great Families, who would need to beg him for guidance? The people of the Four Great Families only want to change Luo Tian’s surname because they think he has some potential.”

Seeing Liu Neng take Luo Tian away, several disciples whispered among themselves.

These disciples from ordinary families were all extremely dissatisfied with the Four Great Families’ favoritism in resource allocation. Yet they only dared complain behind closed doors. In their hearts, though, none of them did not hope to become members of the Four Great Families.

Their condemnation and resentment arose only because they themselves could not have what was given to others.

“Luo Tian, you’ve just finished your previous task, haven’t you?”

After entering a room, Liu Neng did not sit down. Instead, he asked with obvious concern, “How is it? Are you tired? Is your body still holding up?”

What was this supposed to mean?

Luo Tian did not feel flattered in the least. His first reaction was that he was about to follow in Fang Zheng’s footsteps, be taken in by some elder of the Four Great Families, and then be drugged.

The fine hairs on his back stood on end at once. Luo Tian narrowed his eyes warily, though his face showed several traces of excited respect. “Thank you for your concern, Elder Liu. However, these tasks were rather exhausting, and I’m still feeling very fatigued. I was just preparing to return to my quarters and rest for a few days.”

He did not know what Liu Neng wanted with him, so he was naturally as cautious as possible in his reply, not giving the other man the slightest opening.

Tired?

Of course he was tired.

Was his body still holding up?

Certainly not. If he did not rest soon, he would not even be able to stand.

Luo Tian desperately hoped Liu Neng would quickly understand the meaning behind his answer.

Once bitten by a snake, one fears a well rope for ten years. Though he did not know what psychological state Fang Zheng had been in upon hearing that Shen Qingkong had done such a thing, Luo Tian absolutely did not want to try it himself.

It was not a pleasant matter at all.

“We cultivators must face hardships and perils on the road of cultivation with courage and resolve. We cannot be negligent or afraid! Otherwise, how are we to become great?”

The moment Liu Neng heard Luo Tian’s words, his eyebrows shot up and his expression turned solemn.

If you had already made up your mind, why ask for my opinion at all?

Luo Tian silently mocked Liu Neng’s posturing. He knew that since an elder had personally come out, there was no way he could escape. Still, if it ever came to receiving cultivation resources, he simply would not accept any.

With the Flame of Mystic True Essence, why worry about cultivation?

“What the Elder says is entirely right. Luo Tian will remember it, and from now on I will surely hold fast to my conviction and devote myself to cultivation!”

Seeing how earnestly Liu Neng spoke, Luo Tian felt helpless inside, yet his words were crisp and immediate.

“Good. It seems you are already prepared. This time, there really is something I need you to do!”

Seeing the change in Luo Tian’s expression, Liu Neng nodded in satisfaction.

Do something?

Not recruit him or change his surname?

Luo Tian immediately relaxed much of his guard, though he still asked warily, “Elder Liu, what sort of matter is so important that it must be me?”

“We are going to Windfrost City. I’ll explain everything to you on the way!”

Seeing Luo Tian begin to soften, Liu Neng immediately said in a tone of iron certainty, his words carrying an unmistakable authority.