405: Chapter 405 Embarking on a New Journey

Lin Jingyu sat under the corridor holding his newly acquired flowing cloud sword, his fingers stroking the cloud patterns on the scabbard inch by inch.

Situ Lan stood alone at the other end of the corridor, looking at the distant peaks. She had practiced the sword in the Heavenly Sword Sect for ten years, from entering the outer Sect to learning the Aurora Sword Art, from being ridiculed to being ostracized, and from leaving to returning.

The stone steps before the mountain gate, the sword marks on the practice field, and the worn-out sword manuals in the Scripture Pavilion—everything felt like yesterday, yet also like a lifetime ago. In her hand, she held a fragment of a sleeve soaked in blood; she had torn it off herself, and the bloodstains had dried into a deep brown.

Footsteps came from behind. She did not look back.

"Situ Lan." The person was Elder Li. He stood three paces behind her, not approaching further. "The Sect Master asked me to inform you—your name has been officially removed from the Heavenly Sword Sect's Disciple register. From now on, you are not a Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. The Heavenly Sword Sect will no longer be your shackle."

Situ Lan's fingers paused slightly, and after a moment, she nodded. "Please tell the Sect Master that the sword techniques of the Heavenly Sword Sect taught me how to strike with a sword. The years after leaving the Heavenly Sword Sect taught me why I strike with a sword. Both are very important. Thank you."

Elder Li looked at her, his lips moving as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He turned around and returned to the main hall with a hunched back.

Situ Lan tucked the sleeve fragment into her robe and turned to walk toward her teammates waiting at the banquet. Chu Lan waved at her and stuffed a spiritual fruit into her hand. Lin Yue opened one eye to look at her, then closed it again with a smile on his lips. Luo Li pulled her down to sit and checked the wound on her left arm. That scar was still shocking to look at, but its function was fully restored—she could bend it, hold a sword, and do everything a normal person could do.

Tian Xin took out a protective Talisman from her sleeve and handed it to Situ Lan. The Talisman was drawn with gold thread, inscribed with the character "An." Its spiritual power was gentle, cool to the touch. Her words were as brief as ever: "Meeting gift."

Situ Lan took the Talisman and carefully tucked it into her inner lining. That spot was closest to her heart; the Talisman wouldn't be lost there.

It was nearly dusk when they stepped out of the Heavenly Sword Sect's gate. Elder Li brought several Disciples to see them off, the slanted sunlight stretching their shadows long.

Gao Feng cupped his fists: "Thank you, Elder Li, for your care these past few days."

Elder Li shook his head, his voice a mix of guilt and emotion: "This old man was just following rules. That you could make it here was not because of me, but yourselves." He paused, his gaze sweeping over Situ Lan before landing on Gao Feng. "Be careful on the road. Especially on the way to the Wanfa Sect."

"What does Elder Li know?" Su Ning asked.

Elder Li didn't answer. He glanced at Situ Lan, sighed, and turned back into the mountain gate. That "An" character protective Talisman was placed right against Situ Lan's heart.

Tian Xin took out a communication Talisman from her sleeve. With a slight activation, a faint ripple of spiritual power came from it. She looked up and said to Gao Feng, "Cang Song's people have been following us. From Meteor Valley to the Heavenly Sword Sect, from the first trial to the ninth, from the Sword Abyss until now. He thinks we don't know."

Su Ning closed her eyes to sense for a moment, then opened them and nodded slightly to Gao Feng.

"Ignore them," Gao Feng said two words. It wasn't that he didn't care, but that they shouldn't alert the enemy. Cang Song was in the shadows while they were in the light; falling out now would only make the other party more aggressive. The time to act hadn't come yet; when it did, he would naturally deal with it.

The Wanfa Sect was not as easy to deal with as the Heavenly Sword Sect. Gongyang Lie there was an old acquaintance of Cang Song, and what awaited them there were even deeper undercurrents. But they had already broken through the Heavenly Sword Sect, so what was there to fear?

Situ Lan tightened the tassel of her azure phoenix sword and stepped forward to follow the team. The scar on her left arm was covered by her sleeve, and the protective Talisman was against her heart. The morning mist of the Heavenly Sword Sect had already dissipated, and the mountain gate grew further away behind them, turning into a tiny grey dot.

Starting from the Heavenly Sword Sect, the space teleportation Formation Su Ning arranged crossed thousands of miles.

When the silver light faded, the nine people stood above a sea of clouds.

The Wanfa Sect was not built on a mountain peak but on a massive floating island suspended within the sea of clouds.

The floating island spanned dozens of miles, surrounded by churning clouds and mist. Several smaller floating islands could be seen circling in the distance, like stars surrounding the moon. The buildings on the island were completely different from those of the Heavenly Sword Sect—there were no stone sword monuments or sharp, piercing edges. Instead, there were well-arranged pavilions, winding corridors, and ubiquitous magic Formation patterns.

Those Formation patterns were carved into the stone paths, embedded in the walls, and suspended atop the towers, emitting various colors of light—some fiery red, some icy blue, some emerald green like wood, some earthy yellow like mountains, and some golden like iron.

The power of the Five Elements intertwined here into a precise and massive spiritual power network.

Chu Lan took a deep breath, her eyes lighting up: "The Spiritual Qi here is so dense, and all Five Elements are present. The Spiritual Qi in the Heavenly Sword Sect leaned toward metal; it was too sharp and uncomfortable after a while. This place is much more balanced."

Lin Yue looked warily at several high towers in the distance: "There are too many Formations. I can sense at least a dozen large Formations operating simultaneously. Some are defensive Formations, some are Spirit Gathering Arrays, and there are a few whose purposes even I can't discern."

"Those are the Wanfa Sect's Sect-protecting Formations, the 'Five Elements Origin Return Formation'." A gentle voice came from ahead.

A middle-aged man dressed in a light green robe emerged from the mist. His face was lean, his gaze gentle, and a green token hung at his waist, inscribed with the character "Xuan." His cultivation was at the seventh layer of the Golden Core, but his aura was restrained, like a deep pool whose depth could not be seen. He walked up to them, cupped his fists in greeting, and spoke with a balanced attitude: "I am Xuanqing, an inner Sect Elder of the Wanfa Sect. I am here to welcome you by order of the Sect Master."

Gao Feng returned the greeting: "Thank you, Elder Xuanqing."

Elder Xuanqing stepped aside to lead the way, taking them past several pavilions toward the main hall at the center of the floating island. Along the way, many Wanfa Sect Disciples stopped to watch and whisper. Some were curious, some were disdainful, and some were expressionless.

The Wanfa Sect and the Wuxiang Sect had no old grudges like the Heavenly Sword Sect, but they had no friendship either—the two Sects were thousands of miles apart, their cultivation philosophies were completely different, and they had no regular contact.

Before they reached the main hall, an old man dressed in a scarlet robe stepped out from a side corridor and blocked their path.

His face was stern, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, and his triangular eyes held undisguised coldness. The aura he emitted was even stronger than Elder Xuanqing's—eighth layer of the Golden Core, and his spiritual power carried a faint heat, clearly indicating he specialized in fire-system Spells. The token at his waist was inscribed with the character "Lie."

"Junior Brother Xuanqing, are these the guests from the Wuxiang Sect?" His voice wasn't loud, but every word felt like a thorn pricking them.

Elder Xuanqing's expression remained unchanged as he introduced him: "This is the Vice Sect Master of our Sect, Master Lieyang."

Master Lieyang's gaze swept across their faces, pausing for a moment on the flowing cloud sword at Lin Jingyu's waist, then moving to the sleeve on Situ Lan's left arm, and finally landing on Gao Feng. The corners of his mouth curled slightly—not in a smile, but in mockery.

"I heard you broke through nine trials at the Heavenly Sword Sect, entered the Sword Abyss, and took the Jade Slip?" His tone was light, as if speaking of a trivial matter. "Those Sword Cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect are single-minded, only knowing how to charge forward. Our Wanfa Sect is different. To obtain the Five Elements Return to Origin Method, brute force alone is not enough."

Gao Feng's expression remained unchanged as he asked calmly, "May I ask the Vice Sect Master, what is the Wanfa Sect's trial?"

Master Lieyang did not answer immediately. He stood in the middle of the corridor with his hands behind his back, looking down at them with a scrutinizing gaze. Elder Xuanqing opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent.

"The Wanfa Tower," Master Lieyang finally spoke. "Our Sect's Wanfa Tower has nine floors, each testing the mastery of one attribute of Spells. Every person in your team must independently pass at least one floor, otherwise, you will be expelled from the Wanfa Sect. Don't even think about the Five Elements Return to Origin Method."

Chu Lan asked in a low voice, "At least one floor per person? We have nine people, so that's nine floors?" Master Lieyang sneered, gave no answer, and turned to leave.

Elder Xuanqing looked at his back, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes. He walked to Gao Feng's side and lowered his voice: "Vice Sect Master Lie Yang is an old acquaintance of your Sect's Elder Cang Song. He does not wish for the Five Elements Return to Origin Method to be shared, so... you must be careful. The difficulty of the Wanfa Tower is already extremely high, and he might increase the stakes in the rules."

He paused and added, "However, the Sect Master's intention is that as long as you can pass the trial, the Five Elements Return to Origin Method can be taught. This old man is just an executor and cannot help you much."

Gao Feng nodded: "Thank you for the warning, Elder."

The Wanfa Tower was located at the southernmost end of the floating island. It was nine stories high, about a hundred zhang tall, and built entirely of blue-grey stone. The surface of the tower was covered with dense Five Elements runes, and the light on each floor was different. The ground floor was scarlet, the second was icy blue, the third emerald green, the fourth earthy yellow, the fifth dark gold, the sixth silver-white, the seventh purple-black, the eighth transparent and colorless, and the ninth floor had no light, only a deep darkness.

In front of the tower was a wide plaza where dozens of Wanfa Sect Disciples stood, all there to watch the excitement. The nine people stood before the tower, looking up at the tall structure with various expressions.

Lin Yue frowned: "Each floor tests one attribute of Spells? I only know defensive Formations and basically no offensive Spells. Among the Five Elements Spells, I'll be lucky to pass the earth-system trial. How am I supposed to pass the others?"

Chu Lan also looked troubled: "I specialize in wood-system spiritual plants. I can only barely perform a few basic Spells for water and fire, and I know basically nothing about metal and earth."

Tian Xin looked down and checked the Talismans in her sleeve, her voice flat: "Talismans can simulate Five Elements Spells, but they aren't true Spell mastery. If the Restrictions inside the tower can distinguish between Talismans and Spells, I might be judged invalid."

Luo Li held her flowing sound zither and said softly, "My rhythm doesn't belong to the Five Elements, but sound waves can stir Origin Qi, allowing me to barely simulate some basic Spells. However, the power will certainly be insufficient."

Su Ning crossed her arms and said calmly, "Spatial Magic is not within the Five Elements. I could forcibly use the Space Power to break through, but that wouldn't be 'passing the trial,' it would be breaking the rules."