Chapter 10: The Supreme Sect of Qi Manipulation

Luo Xingchen turned to look at her. "Is there something else?"

Before Su Wu could reply, he grinned again.

"Could it be that you can't wait for me to take you right here?"

"Please don't misunderstand, young man."

Su Wu blushed slightly, whether she truly understood or was feigning ignorance.

"I wanted to invite you to travel together. You're returning to the Supreme Qi Induction Sect, while we're heading to the capital. The road ahead is still long, and we’ll be on the same path for quite a distance. We might as well go together."

Luo Xingchen raised an eyebrow, giving her a knowing smile. "And perhaps do something exciting in the carriage along the way?"

Su Wu's cheeks grew even redder. "You could try, young man."

Without another word, Luo Xingchen climbed into the carriage, beckoning Iron Pipipi, who was cradling the little kitten, and Wang Zhengyu to join him.

The carriage was spacious; four people sat inside without feeling crowded.

They chatted and joked along the way.

Unfortunately, nothing exciting happened.

When it was time to disembark, Su Wu felt deeply disappointed.

Luo Xingchen was equally regretful.

"Perhaps fate will let us meet again."

But Luo Xingchen showed no reluctance; he waved and, with two women and a kitten, headed toward the Supreme Qi Induction Sect.

The carriage remained still.

Su Wu sat inside, one hand lifting the curtain, gazing steadily at Luo Xingchen’s retreating back, as if her soul had been drawn away.

Only after the figures of Luo Xingchen and his companions disappeared from sight did Su Wu lick her lips, sigh softly, and lower the curtain.

"What a handsome young man, and a cultivator of the Supreme Qi Induction Sect. I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to savor him..."

The hunchback in front immediately spoke, "Master, shall I chase after him and bring him back for you to enjoy?"

"Bring him back? Are you a fool?"

Su Wu angrily kicked the hunchback out of the carriage.

"Stealthy actions are one thing, but to openly offend the Supreme Qi Induction Sect? Would either of us survive?"

The hunchback dared not rise from the ground, instead kneeling and trembling. "Please calm your anger, Master. I only wished to please you, and besides..."

He paused briefly.

"In recent years, the Supreme Qi Induction Sect has been steadily declining. Their strongest member is the Sect Master, Luo Twelve, who is at the Inquiry Realm. Yet his time is nearly up—if he doesn't break through to the Tribulation Realm in time, he has only a few years left to live."

"Aside from him, there isn't a second Upper Three Realm expert in the entire sect. Once Luo Twelve passes away, the sect will be left without a single Upper Three Realm master and will surely be devoured by other top forces in Northern Xuan Province."

"So, Master, there really isn’t much for us to fear."

The hunchback hardly regarded the increasingly fallen Supreme Qi Induction Sect as a threat.

Su Wu, however, wore a cold expression.

"You really are courting death. Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. The Supreme Qi Induction Sect has survived for a hundred thousand years—do you think they have no trump cards?"

"Even if they truly have none, a mid-tier Divine Transformation cultivator is not someone we can provoke at this stage. If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you!"

The hunchback prostrated himself, fawning, "If you wish, Master, if it pleases you, I am ready to offer my humble life at any moment!"

Su Wu snorted coldly. "Enough nonsense. Get up and drive to the capital. I need to meet my sister!"

"Yes, Master!"

The hunchback quickly climbed up and set the carriage in motion.

...

Luo Xingchen, with Iron Pipipi and Wang Zhengyu, soon returned to the Supreme Qi Induction Sect.

It was Wang Zhengyu’s first time encountering a true immortal sect; her eyes wandered ceaselessly, taking in the surroundings.

Mist shrouded the mountains—like a scene from a fairyland.

In the sky, immortal cranes and even human figures occasionally soared by.

It felt as though she had entered another world—the world of immortals as seen by ordinary people.

Wang Zhengyu's excitement was obvious; her cheeks flushed red.

She was finally about to enter the immortal sect and embark on the path to becoming a great cultivator.

Originally, Luo Xingchen intended to take the two women to complete admission formalities and collect identity tokens.

But after taking only a few steps, Luo Xingchen suddenly sensed something.

He lifted his gaze toward a distant peak, frowning slightly.

Then, he took out his own token and handed it to Iron Pipipi.

"I have something to deal with first. Wait here. If anyone asks about your identity, show them this token."

Iron Pipipi instinctively took the token, and before she and Wang Zhengyu could react, Luo Xingchen had vanished.

Left with no choice, they obeyed his instructions and waited.

The Supreme Qi Induction Sect covered vast grounds, with six main peaks.

Luo Xingchen arrived at Endless Peak, where Sect Master Luo Twelve resided.

He stood before Luo Twelve's door and knocked vigorously.

"Twelve, what are you still doing in bed at this hour? Get up!"

"I tell you, anyone still lying in bed now is a lazy dog, a useless fool, a sack of wine and rice, a rotten fish, a shrimp, an escapist sleeping in the void, a degenerate half-drunk in reality, a yapping dog ruined by amusements, a rat scorned by all!"

Luo Xingchen rattled off a barrage of insults.

Yet inside, there was not a sound.

Losing patience at last, Luo Xingchen kicked the door open.

He entered and saw a figure lying on the bed.

Eyes open but vacant, hair and beard white, his face marked with years—a weary old man.

He was none other than Luo Twelve, the current Sect Master of the Supreme Qi Induction Sect, possessing cultivation in the Inquiry Realm.

Noticing the visitor, Luo Twelve’s eyes finally moved.

Seeing Luo Xingchen, tears streamed down his cheeks.

He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse.

"Ancestor, I have failed your expectations. I—I failed to break through, could not reach the Tribulation Realm... As you said, I am a useless fool, a sack of wine and rice, a rotten fish and shrimp!"

The dignified Sect Master called Luo Xingchen "Ancestor."

If word got out, it would surely shock the world.

But in truth, the Supreme Qi Induction Sect was personally founded by Luo Xingchen a hundred thousand years ago.

By now, few outsiders—and even within the sect, only successive Sect Masters—knew Luo Xingchen still lived and understood his true identity.

Luo Xingchen scoffed. "Is that it? Is that it? Just because of this trivial matter you’ve turned into this miserable creature?"

Luo Twelve was wracked with guilt, unable to retort.

"You know, Ancestor, aside from you, I am the only Upper Three Realm member in the whole sect. Now, after failing to break through, I have only a year left to live. When I’m gone, what will become of the sect?"

This was a world where cultivators were revered, the strong ruled, and might made right.

Yet among billions of beings, the majority were still ordinary people.

A typical person, free from illness or accident, could live seventy or eighty years.

If one reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement, lifespan could extend to one hundred twenty years.

If one could gather spirit, they might live to two hundred; if they succeeded in Foundation Establishment, three hundred.

The middle three realms were Pill Condensation, Soul Condensation, and Divine Transformation. Each new realm granted an additional two hundred years of life.

The upper three realms were Union, Inquiry, and Tribulation. Each advancement brought an extra five hundred years of lifespan.