Chapter 348: Destiny’s Layout

Chapter 348: Chapter 348: Destiny’s Layout

Li Wuji’s cave residence was located at the foot of a low mountain, a four-hour journey from Mi Mountain.

This was no ordinary mountain. It was a deep, dark black with a purplish sheen, and the moment one looked upon it, a heavy presence seemed to rush forth.

’It doesn’t look natural. More like something that fell from the sky.’

’How have I never noticed a place like this before?’

After circling halfway around the mountain, Bai Mo found Li Wuji’s cave residence.

The entrance looked proper. Although simple, it was clearly an entryway.

As he reached out to touch the large gate, the power of an Array flowed out and repelled his hand.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Brother Li?"

Bai Mo knocked on the door and called out several times. He waited for a long while, but there was still no response.

So, without further hesitation, he crushed the Jade Talisman used for communicating with Li Wuji.

A breeze blew through the forest, carrying a faint moisture.

Bai Mo sighed.

’Brother Li must be in trouble.’

Beside him, dust flew up as Ah Er started digging a hole. In just a moment, it had already burrowed halfway into the ground.

Suddenly, it let out a whimper and backed out of the hole.

"URGH!"

Ah Er shook its head at Bai Mo. A lump had formed on its forehead; it seemed to have suffered a significant setback.

’This is tricky...’

Bai Mo frowned. Just as he was hesitating over whether to call for help, the cave residence’s main gate creaked open.

Bai Mo was slightly stunned to see that the one who opened the door was a puppet.

Such puppets were sold in the marketplace. They were very crude, with simple wooden limbs and a squarish, humanoid head.

It was only the robe draped over it that made it look somewhat presentable.

The puppets were powered by Spirit Stones and could only perform simple tasks, making them not very practical.

Bai Mo walked right past the puppet and strode quickly into the cave residence.

Ah Er followed close behind, accidentally knocking over the wooden puppet.

It was instantly startled.

Just as it was about to help the puppet up, it saw the puppet’s limbs bend backward on the ground. Like a spider, it pushed itself up with its limbs reversed and leaped back to its feet.

Witnessing this bizarre scene, Ah Er’s eyes widened. Its panic turned to terror, and with a yelp, it dropped to all fours and scurried to Bai Mo’s feet.

The cave residence was actually quite nice. Li Wuji’s craftsmanship was excellent; he had managed to carve out a series of neat and orderly rooms within the mountain.

Inside, the Spiritual Qi was rippling and fluctuating. Bai Mo followed the fluctuations deeper into the cave.

At the very end, in the innermost chamber, he finally saw Li Wuji.

The room was in the deepest part of the cave residence. Aside from Li Wuji and a large wooden barrel, there was nothing else.

Li Wuji was sitting in the wooden barrel, which was filled with a dark green spiritual liquid that was still boiling and churning, submerging him up to his chest.

’It’s probably some kind of formula he mastered that aids cultivation.’

Bai Mo approached, but the other man still didn’t react. Even so, Bai Mo felt a little relieved.

’The fact that he heard me knocking and sent the puppet to open the door means the situation can’t be too bad.’

He reached out and touched the skin on the back of Li Wuji’s neck. A scorching heat transmitted through his hand; it was shockingly hot.

Bai Mo snatched his hand back like lightning. In that brief moment, he had also felt the Spiritual Qi surging within Li Wuji’s body.

The Spiritual Qi was like a slow, dark undercurrent; only by being within it could one feel the immense power it contained.

After a moment of thought, Bai Mo understood the root of the problem.

CRACK! THUD!

Bai Mo gathered all his strength and struck Li Wuji’s back with his palm.

First came a sharp crack, followed by the dull thud of the force impacting the man’s chest.

Along with this sound, Li Wuji’s eyes shot open, and he spat out a glob of Golden Liquid.

The Golden Liquid landed on the ground with a SPLAT. Then, like molten iron, it began to pop and sizzle with a series of CRACKLES and TINGS, shooting out countless golden sparks.

The corner of Bai Mo’s eye twitched as he watched.

"Brother Li, how did your Spiritual Qi become so solidified?"

Li Wuji weakly opened his eyes, watching as the golden sparks popped, vanished, and turned into billowing Spiritual Qi.

"I’ve been struggling with an unstable Golden Core. Every time I get halfway through forming it, it collapses."

"Later, I desperately searched for all kinds of Core Formation Skills. I wasn’t looking for any great special abilities, just one that would make my Golden Core solid and sturdy."

As he spoke, he shook his head slightly, sighing with regret.

"I never thought that even after getting this far, I still can’t break through successfully."

As he was speaking, his expression suddenly changed again. He opened his mouth and spat out several jets of gold, which landed on the ground and burst into countless golden sparks.

The path to Core Formation he had so carefully paved was dissolving under the pill’s power, turning into Golden Liquid.

"The Pill is working. Junior Brother, your skills are excellent."

"It’s a good thing you came this time. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would have met my end here."

Bai Mo seemed unfazed. He watched for a moment, then took out his personal notebook, jotted something down, and turned to leave.

"Brother Li, you’re just bloated with Spiritual Qi. It’s nothing serious. Just be careful."

Li Wuji tried to get up, but Bai Mo pressed him back down.

"I can see myself out. You don’t need to escort me."

Just as he reached the entrance, a dense wave of heat surged out from behind him.

It was Li Wuji, beginning to guide the Spiritual Qi for Body Tempering.

This was the first time Bai Mo had ever seen a disciple cultivate Spiritual Qi to such a degree. It was beyond anything he had ever known.

’From now on, when I’m performing Alchemy, I need to take the user’s condition more into account...’

Ah Er was not human and was more sensitive to qi and blood.

It had wanted to watch a little longer, but startled by the sudden eruption of Li Wuji’s qi and blood, it immediately followed Bai Mo out of the cave.

Having resolved Li Wuji’s predicament, Bai Mo boarded his Flying Ship and returned to Mi Mountain.

On the way, he used a sliver of his focus to control the Flying Ship, but most of his thoughts were on Li Wuji.

’With such a robust foundation, Brother Li must be quite resilient.’

’I could actually have him test many of my Pills...’

He was lost in thought until he finally arrived back at Mi Mountain.

There, he saw a group of a dozen or so disciples waiting outside the main gate, whispering among themselves.

Yuan Chu and Gong Gui were among them. The one leading them was a middle-aged Cultivator in a bright red robe, with a few streaks of white in his hair.

The middle-aged Cultivator tilted his head back, his gaze sweeping over the mountain’s greenery. He seemed to have noticed something, his focus intense.

Only when Bai Mo returned did the man turn his head and say indifferently:

"Hm, the warden is back. Open the gate."

Bai Mo’s heart tightened. He already had an idea of who this was.

He disembarked from the Flying Ship, surveyed the group, and then cupped his fist.

"Greetings, Senior. You should know that the gates of Mi Mountain are not opened lightly. Do you have a token from the Foreign Affairs Hall?"

"I do."

The middle-aged Cultivator flicked his sleeve and produced a token.

"Take it and see."

Yuan Chu and Gong Gui stepped forward together, took the token, and walked over to Bai Mo.

"Junior Brother Bai, this is our master."

Bai Mo nodded.

"We have finally been graced by your presence, Senior."

Bai Mo inspected the token and opened the gate. The waiting disciples filed inside on their own.

Yuan Chu, Gong Gui, and the middle-aged Cultivator did not enter.

Seeing Bai Mo’s confusion, Yuan Chu explained:

"Some of the mighty figures have abilities that are almost like precognition."

"We’re setting an inescapable trap, and we’re afraid of unforeseen accidents, so our master found some disciples whose fates cannot be divined."

Bai Mo looked at the group but couldn’t see what was so special about those Cultivators.

Gong Gui spoke with a hint of envy.

"They are all people of great fortune. So much better off than a struggling wretch like me, who’s still trying to build my own foundation."

Yuan Chu nodded.

"These people are all legendary figures among the disciples. Some have had skills bestowed upon them by a venerable elder, others have found high-grade Spirit Beasts just by walking down a road..."

"Some even live carefree lives of luxury, with fine carriages, beautiful maids, and companions as precious as jade."

"They are all chosen by destiny!"