"You're as stubborn as a mule!" Wei Zhong muttered to himself, never expecting a few words to deter his opponent.
He glanced at the Azure Lotus Array of Azure Waters, now teetering on the brink of collapse under the relentless assault, then looked down at the cultivators below, his worry deepening.
He did possess methods to deal with this foe, but using them in full view of everyone would be inconvenient.
He briefly considered his options, deciding to dismantle the formation soon to allow the others to escape. Then, leveraging his Grandmaster-level Soaring Cloud Technique, he would draw the enemy's pursuit, fulfilling his duty as island master.
Finally, he would lure the fiend to a secluded location and unleash the Triple Time Dao Technique to annihilate him. Judging by the attacker's strained movements, he must be injured; otherwise, this Second-Tier Azure Lotus Array would have crumbled long ago.
"Listen to my command," Wei Zhong whispered telepathically to the cultivators below, his lips barely moving. "I will dismantle the formation shortly. I will draw the enemy's attention; you all find an escape route!"
Upon hearing that even their "omnipotent" island master couldn't subdue the invader, terror flashed in the eyes of the cultivators below.
The women closest to Wei Zhong, such as Xie Linghua, wore expressions of utter despair. Their current status and privileges were entirely dependent on him; without him, they would be cast back to square one in their cultivation journeys.
"Sigh, who would have thought that after securing this spirit ground and settling in for just over a year, such chaos would erupt?" Wei Zhong muttered, his fingers twitching to deactivate the formation.
Suddenly, a swirling cloud of mist surged from the horizon, engulfing Black Lake Island and the surrounding lake region. The mocking amusement in the eyes of the Core Formation cultivator outside the formation instantly transformed into stark terror, and his attacks grew even more frantic.
Seeing the man's panicked reaction, Wei Zhong immediately understood that reinforcements had arrived. He halted his efforts to dismantle the formation, instead channeling his mana into it to buy himself precious time.
The magic sword slashed through countless azure lotuses blooming in the Jade Waters, even piercing the lakebed, yet ultimately failed to breach the formation's defenses. Wei Zhong watched as the mist enveloped the attacking cultivator, leaving behind only a half-uttered angry curse before silence fell.
"Young mistress..."
"She's probably safe now."
Wei Zhong looked up at the sky. The white mist had completely obscured the sunlight over the island, casting it into a gloomy twilight.
Is she a Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivator? Wei Zhong wondered.
He had barely finished the thought when the swirling mist vanished, revealing a mysterious female cultivator clad in a light, revealing Daoist robe. The Core Formation cultivator who had attacked him moments before was nowhere to be seen.
Wei Zhong was astonished. He had never encountered such a bold female cultivator before. All the women he had met in the past wore Daoist robes or sheer veils that covered every inch of their bodies. Few dared to expose so much skin.
After a quick glance, Wei Zhong lowered his head, afraid to look again. Who knows what kind of temperament this senior possesses? What if she's displeased by my lingering gaze?
Fortunately, the senior showed no anger. "Are you Chu Zhong?"
Wei Zhong was surprised. Am I really that well-known?
"Indeed, this junior is Chu Zhong. I must thank you for saving my life, Senior. May I ask your honorable name so I can properly repay you..."
Miao Lishan flicked her sleeve, sending a blue-and-white gourd flying toward him. "This Daoist is Miao Lishan, an Honorary Elder of the Cloud Gathering Merchant Guild. I was the one who granted you that inheritance earlier."
"So it was you, Senior..."
Seeing Wei Zhong about to express his gratitude again, she impatiently interrupted, "Enough formalities. Fetch me some spirit wine to taste."
Wei Zhong felt a helpless exasperation. This woman showed none of the dignified demeanor expected of a senior cultivator, instead acting like a drunken fool. He reluctantly retrieved his treasured Azure Vine Intoxication and various other spirit wines.
A sliver of unease crept into Wei Zhong's mind. These spirit wines were all his own creations, originally brewed at the Azurewood Sect. His time on Black Lake Island had merely refined them, but even with these improvements, they remained at the First-Tier, far from Second-Tier quality.
Miao Lishan pried open a jar, her brow furrowing at the aroma. After a moment's contemplation, she accepted all the spirit wines and tossed over a dozen mid-grade spirit stones to Wei Zhong.
"Not bad, but lacking depth. Brew Second-Tier spirit wine soon, and there will be further rewards."
Wei Zhong caught the spirit stones as the Miao cultivator dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished from the spot.
"Did she just leave?" Wei Zhong muttered to himself, clutching the spirit stones. "These high-level cultivators are so generous, tossing around mid-grade spirit stones like pebbles. And she claimed to be an Honorary Elder of the Cloud Gathering Merchant Guild—likely a Nascent Soul expert. No wonder she obliterated that Core Formation cultivator in mere breaths."
Recalling the invading Core Formation cultivator and his Blood Body technique, Wei Zhong speculated, "That Blood Body... it must be connected to the Blood Sea True Monarch's legacy, or perhaps he was even the mastermind behind it all."
However, his appearance was far more refined than the Candle Daoist's, resembling an ordinary cultivator so closely that he would have been unrecognizable in a crowd.
Did he come to Black Lake Island to kill me, seeking revenge for the Blood Body incident of the past?
Perhaps the intervention of the Spirit Transformation experts sealed his fate. I hoped those two seniors had cleaned up thoroughly to spare me future troubles.
As I landed, the cultivators swarmed around me. Witnessing this sudden turn of events, they felt a surge of relief, as if they had narrowly escaped disaster.
"Master," Xie Linghua asked, sidling up to me, "was that female senior an acquaintance of yours? She seemed quite familiar with you."
Earlier, the crowd below had only seen a female cultivator exchange a few words with Wei Zhong, but they couldn't make out the details. This curiosity had prompted Xie Linghua's inquiry.
Wei Zhong shook his head. "I don't recognize her. She simply appreciates my talent for brewing fine wine."
Before anyone could press further, Wei Zhong waved them away. "Alright, carry on with what you were doing. The matter is settled."
With a flicker of movement, Wei Zhong vanished from the spot and returned to his Grotto-Heaven's Cultivation Chamber.
Sitting cross-legged, he opened his cultivation panel.
Name: Wei Zhong
Cultivation Base: Foundation Establishment, First Layer (23%)
Cultivation Techniques: Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual - Proficient (63%); Body Nourishing Art - Grandmaster (1%)
Lifespan: 141/255
Second-Tier Spell: Blackwater Spirit Garment - Entry-Level (40%)
A year of cultivation had yielded minimal progress in Wei Zhong's cultivation base, further reinforcing his belief in his subpar talent. He worried that at this rate, he might never reach the perfected stage of Foundation Establishment before his lifespan expired.
The only silver lining was his successful attainment of Grandmaster-level in the Body Nourishing Art, granting him an additional fifteen years of lifespan—a pleasant surprise compared to the previous gains of five and eight years.
His progress in mastering the Blackwater Spirit Garment was also promising; he might even reach the proficient level before breaking through to the second layer of Foundation Establishment.
Alas, innate talent!
Wei Zhong finally understood why the Wild Plains Prefecture was dominated by Foundation Establishment Families, while Golden Core cultivators were confined to sects and fortified cities. The path to Foundation Establishment was simply too arduous, leaving many cultivators with average talent to stagnate at this stage for life, with no hope of achieving Core Formation.
Just as Wei Zhong was lost in thought, the restriction surrounding his Grotto-Heaven was triggered again. Frowning, he emerged to find Patriarch Li Ren of the Li Family awaiting him.
"Senior Chu, disaster has struck!"