Chapter 10

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The Cloudy Path Sect has a thousand-year-old tradition, and the scripture hall contains a vast number of cultivation techniques, which, in principle, inner disciples can choose from freely.

The disciples of Old Tree Peak, due to their teacher Bu Yuan's use of the sword, all chose sword cultivation, and Ye Bai was no exception. Sword cultivation relies entirely on a single sword, with immense power in the early stages, but becomes increasingly difficult as one progresses.

Taking advantage of his injury and rest, Ye Bai rarely meditated anymore, instead spending more time on spell cultivation. The basic spell for sword cultivation is the Object Control Spell, which is also a foundational course for many other sects, though sword cultivators use it more frequently.

Ye Bai had already cultivated the Object Control Spell to the level where his mind could control it at will. Previously, he used a long rope to steal the spirit ore from the Green-Eyed Golden Ape, which was precisely this spell. Unfortunately, he had never combined it with a flying sword, as the irregular nature of the flying sword made it extremely difficult to control, and it also consumed a great deal of primordial energy.

“Boom,” a black light flashed, followed by several gusts of wind. The boulders on the cliff face, cut like tofu, fell to the ground.

The peach wood sword seemed to have gained a spirit, humming as it danced in the air. It only returned when Ye Bai summoned it with his right hand.

Ye Bai nodded in satisfaction. The efforts of the past few days had not been in vain. The power of the flying sword pleased him greatly. He believed that if he encountered a monster of the same level as the Green-Eyed Golden Ape again, he could easily slay it with just the flying sword.

He practiced for another half an hour until he felt his primordial energy was depleted, then returned to his cave.

All this commotion was surprisingly quiet and did not cause any disturbance among the surrounding beasts. Since a few mad lion beasts were attracted and then chopped into two pieces and thrown down the mountain a few days ago, no beast dared to investigate. Let them make noise; who knows what those foolish monkeys are doing, as long as they don't encroach on my territory.

After resting with his eyes closed for a while, Ye Bai made up his mind to go out again, both to practice and to seek opportunities.

No one could accurately say how vast the Thunderfall Abyss was, as each entry only allowed a stay of ten days. Many people never ventured more than five days' journey from the boundary gate.

Now, knowing he could stay inside for a long time, Ye Bai had the idea to explore further. He believed that in those uncharted areas, there would be even more surprises waiting for him.

Ye Bai pondered for a moment and decided to follow the river downstream from the waterfall he had jumped from, so he could trace his way back if he got lost.

Intense splashes of water rose into the air, forming a white mist that fell back into the river, flowing downstream.

Ye Bai advanced at high speed through the forest beside the river. Occasionally, the sounds of sword whistles and beast roars could be heard. At the beginning, when he encountered beasts, Ye Bai's use of the flying sword was still somewhat clumsy, and he sustained minor injuries. As he became more proficient, he even developed a perverse desire for more beasts to appear.

The more beasts he killed, the more rewards he reaped. Ye Bai, though not well-versed, had read a few books on strange creatures in the scripture hall, which detailed the descriptions, appearances, habits, and uses of various parts of the beasts.

Soon, Ye Bai's empty storage bag was filled with various materials, such as the fur of Fire Tigers, the Heavenly Pearl of Six-Winged Fire Centipedes, and Black Mountain Snow Mushrooms, among others.

Although they were all low-level items, the sheer quantity was enough to make Ye Bai grin from ear to ear. When he returned, he could sell them at the trading market for a good amount of spirit stones.

The only downside was the rapid depletion of his primordial energy, forcing him to stop and meditate every hour or so.

Sitting on a rock, he gazed into the distant, deep darkness, where towering mountains stood like giants, solemn and silent. Ye Bai marveled at the wonders of nature for the first time.

At that moment, the sound of something breaking the air, "swoosh, swoosh," caught his attention. Ye Bai dodged to the side, avoiding the attack, and saw a black-and-white spirit lynx in the grass, its fur bristling like steel needles, its brown eyes wide with caution, scrutinizing Ye Bai. It brandished its sharp claws and let out a "squeak" of challenge.

"Truly a cute and vengeful little thing!" Ye Bai shook his head and smiled bitterly. Since he had stolen three monk fruit from this little creature two days ago, it had been following him, occasionally harassing him.

This spirit lynx was agile and quick, always managing to dodge Ye Bai's attacks, leaving him helpless. Ye Bai decided to ignore it.

A flash of sword light struck the ground, creating a large crater, but the spirit lynx was unharmed, leaving a trail of afterimages and fleeing rapidly.

This time, Ye Bai decided not to let it go. While it was fine during normal times, if it interfered when he was facing a powerful beast, it could be fatal. Ye Bai's figure darted forward, following the lynx swiftly.

The spirit lynx was extremely fast and cunning, zigzagging to avoid detection. Ye Bai, to keep track of his direction, marked trees and rocks with his flying sword every few dozen feet. This delay caused the distance between them to grow, until Ye Bai saw the lynx leap off a cliff and disappear.

The cliff was like the mouth of a black giant, deep and unfathomable. Ye Bai approached the edge, seeing only darkness, with a faint mist rising from below.

"That doesn't make sense. This little thing is so cunning; it wouldn't seek its own death," Ye Bai thought, unable to resist speculating. He circulated his primordial energy, expanded his mind, and his spiritual sense spread out like a spider web, searching every inch of the area.

There! When Ye Bai's spiritual sense reached twenty feet below the cliff, he immediately detected a tree extending from the edge, spanning the cliff wall. At the base of the tree, there was a large open space, likely a cave. Ye Bai did not probe further into the cave, fearing he might alert the lynx. This time, he would catch it like a fish in a net.

Ye Bai chuckled, leaped, and landed on the tree branch in a strange, straight posture, making no sound, which was quite eerie.

Since entering the ninth level of Qi Refinement, Ye Bai's control over his body had become more fluid, and his movements more ethereal, giving him a somewhat immortal-like appearance. With one more step, he could fly through the air. Unfortunately, he did not have the jade slip for this technique and would have to return to the sect to learn it.

In one step, Ye Bai stood at the cave entrance. The spirit lynx clearly did not expect him to follow, as it was happily eating some unknown plant fruit. When it saw Ye Bai, its eyes were filled with disbelief.

Ye Bai, however, was not interested in the lynx's shock. His attention was entirely on what was inside the cave. His mind was filled with only one thought: "It's a bountiful harvest season!"