The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

A middle-aged man sat serenely inside the Skyrunner right next to Li Lang. His name was Yun Sha, an elder of the mighty Sunset Peak. He was currently meditating and keeping careful watch of their surroundings at the same time, using his Qi sense. His ability to multitask didn't just end there. He was also holding a conversation with the disciples he brought along for the trip.

"Um, Elder Yun, are you sure it's okay to leave Headmaster Li alone like this?" a timid woman whispered, stealing glances at the other guests sitting across from her. "He hasn't moved an inch since he boarded. There's no fluctuation of Qi either, so this isn't normal, right?"

The middle-aged man said nothing, as if he knew someone would jump in for him.

"Don't worry about it," Sima Xue said. "It's normal for him. In fact, even if you drew on his face, he likely wouldn't wake up, either."

The mischievous woman from Nightmoon Valley then retrieved a quill and some ink from her space ring. Just as she brought it up to Li Lang's face, a hand reached out to grab her wrist.

"Lady Sima," a stern voice called out from the woman hailing from Sword Saint Isle. "This is unbecoming of you. Please stop."

"Cheh, this is none of your business. Your job is only to ensure his safety, right? There's no harm in a little prank!"

The two relentlessly glared at each other as the timid girl from Sunset Peak panicked about the situation, unsure of what to do. The only fellow disciple who came along with her was the young man steering the Skyrunner. Even if he were here, she knew it wouldn't help, considering how emotionally reserved he was.

With the tension unabated, the Skyrunner continued to sail through the skies. The journey from the southwestern end of Violet Isle to the northeastern end wasn't a short one. However, with a powerful Violet Core expert utilizing a Saint-grade Skyrunner, it was possible to cross this distance within three days. This was a far cry compared to what an Earth-grade Skyrunner was capable of.

If Li Lang were to make this journey on his own power, it would likely have taken one to two months.

To everyone aboard, three days was nothing at all. The silhouette of twin peaks soon emerged on the horizon against an endlessly green backdrop. The mountains were strangely out of place when the surroundings were taken into account. All the nearby land was, surprisingly, a flat grassland that stretched for as far as the eye could see. It was as if the mountain had been artificially brought onto the prairie.

Sailing straight toward one of the peaks, Li Lang was finally roused from his meditation. He glanced down at the bustling cultivator city built atop the peak as they slowly landed on a clearing on the edge of the settlement.

As soon as they touched ground, Elder Yun opened his eyes and looked over at Li Lang.

"Welcome to Sunset Peak, Headmaster Li."

"Thank you, elder," he politely responded.

"Now then, please allow me to bring you to your quarters. You deserve some rest before the banquet tonight," the elder explained as he scratched the scar on his chin. "Fei Fei, please guide the young lady from Nightmoon Valley, and Qin An will escort our friend from Sword Saint Isle."

The timid girl and the coachman of the Skyrunner shouted 'understood' in unison. For a moment, Jun Ziyan tried to protest being split up from her charge, but was quickly pacified once she learned that the guest houses were nearby.

The six cultivators then walked as a group into the bustling city, under the gaze of curious onlookers.

As they walked, Li Lang finally opened his mouth for the first time since leaving Starpoint Island.

"Elder, there seem to be quite a lot of people here, and I believe not all of them are from your sect, based on the way they dress."

"That's right. As Sunset Peak is a leading figure among the sects within Violet Isle, we have many guests from afar. No need to worry, though. There have never been any incidents before in our long history, even when a delegation from the Luminescent Domain comes for a visit," Elder Yun explained, giving an amiable nod at Sima Xue.

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The young lady ignored the gesture and continued pushing forward. The middle-aged elder simply smiled and acted as if nothing had happened.

While they walked, Li Lang took the time to inspect the architecture and formations surrounding the city as well. As someone who had recently worked on something similar, the way he looked at cities was no longer the same.

He was eager to learn more about the synergies one could have with formations and the way the structures were placed. It didn't escape his notice that dozens of buildings within this place were specially positioned to form an unfamiliar formation that encompassed the entire peak.

Then, there was the style of architecture itself. The orange roof tiles painted the city with vibrant energy, while also showcasing impressive craftsmanship. There were many finely carved artworks everywhere, but subtle enough that they weren't distracting. Despite believing it was too much effort to be worth his while, Li Lang was still able to appreciate a master's work.

Maybe someone in the academy or in our new city will have more of an appreciation for art. They can beautify our place as much as they want, but that'll be up to them.

The group soon arrived at a resplendent walled estate near the center of the city. The entire complex was massive and was divided into many sections by tall walls. They walked through a lush garden at the entrance, passing by a large ten-story pagoda, and a wide open training area with dozens of cultivators present. These cultivators were either practicing their techniques against a puppet or sparring with each other in specialized arenas that simulated various environments.

The festive mood from all the cheers and sounds of powerful techniques going off made it hard to believe that their accommodations were here, but when they passed through the wall enclosing the training area, everything immediately turned quiet.

A sound barrier of some sort. I should add that to our place as well.

After some more walking, they then split up into neighboring courtyards, each as large as the main building they had back on Starpoint Island. They were separated by the walls between them, but were otherwise literally next door to each other.

"Please alert someone in the building over there should you need anything. I will come get you later tonight, before sunset, to bring you to the banquet hall," the elder said.

"Understood. Thank you for your hospitality."

With that, the Sunset Peak elder vanished from sight, leaving Li Lang alone. It was barely noon, so he had quite a bit of time until evening, and even after getting cleaned up, he had a lot of free time.

While he could spend time in Ruby's artifact space, he hadn't practiced his Qi and martial arts at all during the three days of travel. As he had recently mastered numerous new Earth-grade techniques, he didn't want to neglect honing them.

That's why he began wandering back over to the training area. He went straight for the small crowd of disciples surrounding the arenas and joined them to observe how everything worked first. Most of them were in the Energy Gathering Realm, so he turned on his Wave Dampening Art, suppressing his true cultivation to avoid drawing too much attention.

From what he could see, there were currently four active arenas. One was a simple rocky terrain with deep ditches everywhere. It resembled a skate park. The adjacent arena was full of trees, simulating a dense forest, while the other one was on a sandy beach, next to a body of water. The final arena was the most interesting. It was conveniently positioned at a lower elevation than the spectators, allowing them to get a bird's-eye view of the place. However, it was covered by a formation that Li Lang recognized as obscuring the vision of those on the other side, which made sense when the overall theme was taken into account.

"An arena that simulates fighting indoors?" Li Lang couldn't help but mutter.

His words got the attention of one of the nearby disciples. The boy glared at him, as if staring down a country bumpkin. Just like most of the spectators, he was still in the Energy Gathering Realm, so the threatening gaze didn't bother Li Lang at all.

"You!" the boy shouted just as the crowd cheered, almost drowning his voice, but Li Lang was close enough to hear him clearly. "You're not a member of our sect. Who are you?"

"I'm just a guest, exploring this wonderful place you have here," he replied with a smile.

"Oh? A guest? We don't get many guests in the Energy Gathering Realm. How about it? Interested in a little spar?"

Just as he was troubled about how to decline the eager boy, another man walked by behind the boy. He was much older, likely just shy of twenty, and carried himself in a dignified manner. There were also two boys tagging along behind him, but the important point was that he excluded the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Um, I'd prefer to challenge someone near my age, like this gentleman behind you instead."

The boy turned around with a frown before visibly paling as the young man overheard Li Lang's comment.

"You want to challenge me? Fei Xuan? How foolish yet bold!"

Hearing this, Li Lang had to exert his control over his facial muscles so they wouldn't wince. It had been so long since he'd basked in such a youthful atmosphere that he nearly cringed.

Seriously? Are young disciples all like this within the orthodox sects? No wonder the people of the Luminescent Domain always mockingly call them righteous cultivators.