Translator – Misty

Chapter 50: Spiritual Sense

On the way back, Fei Kui’s short legs hurriedly caught up, bowing his body and flattering, “My lord, you truly are a divine being. My admiration for you is like the endless river that overflows uncontrollably…”

The Li clan members had been arrogant and overbearing at the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect, and Fei Kui had long found them displeasing to the eye. However, given that the Li clan was a prominent clan in the Qingyang region and was in collusion with Elder Jin De, there was nothing he could do about it, despite his dislike.

Having witnessed Gu Qingfeng defeating Li Can with a perfectly executed Blazing Thunder Technique, leaving Li Ziheng powerless to intervene, Fei Kui felt a sense of satisfaction.

And then there was Daoist Master Fei Xue.

Fei Kui, being of the same generation as Daoist Master Fei Xue, knew very well how arrogant she had been since childhood. Over the years, Fei Kui had suffered much humiliation at her hands. Seeing Daoist Master Fei Xue in a predicament earlier almost made Fei Kui burst into song.

Despite not knowing who Gu Qingfeng was.

Or the extent of Gu Qingfeng’s capabilities.

In fact, Fei Kui knew nothing about Gu Qingfeng.

However, Fei Kui was a man who knew his place, aware of what questions to ask and what not to.

Gu Qingfeng glanced at this short, round man who resembled a groundhog and laughed, “Your flattery is quite smooth.”

“My young master surely jests, I truly admire you,” Fei Kui continued with another round of flattery.

Gu Qingfeng shook his head, interrupting him, “Enough, just get to the point. Didn’t the old man say to aim for the position of chief disciple of one of the Twelve Courtyards once I become an inner sect disciple? Arrange it for me.”

Upon awakening this time, Gu Qingfeng was still unclear about his goals, but he knew he could not waste time at the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect. He planned to settle matters for Huo De as soon as possible and then leave.

“Young master, the competition for the chief disciple of the Twelve Courtyards might need to wait.”

“What’s the issue?”

“It’s like this. The competition for the chief disciple positions only happens during the annual grand competition.”

“Must it be during the grand competition? Can’t I challenge for it tomorrow?”

“Young master, that would not adhere to the rules of the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect,” Fei Kui explained with a wry smile. “Even if you were to challenge, there would be no one to compete against. Most of the chief disciples are out on trials, and those who are not are in seclusion, only emerging for the grand competition.”

“I see…” Gu Qingfeng took out a Red Leaf Demon Fruit and started eating, asking, “When is the grand competition?”

“In a little over a month.”

“That long? Is there no other way?”

“Young master, I’m not sure if the old master informed you, but our plan must adhere to the sect’s rules; otherwise, it will be difficult to proceed.”

Huo De had mentioned the necessity of following the sect’s rules. Although Gu Qingfeng found it redundant, Huo De had been part of the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect for seven to eight hundred years and knew the sect better than anyone. There must be a reason for his insistence on following the rules.

“Alright, a month it is. It’ll have to do.”

“My lord, you’ve had a long day. If there’s anything you need, just instruct me, and I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”

“Anything I need?”

Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment and replied, “Go and gather some resources for me.”

“What resources does my lord require?”

“Wind and Rain Silver Marrow Crystal, Nine Luster Dew Pearl, Red Copper Mysterious Moonstone…”

Gu Qingfeng listed three to four dozen resources in one breath, leaving Fei Kui utterly confused, as he had never heard of any of them. Of course, not knowing them didn’t mean he admitted it, as that would be too embarrassing. He thought to agree first and then inquire outside.

Returning to the Hidden Spirit Garden in the back mountain.

Gu Qingfeng had a few drinks and casually chatted with Wang Dashan. When evening came, he began to cultivate.

The medicinal pills and spirit stones provided by Huo De had already been refined by him.

Gu Qingfeng could only absorb the spiritual energy of the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect for the time being.

The sect’s spiritual energy was quite good, benefiting from a Fire Yang Spiritual Vein, which generated fire spiritual energy, part of the Five Elements spiritual energy, superior to ordinary spiritual energy. Fire spiritual energy, being vigorous, was ideal for tempering the body and clearing the meridians, making the converted spiritual power stronger. The presence of this Fire Yang Spiritual Vein was a key reason why the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect had become the largest sect in the Qingyang region.

For ordinary cultivators, fire spiritual energy could be significantly beneficial, but for Gu Qingfeng, it was somewhat trivial, as his body had been tempered with the Nine Serenities Fire, a primordial flame, making the fire spiritual energy insignificant in comparison.

After absorbing some spiritual energy, Gu Qingfeng did not continue and instead deployed his spiritual sense to explore.

Spiritual sense combines the faculties of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought, acting as a form of spiritual awareness that can perceive minute presences and things beyond the reach of the physical senses.

Everyone possesses spiritual sense from birth, which can be activated and strengthened gradually. A stronger spiritual sense allows for finer perception and a broader range of awareness.

Gu Qingfeng, exploring with his spiritual sense, considered finding something valuable.

While it is rare for cultivators to venture far with their spiritual sense due to the risk of encountering dangers that could harm their consciousness and lead to a vegetative state, Gu Qingfeng was not concerned. Despite his spiritual sense being weakened by the Heavenly Dao’s tribulation, it remained formidable, far beyond the reach of ordinary individuals.

Gu Qingfeng leisurely wandered with his spiritual sense, taking in the sights of the Qingyang region.

The memories from his youth were now vastly different.

Five hundred years ago, the Qingyang region was considered a remote and sparsely populated area, vast in land but scarce in people.

Now, it seemed to have become much richer, with various mansions everywhere, and the number of cultivation sects had also increased significantly.

This forced Gu Qingfeng to sigh at the impact of the revival of all things; it truly was not small.

Of course, revival is just that, and it does not mean that deserts can turn into grasslands after revival.

Many places in the Qingyang region were still barren.

His spiritual sense leaped over a barren mountain range, where he unexpectedly found several people fighting fiercely.

Gu Qingfeng watched for a while but soon lost interest. Just as he was about to continue his exploration, he suddenly noticed something was amiss.

In this barren mountain range, there was an inconspicuous small mountain, its surface shimmering with a faint light. The light, like mysterious runes, was dissipating.

Upon a closer inspection, Gu Qingfeng exclaimed in surprise!

It was a formation.

And it was a minor natural formation.

Once activated, this type of formation would blend into nature, becoming invisible, undetectable by the naked eye, and difficult for spiritual sense to discover. Such formations were often used to conceal caves or secret places.

The reason the minor natural formation was shimmering was that its structure was dissipating and would soon collapse completely.

Gu Qingfeng had often engaged in the activity of unearthing such caves and was more than familiar with this. He knew that if the structure of a minor natural formation was dissipating, there was only one possibility: the formation’s core had been exhausted. The core is the source that maintains the normal operation of the formation. Once exhausted, it is like a person losing their soul; the body will age, and similarly, the formation will collapse without spiritual energy to sustain it.

No wonder these people were fighting; they were vying for the cave hidden by the minor natural formation.

Gu Qingfeng hesitated about whether to go there for a look. At that moment, a woman suddenly arrived. Without a word, she summoned her flying sword and with one strike, split the dissipating minor natural formation.

With a series of crisp sounds, the minor natural formation completely collapsed, and the previously barren small mountain also vanished, revealing a cave entrance shimmering with purple and green light, with wisps of purple-green aura spreading out.

Is this… the Purple-Green Twilight Aura?

This was a rare type of spiritual aura. If such aura was emanating from a cave, it surely contained treasures.

Gu Qingfeng no longer hesitated, quickly retracting his spiritual sense, preparing to rush over for a closer look.

(End of Chapter)