- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 238
Most cultivators, in order to balance cultivation progress with a certain level of protection, spend extra time crafting magical artifacts, as this offers the best value for their efforts. This is why most cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage are not very skilled in using spells.
Some who have poor aptitude and slow progress even skip refining artifacts and focus solely on improving their cultivation techniques to break through.
It’s only when they reach the Nascent Soul stage and are preparing for the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation that they begin to seriously study various spells, refine more magical artifacts, or learn alchemy and other techniques.
Otherwise, having the cultivation level of a Nascent Soul without the skills to back it up during the tribulation would be a joke.
As a result, very few cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage are truly powerful. However, those in the Nascent Soul stage, especially in the mid-to-late stages, are undoubtedly formidable.
Leo victory over Blood Shenzi, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, would grant him a prestigious place in the cultivation world once the news spread.
Once they were certain that Blood Shenzi had left for good, everyone returned to Lotus Fairy’s herb garden on the mountainside. The Seven Sons of the Cloud went into meditation to restore their true essence, while Leo stood guard outside with Lotus Fairy and the young spirit plant child.
“Qingfeng, we owe everything to you today. Here, I have two more bottles of Essence Enhancement Pills. After your body has fully absorbed the effects of the pills you took earlier, take one pill every six months for four years. When you finish both bottles, you should be able to form your Golden Core.”
At the stone table in the herb garden, Lotus Fairy poured Leo a cup of medicinal tea meant to extend life and handed him two bottles of pills. She had already given each of the Seven Sons of the Cloud a bottle of Essence Enhancement Pills as payment for slaying the Nine-Headed Demon Python.
But since Leo had defeated Blood Shenzi and saved both her and the spirit plant, two more bottles were hardly a heavy price.
If she had more bottles left, she probably would have given them all to him.
“Fairy, you’re too kind. You’re a friend of my master, so helping you is my duty. How could I possibly accept more pills?” Leo put on a righteous expression, though he made no move to return the two bottles of pills.
Of course, he was going to accept the pills, but politeness had to be maintained. Whether as a person or a cultivator, it never hurts to act with a bit of tact.
Lotus Fairy merely smiled, understanding. She knew how tempting Essence Enhancement Pills were for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Her gratitude was sincere, and the offer of the pills reflected that.
“Keep them. I can always refine more with enough time and the right ingredients.”
Hearing this, Leo no longer hesitated and slipped the bottles into his storage pouch. Over the past few days, he’d come to realize that none of the cultivators he had encountered, be they demonic or righteous like the Seven Sons or even a master alchemist like Lotus Fairy, seemed to possess storage items.
Initially, he thought it was because Little Bamboo Mountain, his former sect, was a small, unremarkable place, but it turned out that storage equipment simply didn’t exist in this world. Lotus Fairy’s ability to pull out dozens of pill bottles at once wasn’t due to having a spatial ring or pouch. Instead, as a spirit lotus, she had a natural ability to store items. For cultivators here, magical tools were often stored within their dantian after refinement, making storage equipment unnecessary.
Every world has its own way of evolving. In this one, cultivators hadn’t developed the need for storage items. Most of their time was spent cultivating in the mountains, so there was rarely a need to carry anything when they ventured out.
…
By dusk, the Seven Sons of the Cloud had finally restored their true essence and emerged from the herb garden. After some brief conversation, their leader, Chu Yuxiang, turned to Lotus Fairy with a suggestion:
“Fairy, though we’ve driven off Blood Shenzi, his vengeful nature means he’s unlikely to let this defeat slide. Once we leave, he may return for revenge. It would be wise to come with us to Emei for a while. Even Blood Shenzi wouldn’t dare act so brazenly within our sect’s territory.”
“This… would it not be an imposition?” Lotus Fairy hesitated. She knew Chu Yuxiang’s reasoning was sound. In the past, she had been on her own, and even though she couldn’t defeat Blood Shenzi, she had always been able to escape.
Now, however, she had the newly formed spirit child to protect. If Blood Shenzi recovered and returned, both their lives would be in grave danger.
Her hesitation stemmed from an attachment to Drunken Immortal Cliff, where she had spent many peaceful years with her master. While Emei offered security, it wouldn’t feel the same as her own familiar sanctuary.
“Not at all! Our master would be overjoyed to hear that you’ve come to Emei,” Chu Yuxiang assured her. If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t easily be invited to Emei. But Lotus Fairy was a master alchemist. Having her at Emei would only benefit their disciples.
After some consideration, Lotus Fairy agreed. She carefully harvested the rarest herbs from her garden, sealed it with a formation, and hung a sign that read, “Away Visiting Friends.”
“Let’s go.”
Once everything was settled, Lotus Fairy summoned a lotus-shaped flying platform, holding the spirit child close as she stepped aboard. Meanwhile, Leo returned to his spot beside Shangguan Qian. With a flick of her fingers and the murmuring of an incantation, they all set off from Drunken Immortal Cliff, heading toward Mount Emei.
The journey to Emei was long, and since they weren’t in a rush, they flew at a moderate speed. By dawn the next day, as the first light of the sun began to illuminate the sky, they finally arrived at the Emei Sect.
“Magnificent!” Leo couldn’t help but exclaim as he laid eyes on Emei.
Like Drunken Immortal Cliff, the entire Emei Sect floated roughly 3,500 meters above the ground, shrouded in mist that gave it an ethereal, almost otherworldly aura.
But unlike Drunken Immortal Cliff, which was a solitary peak, Emei was at least ten times larger, with a central peak surrounded by dozens of smaller ones, like stars encircling the moon.
Each peak was adorned with elegant pavilions, grand golden halls, and long corridors connecting the mountains. Below the floating peaks, the real Mount Emei stood at an impressive 3,000 meters, and together with the floating mountains, it presented a truly majestic sight under the morning sun.
“Qingfeng, look! That’s Sword Mountain, and over there is the peak where the disciples train. That’s the peak where our master resides, and that’s the Grand Hall. We practice sword techniques in the plaza outside the hall every month. Oh, look! Danchenzi is there today. Let me tell you, Senior Brother Danchenzi is an Earth Immortal…”
Throughout the journey into Emei’s main peak, Shangguan Qian chattered away excitedly, pointing out the key landmarks without waiting for Leo to ask.