"What are you doing? Which sect do you belong to? When were you conscripted? Show me your token." The man's face was dark, his tone cold.
Li Yan was taken aback, not expecting this attitude, but he quickly understood.
Back in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, being a disciple of Little Bamboo Peak, he was basically a generation senior to most he met. Of course, that was when he was still in the Qi Condensation stage. Even if those he met were displeased, they had to greet him with a smile upon seeing the emblem on his sleeve.
He had just seen that the Spirit Power fluctuations from this person were strong, as if he had just reached Foundation Establishment and had not yet fully stabilized his cultivation, so he had casually called him "Junior Brother."
"Oh, my apologies for being rude. My name is Li Yan. This is my sect token."
Only after Li Yan produced his token did the cultivator understand. This person was from Little Bamboo Peak. His attitude immediately became courteous.
At the same time, he grumbled internally, 'Since you're a fellow sect disciple, why aren't you wearing the sect's uniform here? Don't you know that with so many conscripted cultivators coming and going, we rely on uniforms for quick identification?'
Though he thought this, a smile spread across his face. Little Bamboo Peak didn't have many disciples, so almost everyone on the other four peaks knew each of their names.
When he heard Li Yan's name, he recalled that this person was the youngest disciple of Little Bamboo Peak. The Malevolent Spirit Sect disciple's attitude became even more polite.
After all, it had only been a few years since the battle for the Secret Realm's resources. Whether it was the fight for a spot before the Secret Realm opened or the victory within it, Li Yan had been quite famous at the time.
However, this disciple was from Lord Lao Peak and had been assigned to watch over the alchemy furnaces at the time, so he had only heard of Li Yan's name afterward.
When Li Yan, following this person's directions, arrived at a spacious courtyard on the east side of the summit, he saw ten Teleportation Formations standing in a row, each three hundred zhang apart.
At that moment, about a hundred cultivators were divided into several groups, waiting in front of a few of the Teleportation Formations. Ten Malevolent Spirit Sect disciples were each responsible for one formation.
Li Yan took a look and walked directly to an unmanned teleportation formation where a disciple stood guard.
This person, like the disciple from Lord Lao Peak before, seemed a bit impatient with Li Yan's solitary arrival. It wasn't uncommon for people who thought their sect had a close relationship with the Malevolent Spirit Sect to come alone and ask questions. They usually just sent them away.
Of course, if the other party was sensible and offered some tribute, and the information they sought was not highly confidential, it wasn't impossible to reveal a little.
Everything became amicable once Li Yan again produced his sect token and the Jade Slip from Elder Hua.
The Malevolent Spirit Sect disciple smiled and led Li Yan to another teleportation formation. He whispered a few words to the cultivator guarding that formation, handed over Li Yan's Jade Slip, and then cupped his fist at Li Yan before returning to his own post.
"So it's Junior Brother Li Yan from Little Bamboo Peak. It has been a while!" This cultivator was tall and slender with a handsome face. He looked at Li Yan with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Li Yan knew that this formation must be the one leading to "Windy Cool Mountain," so he returned the greeting politely. He then looked at the man again, finding him quite familiar.
So he casually asked, "And you are, Senior Brother...?"
"Hehe, I am Rong Bo from Four Symbols Peak . I also participated in the Secret Realm resource battle two years ago. I only took part in the first half, though. I was injured and couldn't participate in the 'Wheel of Life and Death' segment."
His words jogged Li Yan's memory. This person had already been a Foundation Establishment cultivator back then. He had indeed seen him in the group. It was just that his own cultivation had been too low at the time, so apart from talking to a few acquaintances, he hadn't actively interacted with others.
"Forgive my poor memory, Senior Brother Rong, I didn't recognize you at first. Is this formation the one that leads to 'Windy Cool Mountain'?"
Li Yan didn't want to linger. Since entering the Sword-Washing Pavilion today, he had been repeatedly entangled in trivial matters. Now that his direction was set, he naturally wanted to leave as soon as possible, so he tried to get straight to the point.
"Of course it is. Does Junior Brother Li wish to head to 'Windy Cool Mountain' right away?" Rong Bo asked, still unhurried.
This left Li Yan speechless. If he wasn't going to "Windy Cool Mountain," was he just standing here for fun? Besides, hadn't he seen Elder Hua's Jade Slip?
This Senior Brother Rong was too long-winded. But he could only be patient. He was asking for a favor now. He cupped his fist again and said, "Yes, it was already stated in Martial Uncle Hua's Jade Slip. Hehe, sorry to trouble you, Senior Brother!"
Rong Bo looked at Li Yan, then at the teleportation formation he was guarding, and finally, a difficult expression appeared on his face. "It seems Junior Brother Li is unaware of the rules here."
"Rules?" Li Yan heard this, and seeing Rong Bo's expression, his heart skipped a beat.
'Could it be that Elder Hua has set some other difficulty for me in secret?'
"Oh, it's like this. Take a look at those other teleportation formations."
As he spoke, Rong Bo pointed to several other formations where many cultivators were waiting in line.
He then continued, "Unless the matter is urgent, the teleportation formation requires at least ten people to activate. Otherwise, it's not allowed. After all, activating a teleportation formation consumes a large amount of Spirit Stones .
The notice I received states that the cultivators heading to 'Windy Cool Mountain' will only be sorted and assigned the day after tomorrow. Only then can it be activated..."
As he spoke, he pointed to his own area, where there was no one but him and Li Yan.
Li Yan now understood. It seemed that although Rong Bo had received the notice to teleport him, he was still here. Besides receiving people teleporting from the other side, he was probably also guarding the formation.
It wasn't as he had initially thought, that he was always waiting to teleport people away.
It seemed Elder Hua had just dumped him here without any further consideration.
"The day after tomorrow..." Li Yan pondered for a moment. He didn't want to stay here for long. That Elder Hua had a volatile temperament and was one of those who had coveted his Fragmented Poison Body. It was best to leave as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, Li Yan looked at Rong Bo with a troubled expression. "But, I have an urgent mission and need to report back to my master as soon as possible. Senior Brother, do you think you could make an exception...?"
Hearing Li Yan's words, Rong Bo was also put in a difficult position. The consumption of Spirit Stones for teleportation was recorded, and he couldn't just use them as he pleased.
He thought for a moment and could only say, "How about this? Junior Brother Li, you'll have to report this to Martial Uncle Hua and have her give explicit permission for a solo teleportation. What do you think? Otherwise... well, there is another way, but the cost of teleportation... you would have to pay for the Spirit Stones yourself. If anyone investigates later, I can just present Elder Hua's Jade Slip and the spirit stone ledger to account for it."
Once Li Yan understood the problem, he certainly wouldn't choose to go see Elder Hua again.
It wasn't just her volatile personality and the fact that he was afraid to see her; based on his behavior in her presence just now, Elder Hua probably didn't want to see him again either.
A look of struggle appeared on Li Yan's face. Amidst Rong Bo's troubled expression, Li Yan finally spoke.
"It's probably not appropriate to bother Martial Uncle Hua again with this kind of matter. But my master's business is indeed urgent. Senior Brother, but... but how many Spirit Stones are needed to activate the teleportation formation once?"
Rong Bo knew Li Yan was telling the truth. This junior brother hadn't been seen for years, so he was clearly on some secret mission and was in a hurry to report back.
But to trouble a Golden Core Elder for every little thing, even with the backing of Little Bamboo Peak's Master, was certainly not good.
That's why he had thought that since Little Bamboo Peak had few disciples, Li Yan might actually be able to afford the Spirit Stones for this trip.
"A distance of forty thousand li requires about five hundred and eighty low-grade Spirit Stones. Junior Brother Li, these Spirit Stones are completely consumed by the formation in one go. They will be converted into an equivalent amount of mid-grade Spirit Stones before being embedded into the slots.
I am not taking any extra, Senior Brother. If Junior Brother Li is truly in a hurry to teleport, then this is the only way.
However, I imagine that if you explain it to Martial Uncle Wei later, he won't say anything."
How could Li Yan not understand Rong Bo's implication? It was for the mission, so he could just get reimbursed by Wei Zhongran later.
At the same time, Rong Bo also made it clear that he wasn't charging Li Yan a single extra Spirit Stone. Li Yan thought it made sense. Back then, teleporting from the Xuanqing Temple to Linshui City , a distance of nearly eight thousand li, the Xuanqing Temple had demanded three hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.
In truth, Li Yan had long since agreed to pay. A few hundred low-grade Spirit Stones meant nothing to him now. His current wealth was far beyond that of a typical Foundation Establishment cultivator. He had over a hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones alone, so why would he care about this small amount?
But he had to put on a show. After another bout of hesitation, as if steeling his heart, Li Yan finally made his decision...
A familiar scene and a sense of dizziness flashed rapidly before Li Yan's eyes.
Fragmented scenes formed a grotesque and variegated picture. After a slight dizziness in his mind, the image before Li Yan's eyes finally stabilized.
Through the slowly rotating white light, Li Yan could see the scene outside the teleportation formation. This should be a mountain valley.
The surrounding peaks towered into the clouds, and the valley floor was wide and flat. A large area was paved with huge green stones, upon which sat six teleportation formations.
As the buzzing of the teleportation formation slowly faded, the white light before Li Yan's eyes completely dissipated, and he stepped off the formation.
Seeing the wildflowers blooming on the distant slopes, Li Yan's mood inexplicably improved. The thought of soon seeing the people of Little Bamboo Peak, from whom he had been separated for so long, put him in high spirits. The first person he thought of, of course, was Gong Chenying .
'I wonder if Zhao Min happens to be here too?' Li Yan's thoughts fluctuated.
Just then, several figures flew rapidly towards him. They were the formation guards stationed nearby. They had seen the white light flare up from one of the teleportation formations and had come to investigate.
"It's the teleportation formation from 'Sword-Washing Pavilion.' It seems Martial Uncle Hua's side has sent new people over."
"Eh? How come there's only one person?"
"What are they doing over there, activating the teleportation formation for just one person? Do they think low-grade Spirit Stones aren't Spirit Stones?"
As these figures rapidly approached, they had already gotten a clear view of the situation inside the teleportation formation. The four figures had just landed when they saw the lone figure in the formation. They exchanged glances, their hearts filled with dissatisfaction.
Finally, their gazes locked onto Li Yan. During the teleportation, Li Yan had already changed out of his green longshirt and into an ink-green robe. After all, less trouble was better than more.
Seeing the several pairs of questioning eyes on him, Li Yan touched his nose and gave a light cough. He was just about to greet them, as he had spotted an acquaintance, when a questioning voice sounded from the opposite side first.