Chapter 26: Unable to Return

"Uncle Hong Zhi, I lack nothing, so just give the prize to second‑place Miss Fengwu!" Qing Cong, seeing that all the limelight had been snatched by Wei Yuning, felt irritated; as a direct disciple of the Ninth Ancestor's line, whatever the sect has, they will have, so they have no interest in such a small prize.

"Oh, that works too. Miss Fengwu, why don't you come up to receive the prize?" Hong Zhi looked down at Fengwu.

"Thank you, senior brother Qing Cong, for your kindness, and thank you, Uncle Hong Zhi. Unfortunately I feel unworthy, so I won't accept the prize!" Fengwu's expression lost its earlier charm; she looked cold, and the previous friendly interaction with Qing Cong at her side vanished.

"Since that's the case, today's Marriage Alliance event is over," Hong Zhi said calmly, putting away the small Qi bag he held, and without further insistence announced, "Tomorrow at dawn, disciples must gather promptly at Flowing Cloud Square. As usual, the marriage‑alliance disciples for the next three days and nights will go to the sect's Beast Arena for hunting. Everyone, remember not to be late!"

Hong Zhi flicked his sleeve, descended from the high platform, walked straight to Wei Yuning and said, "Yuning, come with me!" Then he nodded to the Fairy Yun Yan beside him, "Junior sister, see you tomorrow!"

Fairy Yun Yan opened her mouth, about to speak, but seeing Hong Zhi's stern expression, she closed it again.

Wei Yuning looked at Cultivator Qiu Hu and smiled, "Remember to wait for me tomorrow!"

"Got it, you go ahead, see you tomorrow!" Cultivator Qiu Hu gave Wei Yuning a charming smile. In Wei Yuning's mind was Qiu Hu's unparalleled beauty; though he couldn't see her, it didn't stop him from merging the smile before him with the lady's true visage, and he couldn't help but show a rapturous grin.

Hong Zhi and Fairy Yun Yan beside him didn't think so; they unintentionally met each other's gaze, and simultaneously saw familiar inner thoughts in each other's eyes. In an instant, the fragile rapport between them seemed to deepen a bit.

Hong Zhi led, with Wei Yuning a step behind, as they left the bustling crowd. The disciples, seeing Hong Zhi pass, quickly cleared a path.

The disciples who attended the Marriage Alliance did not disperse; the sect had granted them a seven‑day leave, and during these days courting was their sole task. The girl they coveted already had a Dao companion, but that was fine—just find another to talk to. The girls of Qingluan Sect were the same; everyone is a child of the jianghu, and they won't hang themselves on a crooked tree.

Once away from the crowd, Hong Zhi spoke, "Yuning, I recall you've been at Cloud Hidden Sect for exactly one month and one day, right?" In the Three‑Month Calendar, a year is defined by one solar cycle of heat and cold across the ground, divided into twelve months; it differs little from Earth's calendar, only slightly longer, and is said to be essentially the same as the calendar of the Primordial World, the source of all calendars.

"Yes, Uncle!"

"What are your thoughts on the sect?" Hong Zhi continued calmly, asking.

"Cloud Hidden Sect looks down on Bishi Island and dominates the Vast Sky Sea; becoming a disciple of Cloud Hidden Sect is a blessing earned over many lifetimes!" Flattery after flattery, the sycophant never tires. Although Wei Yuning knew Hong Zhi didn't appreciate his slick talk, he said it anyway, because this uncle had already seen through his character; rather than hide it, he chose to show his true self. Moreover, Hong Zhi is upright and incorruptible, a true gentleman, loyal to the sect; as long as he doesn't betray the sect, he won't take any adverse action against Wei Yuning.

Indeed, Hong Zhi snorted and rebuked, "You needn't utter that useless chatter. Think carefully—what are your plans for the future?"

"I… I say I intend to return to the Jiuzhou Minor World; do you believe it?" Wei Yuning had no intention of hiding anything from Hong Zhi.

"Heh, you mean that desolate, fallen world?"

"Yes." Wei Yuning said earnestly.

Hong Zhi stared into Wei Yuning's eyes for a while, then suddenly laughed, "What's good about a world where cultivation is impossible? Moreover, even if you wanted to go back, you couldn't."

"Why?" This time Wei Yuning was taken aback.

"The Jiuzhou Minor World belongs to the minor‑world tier, while the Spirit Beast World is a middle world. Moving from a minor world to a middle world is like a river flowing into the sea—downstream and easy. Conversely, traveling from a middle world back to a minor world is like rowing against the current, exceedingly difficult. Moreover, the situation of the Jiuzhou Minor World is even more complicated."

"More complicated? What do you mean?" Wei Yuning asked curiously.

"Because of your case, I specifically examined the star‑chart data that the founding ancestor of the sect brought back from the Eternal Immortal City. The Jiuzhou Minor World, which once hosted many great beings, was actually a leftover celestial‑spark vein from the previous Primordial World. Numerous renowned ancient immortal sects fought there for spiritual energy; since multiple world powers were involved, they refused to yield, eventually exhausting the resources and destroying the last celestial spark, turning the Jiuzhou Minor World into a completely abandoned world with no possibility of cultivation or ascension. Moreover, the infiltration of several dark‑world ideologies caused the already hopeless humans of the Jiuzhou Minor World to fall entirely."

"At the same time, the Jiuzhou Minor World was finally shoved by an irritable great being, sliding into the dark abyss and drifting farther from the Primordial World. Therefore, your reaching the Spirit Beast Middle World from the Jiuzhou Minor World is a miracle; I doubt anyone else could make it, let alone return." Hong Zhi patted Wei Yuning's shoulder and said with a sigh.

"Is Earth really that degenerate? I don't feel it. Well, it seems Earthlings are rather short‑sighted and love to indulge in immediate pleasures, but life on Earth is far more exciting than the days of you cultivators."

However, Hong Zhi's conclusion still left Wei Yuning stunned; after struggling for a while, he finally blurted out, "If the Jiuzhou Minor World is still where it was, how can I return?"

"That's also difficult. First, it's a matter of transmission. As I just said, for a minor world to reach a middle world, once a transmission array is set up without a target and activated by a certain number of spirit stones, it will naturally transport to the nearest middle world. The reverse is different; without at least Foundation Establishment (Golden Core) level cultivation, one cannot withstand the tearing of world essence—someone like you would disintegrate the moment the portal opens. Moreover, the most pressing issue now is that no one knows the location of the Jiuzhou Minor World that slid into darkness! From my perspective, there is currently no way—unless…"

"Unless what?" Wei Yuning asked hurriedly.

"Unless you reach the Great Vehicle Stage, ascend to the Immortal Realm, pass through the Immortal Realm passage to the Primordial World, and then rely on the Primordial World's Ten‑Thousand‑Realms Gate; perhaps you could find a way back!" Hong Zhi, the overseer, said irritably.

Wei Yuning gave a wry smile and said nothing. Currently, Cloud Hidden Sect has no immortal; even the highest cultivator, Ancestor Dao Min, is only at the Earth Immortal level, and he'll have to wait until the Year of the Monkey and the Month of the Horse to become an immortal!

"Yuning, since you're here, make the best of it. I wasn't fond of you at first, but after watching you these days, despite your slick talk you're not bad at heart; I see promise in you. Besides, what's there to cling to in a world where cultivation is impossible!"

"Thank you, Uncle!" Wei Yuning said, grateful that Hong Zhi had actually researched the matter for him.

"Alright, let's get to business! I originally wanted to ask about your physical‑body foundation, but everyone's cultivation yields different insights, and I have no intention of prying into your secrets. However, legend speaks of dual foundations; you originally pursued a spiritual‑consciousness foundation, and now you've suddenly switched to a physical‑body foundation, which is unusual. I just want to know one thing: will your physical‑body foundation affect your spiritual‑consciousness foundation?"

"Uncle Hong Zhi, honestly I'm not sure," Wei Yuning scratched his head after Hong Zhi's question. "Master Tai Chong had me visualize a golden giant pine; the visualization was completed, but the imagined object is huge and uncooperative. I'm now trying hard to push it into my body!"

Hong Zhi, hearing this, broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, unsure how to comfort or guide Wei Yuning. He had never heard of a visualization object larger than the body; the biggest he'd encountered was about one chi. This disciple's situation was completely beyond his comprehension. Fortunately, Wei Yuning did not tell Hong Zhi that his visualized object was over thirty meters tall.