Chapter Seven: Li the Benevolent

"...There's a mole on her backside..." Wang Changsheng muttered absentmindedly, "Alright, a mole on her backside..."

What?

The moment Wang Changsheng realized what he'd just said, his face darkened instantly.

The Saintess of Cloud Palace Peak has a mole on her backside?

What kind of absurd rumor is this?

"Fellow Daoist Li, are you making fun of me?" Wang Changsheng said helplessly.

Never mind that Wang Changsheng had never even heard of this so-called Cloud Palace Peak. Even if he had, what did the Saintess of Cloud Palace Peak have to do with him? Besides, just from the name alone, Cloud Palace Peak must be an extraordinary force—otherwise, Li Fusheng wouldn’t be acting so mysteriously.

Even if you did know something like this, what good would it do? Who would dare speak of it?

"You just don't understand!" Li Fusheng whispered with great secrecy, "Cloud Palace Peak is one of the preeminent powers of Shentian Mirror. Their Saintess is famed as a peerless beauty. Throughout Shentian Mirror, there are countless cultivators who wish to become her Dao companion!"

"If you were to trade this secret for spirit stones, you'd have enough to spend for half a lifetime!" Li Fusheng said in a low voice. "Trust me, this message is worth far more than you paid. Take it as a token of my great benevolence!"

Wang Changsheng was utterly speechless.

"If this news is so valuable, why don’t you sell it yourself? Why are you giving it to me?" Wang Changsheng asked helplessly.

"Well, you and I have fate," Li Fusheng replied with an awkward chuckle.

Anything Wang Changsheng could think of, Li Fusheng—who’d spent years scheming and surviving in Shentian Mirror—would have thought of sooner and more thoroughly. Li Fusheng knew full well that if he went around sharing this kind of secret, he’d vanish from Shentian Mirror without a trace in no time at all.

And not even a corpse would remain.

"The Cloud Ark is about to enter the boundary region and will proceed at full speed. All fellow Daoists, please return to your rooms!"

Just then, a voice rang out from the top of the Cloud Ark. Immediately, everyone saw a hazy, grayish barrier rise up over the vessel once more.

"Let’s go, fellow Daoist. Time to head back," Li Fusheng said with a grin.

Wang Changsheng made his way to his room, deliberately keeping his distance from Li Fusheng.

"Too dangerous—this man is far too dangerous. Who knows when he’ll sell me out," Wang Changsheng thought.

He didn’t know just how powerful Cloud Palace Peak truly was, but to found a sect at all required more than a little strength. Li Fusheng dared to speak so carelessly of such a force, no matter if it was slander or not. The man was truly reckless.

Wang Changsheng had already decided that, once they disembarked from the Cloud Ark, he’d keep as far from Li Fusheng as possible.

"No, even on the Cloud Ark, I need to keep my distance!"

Bang!

Wang Changsheng slammed his door shut, paying no mind to Li Fusheng, who hurried after him.

"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist..." Even as the door closed, Li Fusheng's voice seeped in through the cracks.

Wang Changsheng ignored him entirely.

Cross-legged on the meditation mat, Wang Changsheng exhaled deeply. It was only after Li Fusheng’s voice finally faded that he felt a measure of peace.

Yet those words Li Fusheng spoke on the deck lingered in Wang Changsheng’s mind, filling him with yearning.

"True cultivators on the Golden Core Path can actually cultivate amidst the dazzling sea of stars. Such strength is truly remarkable," Wang Changsheng sighed inwardly.

But all of that was still far beyond his reach. He hadn’t even entered the Opening Meridians realm yet. Between that and the Golden Core Path lay several stages.

He calmed his breath, focused his spirit, and began to cultivate.

Unable to activate the formation without spirit stones, he dared not enter deeper meditation. As for the mid-grade spirit stone, Wang Changsheng was loath to expend it just to fuel the formation in his room.

Rumble...

Deep within his body, waves of thunderous sound echoed, as surges of true essence coursed through his meridians.

The expansion of his meridians brought with it a distinct ache—a taste of pain.

Opening the meridians was by no means simple. It required guiding true qi through the entire network of channels, repeatedly battering them to make them broader and more resilient.

Following the route depicted in the second diagram of the Longevity Technique, Wang Changsheng spent three full hours to complete a single circulation of true qi throughout his body.

"This is far too slow!" Wang Changsheng said as he opened his eyes.

Three hours of cultivation, and only one circulation—without the slightest sign of his meridians opening up. At this rate, who knew how many more rounds it would take to see any effect? Such speed was truly abysmal.

"I wonder if other cultivators are this slow in their cultivation," Wang Changsheng muttered. "I really don’t know enough about the Three Heavens Realm, nor about the basics of a cultivator’s training."

Li Fusheng certainly would know more about the Three Heavens Realm and the intricacies of cultivation, but Wang Changsheng dared not seek him out.

After some thought, Wang Changsheng returned to his cultivation.

What Wang Changsheng didn't know was that, aboard the Cloud Ark, he was likely the only one cultivating without activating the protective array.

The dangers within the boundary region were far beyond Wang Changsheng’s imagination.

Boom...

Another deep rumble sounded, followed by a violent jolt of the Cloud Ark.

Wang Changsheng slowly opened his eyes and let out a breath of turbid air. He paid the Ark’s shaking no mind.

"The eighth time now," Wang Changsheng thought.

He'd been aboard the Cloud Ark for nearly half a year. This was the eighth such tremor. The first few times, he’d joined the crowds on deck, but now he was utterly unconcerned.

For these violent shakes were simply beams of astral light colliding with the Cloud Ark—deflected each time by the vessel’s formidable defenses.

"Fellow Daoist Wang! Fellow Daoist Wang... open the door!"

Just as Wang Changsheng was about to resume his cultivation, there was a knock at the door, followed by a familiar shout.

He didn’t need to open the door to know it was Li Fusheng from next door.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I know you can hear me! Open up, I have good news for you!"

Wang Changsheng remained unmoved.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, it’s me, Li the Benevolent! I’ve come to perform a good deed!"

Wang Changsheng: "..."

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I know you haven’t activated the array. Open up!"

Wang Changsheng: "..."

Slowly rising, Wang Changsheng opened the door and glared at Li Fusheng, who stood just outside, his expression stormy. "Li Fusheng, do you believe I won’t beat you to death?"

Threats like this didn’t faze Li Fusheng in the least.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I’m not boasting, but even two of you together wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on me, the great benefactor Li!" Li Fusheng said smugly, even snapping his fingers at Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng’s face grew even darker. "Speak, O Great Benefactor—what do you want?"

"Oh, nothing much..." Li Fusheng put on a bashful look. "I’m just a bit bored and thought we could do a little business together!"

Bang!

Wang Changsheng’s response was to slam the door shut with a resounding bang.

Knock, knock, knock...

Li Fusheng kept knocking.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, don’t be so quick to shut the door! Come on, let’s chat. I can tell you all the juicy secrets about those ladies from Cloud Palace Peak!"

"Fellow Daoist, you have no idea—those girls from Cloud Palace Peak, each more radiant and charming than the last!"

"But the most enchanting of all is their Saintess—she is truly unmatched in beauty!"

Wang Changsheng: "..."

Not opening! Absolutely not!

Li Fusheng was an incorrigible chatterbox—once he started, he’d never stop. There was no way he could be let in.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I tell you, the most entertaining ones are the brats from the Corpse Refining Sect!"

"They’re something else—sleeping in coffins, no less!"

"And then there’s the Celestial Palace..."

Li Fusheng’s voice grew softer and softer, until eventually it faded into silence.

"Thank heavens, the plague has finally left," Wang Changsheng said with a sigh.

Knock, knock, knock...

Just as Wang Changsheng was about to return to his cultivation, the knocking resumed.

Wang Changsheng: "I swear..."

Bang!

He yanked the door open again. Leaning against the frame was Li Fusheng, looking so exasperated he could wring water from his expression.

"What do you actually want?!"

Wang Changsheng’s roar echoed through the corridor.

"Oh come now, Fellow Daoist Wang, I’m just bored! I know you’re bored too, so I thought I’d keep you company," Li Fusheng said with a grin. "I’ve got plenty of exclusive tidbits for you. Want to hear? Free of charge!"

As he spoke, a sly grin spread across Li Fusheng’s face.

"I... don’t... want... to hear!" Wang Changsheng was on the verge of collapse.

He moved to close the door again.

"Wait, Fellow Daoist! You’re just going to have to open it again soon, so why bother shutting it? Save yourself the trouble!" Li Fusheng said, acting as though he had Wang Changsheng right where he wanted him.

"Li Fusheng, can’t you go bother someone else?" Wang Changsheng said, his face dark as thunder. "What grudge do you have against me? Why won’t you leave me alone?"

"No can do, Fellow Daoist. I can’t even remember their names!" Li Fusheng replied with some regret. "Otherwise, I’d have sold these secrets for spirit stones ages ago!"

"Why can’t you remember their names?" Wang Changsheng asked, puzzled.

Was there some special method at play here? If so, Wang Changsheng was determined to learn how to deal with this “Great Benefactor Li!”

"Because they all have spirit stones!" Li Fusheng declared matter-of-factly. "Since you don’t have any, you can’t activate your room’s array. Without the array, you can’t block out my voice..."

"Heh heh heh..."

Li Fusheng’s smile grew broader.

Wang Changsheng wanted to cry—he truly did!

He suspected that the real reason Li Fusheng was sent to the Mortal Heaven Realm wasn’t because he had no hope in cultivation. After all, to Wang Changsheng’s eye, Li Fusheng was definitely at the Opening Meridians stage. The true reason he’d been sent down was...

His elders simply couldn’t stand his endless chatter!

"You weren’t sent to the Mortal Heaven Realm for lack of talent, but because you talk too much, right?" Wang Changsheng said with a dark look.

At Wang Changsheng’s words, Li Fusheng froze for a moment, then flung himself at Wang Changsheng, sobbing, "Fellow Daoist Wang, you truly are my kin, my kindred spirit!"