Chapter 241 – Prolonged Cultivation, Unable to Resist the Search

With the Soaring Cloud Technique at full throttle, Yu Xian didn’t bother being cautious this time and simply sped through the air.After flying for less than an hour, he once again arrived at the foot of that small mountain.There was no need to examine the old traces he had previously investigated. Yu Xian went straight to the last location and resumed his search.Now that the mountain was deserted, none of the traps would be triggered easily.After all, various treasures, talismans, toxic mists, and poisonous gases needed someone to control or activate them manually to unleash their power. Otherwise, if a simple touch could trigger them, one could just throw stones all the way up the mountain to set them off.As for the three talisman traps Yu Xian had destroyed before, he had discovered them first and blasted them apart using brute-force spells.At this moment, Yu Xian was like a scout or reconnaissance soldier in a mortal army, scanning for traps one by one, and then refining them to memorize their locations and turn them to his advantage.This went on for four hours. Yu Xian had reached the mountainside, and by his estimate, he had found around five-sixths of the traps so far.”Yu Xian, prepare for battle! Go and slay! I want you to one-vs-fifteen! If you succeed, this seat shall accept you as a personal disciple—become the Fifth Holy Son of the Hao Tian Orthodox Sect!”Yu Xian was about to continue searching for the remaining traps when Fu Ning’an’s voice suddenly rang in his ears.He turned his head and saw, in the distorted portal far away, yet another tiny black dot entering.Another incense stick’s time had passed outside—the third person had arrived.But Yu Xian only glanced once, then turned away and continued his search.That old Daoist must have told the newcomer everything about him. This meant the third person would likely be extremely cautious—probably setting up multiple formations the moment he entered, preparing to defend against a sudden ambush.There was no need for Yu Xian to worry about being attacked. His priority was to uncover every trap and turn this mountain into his personal battlefield.Meanwhile, high above, the two avatars (split consciousnesses) were observing.One saw Yu Xian treating the mountain like his personal domain.The other was watching the newcomer, who had already erected two defensive formations and was surrounded by layers of defensive treasures, looking around with high vigilance.Their expressions were different.Fu Ning’an sneered. “Hah, Yu Xian hasn’t even attacked and already scared this little evil cultivator half to death. With courage like that, he’s doomed.””Ridiculous,” snapped the old Daoist. “You lived all these years for nothing? Don’t you see this is strategy?””It’s two versus two now, and we took the early advantage. If Yu Xian keeps stalling, three days will pass, and your Hao Tian Orthodox Sect will lose! You’d better get him to attack!””Hahaha! You’re panicking now? Earlier you acted calm and serene. Your disciple dies twice, and now you’re flustered. What a joke.”Fu Ning’an roared with laughter.”Are you planning to compete with me for the Xuantian Secret Realm?””That’s right! Let’s see what you’ve got, old dog!”Their energy flared, majestic as the sun and moon clashing!Yu Xian felt the overwhelming pressure and looked to the sky in surprise. But the clash never happened.”Hmph. You just want to provoke me to ruin the duel and make this an internal dispute. I won’t fall for it,” the old Daoist sneered, withdrawing his aura.”Pathetic,” Fu Ning’an scoffed and withdrew his as well.If the two Nascent Soul cultivators fought here, the Xuantian Secret Realm itself might collapse, and if they provoked the guardian Azure Flood Dragon, both sides would suffer.So, nothing happened in the end.Yu Xian resumed his trap search and, after five hours, found the last portion. The mountain wasn’t large, so even searching inch by inch wouldn’t take forever.With no enemies around, there was no fear of ambush.After finding every trap, he spent three more hours rebuilding the mountain’s defense—enhancing concealment, adding more traps with zero hesitation. After all, these weren’t his treasures to begin with.Three hours later, the small mountain had become his personal battlefield.Clapping his hands, Yu Xian smiled and sat cross-legged at the same strategic point on the mountainside. From here, he could oversee the entire area.He cleaned the spot with a wave of his hand and began to cultivate.With this battlefield under his control, he had ample time.This was a rare opportunity—fifty days inside the secret realm was just one day outside. If he didn’t use this time wisely, future visits would be much harder.Even if he eventually won control over the secret realm, he wouldn’t be able to come and go freely. There were rules.If the enemy didn’t attack first, he’d just cultivate for a few months and master everything: Mirror Image Clone Technique, Great Five Elemental Hand Seal, and Spirit Body Step.If they weren’t in a rush, he was even less so. He could kill them after becoming stronger.First up: Mirror Image Clone Technique.Yu Xian felt he had yet to hit its bottleneck and could improve it significantly.The surroundings soon grew quiet.The two cultivators below—the one cultivating and the one in full defense mode—stayed still, forming a kind of ceasefire.Even the two watching avatars fell silent.But clearly, Yu Xian held the advantage. He was growing stronger while the enemy wasted spirit energy maintaining defenses.”Cowardly rat…”Fu Ning’an sneered. The old Daoist’s eyes burned with silent frustration.He couldn’t warn his disciple—the risk of getting caught under Fu Ning’an’s watch was too great.Time passed. A whole month went by.The Blood River Sect disciple had already dismantled one treasure, then another, and reduced the power of both formations by half.But he never dared fully withdraw his defenses or leave to scout.The old Daoist’s warning kept echoing in his mind:”Don’t let Yu Xian get close! Never let him close in! You can’t survive even one punch!”On the mountain, Yu Xian suddenly shouted, “Split!”His figure blurred, and a clone split off and flashed twenty zhang away—vivid, lifelike.”Mirror!” he whispered, and his original body disappeared while the clone charged forward with a shout. A hundred zhang out, the image dispersed like wind.In truth, Yu Xian hadn’t moved an inch. He used the clone to deceive.”Not bad…”After a month of training, the Mirror Image Clone had improved significantly, though it was still far from An Yanyuan’s level.Now it was time to move on:Great Five Elemental Hand Seal and Spirit Body Step.Unrolling the hand seal scroll, Yu Xian began studying.Unlike modern spells that were full of fluff, this ancient one began directly with cultivation techniques.The Great Five Elemental Hand Seal used the five elements to converge in one’s palm. The deeper the user’s comprehension, the stronger the elemental convergence and its power.Naturally, five-element spiritual roots would get the most benefit.Just like the Three-Treasure Divine Thunder Art, which favored those with lightning roots—it all depended on who created the technique.Yu Xian silently studied and practiced, but the seal would form briefly before shattering with a pop.Ancient spells weren’t easy to master.Time continued. Three more months passed.With no interruptions, Yu Xian made progress.”Go!” he suddenly shouted, pushing forward.A green handprint flew from his palm, growing to three chi and smashing into a boulder, reducing it to rubble!The power was undeniable!Excited, Yu Xian felt this spell, once mastered, would rival his fused thunderball as his strongest single-target technique.He continued refining it.He needed better elemental balance—it was still too wood-dominant.The two avatars above watched silently.Then the old Daoist broke the silence:”This dragging… you’re just going to allow it? What if everyone does this? Are we going to fight twelve more battles?!””It’s called tactics,” Fu Ning’an smirked. “What’s the rush? Oh, I get it—you’re old and near the end of your lifespan.””You—! Fine! I’ll endure this! I’ve got time!”Both sides shut up.Yu Xian continued to study.By the seventh month, the Blood River Sect cultivator could take it no longer.Maintaining the formations cost thousands of spirit stones daily.He finally dispelled the formations and soared over 300 zhang high to search—but found nothing.Could it be Yu Xian wasn’t nearby?He cautiously lowered his altitude to 150 zhang—safe from melee attacks, but still low enough not to draw too much attention.He began slowly searching the area.”Finally got smart,” the old Daoist murmured.”He’s just offering himself up to die,” Fu Ning’an replied coldly.Meanwhile, on the mountain—”Go!”Yu Xian shouted again, pushing forward with a handprint!This time, it was fully formed—five feet wide, green with tinges of the other four elements—a true Great Five Elemental Hand Seal!BOOM!It didn’t shatter the boulder but embedded three chi deep into it—a precise, focused strike.The spell had reached its first true stage!Just then, Yu Xian looked up.The large formation’s presence had vanished.”Oh? Can’t wait anymore? Coming to find me?”Yu Xian smiled faintly, dusted himself off, and said softly—”Then come. I’ll be waiting right here.”