Scarlet Peak Mountain.
Li Taixing returned to his quarters and found Wang Xuanwu waiting for him. As soon as he arrived, Wang Xuanwu sensed his presence and, slightly surprised, approached him with a scrutinizing look.
"You really teleported from that far away?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Tell me, what Cultivation Technique did you secretly learn? That teleportation trick of yours is quite useful. Why don't you teach it to me?"
Li Taixing was caught off guard. He hadn't expected his master to be so perceptive. She not only knew where he had been but also recognized that he had used teleportation to get there.
"Master, you're joking. Besides, I'm afraid you won't be able to learn my teleportation ability," he replied, trying to keep his composure.
"Why wouldn't I be able to learn it?"
"Because… I figured it out on my own, and I'm not sure how to teach it," Li Taixing stammered. He couldn't very well say, 'I have a system that allows me to do this, and you don't.'
Wang Xuanwu sighed. "Alright, forget it if you can't teach it. But you should keep a low profile in the future. Also, did you get the ghost mask?"
"Yes, Master."
"Must have cost you a fortune in Spirit Stones," Wang Xuanwu remarked, taking a swig from her Calabash, now full of wine thanks to Li Taixing's generous supplies.
"Yeah, 110,000 Spirit Stones," Li Taixing admitted.
"Pfft!" Wang Xuanwu spat out her wine, spraying it all over Li Taixing's face. "What did you say? 110,000 Spirit Stones?! That scoundrel Zhao Dezhu dared to scam you! I'm going to deal with him right now!"
"Please don't, Master! There's no need for that!" Li Taixing quickly interjected, wiping his face.
"That's 110,000 Spirit Stones!" Wang Xuanwu exclaimed, her heart aching at the thought.
"Master, it's alright. Didn't you call me here for something?"
"Oh, right," Wang Xuanwu said, calming down. She handed him a set of equipment and weapons. "This is a complete set of high-grade spiritual equipment and weapons. Keep them safe, and wear them when you go to the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts to practice."
She continued, "Also, when you're in the Forest of Beasts, avoid strangers if you can. The ghost mask will help conceal your Cultivation Base, but you know how strong you really are. For now, stick to the outskirts of the forest. Once you reach the Qi Gathering realm, you can venture deeper. I've mapped out the areas for you. Stay clear of the dangerous zones—they're where people end up dead."
"Yes, Master," Li Taixing replied, storing the equipment and weapons in his dimensional space bag.
As he did so, the familiar system notification chimed in his mind:
[Ding! Obtained a set of Gold Core equipment (top-grade spiritual weapon) level, triggering the 10 billion boost effect. Received Gold Core environment equipment (top-grade spiritual weapon) * 10 billion.]
[Ding! Obtained Dou Lingjian (top-grade spiritual weapon), triggering the tens of billions boost effect. Received Dou Lingjian (top-grade spiritual weapon) * 10 billion.]
Li Taixing now had 10 billion sets of identical equipment and weapons in his possession. He then thought of the ghost mask and placed it into the dimensional space bag as well.
[Ding! Special item detected: ghost mask, triggering a 100-fold boost effect. Obtained Transformation Mask.]
[Ding! Transformation Mask: Can disguise the wearer as any living creature they have seen, granting them the basic abilities of the target.]
Li Taixing was astonished. A Transformation Mask? And it wasn't replicated billions of times? This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Wang Xuanwu's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Remember, be careful when you go."
"Master, rest assured, I will."
"Good. Then you may go," Wang Xuanwu said, dismissing him with a wave.
"However, Master, the map you gave me only covers the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts. What about—"
Before Li Taixing could finish, he felt a force envelop him. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing outside the Xuantian Sect.
"Disciple, stay safe. Return to the sect within seventy days, or I'll set up a tombstone for you," Wang Xuanwu's voice echoed in his mind through a voice transmission.
Li Taixing sighed, a black line forming on his forehead. 'My master really is something else,' he thought. Even her own disciple wasn't spared from her exasperating ways.
"Well, since I'm here, I might as well take this opportunity to visit my parents. And I can ask around about how to get to the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts," he mused.
Originally, he had planned to say goodbye to Lu Tong and the others, but it seemed that wasn't possible now. Shrugging, he put on the Transformation Mask and transformed into an elderly man with an ethereal appearance. With a swift motion, he vanished down the mountain.
---
Luoyue Town...
The people of Luoyue Town were going about their usual routines when suddenly, a figure appeared on the street—an old man with an otherworldly aura, resembling a celestial being. The townspeople were stunned, their awe and respect evident as they watched the old man walk down the street.
Li Taixing, now disguised, glanced in the direction of his home and began walking towards it. He had no intention of going inside; he merely wanted to see how his family was doing. He knew his appearance might bring them sadness, so he decided against revealing himself.
As he approached his home, he overheard a familiar voice.
"Cuihua, stop pestering me. I've already told you, you're going to marry my brother."
"No! I want to marry you! My father said your brother is going to cultivate immortality, so I should marry you instead," a girl's voice replied stubbornly.
"No, I can't betray my brother like that," the young man responded, sounding exasperated.
Li Taixing recognized the voices. Outside his house, his younger brother was being hounded by Ma Cuihua, the daughter of the richest man in town. Li Taixing's forehead filled with black lines. This was the same Ma Cuihua who had once been rumored to marry him, but after he left to cultivate, her family had set their sights on his younger brother instead.
Ma Cuihua had even come in person to persuade Li Taixing's younger brother, who was now clearly at his wit's end.
Li Taixing chuckled to himself. 'Brother, you're on your own with this one.'
Satisfied that his family was well, Li Taixing turned to leave. But just as he was about to depart, he heard his parents' voices from inside the house.
"Do you think he's eating well and dressing warmly in the Xuantian Sect? Is he suffering?" his mother fretted.
"Don't worry," his father reassured her. "Taixing has always been smart and capable. He'll definitely succeed in becoming an immortal."
"It's just that I'm worried he'll suffer. Taixing was never one to endure hardship," his mother continued.
"Alright, alright, old lady. He'll be fine. Why don't we go up the mountain one day to check on him?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea."
Hearing this, Li Taixing's heart ached. He couldn't bring himself to see his family face-to-face, fearing it would only cause them more worry. Instead, he left a letter for them and departed quickly, not looking back.