CSMCDB - Chapter 150
Chapter 150
Upon entering the secret realm, everyone quickly dispersed. A secret realm designed primarily for cultivation was unlikely to cause any disputes over treasures. Besides, those who entered were all relatively famous among the younger generation and knew one another, so they naturally wouldn't clash over a cultivation spot.
Wen Yuncheng summoned her Floating Magnetic Disk. The disk's shell was made of a transparent material, revealing some of its internal mechanical structure. A ring around its edge was said to be capable of emitting light, which could even change color according to Wen Yuncheng's will—but that was far too flamboyant, and the light wouldn't be noticeable during the day anyway, so Wen Yuncheng didn't activate this feature.
When enlarged, the Floating Magnetic Disk could just about fit two people. After pulling Lin Jinyu onto the disk with her, Wen Yuncheng piloted it to ascend rapidly, arriving at a mountain peak where she had Lin Jinyu sense for nearby cultivation hotspots.
"Is this your Star King-level flight ability?" Lin Jinyu asked after scanning the surroundings and confirming no one else was around.
"Yes. It has almost no energy consumption and can be used anytime. It's very convenient," Wen Yuncheng said with a smile. The Floating Magnetic Disk was quite handy. The skill description mentioned it could be combined with the Mechanical Throne, allowing the throne to float. Wen Yuncheng had examined it carefully; the throne was designed with a mechanism at its base where the Floating Magnetic Disk could slot in perfectly. …But in truth, things like the Star Cannons could also be placed on the disk. As long as the flight speed was stable, the cannons wouldn't fall off.
Unfortunately, the skill only provided one disk. Otherwise, her Star Cannons could be just like her Air Wings.
Although she couldn't fly through the air directly, the disk was still pretty cool. Standing on it felt a bit like riding a flying sword.
After Lin Jinyu sensed the area for a while, Wen Yuncheng began flying them toward a place with dense Star Power. Disciples from other sects either used swift movement techniques or Mechanical Wings, but both of those methods surely consumed more energy and weren't as fast as the Floating Magnetic Disk.
Once they reached the cultivation spot, Wen Yuncheng sat down beside Lin Jinyu. As the Little Ice Mountain began to absorb Star Power and cultivate, Wen Yuncheng summoned her three Apostles. They sat in a circle with her, piles of components placed in the middle, and began assembling.
Wen Yuncheng was suddenly reminded of the time she and Lin Jinyu had spent training during the Beast Tide. During the nights back then, she had also sat beside Lin Jinyu, quietly assembling parts just like this.
…One whole month.
Lin Jinyu had entered seclusion on her birthday to break through to the third layer of Star Spirit, but she hadn't been able to succeed. Now, as Wen Yuncheng sat beside her, she could feel the Star Power condensing within Lin Jinyu's body, and the surrounding Star Power was also being continuously absorbed by her…
Just as she was reminiscing about the Beast Tide, the Star Power around Lin Jinyu fluctuated for a moment, and just like that, she naturally and smoothly stepped into the third layer of Star Spirit.
Wen Yuncheng: …Did the Little Ice Mountain just break through?
[It seems so,] 1947 replied. [But she was already very close. Breaking through in the secret realm was probably to better stabilize her rank, which will make it much easier to advance to Star King later.]
Building a solid foundation, Wen Yuncheng understood. Holding a component, she couldn't help but steal a few more glances at the Little Ice Mountain. Lin Jinyu's aura was stable, as if she had long anticipated this breakthrough. Even after succeeding, she didn't immediately stop cultivating.
Wen Yuncheng stood guard for a while. After confirming that everything was fine, she buried her head in her work and continued assembling her machines.
She glanced at her golden Air Wing, then thought for a moment and took out the silver-white spray paint she had bought before, giving the newly assembled Air Wings a new color.
One set was high-profile and luxurious, the other was low-key with a touch of class. It was a pretty good combination.
The cultivation in the secret realm proceeded without any incidents. The only drawback was probably being cut off from the outside world, unable to know if anything had happened in the Empire recently.
Not long after Lin Jinyu's breakthrough, some other people found their way to this spot. However, the moment they saw Wen Yuncheng there, they tactfully detoured and left. The secret realm was vast, and there were plenty of good cultivation spots; there was no need to start a conflict with someone over one place.
Just like that, Lin Jinyu reached the third layer of Star Spirit in the secret realm and consolidated her rank. Towards the end of the month, she even cautiously attempted to break through to the Star King level. Of course, she failed, but the attempt gave Lin Jinyu a great deal of experience.
Wen Yuncheng, on the other hand, stockpiled a considerable number of Mechanical Barriers and low-key Air Wings. After all, if the Huanling Continent truly invaded, how could she sit on her Mechanical Throne without at least a hundred mechanical units at her command? Of course, Wen Yuncheng didn't dare to think about numbers in the tens of thousands just yet; she simply set a small goal of one hundred units.
By the time they left the secret realm, Wen Yuncheng possessed fifty-four Air Wings and thirty-four Mechanical Barriers. Naturally, her points had dwindled to just 8,396.
They took a Gugu Bird back to the Flowing Cloud Sect. Just as Wen Yuncheng reached the foot of the mountain, she caught a flash of white light hurtling straight toward her out of the corner of her eye. Startled, she took two steps back and immediately summoned her small white jade cauldron! Xiao Shi'er crashed headfirst into the cauldron, making it wobble, and the little fox fell backward onto the ground, dazed.
"…Xiao Shi'er? Are you okay?" Wen Yuncheng knew Xiao Shi'er was just excited to see her and had come specially to greet her. But… but you're not that tiny, cute little fox anymore. If you pounce on me like that…
Wen Yuncheng felt she would have been knocked over and sent rolling on the ground right along with Xiao Shi'er.
Lin Jinyu bent down and picked Xiao Shi'er up. She tested the fox's weight, then gently rubbed the spot on her head where she had hit the cauldron. Xiao Shi'er let out a series of whimpering cries. Wen Yuncheng quickly tried to make amends, buying a hot roasted chicken from the system store and holding a drumstick to Xiao Shi'er's mouth.
"Ying ying… (chomp) crunch crunch… ying… crunch…" Xiao Shi'er tried to whimper and eat at the same time, but she soon discovered that whimpering was a waste of time. So, she clamped down on the drumstick and began to eat heartily, her complaints forgotten.
Sigh. The first time she saw Xiao Shi'er's human form in the Demonic Beast Great Forest, she was such a cute and well-behaved child. Now she had become a round, chubby doll, like a little cherub.
Wen Yuncheng ruffled Xiao Shi'er's head. "In a few days, I'm going out to take on some bounties. You'll come with me for some proper exercise—and you won't be riding the Gugu Bird with me. You can fly yourself."
Xiao Shi'er: ??!
"Taking on bounties again?"
"Mhm, a few dozen of them. Since that other continent was able to send cannon fodder over, and successfully at that, the real war probably isn't far off," Wen Yuncheng explained. "If I don't do them now, these bounties might not be available later. After all, no one knows what form things will take then."
Lin Jinyu nodded. "Then I'll go with you." After a month of cultivation in the secret realm, using real combat to digest her insights was clearly the best option. Besides, being with Wen Yuncheng… even if something happened, Lin Jinyu wouldn't have to worry all by herself back at the Flowing Cloud Sect.
And so, the plan was tentatively set. The two first informed Sect Master Lin, then returned to the Imperial Capital to let Yan Ling and the First Princess know as well.
Ever since the night sky had been torn open to allow the cannon fodder from another world to invade, the atmosphere on the continent had become extremely tense. This year, the three Protectors were sent to oversee the Beast Tide, lest any of the demonic beast sovereigns get any funny ideas. The Empire had also requested the previous generation's Protectors and some reclusive Star Emperors to keep an eye on Dragon Island's movements.
An invasion…
Wen Yuncheng didn't dwell on it. After putting on her mask and cloak, she went to the bounty hall with Lin Jinyu, who was holding Xiao Shi'er, and began to select missions.
Missions to eliminate bandits and evildoers were her first priority. Then, she would also pick up some easier missions that were on her way—like delivering letters or items, or escorting merchant caravans for a stretch of their journey.
Then, Wen Yuncheng spotted a peculiar mission: "Teach Protector Di Feng's son, Di Yuanhao, a lesson. Full video recording required!"
To be honest, Wen Yuncheng was a little tempted. But Protector Di Feng had protected her for so long that she felt too embarrassed to do something so underhanded, so she could only refuse with a heavy heart. She figured that fellow Di Yuanhao was probably still as arrogant and conceited as ever. His personality was quite detestable, so it was normal for someone to want to teach him a lesson.
As Wen Yuncheng browsed, she actually found a bounty asking someone to teach her a lesson! What the hell?! What was even more outrageous was that the reward for beating her up was only five thousand Star Stones. Five thousand? Are you kidding me? She, Wen Yuncheng, was worth millions! Wen Yuncheng immediately rolled up her sleeves, on the verge of tearing down the bounty notice and demanding an explanation from the hall staff. Five thousand Star Stones, who were they looking down on?
"…It's just a bounty posted for fun, don't mind it." Lin Jinyu grabbed Wen Yuncheng's wrist and pulled her away from the bounty board. She persuaded her in a low voice, "Think about it, the bounty to beat up a Protector is only one Star Stone."
"I wouldn't be angry if it was only one Star Stone." This five-thousand-Star-Stone amount felt like it was stuck somewhere between serious and a joke, neither here nor there.
Skipping over that bounty, Wen Yuncheng's interest was piqued: she wanted to see just how many people from the younger generation had bounties on their heads! Heh, if any of them had crossed her before… hehehe.
Wen Yuncheng searched with great effort and actually found a bounty to beat up the Third Prince. She snatched it down like a precious treasure and stuffed it into her robes, then continued her search—for people like Zhou Yaze, Kun Yi, and the Young Master of the Blood Fiend Sect. Even if the reward was only one Star Stone, Wen Yuncheng would be more than happy to help someone vent their anger.
In the end, Wen Yuncheng spent so much time searching for bounty notices that other people who wanted to accept missions started to get annoyed. On top of that, Lin Jinyu pulled the bounty for the Third Prince from Wen Yuncheng's robes, realized what this rascal was up to, and helplessly dragged her away.
"Why are you… so vengeful?" Lin Jinyu said, looking at the bounty notice to beat up the Third Prince. The Third Prince? That grudge was from years ago. The Third Prince had been punished with a year of house arrest back then and hadn't bothered them at all since.
"No! That's not it! I'm not deliberately trying to cause trouble for him. I found this by accident, and I thought… this mission seems pretty simple." Wen Yuncheng's face flushed slightly, but it was hidden by her mask, revealing nothing. She argued, her voice full of false bravado, "This bounty notice was a bit sticky, it got stuck to my hand by mistake. I figured since I already tore it off, and the mission isn't hard…"
"Oh, and what about this one to beat up the Young Master of the Blood Fiend Sect…"
"…" Wen Yuncheng's eyes darted away. She fell silent for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Alright, I'll be honest. I'm just vengeful."
"I also want to beat up Zhou Yaze and Kun Yi. As for that kid Lin Jue, I'll let him off. He's been pretty sensible these past few years."
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