Chapter Thirty-Three: The Golden Light Technique for Traversing the Earth

Jiang Yan looked at Mu Yun and Nanmen Luo, who hesitated before him with their identity jade tokens in hand, and laughed, scolding, “Hurry up and drip your blood. Later, you two will move into Dongping Residence behind the main hall. Without an identity token, you won’t even be able to enter the door of Dongping Residence.”

Nanmen Luo glanced at Jiang Yan; a blue light shone on his right fingertip. After it flashed, a drop of bright red blood appeared at his finger—forced out with his inner spiritual power. With no expression on his ugly face, Nanmen Luo pressed the blood onto the jade token. After it flashed again, Nanmen Luo’s name appeared on the token’s front.

He looked carefully at his token, his ugly face blooming with a joyful smile. Seeing Mu Yun still frowning at his blank token, Nanmen Luo asked curiously, “Senior Brother Mu, why don’t you drip your blood? If the token doesn’t recognize its master, it’s useless to you.”

Mu Yun’s round, chubby face showed a trace of embarrassment, and he replied uneasily, “Well, ah, Junior Brother Nan, you know I’m afraid of pain. This blood dripping...”

Nanmen Luo’s eyes flickered slyly; he quietly hid his right hand behind his back, and out of Mu Yun’s sight, a brilliant blue light gathered in his palm. Gradually, a greenwood arrow formed.

“Senior Brother Mu, you have to do it! Look, Senior Sister Wan already did it herself,” Nanmen Luo suddenly pointed outside, speaking to Mu Yun.

“Senior Sister Wan?” Mu Yun turned, puzzled. “She also did it?”

“Ah—!” Mu Yun’s scream, like a slaughtered pig, echoed through the hall. Nanmen Luo had suddenly struck, using the greenwood arrow formed from spiritual power to cut Mu Yun’s fingertip.

Nanmen Luo looked at him with contempt. “Senior Brother Mu, I only scraped your fingertip. Must you make such a fuss?”

Mu Yun hurried to drip his blood onto the token, his face contorted. “Nan... Nanmen, you’re ruthless, this really hurts, hiss—”

Jiang Yan waved his hand, stopping their noisy bickering. “Junior Brother Mu, tomorrow I descend the mountain. I hope that before I return, you break through your current realm and advance to the third level of Qi Refining. You should know, after awakening today, our little junior sister is already at the third level.”

Mu Yun’s chubby, round face turned bright red. “I won’t let you down, Senior Brother Sect Leader.”

“All right,” Jiang Yan gestured for them to leave.

Nanmen Luo and Mu Yun bowed respectfully and exited the hall. As Mu Yun left, he grabbed Nanmen Luo’s collar, angrily scolding, “Little Nanmen, how dare you use the new technique granted by our senior brother on me?”

Nanmen Luo gently pushed aside Mu Yun’s fat hand and said disdainfully, “Fatty, you’re afraid of pain and won’t let me help? The Sect Leader’s time is precious; he doesn’t have time to watch you whine. Honestly, a grown man afraid of pain.”

Mu Yun’s face, already flushed from Jiang Yan’s goading, turned even redder. “I... I... I am afraid of pain…”

Nanmen Luo darted away, leaving Mu Yun behind, and then gloated from a distance, “Fatty, not much of a man…”

…

Jiang Yan listened as the laughter of his two junior brothers faded outside the main hall. Only then did he carefully consider his next steps.

Yun Ying had reached the third level of Qi Refining; Mu Yun would soon follow. Junior Brother Nanmen Luo was already at the fourth level. This secured two fourth-level experts and three third-level experts, enough for the mainline task.

As for special buildings, Huashan now possessed a first-grade gate, a first-grade training courtyard, a first-grade spirit beast garden, a first-grade spiritual field, and a first-grade main hall. Thus, the three special buildings required for the mainline task were also complete.

Huashan now qualified to complete the mainline mission. As long as Jiang Yan reported to the main sect, Golden Flame Sect, and removed Huashan’s status as a vassal, the mountain would advance to an unranked sect.

If Jiang Yan wished to further advance Huashan to a first-grade sect, he needed a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining. The Golden Flame Sect would then raise Huashan’s rank, advancing it to first grade. To become a second-grade sect, they needed a perfected Qi Refining master to report to Golden Flame Sect.

After sect advancement, the rights would greatly expand. A second-grade sect’s sphere of influence reached a thousand kilometers, with all towns and farms within belonging to the sect. Of course, this jurisdiction applied only to cultivators and didn’t conflict with government authority. The children of families under the sect’s influence became the primary source of disciples. Produce from this thousand-kilometer region, after government collection, would be partly remitted to the governing second-grade sect.

For any sect to grow strong, it needs excellent disciples and a solid financial foundation. Thus, raising the sect’s rank is the highest priority for all major sects.

This time, Jiang Yan intended to raise Huashan to an unranked sect, governing a hundred kilometers. The sources of disciples and government-provided resources would be based on taxes and yields within this area. Qingyang Town, less than a hundred kilometers from Huashan, could now be included under Huashan’s jurisdiction, no longer limiting all resources to just Qingyang Town as before.

Golden Flame Sect was over a thousand kilometers from Huashan. To report, Jiang Yan needed a flying spirit beast mount. But the spirit beast garden had sunk, the Golden-Eyed Eagle was asleep, and Jiang Yan could only rely on himself to make the journey. Lacking physical strength, he pinned his hopes on a manual awarded by the sect leader system upon completing the sect construction mission—Golden Light Earth Traversal.

Golden Light Earth Traversal—one of the Thirty-Six Celestial Techniques. In ancient legends, the Jade Pure Master passed this technique to twelve disciples who had lost their Three Flowers. The disciples of the Celestial Sect used Golden Light Earth Traversal to counter the Yin Shang dynasty. In the later stages of the legends, this technique shone brightly; whenever disciples of both sects battled, the Celestial Sect would always escape using Golden Light Earth Traversal.

Most importantly, Golden Light Earth Traversal is the only Celestial Technique that can be performed by Qi Refining cultivators.

Jiang Yan felt anticipation; a technique passed down by the Jade Pure Master to his disciples could not be simple.

The manual’s cover was deep blue, with the words “Golden Light Earth Traversal” written in black ink. Opening the first page, there was not a single word, only a diagram of spiritual power pathways, lines densely packed and varied in size, making Jiang Yan dizzy.

After much effort, Jiang Yan finally distinguished the lines on the diagram—exactly four cycles. In other words, a Qi Refining cultivator must open four meridians, reaching the fourth level, before qualifying to learn Golden Light Earth Traversal.

Jiang Yan continued flipping through the manual. Each subsequent page showed diagrams of spiritual power paths—one meridian alone, two crossing, three crossing. Compared to the merged four-meridian diagram on the first page, these later pages were all separate diagrams.

Staring at the manual, Jiang Yan summoned the transparent information interface, curious what grade this famed Golden Light Earth Traversal would be.

Technique: Golden Light Earth Traversal
Category: Thirty-Six Celestial Techniques
Grade: —
Function: Travel a thousand miles in a day

Jiang Yan was surprised; the sect leader system couldn’t identify the grade. Was it that Golden Light Earth Traversal had no grade, or that travel techniques weren’t graded, or simply that the system couldn’t assess it?

After much thought, Jiang Yan couldn’t figure it out. He set aside the odd notion and decided to start cultivating Golden Light Earth Traversal.

He opened the first page and began practicing the single meridian spiritual power cycle. With his experience breaking through the fifth level of Qi Refining, Jiang Yan progressed swiftly. Within a quarter of an hour, he mastered the four separate meridian cycles.

But coordinating spiritual power between two meridians proved difficult. Multiple attempts failed, exhausting his spiritual power without success.

Discouraged, Jiang Yan left the main hall. Golden Light Earth Traversal, after all, was a high-level technique, so difficult even the sect leader system couldn’t grade it.

At the main hall’s entrance, Jiang Yan saw two blue-robed talisman soldiers. With a thought, one soldier vanished, heading for Yiya Residence behind the hall to guard the sleeping Yun Ying and Tang Wan, who watched over her. The other flashed across the plaza, speeding down the mountain to guard the newly repaired gate.

Satisfied with their deployment, Jiang Yan strolled to the spiritual fields behind the mountain.

Note: Death Holy Water, you see, more and more readers want all beauties to be gathered. Your single female lead is very good, but among readers, that’s not a common idea. Elegant Yellow Flower also hopes for a single female lead or a young female lead. Hong Yan agrees with you both—may you grow stronger in the readers’ impressions.