Chapter 144: Unease (1)

Cloud Net Mountain Range, Longevity Peak!

Wang Ping's secluded cave abode has remained unopened for fifty years, and the mortals at the mountain's base have already changed batches.

Even Su Ning and the other five Qi cultivation practitioners had already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Cultivation; Su Ning, Song Yan, and Zhang Rui kun had already left the mountain to seek a Foundation Establishment opportunity.

Fang Zhongren and You Junzhang, however, stayed behind, not stepping out of Longevity Peak for fifty years; now one is sixty-eight, the other sixty-nine, both past the usual age for Foundation Establishment.

But their complexion, vitality, and energy are nothing like those of a sixty-something cultivator; instead, they resemble cultivators in their forties.

The two naturally noticed their own changes and finally agreed that this condition resulted from their daily inhalation and exhalation of heaven and earth spiritual qi on Longevity Peak over the past fifty years.

The two, as usual, patrolled the mountain's spiritual fields, but suddenly noticed the white mist covering the mountaintop had faded considerably.

Could the peak master have emerged from seclusion? The two simultaneously thought the same.

Just as this idea arose, the peak master's voice sounded in their ears: 'Zhongren, Junzhang, you two come here!'

The two dared not delay, flying swiftly to the mountaintop; upon arriving before the peak master's secluded cave abode, they found the stone door, sealed for fifty years, fully opened. Entering the cave abode, they saw the peak master, whose appearance had hardly changed, leisurely brewing tea.

"Fang Zhongren greets the peak master!"

"You Junzhang greets the peak master!"

Wang Ping lifted his head, glanced at the two, smiled, and said:

"It's been fifty years since we last met, and you have also reached the Great Perfection of Qi Cultivation."

"Thank you, my lord, for taking us in to cultivate on the peak; only then do we have the chance to glimpse the realm of Qi Cultivation's Great Perfection!" Fang Zhongren replied honestly.

Immediately thereafter, without waiting for Wang Ping to speak, Fang Zhongren handed over a small booklet and said respectfully:

"Peak master! This is the situation of the spiritual fields' yield over the past fifty years."

Wang Ping took it, flipped through it roughly, and saw that of the original 1,080 mu of spiritual fields, 300 mu had become second-grade spiritual fields twenty years ago; adding the fifty mu of second-grade spiritual fields he had previously been allotted, his Longevity Peak now possessed 350 mu of second-grade spiritual fields.

Over the past fifty years, the number of first-grade spiritual trees on the mountain has increased by three hundred, and there are also over thirty second-grade spiritual trees.

More importantly, the medicinal materials accumulated from the spiritual fields over the past fifty years amount to roughly eight million, according to Wang Ping's estimate; of this, the second-grade spiritual fields' output of second-grade medicinal herbs accounts for a substantial share.

Had this been earlier, Wang Ping would have been overjoyed; now, however, these spirit stones are worth no more than eight top-grade spirit stones.

"You two have done well; these two Foundation Establishment pills are your reward." Wang Ping waved his right hand, and two jade bottles were placed on the table.

The bottles contain the Foundation Establishment pills he refined; the materials for such pills are hard to come by in the lower realm, but he found them effortlessly in the Chaotic Demon Valley.

After returning to the lower realm, in his spare time, he refined those materials into eight Foundation Establishment pills.

Fang Zhongren and You Junzhang exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with delight; after expressing thanks, they hurried forward and grasped the two jade bottles in their hands.

"Thank you, peak master, for the gift, but we are already over sixty; we doubt we can achieve Foundation Establishment, so please allow us to pass these pills to the junior disciples!" After a moment, the two also grew a little sober, considering their own condition, and thus presented their request to Wang Ping.

Wang Ping glanced at their bodies, smiled, and reminded them: "With your current condition, if you go out and tell people you're in your forties, they'll believe you; don't put too much stock in the nonsense that failing to reach Foundation Establishment by sixty means you can never cultivate again—the immortal path is arduous; one must have an unyielding heart."

The two suddenly understood, and immediately bowed their thanks.

"Go! From now on, you need not patrol; go achieve Foundation Establishment!"

"Thank you, peak master!"

Wang Ping watched them leave, feeling the surge of heaven and earth spiritual qi in the world, and couldn't help but wonder: could the spiritual veins be about to advance again?

Whoosh!

His figure appeared atop Longevity Peak's summit, eyes half-closed, the Qingdi Changsheng Gong circulating; he deployed his probing technique, which expanded to a radius of ten li, then twenty, then thirty li, and finally stretched to five hundred li, nearly enveloping the ten core peaks.

After a full ten breaths, Wang Ping opened his eyes again; from the recent probe he confirmed that the top-tier second-grade spiritual vein of the Cloud Net Mountain Range had indeed begun to advance.

Afterward, a doubtful color appeared in Wang Ping's eyes; the advancement of a spiritual vein should not make him feel uneasy—yet where does this sense of unease he senses in the dark come from?

In the end he decided to seek out Leru or Tie Lanshan; perhaps they knew a bit of divination technique. Thinking this, he took a step forward and found himself outside Longevity Peak; after walking a few more steps, Heavenly Gang Peak appeared before him.

"There seem to be many more people." Wang Ping stood in the high air, looking down at the busy figures below, slightly surprised, but then realized: fifty years have passed, Iron Dao Friend must have expanded his influence—this is hardly surprising.

Whoosh!

A figure flew out from the mountaintop hall; before the person arrived, laughter rang out: 'Hahaha! Congratulations, Dao Friend Lan, on leaving seclusion! It's been fifty years—you still look unchanged!'

Gazing at the arrival, Wang Ping curled the corners of his mouth in a smile and said likewise: 'Lan Ning, you're not bad either—your essence, qi, and spirit are full, your spiritual light shines outward; you're about to break through to late Foundation Establishment, aren't you?'

Tie Lanshan gave a mysterious smile, then led him into the hall.

Many of the cultivators of Heavenly Gang Peak are recent recruits from the past twenty or so years; to see their own peak master treat a cultivator with such enthusiasm is nothing short of astonishing to them.

They all asked their colleagues about the cultivator's identity; an old man chuckled proudly and said: 'That is none other than the Longevity Peak Master, Lan Ming Peak Master, who was once famed as the sect's foremost combat power—but I, old as I am, haven't seen him in fifty years.'

Longevity Peak Master!

Everyone thought of that mountain perpetually shrouded in white mist; it is said that the present Lord Su emerged from Longevity Peak and thereby achieved Foundation Establishment.

As for Wang Ping's past exploits, aside from those Foundation Establishment cultivators who didn't die, the rest of the Qi cultivation practitioners have hardly heard of them.

Now, upon hearing that this peak master was called the sect's greatest combat power back then, everyone's interest was piqued, and they urged the elders to recount the Longevity Peak Master's former deeds.

"Hehe! That has to start from the City Mall Battle."

……

Inside the mountaintop hall, after hearing Wang Ping's purpose, Tie Lanshan lowered his head in thought for a while, then shook his head and said: 'I too lack the art of divination, but I have heard that the Buddhist Sect possesses a dream-entering secret technique which allows cultivators to seek their blessings and karmic debts in sleep; I do not know whether Master Leru has mastered it.'

Wang Ping, though slightly disappointed, nodded and said: 'Then I will seek out the master.'

Having said that, he was about to rise when Tie Lanshan said: 'Let me go with you!'

The two immediately took flight on escape light toward Spiritual Kitchen Peak.

At Spiritual Kitchen Peak, Master Leru first congratulated Wang Ping; after hearing his intent, Leru nodded and said: 'I, a poor monk, am capable of this secret technique, but to achieve its best effect, it still requires the caster to perform it personally.'