24: Chapter 24 The Taniguchi Dispute

The autumn morning breeze carried a hint of chill, sweeping across the mountain ridges of the Tianzhu Mountain Range, which were dyed with the colors of the forest.

Lin Xuan stood in the small courtyard of Emerald Bamboo Peak, checking his gear one last time.

He was dressed neatly in his pale green Dharma robe, with his qingyun sword strapped to his back. A Storage Pouch hung at his waist, containing dry rations, water, and a few emergency items.

Valuable items like Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and Spirit Stones were naturally kept in his Beast Taming Space, while his identity jade token and the map Chen Hao had given him were kept close to his body inside his robe.

He had spent thirty contribution points to purchase the Storage Pouch. Although the Sect would issue Storage Pouches to Disciples once they reached the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, and he also possessed a Beast Taming Space, he needed a Storage Pouch as a cover for openly using it.

He took a deep breath and pushed open the courtyard door. The morning light was faint, and the courtyard next door, belonging to Chen Hao, was already empty—that guy had said yesterday that he needed to go ahead and meet up with his teammates.

Lin Xuan walked steadily toward the Cloud Mist Valley. Along the way, he encountered many Outer Sect Disciples, some traveling alone and some in groups, all looking excited, with the sound of their chatter constant in his ears.

"Have you heard? There might be 'Mist Crystal Lotus' appearing in the valley this time!"

"Forget it, that thing is in the core area; we should just wander around the outer perimeter."

"Senior Brother Wang's team rented a stone golem puppet; now their safety is guaranteed..."

Lin Xuan listened to these discussions with a calm expression. Over the past few months, he had completed over a dozen Grade C missions, accumulating four hundred and thirty-seven contribution points.

Yesterday, he went to the Tiangong Pavilion to rent a stone golem puppet—a five-day rental period, with a two-hundred-point deposit and a daily rental of thirty, totaling three hundred and fifty points. With the remaining eighty-seven points, he purchased the Storage Pouch and other supplies.

The stone golem puppet was currently shrunk to the size of a palm, stored inside the Storage Pouch. This was his trump card, and he would not use it unless absolutely necessary.

After walking for about half an hour, the view ahead suddenly opened up. At the entrance of a wide valley, hundreds of Outer Sect Disciples had already gathered. With various clothing styles mixed together and the clamor of voices, it looked exactly like a market in the mortal world.

The entrance to the Cloud Mist Valley was shrouded by a milky-white curtain of Restriction light, which rippled slowly like water, making it impossible to see the situation inside.

In front of the light curtain, three Elders of the Foundation Establishment Stage stood in mid-air, their robes fluttering, with a faint pressure emanating from them, causing the noisy crowd not to dare to get too close.

Lin Xuan stood still at the edge of the crowd, circulating his Breath Concealment Technique, suppressing his aura to the lowest point, as if he were an inconspicuous stone.

His gaze swept across the scene, taking in all the different kinds of people.

Most of the Disciples were in groups of three or five, with uneven equipment.

Some teams were fully dressed in bright Dharma robes with Magical Artifacts in hand, clearly well-prepared; others were just in ordinary clothing, holding standard-issue qingyun swords, seemingly holding the mindset of trying their luck.

"Lin Xuan! Over here!"

Chen Hao's loud voice came from the left. Lin Xuan turned to look and saw Chen Hao waving at him, with two other Disciples standing beside him, also wearing the pale red attire of Flame Peak.

One was tall with a square face and thick eyebrows, carrying a crimson broadsword on his back, with a steady aura, already at the Peak of Qi Refining Level 2; the other was slightly shorter, with a round face and a smile, wearing a string of bell-shaped Magical Artifacts at his waist, also at Qi Refining Level 2.

Lin Xuan walked over. Chen Hao immediately introduced: "This is Senior Brother Zhang Meng, who has mastered the Flame Refining Blade Technique. This is Li Ming, who specializes in scouting and support." He then said to the two of them: "This is the Lin Xuan I mentioned to you, my brother."

Zhang Meng looked Lin Xuan up and down and nodded: "Middle Stage of Level 1 Qi Refining, your Foundation is quite solid." His tone was direct but did not carry any contempt.

Li Ming smiled and cupped his hands: "Junior Brother Lin, long time no see. Chen Hao often mentions you."

"Senior Brothers." Lin Xuan returned the greeting.

Chen Hao leaned close to Lin Xuan and lowered his voice: "Asking one last time, are you really not joining our team? Senior Brother Zhang is strong, and Senior Brother Li is clever; with the four of us working together, the safety factor is much higher."

Lin Xuan shook his head, his tone gentle but firm: "I am used to traveling alone; some of my methods are inconvenient to use when there are too many people. You all take care of yourselves."

Chen Hao sighed, knowing he couldn't persuade him, and pulled a brown paper package from his embrace and shoved it into Lin Xuan's hand: "Take this, it's the 'Warm Sun Powder' specially made by Flame Peak. Sprinkling it out can temporarily disperse damp, cold miasma in a small area, and the effect lasts for a quarter of an hour."

Lin Xuan took it, feeling the warmth: "Many thanks."

"What are you being polite for between brothers." Chen Hao patted his shoulder. "You must be careful on your own; don't force it if you encounter danger. It's twenty days, take it steady."

At this moment, the crowd suddenly became restless. Lin Xuan turned to look and saw a five-person team walking from a distance. Wherever they passed, Disciples gave way, casting envious gazes.

The person in the lead was Chen Yufei. Today, he was wearing a moon-white Dharma robe with gold trim, with jade hanging at his waist, and an earthy-yellow long sword on his back; runes flowed on the scabbard, clearly not an ordinary object.

His cultivation had reached Level 3 Qi Refining, his aura was thick, and he carried an aura of authority as he walked.

Behind him were two other Disciples from Houtu Peak, one male and one female. The man was burly like an iron tower, and the woman had delicate features but sharp eyes; both were at Level 3 Qi Refining.

Further behind was a female Disciple from Sharp Metal Peak, with a tall posture, carrying dual swords, at the Peak of Qi Refining Level 2. Lastly, there was a male Disciple from Qingmu Peak, holding a wooden staff and covered in medicine pouches at his waist, at Qi Refining Level 2.

This team was well-equipped. Besides standard-issue Dharma robes and Magical Artifacts, everyone had extra protection—the jade pendant at Chen Yufei's waist had a faint spiritual light flowing, likely a defensive Magical Artifact; the burly Disciple had a black iron ring on his wrist; the Sharp Metal Peak female Disciple's hairpin was a small Flying Sword.

"It's Chen Yufei's team!"

"Good heavens, three at Level 3 Qi Refining; this lineup can walk sideways in the outer perimeter."

"Did you see that? Senior Brother Chen's jade pendant is at least a High Grade Level 1 defensive Magical Artifact..."

Amidst the discussions, Chen Yufei looked straight ahead, leading his team to the front of the crowd. The burly Disciple beside him grinned and said: "Senior Brother Chen, how about we clear out the 'mist heart orchid' area this time?"

"We'll see," Chen Yufei said indifferently. His gaze swept across the crowd casually, suddenly pausing on Lin Xuan for a moment.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, seeing Lin Xuan standing alone next to Chen Hao's team, carrying his qingyun sword, with ordinary equipment, completely inconspicuous in the crowd.

Their gazes met briefly; Chen Yufei's mouth twitched as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just turned his head and continued talking to his teammates.

"Is that person Lin Xuan?" the female Disciple from Sharp Metal Peak asked, following Chen Yufei's gaze.

"Yes, from Emerald Bamboo Peak," Chen Yufei said in a flat tone.

"I heard his Spiritual Root Aptitude is only thirty. It's not easy for him to reach the Middle Stage of Level 1 Qi Refining so quickly," the Qingmu Peak Disciple interjected.

The burly Disciple sneered: "What's the use of it being 'not easy'? With that kind of Aptitude and strength, entering the valley is just a waste. Although there aren't any Medium Grade Level 1 Yao Beasts in the outer perimeter, those Low Grade Level 1 pack-hunting Yao Beasts are not to be trifled with."

Chen Yufei didn't respond, just glanced at Lin Xuan again.

He remembered the youth from two months ago at Black Wind Cliff, who had remained calm even when facing his mockery. He had been like this since he was young: composed and unperturbed by favor or humiliation, the kind of role model that top officials of the Yun Kingdom would talk about when lecturing their own children.

Both of them were from the Yun Kingdom. Although he was closer to the annoying Chen Hao, when he had said "be careful" back then, it wasn't entirely mockery; it carried some intention of a warning.

"Everyone has their own path." Chen Yufei withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention.

At this moment, a Foundation Establishment Elder in the air stepped forward, his voice spreading across the entire field like a loud bell: "Quiet!"

The noise instantly subsided. Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked up at the sky in unison.

The Elder, with white hair and beard, and a dignified expression, continued: "The Cloud Mist Valley opens today; the rules remain the same: the Restriction only allows Disciples below Level 3 Qi Refining to pass, and it will close at this time in twenty days. You are free to enter and exit during this period, but if you do not come out in time when it closes, those trapped in the valley are responsible for their own lives!"

The crowd murmured.

"Fighting is not prohibited within the valley; sparring and seizing treasures depend on your own ability," the Elder's voice turned cold. "However, it is strictly forbidden to intentionally cause the death of a fellow Sect member! Once discovered, your cultivation will be crippled, and you will be expelled from the Sect! Have you all heard clearly?"

"We have heard clearly!" the Disciples replied in unison.

"Harvests belong to the individual. Now, the Restriction is opened!"

As the words fell, the three Elders simultaneously formed hand seals. The milky-white light curtain fluctuated violently, and a three-zhang-wide gap slowly cracked open in the center, revealing the mist-filled valley behind it.

"It's open!"

Someone shouted, and the crowd immediately surged toward the entrance like floodwaters released from a dam.

The ones rushing at the very front were several of the stronger teams, all wanting to seize the initiative. Chen Yufei's team was among them, and the five of them turned into streaks of light, disappearing into the mist in the blink of an eye.

Chen Hao said anxiously: "Lin Xuan, we are leaving too, take care!" After speaking, he took Zhang Meng and Li Ming and rushed off with the crowd.

Lin Xuan stood still in place. He watched the crowd rushing in frantically, his expression calm.

After most of the Disciples had entered, he finally stepped forward, walking toward the entrance at a leisurely pace.

The entrance was much thinner now. A few other lone Disciples who had also chosen to enter late glanced at each other and each chose a different direction.