Chương 33: Charging Bull Steppe

Elder Quenching Ape looked at Lin Yi and Xiao Jinse as they entered the flying boat. He nodded when they took a seat for the journey.

"Let's go." A transparent barrier enveloped the ship. Lin Yi did not see the barrier, but he could sense the spiritual fluctuations. Before he could properly analyze it, the boat already flashed into the distance. He looked back at the peak where his now-former courtyard and home were located. Lin Yi couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia arise within himself. He lived here for more than four years, nearly as long as back in Old Pine Town. He reminisced about the farewell party he organized.

He did not invite many people; he wasn't someone who actively socialized much, and only knew a few people closely. Elder Bao, Senior Brother Zu Guo, You Lei and Leyou, Lang Mo, and some other disciples he was in contact with. Hah, its unlikely that I will meet them in the near future, if at all. Lin Yi didn't know how he should think about this. Most were only acquaintances; Elder Bao was a teacher, and only Zu Guo could be considered his friend. Even then, they met not regularly.

The path of immortal cultivation was cruel. Those who pursued the immortal dao with all of their might had less time for personal relations. If one did not grow up together or have some spiritual connection, most relationships would take many years, even decades, to deepen. The difference in talent, potential, and realm further aggravated this issue.

Qi Condensation Cultivators, as long as they had no major injuries, could easily live for over a hundred years; naturally, their breakthrough potential at that point was nearly null. Dao Masters had a lifespan of several hundred years, depending on their cultivation path. And Perfect Ones were another form of life itself. Lin Yi couldn't find much about this legendary realm in the immortal texts of the sect, but what he knew shocked him.

The Golden Core Realm was vastly different from what he knew of in his past life. Here, there were mentions of some Perfect Ones expanding their lifespan to several thousand years and possessing mythical abilities. Sometimes they were even worshiped as gods by mortals. Lin Yi found in some old texts that in ancient times the Golden Core Realm had not just this one title. Back then, they weren't called Perfect Ones. They were called Earth Immortals. He shook his head and came out of his daydreams.

Regarding personal relationships, Lin Yi decided to take a simple approach. He wouldn't seek them out himself; cultivation was still his priority and goal, but he wouldn't prevent any friendly relationships from forming. Companions, land, wealth, methods. These were public acknowledged pillars of cultivation. Lin Yi was not foolish enough to ignore one of them. And should an acquaintance or friend fall on their path, he would mourn and respect them, but also strive forward on his dao path.

The nature of the immortal dao was not merely everlasting life; it included death as well. His dao heart needed to encompass everything to reach the apex; heaven and earth, yin and yang, life and death. Lin returned his focus to the flying boat. The transparent barrier protected them from the violent forces as the boat flew through the air at incredible speed. However, he suspected that wouldn't hinder the Dao Master. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Lin Yi looked at him.

He thought the man was a no-nonsense guy, so he didn't try to start a conversation. He chose a spot on the ship and rested with Jinse. Soon they left the East River Mountain Range and sped towards their destination. Though Lin Yi had seen maps of the Huang Kingdom, and the Luan Province especially, he couldn't make out where they were as he looked beyond the flying boat. Time passed and hours had gone by as they left one landscape to enter another one.

Lin Yi stood at the boat's railing as he saw an endless steppe stretching beyond what his cultivation-powered eyes could perceive. In the distance, he saw buildings and other structures. Some were alone, others close together, but each group or standalone was at least a dozen kilometers distant from each other. As he looked over the landscape, he noticed the similarities to the descriptions. Not just that, his body and spirituality literally trembled in joy as they felt the density of Spiritual Qi rising.

His cultivation methods even circulated more smoothly and worked more efficiently, as if the truths of heaven and earth here were deeper.

"This is the Charging Bull Steppe, right?" Lin Yi asked, subconsciously, as a theoretical question, not expecting anyone to answer. He perked up when Dao Master Quenching Ape did.

"Yes, this is our ancestral ground, the foundation for the Charging Bull Sect." Quenching Ape swept his hand over the view.

"Thousands of kilometers in all directions. Our founding ancestor claimed this land as his own; he let his dao penetrate everything, deep into its veins, and elevated this worthless land into a blessed ground for cultivation." He looked at Lin Yi solemnly.

"Entering the Inner Court and being allowed to cultivate here is a privilege. Through this entire land flows a third-tier spirit vein. Your cultivation abode will be directly connected to one of its branches. Dao Master Elders of the sect live here, and you can ask them for guidance, and if one day the heavens bless you, a Perfected One Ancestor may take you as a disciple."

"Cultivate well, protect your dao heart, and foundation establishment shall be in sight." Lin Yi nodded and bowed. The elder's speech, while short, invigorated him; it made his being shake with excitement.

"I will take your advice to heart, Elder Quenching Ape!" The elder only nodded and returned his gaze towards the distance. Lin Yi followed it. The flying boat shot forwards to a clear area in the grassy field where one small house stood. As they landed, he felt the difference not just in Spiritual Qi but also... spiritual nature. The density of Spiritual Qi was several times greater than back in his own courtyard in the Outer Court or even the private platform of the Scripture Pavilion Division.

He also sensed something in the air, something that felt just more. He couldn't explain it properly. The Dao Master explained the next steps to him.

"This will be your personal ground." He pointed towards the four directions one after another.

"Around ten kilometers in each direction belongs to you from now on."

"What?!" Lin Yi's head spun around, and he looked at Daoist Quenching Ape in shock. This was a massive area. Even some divisions in the Outer Court would not have such a big ground. The older man looked at Lin Yi, but he couldn't truly understand what the elder's expression meant.

"Do not be surprised, Disciple Lin. You are now an Inner Court Disciple of the Charging Bull Sect. This will be your personal fiefdom, one could say, lent by the sect. It will be yours till you die; even if you shall become Elder or Ancestor of the sect, it would not change." Lin Yi looked at him incredulously as he continued.

"But this comes with its own responsibilities." He pointed at the sole building.

"This is the only thing the sect will provide for you. Any additional buildings, spiritual fields, or other needs you have, you need to build yourself or contract others." He looked back at Lin Yi.

"Do not worry, in the next few days a senior disciple will come and explain more to you. Your sect plate is also updated with new information and functions."

"Thank you, Elder Quenching Ape!"

"Hmmm, where do you want your spiritual tree and beehive? After that, I will leave. I have my own duties." The elder said. Lin Yi thought for a moment and pointed to two positions not far from each other and from the house.

"There, and there." He could later move them to places he wanted them for the long term. Small distances he could do himself. The elder nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the two mentioned objects appeared out of thin air and landed at the two positions Lin Yi wanted. The Dao Master turned back to Lin Yi.

"I wish you good fortune upon your cultivation path, Disciple Lin."

"Thank you, Elder. I wish you the same." Without another word, Dao Master Quenching Ape mounted his flying ship and shot off into the distance. Haaahhh!" Lin Yi let out a sigh of relief. The elder was an unknown person to him and significantly stronger. It was quite a pressure to be in such close proximity. He shook his head and looked around his new property. Besides the small house, the Solitary Yang Bamboo, and the beehive, he saw only the grassland of a steppe.

He could think about what he wanted to do with it later. He looked at the house. First, exploring and making myself familiar with it. He nodded to himself and stepped forward.