When Hua Xuānzi heard Yunxi's request, she immediately understood that this junior sister had made up her mind. Without wasting words, she took Yunxi's identity jade token and registered the mission for her. Thankfully, she was on duty at the mission hall today, or it would have been hard to help with such a favor.
"All done. The mission's officially registered under your name," Hua Xuānzi said. "But be aware, this task is meant for multiple people. You're not the only one being sent to find the missing disciple. It's best to team up with someone you trust."
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. I'll make sure to find a suitable partner."
Afterward, the two exchanged some pills and talismans before Hua Xuānzi left the cultivation hall with a smile.
Once she was gone, Yunxi began to consider who she should take as a companion. Truthfully, she preferred to go alone. After all, she had more than one objective. Not only did she need to find an ownerless spiritual vein, she also wanted to locate a place suitable for breaking through to Foundation Establishment. These weren't things she could let fellow disciples discover.
If she encountered danger out there, moving alone gave her more flexibility. In the worst-case scenario, she could hide in her spatial artifact. Besides, one of her main goals was to obtain a lightning-element cultivation technique.
This particular technique hadn't been recorded by the sect yet. In the serialized novel she had read, the female supporting character was a single-attribute lightning root cultivator. Because of that, the sect had given her special attention, and shortly after she reached Foundation Establishment, they even found her a heaven-rank lightning technique—Wushuang Sword Lightning Art.
This art matched her lightning spiritual root perfectly, combining mental cultivation and sword techniques. How it was used depended on the cultivator's own comprehension and application, which explained its imposing name.
This time, Yunxi's mission outside the sect was a significant one. After weighing her options, she ultimately decided to go alone. However, she still informed Wei Zonghao in private.
Upon hearing her plan, Zonghao frowned. "Little Sister, going out on your own is too risky. It'll make you an easy target."
"Brother, I know what I'm doing. I'm not just going out to avoid Yunqing. My cultivation is getting harder to suppress."
She left it at that, trusting Zonghao to understand.
And he did. After all, he was close to breaking through to the ninth level of Qi Refining himself.
"I see. If that's the case, then I feel better about it. But still, you need to stay alert outside the sect. Don't trust people too easily."
"I know. That's why I need your help for one last thing. Let's stage a little 'shedding the shell' act to throw off Yunqing's spies."
Yunxi stated her request plainly.
"No problem. Just tell me what to do and I'll follow your lead."
Zonghao patted his chest reassuringly.
"Alright. First we do this, then that... and after that..."
"Got it. Sounds good. Let's go with your plan."
After working out the details together, they each went their separate ways.
The very next day, Yunxi rented a three-mu medicinal field under her own name, preparing to try her hand at growing spiritual herbs. She made a big show of buying seeds and threw herself into the work, as if she planned to stay long-term.
The disciples keeping watch over her slowly let their guard down.
Then, on a moonless night, Yunxi handed over the field to Zonghao. At dawn, she used the excuse of taking on an official sect mission and left the Haoran Sect without raising any suspicion.
She knew she had, at most, half a day to shake off any possible trackers. As soon as she stepped outside the sect, she pushed her Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind technique to the limit, vanishing like a gust of wind. Within an hour, she had reached Haoran City at the foot of the mountain.
Haoran City was a major cultivation hub built around the Haoran Sect. From here, one could take flying boats to various regions—or use a teleportation array if they had enough spirit stones.
However, disciples at the Qi Refining stage, especially those leaving the sect for missions, typically opted for the cheapest travel methods: lightening talismans or walking. Only urgent missions warranted the cost of a flying boat.
Yunxi didn't want to waste time. Before entering the city, she used the Huadian divine artifact to disguise her cultivation level, making it appear as if she had already reached the late Foundation Establishment stage—a full tier higher. She also altered her appearance slightly.
Her makeup skills came from her past life in the modern world, one of the "Four Great Eastern Dark Arts"—cosmetic transformation. She turned herself into an utterly forgettable, ordinary young woman.
After three years of growth, she now stood about 158 centimeters tall. Slim and still somewhat youthful-looking, she could pass for an adult at first glance.
She headed straight to the teleportation hall and requested transport to the Baohua Mountains. The disciple on duty, sensing the pressure of her late Foundation Establishment cultivation, treated her with marked respect.
"Senior, teleportation to Baohua Mountain Range costs five thousand lower-grade spirit stones."
Yunxi's face remained calm, but her heart bled. Her entire fortune—three years of painstaking effort in alchemy and talisman crafting—amounted to exactly five thousand lower-grade spirit stones. Paying it all now felt like wiping her savings clean.
Still, this wasn't the time to hesitate.
"When does it depart?" she asked evenly.
"Once we have ten people, the array activates. With you, that makes ten exactly."
Hearing that, Yunxi abandoned the idea of taking a flying boat. Leaving immediately could only help her. Without a word, she tossed the storage pouch filled with spirit stones to the disciple.
He scanned it with his divine sense, confirmed the amount, then handed her a wooden token."Please proceed to the teleportation hall."
Without delay, Yunxi took the token and entered. Her arrival prompted the other nine cultivators bound for Baohua to stand in place.
Once everyone was ready, the Golden Core cultivator managing the array waved his hand, and the teleportation circle flared to life.
It was Yunxi's first time using a teleportation array in the cultivation world. Eyes wide, she even released her divine sense to observe the process.
First, the formation beneath their feet lit up with intricate runes. Then, golden light enveloped them all. Two heartbeats later, she felt a jolt of weightlessness, like the ground had disappeared.
Moments later, she saw the formation carrying them into a swirling, multicolored spatial tunnel.
Yunxi stared at the flowing lights for barely two seconds before dizziness overtook her. Nausea surged, just like motion sickness.
She shut her eyes immediately, withdrawing her divine sense to stabilize herself. She didn't know how long it lasted, but eventually, her body steadied, and the golden light faded.
"Baohua City has been reached. Please exit the teleportation hall in an orderly fashion."
A calm male voice pulled her back to reality. Yunxi opened her eyes and saw that the others were already stepping off the array. She followed them outside, only to rush toward a cluster of roadside flowers and retch.
Unfortunately, after long-term use of Bigu dan, her body had nothing to throw up.
"Senior, would you like to try a green tangerine sachet? It helps with nausea."
A timid voice sounded behind her.
Yunxi turned her head, suppressing her nausea. A young boy, no older than ten, stood there holding a basket filled with finely embroidered sachets.
Seeing her glance back, the boy flinched and took two steps back.
Yunxi raised her hand and plucked a green sachet from the basket. She held it to her nose and took a gentle sniff.
===
If you've been reading my translations for a while, you probably already know that I have a private Xianxia glossary, right? It's that collection of Google Docs and folders I usually link in the comment section of my chapters. But I realized something recently… maybe some of you are reading through the app, not the web version, and copying links there can be a hassle (´･ᴗ･ ` )
So, I've decided to officially upload the glossary here on Webnovel! This way, it's easier for you to access, and I can keep updating it whenever I come across new terms, concepts, or explanations I feel are worth sharing. Whether you're new to cultivation novels or just want to deepen your understanding, I hope this helps enhance your reading experience. (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ
Its The Xianxia Handbook: A Guide to Cultivation and Beyond. Feel free to visit my profile, add it to your library, and enjoy easier access anytime you want to read!