Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

The night wind was already cold, and the bonfire in the cave was roaring.

In the Northern Land, the howling wind was a daily occurrence, and the temperature in the wilderness was extremely low, let alone at night.

Guu Hongming shivered, wrapping the bear skin blanket tighter around himself.

He wore a white fox fur coat, and his slightly pale face flickered in and out of the firelight.

The entrance to the cave was large, and the sealing array Ji An carried could not cover it. If a sealing array were placed at the entrance, the wind blowing in would be even fiercer.

He glanced at the young boy, who was only thirteen years old, with a cultivation of the Qi Refining Fourth Level.

Cultivators with good aptitude had a significant advantage during the Qi Cultivation Stage and Foundation Establishment Stage. If they had the support of elders, cultivation would become even easier.

Back in the day, he didn’t reach Meridian Opening until he was seventeen, due to poor aptitude and a lack of Spirit Stone support, a double ’poverty buff’ stack.

If it weren’t for the Stone Turtle, the achievements he could have attained would be much lower, and he might still be scrambling to buy Nourishing Yuan Pills now.

Ji An expressed his concern by saying:

”Hongming, leaving your family and hometown at such a young age, won’t you feel out of place?”

At a tender age, lack of experience can easily lead to feelings of melancholy. Few young people are mature, most are shaped by hardships.

”It’s okay; Grandpa told me there would be better opportunities in the Western Continent. As long as I work hard enough, I can become a Golden Core Cultivator!”

Guu Hongming’s face showed a flush of excitement. Having left his strict family, he felt quite good in his current state.

Young hearts love to play, and cultivation shouldn’t be the whole of life. However, since he reached Meridian Opening, the time spent playing has become much less than before.

Learning Artifact Refining and Cultivating Techniques took up most of his time. If it weren’t for his insufficient Divine Sense leading to lack of concentration, he felt the twelve double hours of the day would all be arranged by his family.

He knew that only with high cultivation would a cultivator receive respect, but he didn’t want to spend all his time on it.

Ji An offered a sincere blessing:

”Great, I believe you can do it.”

The human mind possesses energy; self-belief is akin to adrenaline, filling one with passion. If this energy turns negative, it becomes depression and internal strife.

In his previous life, he went through a period of depression due to various pressures. He couldn’t sleep at night, longing for daylight to come, and during the day he was mentally exhausted, yearning for the night to fall quickly so he could sleep.

Once he managed to fall asleep, he would easily wake up again, feeling as if the blood flowing in his back and arms was scalding hot.

That’s when he realized that spiritual power was not abstract and ethereal, but real and existent.

”Really?”

Guu Hongming’s eyes showed surprise. He hadn’t had much contact with people outside his family, and rarely heard affirmation from the outside world, let alone from a highly respected cultivator honored by his grandfather.

”Of course, as long as you wish, you can.”

Ji An easily encouraged him, thinking of how in his previous life, placebos in medicine had no actual therapeutic effect.

But, due to the patient’s trust in the doctor and self-suggestion, it could achieve effects like analgesia or easing symptoms.

This is the power of YY (imagination), quite miraculous, as the body’s self-regulation sometimes sounds incredibly magical.

”Thank you, Grandpa Ji, for your encouragement. I’m looking forward to life at the sect.”

Guu Hongming’s eyes showed anticipation. His family was not large, and he longed to meet more people.

He paused and asked softly:

”After entering the sect, will I be able to take a master right away?”

”Theoretically, you need to reach the Late-stage Qi Cultivation, but if you wish, I can ask the opinions of my senior brothers.”

Among the people Ji An knew, only one was truly reliable, and that was Zhuu Xiangrong, the best and most skilled Artifact Refiner.

However, whether to take a disciple required consultation with them; he couldn’t ask the other party to help him repay favors.

Truth be told, Guu Tai directly waiving the face armor fee was an incredibly valuable gift.

Soon, the young boy’s eyelids grew heavier, and he fell asleep leaning against the rock wall.

Ji An summoned Dahuang and Golden Fur to guard the cave entrance and dispatched the Golden-winged Bird to scout. This puppet was genuinely remarkable, remaining diligent even in the fierce wind.

...

Two months passed, and Ji An gazed from the sky. Silver Moon City lay ahead.

Traveling by day and resting by night, thanks to his cultivation progress, his flying escape speed had increased significantly since entering the Northern Land.

As they drew closer, Guu Hongming also saw the city, radiating a silvery hue under the sun.

”This is my first time seeing an Immortal City built on a plain. Should we go in to rest?”

They had been on the road constantly, and the Northern Land’s scenery was monotonously dull. He had grown weary of it long ago, now yearning to return to the crowds to feel the flow of life once more.

”No, we’ll go around it. It won’t take many days to reach the Western Continent.”

Ji An had no intention of lingering, instinctively wanting to avoid the place.

He began flying west, taking a small detour around the Immortal City.

Initially, Guu Hongming felt a little disappointed, but hearing that they would reach the Western Continent soon revitalized his spirits.

”I’ve heard it’s not cold in the Western Continent?”

”Indeed, you’ll no longer need your fur coat.”

The towering mountains separating the Western Continent and the Northern Land blocked the cold winds from the Far North, making them seem like two different worlds.

After flying for over three more double hours, the sun set like a blood-red disc slowly sinking into the distant mountains, the sky resembling burnished brass and flaming clouds, forever swaying with charm.