Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 216: Chapter 154 Task_2

It was simply a waste of resources, especially given Ren Fei’er’s age; reaching her current level so quickly was already extraordinary.

These irregular circumstances, combined with the sect’s sudden increased investment in formations, made everything seem out of the ordinary.

Li Shiming hadn’t heard any news from Yin Shilan and Ren Fei’er; it seemed they also didn’t know the specifics.

But he felt an increasing urgency, which made him speed up the construction of his formations.

With his proficiency as a high-level Array Master, aided by Spiritual Thought, it only took five two-hour periods to construct a formation at sea, and he delegated the task of processing formation materials to his clone.

Aside from returning to his sect’s cave to cultivate every day, he spent the rest of his time, day and night, building formations outside.

For his own safety, when constructing formations, he would disperse several soul splits from the “Spirit Control Soul Splitting Technique” around the area to stay alert to the conditions of the nearby seas.

It was precisely because of the existence of the primary spirit that he dared to undertake this task.

Ever since the primary spirit of the “Spirit Control Soul Splitting Technique” absorbed the soul of the deceased Golden Core Yun Xingyi, it had undergone tremendous changes, becoming almost indistinguishable from a physical entity.

It could now create up to ten soul splits without any impact on the primary spirit, exceeding even the descriptions of the “Spirit Control Soul Splitting Technique.”

A transparent Flying Boat flew through the sky, carrying six Qi Refining cultivators in the late stages; especially one whose aura surpassed the five companions beside him.

“Brother Du, the rewards for this mission are substantial. If you manage to catch Elder Baili’s eye, don’t forget about us!” a cultivator said to the leading Brother Du with a flattering tone.

Every sect has its prodigious cultivators that receive special attention. Normally, these talents don’t act alongside ordinary cultivators.

Even ordinary cultivators rarely get to meet these talented individuals. Prodigies are presented with carefully prepared missions and resources by the sect, and even the cultivation techniques provided to them are optimal for their conditions.

Only a very few ordinary cultivators chosen by prodigious ones get the chance to cooperate in missions, receiving rewards that, though mostly claimed by the prodigies, far exceed those of standard tasks.

More importantly, such opportunities are rare chances for ordinary cultivators to form connections with the talents.

At the very least, prodigious cultivators within a sect have the strength of the middle to late stages of Foundation Establishment. If they’re lucky, they might even progress to become Golden Core cultivators.

Of course, prodigies becoming Golden Core is something that happens many years later, and ordinary cultivators who haven’t reached Foundation Establishment will find it difficult to benefit from them.

The six cultivators here were led by Brother Du of the Holy Ice Sect, a prodigy with a Heavenly Spirit Root. Many cultivators in the late stages of Foundation Establishment would be willing to accept him as a disciple.

But Brother Du aspired for an even higher starting point. Initially, this seemed unlikely, as the Golden Core Elder disciple quotas of the Holy Ice Sect were already full.

But then an opportunity suddenly arose. Elder Baili’s son, Baili Jin Yan, went missing, followed by the accidental death of one of Elder Baili’s disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage, freeing up a slot in his group.

Golden Core mentors generally don’t take on many disciples due to a lack of energy.

In the Holy Ice Sect, a Golden Core takes on about three disciples on average, often selecting those with excellent spirit root seeds and great potential.

If Brother Du can break through to Foundation Establishment and perform even better in other areas, he might not have to seek out a Golden Core; one could approach him first.

But he’s becoming impatient, with strong competition within the sect and two other Qi Refinement prodigies eagerly waiting in the wings.

He had been waiting for a chance to show off his abilities to Elder Baili, to demonstrate his excellence and hope to become a True Disciple of Elder Baili.

The opportunity came unexpectedly when Elder Baili issued a secret mission: to kill a Qi Refining cultivator from the Sky Sea Sect.

Indeed, as Junior Master Song from the Spirit Mechanism Pavilion had said, with the current situation as it is, the Holy Ice Sect could not possibly launch a full-scale assassination on Li Shiming.

The Holy Ice Sect might not be able to, but that doesn’t mean Elder Baili didn’t want to.

Rules always have loopholes; the seven sects do not prohibit skirmishes between disciples in order to allow them to gain experience.

However, these skirmishes are subject to unwritten rules; cultivators at the Qi Refinement Realm are only allowed to fight among themselves, just as those at the Foundation Establishment Stage are limited to their own. Crossing major boundaries to attack is not permitted.

In the current situation, the seven sects need to unite against a common enemy, and even Elder Baili doesn’t want to escalate things at such a time.

But if Li Shiming is killed during a fight among Qi Refining cultivators, it cannot be said that the Holy Ice Sect intentionally instigated trouble.

If Li Shiming lacks strength, then you shouldn’t have allowed him to go out.

With so many Qi Refinement disciples killed each year, one more Li Shiming hardly makes a difference; as long as it’s not an attack across realms, Elder Baili can always find an excuse.

Elder Baili had almost become obsessed with the idea of killing Li Shiming.

The assignment of Li Shiming’s mission was hardly a secret and couldn’t be hidden from those paying attention, which led to this covert operation.

Li Shiming controlled the crafted flags with his Spiritual Thought, positioning them atop the rocks. The task appeared simple, but he had previously conducted precise calculations on the terrain and the flow of Spiritual Energy in the vicinity.

The placement of one hundred and eight flags had to be at specific nodes; the slightest error in position would render the formation useless.

The formation was meant for long-term use, so he had to create passages of Spiritual Power between the flags and consider waterproofing against high tides that would submerge the rocks.

He had done this many times in the past days, with no need for the assistance of IBMz15.

With the Array Formation Starlight Sea providing automatic cross-references, he could obtain accurate data, a reason why array masters, with relatively ordinary minds, can perform vast calculations.

Array masters are a profession of high experiential learning. The one who created the Array Formation Starlight Sea could effortlessly retrieve corresponding data from within the Sea for any formation within his area of study through accumulated experience.

Sometimes, Li Shiming wondered if the Array Formation Starlight Sea was some type of biological computer.

“Disciples of the Holy Ice Sect!” he stopped his work as one of the souls from the ‘Spirit Control Soul Splitting Technique’ sent him a warning.

He shared the vision of that soul with his prime spirit and saw the familiar transparent Flying Boat, a standard model from within the Holy Ice Sect.

From the flight path of the transparent Flying Boat, it was easy to deduce that he was the target.

As he watched, the transparent Flying Boat came to a stop, and five cultivators spread out, encircling him.

It was clear that the cultivators of the Holy Ice Sect who had come held strong confidence—they did not intend to give him a chance to escape.

Li Shiming sensed the aura of these cultivators through his split soul and felt at ease; including the one on the Flying Boat, they were all Qi Refining cultivators.

He had already reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, a powerful contender in the late-stage Qi Refining realm.

Not to mention his physique, which could easily overpower a Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator. His robust body and defensive power meant he did not fear being attacked by multiple peers.

Of course, that was his own confidence. The Holy Ice Sect, not knowing enough about him, had sent fighters he believed to be far from requiring his full strength.

In fact, if Elder Baili knew about Li Shiming’s performance on Seven Star Island, he would have assigned this mission to talented disciples with Heavenly Spirit Roots.

Although Brother Du had not formally become a disciple, the sect spared no effort in providing resources and cultivation techniques for those with Heavenly Spirit Roots.

Brother Du’s combat power stood at the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement realm; dealing with Li Shiming, who had a slight accomplishment in Body Refinement, was not an issue. This was especially true considering the help from other Qi Refining disciples, leaving no chance for Li Shiming to survive.

Li Shiming neither hid nor evaded but faced the enemy head-on. He soared into the air, spreading his wings, and waited mid-air for the arrival of his opponents.