Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

More than ten days later.

Xiao Yuan came back.

Helming a flying sword that seemed to have lost its way.

Wearing a tattered robe with threads coming undone and large patches of remaining bloodstains.

His face bore exhaustion, sorrow, relief, and lingering fear.

He looked like a child who just endured a harsh beating but hadn’t been beaten to death.

It was coincidental that day, as Chen Li was preparing to leave the city to find a secluded place to speed through the sky.

No sooner had he stepped out of the city gate

Than he saw Xiao Yuan, descending from the sky.

At first, he suspected he had mistaken someone else for Xiao Yuan.

But then he recognized the familiar though ragged robe and the signature three strands of beard, and he knew it was indeed Xiao Yuan.

Chen Li blinked.

What’s this!?

...

Xiao Yuan landed, retracted his flying sword, and looking at the vast expanse of Red Pillar City before him, he relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

Alas, I’m finally back!

Red Pillar City is really the best.

Just then, feeling as though he was being watched,

He turned his head and saw Chen Li, stiffening all over, his mouth hanging wide open as if he’d seen a ghost.

He hurriedly covered his face with his sleeve,

Overwhelmed with shame.

Not long ago, he had been brimming with confidence, ignoring everyone’s advice, resolutely heading to the Divine Sword Sect; yet only a few days had passed, and he returned wounded, his only robe torn to pieces—a picture of abject distress.

But regaining his senses, he bitterly smiled and lowered his sleeve. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

At this point, any further concealment would be as futile as trying to stop the wind with a net, only adding to the ridicule.

...

Inside a tea house in Red Pillar City, a private room in the back courtyard.

"Sigh, it’s really embarrassing," Xiao Yuan picked up his teacup, drained it in one gulp, poured himself another, and let out a deep, dejected sigh.

"Fellow Daoist is being too hard on himself, why such self-reproach? The ups and downs are common in life; nobody leads a life free of obstacles. It’s just that times are tough nowadays, and indeed, luck hasn’t been on your side for the past couple of years," Chen Li comforted him.

Clearly, though, mere words of consolation seemed pale and ineffective.

Xiao Yuan’s spirits were downcast, and at the mention of "bad luck," his face showed even greater misery.

He unconsciously stroked his tattered robe.

The destruction of the array had caused this magic artifact to completely lose its mana and radiance, now almost indistinguishable from a mundane object.

It wouldn’t fetch much if sold.

And soon he would have to spend an exorbitant amount of money to buy a new one for appearances, another costly expenditure.

This trip to the Divine Sword Sect not only failed to secure a position as a Guest Elder, but also led him through Ghost Gate Pass; even the Spirit Stones he had painstakingly saved over two years were about to be depleted, just when he was planning to save for a few more years to buy a top-grade magic artifact.

"Alas!" Xiao Yuan sighed again, "Perhaps I truly am plagued by bad luck. Do you have any methods for turning one’s fortunes around?"

"I haven’t specifically learned any such methods, but I do possess the Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill—it can intuitively sense good and bad luck, helping one to dodge disasters and seek auspiciousness. Would you like to try it?" suggested Chen Li.

"Is that the Level 1, Rank 5 Qi Cultivation Minor Skill?" Xiao Yuan said dismissively, "I’ve learned that too; it’s of no use!"

"We can only batten down the hatches and go out less," Chen Li said, spreading his hands. "Red Pillar City is at least much safer than the outside."

"That’s all we can do for now!"

After some time had passed with tea and comforting words,

Chen Li began to inquire about what happened: "So, what in the world happened to you?"

"Alas, I received the message too late and made a wasted trip. By the time I arrived, Divine Sword Sect was nearly overrun. Demon Beasts were rampaging and devouring people everywhere. The wounds on my body were caused by a sneak attack from a Second Order Demon Beast—that mongrel the wench was raising."

Speaking of this, Xiao Yuan’s forehead wrinkled as if he was trying to crush flies with his frown:

"The Demon Beast’s strength wasn’t that formidable. In the past, I would have dealt with it easily, but now my Magic Artifact is only of medium quality. After a full-blown battle, I couldn’t even break through its defense. Coupled with my injuries, I had no choice but to retreat. I felt rather disheartened and eventually didn’t even make my way to the gates of the Divine Sword Sect before returning."

"Being able to return alive is already your good fortune!" said Chen Li. After some thought, he counted out thirty Top-grade Spirit Stones from his storage bag and pushed them over:

"Take this money for now and get yourself a better Magic Artifact for protection. Consider it a loan, and you can repay me when you have the money."

A Second Order Top-grade Magic Artifact in Red Pillar City roughly had a market price around thirty Top-grade Spirit Stones.

The secondhand ones were even cheaper.

In the trade market for Loose Cultivators near Red Pillar City, one could be had for less than twenty.

Xiao Yuan stared blankly at the pile of Top-grade Spirit Stones, his mouth twitching slightly. In the end, necessity overruled pride: "I am ashamed to admit I do need the money. I won’t stand on ceremony then. I’ll repay you as soon as I have the funds, and I swear it upon the Dao right now!"

Chen Li quickly intervened, "There’s no need for such formalities. We’ve been friends for many years; I trust you completely."

To him, it was just a small amount of money. Even if it was never repaid, he wouldn’t feel the loss.

Now that his Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill was complete, he no longer needed to take medicine baths, which had been a major expense. He could save up to forty or fifty Top-grade Spirit Stones a year.

But Xiao Yuan insisted, and in the end, took an oath upon the Dao.

After that, Chen Li asked about what the other had seen and heard on his journey.

Once they had finished the pot of tea, the two men left the tea house and said their farewells.

Chen Li looked up at the sky, noted it was not yet noon,

and continued on with his original plan to leave the city. Finding a secluded spot, he released several Phantoms that flew off in different directions—east, south, west, and north—to monitor the surroundings.

A burnt child dreads the fire.

Last time he had encountered a Golden Core, and by sheer luck, he avoided disaster, but he couldn’t always count on such luck.

When walking in the wilderness, caution was the only watchword.

After the four Phantoms had each flown over a hundred miles and taken their positions, Chen Li performed the Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill before he began to practice his flying with ease of mind.

Shortly, he increased his speed to the limit. The silver-white radiance of his protective aura made him appear like a streak of light; he soared into the sky and skimmed near the ground, striving to adapt to the near-sonic speed.

The Golden Core battle that had taken place in the sky outside the city two months ago

had a profound effect on Chen Li.

It made him realize a significant weakness of his.

He was simply not adept at aerial combat.

Since arriving in this world, all of his battles had taken place on the ground. He had never experienced a single aerial combat. Moreover, he seldom traveled far, so the opportunities had been even scarcer over the past decade or more.

The closest he came to aerial combat was on his return from the Huoyun Sect, when he evaded an aerial ambush.

But he managed to avoid that, too.

By the time he sent back his Phantoms to counterattack, the assailants had already landed.

Thinking back on it now, he felt a tinge of regret.

It was a valuable experience, after all!

After reaching the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, Chen Li’s Spiritual Power became even more abundant. Coupled with the "Purity" and "Recovery" attributes of his max-level Longevity Skill, he continued practising his flying from midday until sunset. During that time, he cycled through another two rounds of eight Phantoms for observation, yet he still retained more than half of his Spiritual Power.

"It seems no one comes here. From now on, I’ll practice here every ten days," Chen Li thought.