Yun Qi withdrew his thoughts from the jade slip, but his eyes remained closed as he quietly contemplated the incantation he had just heard.
After a short rest, Yun Qi carefully stored the jade slip and glanced at the massive boulder across from him.
He formed a seal with his left hand, pressing his thumb against his middle and ring fingers while keeping his index and pinky fingers straight.
Channeling the metal-elemental spiritual energy within him, he pointed at the boulder and shouted, "Split!"
A sharp, metallic intent accompanied the incantation as it struck the boulder, causing spiderweb-like cracks to instantly appear on its surface.
A moment later, a breeze from the lake blew past, and a layer of stone peeled away.
Yun Qi took a look and saw that the intent had only penetrated half an inch into the boulder.
However, he wasn’t too disappointed.
Cultivation was always a process of starting shallow and gradually deepening, refining one’s skills over time.
As he continued practicing, Yun Qi’s mastery of the incantation deepened, but his spiritual energy was rapidly depleting.
Fortunately, the osmanthus forest was an excellent metal-elemental location, making it easy for him to absorb metal energy.
By the second day, a four-foot-square, one-foot-deep depression had formed in the boulder, and the fallen debris had been crushed into fine powder by Yun Qi.
He estimated that in another day, the cavity would be large enough for him to sit inside.
Although using "Autumn Water" to directly carve the boulder would have been faster, this process was more about cultivating the incantation and understanding the metal element.
As the sun began to set, marking the time when metal energy was at its peak, Yun Qi was meditating and absorbing energy when he suddenly heard a sharp, metallic sound, like the tearing of silk, coming from the lake.
Yun Qi opened his eyes.
The mother bell hadn’t made a sound, which meant the noise was at least three miles away, yet it was so clear to his ears.
He grabbed his sword, left his belongings in the stone cave, and followed the sound toward the water’s edge.
As he walked, three more high-pitched sounds rang out.
They were like the twang of a stringed instrument, but each note was different in pitch, carrying a melody that somehow felt piercing to the ears.
It didn’t seem like something an ordinary person could produce.
The sounds seemed to come from the north, but when Yun Qi looked out over the water, he couldn’t see anything.
Curious, he summoned his "Dragon Chariot" and rode a cloud out into the lake.
This was his first encounter with another cultivator since leaving the mountains a month ago, and he couldn’t resist investigating.
As he got closer, Yun Qi could hear voices.
"I say, young hero of the Golden Aspect Sect, I didn’t kill anyone from your sect, so why are you chasing me halfway across the lake?"
The Golden Aspect Sect? Yun Qi knew of them.
Their full name was the Tai Xi Golden Aspect Sect, a major sect on Poyang Lake that specialized in metal-elemental cultivation, particularly in crafting artifacts, seals, and musical instruments.
At this point, Yun Qi suddenly realized that the sharp, tearing sound was the strumming of a pipa.
The Golden Aspect Sect was a righteous Daoist sect, so who was this person they were chasing?
The Golden Aspect Sect disciple didn’t respond, but the pipa’s notes grew more urgent.
Yun Qi wanted to help, but he didn’t know the cultivation levels of the two individuals.
As a mere Qi Refining cultivator, he didn’t want to hold the young hero back.
Thinking this, Yun Qi steered his Dragon Chariot toward a small island nearby and quickly landed.
He hid among the vegetation and looked up, soon spotting two figures approaching over the lake.
The one in front was clearly a person, and Yun Qi felt relieved when he saw that the fleeing figure was a young man, not much older than himself.
This meant his cultivation level couldn’t be too high—certainly not some ancient monster or prodigious Daoist child.
The young man was unusually thin, wearing a loose green Daoist robe that fluttered wildly in the wind, accentuating his gaunt frame.
His lower body was enveloped in a gray mist, which carried him swiftly over the lake, slightly faster than Yun Qi’s Dragon Chariot but not by much.
Despite being pursued, the thin man seemed oddly carefree.
As Yun Qi observed the fleeing figure, the Golden Aspect Sect disciple drew closer.
The young hero stood tall and elegant, dressed in a cobalt-blue Daoist robe with a white egret emblem on his chest.
He stood on a large white feather the size of a small boat and held a apricot-yellow pipa in his arms.
His appearance was striking—handsome, dignified, and radiant.
The two looked like characters straight out of a storybook: the villain and the hero.
The only flaw was that the villain wasn’t villainous enough.
If he had been disheveled and covered in blood, it would have made the Golden Aspect Sect disciple’s righteousness stand out even more.
However, the thin man’s mouth was certainly foul.
"I say, Golden Aspect Sect guy, you’ve been chasing me all this way without saying a word. Are you mute or a eunuch? Or maybe you’re actually a woman with a man’s face? I can smell your perfume even against the wind—how much powder did you put on?"
The young hero seemed to have had enough.
"Evil cultivators must be eradicated by all! You’ve committed crimes on Poyang Lake, and I won’t let you escape!"
The thin man laughed, turning his head back and raising a red dew-collecting pouch.
"Hey, young hero, you’re from the Golden Aspect Sect, and I’m from the Dharma Aspect Sect. Sounds like we’re practically family. I only killed someone from a small sect—nothing to do with you. Poyang Lake isn’t your personal property, so why bother? How about this: let me go today, and I’ll share some of the loot from the guy I killed. Look at this heavy pouch—I’ll give you a cut. We’re at the edge of the lake now; no one will see…"
"Seal!"
"Ah!"
"Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang!"
Before the thin man could finish, a sudden incantation interrupted him.
The fleeing figure slammed into an invisible barrier, pausing mid-air with a cry of pain.
The Golden Aspect Sect disciple seized the opportunity, his right hand rapidly plucking the pipa strings, producing four sharp notes.
Whether it was due to the pipa’s extraordinary nature or the disciple’s profound cultivation, four faint golden lights appeared in the air, like flying daggers, shooting toward the thin man.
The thin man broke free from the barrier in less than a breath, but the golden lights, formed from the pipa’s notes, were incredibly fast.
Though the two were still half a mile apart, the golden lights reached him in an instant.
"Ghost fire!" the thin man cursed, still clutching the money pouch with his right hand.
With his left, he released a talisman arrow he had been holding and pulled out a bronze plaque, which he threw into the air.
The plaque expanded to seven or eight feet in size, shielding the thin man just in time.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The golden lights struck the plaque, leaving four deep gashes as if hacked by axes.
If they had hit flesh, limbs would have been severed.
"Seize!"
Amid the metallic clangs, the same voice that had caused the earlier disruption rang out again.
The talisman arrow that had slipped from the thin man’s fingers suddenly veered off and flew away.
The thin man’s eyes widened, making his already gaunt face even more terrifying.
He reached out to grab the arrow but was a fraction too slow, catching only air.
"Ghost fire! Who the hell is doing this?!" he roared.
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(End of Chapter)