I Have An Infinite Cultivation Resource
Chapter 81: The Flying Vessel
The Deep Literary Pavilion moved quickly.
No sooner had Lu You and Lu Xiao'e finished registering and returned home than the sect's flying vessel arrived.
Led by Huo Chuan, ten Golden Core elders stood aboard the vessel. After instructing the disciples to bring the registered participants onboard, there was no mobilization and no preparation—the flying vessel immediately departed Verdant Cloud Sect, heading straight for the secret realm.
Lu You and Lu Xiao'e stood in a corner of the vessel, quietly observing the cultivators around them.
Hearing about Qi-Nourishing Pills and opportunities, nearly all the outer disciples had signed up. The deck was crowded with people, bustling and lively, as they formed groups and chatted excitedly.
"This gathering happened way too fast, I didn't prepare anything."
"What's there to prepare? With ten Golden Core elders and a hundred Foundation Establishment senior brothers, it's just a secret realm. They'll clear it in a few days. The sect probably just called us to do manual labor."
"Then why did you come if you know you're just labor?"
"Even labor depends on where you do it. A slave in a Nascent Soul expert's household lives better than us! This is a secret realm—we might be doing grunt work, but if we happen to pick up something good, we'll strike it rich."
A group of outer disciples laughed and joked, bursts of laughter echoing from time to time. With such a massive lineup, the journey to the secret realm felt almost like an outing.
Suddenly, a tall outer disciple stood up, his face stern, and walked toward the loudest group. He fixed his gaze on the laughing disciples. The surrounding crowd instinctively fell silent, clearly wary of him.
"Senior Brother He…" The disciples who had been laughing turned around, and upon seeing him, trembled slightly.
This Senior Brother He was named He Shan. He was at the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining and had long been seeking a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, but had yet to succeed, leaving him with a very irritable temper.
Earlier, when Zhou Lei had shown Lu You some housing, he had brought him to He Shan's courtyard. However, after hearing Zhou Lei mention his bad temper, Lu You wisely gave Zhou Lei a small benefit and was reassigned to Lu Xiao'e's courtyard instead.
"Do you know I'm about to break through to Foundation Establishment?"
He Shan stared at the disciple who had laughed the loudest, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Senior Brother He, congratulations…" The disciple hunched over in fear.
"Just now, I sensed a hint of opportunity, but it's interrupted by your laughter."
He Shan bared his teeth, the flesh on his face bunching at the corners of his eyes.
"Senior Brother He, I…" The disciple tried to explain, but as He Shan's grip on his shoulder tightened, he dared not say more. Hastily, he pulled out the Qi-Nourishing Pill he had received upon registering.
"I deserve death for interrupting your opportunity. This… this bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills will serve as compensation."
Patting the disciple's shoulder, He Shan swept his gaze across the surrounding cultivators but did not take the pills.
"Trying to be clever? Making everyone think I'm robbing you?"
As he spoke, He Shan suddenly swung his hand, delivering a heavy slap across the disciple's face. With the force of someone at the tenth level of Qi Refining, he sent the disciple flying.
"Scram! I'm telling you to keep quiet."
After glaring viciously at the disciple, He Shan sat back down cross-legged, as if truly attempting a breakthrough.
The surrounding crowd instinctively quieted down and made space for him. The already cramped deck became even more crowded. Even Lu You and Lu Xiao'e in the corner frowned, as a large area had been occupied by He Shan, forcing many people to squeeze toward them.
Lu You frowned slightly, while Lu Xiao'e's eyes darted. Taking advantage of the crowd pressing in, she deliberately leaned closer against Lu You.
"This He Shan is really nasty. It looks like he let that disciple go and was just bothered by the noise, but in reality, he's extorting him," Lu Xiao'e said softly, pretending not to notice that she was already leaning against Lu You. "How would that disciple dare offend someone at peak Qi Refining? Even if interrupting a Foundation Establishment breakthrough was just an excuse, he'd still be afraid of retaliation later. That way, He Shan doesn't need to openly rob him in front of everyone—just to avoid trouble, that disciple will quietly hand over the Qi-Nourishing Pills when no one's around."
Lu You tried to move away, but people were pressing in from both sides. After a moment's thought, he turned sideways and shielded Lu Xiao'e instead. Even though he was on a flying vessel, Lu You felt as if he had returned to his past life, once again experiencing the crush of crowded subways and buses.
Boom—
The flying vessel suddenly hit a current and shook violently.
"Ah—!" Lu Xiao'e cried out and fell straight into Lu You's arms. Lu You, however, instinctively activated his spiritual energy, rooting himself firmly in place. Seeing Lu Xiao'e's panicked expression as she struggled to keep her balance, he suddenly realized his mistake. He immediately began swaying along with the vessel, dodging other disciples who were bumping into them, and braced himself against the railing with both arms, protecting Lu Xiao'e within.
"Wow, repaying kindness with hostility, huh? I taught you how to hide your cultivation, and you're using it to take advantage of me."
Nestled in Lu You's arms, Lu Xiao'e secretly extended a finger and tapped his chest. The vessel was moving extremely fast, and when it suddenly shook, low-level Qi Refining cultivators couldn't react in time. Lu Xiao'e was used to pretending—she had immediately acted as if she had fallen. Lu You had still revealed a slight flaw, only realizing it after seeing her reaction.
Before Lu You could respond, Lu Xiao'e's finger slid from his chest to his lips. Then she pinched them shut with her thumb and forefinger, preventing him from speaking.
"Hehe~ But I'm quite satisfied. If you'd dared let me fall to the ground or into another man's arms, I'd have thrown you off the vessel."
"Stop messing around." Lu You turned his head and shook off her fingers. The next moment, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the wrist of an outer disciple who had been stealthily reaching toward his waist.
"Ah—it's Daoist Lu! A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" The man had intended to take advantage of the shaking to do a bit of pickpocketing. Seeing a man standing with Lu Xiao'e, he had assumed he must be wealthy—otherwise, who would bring a female cultivator into a secret realm? Only now did he realize it was Lu You.
Lu You's ability to enter the Grandmaster State when drawing talismans was well known among the outer disciples, but not everyone had seen him in person. This thief only recognized him after touching his identity token.
"Get lost." Lu You didn't want to make a scene. Seeing that the thief was already frightened, he released his grip.
"Daoist Lu… Lu You?" The disciples crowded nearby instinctively repeated his name. Lu You's feat of burning a Foundation Establishment cultivator to death using a non-grade talisman had already made him someone no outer disciple dared to provoke. Realizing they had been crowding him, they instinctively stepped back, giving him space.
Lu Xiao'e stomped her foot in annoyance. With everyone stepping away, she could no longer cling to Lu You and had no choice but to move aside.
The deck of the flying vessel wasn't large. Making space for Lu You meant squeezing toward He Shan, who was meditating.
"I told you not to disturb my breakthrough!"
He Shan suddenly opened his eyes. Following the shifting crowd, his gaze landed on Lu You.
The next moment, He Shan stood up, pushed through the crowd, and slowly walked toward Lu You. He stopped right in front of him without saying a word, simply looking down at Lu You from his taller height, sizing him up.
"I already said it—don't disturb my breakthrough. You and this woman…" He Shan bared his teeth again, the flesh on his face bunching together. He was used to bullying others in the outer sect by relying on his cultivation to seize resources. It was precisely through such methods that he had managed to afford a private courtyard and reach the peak of his level.
"Boss He, this is Lu You…"
Seeing He Shan confront Lu You, everyone fell silent, waiting to watch the show. But the disciple who had just been slapped by He Shan suddenly had an idea and eagerly spoke up to inform him.
This was a flying vessel—no matter what conflict arose, Lu You wouldn't dare burn He Shan alive with a talisman here. If he reported this and gained some favor, maybe he wouldn't have to offer up his Qi-Nourishing Pills later.
Hiss…
He Shan stopped mid-sentence.
Lu You could burn a Foundation Establishment cultivator to death with a no-grade talisman. He Shan hadn't even reached that realm—there was no way he could be his opponent. Even if Lu You didn't dare kill on the vessel and He Shan managed to take advantage of him, he couldn't be sure he wouldn't wake up one day to find his home in flames.
"You and this woman…" He Shan's expression suddenly changed, and he burst into laughter. "You and this lady are truly a perfect match—talented man and beautiful woman, a couple made in heaven! Ah, ah, my apologies, Daoist Lu—I'm just a crude man, don't know how to phrase things properly. I deserve punishment!"
He Shan suddenly raised his hand and slapped his own face twice, smack, smack. Then he turned to the crowd and shouted:
"Damn it, all of you, get back! Don't disturb Daoist Lu and his dao companion! I'm telling you—anyone who bothers them, that's worse than ruining my Foundation Establishment!"
Seeing the crowd step back, He Shan immediately turned around, his tall frame shrinking as he bowed and nodded repeatedly toward Lu You.
"I won't disturb Daoist Lu any further. Farewell, farewell."
With that, He Shan slipped away in a hurry, not caring about his dignity at all.
Looking at the large empty space now cleared on the deck, Lu You sighed. Like He Shan earlier, he sat down cross-legged and quietly began to regulate his breathing and cultivate.
Lu Xiao'e also sat down beside him and urged, "That He Shan is so awful—why didn't you teach him a lesson? Didn't you see everyone was hoping you'd punish him? Now you're occupying such a big space—how are you any different from him?"
Lu You closed his eyes and replied, "Even though He Shan is at the peak of Qi Refining, the gap within that realm isn't so large that hundreds of people couldn't overwhelm him. With so many cultivators here, a punch or kick from each would be enough to bring him down. Yet they live like cowards and still expect me to stand up for them? It's not that I've become He Shan—it's that only by having someone like He Shan can people like them find their place in life."
Lu Xiao'e pondered his words and sighed. "Maybe. But you still did something good. Look—He Shan lost face, and everyone feels a bit relieved. You've vented their frustration for them."
Lu You scoffed. "If they feel satisfied just by seeing him lose face, that's truly pitiful. They've grown so used to losing things that they don't even realize what they've lost anymore…"
Hearing this, Lu Xiao'e instead felt a bit pleased. She had originally tried to provoke Lu You in hopes that he would fall out with Verdant Cloud Sect, giving her a chance to recruit him—but now it seemed he wasn't blindly loyal.
"Then will you become someone like He Shan?" she asked after a moment of silence, curious about the path Lu You would choose.
Lu You smiled faintly. "I can only promise that when it comes to friends, I'll still be Lu You."
Lu Xiao'e giggled. With her legs crossed, she subtly shifted closer to him until their legs touched. Seeing that Lu You didn't move away, she grew even happier—it meant they were now friends.
Inside the flying vessel, Huo Chuan, Wu Tong, and the other Golden Core elders were all staring intently at a detection compass. Within the compass, a red dot flickered continuously—it marked the exact location of Lu You and Lu Xiao'e on the deck.
"It seems Dongfang Bubai didn't notice the trick we placed on the medicine bottle. Our plan can proceed as normal." Huo Chuan let out a sigh of relief, then asked, "Has everyone brought their storage rings? We need to prepare for the worst. If this secret realm can't be broken, we may have to hold out inside until the sect comes to rescue us."
"I've brought mine—I have twenty storage artifacts."
"Same here. Even if I have to stay in seclusion in the secret realm for a hundred years, what I've brought will be more than enough."
"Good." Huo Chuan nodded in satisfaction. "The moment Dongfang Bubai registered, we set off immediately. She likely didn't have time to prepare. We only need to conserve our strength and wait, she'll surely worry about exhausting her spiritual energy and will do everything she can to break the secret realm."
After distributing a detection compass to each person, Huo Chuan walked over to Wu Tong and asked again, "You're prepared as well, right? Have you brought enough spirit stones and food?"
"Rest assured, Master. Over the past few days, I've specifically gathered more storage rings. Staying in the secret realm for decades won't be a problem." Wu Tong was full of confidence. With his Nascent Soul realm grandfather backing him, gathering resources was even easier for him than for Golden Core elders.
Leaving the secret chamber of the flying vessel, Wu Tong turned a corner and arrived at a room. He pushed the door open.
Han Tian was cultivating inside. Seeing that it was Wu Tong, he stood up.
"Senior Brother Han, we're about to enter the secret realm. I'll be relying on your protection from here on."
"With so many Golden Core elders present, Senior Brother Wu, you flatter me," Han Tian replied in his usual manner, still keeping his own stance. "We're about to enter the secret realm—surely you can tell me your plan now?"
"Senior Brother Wu, there's too much I can't say. You just need to know you won't miss out on the benefits," Wu Tong hesitated for a moment, but in order to win Han Tian over, he revealed a little. "In this secret realm, Dongfang Bubai likely has some clues. We've already confirmed her identity. As soon as she unlocks the secret realm, we'll immediately bring her to justice."
Han Tian seemed to have a sudden realization. "So, this secret realm is similar to that inheritance tomb we encountered last time?"
"No. This one is even more difficult than the inheritance tomb. That's why I told you to prepare more resources, Senior Brother." Wu Tong revealed a confident smile, as if everything was already under control.
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