The Three Tribulations Mind-Jade couldn’t be found anywhere within the Great Void Sect.
Not even in the vast Central State…
According to the information Song Yao Gu helped gather, there was only one place where this treasure was still preserved—
The Western Regions, Golden Buddha Temple.
No wonder, no wonder he couldn’t find any leads on this Spirit Jade…
In other words, if he wanted to obtain this Three Tribulations Mind-Jade and forge a Sword Spirit treasure, he would first have to make a trip to the Western Regions’ Buddhist temple?
“The Western Regions, huh…”
Lin Ci suddenly felt conflicted.
The Western Regions were far away; even with Sword Riding nonstop, the round trip alone would take seven or eight days.
The key was that Lin Ci didn’t know how to Sword Ride yet—if he traveled on foot or by carriage, the journey could take over a month.
By then, he might not even make it back in time for the Great Sect Tournament.
Besides, with his current reputation, once he left the mountain… all the Devil Cultivators across the world would surely be alerted and set upon him.
It would be extremely dangerous!
So, should he go or not?
He had to go!
Lin Ci had no other choice. He needed the Sword Spirit treasure. With a Sword Spirit, he could Sword Ride and stand a chance when facing powerful opponents.
Otherwise, the Great Competition would be even more perilous.
As for the long journey and the threat of Devil Cultivators, he would just have to find a way to overcome those obstacles.
Sitting down, Lin Ci kept tapping his fingers on the stone table…
The next day.
Xia Xiaochan finished her cultivation. With the spiritual light’s boost from the previous day, her realm finally broke through to mid Qi Training.
All in all, she had only been on the path of cultivation for just over half a month.
Half a month, mid Qi Training Realm…
If she told others, countless cultivators would probably have their Dao hearts shattered.
But Xiaochan had no concept of cultivation speed. She even vaguely worried if she was truly keeping up with the normal disciples’ pace.
Li Xingyao was about the same age but had already reached Foundation Establishment.
And Senior Brother had started Qi Refinement at eight years old… best not to compare to him.
Compared to them, her little progress was truly worrying.
Then she thought again—she had never once slackened on cultivation.
So, she let it go…
She had already given it her all. If she still lagged behind, then it could only be her weak talent.
And talent couldn’t be changed.
Rather than torment herself, it was better to be that foolish early bird who fights for every moment!
After deciding this, Xiaochan left her room, ready to ask Senior Brother again about cultivation methods.
Her current heart method and swordsmanship had achieved some small success.
Next, she wanted to learn the art of escape!
Xiaochan had once seen Senior Brother casually send out a sword that accurately killed a wandering cultivator who had vanished underground.
That scene left a deep impression.
Since Senior Brother could easily see through the opponent’s escape technique, it meant his own level of escape art was above that of the wanderer.
Of course, this was no surprise.
In her heart, Senior Brother was all-powerful; no one knew cultivation better than him!
As Xiaochan stepped outside, she saw Lin Ci folding clothes in the courtyard, with a bundle beside him, seemingly packing.
She asked with a puzzled look:
“Senior Brother, what are you doing?”
“Xiao Chan, perfect timing…”
Lin Ci replied as he packed, “I’m going on a long trip. Maybe I won’t be back for a month. You should watch over the Sect.”
“Ah?”
Xiaochan stood frozen, Senior Brother was still giving instructions, but all she could hear in her mind was one sentence:
Senior Brother is going to disappear for a whole month?!
“Chan’er is coming too!”
She blurted out.
Lin Ci looked at her with silent exasperation:
“Do you even know why I’m going? And you want to come along?”
“Wherever you go, whatever you do, Senior Brother should take Chan’er with him. Chan’er can’t do without Senior Brother…”
Xiaochan’s eyes brimmed with tears.
Since she came to the mountain, she had hardly left Lin Ci’s side. Just thinking about him disappearing so long filled her with loneliness and worry…
“This time, no.”
Lin Ci gently shook his head. “It’s too dangerous to come with me. We might encounter Devil Cultivators. You should stay quietly in the Sect.”
“Devil Cultivators? Then I’m even more worried. I want to fight alongside Senior Brother!”
“…”
Lin Ci hesitated for a moment but quickly decided he couldn’t let Xiaochan follow.
She couldn’t even defeat Li Xingyao, let alone the ruthless Devil Cultivators who would stop at nothing.
Moreover, if Xiaochan was with him and they ran into a strong enemy, it would only hold him back.
He had cultivation but couldn’t fight spells. The only things he could rely on now were the little gadgets he tinkered with in his spare time.
Those were mostly shady tricks, far from his serious and straightforward image, so no one could see them…
Including Xiaochan.
As for enemies, whenever Lin Ci used those tricks, it meant he would make sure only one side survived the fight.
“I said no this time!”
He said sternly with a serious face, “You stay on the mountain and cultivate properly. Wait for me to come back.”
After he finished speaking, Xiaochan shrank back, silently pursed her lips, then lowered her head to hide her tears from Senior Brother.
“All right, Chan’er understands…”
“That’s better. Be good.”
Lin Ci patted her head in comfort.
“Senior Brother, before you go down the mountain, can you teach Chan’er the escape art?”
Xiaochan’s shoulders trembled with quiet sobs as she pleaded softly.
“You want to learn the escape art?”
“Yes, please teach me, Senior Brother.”
Hehe, I don’t know how!
Of course, he couldn’t say that…
Lin Ci dragged his chin, thinking carefully before speaking in a deliberately profound tone:
“Escape art uses the body as a medium, dissolving into the Five Elements’ void, instantly traversing unhindered…”
Xiaochan quickly wiped her tears and listened attentively.
Using the body as a medium, dissolving into the Five Elements.
Sounds so powerful! So this is the escape art?
“But… only those who follow the crowd, without understanding the true meaning of escape art, would interpret it this way.”
Lin Ci shifted gears and continued, “The escape art I will teach you isn’t bound by the physical body and transcends the Five Elements. It’s called—”
“One Thought, A Thousand Mountains Kick!”
The moment he finished speaking—
Xiaochan’s mouth slightly opened in shock, deeply stunned by the escape art’s secret that Senior Brother had revealed.
Not bound by the body, transcending the Five Elements?
Though she didn’t quite understand, it sounded even more incredible!
With her own comprehension, could she really learn it?
“Next, I’ll demonstrate it. Watch closely.”
Lin Ci said.
He took a casual step forward.
Then stopped in place…
The air fell silent, only the birds chirping loudly in the trees.
“…”
Xiaochan’s expression was focused but she couldn’t help feeling confused.
Wait, nothing happened?
At this moment, Lin Ci turned to face her, slowly extending his left hand, palm open…
In the palm rested a complete leaf.
“This hawthorn leaf was picked from the hawthorn orchard thousands of miles away.”
“Using the profound art of shrinking the earth to inches, in an instant I crossed thousands of miles… this is One Thought, A Thousand Mountains Kick!”
Xiaochan stared blankly at the leaf, her mind utterly blank.
From what she knew, the climate around the Great Void Sect wasn’t suitable for hawthorn trees, so this leaf must have come from far away.
That meant Senior Brother had taken a single step across thousands of mountains and rivers in a blink, plucked this leaf, then returned?
This was…
Absurdly powerful!
Senior Brother… is he even human?