Although the flying ship carrying Lin Sheng's group wasn't operated by Tian Lin Airship Company, they still ran into trouble en route. The vessel came under attack from a massive flock of Cloud Sparrow birds that blotted out the sky.
Though Cloud Sparrows were only first-rank spirit beasts, their overwhelming numbers and close-range swarming tactics forced the ship off course. The cultivator at the helm had no choice but to land early, driving off the birds before preparing to relaunch.
At that moment, the Jīndān Zhēnrén presiding over the vessel announced that the ship had suffered a malfunction and could not continue to Haoran City. They would return to Yuxing City for repairs. To preserve Fei Lin Airship Company's reputation, they refunded everyone on the spot and told the passengers to find their own way to Haoran City.
Situations like this weren't unheard of. The cultivators simply muttered a few complaints, collected their refunds, and left in groups.
However, Lin Sheng and the others were immediately suspicious. They believed someone was deliberately trying to prevent their safe return to the sect.
Zhao Jinmu, once the bearer of the treasure map, quickly offered a suggestion.
"Senior brothers," Zhao Jinmu said, "we should split up to return to the sect. If we stick together, we're easy prey. The message the four Zhēnrén entrusted to us must make it back."
Lin Sheng agreed. His voice rang in their minds, steady and serious.
"Form teams of no fewer than two. Use everything you have, even your last-resort treasures. Get back to the sect as fast as possible. News about Yuxing City must reach them. By now, there may already be other cultivators headed that way."
"Yes, Senior Brother Lin."
Everyone responded promptly, forming pairs or trios before vanishing into the wilderness.
Zhao Jinmu and Hua Xuanzi, seasoned partners, stuck together. Once they were out of sight, Zhao Jinmu crushed a directional teleportation talisman without hesitation, vanishing with Hua Xuanzi.
"Tch. Ran off pretty quick, didn't they?"
From behind a massive boulder, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped out. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his flying sword and headed off in the direction of Haoran Sect, planning to intercept them along the way.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jinmu and Hua Xuanzi reappeared in a mountain cave a thousand miles away. Working swiftly, they changed out of their sect robes and used disguises before leaving to continue their journey toward Haoran Sect.
Lin Sheng, after some discussion with his junior sister, decided that heading directly to Haoran Sect might be too dangerous. Instead, they took a detour toward their family territory in the opposite direction. Their plan was to ask a family elder to send word to Haoran Sect's head, avoiding unnecessary risks while still delivering the message—killing two birds with one stone.
The remaining five disciples of Haoran Sect each relied on their own methods and skills to return.
Haoran Peak, Main Peak of Haoran Sect
Sect Leader Yu Geng had been unusually busy lately. His senior disciple, Sheng Yuhong, had gone into seclusion to form his Golden Core. The sect affairs Sheng Yuhong used to handle had returned to Yu Geng's plate—nothing overly difficult, just time-consuming and repetitive. He was starting to consider summoning his second disciple to help.
Before Sheng Yuhong entered seclusion, Yu Geng had taken an entire evening to explain the intricacies of Core Formation to him. He knew this breakthrough came at a sensitive time. Wei Yunxi, the personal disciple of Senior Brother Yu Ling, had recently advanced to Golden Core and even performed brilliantly in the sect tournament. That kind of achievement undoubtedly placed psychological pressure on his own disciple.
Yu Geng had actually advised Sheng Yuhong to wait, concerned that his disciple's mental state was not yet stable. He hoped Sheng Yuhong would go out for more worldly training first, letting his cultivation progress naturally.
But Sheng Yuhong was confident. He'd been at the peak of Foundation Establishment for four years, and his spiritual energy had long reached the threshold. He had already planned to form his core after the sect tournament. This was simply following his original timeline.
Seeing his disciple so determined, Yu Geng hadn't insisted. Instead, he passed down his own Core Formation experiences. Since Sheng Yuhong was also a single-metal spiritual root and cultivated the sword path, Yu Geng's guidance was especially relevant.
Once Sheng Yuhong entered seclusion, Yu Geng returned to managing the sect. But today, he received a sword-transmitted message from the Lin family patriarch. It said that a group of their Golden Core disciples had been trapped in Yuxing City—because of a treasure map. Among the group was Wei Yunxi, Senior Brother Yu Ling's sole personal disciple.
Yu Geng immediately treated the matter with utmost seriousness. Whether or not the treasure map was real, it would attract attention. More importantly, nothing could be allowed to happen to Wei Yunxi.
He immediately sought out Yu Feng Zhēnjūn.
Yu Feng Zhēnjūn was the Nascent Soul cultivator on rotation this century, mainly assisting the Sect Leader with external affairs. When the Sect Leader was unavailable, Yu Feng Zhēnjūn acted on his behalf. As the sect's on-call guardian, he was easy to locate.
"Senior Brother Yu Feng," Yu Geng said, "I need to trouble you to make a trip to Yuxing City. Yu Ling's disciple is trapped there."
Yu Feng Zhēnjūn raised a brow.
"Trapped? That girl already formed her core. Average opponents shouldn't be able to restrain her."
"The message came from the Lin family patriarch, passed on by his grandson Lin Sheng. It's about a treasure map."
Yu Geng quickly explained: Lin Sheng and his fellow disciples had been training outside the sect. An inner disciple named Zhao Jinmu happened to find the missing half of a treasure map in Yuxing City. When combined with the half he already had, the full map was revealed. Excited, they'd set off to seek treasure, but were quickly discovered and pursued.
Wei Yunxi and three others had been nearby. When they spotted a signal flare, they rescued Lin Sheng's group from three Golden Core cultivators and took possession of the treasure map. They then escorted the group back to Yuxing City and onto a ship.
But the ship failed mid-journey. Sensing something was off, the nine of them split up to return to the sect separately. Lin Sheng, worried about interception, returned to his clan and had the Lin patriarch send the message via sword transmission.
"If the map is genuine," Yu Feng Zhēnjūn said, "more people are bound to rush to Yuxing City. I'll go assess the situation. If it's too risky to bring them back safely, I'll send word, and you can respond accordingly."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
With a flash of light, Yu Feng Zhēnjūn departed Haoran Sect.
Not long after his departure, news of a treasure in Yuxing City reached Yu Geng. Moments later, someone arrived to report that a Foundation Establishment disciple named Zhao Jinmu sought an audience, claiming to carry news of the treasure.
Yu Geng immediately had Zhao Jinmu brought to a side hall.
Zhao Jinmu's face was laced with black qi, and his condition looked dire. He was clearly hanging on by sheer willpower.
Yu Geng frowned, then flicked a pill into Zhao Jinmu's mouth.
"Regulate your breathing first."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Zhao Jinmu nearly collapsed as he sat, shutting his eyes to refine the medicine. A full incense stick of time passed before he forced the black qi down. The moment he opened his eyes, he spat out a mouthful of black blood, then clutched his chest and spoke, voice strained.
"Sect Leader, I bring this message on Martial Uncle Wei Yunxi's orders. There truly is a treasure in Yuxing City. But on our way back, we were ambushed by evil cultivators. Junior Sister Hua Xuanzi stayed behind to buy me time to escape… and was killed."
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The 'first' friendly character introduced that die (╥_╥)