Chapter 15: Leaving the Sect

In the cultivation world, there is scheming and deceit; cultivators are mostly aloof, where does the saying 'instant familiarity' come from?

Don't even mention fellow disciples; even relatives will be schemed against.

Wang Ping watched Moshen panicking and running in circles inside the formation, his gaze cold; this person is absolutely not a good person, secretly opening the formation when the Guard Peak Grand Formation was activated.

Anyone with a brain wouldn't do that; what makes Moshen think he would open the formation? He's treating himself like an idiot!

Putting away the formation jade token, Wang Ping sat cross-legged again, constantly thinking about things; Senior Chiyanzi is likely about to complete his great work, and he estimates he will then be free.

Moreover, his employment period is also about to end, and Wang Ping is also considering his next destination.

Although he hasn't been scolded many times this year, he does his work conscientiously and responsibly.

What is the price of being conscientious and responsible?

He doesn't even have time for cultivation each day.

In his mind, cultivation is for longevity and freedom; if cultivation continues like this, he might as well not cultivate immortality at all.

Therefore, Chiyanzi is not suitable to take as a master; moreover, studying artifact refinement with him is too urgent, leaving little personal space.

He harbors a great secret, and in this Red Flame Peak he hardly has any chance to enter the Spirit Realm.

In the Second Tier area, Foundation Establishment cultivators are numerous; perhaps one day his secret will be discovered.

This is his biggest reason for leaving.

Wang Ping knows his greatest hope in cultivation lies in being able to travel through the Spirit Realm.

He will not sacrifice his greatest hope for mere artifact refinement.

Mid Qi Refining requires condensing 360 strands of spiritual power; if he cannot cultivate in the Spirit Realm, with his aptitude condensing one strand per month would take 360 months, no, subtract twenty strands, it would still take 340 months.

Wang Ping calculated that to reach Mid Qi Refining Great Completion would take over twenty-eight years; in the First Tier Spirit Vein area, cultivation speed increases by twenty percent, still taking twenty-five years.

After twenty-five years, he will be 43 years old, only seventeen years away from sixty.

In seventeen years, to break through to Late Qi Refining he would still need to condense another 936 strands of spiritual power to cultivate to Late Qi Refining.

Above that is Qi Refining Great Completion, also a major hurdle, but compared to Foundation Establishment, these stages are trash.

Thinking of these, Wang Ping's gaze became resolute; he must leave.

Chiyanzi knows exactly what treasure he is refining; once it succeeds, Red Flame Peak will become the center of attention.

He can imagine that at that time there will be an endless stream of visitors here.

By then he will have even less chance to enter the Spirit Realm.

Glancing at the energy bar in his mind, until it fills again likely only a few months remain.

No, cannot wait any longer; must leave before Chiyanzi completes his refinement.

Wang Ping suddenly realized that if that magic treasure succeeds, as the sole disciple on Red Flame Peak, he would go from being unnoticed to becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

Such treatment is not what he wishes; not only must he leave Red Flame Peak, but also distance himself from the sect.

Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets their mind to it.

At that time, Red Flame Peak will have only Chiyanzi, but those fellow disciples who want to inquire will surely be able to find out that he has stayed here for over a year.

Just like Moshen currently panicking in the formation, he will eventually know my name; thinking about it is terrifying.

Wang Ping clenched his fists; ultimately it's because his cultivation is too low—if he had Foundation Establishment cultivation, he wouldn't need to be so cautious.

Chi! Chi! Chi!

Suddenly footsteps sounded behind him; Wang Ping immediately stood up, turned his head, and saw Chiyanzi barefoot, smiling happily, walking over.

Before he even arrived, Chiyanzi burst out laughing, then said to Wang Ping:

"Kid, this time refining the Six Yang Precision Fire Cover also involved hard work; Old Ancestor I am usually not generous, but this time I make an exception—tell me what you want, Old Ancestor will grant it."

If the person who prompted the Old Ancestor saw Chiyanzi like this, they'd probably be shocked enough to drop their jaw.

Wang Ping also knew that at this moment Chiyanzi's words were sincere; if he were to propose taking him as a master, Chiyanzi would definitely agree.

Chiyanzi seemed to also guess what Wang Ping wanted to say, looking at him with a faint smile.

"Old Ancestor! I want to leave tomorrow!"

"Hmm, old man I already knew you would…"

As he said that, Chiyanzi suddenly paused, for the first time showing an incredulous expression, then his face darkened and he coldly said:

"What did you say?"

Wang Ping wore a respectful expression, yet his tone was calm as he said:

"Disciple wants to leave tomorrow!"

"Why?"

"Disciple has always disliked bustle, preferring to cultivate alone in silence; from now on, Old Ancestor's place will likely be very lively, and I fear it would shake my steadfast resolve in cultivation."

Chiyanzi remained silent for a while, then sighed and said:

"Wang Ping! You are excellent, excellent; your resolve to pursue the Dao in cultivation is steadfast. Although you have inferior spiritual roots, you may yet achieve something in the future."

"You have served as an artifact refinement apprentice under me for a year, performing your duties diligently and responsibly; I am very pleased—here, take this! It also counts as compensation for your over a year of service."

Saying this, a beautifully shaped storage bag was tossed over.

Wang Ping instinctively caught it, but had no intention of opening it.

Chiyanzi saw this, his eyes showing appreciation, then said: "Since you're leaving, go down the mountain after dark!"

Wang Ping bowed his thanks and handed over the jade token he held.

At night, the Red Flame Peak Grand Formation suddenly revealed a slit.

Wang Ping wore a clean white robe, carried a cyan-light sword, and stepped out with determined strides.

After he walked out, the formation behind him instantly closed.

Wang Ping stood outside the formation, took a deep breath, bowed three times toward Red Flame Peak, then turned and strode into the swirling wind and snow.

At the peak of Red Flame Peak, Chiyanzi rarely wore a clean red robe, leaned imagelessly against the stone wall, took a sip of wine, glanced toward the direction Wang Ping left, and said:

Leaving is fine! From now on this place will become the storm's center; you, a nobody with no background, a lowly artifact crafter staying here taking up space— isn't that an eyesore? I'll give you credit for having a bit of wit.

The bitter wind howled, freezing to the core.

The endless dark clouds seemed to unleash fully, pouring down heavy snow with a rustling sound.

If it weren't for the accumulated snow emitting a faint glow, the entire Qingyue Sect would have plunged into darkness.

Wang Ping circulated his qi and spiritual power, propping up a faint blue protective barrier; his legs moved swiftly, leaving no trace on the snow as he ran swiftly across it.

After forging for over a year on Chiyan Peak, not only did his body-refining cultivation increase rapidly, but his grasp of his own strength became meticulously precise.

Now, thanks to the effect of the Speed Talisman, each of his leaps spans seven or eight zhang, extremely fast; successive leaps give the feeling of low-altitude gliding.

Wang Ping is smart; since Chiyanzi told him to travel at night, it means that the magical treasure will be finished tomorrow.

He must leave the sect before the treasure is finished tomorrow; otherwise, when Qingyue Sect closes its gates, he won't be able to get out.

Qingyue Sect spans eight hundred li, with over two hundred peaks; from the second-tier region to his Bamboo Azure Peak it is over five hundred li.

Returning this late is impossible; he must find a sheltered spot near Lingxiu Peak to wait for dawn, striving to exit the sect as quickly as possible.

By the time he finally reached the vicinity of Lingxiu Peak, more than half of the Yin hour had passed.

Having endured a night of wind and snow, even though he had reached mid-stage Qi Refining and his body refinement was at the peak of mid-stage first level, he still felt somewhat fatigued.

By then the wind and snow had gradually ceased; Wang Ping sat down cross‑beneath a protruding rock to rest.

This heavy snow fell for a full three days, finally stopping at the chen hour of the fourth day.

The menial attendant of the Task Hall had just opened the hall doors when he saw a disciple walking outside carrying an azure‑light sword.

He had never seen such a situation before; he couldn't help but stare blankly, then hastily stepped aside, for these immortal masters are temperamental—any slight offense would earn him a beating.

This person was Wang Ping, who had waited at the mountain base until dawn, reckoning that the Task Hall must have opened, so he came straight up from below.

By the time he entered the hall, aside from a few attendants, no disciples had come to collect tasks.

He quickly walked to the outer‑sect task area, intending to find a task with a long time limit.

The great light curtain in the outer‑sect hall listed five or six times more tasks than the inner‑sect hall, most of them slaying missions, also with time limits.

His gaze kept shifting; he refused all demon‑slaying and exchange tasks, and after ruling those out he quickly found a task that matched his conditions:

Collect corrosive grass; the task location is the far western reaches of Zhao State.

Ten merit points per stalk, no upper limit, no limit on number of participants.

This price is absolutely fair; the poster obviously knows the journey is far, so he raised the merit reward considerably compared to usual.

He had also heard of corrosive grass; it is said to be one of the main ingredients of a certain pill.

Wang Ping immediately decided to take this task.

After registering at the task desk, Wang Ping headed straight for the hall exit without looking back, even resorting to the Wind‑Riding Technique to fly directly through the sky.

Half an hour later, Wang Ping appeared twenty li outside Qingyue Sect. Standing on a mountain peak, he gazed at the sect with a complex expression.

He had lived here for six years; his feelings for Qingyue Sect were faint, but he had developed a hint of affection for the mountain peak where he resided.

Going forth, I know not whether I will ever have a chance to return here!

Wang Ping's mind raced with thoughts; the outside world was actually unfamiliar to him, and although there was some scheming inside the sect, as long as you didn't court death, you basically had nothing to worry about regarding your life.

But in the outside world, there are not only demonic beasts, but also demonic cultivators, evil cultivators, and bandit cultivators who kill and plunder.

Bandit cultivators are not limited to demonic and evil cultivators; they constitute a broad group.

Demonic cultivators may be, or loose cultivators may be, and even the great powers, once they conceal their whereabouts, can turn into bandit cultivators who kill and plunder.

After another glance, Wang Ping prepared to leave, when he suddenly sensed the surrounding spiritual power tremble, and then it actually began to boil slightly.

He abruptly looked back; in the direction of Chiyan Peak, a soaring scarlet light suddenly rose.

That is!

Wang Ping suddenly became excited; the spirit treasure, a counterfeit of the Six Yang True Fire Cover— the Six Yang Refined Fire Cover— had been forged.

No wonder he was excited; he had also participated in crafting this treasure.

Almost all of those spiritual materials had undergone his initial hammering.

If he stayed there, in the future Wang Ping would surely become a prominent figure within the sect, and with Chiyanzi as his backer, no one blind enough would dare provoke him.

The light in Wang Ping's eyes grew brighter and brighter, reaching its peak before gradually fading.

Thinking of the energy bar in his mind, Wang Ping silently turned and left; compared to the chance to ascend to the spirit realm, what is this bit of honor?

Wang Ping had not yet walked ten li when a great shout suddenly rang out from the direction of Qingyue Sect:

"Activate the sect's grand formation; from today onward, Qingyue Sect will temporarily close its gates!"

Wang Ping was startled; that voice obviously came from Chiyan Peak, over five hundred li away from here.

At such a distance, he could still hear it here; this level of cultivation must be that of a Golden Core expert within the sect taking action.

Wang Ping also felt a hint of relief; having left early, if he had been delayed by even a quarter hour, he wouldn't have been able to exit the sect.

Amid the vast green mountains, Wang Ping went forth with his sword on his back; upon leaving the sect he possessed only a low‑grade azure‑light sword, a jade slip, and oh! right, Chiyanzi had also given him a storage bag.

He hadn't yet had a chance to look.

Not knowing what Chiyanzi had given him, he thought of opening the storage bag; with a sweep of his spiritual sense, his walking steps halted.

Wang Ping's face filled with shock; this exquisite storage bag contained a thousand low‑grade spirit stones, and besides that, a set of armor and a box.

The value of these items left Wang Ping speechless; he had not expected Chiyanzi to be so generous.

These items were exactly what he urgently needed.

Turning his body, Wang Ping bowed again, silently thinking in his heart: 'Thank you, Senior Chiyanzi!'

At the same time, atop Chiyan Peak, Chiyanzi, holding the Six Yang Refined Fire Cover, glanced toward the outside of the sect and thought:

"That kid has probably already left the sect, right?"

Outside the sect, Wang Ping walked along a mountain trail; his brow would occasionally furrow, as he felt he had forgotten something.

Finally, he shook his head, ceasing to dwell on it; since he could forget it, it probably wasn't a big deal.

Crimson Flame Peak.

Chiyanzi looked at the constantly twitching black silhouette before him, somewhat surprised, and asked:

"Which disciple are you, and why have you appeared within the ancestral guardian grand formation?"

Mo Shen opened his mouth but was speechless, his eyes darting about, his heart filled with grief and indignation. After staying in the formation for so long, he also realized that brat was no pushover.

Obviously he was feigning madness and idiocy; little did he know that he thought Wang Ping was greedy for profit, unaware that they were merely making a fool of him.

At this moment, seeing Chiyanzi's hostile gaze, Mo Shen found himself unable to explain, and also wondered where the disciple called Wang Ping had gone.

What a person Chiyanzi was; seeing the disciple before him stammer and dare not speak, he immediately understood. His gaze involuntarily turned outward from the formation, to the more than sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators, especially as he looked at Jiang Haitao, a cold smile appeared on his face.

His grudge with Jiang Haitao was known throughout the sect.

Why did this disciple come? Need we even say?