Chapter Nine: The Cultivation Abode

The wind howled fiercely past his ears as Su Fan squeezed his eyes shut, too afraid to open them.

High above the clouds, a colossal sword, wide as a bed, floated with nine people standing atop it. Eight of them were young men, all wearing expressions of fear and anxiety.

Su Fan stood close to the youth in green, whose demeanor, though somewhat aloof, was not unkind. Su Fan felt a certain fondness for him. The green-robed youth's features were delicate, not strikingly handsome but carrying an air of ethereal grace. His gaze swept over the eight standing on the sword, lingering a moment longer on Su Fan and Xiao Lin.

Suddenly, a sharp cry of a crane pierced the air. Su Fan snapped his eyes open to a blinding whiteness. Beneath his feet lay towering mountains and flowing rivers, the scenery breathtakingly beautiful.

The green-robed youth clasped his hands together and called out loudly, "Junior Li Yuan of the Green Division of Tianyuan Gate has come to deliver the registered disciples." His eyes shone with utmost reverence as he spoke.

Su Fan followed Li Yuan's gaze. A multicolored celestial crane floated towards them, its enormous wings blotting out the sky. When fully spread, the wings dwarfed even the sword beneath their feet.

As the crane passed overhead, dazzling colors shimmered and waves of medicinal fragrance filled the air. Su Fan recognized the scent; his family grew some low-grade spiritual herbs at home.

From afar, Su Fan could see a figure riding the crane—a man in blue attire, his face painted pale with rouge, a small flower tucked behind his left ear, dressed like a young maiden, yet sporting a bushy beard.

The sight nearly made Su Fan laugh, but seeing Li Yuan's stern expression, he quickly suppressed his amusement.

Su Fan could observe Li Yuan’s reaction, but the chubby young noble beside him was oblivious. A booming laugh erupted from his throat.

Li Yuan quickly turned, glaring at the noble, who hurriedly covered his mouth. Then Li Yuan hastily clasped his hands and pleaded, "Please, Grandmaster, spare him. He is but a foolish youngster."

The blue-robed man’s expression soured, his painted face twitching so violently it seemed the thick powder might fall off in chunks.

Suddenly, he smiled and said, "How could I take offense at a child? I will let it go this time." With that, he turned to leave.

Li Yuan’s face grew even more grave; he dared not speak further, merely lowering his head and standing motionless as the multicolored crane drifted past.

Only after a long time did Li Yuan exhale in relief. He moved his fingers and murmured, "Close your eyes. I’m about to accelerate."

The wind roaring past grew even more piercing, icy as blades slicing across their faces. Fortunately, most had cultivation above the third stage of Qi Refining—otherwise, this fierce wind would have been unbearable.

Gradually, the wind subsided, as if they were descending.

Li Yuan’s voice resounded, "Alright, open your eyes. We’ve arrived."

Before Su Fan could open his eyes, a sly voice rang out, "Brother Li, you’re here! Oh, what happened to this boy?"

A yellow-robed youth appeared, with round eyes and a pointed mouth, two protruding teeth giving him the look of a rabbit.

Following his gesture, Su Fan saw the noble who had laughed earlier now staring blankly, his pupils vanished—clearly dead.

Li Yuan clasped his hands and sighed, "We encountered Elder Feng on the way."

The yellow-robed youth’s face changed, and he whispered, "They laughed at Elder Feng, didn’t they?" Li Yuan nodded.

Su Fan cried, "But didn’t he say he would spare him? Why did he kill him?"

The yellow-robed youth rushed over, pressing Su Fan’s mouth shut and whispered, "You little rascal, shouting so loudly—do you want to die? If Elder Feng hears you, all of us will perish."

Li Yuan could only offer a bitter smile, and drew Xiao Lin aside to speak quietly. Soon after, he called Su Fan over and said with a gentle smile, "Just forget what happened just now; don’t mention it again. Though your aptitude is poor, diligence is rewarded by the heavens. If you work hard, you may yet reach Foundation Establishment. I hope, in five years’ time, you’ll stand out in the competition."

Su Fan managed a strained smile and murmured, "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Yuan gave a faint smile, drew a circle with his finger, and a longsword immediately transformed to the size of a door plank, floating in the air. He leapt onto it, sat cross-legged, and soon vanished into the horizon.

Su Fan secretly mused, "If I could fly like that one day, I’d be content."

His reverie was broken by the yellow-robed youth’s shout, "You with the weakest aptitude, hurry over and listen to my instructions. The sooner I finish, the sooner you can begin your cultivation. Five years pass quickly for cultivators."

Su Fan gave a nervous laugh and hurried forward, seeing the remaining six already in place.

The yellow-robed youth flashed a secretive smile, his long teeth prominent, then his expression turned serious. He spoke solemnly, "Today, you have come to this place, and are now half disciples of Tianyuan Gate.

I am the steward of this area. There are five hundred registered disciples under my charge. If you have any questions about cultivation here, you may come to me.

I am Liu, a disciple of the Yellow Division. You may call me Brother Liu. Here are the tokens for your allocated abodes. Inside, you’ll find techniques for Qi Refining stages one through nine, and a set of Five Element Divine Arts. Now, hand over your jade tubes as registered disciples and I’ll give you your tokens."

Looking around, Su Fan saw steep cliffs everywhere, with only a narrow path leading inward—presumably to the cultivation caves.

Carefully, Su Fan handed over his jade tube. Brother Liu smiled slyly and gave him a wooden token, simple and rustic, inscribed only with "No. 47, Section A," nothing else.

After distributing the tokens, Brother Liu announced, "Follow this path straight ahead. At the end, you’ll find a fork. Follow the route marked on your token to your cave; your number will guide you.

Also, I live up there." He pointed to the mountaintop. Following his gesture, Su Fan saw a pavilion built precariously on a sheer cliff. Though not dazzling, it was far more luxurious than any ordinary mortal household. The green cliff shimmered, the pavilion standing firm—a marvel of craftsmanship.

Brother Liu took the dead noble up to the pavilion, while the remaining seven disciples proceeded along the path, clouds drifting overhead. At the fork, Su Fan and Xiao Lin parted ways—Xiao Lin went to Section C.

Su Fan was alone on Section A. He hurried to the end, where the path opened into a spacious circular area bathed in gentle sunlight, utterly empty.

Every few steps, an arched stone door stood, each marked with a number. Su Fan glanced around; nearly every door’s number glowed with a faint blue light, indicating occupancy. At last, he found his own cave.

A small notch was left on the stone door. Su Fan placed his token there, and with a rumble, the door opened.

A gentle medicinal aroma wafted out from within, from a common spiritual herb known for calming restless minds.

Su Fan took a deep breath and stepped inside. The door closed behind him with another rumble. The cave was spacious, with a stone table, a stone bed, and clean bedding atop the bed.

With each breath, Su Fan felt the air rich with spiritual energy—far more concentrated than the herb garden at the academy. Yet he could not absorb it.

Every deep breath brought intense pain throughout his body. Fortunately, the pure spiritual energy from his jade pendant soothed him, lessening the pain. Upon entering the cave, the frequency of energy infusion increased.

Though now was an excellent time to cultivate, Su Fan’s attention was drawn to a black pouch on the stone table. The pouch was sealed shut, labeled in golden letters as "Universe Pouch."

Su Fan picked up the pouch and examined it. As soon as he lifted it, a jade tube and a set of white clothing fell out.

Mimicking the woman from his hometown, Su Fan placed the jade tube against his brow. Suddenly, a warm current flowed into his mind, followed by a stream of information impressed upon his consciousness. Su Fan quickly set the tube aside.

After a moment, he sorted through the information and grasped its general content.

Inside were incantations for Qi Refining stages one through nine, and a divine art called the Five Element Technique. The text was dense and difficult to understand, so Su Fan set it aside for now.

The white clothing was the registered disciple’s attire. The rest contained instructions—not to leave arbitrarily, and other familiar rules.

The Universe Pouch was a storage tool commonly used by cultivators. It claimed to contain a space as large as a mountain, and its method of use was simple. Su Fan learned it after reading through once.

He then focused on studying the Qi Refining incantations. The later stages were not particularly novel—merely strengthening the previous ones, drawing more spiritual energy into the body, and tempering the flesh more powerfully.

Su Fan was not anxious. His constitution prevented him from absorbing spiritual energy, relying instead on the jade pendant’s infusion. That energy automatically underwent such operations within him, allowing his cultivation to rise imperceptibly.

Next, Su Fan examined the Five Element Technique. Though the language was difficult, he gradually became absorbed in its mysteries.

The Five Element Technique was a cultivation art forged from the powers of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.