"Perhaps they intend to go down the mountain to loot," a junior brother laughed from behind. "With their skills, the only people they could bully are the weak and helpless mortals."
The other disciples of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect all scoffed.
Li Feng said calmly, "My Changsheng Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect. Even if we were starving to death, we would never stoop to such petty, thieving acts."
Zhao Qi nodded slowly and said, "That may be true. Though your Changsheng Sect has declined over the past eight hundred years and most of your techniques have been lost, if you were truly capable of heinous acts, you wouldn't have fallen so far that you can't even produce three hundred spirit crystals. Fine. Since Brother Li insists on struggling in vain for the Changsheng Sect, I won't force the issue. In half a month, we will return to formally take over this valley."
After inflicting a humiliating verbal lashing upon the Changsheng Sect, Zhao Qi and his party turned and flew away, their mocking laughter lingering in the air long after they had departed.
Situ Fuyao and Qi Shisan were still filled with resentment, cursing the Xiaoyao Sword Sect for being shameless and despicable, taking advantage of others' misfortunes.
The second brother, Yang Mo, was more level-headed. "Stop getting so angry, it’s not worth it. Have we not been humiliated by various sects enough over the years? Senior Brother, shall we end this meeting on the future development of our sect here, or should we continue?"
Qi Shisan flicked his sleeve. "What’s the point of continuing? Didn't you see those Xiaoyao Sword Sect lackeys already measuring the land to build their houses? We haven't eaten all day. Can we at least get something to eat?"
Hearing this, Li Feng also felt his stomach rumble and his head spin. He asked, "Do we still have any food left?"
Yang Mo spread his hands. "There are a few sweet potatoes left in the kitchen from last night. Junior Sister, go boil them. Senior Brother hasn't fully recovered; he needs to eat."
Man is iron, food is steel. As cultivators with low cultivation bases, they were unable to achieve long-term fasting and required food to maintain their physical functions.
Situ Yaoguang murmured an acknowledgment and headed toward the bamboo kitchen.
Yang Mo intended to go back to his room and lie down, but Li Feng called out to him.
"Senior Brother, is there something else?"
Li Feng said, "Second Brother, let’s talk."
Though Yang Mo was usually laid-back, he remained remarkably calm when faced with trouble—a quality that made him far more stable than Situ Fuyao or Qi Shisan.
Yang Mo looked surprised. "Senior Brother, what is there to talk about? The future development of the Changsheng Sect? Save those tall tales for Junior Sister and the sixth brother; I’m not buying it."
Li Feng appreciated Yang Mo even more. The sixth brother and the junior sister had been stirred to excitement by his plans for the sect's future, but only Yang Mo knew he was just painting an empty picture.
Li Feng smiled. "As I said before, we must first seek survival before we can plot for development. We can discuss development later. Let’s talk about how to solve everyone’s hunger and how to obtain five hundred spirit crystals within half a month."
***
**Chapter 6: I Can Fly**
Seeing the serious expression on Li Feng’s face—which didn't look like he was joking—Yang Mo hesitated before walking back.
"Senior Brother, I don't mean to crush your confidence, but let’s put the five hundred spirit crystals aside for a moment. Even the basic sustenance for the four of us is already a struggle. We’ve eaten everything within a ten-mile radius of this valley, right down to the tree bark. We used to be able to rely on the fifth brother to borrow some grain from the village, but now that he's dead, once we finish these last few sweet potatoes, we'll be completely out of food."
Li Feng was unfazed. "We are cultivators; we won't starve to death. If all else fails, as the sixth brother suggested, we can go down the mountain and carry heavy loads for others. We can at least manage three meals a day and a roof over our heads."
Yang Mo rolled his eyes. "I spent three days carrying loads last time and only earned seven silver coins, all of which went toward buying sweet potatoes. It’s your turn to go to the wharf tomorrow."
Li Feng was speechless. So these people were actually doing manual labor? They were cultivators capable of airborne flight—like figures from a legend! And yet, they were moonlighting as coolies every few days!
Rubbing his aching temples, Li Feng said, "Let’s discuss that later. Second Brother, tell me: without stealing or robbing, how can one earn five hundred spirit crystals in the shortest amount of time?"
Yang Mo snorted. "Ten taels of silver exchange for one spirit crystal. Five hundred crystals would mean five thousand taels of silver. I worked myself to the bone for three days without eating or drinking just to earn seven coins. To earn five thousand taels in half a month without stealing or robbing? You’d have to hunt Beast Demons. And not just any Beast Demons—at the very least, you’d need the inner core of a thousand-year-old great demon to be worth that much!"
Li Feng’s eyes lit up. That was a path forward.
Yang Mo looked bewildered. "Senior Brother, how do you think the fifth brother died? Do you not remember how many times Master and Mistress were injured while hunting Beast Demons just to pay the tribute over the years? Our cultivation is too low, and we have no decent magical treasures. We have no chance against those thousand-year-old demons. I suggest you eat your sweet potato and get some sleep."
He patted Li Feng on the shoulder and headed back to his room.
Li Feng called out after him, "Second Brother, where can I find a thousand-year-old demon?"
Yang Mo didn't even turn his head, simply pointing toward the southwest. "I hear there are great demons in the Yan Nangui Maze Forest. Good luck!"
"Yan Nangui?"
Li Feng struggled to search through the memory fragments of his predecessor and soon recalled the place. It was located deep within the eight-hundred-mile Tianyu Mountain range. The Yan Nangui Maze Forest lay northwest of Tongtian Peak—the highest peak in the mountains—about four hundred miles from the Changsheng Sect’s valley. That place had always been a forbidden zone of the Tianyu Mountains, shrouded in toxic miasma year-round and haunted by great demons. Even the experts of the Yunhai Sect on Tongtian Peak dared not venture there lightly.
Li Feng returned to his room, lit an oil lamp, and saw a three-foot-long sword hanging on the wall. Having seen the members of the Yunhai Sect and the Xiaoyao Sword Sect flying on their swords, he felt a sense of longing. He reached out and took the long sword down.
Magical treasures were ranked from low to high: Treasure Tool, Spirit Tool, Sacred Tool, Immortal Tool, and Divine Tool. Some powerful treasures possessed earth-shattering capabilities.
Li Feng drew the sword, and his face immediately fell. The blade was not only covered in rust, but it was also incomplete—only half the blade remained attached to the hilt.
"No wonder the predecessor hid this away. It’s just a broken sword!"
He felt utterly deflated. He had thought it was a peerless divine weapon. He tossed the broken sword onto the table in frustration.
Just then, Situ Fuyao walked in with two sweet potatoes. "Senior Brother, time to eat."
Li Feng nodded, signaling for her to set them down. Seeing the broken sword on the table, she frowned. "Senior Brother, why did you take down the Duannian? This is the token of our Changsheng Sect’s succession!"
She reached out and slid the broken sword back into its scabbard.
Li Feng replied, "Junior Sister, this rusted, broken piece of scrap is the token of our sect? Are you joking?"
He honestly didn't know what to say. It was no wonder the Changsheng Sect had fallen to this state; it would be a miracle if it hadn't gone extinct.
Situ Fuyao looked at him in surprise. "Senior Brother, what’s wrong with you? Before Father went down the mountain, he gave this sword to you for safekeeping. Didn't he tell you the origins of the sword back then?"
Li Feng quickly feigned ignorance. "I’ve been injured and unconscious; after waking up, many of my memories are blurry. I suppose I’ll need a few days to fully recover. Junior Sister, tell me, what is the story behind this broken sword… the Duannian Divine Sword? If it's a sect token, is it incredibly powerful?"
Situ Fuyao shook her head gently. "I’m not entirely sure. Father always kept this broken sword as a treasure and only brought it out to give to you when he left, saying it was the token of the masters of the Changsheng Sect."
As she spoke, she hung the sword back on the wooden wall. "Senior Brother, your body is still very weak. After dinner, try to meditate and cultivate as soon as possible. I won't disturb you."
The death of the fifth brother and the departure of her parents had dealt a heavy blow to her; she retreated in silence.
Li Feng began to massage his temples again. So the Master had truly abandoned the Changsheng Sect; he never intended to return, or he wouldn't have left the Duannian sword behind. But Master and Mistress were quite heartless—they only thought of their own escape, so why didn't they take the Junior Sister with them? Could she not be their biological child?
"Wait! That’s entirely possible!"
In the predecessor’s memories, although the Mistress had a striking appearance, the Master was a dark-skinned, portly man. How could they have produced such a beautiful girl as the Junior Sister? Either the Master had been cheated on, or she was adopted!
After finishing the two sweet potatoes and relieving some of his hunger, Li Feng sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate. He channeled his inner essence, using it to heal his injuries. The flow of spiritual energy also helped curb his hunger and provided some of the effects of fasting.
After two full cycles of circulation, Li Feng slowly retracted his energy and opened his eyes to find the room bathed in daylight.
"In the mountains there is no calendar, in the world it has already been a thousand years—it seems the ancients did not lie. Meditation makes time fly; I thought only half an hour had passed, but it’s actually been seven or eight hours… No wonder those cultivators in the Jiulong Mainland live for hundreds of years. If they go into seclusion for ten or eight years at a time, anyone with a shorter lifespan would surely die before they even came out."
Li Feng hopped off the bed and stretched. After two nights of cultivation, his injuries had largely healed, and his meridians were filled with abundant spiritual energy. He pushed the door open to a rising sun. Recalling his predecessor’s memories, he began to channel the Technique of Airborne Flight.
"Rise!"
Suddenly, he felt his body become as light as a willow catkin. With a mere thought, his feet left the ground, and he began to levitate.
"I can actually fly! Does this world not obey Newton’s laws?"
***
**Chapter 7: Do You Know Chang Wei?**
After the initial shock, Li Feng’s playful spirit took over. Following his thoughts, he soared through the air, circling the valley repeatedly. He couldn't stop himself from exclaiming, "Wow!" and "My god!"
The noise woke the three junior siblings who were resting. They stepped out of their rooms and looked up in curiosity at their Senior Brother flying around overhead.
Qi Shisan rubbed his bleary eyes. "Disturbing everyone’s dreams this early in the morning—what kind of madness has gotten into Senior Brother?"
Yang Mo said, "Who knows? Ever since he woke up, he’s been a different person. Last night, he even asked me where thousand-year-old Beast Demons could be found. I think the pressure of paying the rent has finally caused him to snap!"
Situ Fuyao stood with hands on her hips, determined to defend her Senior Brother’s reputation. "I won't let you talk about Senior Brother like that! He’s just mentally disturbed, not broken in the head!"
*Well,* she didn't exactly help matters.
Li Feng was oblivious to the fact that his siblings now viewed him as a man who had gone completely insane. He was lost in the marvelous sensation of flight—feeling the shifts in the surrounding air currents, the refreshing flow of spiritual energy washing through his meridians like a clear stream, and the exhilaration of being high above the world.
Men remain boys until they die. A man can find supreme joy in something as simple as a stick, let alone the ability to fly, something previously reserved for the realms of fantasy, television, and myth.
Li Feng swept aside the gloom of having traveled to a new world without a "System" father. He silently thanked his predecessor for sparing him so much trouble. At the very least, he had woken up as a cultivator in the Primordial Spirit Realm, sparing him from having to start from scratch.
Landing in the valley, he spotted a massive, thousand-pound boulder at the edge. Li Feng gathered his energy into his fist and punched out. A surge of spiritual power erupted, manifesting as a phantom fist that struck the rock. With a deafening roar, the boulder shattered, even though Li Feng’s fist was still more than a yard away from the stone.
"Striking across the mountain?! That’s too cool!"
Li Feng jumped with excitement, and in the heat of the moment, he even kissed his right fist a dozen times. This power level—on Earth, he’d be a legitimate Superman!
Watching him dance around, the three siblings looked at each other.
Yang Mo sighed. "Okay, so he’s mentally disturbed and broken in the head… popularly known as stark raving mad."
Situ Fuyao and Qi Shisan nodded solemnly.
Seeing them, Li Feng ran over, excited. "Wasn't that fierce, brother?"
Yang Mo replied, "Senior Brother, stay home and rest. I’ll head to the wharf to carry heavy loads and earn silver for your medicine. Don't worry—I may not have the ability to help the Changsheng Sect continue its legacy, but I will definitely cure your brain disease!"
Li Feng was baffled. His injuries were nearly healed; where was this "brain disease" coming from? He realized quickly that they thought he was mentally ill. He didn't bother explaining—he couldn't exactly tell them he was a hillbilly from Earth who had never seen anything like this.
He said, "Second Brother, let the sixth brother handle the wharf. The two of us are going to Yan Nangui."
"Fine, thank you for your consideration—wait, where are you taking me? Yan Nangui? You’re insane!"
Qi Shisan and Situ Fuyao were equally shocked. Yan Nangui was a forbidden zone in the eight-hundred-mile Tianyu Mountain range—shrouded in miasma, teeming with Beast Demons and toxic creatures. Even if their Senior Brother wanted to die, he didn't have to go about it this way.
Situ Fuyao said, "Senior Brother, Yan Nangui is extremely dangerous. Why are you going there?"
Li Feng replied, "Second Brother told me last night that the only way to get spirit crystals quickly is to hunt a thousand-year-old Beast Demon, and he said there are such demons in Yan Nangui."
Situ Fuyao and Qi Shisan turned to glare at Yang Mo.
Yang Mo exploded, "Why are you looking at me?! I just mentioned it in passing! How was I to know he’d take it seriously? I’m not going! I’m still young and haven't even married or had children!"
Li Feng said, "Relax! You all saw how fierce your Senior Brother is! It’s just killing a few wild beasts; it’s nothing to me."
Li Feng was getting ahead of himself. He felt like a superhero now. If he could smash a rock with one punch, what was a mere beast?
Yang Mo fled, realizing his Senior Brother was dead serious and wanting no part in this suicide mission. Li Feng turned to Situ Fuyao, but she ran off as well, calling, "I’m going to prepare breakfast!"
The little pudgy fellow, Qi Shisan, tried to run but was caught by Li Feng. Qi Shisan wailed, "Senior Brother, I have to go to the city to earn money for your medicine! Let me go!"
Li Feng said, "With your meager skills, you aren't qualified to follow me to hunt Beast Demons. Sixth Brother, your name is Qi Shisan, right?"
Qi Shisan nodded.
Li Feng asked, "Do you know Chang Wei?"
Qi Shisan thought for a moment and shook his head. "Chang Wei… I don't know him."
Li Feng replied, "Good… it’s good that you don't."
Watching Li Feng walk away, Qi Shisan was filled with question marks. *Who is Chang Wei? What did Senior Brother mean by that?*
Li Feng returned to his room to retrieve the broken Duannian sword, binding it to his back with a strip of cloth. As long as it stayed in the scabbard, no one would know it was broken; it looked quite imposing. He then went to knock on Yang Mo’s door.
Yang Mo opened the door to see Li Feng with the sword on his back. Such a strange sight didn't surprise him at all; in his mind, he had already decided his Senior Brother was crazy.
Yang Mo said, "Senior Brother, what are you doing?"
Li Feng said, "I told you, we’re going to the Yan Nangui Maze Forest. Another day has passed, and we only have fourteen days left. We have to find a way to earn spirit crystals."
Yang Mo was speechless. "There are many ways to earn spirit crystals. You don't need to hunt Beast Demons. With our cultivation, we are no match for those thousand-year-old demons. Go yourself if you want; I’m not going to throw my life away with you!"
Li Feng didn't force him. "Fine. If you won't come, then give me the location, and I’ll go alone."
He felt that since he could fly, even if he encountered a powerful beast, he could just escape. He didn't believe he, a chosen child from Earth, had traveled all this way just to be food for a monster. The Changsheng Sect was completely out of food; if he couldn't hunt a valuable demon, killing a few wild boars or rabbits would at least keep everyone fed.
Seeing Li Feng was determined, Yang Mo went back inside, emerged a moment later with a tattered map, threw it at Li Feng, and slammed the door shut again.
Li Feng studied the map for a while, combining it with his predecessor’s memories to pinpoint the location. He shouted loudly, "Wait for the news of my triumphant return!"
Situ Fuyao walked out of the kitchen just in time to see Li Feng flying off. She was horrified. "Second Brother! Second Brother! Where is the Senior Brother going?"
Yang Mo stepped out and saw the retreating figure. He muttered in shock, "That madman is actually going to Yan Nangui?"
Situ Fuyao’s expression changed instantly. They all knew the dangers of Yan Nangui. She urged, "Second Brother, why didn't you stop him? If something happens to Senior Brother, the Changsheng Sect is truly finished!"
Yang Mo retorted, "How was I supposed to know he’d really go?!"
Qi Shisan walked over. "Even if Senior Brother is crazy, he wouldn't have the guts to enter Yan Nangui. I bet he’s just going for a spin. Let’s figure out what we’re eating today."
***
**Chapter 8: The Human Forbidden Zone**
Cultivators who have just entered the fourth stage, the Airborne Flight Realm, must rely on magical treasures or weapons to fly. Li Feng, however, was at the sixth stage, the Primordial Spirit Realm; he didn't need a treasure to support him—he could fly by his own physical power. The novelty of this physics-defying spell made it an incredible experience for him.
He didn't fly very fast, choosing instead to gaze down at the Tianyu Mountains as he passed.