Chapter 10

When Fang Ming woke up, it was already half an hour later.

He slowly regained consciousness, feeling the restraints on his body, and was immediately startled, finally remembering what had happened.

Looking more closely, he found himself bound to a tree with a circle of golden fine ropes. These ropes were treasures he had prepared in his Ruyi Bag to tie others, but he never thought they would be used on himself.

"You're finally awake," Li Wan said.

"Despicable scoundrel, to sneak attack me!" Fang Ming glared at him with anger.

Li Wan smiled and said, "Considering that you brought me treasures from a hundred miles away, I spared your life. Instead of being grateful, you curse me. What kind of logic is that?"

Hearing the words "a hundred miles away," Fang Ming couldn't help but shudder again: "Now that I'm in your hands, do as you please, whether to kill or maim me. What's the point of talking?"

"Good!" Li Wan said, "You are indeed a disciple of a prestigious school, with great courage. However, I didn't spare your life to kill you slowly."

Fang Ming asked, "What do you really want?"

Li Wan said, "I just want to ask you one thing: besides you, did Yin Shaohua send anyone else to hunt me down? Don't rush to curse me. Think about it: your life is your own, but the mission is someone else's. If you fail the mission, the worst that can happen is punishment or being sidelined. But if you offend me, what will be your fate? Moreover, if you tell me these things, at worst, we both fail. But if I am caught by others, it will show your incompetence. You should know what to do."

He was trying to break down Fang Ming's defenses by attacking his mind.

Fang Ming fell silent for a moment and then said, "Besides me, it's Shi Buyi. But you can rest assured, he has already headed north. As long as you don't go to him, you won't run into him."

Fang Ming, moved by Li Wan's words, revealed more details about the tracking. It turned out that the tracking was guided by the divination of the steward Qiu and several tracking talismans.

Their effects were very limited and had probably already expired, so Li Wan no longer needed to worry.

"Is that so..."

Li Wan finally felt completely at ease and began to search Fang Ming's Ruyi Bag in front of him.

Seeing this, Fang Ming couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, but with no choice, he could only watch helplessly.

Li Wan smiled and said, "We have no grudge against each other. I don't want to kill you, and you shouldn't chase me anymore. I'll return your Ruyi Bag and treasures, but I'll take half of the spirit stones, all the Thunder Bombs, Qi-Enhancing Pills, and the stacks of talismans."

As an outer court disciple, Fang Ming was quite wealthy. In his Ruyi Bag, there were over 900 spirit stones, 8 Thunder Bombs, a bottle of Qi-Enhancing Pills, and several Divine Speed Talismans, Golden Armor Talismans, and Sword Fiend Talismans.

These were treasures that only cultivators of the mystic arts could use. If Fang Ming had used them earlier, Li Wan would have been captured long ago. But because these items were very valuable, Fang Ming had hesitated, leading to his current predicament.

Fang Ming clearly realized this and couldn't help but feel both angry and regretful.

Li Wan sighed, "Your pain is useless. I must take these things; otherwise, you might use them to hunt me down. But don't worry, I'll leave you this treasure sword."

Li Wan didn't want to kill, as killing Fang Ming would lead to a formal manhunt by the Righteous Gate. He still left a way out.

He was now planning to flee far away and wouldn't want to cause himself trouble. Once he left, the matter with Yin Shaohua would be over, and the Righteous Gate would find it hard to trouble him. But if he killed Fang Ming, an outer court disciple, the consequences would be severe.

He understood these boundaries.

***

A few days later, at dusk.

Li Wan traveled east, stopping and going, and finally reached over 3,000 miles away, completely out of the Righteous Gate's control.

Only then did his heart, which had been on edge, finally relax.

In his heart, the Righteous Gate had become a thing of the past. He planned to head to a spiritual mountain in the east and join another major sect.

According to the rules of the mystic arts, a named disciple is not considered a true disciple and is not listed in the sect's registry. At this point, changing to another sect is allowed by all sects and is an important part of talent circulation.

However, major sects usually prefer to cultivate their own talents. Those who stay in the named disciple arena for years and pass the time test are more likely to be prioritized for inclusion.

Li Wan originally had the opportunity to be prioritized for inclusion in the Righteous Gate, but he no longer wanted to stay there.

The sect he planned to join was called the Red Sun Sect.

The Red Sun Sect was the leading one of the five major sects in the Southern Heaven cultivation world, named after its founder, the ancient giant Red Sun Zi.

According to legend, Red Sun Zi was one of the revered figures of the Great Luo Sect and served as the Grand Elder, wielding real power and enjoying an extremely high status. Later, during a great change in the world, he was concerned about the loss of the foundation for his disciples' survival and, together with several other giants in the sect, created a small alliance of mutual aid, becoming allies.

The Red Sun Sect passed down the supreme cultivation method, the "Red Sun Scripture," and also inherited two top-tier techniques from the Great Luo Sect, the "Fiery Emperor Sword Technique" and the "Return to Origin Scripture." The sect had countless experts and elite geniuses and possessed the first-class blessed land of the Southern Heaven, the Tundan Cave Heaven. It led dozens of sects, associations, and organizations outside the five major sects and was recognized as the leader of the Southern Heaven cultivation world, under the command of the Xuantian Sect.

Li Wan arrived at the Red Sun Sect's gate and, according to the rules, submitted a letter of introduction to state his intentions. He then found a inn in the town at the foot of the mountain to stay, waiting for the outer court to process his letter and issue a number plate.

This number plate was not something anyone could get, but as a Qi Cultivation practitioner, he had the qualifications.

During the waiting period, he didn't move around and instead hid to cultivate the newly learned Void Treasure Seal.

Although he was just starting his cultivation journey, he had some knowledge and understood that this seal was extraordinary. Increasing his cultivation by even a little would increase his chances of achieving the Dao.

Moreover, although the Void Treasure Seal was a cultivation technique, becoming a master of the art of artifacts was also a good choice. Skilled artifact masters could create magical artifacts and spirit treasures, and their status was no less than that of accomplished cultivators.

With the "Great Canon of the Artisan Sect" in his possession, he should develop in this direction. The Void Treasure Seal would help him understand more about Dao patterns and seals, serving as an introduction to the art of artifacts.

A few days later, someone from the outer court came to the inn to deliver the number plate.

"You who wish to join our Red Sun Sect can go up the mountain today to participate in the selection. Remember, the latest reporting time is noon. Don't be late."

Everyone responded with enthusiasm and began to pack their belongings.

A few hours later, those participating in the selection gathered at the named disciple arena of the Red Sun Sect.

In front of the arena was a spacious and flat large square. Behind the square was the mountain gate, and a small path leading to the mountains behind could be seen, disappearing into the mist.

Li Wan and the others had only submitted their letters of introduction and were not yet members of the Red Sun Sect. They stopped at the square in front of the mountain gate, divided into several rows according to their number plates, and waited for the initial selection.

During this time, Li Wan met a short and plump wealthy family's son named Wang Lin. He was from a merchant family 500 miles outside the Red Sun Sect, who had contributed a thousand gold pieces to the sect, earning him a number plate to participate in the selection.

Seeing that Wang Lin seemed nervous, Li Wan comforted him, "Brother Wang, there's no need to be nervous. Your family's contribution of a thousand gold pieces, equivalent to ten thousand spirit stones, is a considerable fortune. With this fortune, how many named disciples can be supported, and how many talented seeds can be cultivated? Just this contribution alone is enough to ensure your entry into the outer court."

Even among the wealthy, there were those with long-term vision, willing to invest heavily to support their children into the sect. If they were fortunate enough to learn the immortal arts, the prosperity of the family would depend on it.

Clearly, Wang Lin was also here with high hopes.

Wang Lin nodded politely, "Thank you for your kind words, Brother Li. If I can smoothly enter the outer court, that would be great."

"Ha!" Suddenly, a sneer came from the side, "You fat pig, thinking of joining the sect. What do you take the Red Sun Sect for?"

"You..." Wang Lin clenched his fists, his face turning red with anger when the young master called him a fat pig.

Li Wan turned to see a young man in fine silk and a jade crown, dressed in luxurious clothing.

Seeing Li Wan's gaze, the young master sneered, "Just a wandering cultivator, relying on your Qi Cultivation to talk nonsense."

Li Wan was also annoyed. He had only comforted Wang Lin out of politeness; what was it to him?

Li Wan coldly snorted and glared at the young master.

The young master waved his folding fan and looked at the two of them with disdain, "You think you can join the Red Sun Sect? Don't be ridiculous. Let me tell you, the three special slots for the outer court this time have already been taken by our Jin family. You have no chance."

"What, taken?" Wang Lin's body trembled, suddenly remembering something, and he was shocked, "Could it be... Could it be that the rumor is true... You... You are the second young master of the Jin family in the capital!"

A glint of surprise flashed in the young master's eyes, and he smiled, "I didn't expect you to have some knowledge, but I'm not the second young master. My cousin is! I am Jin Minghai. Remember that."

Wang Lin's head drooped like a frost-bitten eggplant, his face ashen.

"Something seems off. This person said the special slots for the outer court have been taken by their Jin family. What's going on? And what kind of family is this Jin family? It sounds very powerful."

Li Wan's heart stirred at the sight.