Chapter Seventy: Arrival

“Since you are already aware, Brother Wei, then I shall not belabor the point. If the Law Enforcement Team of Immortal City departs, I hope you’ll let me know, so I may return to the Immortal Market.”

He signed his name—He Song.

With a surge of spiritual power through his fingers, He Song left his signature upon the slip of paper. Then, with a gentle breath of spiritual energy, the delicate sheet transformed into a paper crane, soaring skyward, piercing through the Maze Array and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The speed of the message-carrying paper crane was astonishing; no Qi Refining cultivator could ever hope to catch up to it. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator, lacking mastery of advanced evasion techniques, would struggle to give chase. However, once one reached the Foundation Establishment stage, such messaging arts became obsolete—transmission talismans were the norm in the cultivation world. The messaging spell was merely a convenient means for those Qi Refining cultivators who could not afford transmission talismans to keep in touch with friends.

Paper cranes sent among Qi Refining cultivators were of little interest to Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had neither the time nor the inclination to intercept or pursue them. Cultivators were busy people, seldom given to such idle diversions. Besides, should someone truly attempt to intercept a paper crane, it would instantly self-destruct, yielding no information at all.

This was why, when He Song received a paper crane, he always released his own aura. Only his unique presence could dissipate the spiritual power within the crane, preventing its destruction. If someone attempted to force it open, it would annihilate itself instantly.

After sending the paper crane, He Song pondered a while, ultimately choosing not to leave his current location. Although his aura had stretched from the Immortal Market all the way here, only the messaging spell could trace it to this place. And even then, it could not penetrate the Maze Array.

Ordinary cultivators could never hope to find this place. Aura, after all, dissipated constantly and could vanish almost entirely within a few minutes; not every cultivator could track such a faint trail. Only a spell like the messaging art, imbued with a wisp of He Song’s own aura, could pinpoint the spot where his presence last faded.

Given these circumstances, He Song had no cause to worry that any evildoer might trace his aura to this location. Here, he was safe.

With this thought, five formation bases appeared in He Song’s hand—components of a Spirit-Gathering Array. Though outside the Immortal Market, where spiritual energy was thin, and even with the array set up, the concentration of spiritual energy would be far less than within the market itself, it would still surpass the ambient spiritual energy of the market without such an array.

After all, the market’s own spiritual energy was not conjured from nothing.

Within the Immortal Market, the ambient spiritual energy was also gathered by Spirit-Gathering Arrays. Thus, setting up such an array outside the market should yield results comparable to those inside.

With this in mind, He Song formed hand seals. Streams of light flew from his fingers, landing precisely where they were meant to be. As brilliance flashed through the cave, He Song at once sensed the previously thin spiritual energy gradually growing denser.

Having set up a Spirit-Gathering Array before, He Song understood this process well. Once established, it would take about ten days for the array to reach peak efficiency. Only then would the spiritual energy inside reach its maximum concentration—enough, he hoped, for his cultivation needs.

Seating himself upon a meditation mat, He Song considered these things, but soon cast them aside and began practicing the Earth-Melding Technique.

This was a high-grade spell, difficult to master. By He Song’s estimation, it would be a stroke of fortune if he could reach a level of proficiency—able to perform it with full effect—within a year. His soul was far stronger than that of most cultivators, granting him a faster learning rate, yet even so, he would need at least a year to wield it properly.

For others, the time required would surely be even longer.

If mastering a high-grade spell was this arduous, what of Foundation Establishment techniques? Would they not demand even more time?

Only now did He Song truly understand why cultivators in the Immortal Realm all lamented the brevity of their lives. The time required for cultivation, for perfecting myriad skills, for learning spells, was simply immense. Advancement in cultivation demanded time; mastery of the hundred arts required both wealth and patience in abundance. Spellcraft too required long and diligent practice. Add to this the need to handle affairs, seek opportunities, earn spirit stones, and undergo secluded breakthroughs—time was always in short supply for cultivators, whether at the Qi Refining stage or as Foundation Establishment adepts.

This was why, whenever there was hope of a breakthrough, of extending their lifespan, cultivators would grow so desperate—risking life and limb for even the slightest chance. But when certain their years were nearly spent, or when breakthroughs proved impossible, many would descend into the mortal world, leaving behind manuals and opportunities for later generations.

Thus, every year, lone cultivators would rise from the mundane world, embarking once more on this arduous path.

In the world of cultivation, time was the greatest shackle, and the hardest to break.

Shaking off these thoughts, He Song quickly calmed his mind and resumed practicing the Earth-Melding Technique.

...

A few days later.

While practicing the Earth-Melding Technique within the bounds of the Maze Array surrounding the cave, He Song suddenly noticed a group of people moving in the distance, heading straight for Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

Within the array’s concealment, those people would not notice He Song. Yet, observing them carefully, He Song recognized their identities by their attire.

Those were the official robes of the Law Enforcement Team from Immortal City.

Qingyuan Immortal City and Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market were in a subordinate relationship. He Song was familiar with the uniforms worn by the market's Law Enforcement Team members. But the robes these individuals wore were not merely uniforms, but true official garb—meaning they had come from Qingyuan Immortal City itself, sent to handle this incident at Bamboo Mountain.

Hidden by the Maze Array, his presence and form concealed, He Song felt no fear of discovery. Thus, he observed these clearly unusual figures with special care, noting the style of their robes and their physical features in detail.

Their identities were now obvious.

“I hope I’m just being paranoid,” He Song sighed, only relaxing once the group was out of sight.

Though he had left the Immortal Market, and its turmoil no longer directly concerned him, if chaos did erupt after these people arrived, it would mean his earlier suspicions had been correct.