Chapter Six: Envoy Liu of the Main Sect

“Gold Medal Enforcer? Looking like that?”

The moment Su Yizhao appeared, a voice echoed in his ear. His gaze landed on a young man—imposing, eyes shining like stars! More importantly, the man’s cultivation had already reached the early stage of the Fourth Profound Realm. As expected of an envoy from the Main Sect—his reputation was well deserved! He seemed even younger than Su Yizhao, yet had already attained the Fourth Profound Realm. If not for the aid of the “Creation Technique,” Su Yizhao would not even be worthy of looking up to him.

But now?

Su Yizhao’s eyes swept past the young man’s face and once again met Li Xiyue’s gaze.

Li Xiyue’s eyes sparkled with delight. “You—you’ve finally regained your cultivation?”

Su Yizhao smiled gently. “I was just lucky.”

The two women beside Li Xiyue stared in a daze, their faces full of disbelief.

“Regained your cultivation? Mid-stage Third Profound Realm?” The young man’s scornful voice rang out. “What gold medal enforcer? What a backwater—claiming the title of gold medal enforcer with only Third Profound Realm cultivation! Hmph!”

Su Yizhao frowned slightly but said nothing. Li Xiyue’s expression turned cold as she replied icily, “Envoy Liu, I know the way to the Main Sect. There’s no need for you to escort us. If there’s nothing else, you may leave.”

Envoy Liu seemed caught off guard. His body stiffened, and just as he was about to speak, the woman in yellow took over, “Xiyue, Envoy Liu means well in coming to fetch us. Why make things unpleasant?”

The woman in white also chimed in, “Why don’t we ask the envoy to take us to the Lisha City mines? I heard there was a strange phenomenon there last night!”

Envoy Liu’s handsome face softened a little, and he immediately agreed, “It would be my honor! My flying artifact may be of the lowest grade, but its speed is more than twice that of sword flight. Please, observe!”

He stretched out his right hand, forming a series of hand seals.

With a whoosh, a palm-sized object shot forth.

Su Yizhao looked closely and saw a delicate little boat floating in the air.

“Enlarge!”

Envoy Liu chanted softly, and the tiny boat gradually expanded. Within a few breaths, a boat over ten feet long appeared before them, shrouded in a faint blue halo that made it seem endlessly mysterious.

Though Su Yizhao was a gold medal enforcer disciple, his jurisdiction had never extended beyond twenty thousand miles. He had seen many magical treasures, but never a flying artifact.

The three women seemed equally entranced, their eyes fixed on the floating vessel.

“It’s only thirteen feet long, but that’s enough for the four of us!” Envoy Liu declared.

Li Xiyue’s eyes turned cold again. Clearly, Envoy Liu had not considered Su Yizhao among the passengers.

“Let’s go!” Envoy Liu tapped the ground lightly and soared into the air, landing steadily at the bow of the boat.

Two flashes of white and yellow followed as the women quickly joined him.

“Xiyue, come on up!”

Li Xiyue’s voice was frosty. “You all go ahead. I’ll fly by sword with him.”

“Heh, sword flight? That strange phenomenon at the mines must mean some rare treasure has appeared. Everyone will be rushing there. By the time you arrive, what will be left?”

Su Yizhao had no intention of going in the first place. Quiet cultivation was far more appealing.

But hearing this, his heart stirred. What he lacked most now was profound stones. Had the mine’s phenomenon signaled the emergence of high-quality profound ore?

With this thought, he looked up calmly. “Xiyue wants to speak with me privately. You’d do well to mind your own business.”

“You—!”

“Impossible!”

Hearing his confident tone and seeing him stand tall, Li Xiyue’s beautiful eyes sparkled. She quickly added, “Exactly. You go ahead—we’ll catch up soon!”

“Ignorant! Let’s go!” Envoy Liu, angered, formed a hand seal. With a sharp sound, the flying boat shot forward a hundred feet in an instant, quickly disappearing into the distance.

A trace of surprise flickered in Su Yizhao’s eyes. The boat was indeed fast—more than twice the speed of sword flight for a Third Profound Realm cultivator.

But it was a pity that he was now at the Fourth Profound Realm, and his “Sword Flight Technique” had been cultivated to perfection. If he flew by sword, he would not be slower than that boat!

“Xiyue, would you like to overtake them?”

Li Xiyue replied in delight, “You have a way?”

Su Yizhao smiled softly, “Of course.”

“Really?”

“Have I ever lied to you since childhood?”

Memories flickered in Li Xiyue’s eyes, and a smile blossomed on her beautiful face. Before the age of seven, the one she admired and looked up to had returned to stand before her once more.

Su Yizhao summoned his flying sword. With his left hand, he gently supported Li Xiyue’s delicate shoulder, and with a slight pull, the two of them rose into the air, standing steadily atop the sword.

Ahead, the flying boat had already become a tiny black dot on the horizon. Su Yizhao’s dark eyes shone with quiet confidence.

With the heaven-defying “Creation Technique” at his disposal, what could stand in his way?

He activated his profound energy.

Within his dantian, the square pool of profound energy began to boil.

With a sharp sound, the flying sword shot upward, piercing the clouds in a blink. With another hand seal, the sword’s ascent slowed slightly, then shot forward like an arrow...

Lisha City sat in the southwestern corner of Linhai Commandery, itself at the southwestern edge of the Central Continent. Envoy Liu had not exaggerated—within a thousand miles, Lisha City was but a remote outpost.

The Central Continent had countless cities far grander than Lisha.

Yet outside every city, veins of profound stone ran deep.

All cultivators relied on these mines for their cultivation and pursuit of immortality.

The lands around Lisha City were also rich with profound stone, though only of the lower grades. Two thousand miles further southwest lay endless seas. Rumor had it that within those waters, there were demon cultivators.

Though there was no overt enmity between human and demon cultivators, they did not associate with one another. At least until now, Su Yizhao had never encountered a demon cultivator.

Now, the two of them soared through the skies, laughter and conversation accompanying their rapid flight. Soon, the undulating peaks and sprawling mines outside Lisha City came into view.

Li Xiyue’s beautiful face was aglow with joy—a feeling she had seldom experienced in over a decade. Especially when they overtook the flying boat, she laughed out loud.

“Xiyue, what’s this phenomenon at the mines?”

Su Yizhao surveyed the boundless mining region—there was no sign of anything unusual.

Suppressing her laughter, Li Xiyue answered softly, “Last night, countless cultivators saw a violet glow from the mines. Rumor has it some extraordinary treasure has appeared—surely it’s not a hoax.”

As they spoke, the flying sword had already covered forty or fifty miles.

Su Yizhao needed no directions—he could see crowds of cultivators ahead.

They landed atop a hill and looked out.

“That mine shaft?” Su Yizhao asked.

“It should be,” Li Xiyue replied.

A mile away, streams of cultivators poured into a pitch-black mineshaft. Around it, near and far, loose or clustered, stood four or five hundred cultivators.

Among disciples from the Profound Energy Sect in Lisha City, only those from the Alchemy Hall were dressed differently. The rest wore the standard blue robes.

Among the four or five hundred present, there were not just blue robes but also violet and purple—clearly, cultivators from other cities’ Profound Energy Sects had arrived.

There were sixteen branches of the Profound Energy Sect across Linhai Commandery and its sixteen cities.

Though they belonged to the same overarching sect, there was little contact between branches. Outwardly, relations were cordial, but in secret, rivalries over cultivation resources and profit led to frequent conflict, even murder.

Su Yizhao himself had personally hunted down five cultivators from other branches.

It was one of the reasons he had earned the title of gold medal enforcer, and why other Profound Energy Sect disciples both feared and hated the enforcer.

“It’s been an hour—people keep going in, but no one comes out. I fear this is not a treasure’s emergence, but a tomb. Enough!” An azure-robed cultivator gritted his teeth and flew away.

Treasures are only worth seeking if you live to enjoy them.

“Heh, the path to immortality is narrow. The timid will never attain the Dao. One less competitor!” A blue-robed cultivator darted into the dark mine, vanishing from sight.

Su Yizhao and Li Xiyue exchanged a glance, uncertain how to proceed.

At that moment, a voice rang out from above, “Envoy Liu Qinwu from the Main Sect is here—all cultivators, stand aside!”

The two of them looked up and could not help but exchange a knowing smile.