Hearing Wei Zhongran's words, Li Yan quickly changed the subject. "How could it be! By the way, where are Eldest Senior Brother and the others?"
"Your Eldest Senior Brother is in seclusion again. Your Second Senior Brother is overseeing the main hall recently. He went out with Zi Kun and the others just now, probably to the back mountain to duel again. Your Third Senior Brother made an appointment with someone and went to the South Sea, near the Supreme Mystery Teachings. Wangqing went to your Never-Parting Peak, didn't she?"
Wei Zhongran didn't continue with the previous topic either, but gave a general update. His last question, however, was directed at Zhao Min.
Zhao Min nodded, her clear and pleasant voice sounding out. "Senior Sister Wangqing has recently become fascinated with refining Gu-wine and has been seeking guidance from Senior Sister Changting!"
Li Yan had stood up. Hearing this, he couldn't help but rub his nose. He had gleaned a lot from their conversation. First, his master had said that Eldest Senior Brother was in seclusion "again." It seemed Eldest Senior Brother had been in and out of seclusion even before his wedding. He had only been married for a few years, and now he was in seclusion again. If Li Yan remembered correctly, Li Wuyi had only just reached the late-stage Golden Core when he left. There should still be a buffer period before he needed to attempt a breakthrough to the Pseudo-Nascent Soul stage; it wasn't time to enter seclusion for it now.
Second Senior Brother was the same as ever, off fighting with those two demons again. He truly never tired of it. As for the details of Third Senior Brother Yun Chunqu's journey, Wei Zhongran probably didn't know much either. At their level, apart from seeking guidance from Wei Zhongran when they had questions, they were free to do as they pleased. Wei Zhongran wouldn't proactively ask about his disciples' affairs. His disciples had to grow on their own. Besides, Wei Zhongran himself had to constantly cultivate and improve, so he didn't have much free time. Otherwise, he would have come over long ago during Zhao Min's many visits.
'It seems Fourth Senior Sister and Senior Sister Li are no longer as hostile to each other as before!' Li Yan thought to himself, rubbing his nose.
"You've only been out for a few years. To come back so soon, are you planning to attempt your breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm?" Wei Zhongran quickly turned his attention to Li Yan. The moment Li Yan had returned, he had noticed the surging magical power within him. But Li Yan showed no signs of having just fought someone, so he immediately guessed his true intention for returning.
"Master, regarding the matter of my state of mind that you mentioned last time, I feel I've had some enlightenment and can no longer suppress my magical power for long. Is this a sign of an impending breakthrough?"
Hearing this, Wei Zhongran did not answer immediately. Instead, he released his Divine Sense and carefully scanned Li Yan's body.
Core Formation and Nascent Soul Formation could happen in two ways: spontaneously or controlled. A spontaneous breakthrough meant that the person's magical power and comprehension had long reached a bottleneck, with only a thin sheet of paper separating them. Once it was pierced, the breakthrough could no longer be controlled, coming like a flood from a broken dam. The other situation was when one had a premonition of the Heavenly Tribulation during their enlightenment, and it was still within a controllable range, though it couldn't be suppressed for too long.
Enlightenment of the Great Dao was an incredibly profound thing. It was like a cultivator who had mastered the Foundation Establishment cultivation method to perfection but would never comprehend the Rules of Heaven and Earth. Bai Rou back then and Li Yan today were like this. They had both sensed their impending breakthrough and thus had time to prepare.
Beside them, Zhao Min had not spoken a word since her initial sentence, remaining silent as usual. But when she heard their conversation, her beautiful eyes instantly lit up. Finally, under her expectant gaze, Wei Zhongran retracted his Divine Sense and nodded.
"It is a change in magical power caused by enlightenment. The Spirit Power throughout your body shows signs of condensing and returning to the sea. It is indeed a sign of an impending breakthrough. Have you prepared any magical treasures for Nascent Soul Formation and the Heavenly Tribulation? If not, suppress it for another day or two, and I will find some for you!"
"Master, your disciple has already prepared the treasures for the Heavenly Tribulation. In that case, I will immediately enter seclusion and attempt the breakthrough!"
"Alright. Since that's the case, follow me. Every peak has its own place for Nascent Soul Formation and Tribulation Transcendence!"
With that, Wei Zhongran wasted no more words and immediately took to the air. The destructive power of the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation was too great, so every sect had specific locations for it. However, these places were prepared for people like Li Yan who had a premonition of their tribulation. As for cultivators who suddenly faced their tribulation, they could only undergo it on the spot.
Li Yan glanced at Zhao Min and then flew up to follow him. Zhao Min also transformed into a streak of white light and pursued them. Wei Zhongran said nothing about Zhao Min following.
"I will inform Ancestor Mo Qing, and we will guard you together. You can focus on breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm and leave the matters of the outside world to the sect! When you attempt your breakthrough, you must pay attention to the following points…"
Wei Zhongran's expression became grave. He began to transmit his voice to Li Yan, explaining the matters one needed to be aware of during Nascent Soul Formation. This was another important reason why Li Yan had to rush back. With the sect's experts protecting him, he could avoid many dangers.
Li Yan would also occasionally ask a few questions via voice transmission. The master and disciple pair conversed rapidly in this way. Wei Zhongran would either answer directly or frown in thought before speaking. They did not let Zhao Min hear their conversation because she had not yet reached that stage. Hearing these things in advance would only disrupt her state of mind. Zhao Min simply followed them silently.
The advice Wei Zhongran gave might not all be suitable for Li Yan, so Li Yan would have to selectively adjust his approach based on the situation that arose later. Both of them knew that Li Yan's so-called seclusion this time would not be long; it was just a process of adjusting himself. It could be as short as a day or as long as seven or eight days before the Heavenly Tribulation arrived.
After talking with Li Yan for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, Wei Zhongran finally stopped in the far north of Little Bamboo Peak. This was a mountain whose peak had been flattened, surrounded by green bamboo. The peak was over three thousand zhang wide and was far from the core area of Little Bamboo Peak. Every peak in the Malevolent Spirit Sect was extremely vast, consisting of a main peak and a series of continuous subordinate peaks. Besides the main peak, some of the subordinate peaks were also designated as forbidden areas, not to be entered at will, just like the entrance to the secret realm on Little Bamboo Peak. Therefore, Li Yan had known this place was a forbidden area and had never been here before. The Divine Sense of ancestors like Dacen would often scan these forbidden areas.
"Alright, you can prepare here!" As Wei Zhongran spoke, he formed a manual seal with his hand. A white light streaked across the sky above the peak and then vanished.
'What a marvelous formation restriction!' Li Yan thought to himself. He hadn't sensed the slightest trace of a restriction here just now.
After speaking, Wei Zhongran did not land on the peak but immediately flew off in another direction. He had to inform Mo Qing of this matter. Although the sect's Nascent Soul-level combat power was not what it used to be, with Mo Qing and the unfathomably strong Wei Zhongran guarding the sect, plus the elusive Chimei Emissary, no one dared to provoke the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
After Wei Zhongran left, Zhao Min gracefully walked over through the void. "Let nature take its course. Do not force it! After all, you have not been cultivating for long. You have plenty of time later! Otherwise, if you perish, you know the consequences…" Zhao Min came to a stop in front of Li Yan, her voice cool and clear, a proud aura emanating from her.
"I know. Don't worry, if it's not possible, I will give up this attempt. You should leave here too. By the way, please inform Zi Kun and the others for me!" Li Yan nodded with a smile. They hadn't seen each other for several years, but Zhao Min was as exquisitely beautiful as ever. Her white robes wrapped around her perfect figure, the proud peaks on her chest making her cinched waist seem even more slender and graspable.
Zhao Min said no more. Her white robes fluttered as she flew into the air, disappearing in a flash. She had followed him all this way just to deliver that one sentence.
"Still the same personality. I thought after not seeing each other for a few years, I might get a hug," Li Yan scratched the back of his head and mumbled, a faint, elegant fragrance still lingering at the tip of his nose.
Then, Li Yan landed on the mountaintop. After looking around and scanning the area with his Divine Sense again, he confirmed that there were no other people or demonic beasts nearby.
Li Yan casually sat cross-legged on the peak. With a wave of his hand, a "clatter" of objects falling to the ground was heard, and a large pile of Spirit Stones appeared around him. The moment these Spirit Stones appeared, the already rich spiritual energy on the peak instantly became several times denser. Faintly, one could see different colored lights twisting and dancing in the air.
Li Yan's Divine Sense swept over the Spirit Stones. There were over five hundred high-grade Spirit Stones and a full three thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones. Li Yan could use different Spirit Stones to replenish his magical power according to the severity and urgency of the Heavenly Tribulation. Of course, he still had his strongest trump card, Rongsun, but he was saving that for the most critical moment.
After the Spirit Stones appeared, Li Yan's movements did not stop. More lights flashed, and over a dozen exquisite jade bottles appeared beside him, containing various healing and qi-replenishing medicinal pills. Then, several storage pouches floated before him. He began to carefully sort the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills into different storage pouches.
The five hundred-plus high-grade Spirit Stones were his entire savings over many years. Although high-grade Spirit Stones could be exchanged for with mid-grade ones, they rarely appeared in market towns; there was simply no supply for the demand. These were all obtained by Li Yan through killing and robbing, and from the "Falling Star Valley." He was usually reluctant to use them for cultivation.
He placed this storage pouch on his left hip. The other storage pouches were also hung on his waist in order and marked with his Divine Sense. This way, he could take out the corresponding item without hesitation when he needed it later, without having to distinguish between them.
After doing all this, Li Yan thought for a moment, then waved his hand again. A small, inch-long, gray-green bamboo shoot appeared in his hand. The bamboo was only as thick as a little finger, yet the moment it appeared, it let out a whistle of wind.
This bamboo was not from Little Bamboo Peak but was a treasure called "Skywind Bamboo" that Li Yan had purchased from the sect for an enormous sum of Spirit Stones. This item could only be born near the "Wind God's Eye" on the Wind God Continent. It grew by absorbing the strange winds that blew from the "Wind God's Eye." The vegetation that could survive within a thousand li of the "Wind God's Eye" was already extremely rare, and that which could survive under the eye of the wind was even rarer.
Not only was this item an excellent raw material for refining wind-attribute magical treasures, but its more important characteristic was its ability to absorb the power of wind, even a significant amount of the tribulation wind from a Heavenly Tribulation. This single stalk of "Skywind Bamboo" had cost Li Yan thirty to forty percent of his entire fortune, and it was only about a thousand years old. At most, it could only help him absorb a portion of the tribulation wind. If he could buy one over five thousand years old, it would increase his chances of transcending the tribulation by at least twenty percent. A ten-thousand-year-old "Skywind Bamboo" could even help a Spirit Transformation stage cultivator transcend their tribulation!
Unfortunately, even the one in his hand was one of the last two remaining in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, let alone one over a thousand years old. The birth of a single stalk of "Skywind Bamboo" was extremely difficult, not to mention that very few people were willing to enter its growing place. That "Wind God's Eye" on the Wind God Continent was a perilous land. A cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage or above who entered would face attacks three to four times their own realm's strength. This was due to the Rules of Heaven and Earth in the lower realm which already rejected Spirit Transformation stage cultivators. Therefore, only Nascent Soul stage cultivators, preferably late-stage great cultivators, could usually enter. But even so, their chance of survival was only about twenty percent, meaning there was still a high eighty percent chance of perishing.