The Gate Of Good Fortune

After Mu Shan watched this memory crystal ball, his hands couldn’t stop trembling. He never expected that Cao Yun, who showed so much consideration and understanding to him, would actually have such a scheming mind. No wonder she always tried to reassure and be considerate of him to not be anxious and emphasised on rebuilding the sect slowly. She did everything to help herself.

After a few minutes, Mu Shan finally calmed down. He then bowed to Ning Cheng and spoke, “Senior, this junior wants to leave this place to find Hong Yi. This junior beseeches senior to let Cao Yun go this once. She….”

Mu Shan really couldn’t say any more. The higher the expectation, the bigger the disappointment.

Ning Cheng showed a faint smile, “Cao Yun and I have no quarrel or hatred. Why should I deal with her?”

“In that case, this junior returns Cao Yun’s crystal ball to you. This junior will take his leave now.” Mu Shan respectfully handed over the crystal ball to Ning Cheng before turning away to leave.

“You wait….” Ning Cheng called out to Mu Shan and took out a ring before handing it to him. “This ring should be enough for you to cultivate to the Crucible Transformation Realm. It also contains three Sword Talismans inside and can protect you three times. Even Crucible Transformation cultivators wouldn’t be able to do anything against you with those.”

Ning Cheng was not a sword cultivator. He was actually not that proficient with swords, but with spears. But in a place like Graceful Star Mainland, just one of his Sword Talismans could sweep through almost every obstacle.

Mu Shan took the ring given by Ning Cheng in amazement and immediately understood that this senior had truly given him a heavenly opportunity. There were just too many things inside. Wasn’t this opportunity presented by this Senior a bit too big? Could it really help him cultivate to the Crucible Transformation Realm? Three Sword Talismans that could counter Crucible Transformation cultivators? Was this a dream or something?

“Where do you want to go?” Seeing Mu Shan’s bewilderment, Ning Cheng had to ask.

“I’m going to find Hong Yi, and then take her to Rainbow Fall Sword Sect to test my luck….” Mu Shan gave a subconscious reply.

“I’ll take you there. By the way, I also left a crystal ball in that ring with a message. If you really want to join Rainbow Fall Sword Sect, just take this crystal ball out to the cultivators in charge of recruiting disciples. Tell them my name, Ning Cheng….”

After Ning Cheng finished, he simply waved his hand and Mu Shan, standing in front of him, disappeared without a trace.

Thousands of miles away, a female cultivator in red robes sat on a bluestone with her head down, looking very lonely. She had seen many people in her life who left wanting to become stronger, yet she never said a word. Was it wrong to scold him for not showing any ambitions and not looking for opportunities? Living in the broken and run-down Formless Sect all day long, in addition to increasing sorrow and dispelling ambition, it didn’t sever any purpose.

A breeze blew by, immediately sobering her up. She looked up and froze, staring at Mu Shan standing in front of her in a daze.

“Mu Shan, you….” Wei Lengyu immediately screamed in surprised. Since Mu Shan could appear here, then he must have followed her. This made her feel less wronged in her heart. She had followed Mu Shan for many years, and it looks like Mu Shan had also not forgotten her completely.

Mu Shan felt terrified. He had been to this place before, so he knew this place like the back of his hand. This place was at least a few thousand miles away from the Formless Sect. That senior named Ning Cheng had only waved his hand and the next thing he knew, he had appeared here. Even Crucible Transformation experts didn’t have such great spirit techniques, right?

“Mu Shan, what’s the matter with you?” Seeing Mu Shan looked a little confused, Wei Lengyu quickly called out.

Mu Shan recovered, stepped forward and grabbed Wei Lengyu’s hand, “Hong Yi, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“That’s all in the past. Since you don’t want to go to a big sect, let’s go back to our Formless Sect.” Although Wei Lengyu really wanted Mu Shan to come with her, she knew that Mu Shan wouldn’t leave Formless Sect quickly.

Mu Shan shook his head, “No, Hong Yi, let’s go to Rainbow Fall Sword Sect together. I got a recommendation from a senior, he said that as long as I took out the crystal ball…… eh, wait….”

Speaking of which, Mu Shan stopped talking and muttered to himself, “Ning Cheng, Senior Ning Cheng……”

“Ning Cheng?” Wei Lengyu felt really happy when she heard Mu Shan willing to go with her to participate in the Disciple Selection of a major sect. But now seeing Mu Shan muttering the words ‘Ning Cheng’, she also looked at Mu Shan in confusion. She didn’t understand what Mu Shan meant by ‘Senior Ning Cheng’.

“I understand now. Senior Ning Cheng is Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s Sect Master. Back then, he had fought against several big sects by himself and even eradicated the Red Star Sword Faction. He had even taken out the Mirage Tree to perfect the entrance to Heaven’s Way. Sect Master Ning……” Mu Shan trembled with excitement. He finally recalled who Ning Cheng was. This person was the most influential and the most authoritative expert, famous throughout the Tian Continent.

“Did you say Sect Master Ning recommended you to Rainbow Fall Sword Sect, Senior Ning Cheng?”

Wei Lengyu finally reacted, feeling even more excited than Mu Shan. She also recalled the young cultivator she saw when she had rushed out of the sect.

Mu Shan spoke up with an incoherent voice, “Yes, it has to be Sect Master Ning. Let me see…”

After Mu Shan recalled Ning Cheng’s identity, his spiritual consciousness immediately swept into the ring he had received. The next moment, he couldn’t help but feel shocked. Piles of medicinal pills, piles of spiritual stones, top-grade cultivation methods, top-ranked True Artefacts……

Only after a long time did Mu Shan take in a deep breath. It was no wonder that Senior Ning Cheng said that these things could help him cultivate all the way to Crucible Transformation Realm. With so many things, did he still want to go to the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect?

“What’s wrong?” Wei Lengyu felt both excited and worried about Mu Shan’s current state.

Mu Shan took a deep breath to calm himself and pulled Wei Lengyu, “Hong Yi, let’s go.”

……

Cao Yun still stood outside the broken building. Just when she felt her head turning a little dizzy, Ning Cheng came out.

“Senior….” Cao Yun quickly bowed to Ning Cheng.

Ning Cheng nodded, “The thing Mu Shan’s grandfather Mu Xunlin got was the stone stele of the Formless Sect. Mu Shan stayed here to protect it before passing it to me. I’ve already sent away Mu Shan and also taken the stone stele. You don’t need to stay here anymore and can also undo the restriction you put on your body.”

“Ah, senior, this junior doesn’t understand what senior means.” Cao Yun spoke up with some fear.

Ning Cheng sighed, even he had to admit that Cao Yun put up a really compelling performance. He took out a crystal ball and sent it to Cao Yun. “Mu Shan asked me to leave it to you. You don’t need to return it to me.”

During his words, Ning Cheng raised his hand and put away the stone stele with the words ‘Formless Sect’ written on it.

Cao Yun shivered after watching the crystal ball. She didn’t expect anyone to read the deepest memory in her heart. It made her truly terrified.

“Remember, don’t try to create any trouble for Mu Shan; otherwise, your cultivation will really stop at True Cultivation 3rd Level forever.” Ning Cheng’s soft voice rang out, but the person had already disappeared.

Cao Yun looked at the place where Ning Cheng disappeared in horror. She didn’t expect that Graceful Star Mainland would have such an expert who could actually read her thoughts.

……

Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness spread out once again, and soon his spiritual consciousness found the Celestial Moon Pill Sect. He had actually found a Celestial-level Restriction here. How could there be a Celestial-level Restriction in a place like Graceful Star Mainland?

After a few breaths, Ning Cheng arrived right in front of this restriction. It turned out to be a sealed-off cemetery, but with a vaguely familiar aura.

“Who are you, to dare come here and offend my Celestial Moon Pill Sect?” Someone yelled from somewhere behind Ning Cheng. Apparently, it belonged to the cultivator looking over this cemetery.

“Who built this cemetery? Who arranged the surrounding defensive arrays and restrictions?” Ning Cheng spoke with a calm voice. However, the pressure from his powerful imposing aura wasn’t something that the cultivator guarding the cemetery could resist.

Half-an-incense stick later, Ning Cheng left Celestial Moon Pill Sect. He did not expect An Yi to tear the void here and leave. Tearing the void and not having to face any suppression of laws in this place, it definitely implied an expert above the Eternal Realm. Not everyone was like him, having a powerful forged body and the Mysterious Yellow Bead.

But how could An Yi’s cultivation rise above the Eternal Realm? Even if An Yi had heaven-defying talent and qualifications, she wouldn’t have the necessary cultivation resources. Unless she was initially a cultivator above the Eternal Realm and came here with suppressed cultivation, which she then released later to leave.

Ning Cheng immediately thought back to when he had met her. An Yi’s master had mentioned that An Yi wasn’t an ordinary person. She had also said that An Yi couldn’t marry anyone. As those thoughts churned, he then thought of the statue that looked like An Yi. The one that Ning Cheng had taken from the Temple of Fallen Stars. It felt like he had caught onto a vague secret but at the same time couldn’t understand anything at all.

An Yi’s first master didn’t have very high cultivation. In fact, it was quite low. But since she could tell that An Yi was not someone ordinary, something must have happened when she took An Yi under her. However, she didn’t mention anything about it.

In any case, An Yi could leave by herself, which meant that An Yi no longer was the soft and weak little nun from back then. This made Ning Cheng feel genuinely happy for An Yi.

……

Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness did not find Taishu Shi and Lan Shu but found his old acquaintances Zhu Mu’er, Cang Shuo, Zhangsun Yan and others. However, he didn’t go to meet them.

Half an hour later, Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness stopped outside a makeshift market. His sweep had found a young female cultivator who looked quite similar to Luofei. But when his spiritual consciousness left this female cultivator and swept through one of the corner shops of the makeshift market, he saw two more acquaintances. Ji Luofei’s mother Xiong Qihua and Zhu Hongwen who never left Xiong Qihua’s side. Xiong Qihua seemed injured, but Zhu Hongwen still accompanied Xiong Qihua at her side.

This place was located near the edge of the Lost Mountains, near a river called Dragless River[1]. It was another place Ning Cheng had been to in the past. When he and Meng Jingxiu had come out of the Angry Axe Valley, they had come out near the edge, close to Dragless River.

It used to be a deserted place before. But now it had a sizeable makeshift market with many cultivators coming in and out of the Lost Mountains. Ning Cheng had already guessed that something might have changed in the Lost Mountains when he had come out in the past, but now it didn’t look like it posed much danger. Otherwise, ordinary cultivators would never dare to enter it.

Ning Cheng didn’t need to guess. He knew that the female cultivator, who looked similar to Luofei, was Xiong Qihua’s second daughter. Thinking back to how Xiong Qihua breached the subject of her pregnancy to Luofei, Ning Cheng just shook his head. He planned to leave, not intending to stop and say hello.

Ning Cheng was just about to recall his spiritual consciousness when he saw a green-robed woman walk towards the female cultivator who looked similar to Luofei. She seemed to say something to her in a loud voice. But just after speaking a few words, the woman raised her hand and slapped Luofei’s step-sister.

The green-robed woman yelled a few more words after slapping her and then left. Luofei’s sister covered her face with her hand but remained calm. Looks like she experienced too much of this already.

Ning Cheng hesitated for a moment, thinking about whether he should leave or not.

[1] The characters ‘莫拉 – Mo La’ (Dragless) has the same ‘莫’ character as Mo Clan who made the ‘None-to-depend-on’ Wine.