For some unknown reason, Mei Qing always felt something unsettling his mind and spirit, even though he could no longer sense anything unusual. Yet, an uncomfortable sensation lingered within his heart, refusing to dissipate.
It had only been a short time since the new moon, and the moon rabbit had long vanished without a trace. The sky was scattered with countless stars, and the Milky Way silently stretched across the boundless, black night sky.
Mei Qing did not return to his room to rest. In fact, cultivators who had reached the Qi Refining stage generally no longer required sleep or even food. However, according to Zhang Shisan’s advice, Mei Qing had only recently entered this stage, and both mentally and in terms of cultivation, he needed a considerable amount of time to adjust. Therefore, he still allowed himself a brief sleep each night, even though such sleep held little actual restorative value.
As for Zhang Shisan and Master Ku, from Mei Qing’s observations, they usually spent this time in meditation or quiet contemplation, seeking more paths forward on their journey toward the Dao.
Now, as Mei Qing’s cultivation stabilized, his vision and understanding had changed greatly compared to before. He could now roughly judge the abilities of his two masters. In terms of cultivation stage, both Zhang Shisan and Master Ku were likely at the same Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage as himself.
However, even though they were all at the Qi Refining stage, the differences in their cultivation levels could be as vast as thousands or even tens of thousands of miles. Moreover, the concept of stages merely described the various situations and challenges each person faced during their cultivation journey, rather than serving as a measure of their combat capabilities against one another.
According to Zhang Shisan, different sects focused on different aspects of cultivation. For example, the Celestial Masters specialized in talismans, the Geyao sect in controlling objects, and the Maoshan sect in exorcising ghosts. Each had its own strengths in battle. However, someone like Mei Qing, a novice with absolutely no combat experience, although his cultivation level could be considered decent, would still only be able to flee in defeat if he encountered a seasoned Physical Transformation stage cultivator in an actual fight.
Just as physical fights aren’t solely determined by strength, the key factors in battles between cultivators are experience and technique. Cultivation level is far from being the decisive factor, as no cultivator would stand still and exchange blows one-on-one during a fight.
According to Zhang Shisan, he himself was an outstanding representative of battle-hardened cultivators who had never tasted defeat. He boasted at length about his past exploits. Although Mei Qing felt that Zhang Shisan might actually be telling the truth this time, he couldn’t help but harbor some doubt, recalling how Zhang had appeared in tattered clothes after “sparring” with Master Ku during their first meeting.
It was hard to imagine that Master Ku, a high-ranking Buddhist cultivator, could be the kind of battle-obsessed figure that Zhang described. Why was it that Zhang, who claimed to be an outstanding representative of battle cultivators, couldn’t gain any advantage against Master Ku?
However, one thing was certain: both of his masters were among the most formidable figures in the world. With these two powerful mentors backing him, Mei Qing felt he could basically walk around with confidence.
According to Mei Qing’s estimation, although Zhang Shisan and Master Ku were also at the Qi Refining stage, they were likely already on the verge of reaching the Spirit Transformation stage. He remembered Bi Zhen mentioning that each sect had several ancient experts who were only a step away from ascension. Considering Bi Zhen’s involuntary display of respect upon learning the identities of the two men, Mei Qing guessed that his two mentors must belong to this category of venerable experts.
As Mei Qing was deeply lost in thought, he slowly paced around the courtyard. It was deep into the night, and all around was silent. Suddenly, a low, soft laugh came from behind him. His mind stirred, and he realized it was Bi Zhen, who had somehow appeared behind him without his noticing.
“When did you come?” Mei Qing smiled and asked, “I didn’t even notice.”
Bi Zhen smiled and shook her head slightly, somewhat proudly. “Can you sense it now?”
Mei Qing closed his eyes and tried sensing again. He sighed in frustration. “Still nothing. It seems my cultivation is indeed inferior to those little things you carry around.”
Bi Zhen giggled and stepped forward to take Mei Qing’s hand. “Those little things may seem unimpressive, but they are not commonly seen either. You have such a talent for forging magical artifacts—maybe one day you can create something even better. Then you’d be even stronger.”
Mei Qing naturally felt a bit elated at her words, but he humbly replied, “It’s just a bit of cleverness, really. I know Master Zhang has a point. My tendency to take shortcuts might lead to some disadvantages later on in my cultivation.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Bi Zhen leaned against Mei Qing lazily. “You don’t know how he praises you when you’re not around. I think both of your masters really favor you. They’re very good to you, though there is one downside—they keep us so busy that we hardly get any time alone together. As our cultivation progresses and we grow stronger, I feel like we’re becoming more distant somehow. Thinking back, it was more fun when we were at Dongyue Temple, teasing each other.”
As she spoke, Bi Zhen lazily nuzzled against Mei Qing’s chest, her hair brushing against his chin, exuding a subtle fragrance. Mei Qing also recalled their first encounters, and couldn’t help smiling. “You were so proud back then. You wouldn’t even deign to look at me. And when you finally did glance my way, it made me feel uneasy for half the day.”
Bi Zhen laughed heartily at this. As she laughed, she playfully punched Mei Qing. “You still bring that up. I ended up losing so much, giving everything to you. This time, we’ll definitely get our masters to help us even the score…”
Just as she was speaking, she suddenly felt Mei Qing’s body stiffen, and his spiritual energy around him abruptly paused. Sensing something amiss, Bi Zhen quickly straightened up and looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel like something is off,” Mei Qing’s expression turned serious as he extended his spiritual sense again to search the surroundings. “This has happened several times tonight. I keep feeling like there’s something nearby, but I can’t detect it.”
Bi Zhen listened and recalled that Mei Qing had done a similar spiritual scan earlier that night. Her heart stirred, and she shook her head. A butterfly-shaped hairpin flew gracefully from her head, tracing an arc as it flew outward.
Although Bi Zhen’s cultivation was not as diligent as Mei Qing’s, she had a solid foundation and was equipped with various magical artifacts, making her appear even more composed than Mei Qing. This magical artifact was used without visible incantations or gestures, exuding a natural elegance, clearly indicating her recent progress.
After a while, the butterfly gracefully returned and landed back on Bi Zhen’s head. Bi Zhen frowned. “There really is nothing? This butterfly hairpin was refined by my master specifically to detect fluctuations in spiritual energy. If it sees nothing, then perhaps…”
Mei Qing said nothing, shaking his head. “My master’s cultivation is naturally profound, but we are both at the Qi Refining stage. Feeling such inexplicable unease for no reason at all—there must be a cause. These days, as we plot against others, we must also be extra cautious. I should still inform my master.”
Before he had even finished speaking, Zhang Shisan’s voice was heard: “You foolish boy, if you want to be affectionate with your wife in the middle of the night, that’s fine. Why drag me over for no reason?”
Now that Mei Qing’s cultivation had deepened, he no longer needed to physically go to Zhang Shisan’s room to call him, as his spiritual sense alone was enough for Zhang to know.
The next moment, the two saw a blur, and Zhang Shisan appeared before them. His clothes were disheveled, his hair messy, and he was holding a large wine gourd, with traces of alcohol still on his lips, grinning at them.
Mei Qing had no time for his nonsense and quickly recounted to him the several times he had felt something strange that night.
After listening, Zhang Shisan’s expression changed slightly. After a moment, he said, “Actually, old Taoist me has also been somewhat prepared, but I haven’t noticed anything wrong either. However, you, foolish boy, have a body that’s far from ordinary. If you say something is wrong, there must be something we’ve overlooked. But why can only you sense it, while I and that baldy can’t… Wait, foolish boy, try submerging your spiritual sense into your inner cauldron and then extending it outward again to probe.”
Upon hearing Zhang Shisan’s suggestion, both Mei Qing and Bi Zhen felt that Zhang’s experience indeed showed through. Mei Qing, after all, had a unique trait that set him apart from others—his cauldron had recently entered his body.
Both Zhang Shisan and Master Ku had pondered this phenomenon extensively but had reached no conclusion. Since Mei Qing had repeatedly sensed something strange lately, it might indeed be related to this cauldron.
Following Zhang Shisan’s advice, Mei Qing quickly submerged his spiritual sense into the cauldron and extended it outward. The cauldron within Mei Qing’s body, containing the golden elixir and shrouded in purple mist, had previously shown no special characteristics. However, this time was different. As soon as Mei Qing’s spiritual sense reached the bottom of the cauldron, he felt a faint vibration. As his spiritual sense entered, it surged outward like a torrential flood, spreading instantly before Mei Qing could even exert any effort.
Both Zhang Shisan and Bi Zhen suddenly sensed a vast surge of spiritual energy within Mei Qing’s body, accompanied by a vast and boundless aura, leaving them momentarily stunned. Before they could understand what was happening, they suddenly saw Mei Qing’s expression change drastically. He shouted loudly, “Underground… something’s wrong!” As he spoke, he raised his hands and cast a Vajra talisman, instantly forming a protective barrier around Zhang Shisan and Bi Zhen.
In fact, as soon as Mei Qing shouted “underground,” both Zhang Shisan and Bi Zhen had already sensed the threat from below. Zhang Shisan waved his sleeve, instantly lifting all three into the air. At the same time, Bi Zhen’s jade bracelet silently flew up, radiating a green glow.
A deafening roar, as if the earth were splitting and mountains collapsing, erupted. The ground beneath their feet seemed to have been struck by an invisible fist, suddenly cracking in several directions from the center outward. These cracks extended for several meters, wide as a ruler, spreading from the courtyard in all directions, causing trees to fall and walls to collapse, with bricks and dust flying everywhere, accompanied by thunderous booms.
The entire courtyard’s ground began violently shaking, as if something were pushing from below, causing the surface to ripple like ocean waves, continuously rolling and surging. After a few tremors, a deafening rumble sounded. Mei Qing’s guest room, unable to withstand the shaking, collapsed entirely. Bricks and tiles flew in all directions, crashing and splintering around them. From beneath the ruins came thunderous roars, and the remaining beams and pillars crumbled amidst the rising dust, gradually sinking into the earth.
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