Chapter Fifty-Five: A Balance of Grace and Authority

After witnessing what had just happened, the others had already begun to suspect what was going on. Hearing the head of the Ouyang Clan speak, they were nearly certain of it. Some even wanted to investigate further, but hesitated out of concern that there might still be danger lurking within the cave, so they refrained from acting immediately. Li Xingyu, seeing that everyone else had recognized the array, swept his gaze over the crowd before extending his spiritual sense to probe the situation inside the cave. At the same time, he remained on guard against the others. Earlier, with a formidable enemy present, no one had focused their attention on him, but now that the threat had passed and they realized his cultivation far surpassed theirs, he feared they might act out of greed or, conversely, that they would preemptively strike out of fear he might harm them.

Li Xingyu’s gaze made everyone tense. They all realized that, having revealed a portion of his true strength, he was now the greatest source of instability. Still, since he was present and none could read the others’ thoughts, it wasn’t possible to openly discuss how to deal with him, especially not in front of Li Xingyu himself. Thus, they all stood quietly, each calculating their next steps in silence without daring to make a move. The one most shaken was Mu Chenhua. Although he had known Li Xingyu’s cultivation was above his own, it never occurred to him that Li Xingyu might have already broken through to the innate realm. This left him puzzled. If Li Xingyu had already broken through before their last meeting, there would have been no need for him to agree to travel together; if he broke through afterward, it meant he already had a cultivation technique, so there would have been no need to risk the journey. Yet, seeing the glimmer of hope in Li Xingyu’s eyes as he looked at the teleportation array, Mu Chenhua vaguely understood Li Xingyu’s true purpose in joining them: perhaps he sought a deeper understanding of cultivators, or even a way to leave this planet. Mu Chenhua, wise and experienced, deduced Li Xingyu’s intentions from these minor details, and having done so, he had already made up his mind on how to proceed.

“I have already checked the cave,” Li Xingyu announced to the group after his investigation. “There should be no further dangers inside. Let’s go in together and see if there is anything else left behind by cultivators. You need not worry—I understand your fears upon learning my cultivation, and I don’t blame you for them. But I assure you, as long as you do not touch the teleportation array inside, I will not harm you.” He had not yet decided what to do with them and needed to thoroughly examine the array before coming to any conclusion.

Whether in the martial world or society at large, strength was the foundation of everything. At this moment, Li Xingyu was the strongest among them, so everyone understood that unless their lives were directly threatened, it was unwise to defy him. As Li Xingyu finished speaking and walked into the cave, the others exchanged glances and then turned to Mu Chenhua. Knowing that Li Xingyu was his acquaintance and that he knew him best, Mu Chenhua did not hesitate to follow, and the others trailed in after him.

Upon entering, Li Xingyu did not bother searching the cave, having already used his spiritual sense to confirm that nothing remained except the teleportation array. He went directly to the array, first examining the eight de-energized spirit stones at the corners, which indeed resembled his own crimson gem and were likely the same type. He then carefully studied the array inscribed on the ground—not that he expected to understand it, but to see if it differed from the one he had seen before the spirit beast teleported.

The cave was not large, and the others quickly finished searching, finding nothing. They gathered opposite Li Xingyu, standing a little distance from the diagram as they observed the array. Li Xingyu said nothing; he understood that these people were among the top elites of the Celestial Empire, and if he pressed them too hard, they might risk everything in a desperate struggle, which would benefit no one. He was now fairly certain the array was intact. If he replaced the spirit stones at the eight corners and learned the incantation and method to activate the teleportation array, he should be able to use it—though where it would lead, he could not say. From what he knew, long-distance arrays were usually much larger and required higher-grade spirit stones. He also wondered whether his cultivation could withstand the pressure of teleportation.

With these thoughts in mind, he addressed the group: “You have all examined the cave. Did you discover anything?”

“Nothing at all,” Mu Chenhua replied directly. “The cave is simple—likely built temporarily by a cultivator to let his spirit beast recover from injuries. This teleportation array was probably arranged for the beast’s departure.” The others nodded in agreement.

“Master Ouyang, I hope you can tell me in detail everything you know about this teleportation array. If your information is useful to me, I will repay you accordingly,” Li Xingyu said after some thought, looking at the Ouyang Clan’s leader.

After considering for a moment, Master Ouyang recounted what he knew about the array, which was largely similar to what Li Xingyu already understood, though some details proved useful. As for its operation, none of them could decipher the script of the cultivation world, nor did they possess enough cultivation to activate it. They also knew that some arrays led to places unsuitable for life, so they understood that, at least for now, the array was of no use to them.

“I am aware that the Heavenly Phoenix Clan may know how to use teleportation arrays,” said the Mistress of the Linglong Sect after some hesitation. “By chance, I learned that they had been searching for such arrays, though I don’t know their exact reasons. I heard from someone from the Heavenly Phoenix Clan who once courted a disciple of mine that they may have mastered some of the characters and language used by cultivators.” It was clear she wished to win Li Xingyu’s favor, though her true motives were known only to herself.

Li Xingyu gave her a grateful look, then, after a moment’s thought, addressed everyone: “To be frank, this teleportation array is extremely important to me. By chance, I did obtain a cultivation technique, and I have now surpassed the innate realm.” Seeing the envy—and even a hint of greed—in their eyes, he raised his hand to silence those about to speak, and continued, “I hope you all will keep this a secret. Let no one outside the eight of us know about this array. Of course, for your cooperation, I will reward you. I will now give you the technique for reaching the innate realm, equivalent to the Qi Refining stage in the cultivation world. As long as you keep my secret, I will provide further techniques before I leave this planet. You should understand that whether you can practice this technique depends on your constitution; not everyone can cultivate the same method, so whether you succeed is a matter of fate.”

At first, they feared he might kill them to silence them, but relief quickly replaced dread as they heard his offer. To obtain a readable cultivation technique was their lifelong dream; even if they could not master it themselves, they could pass it to their descendants or disciples. Each swore to keep the secret.

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