Chapter 196
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Chapter 196: Guidance
Ye Yun didn’t know what Su Hao and the others had discussed. As Elder Seven raced forward at blistering speed, he could only watch the mountain peaks and mist blur past them, covering dozens of miles in mere moments.
After flying for roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Elder Seven halted midair with Ye Yun and dropped straight into the spirit fields.
Never having experienced such velocity before, Ye Yun estimated they’d traveled hundreds—if not thousands—of miles in that short span.
"Master, Tian Shen Peak must be far from the spirit fields. Why not use a teleportation array?" Ye Yun asked, still reeling from the buffeting winds.
Elder Seven shot him a sidelong glance. "Theatrics."
"What?" Ye Yun blinked, caught off guard.
"Those fools install teleportation arrays for theatrics. The peaks of Heavenly Sword Sect lie mere hundreds of miles apart. Even the weakest Qi refining stage disciple could travel from Tian Shen Peak here in half a day. They hide the paths between peaks with these arrays—fewer know, fewer risks."
"Why?" Ye Yun pressed.
"You’ve been here three years. Ever seen our sect’s true gates?" Elder Seven countered.
Ye Yun shook his head after a pause.
"Nor have most eight-year veterans. The sect sealed its main entrance and interpeak passages two decades past, replacing them with short-range teleportation arrays. So even with spies among us, invaders would struggle to find entry points."
"But wouldn’t numerous arrays make access easier?"
"Which is simpler—destroying a known path or disabling an array?" Elder Seven didn’t wait for an answer. "Damage one array component, and the whole system fails. Gives us time to counterattack or flee."
Realization dawned. Ye Yun had assumed the proliferation of arrays stemmed from past Golden Pill masters’ whims, not defensive strategy.
"But establishing arrays requires spatial law expertise. Golden Pill masters grasp such principles, while Foundation Establishment stage experts barely scratch the surface. How has our sect produced enough array specialists?"
"True spatial arrays demand Golden Pill mastery," Elder Seven conceded. "But our so-called ‘long-distance’ arrays barely span a thousand miles. Those require minimal spatial understanding. Proper long-range arrays? None exist here—not in twenty years, nor five centuries past."
Ye Yun nodded. With arrays limited to short hops, the sect’s surplus of amateur array technicians made sense.
"Fools!" Elder Seven spat. "In Jin Kingdom, we reign supreme. But against Great Qin Empire’s true powers?" A wine jar flew into his hand. He tore off the seal, gulping loudly until his robes dripped. "Hiding gates and cobbling arrays wouldn’t stop real threats."
Noticing the elder’s fleeting unease at mentioning Great Qin, Ye Yun ventured, "Master, does our sect face formidable enemies?"
Elder Seven’s gaze turned blade-sharp. "What makes you say that?"
Ye Yun cited Yu Minghong’s lessons about Great Qin’s influence.
Elder Seven’s eyes clouded with memory. "Twenty years back, Yehua Sect from Great Qin tried conquering Jin’s cultivation world. Their first strike targeted us. That battle… rivers ran red."
Ye Yun tensed. When Elder Seven’s eyes glazed thus, his mental state grew unpredictable.
"Stay put!" The elder’s voice cracked like ice, clarity returning. "I’m neither drunk nor addled."
"I… I meant to fetch more wine," Ye Yun lied weakly.
"Yehua Sect—pah!" Elder Seven’s snort could’ve frostbitten lava. "Buddhist-sounding bandits from backwater hills. A rabble masquerading as sect for three centuries at most."
Ye Yun bit his tongue. If such "rabble" had matched Heavenly Sword Sect’s might, what did that imply about their own strength?
"Enough!" Elder Seven barked. "Three days. Train here. I’ll assess your Dao comprehension. Ask anything. But if progress disappoints, don’t return for half a year."
Ye Yun bowed, accustomed to the brusqueness.
"Choosing Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique took guts." Elder Seven eyed him. "Know this—it demands equal advancement of flesh and true qi. Neglect either, and you’ll stagnate."
Ye Yun shook his head. He’d believed body cultivation alone sufficed to trigger the technique’s self-sustaining cycle.
"Now you know. To reach Qi refining’s second level, temper both body and energy relentlessly." The elder hurled his empty wine jar soundlessly into darkness.
"So my bottleneck stems from inadequate physical refinement!" Ye Yun exclaimed. Recent qi saturation without breakthrough finally made sense.
"Train. Devote all resources to bodily enhancement."
"Gratitude, Master." Ye Yun smiled, earlier confusion resolved.
A golden streak shot from Elder Seven’s finger. Ye Yun caught two radiant stones, their pure energy invigorating his spirit.
"Top-grade spirit stones?!"
"Use them well." The elder’s stern face softened marginally.
Ye Yun bowed deeply, awed. Each stone equaled ten thousand regular spirit stones—an astronomical gift. Settling cross-legged, he clutched the treasures, ready to cultivate.
