Chapter Thirty-Three: The Assignment Abroad

Chen Shuanghui nodded indifferently. “Of course there’s something. Follow me.”

Luo Tian knew that most inner sect disciples hailed from the four great families and were seldom friendly or approachable. Given the gap in strength, expecting others to humble themselves was unrealistic. Strength commands respect—this was more than mere words.

He followed Chen Shuanghui, winding through several corridors and entering a room where a man and a woman, both outer sect disciples, were already present.

“A useless laborer?”

The male disciple muttered quietly, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear, Luo Tian included.

“Senior Luo, you’re here too?”

The female disciple, upon seeing Luo Tian, was visibly delighted. Her skin was fair, her figure well-proportioned, and her features exquisitely beautiful.

“Zhao Lin’er, you’re here as well? How is your cultivation progressing?” Luo Tian smiled slightly. She was one of the disciples he had previously guided; in just over half a year, she had become an outer sect disciple, showing admirable talent.

Zhao Lin’er beamed. “Senior Luo, I’ve reached the second cycle of the Qi Condensation Realm. This is Senior Qian Bo, he’s at the third cycle.”

Qian Bo snorted impatiently, nodding toward Luo Tian without uttering a word.

Seeing the close familiarity between the beautiful Zhao Lin’er and Luo Tian, Qian Bo felt a twinge of jealousy. He had approached Zhao Lin’er when she first became an outer sect disciple, forming a two-person team and had since considered her his own. Now, Luo Tian not only carried the reputation of a useless laborer but also conversed casually with his coveted companion, which naturally displeased Qian Bo.

Chen Shuanghui paid little heed to the outer sect disciples, sizing up Luo Tian. “You reached the fourth cycle of the Qi Condensation Realm in ten days?”

“Yes, Uncle Chen,” Luo Tian replied.

Qian Bo grew alert. This incident from two months ago had spread throughout Purple Sun Mountain. While the fourth cycle itself was not especially powerful, the speed of cultivation was startling. However, it seemed the Shen family had little interest in Luo Tian.

“Good. This time, you’ll be the team leader.”

Chen Shuanghui nodded, not bothering to verify further—there were eyewitness accounts, and no outer sect disciple would dare deceive an inner sect uncle. One could be taught a lesson in minutes.

“Uncle Chen, I’ve been focused on cultivation lately and haven’t even been in the mountain. I just returned and don’t know what’s happened,” Luo Tian said, puzzled by the sudden appointment. He had spent the past two months in near-total devotion to cultivation, avoiding any unnecessary tasks.

“Oh?” Chen Shuanghui raised his eyebrows. “Zhao Lin’er, explain it to him.”

“Yes, Uncle Chen.” Zhao Lin’er replied crisply and turned to Luo Tian, “Senior Luo, our Shen Yang Sect has encountered a problem. The concentration of spiritual energy within the sect has dropped by nearly twenty percent compared to before, which is very unusual. At first, it was just a few days of abnormality, but then it lasted for more than half a month, with only occasional days of recovery. We need to go out and investigate the cause.”

“There’s such a matter?” Luo Tian was surprised. For a sect like Shen Yang, the cultivation environment was crucial—the abundance of spiritual energy directly affected the disciples’ progress. It might not quite be the lifeblood of the sect, but for any sect seeking growth, it was absolutely vital.

“Yes. You’ve been training outside recently, so you may not have noticed. Not only were we outer sect disciples affected, even the inner sect uncles are struggling to adjust. The reason our sect has richer spiritual energy than the outside world is because of the Energy Gathering Array, which draws the energy from hundreds of miles around for the disciples to cultivate. If the array is malfunctioning, we need to thoroughly investigate.” Zhao Lin’er summarized the situation.

So that was it!

“This is indeed a matter of great importance to the sect and requires careful investigation.” Luo Tian nodded. This was relevant to him as well, so he was naturally obliged to help. Fortunately, he’d spent most of his recent time in a mountain cave and was less affected than others, but prolonged absence would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Upon hearing Luo Tian’s response, Chen Shuanghui’s usually expressionless face showed a hint of approval. “Good. The affairs of the sect are your affairs, and it is your duty to shoulder them. This time, the three of you will form a team, travel twenty miles east from Clear Wind Town at the foot of the mountain, and examine the node there for any issues. Afterwards, check Black Wind Town as well. Here are the map and route—look after them carefully and don’t lose them. The round trip must be completed within half a month. As for contribution points, the team leader gets six hundred, each member four hundred!”

Luo Tian obediently placed the map Chen Shuanghui handed him into his storage pouch.

What a scoundrel!

Qian Bo’s eyes burned with envy. If being team leader was merely a matter of reputation, the addition of contribution points made it a tangible advantage.

“There is also this treasure, called the Void Breaker. Once you infuse it with spiritual energy, it will generate a circular field with a radius of one meter. Anyone within this circle will not be affected by surrounding maze or illusion arrays.”

Chen Shuanghui produced a spherical treasure, about the size of a baby’s fist, black and white like an eyeball but much larger.

“Maze arrays? Illusion arrays?” Luo Tian casually picked up the Void Breaker and infused it with energy. Instantly, a pale halo appeared under his feet, and he felt that within it, everything seemed more real.

“Of course! The Energy Gathering Array is a precious asset of our Shen Yang Sect. Every node was originally protected with arrays. Maze arrays prevent intruders from finding the right path, while illusion arrays conceal the true landscape—both are extremely formidable,” Chen Shuanghui said proudly.

Luo Tian let a hint of surprise appear on his face, as if awed by the profundity of array techniques, though inwardly he was unimpressed. It would be even better if they added a killing array.

However, considering that many disciples would be sent to investigate, these Void Breakers would likely be distributed in bulk, suggesting that the node defenses weren’t particularly strong. It seemed no one in Shen Yang Sect truly understood arrays; otherwise, an inner sect disciple wouldn’t act so ignorant.

Hmph, country bumpkin!

Qian Bo curled his lip disdainfully. If not for Luo Tian’s sudden leap to the fourth cycle, he’d never have the chance to be team leader. Never heard of arrays? How ignorant!

“All right, when you go out, wear the standard outer sect robes and carry your tokens. If you encounter trouble outside, seek out the sect members at the City Lord’s Mansion in Sky Wind City!” Chen Shuanghui waved his hand. With so many nodes to inspect, manpower was still short. Even with all four regions of Purple Sun Mountain mobilizing disciples, it was stretched thin—otherwise, they wouldn’t be assigning anyone they could get their hands on.