Chapter Twenty: Who Knew It Could Autopilot?

Without further hesitation, once he had made up his mind, Zhou Qi strode straight toward the Ghostly Soul Flower and began to refine it. The quality of the Ghostly Soul Flower was evidently far superior to that of the Reviving Herb; after refining for more than half a day, he had only managed to dissolve a single petal, and in the sea of his soul, Lord Tianxuan remained silent, clearly indicating that the medicinal power was insufficient.

Only as the second petal neared completion did Lord Tianxuan finally awaken. Witnessing Zhou Qi refining the Ghostly Soul Flower, he could not hide his delight.

“Not bad, boy! You succeeded?”

“Yes, I did,” Zhou Qi replied.

“How did you manage it? That Liu Rui didn’t suspect anything, did he?” Lord Tianxuan pressed further.

“He’s in seclusion, so I just went ahead and refined it. He’ll probably notice once he comes out,” Zhou Qi answered honestly.

“…Well done!” Lord Tianxuan was silent for a long moment before he could utter these words. If only he could switch hosts, he would do so in a heartbeat. Although he looked down on mere cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, in the eyes of others, Zhou Qi was little more than an ant.

Zhou Qi cared little for such things; after all, if he couldn’t get through this hurdle, there would be no future to worry about. Now that two petals had been refined and Lord Tianxuan was awake, Zhou Qi decided to stop, leaving the remaining three petals for his master—perhaps that would assuage some of his anger. Lord Tianxuan’s soul quaked with fury, almost slipping back into unconsciousness just after awakening.

Zhou Qi then mentioned the upcoming gathering of core disciples and his impending match against Long Feiyu, which left Lord Tianxuan in a thoughtful silence.

At this point, Zhou Qi had almost no chance against Long Feiyu. His only hope was that Long Feiyu would not dare make a move in public; as long as he didn’t step into the Life and Death Gate, the risk should not be great.

“Lord, would you teach me some peerless techniques?” Zhou Qi asked.

“Your cultivation level is too low. Even if you had some supreme techniques, you wouldn’t be able to wield them. However, there is one formation you might be able to learn,” Lord Tianxuan mused.

“A formation?” Zhou Qi was taken aback. “What kind of formation?”

“The Grand Illusory Immortal Formation, designed specifically to deal with immortals,” Lord Tianxuan explained. “If you can master this formation, no one below the True Immortal realm will be able to stop you. But it is quite difficult: it requires both great perception and rare materials, and it takes time to master.”

“How long would it take?” Zhou Qi asked, intrigued by the prospect of a formation capable of countering immortals.

“If your perception is keen and the materials are ample, you could learn it in ten years; if your perception is lacking, even a hundred thousand years would not suffice.”

Ten years—such a distant solution did little to ease his current predicament. Still, since Lord Tianxuan was willing to impart the knowledge, Zhou Qi figured he should seize the opportunity, no matter how long it might take.

“I wish to learn,” Zhou Qi declared earnestly.

“Very well,” Lord Tianxuan replied, and with that, the entire formation’s method was transmitted into Zhou Qi’s mind.

The Grand Illusory Immortal Formation required the demon core of a True Immortal-level Mind Phantom Wolf as the array’s heart, to be inscribed with the blood of a True Immortal-level Succubus, and powered by Immortal Essence Stones—its power sufficient to trap a True Immortal.

…Zhou Qi was left speechless. How could a mere Qi-refining cultivator like himself possibly obtain such materials? He hadn’t even touched a mid-grade spirit stone, let alone an Immortal Essence Stone. Using this against an enemy was out of the question for now.

Still, learning the method for inscribing the Grand Illusory Immortal Formation could prove useful; perhaps substitutes could be found for some of the materials.

With that thought, Zhou Qi threw himself enthusiastically into study, and two days passed in a flash.

By the shores of Lake Tianze, a multitude of cultivators had gathered. The men were all handsome and distinguished, exuding an ethereal grace; the women, splendidly dressed, with skin like jade and beauty that could topple kingdoms. Most of the core disciples had shed their customary robes emblazoned with “Life” and “Death,” instead donning the most dazzling and attractive attire they owned.

This gathering was not merely to put the child of the Immortal Companion Sect’s master in their place; most core disciples were either out on trials or in seclusion. If one could secure a suitable Dao companion at this event, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

Keenly aware of the peerless appearance of her sect’s disciples, Han Qiaoman smiled with satisfaction and said to Long Feiyu, “Brother Feiyu, how do my disciples of the Gate of Life and Death compare to those of your Immortal Companion Sect?”

“Your brothers and sisters are truly outstanding, their elegance beyond compare,” Long Feiyu replied with polite flattery—one could hardly speak ill of their host on their own ground.

Han Qiaoman, however, easily perceived his concealed disdain and resolved that her disciples must put on a display of their skills before long.

“I wonder if Junior Brother Zhou Qi, the core disciple, is here? The day I chanced upon him, his bearing was exceptional—clearly no ordinary man. Alas, the encounter was too brief for conversation, which I greatly regret,” Long Feiyu remarked after searching in vain for Zhou Qi. Could it be that the man was too afraid to show up?

Zhou Qi? Han Qiaoman was taken aback, unable to fathom what quality in Zhou Qi could have impressed the arrogant Long Feiyu. She promptly asked a nearby maid if Zhou Qi had arrived, but the maid shook her head.

Han Qiaoman’s anger flared. Not only had she lost a precious pill to him, but now he was making such a show of importance, clearly showing no respect at all. Did he think her so easily slighted? She immediately ordered that he be fetched.

It was not Zhou Qi’s intention to put on airs; he had simply gotten lost. The shores of Lake Tianze were reserved for receiving honored guests of the sect—ordinary disciples had little knowledge of the area, and he had seen none of the other core disciples about. Following the directions of a well-meaning disciple, he had only ended up more confused.

Still, with time passing and no sign of Zhou Qi, Han Qiaoman’s irritation only grew. She had sent someone to fetch him, and yet he had still not arrived. Yet as Long Feiyu had specifically requested him, she could not risk offending the guest by dismissing his wishes.

The disciples began to grow bored. Wasn’t this meant to be an opportunity to showcase themselves? So far, all they had done was eat and drink, but what they truly desired was a Dao companion, not food and wine.

At length, a maid of the Golden Core stage, her spiritual sense formidable, managed to find Zhou Qi far from the lakeside—otherwise, who could guess how much longer he would have wandered. “Senior Brother Zhou, the gathering by Lake Tianze has already begun. We’ve only been waiting on you. Why haven’t you come?” Although her cultivation was higher than Zhou Qi’s, her status was lower, so she could only address him as senior brother.

“I got lost,” Zhou Qi replied ruefully. If he still couldn’t find his way, he was half-inclined to simply give up and go home.

“You didn’t know you can use your spiritual sense to search your token for directions?” the maid asked, surprised. Each token was inscribed with the sect’s map according to the bearer’s level of authority, and the core disciples’ tokens contained a marker for Lake Tianze.

“Ah—haha, is that so?” Zhou Qi replied awkwardly. No one had told him. He probed the token with his spiritual sense and, sure enough, saw the marker for Lake Tianze, along with a clear indication of his distance and direction from it. His token even had automatic navigation? Incredible! Zhou Qi felt an urge to find that “helpful” disciple and give him a piece of his mind—even if the fellow’s cultivation was higher, his directions had been wildly off.

Following the map, Zhou Qi hurried toward Lake Tianze. He wondered if Senior Sister Han would be angry at his tardiness. The maid watched his frantic sprint with a mix of amusement and disbelief; never had she seen a core disciple of such low cultivation.

As she rode her sword alongside Zhou Qi, she asked, “Senior brother, why not let me give you a lift?”

“Gladly!” Zhou Qi, panting with exhaustion, was overjoyed at the prospect of a ride.