Fifteen days had passed before Ling Aotian emerged from seclusion. During that time, he had poured his efforts into raising his comprehension of formations to the level of Master, an achievement largely due to his innovative use of talismans as a core component within his arrays.
Now, he was finally ready to embark on his cultivation journey.
Without delay, he summoned Cui Long and Ling Luo,who had become his follower for a hundred days. Under the pretense of undertaking a herb collection mission listed on the Ling Family's mission board, the trio departed through the Lingfeng Gate. Their destination: the Giant Tree Forest, located to the west of Lingfeng City.
As they traveled, Ling Aotian cast a cold glance at Ling Luo and said,
"Ling Luo, within these hundred days, you must raise your Sword Dao comprehension to the Apprentice level. If you cannot even form Sword Qi by then… I will lose all interest in you."
Ling Luo's brows twitched at Ling Aotian's words, but he said nothing. Though he had agreed to serve for a hundred days, it was only because of that damned bet, a fluke, he still believed. As far as he was concerned, Ling Aotian was a spoiled young master playing at cultivation. All this talk of Sword Qi and the Dao? Empty bravado.
It was truly a matter of being a frog from the bottom of a well. He had clearly seen Ling Aotian having superior swordsmanship but he still wasn't seeing M.t Tai.
Cui Long, walking ahead with a casual grin, glanced back but wisely kept her thoughts to herself. She had already seen enough during their last few days of Aotian's seclusion. Everytime he would come out, he would add protective barriers to the auction house. He did it so often that she didn't even become shocked as he suddenly bought a couldron and started to refine pills. She had truly underestimated this young master. But on the otherhand, she was extremely excited. She had played her cards well.
They traveled for a few hours beneath the canopy of the Giant Tree Forest. Sunlight filtered through the towering trunks, casting golden patches on the mossy floor. Eventually, Ling Aotian stopped near a clearing.
"We'll camp here," he declared.
As Cui Long began setting up, Ling Aotian took out a small jade case. From it, he retrieved a palm-sized talisman glowing faintly with azure runes. With a single flick of his finger, he tossed it into the center of the clearing.
Buzz -
A ripple of energy surged outward, forming a shimmering dome of light that enveloped the group. In the blink of an eye, a basic protective formation had stabilized, merging seamlessly with the natural Qi of the forest.
Ling Luo blinked. "A formation talisman? That fast?"
Ling Aotian didn't bother replying. Instead, he walked to a patch of overgrown weeds and knelt down, pressing two fingers to the soil.
"Three spirit herb nodes within thirty meters. Cui Long, dig five inches east, seven south. You'll find Blackroot Ginseng. Ling Luo, fifteen paces west,look beneath the twin stones. A Three-vein Snowmint lies hidden there."
Both of them hesitated, but followed his instructions. A short while later, Cui Long let out a low whistle as he uncovered the gnarled root. Ling Luo emerged with the mint leaf between his fingers, a flicker of surprise on his face.
"You... sensed this?" he asked, trying to hide his disbelief.
Ling Aotian rose, dusting off his robe. "Formations are not just about traps or barriers. Remember don't underestimate other daos because you are a sword cultivator. There is no such thing as three thousand major daos and ten thousand minor daos. When cultivated to the peak, the outcome is the same."
He turned toward Ling Luo, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Don't fall behind, Ling Luo. I don't raise dead weight. Remember you have 100 days to impress me. If you do it before this mission is over I'll reward you."
Ling Luo gritted his teeth but remained silent. For the first time, doubt crept into his heart,not about Ling Aotian's arrogance, but about whether he had truly underestimated him.
With the matter of rewards, Ling Luo did not doubt. Rumors about Ling Aotian making huge purchases had already reached the Ling family higher ups.
***
Speaking of the Ling family higher ups,while Ling Aotian ventured into the depths of the Giant Tree Forest, unaware of the web tightening around him, deep within the ancestral hall of the Ling Clan estate, a private meeting was underway.
Behind thick incense smoke and closed stone doors, the atmosphere was stifling. Seated at the head of the long wooden table was Ling Youshi, an elder known for his cold precision and unwavering loyalty to the old ways. Flanking her were four other clan elders,their faces lined with age, eyes gleaming with ambition.
She tapped the edge of her jade ring against the table. Tink. Tink. Tink.
The other elders were deep in their schemes. The topic being Ling Aotian and the jade spirit refining technique left by his father. They wanted it and they would not waste this opportunity when Ling Aotian was on a Family mission out of the city. It was the perfect chance.
"Who should we send? " Asked elder Ling Zhou addressing Ling Youshi who was seated at the head of the wooded table.
"My Ling sun has just broken through to the third heaven stage of the Qi refining realm." Some elders nodded in praise, making Ling sun's grandfather bask in the warmth of praise. That is before he added." I think he should be enough to handle Aotian..don't you think so Elder Youshi..??"
Having the question pointed at her, Elder Youshi was inccenced. This Ling sun's grandfather was an old rival of hers, always wanting to take control of the conservative faction. He was someone with a huge bias against women while he himself was just a control freak, buying slaves left and right. All of the city knew of his hobby, but alas the strong will always be the strong.
"We should not take any chances ! " Elder Youshi glared at Ling Suns grandfather. " To be safe, we should hire Silent Night assassin's to take care of Aotian. "
"What about the refining manual? "
"Silent Night Hall takes all kinds of assassination assignments. Giving a few benefits to them will be all we need for them to retrieve it"
"Then it is settled! " Elder Ling Youshi didn't give Ling Sun's grandfather any chance to retort, directly concluding and leaving the secret meeting room.
****
Giant tree forest. Five days later.
Ling Luo's breathing was ragged,his robes torn at the sleeves, a long claw mark bleeding along his right arm. Surrounding him were five Scarlet Wolf Beasts, each nearly the size of a full-grown man. Their fur shimmered faintly under the light, imbued with trace elements of fire Qi. Scarlet wolf beasts known for their pack coordination and viciousness, making things comparably challenging for Ling Luo. Well at least that's how Ling Aotian viewed things.
Each of the scarlet wolf beasts was of Copper Rank, equivalent to early-stage Spiritual Qi Awakening cultivators. Ling Luo however was now only at the 2nd heavenstage of spiritual Qi awakening.
Ling Luo gritted his teeth, sweat matting his hair to his brow. " You are really not going to help?" Roared Ling Luo as he flicked his sword up, barely parrying a claw aimed for his neck. The force though sent him stumbling back, his boots skidding across damp earth.
From a distance, Ling Aotian stood on a tree, arms folded, his gaze calm and unreadable. He looked at Ling Luo and said.." What am I supposed to help you with? I haven't even entered the the 1st heaven stage."
"Anyways, aren't sword cultivators not the strongest? This desperate situation is good for you. After all swords are forged through fire.."
Down below, Ling Luo let out a roar and lunged forward. His blade moved faster than before. It was desperate, but refined by sheer necessity. Sparks flew as it clashed with the fangs of a lunging beast.
Clang!
The wolf yelped, blood spurting from its snout. But another beast leapt from behind.
Ling Luo turned too slowly.
"RIP!" Ling Aotian sighed as he took a turn to leave.
Suddenly, a spackle glowed from Ling Luo's sword. Ling Aotian let out a smile. He was not wrong about this Ling Luo.
Ling Luo reacted, avoiding a claw by parrying it to the side of another oncoming wolf. Looking at his sword, he was disappointed. The sword Qi that had formed from it's tip was gone, not even lasting a ticking second.
Ling Luo was angry, turning towards the remaining wolves with a roar. He was angry at how slow his comprehension of the sword was. Ling Aotian on the other hand was nodding in praise. He knew how hard it was to unleash sword Qi, since it took him one hundred years for him to perform the same feat in his future self. Looking at Ling Luo, he wondered why he hadn't heard of his name in the future. A genius of this callibar rarely hid himself .." unless..he was cut from the bud.."
Aotian griminced. He had already gotten fond of this arrogant and aloof young master of the Ling family. These last few days, he had shown off in the greatest of ways, using talismans of all kinds to kill beasts that they came across. Even Ling Luo had to admit to his prowess, which was saying something considering he was this generation's heavenly genius of the Ling Family. Ling Luo also got to show off his sword skills, although he failed when cornered by a mere two beasts, while Aotian could take out ten on his own. This ignited his fighting spirit, which led to this situation where he was facing these wolves by himself.
Aotian ignited a talisman. A barrier unfolding as he entered his camp. It consisted of two tents and a camp fire. He entered his tent.
Inside, the scent of fragrant incense lingered in the air. On the low, silken bed, a woman stretched languidly beneath a thin blanket. Her tousled hair cascading over the pillows like ink, and the faint sunlight filtering through the canopy gave her exposed skin a golden glow.
She caught sight of him and smiled,slow, lazy, and undeniably enticing.
"You're back... took your time," she murmured, her voice like honey warmed over a flame.
Ling Aotian's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the sight. "She's skilled," he admitted inwardly. Not just in the way she moved, but in how she carried herself ; elegant and predatory, like a vixen who knew exactly how to manipulate the desires of men.
They had already spent nine rounds of heated passion over the last few nights, yet her gaze showed no fatigue, only hunger.
He approached calmly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You still have energy after all that?" he asked, arching a brow.
She laughed softly, dragging the blanket up just enough to tease. "You haven't scratched the surface yet, Young Master."
"Then this young master will accompany you. Let your sweet sounds linger in this sunset." He pounced on her, removing her blankets to first feed his eyes.
"Damn..!!" He licked his lips.
"Dinner's ready." Teased Cui Long as she sluggishly opened up her long legs, illiciting a reaction from Ling Aotian's little brother.
Cui Long looked at this marvel and stripped Aotian slowly, her eyes never leaving his boulging phenomenon. She looked at it, her expression lewed as she said.." Fuck me Aotian..Fuck me.."
"Annhh!..Annnh!! .."
And just like that, Ling Luo was welcomed with the moans of sunset. A scenario he was already used to within these five day travelling with these sexfiends.