In a dream.
A gentle breeze blew, sending ripples across the surface of the lake. At the bottom of the lake, a spiritual vein radiated vibrant spiritual energy.
Meng Bai sat cultivating in a small courtyard in the middle of the lake.
This space was a world conjured by Meng Bai using the Grand Dream Scripture. The spiritual vein within it was a Tier-3 spiritual vein, and cultivating here alone yielded several times better results than outside.
As for why he did not conjure a Tier-4 spiritual vein, it was because Meng Bai's Qi Condensation cultivation level could not yet withstand such a dense concentration of spiritual energy.
He cultivated for a day, and the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
Meng Bai woke from his dream, stretched lazily, and looked out the window.
"It's already this late. I need to get to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, or Qin Yu will be getting impatient."
The Drunken Immortal Pavilion was a restaurant in a city under the jurisdiction of the Taixu Sect, located a hundred miles away from the sect.
An ordinary mortal would have to walk a day and a night to get there.
However, Meng Bai was no mortal. With a Swiftness Talisman stuck to his feet, he could arrive within half an houre.
As Meng Bai was making his way along the road, just as he reached a cliff, a streak of red light flashed past.
Meng Bai leaped fiercely and dodged the attack.
He Huashi and an unfamiliar cultivator blocked the path ahead of him.
Meng Bai brushed the dust off his clothes and said calmly, "Junior Brother He, what is the meaning of this?"
He Huashi sneered coldly, "Uncle, this is the guy! He's extremely close to a female Foundation Establishment cultivator in the sect, so he must be rolling in wealth!"
He Zhi smiled faintly, "Little brother, hand over your storage pouch and we'll let you pass."
Meng Bai shook his head and said, "Junior Brother He, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. I'm truly disappointed."
He Zhi's smile faded as he frowned and said, "It seems the little brother refuses to hand it over. Then you can't blame me for getting rough."
"This is the territory of the Taixu Sect. How dare you make a move? Aren't you afraid of the Taixu Sect settling accounts with you?"
He Huashi sneered coldly, "Meng Bai, you're merely an outer disciple. This is the middle of nowhere; the sect isn't going to care whether you live or die."
With that, He Zhi, standing to the side, already launched his attack.
Not daring to be careless, Meng Bai employed his self-created Moon Shadow Steps to dodge He Zhi's barrage of spells.
The Moon Shadow Steps were created by Meng Bai within his dream, combining numerous mortal martial arts to achieve extraordinary mastery.
Yet He Zhi was not so easily dealt with, for he was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
A Qi Condensation Cultivator was just beginning to touch upon the extraordinary, with scarce spiritual power in their dantian. Only in the late stages of Qi Condensation could a practitioner muster enough internal energy to cast one or two spells, whereas a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was entirely different.
Compared to Qi Condensation, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator possessed a sea of spiritual power. During combat, they could unleash spell after spell without exhausting themselves anytime soon.
After casting several spells in succession, He Zhi felt a trace of surprise. An ordinary Level 9 Qi Condensation practitioner would have fallen long ago, yet Meng Bai had effortlessly dodged them all.
By the time He Zhi reacted, Meng Bai had already closed the distance.
Breaking Army!
He threw a punch.
This move was also self-created and was currently Meng Bai's strongest offensive means.
Seeing this, He Zhi looked startled before smiling faintly and throwing a punch of his own.
Aside from the gap in spiritual power, the physical bodies of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and a Qi Condensation Cultivator differed vastly.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, an ordinary cultivator's body underwent a cleansing of the marrow, granting them thousands of pounds of force with every movement. Unless one was a Body Refining practitioner, an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator simply could not compare.
Both He Zhi and He Huashi sneered inwardly at this moment, believing Meng Bai was merely striking a rock with an egg.
Yet after the punch, the outcome defied all expectations. He Zhi was sent flying by a single blow, blood splashing everywhere, his internal organs shattered by the sheer force.
Meng Bai said calmly, "I'm sorry. Because you're a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, I couldn't hold back, so my strike was a bit heavy."
He Huashi trembled as he stammered, "Impossible! How could you be a Body Refining practitioner?"
As everyone knew, the resources required for Body Refining far exceeded those for Qi Condensation. The resources needed for an ordinary person to reach Level 9 Body Refining could easily pile up enough to produce an Early Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Meng Bai smiled faintly, "I'm not a Body Refining practitioner. I just happen to have a bit more strength. By the way, since Junior Brother He mentioned earlier that dying out here won't attract any notice, I must ask Junior Brother He to stay behind as well."
A bit more strength? Strong enough to kill a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a single punch—who would believe that? He Huashi certainly didn't, and he turned and ran.
Meng Bai had always lived by the code: if others do not offend me, I will not offend them; but if others offend me, I will repay them a hundredfold. Naturally, he could not allow He Huashi to leave this place alive.
Employing the Moon Shadow Steps, he gave chase to He Huashi.
........
Around noon.
Meng Bai arrived at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion looking travel-worn and dusty.
At this moment, Qin Yu was glaring at Meng Bai with a hint of anger.
"Meng Bai, did you oversleep again? Look at what time it is!"
Glancing around nervously, Meng Bai said with a guilty conscience, "I got held up by something. Don't sit out here, let's go inside."
"Boss, give us a private room."
Inside the private room, Qin Yu angrily ordered a large table full of dishes.
Eight-virtue Roast Duck, Cloud Swallow Braised Chicken, Red Mud Meatballs, White Dew Noodles, Nectar Jade Wine, and more. He ordered every famous dish the restaurant had to offer, practically looking ready to eat Meng Bai out of house and home.
Angry as he was, Qin Yu eventually spoke up, "Over the years, following the outer disciple promotion assessments, newly promoted outer disciples are assigned to various posts garrisoned under the sect's jurisdiction. This year is no exception."
"I've gotten word that I'm going to be assigned to Maple Leaf Town."
Meng Bai's eyelids twitched as he said, "Returning to your hometown is a good thing. You can also look after your own family."
Both Meng Bai and Qin Yu hailed from immortal-cultivating families; otherwise, Meng Bai could not possibly have reached Level 9 Qi Condensation merely a year after entering the sect, nor was he some earth-shattering cultivation genius.
This past year had simply been spent completing the transition of his cultivation method from his family's manual to the Grand Dream Scripture, while incidentally advancing from Level 8 Qi Condensation to Level 9 Qi Condensation.
Qin Yu hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you need me to take a letter home for you?"
Meng Bai waved his hand and said, "No need. You know my relationship with my family. If you have the time, just go back and check on Yan'er for me."
Qin Yu sighed and said, "Alright then."
"Where is that little bastard Meng Bai? Get your ass out here!" A rough, angry roar echoed from downstairs in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
Meng Bai and Qin Yu frowned simultaneously and looked down toward the ground floor.
Qin Yu said, "It's people from the He family—He Huashi's father. He Huashi must have come looking for trouble with you again."
Meng Bai nodded. "I butchered him along the way."
"No wonder this He Kuang came running to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion to cause a scene. Looks like he's lost his mind with rage," Qin Yu remarked.
Meng Bai nodded in agreement. "If it were anywhere else, it would take some effort. But causing a scene at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion? This He Kuang is about to have a bad time."
Just as Meng Bai's voice trailed off, a slightly angry yet overwhelmingly domineering voice rang out.
"Such audacity! How dare you clamor and shout inside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion!"
A massive pressure descended, instantly pinning He Kuang to the ground.
Only then did He Kuang snap out of his rage, cold sweat pouring down his face. "Spare me, Senior! This junior was merely acting on a momentary impulse..."
"Get lost!"
A wave of spiritual power swept outward, blasting He Kuang several feet away.
Coughing up a mouthful of blood, He Kuang hastily fell to his knees to express his gratitude before fleeing in panic.
Meng Bai sighed, "He got beaten up real bad!"
Qin Yu chimed in from the side, "This time He Kuang lost his mind because he was driven mad by humiliation, but the He family will ultimately remain a trouble for you down the road."
Meng Bai shrugged. "No matter. I recall the He family is merely a Foundation Establishment clan. In a short while, I'll make my breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. When I ascend to Foundation Establishment, that will be the day the He family is wiped out!"