A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 82: Chapter 79: Gathering Information

The Wind-Wing Golden Eagle flapped its wings and took off, a violent storm swirling, causing the buildings on both sides to clatter noisily.

Lu Qian was already seated in the tent. He suddenly felt his body sink as he soared into the sky, after which there was no more jostling, extremely smooth. There must be a protective array arranged on the back of this golden eagle.

At this moment, he heard the clear and loud call of the golden eagle echoing through the sky. He couldn’t help but open the curtain of the tent to look outside, only to find himself at the cloud’s peak, his field of vision vast, far surpassing that of the White Jade Flying Ship.

The beast-taming cultivator was seated at the head of the golden eagle, and Lu Qian could only see his back. He glanced around and saw that the few accompanying cultivators each had their tents closed, without any intention of idle chatter.

So he also pulled the curtain back, sat quietly to adjust his breath, and went over his next plan once more in his heart.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The golden eagle’s flying speed is slightly inferior to that of a Foundation Establishment Feather Scholar. However, when a Feather Scholar rides the escape light, they have to stop every one or two hours to rest briefly. But this Wind-Wing Golden Eagle only rested for four hours over two days, indicating its long endurance, with an average speed certainly exceeding that of the Foundation Establishment.

In addition, the spacious back of the golden eagle and the very comfortable tent easily explained why the fee was five hundred spirit stones, a full five times that of the Sky Ray.

Thus, just as Lu Qian’s novelty had not completely worn off, the speed of the Wind-Wing Golden Eagle suddenly slowed down, and not far away, a gate tower with the sign ”Tonglin Square” became very evident.

”We have arrived at Tonglin Square, Ningzhou Haidong County.” The beast-taming cultivator stood up, ”Which fellow Daoist wants to get off here?”

We have arrived? A journey of nearly fourteen thousand miles, completed in just two days.

Previously, fleeing from Qingzhou to Meihua Square, a journey of ten thousand miles, took me more than a month. Compared like this, I couldn’t help being astonished.

I initially thought only Qi cultivators needed to traverse states and commanderies on wind-controlling giant beasts. It now seems more convenient, even for Foundation Establishment Feather Scholars.

Lu Qian responded, returned the jade token to the beast-taming cultivator, and then released the flying ship from his hand, flying down from the back of the golden eagle.

The golden eagle let out a loud cry, flapped its wings, and flew away, breaking through the clouds.

Lu Qian couldn’t help but think of Lin Le’s introduction back then.

”The Spirit Beast Sect’s cultivators do not focus on magical treasures and divine techniques but each raise spirit beasts, often with higher cultivations than their master. In battles, fighting two against one is invariably effective.”

It seems that having a reliable spiritual pet can also play a significant role in a fight.

Retracting his gaze, Lu Qian glanced around from the air above the gate tower and saw the vast and hazy expanse in the distance, a blue haze stretching indefinitely to where the sea meets the sky.

He took a deep breath, the air filled with a faint salty taste. Seeing the sea for the first time in this world, Lu Qian was slightly dazed.

Is this the Star Sea? Haidong County, to the east of the sea, truly lives up to its name.

Qingzhou, Cangzhou, and Ningzhou, his footprints have now covered three provinces, which is rare among Qi cultivators. Considering that the Alioth Continent has ninety-nine provinces in total, one wonders when he can travel through them all?

After gazing in the distance for a while, Lu Qian shook off his random thoughts, descended from the gate tower, and entered Tonglin Square.

The first thing to do was to buy a detailed map to find out the location and basic information of the Danxia Sect.

If the situation with Master Chi Yu changes, my trip would have been in vain.

This Tonglin Square is just a medium-sized marketplace, far less bustling and lively than the Plum Blossom Marketplace. Lu Qian casually entered a general store, bought a map, and started chatting with the shopkeeper.

Pretending that he was a down-and-out loose cultivator with an elder who was a Danxia disciple, he came here to try his luck, and the shopkeeper immediately became enthusiastic.

He learned that he was only six hundred miles away from the Danxia Sect’s mountain gate, the Liuxia Mountain Range.

The Danxia Sect has three Golden Core Masters, with Master Chi Yu being the Second Elder, ranking below only the Sect Leader and Grand Elder, truly a position of power and influence. The Danxia Sect, with the power of three Golden Cores, controlled two and a half counties of land centered around Haidong County.

Among the medium-sized sects in Ningzhou, it is second to none, also considered a regional powerhouse.

There are also rumors that the sect leader’s cultivation has reached Golden Core Perfection, with hopes of forming a Nascent Soul. Therefore, the Danxia Sect is greatly revered locally, and all the large shops in Tonglin Square are operated by the Danxia Sect.

Upon understanding the Danxia Sect’s incredible power and Master Chi Yu’s high status, Lu Qian felt a mix of joy and worry.

In front of Danxia, the Yunshan Sect is akin to gravel. Given the enormous gap, the question of whether a three-hundred-year-old favor can still make a difference will depend entirely on Master Chi Yu’s personal character.

If this master is someone who cherishes old favors, the rewards might be beyond imagination. But if it’s the opposite...

No matter what, I must give it a try and adapt to the situation.

By now, evening had fallen, and continuing to the Danxia Sect would likely mean arriving at night, which is not suitable for a visit. Lu Qian, therefore, found an inn in the marketplace to settle down. He then took a stroll through the marketplace, browsing various shops but still didn’t find anything suitable.

What he was searching for was a gift required for tomorrow’s visit.

In modern society, visiting elders usually involves giving thoughtful gifts like tobacco, alcohol, or tea, while casually it also requires bringing some fruits. But here, when visiting a Golden Core Master, what should one present?

There is no experience to draw from. Especially for a completely unfamiliar Golden Core Master whose temperament is unknown, it is best to prepare something valuable to ensure nothing goes wrong.

But for a Qi cultivator, a gift worth a few hundred spirit stones is considered valuable. For Foundation Establishment, it would be thousands of spirit stones. So what about a Golden Core? I currently only have six spirit crystals and three thousand seven hundred spirit stones. Clearly coming to collect a debt, am I now supposed to spend it all on a gift for a visit?

With no other choice, Lu Qian had to inspect the items on his person, and upon going through them repeatedly, estimated that only two things might catch the attention of a Golden Core Master.

One is a fragment of a magical treasure belonging to the Yunshan Sect’s founding ancestor, Master Yeyang. The other is the Six Harmonies Array secret manual fragment left by Golden Core Master Zhou Chao.

Alas, alas, both items are fragments, unable to even make up a whole thing.

The fragmented magical treasure, Lu Qian had also examined it many times before, but could never discern what the original form of the magical treasure was.

Its exterior is a three-foot-long irregular fragment, with even its thickness uneven. Lu Qian is not versed in artifact refining, only knowing that this fragment is neither metal nor jade, displaying a glaze-like color and a brilliant treasure light, extremely lightweight in hand, yet shows no response when spiritual power is input.

Since it’s a relic left by the founding ancestor, always kept in the Sect Leader’s Ring, it is a symbol of sect heritage. Lu Qian thought it over and decided that he should not give it away. Hence, he was left with only the Six Harmonies Array secret manual to present.

The manual can be copied, causing no loss if given away. But is this really an appropriate gift?

There’s no other way, so he had to console himself that as a junior visiting, it is always a token of goodwill. Hopefully, that Master Chi Yu is a kind and generous person.

Lu Qian took a deep breath, suppressing random thoughts, forcing himself into meditation to adjust his breath, and so the night passed in an instant.