Chapter 64: Everything I Said Is True

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Everything I Said Is True

After leading Li Ye out of the marketplace, the young man took a paper crane from his sleeve and casually tossed it out.

The paper crane grew larger in the wind, its wings flapping as it hovered in the air.

"Let’s go." The young man grabbed Li Ye’s arm and helped him onto the crane’s back. "Don’t be afraid. We’ll be there soon."

"Okay." Li Ye nodded, a look of amazement on his face as he stared at the paper crane beneath his feet.

’Holy crap!’

’So this is a Magical Treasure from the world of cultivation!’

’It’s incredible.’

The young man formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, striking the paper crane with a ray of golden light.

The paper crane beat its wings and took flight, carrying him and Li Ye straight up into the sky.

As they flew into the wind, Li Ye shouted, "Senior Brother, I still don’t know your name!"

The young man replied, "Yang Tianrui."

"I’m Li Hao," Li Ye said. "The ’Hao’ that’s composed of ’sun’ and ’sky.’ Our names both have ’sky’ in them—it must be fate!"

Yang Tianrui smiled. "Li Hao, you shouldn’t be so quick to trust others in the future. You were lucky you ran into me. If it had been anyone else, they might have led you out of the market to rob and kill you, and then it would be too late for regrets. The Five Sects will stand up for their own disciples, but they won’t do the same for Loose Cultivators like you..."

"..." Li Ye was silent for a moment before saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother. My master told me the same things you just said. But as long as I have a chance to enter the path of cultivation, I’m willing to take the gamble. If I win, I succeed. If I lose, the worst that can happen is I go down and join my master..."

Yang Tianrui was taken aback for a second. "You certainly have ambition. How about this: if my senior brother doesn’t take a liking to you, I can give you some Spirit Stones. Consider it me buying your things. You can go try your luck at other Sects. I won’t let you have made this trip for nothing."

Li Ye quickly replied, "Thank you, Senior Brother Yang! You’re a truly good person."

...

The paper crane carried the two of them up into the clouds. After breaking through a layer of mist, Li Ye’s vision suddenly cleared. A stone Mountain Gate stood halfway up a mountain, with two large characters carved in clerical script: Cyan Sun.

Li Ye felt a surge of relief. ’Good thing I was decisive. The Cyan Sun Sect is so well hidden that without an introduction, I might not have found it even in three years.’

...

Beyond the Mountain Gate was a long series of steps, where people dressed in the same clothes as Yang Tianrui could occasionally be seen walking.

Even more people were flying back and forth between the various peaks. Some, like Yang Tianrui, rode on Immortal Cranes; others performed Sword Flight; and some simply floated straight through the air...

"Senior Brother Yang."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Yang."

Along the way, disciples continuously greeted Yang Tianrui.

Yang Tianrui politely returned each greeting.

’It’s a famous and powerful Sect!’

Li Ye’s palms grew sweaty with nervousness. ’How am I going to handle what comes next?’

’Not everyone will be as easy to fool as Yang Tianrui.’

’My knowledge of this world is limited to that one marketplace. I don’t know any place names or countries. If I get interrogated, I’ll be exposed nine times out of ten.’

’This was definitely a risky move.’

Eventually, the two landed on a mountaintop beside the Main Peak. The peak had been forcibly flattened by human hands, and several buildings stood upon it. The plaque above the entrance to the largest hall read "Changding Hall."

"Little Junior Brother is back! Why’d you bring someone with you today? Don’t tell me you bought him!" A young man who looked to be twenty-four or twenty-five greeted Yang Tianrui with a smile, but his eyes swept over Li Ye from head to toe.

His gaze seemed gentle, but as it passed over Li Ye, the hairs on his body stood on end, as if he were being watched by a predator. Li Ye looked at the man and forced an ingratiating smile.

"Fourth Senior Brother, don’t joke around." Yang Tianrui shook his head helplessly. "Where’s First Senior Brother? I need to see him about something."

"He’s in the hall!" Fourth Senior Brother pointed behind him with a casual flick of his hand, withdrawing his gaze from Li Ye as he smiled.

"Thanks, Fourth Senior Brother." Yang Tianrui smiled, then turned to Li Ye. "Don’t be scared. I’ll take you to meet First Senior Brother. He’s very easygoing."

"Okay." Li Ye nodded, bowed to Fourth Senior Brother again, and then followed Yang Tianrui toward the main hall. ’Being new here, I have to be on my best behavior.’

...

「The Main Hall.」

Li Ye met the "First Senior Brother" that Yang Tianrui had spoken of.

First Senior Brother also looked to be in his twenties. In fact, everyone Li Ye had seen so far was handsome or beautiful; it was likely that their Cultivation Techniques had body-sculpting and youth-preserving effects.

First Senior Brother’s features were sharp, as if carved by a knife, giving him a severe look. But when he saw Yang Tianrui, the corners of his mouth naturally turned up, his entire expression softened, and his eyes filled with affection. "Little Junior Brother, what are you doing back so soon? Was it a fruitful trip?"

’The group’s favorite!’

Li Ye quickly analyzed Yang Tianrui’s position in their hearts. ’If I get exposed later, my survival will depend on this Little Junior Brother.’

"First Senior Brother, look what this is!" Yang Tianrui presented the Energy Bar to him as if it were a treasure.

First Senior Brother glanced at Li Ye first before looking at the Energy Bar. After a moment, he shook his head. "No Spiritual Qi, no Array Patterns. I’m afraid it’s just another trinket cooked up by a Loose Cultivator to trick little fools like you out of your Spirit Stones..."

As he spoke, he tossed the Energy Bar back to Yang Tianrui. "Did he sell this to you?"

A flicker of disappointment crossed Yang Tianrui’s eyes. "He hasn’t sold it to me yet. His name is Li Hao, and he said he found these things in a cave abode, along with two Secret Manuals..."

"And you believed him." First Senior Brother shook his head with a smile. "The market has been open for days. Haven’t you heard enough stories from those Loose Cultivators? How could you still fall for it? How could they all be so lucky as to stumble upon ancient ruins and cave abodes?"

"..." Yang Tianrui froze, a look of embarrassment on his face.

’Sigh!’

Li Ye sighed inwardly and suddenly began to speak: "Ice freezes for a thousand ages, all things are still. The heart must be tranquil, the qi serene. Gaze upon my solitary spirit, heart and mind as one. Qi follows in harmony, with space to spare. Unstartled by ten thousand changes, without obsession or anger, without desire or want, without attachment or abandonment, without action or self..."

He wasn’t reciting the *Five Elements Mutual Production Technique*, but rather the *Mental Tranquility Spell*.

The *Five Elements Mutual Production Technique* was clearly a basic entry-level Cultivation Technique for a Sect. Even if he recited it, the biased First Senior Brother probably wouldn’t think anything of it.

The *Mental Tranquility Spell*, however, could train a person into a machine devoid of emotions and desires. Its level was clearly higher than the *Five Elements Mutual Production Technique*. Before he was thrown out, Li Ye was determined to recite it and try his luck.

At first, First Senior Brother paid Li Ye no mind, but as Li Ye recited more and more, his expression suddenly grew serious.

Seeing the change in First Senior Brother’s expression, Li Ye breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He stopped halfway through his recitation and asked tentatively, "...First Senior Brother, I wonder if this Cultivation Technique is enough to trade for a chance to join the Sect."

"Where did you get this Cultivation Technique?" First Senior Brother frowned, and an immense pressure bore down on Li Ye as he asked the question.

"First Senior Brother, I already told Senior Brother Tianrui." Li Ye summoned all his Inner Strength to resist the pressure, speaking with difficulty. "I found it in a cave. At the time, there was a skeleton next to the Secret Manual, as well as the food you just saw. Eating just one of those things can keep you from feeling hungry for a whole day."

"Where is this cave?" First Senior Brother asked again.

"Huzhou, on Dongting Mountain," Li Ye answered without a moment’s hesitation.

"Huzhou?" First Senior Brother’s brows furrowed. "What country does Huzhou belong to?"

"Chu Country," Li Ye said.

"Nonsense." First Senior Brother sneered. "I’ve traveled the world, and I’ve never heard of a place called Chu Country..."

"First Senior Brother, I’m telling the truth." Li Ye suddenly raised his head and said urgently, "Chu Country is divided into four provinces: Yingzhou, Huzhou, Jiaozhou, and Jizhou. The Capital City of Chu Country is called Chang’an. Huzhou has nine prefectures under its jurisdiction, including Zhenjiang, Funing, and Weining..."

"The Prefect of Weining is named Wei Mingze. My master was Yu Hai, a Grandmaster of the Celestial Dao Alliance, and the Cultivation Technique he practiced was the *Dragon Emperor Spell*. All of this can be verified..."

’What’s the truth? This is the truth!’

’There really is a Chu Country in this world. If you can’t find it, that’s your problem...’

Li Ye rattled off the geography and national details of his previous world in one breath, finally concluding, "First Senior Brother, to be honest, when I found the Secret Manual, I must have stepped on something like a Teleportation Array. My head spun, the scenery changed before my eyes, and I ended up here. This place is completely unfamiliar to me as well..."