Chapter Twenty: Moonlight

The flying vessel soared through the sky at tremendous speed.

Xu Chen sat cross-legged at the edge of the vessel, gazing down from his lofty vantage point. Below lay mountains thousands of meters high, and a colossal river winding endlessly across the land, vast beyond sight. Occasionally, streaks of light—cultivators traveling—flashed across the distant sky.

“Brother, I’m Luo Mao. I’ve been here two and a half years,” said the disciple who had earlier mentioned practicing the Sacred Ape Twelve Forms, now approaching Xu Chen’s side.

“Xu Chen, joined the sect two years ago. Is Senior Brother here to mock me?” Xu Chen replied coolly.

“No, not at all.”

“To be honest with you, little brother, I also entered through the back door. I suspect we share a common purpose, so I wanted to discuss it with you.” Luo Mao glanced about, lowering his voice.

“A common purpose? What do you mean, Senior Brother?” Xu Chen feigned ignorance.

“Of course—to find a Dao companion from another race. My father has urged me since childhood to ensure the Luo family’s lineage thrives, which is why he arranged for me to enter the Great Creek Sect through connections.” Luo Mao raised his brow.

“That can’t be, can it? With Senior Brother’s talent and strength, entering the sect should have been easy.”

“I’m from the neighboring Divine Wood Province. Entry to the Great Creek Sect requires exceptional aptitude, which I don’t possess.”

“I see.” Xu Chen nodded.

“Have you had any success so far, Senior Brother? Are you interested in the Spirit Flower Clan or the Three-Colored Fox Clan?”

“I prefer the Spirit Flower Clan. Their bodies radiate floral fragrance, graceful and elegant, but they’re difficult to court.”

“The Three-Colored Fox Clan seems more attainable, but their betrothal gifts are exorbitant—I’m not willing to accept that.”

“So, I wanted to ask you, little brother—do you have any insights?” Luo Mao looked at Xu Chen hopefully.

“Senior Brother, I’m only fourteen—there’s no rush. I’m focused on cultivation and haven’t considered anything else.”

Though he had spent the past two years immersed in cultivation within the Great Creek Sect, Xu Chen had learned a bit about the sect’s inner workings. Seeking a Dao companion from another race was possible, but far more complicated than it appeared.

“Fourteen is just the age to start building foundations—time to consider these matters.”

“Let’s exchange contact tokens, little brother. We can talk more in the future.” Luo Mao produced his disciple token, and Xu Chen took out his own. They tapped the tokens together, establishing a connection.

“Senior Brother, may I ask—once the Sacred Ape Twelve Forms reach the unity of form and intent, how much strength does that equate to?” Xu Chen asked with curiosity.

In the Imperial Dao Tower, only the six and nine forms of the Sacred Ape were available for blood and qi foundation-building; to access higher levels, one needed sufficient aptitude and had to purchase them at the Imperial Dao Tower in the Thunder Province capital.

“One dragon and six tigers’ worth of strength, but it’s extremely difficult to master. I can only reach the level of intent, then I must switch to other techniques.” Luo Mao sighed.

“This is the gap!” Xu Chen cursed inwardly.

“If your aptitude is lacking, every technique progresses slowly.”

“Little brother, do you know—last year the Elder took in a prodigy who, in just one year, mastered the Sacred Ape Sixteen Forms to the unity of form and intent: two dragons and one tiger’s strength, and he’s only seven!”

“In a few years, after he practices a few more top-tier blood and qi foundation methods, I doubt we’d even withstand his gaze.” Luo Mao looked at the scenery beneath the vessel, voice wistful.

“Just focus on yourself.”

Five hours later, the flying vessel stopped above a dense mountain forest.

“There are exotic beasts here that haven’t developed intelligence yet; this area’s beasts are weaker.”

“Xu Chen, you’re responsible for this region.”

The vessel descended to five zhang above the ground.

“Alright, Senior Brother.”

Xu Chen leaped off the vessel, watching it vanish into the horizon.

“Two years at last—I finally get to leave the sect.”

He looked around; towering trees surrounded him, the earth beneath soft and ill-suited for travel.

“This place makes searching for stone spirits rather inconvenient.”

He climbed a tree and began leaping from branch to branch, searching for clues about the stone spirits.

“The mission deadline is half a month. I wonder if I’ll find any.”

Standing on a sturdy branch, Xu Chen gazed into the distance.

“It’s basically luck.”

Suddenly, he swung his hand back, grabbing a giant snake as thick as a wrist by the neck. He took a Spirit Iron Battle Blade from his storage pouch and severed the snake’s head.

“This snake must be old—good for soup.” He stored half of it away.

He doubted he’d complete the mission, but since he was out, he might as well gather some gains.

In the dense forest, Xu Chen followed the map and searched for three days, finding no clues about stone spirits but discovering several spirit herbs and fruits.

Night fell, and the moon hung bright in the sky.

Xu Chen sat atop a mountain, counting his harvest in the moonlight.

“A fifty-year-old vermillion fruit, an eighty-year-old earth ginseng, three mature moon spirit grasses, and stardust flower.”

“These should be worth about thirty spirit coins. At this rate, I could collect over a hundred by the time I leave.”

He stored the herbs and fruits, then used the moonlight to observe the scene below.

“Three days, only one suspected stone spirit clue, and it turned out false.”

At that moment, Xu Chen noticed moonlight gathering in a certain spot below the mountain.

As the moonlight pooled, it transformed into strands of lunar energy, converging toward a specific location.

Sitting atop the mountain, Xu Chen took out his disciple token.

“Senior Brother Liu, I’ve spotted an area absorbing moonlight—lunar energy is manifesting.”

He sent the message and his location.

Whether it was a stone spirit or an intelligent beast absorbing lunar energy, it wasn’t something he could handle.

“Wait for me.”

The token vibrated, and Xu Chen received a reply.

Less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, a hand suddenly clapped his shoulder.

Just as Xu Chen reacted, Liu Guang’s voice sounded.

“It’s me.”

“Oh, Senior Brother, you startled me,” Xu Chen said, still shaken.

“Senior Brother, the spot absorbing moonlight is right over there.”

Xu Chen pointed to the area where lunar energy had gathered.

“I’ll check it out. If it’s really a stone spirit, you’ll get the first credit.”

Liu Guang’s figure dissolved into a breeze and vanished.

Xu Chen sat quietly, waiting for the outcome.

“According to my plan, who knows how old I’ll be before reaching the Treasure Body Realm. There are so many techniques and spells—I don’t even know what to practice.”

As he drifted into idle thoughts, fierce sounds of battle erupted from the mountain below.

Xu Chen focused his gaze, seeing a massive beast, ten zhang tall and made of rock, battling a small figure.

“Damn, could that be a stone spirit?”

He stood and sprinted down the mountain.

Soon, he reached the edge of the battlefield.

“Stone spirit, now that you’ve awakened intelligence, you must see your situation clearly.”

“If you submit to the Great Creek Sect, you’ll have a way out. If not, you’ll be forced back to your original form.”