PID Chapter 57

(4/5)

(๑ > ᴗ < ๑)

 

---

The consumption for a Nascent Soul stage breakthrough is nothing for an entire spirit vein, but before people entered each cultivation room, the guard disciples had a count of their cultivation levels. One at Foundation Establishment, one at Qi Condensation – logically, they shouldn’t be able to consume so much spiritual energy in a year.

 

Yet the spirit crystals outside the cultivation room had been completely drained.

 

The key point was that they hadn’t stolen any wealth or dug out spirit stones, but had truly directly absorbed the spiritual energy inside.

 

The situation was too unusual, so the guards quickly sent a message to Wang Ludian. After all, their tokens were personally signed by the young master, who had said to report directly to him if anything seemed off.

 

Though it should have been a matter for careful consideration, unexpectedly, when Wang Ludian received the news, he was overjoyed, his expression greatly pleased.

 

Guard: Huh?

 

Young master, they’ve over-consumed our resources, what are you so happy about??

 

The guard was completely baffled, but the excited young master Wang didn’t care: “Don’t antagonize them, don’t pretend to dig deep for answers. Ah, but you can ask if they’ll participate in the Cloud Platform Grand Competition.”

 

After ending the communication, Wang Ludian excitedly spun around the room, his round face full of smiles. He told his guard: “See that? That’s what you call insight. He actually succeeded, another one who repaired his dantian! And judging by the consumption, unlike Jing Lei who’s been stuck in place for years, this genius is clearly still climbing upwards!”

 

The guard also smiled: “Yes, young master’s insight has always been good.”

 

“Of course,” he took out his fan and fanned himself, looking smug, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been chosen as the heir of the middle realm. Born in our Wang family, one can’t lack in vision and judgment.”

 

Don’t be fooled by this guy’s harmless, cheerful, and simple appearance. He had fought his way out among many heirs. He was the young master in the middle realm, while his cousin was the young master in the upper realm. In the future, he would manage the middle realm well and be his cousin’s right-hand man, supporting Jinxiu Pavilion’s layout. Wang Ludian was aware of this responsibility.

 

Having written long letters earlier, Wang Ludian directly took out his messaging jade tablet to bother his cousin: “Brother, are you really not coming down for the middle realm competition?”

 

From the other side of the jade tablet, his brother’s voice had a certain beauty of continuous days of hard work – a tired, irritable bubble voice, repeatedly jumping between “want to die” and “about to explode”: “You think I don’t want to come watch? The key is those old fools have caused trouble again, I must kick them out before they anger me to death—”

 

“That person successfully repaired his dantian.”

 

The voice on the other side of the jade tablet paused.

 

Wang Ludian: “Unlike Jing Lei, judging from the spiritual energy consumed, his repair should be very complete. What level is he at now? He reached peak Golden Core at seventeen before, a genius even more outrageous than the Moon Lord. I think he’ll probably participate in the competition. Brother, don’t you want to take a look?”

 

Wang Ludian’s lips curled up. After a moment, a gritting teeth sound came from the jade tablet: “Wait. This time, I’ll decide who goes to watch from the upper realm Jinxiu Pavilion. I won’t rest for the next month, I’ll get rid of those filthy things in advance.”

 

Wang Ludian chuckled, but his laughter stopped abruptly.

 

Because his brother said: “You don’t rest either, help me.”

 

Wang Ludian: “…”

 

You wanted to watch the show, happy now? You’ve given up your own easy days?

 

To use Xiao Mo’s modern words: Unpaid overtime, no rest for a month, the karma of a loose mouth.

 

Wang Ludian’s smile was replaced by tears. The guard beside him shook his head with a smile. He wiped his eyes: “If there’s any more news about Chu Jinglan and… Mo Lan, remember to keep telling me.”

 

From the spirit vein guards, they learned that “Xiao Mo” was a fake name, and Mo Lan was the real name. But regardless of which name, they couldn’t trace this person’s background. Wang Ludian knew then that the name wasn’t important. Without a source, whatever they called themselves was up to them.

 

This person appeared out of nowhere by Chu Jinglan’s side, and his shadow could be seen throughout Chu Jinglan’s journey to repair his dantian. Could he be some reclusive expert or an expert’s disciple, extending a hand to help Chu Jinglan?

 

It was because of this speculation that the Jinxiu Pavilion didn’t rashly extend an olive branch to Chu Jinglan, expressing recruitment intentions, nor did they sell Chu Jinglan’s information, making it known throughout the entire cultivation world.

 

When choosing to deal with the Jinxiu Pavilion initially, Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan had considered this point.

 

Among the many major powers, only the Jinxiu Pavilion’s foundation was somewhat different. The ancestors of the few families that originally established the Jinxiu Pavilion expanded it with clever minds and moderate cultivation. Where there are people, there are calculations and strategic needs. They seized opportunities and carved out their own world. Because of this, although the Jinxiu Pavilion also recruits talent, they prefer simple and peaceful methods, weighing the gains and losses.

 

Moreover, Chu Jinglan was related to the Moon Lord, which meant a connection to the Cloud Peak Six Sects. If Chu Jinglan showed outstanding strength after this Cloud Platform Grand Competition and had no intention of joining the Yingyue Sect, only then would the Jinxiu Pavilion formally invite him.

 

In any case, establishing good relations first wouldn’t be a loss.

 

Meanwhile, the “reclusive expert” Xiao Mo and his partner Chu Jinglan, after stabilizing their auras, were preparing to leave the spirit vein of Qingquan Mountain.

 

Stepping out of the stone room, Chu Jinglan felt slightly dazed. After a year in seclusion, he hadn’t seen the outside scenery for a long time. In this world rich with spiritual energy, his body was finally no longer broken. Spiritual energy flowed slowly through his dantian, abundant power coursing through his entire body.

 

His state of mind had also changed. Returning to the path of cultivation from being a cripple, Chu Jinglan’s divine radiance became more internalized, but once unsheathed, it was even sharper and more astonishing.

 

Several guards deliberately waited at the exit to congratulate them on coming out of seclusion.

 

The Nascent Soul stage cultivators discreetly observed but found they couldn’t see through Chu Jinglan’s cultivation level. This situation only had two possibilities: either Chu Jinglan’s cultivation was higher than theirs, or he had some magical treasure concealing his aura.

 

Either way, this person who was only at Qi Condensation when he arrived had become mysterious and unfathomable.

 

In fact, although Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan had concealment treasures in their storage devices, they didn’t use them. They adopted a simpler method — Xiao Mo cast a spell on Chu Jinglan to hide his cultivation level.

 

After all, whether hiding form or aura, Xiao Mo was an expert in this field.

 

Although others might estimate Chu Jinglan’s cultivation through spiritual energy consumption, without solid proof, speculation remains just speculation. A Nascent Soul at nineteen was too shocking; it wasn’t time for an official debut yet.

 

The guard said: “The young master said, if you want to exchange the remaining time for items, you can find him anytime in Tonghua City of Tongdu Prefecture. He will certainly welcome you warmly.”

 

The headquarters of the middle realm’s Jinxiu Pavilion was in Tonghua City. Wang Ludian must have matched the origin of those ten earth-grade spirit swords with the Moon Lord’s collection and intended to establish good relations with them.

 

Xiao Mo: “Thank you for informing us.”

 

The guard didn’t forget Wang Ludian’s instructions and inquired: “With the Cloud Platform Grand Competition approaching, will you participate?”

 

He asked “you” plural, but his gaze only fell on Chu Jinglan, because Xiao Mo still appeared to be at Foundation Establishment, not meeting the competition requirements.

 

This time, Chu Jinglan answered: “We will go.”

 

His saying he would go meant he was at least at Golden Core stage. The guard, while secretly shocked, smiled: “Then I wish you a good ranking, fellow cultivator!”

 

They got the information they wanted, which they would relay to Wang Ludian. Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan stepped out of the spirit vein area. Xiao Mo looked at the changing scenery before him and gently stretched.

 

“Although the spirit vein’s scenery is nice, it gets tiring to look at after a while. I haven’t seen the outside view for a long time either.”

 

Even when Xiao Mo left the stone room this past year, he was still by the spirit vein, dazzled by the spiritual light everywhere. Walking out to see the quiet mountains and forests gave him a fresh, invigorating feeling.

 

“There are still three months until the competition,” Xiao Mo said. “Shall we return to Lin’an City first?”

 

Chu Jinglan: “Mm.”

 

On the way back to Lin’an City, they sent messages to the three children. Not having seen them for a year, Yan Chun and the others were overjoyed. Although it wasn’t the academy’s break time yet, they said they would ask their teachers for leave, determined to come back and meet.

 

That small residence in Lin’an City was their home when Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan were there.

 

Back in Lin’an City, Chu Jinglan first took Xiao Mo to a restaurant, ordering a table full of food. This time, they didn’t order ordinary food, but all expensive spirit food. The waiter and manager’s faces bloomed with smiles.

 

Xiao Mo: “You can really feel that we’ve become wealthy.”

 

In modern times, people would joke about buying soy milk when they got rich, drinking one bowl and pouring out another. Now that they were rich in the cultivation world, they were no longer eating plain steamed buns. They could order a table of spirit food without blinking an eye.

 

An inner demon who didn’t need to eat, and a human cultivator who had finally achieved bigu at Nascent Soul stage, spending money on spirit food just for the taste.

 

Extravagant.

 

But Chu Jinglan said: “Is there anything else you want to eat?”

 

Xiao Mo blinked: “You’ve already ordered everything on their menu.”

 

Chu Jinglan: “If they don’t have it here, we can buy it elsewhere.”

 

Xiao Mo: “Frugality and economy—”

 

Chu Jinglan lifted his eyelids slightly.

 

Xiao Mo changed his tune: “But occasional indulgence is fine.”

 

During this year of being alone together, Chu Jinglan had gradually raised Xiao Mo’s threshold for recognizing goodwill. Xiao Mo was no longer as awkward as he was initially, becoming somewhat accustomed to his roommate’s appropriate kindness.

 

Maintaining a good relationship indeed requires effort from both parties. Xiao Mo felt he couldn’t let Chu Jinglan’s goodwill end awkwardly, so he tried to reach out and accept it.

 

Although he wasn’t used to it originally, how could one’s heart not feel comfortable being treated kindly? That faint warmth flowing inside was the best evidence.

 

Xiao Mo rested his chin on his hand: “I want to eat licorice flowers.”

 

Compared to the spirit herbs he had eaten recently, the value of licorice flowers was hardly worth mentioning. But he just liked the taste of licorice flowers and could still recall the sweet, thin, crisp texture.

 

Chu Jinglan: “Alright.”

 

The two of them ordering a large table of dishes was a bit conspicuous. Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan had the restaurant’s spirit food packed up. On the way home, they bought licorice flowers and prepared some snacks for the three children, bringing everything back to the residence.

 

Throughout this year, every time the academy had a break, Yan Chun, Chu Xia, and Mo Zhi would return. As a result, every part of the house was spotlessly clean. Though the courtyard was small, beautiful flowers bloomed in the corners, sparse but pretty, quietly waiting in the corners for each time the owners returned home.

 

Yan Chun sent a message saying they had some matters to finish at the academy and could only return in two days. This meant that for these two days, it would still be just Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan’s world.

 

Of the table full of spirit food, Chu Jinglan only tasted a little. The rest was all eaten by Xiao Mo, the demon, converting it all into spiritual energy without worrying about overeating. This was one of the benefits of having a spiritual body.

 

Although the small courtyard didn’t have as abundant spiritual energy as the spirit vein’s stone room and wasn’t a cultivation treasure spot, the bed was much more comfortable than the stone bed. Xiao Mo embraced the soft bedding he hadn’t felt in a long time, sighing contentedly. At this moment, Chu Jinglan suddenly said: “After my cultivation reached Nascent Soul, you haven’t gone back to check the sea of consciousness yet.”

 

Xiao Mo lifted his face from the blanket, realizing: “Ah, that’s right.”

 

The system had said that once Chu Jinglan reached Nascent Soul, they could choose day or night in the sea of consciousness. Xiao Mo immediately said: “I’ll go take a look now.”

 

After saying this, he vanished, returning to the sea of consciousness.

 

But upon returning to the sea of consciousness, Xiao Mo was stunned. It was still pitch dark, and even the star that the moon had shrunk into was gone. It was completely black, the pond water dead silent, and the tender bud on the withered tree still hanging there, neither fallen nor bloomed.

 

Xiao Mo uncertainly thought: Did Chu Jinglan still choose night?

 

But at least put the moon back, why take away even this bit of light source, making the dead tree and pond look even more desolate.

 

Just as Xiao Mo was about to send a mental message to Chu Jinglan to ask, suddenly, the only bud on the withered tree trembled.

 

In the silence of the night, that drooping bud slowly straightened, then gradually, very gradually unfurled. The first life awakening on the dead wood spread into an emerald leaf.

 

Xiao Mo was stunned.

 

But that wasn’t all.

 

The bud’s awakening seemed to be a signal. A low, hoarse wooden resonance came from the withered branches. Starting from the roots, a visible vitality quickly climbed up. The withered branches were injected with new vigor, all taking on the color of new wood, awakening from slumber and suddenly beginning to climb towards the sky.

 

Above the tree, leaf after leaf eagerly burst forth, like bamboo shoots after rain, rushing out one after another. As the tree grew taller and taller, the bare branches were covered with dense leaves, layer upon layer. A breathtaking towering tree broke through the darkness, spreading out a canopy that blocked the sky. Xiao Mo’s form was sheltered beneath it, suddenly appearing very small under the tree.

 

Wait, blocking the sun? Where did the light come from?

 

Xiao Mo’s eyes widened.

 

A sun suddenly broke through the sky, slowly rising behind the giant tree. Its warm light instantly filled the entire sea of consciousness, driving away all traces of the night. The dead-like lake surface was covered with a layer of golden gauze, and red lotuses from unknown origins bloomed on the water’s surface. On the shore, night-blooming cereus appeared in response, gazing at the red lotuses across the water, silently shimmering.

 

The giant tree’s canopy, like an umbrella, was dancing with points of spiritual light, resembling fireflies or stars. The once desolate place instantly transformed into a dreamlike fairyland, with no trace of its former lonely and desolate appearance.

 

Xiao Mo stood in the light, staring at the towering tree, his eyes moving slightly in bewilderment. Then he suddenly turned around to look at Chu Jinglan, who had entered the sea of consciousness.

 

Chu Jinglan walked along the lake, the night-blooming cereus gently swaying in the breeze caused by his steps. He stopped in front of Xiao Mo, and a point of spiritual light floated down from the giant tree, hovering between them.

 

Chu Jinglan: “It’s no longer a cold and dark place now. Is it beautiful?”

 

Xiao Mo had once said he didn’t want to stay only in the sea of consciousness because it was dark and cold there.

 

And now, it was bright and warm.

 

Xiao Mo finally came to his senses, suspecting that Chu Jinglan had done this deliberately.

 

He could probably change the sea of consciousness upon reaching Nascent Soul, so why wait until Xiao Mo came in to transform heaven and earth?

 

Was he trying to surprise him?

 

But… it was beautiful, he loved looking at it. He just liked the grand and beautiful scenes in the cultivation world. A little shock wasn’t a problem.

 

Xiao Mo’s lips couldn’t help but curve upwards. He tried to restrain his expression a bit, but couldn’t hide the brightness in his eyes under the radiant light. He commented objectively: “It’s beautiful.”

 

Although night-blooming cereus doesn’t actually grow by water, nor would it be found with red lotuses, what did it matter? The sea of consciousness was meant to unleash imagination, making it as beautiful as possible.

 

However, this tree was indeed too tall. Standing beneath it, one felt as small as an ant. Xiao Mo walked to the tree and placed his hand on the trunk. Immediately, spiritual fireflies circled around him, dancing affectionately.

 

Chu Jinglan felt Xiao Mo’s gaze was brighter than the rising sun.

 

Then he heard Xiao Mo exclaim admiringly: “Feels like I could come back here to rest every day from now on.”

 

Chu Jinglan’s gentle gaze suddenly paused.

 

…That’s not really necessary?

 

Chu Jinglan: “It’s more convenient outside.”

 

Xiao Mo tilted his head: “You’re at Nascent Soul now too, your spiritual sense can still spread out to keep watch. I don’t need to stand guard anymore. Isn’t it convenient anywhere?”

 

Chu Jinglan’s voice remained calm: “The bedding outside is soft, comfortable for both meditation and rest.”

 

Xiao Mo gestured to the area behind him, separated by a black wall: “The bed in my ‘Eastern Villa’ is very comfortable too.”

 

Chu Jinglan pressed his fingers: “…There’s spirit food outside.”

 

Xiao Mo asked curiously: “What spirit food would I eat when I’m resting with my eyes closed or meditating?”

 

Chu Jinglan: “…”

 

Logical and well-founded, impossible to refute.

 

He seemed to have run out of words.

 

Xiao Mo: “But in the sea of consciousness, my body feels especially light. If I stay too long, I lose the feeling of being human, so I’ll just come back occasionally… Hey, why did one of the night-blooming cereus wither?!

 

Xiao Mo had just started the first half of his sentence when he suddenly saw a night-blooming cereus rapidly close and droop. But in the time it took him to say those words, that cereus vigorously bloomed again, as if nothing had happened.

 

Xiao Mo: ?

 

Xiao Mo looked at Chu Jinglan.

 

Chu Jinglan lowered his gaze: “It’s the first time changing the sea of consciousness scenery, maybe I’m not quite skilled at it yet.”

 

…Well, that’s certainly possible too.

 

The spiritual light still floated around Xiao Mo. He played with the flowing light with his finger: “I’ll still stay outside, just coming back occasionally. When training spiritual sense, it’s more convenient in the sea of consciousness.”

 

The rebloomed cereus raised its flower, shaking its petals. Chu Jinglan lifted his eyes: “Mm.”

 

The flowers and trees in the sea of consciousness saw the two off as they disappeared. A red lotus lazily spun in the water, approaching the shore, right next to a night-blooming cereus.

 

For a heaven’s chosen one who could summon clear skies and a rising sun, raise a towering tree on his first try, to say he couldn’t handle one flower well?

 

He dared say his inner demon actually believed it.

 

---

 

1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter