The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 285 - 16: The Person in the Valley

"Once you pass the peak period for a Tai Chi cultivator, which is around 150 years old, your chances of reaching the Duality realm are pretty much gone."

Zhang Deming shook his head and said, "As long as you’ve thought it through. It’s no problem for me; after all, joining the patrol team is much easier than joining me here.

But the difference in benefits between the two is quite significant."

"I know," Li Shifan replied. "I’m quite familiar with the Inner Sect."

"Alright, then. The transfer will probably go through tomorrow," Zhang Deming said.

"Then I must thank you in advance, Senior Brother." A rare smile appeared on Li Shifan’s face.

Zhang Deming smiled. "No need to be so formal. After all, we’re fellow disciples who have been through life and death together multiple times."

Li Shifan looked at Zhang Deming and nodded seriously. "I will remember."

Seeing this, Zhang Deming continued, "The second matter is that I need you to come with me to a Secret Realm tomorrow."

Hearing this, Li Shifan gave a wry smile. "To break through, I used up almost all my assets. Now, forget about Contribution Points, I barely have any Spirit Stones left. I can’t afford a ticket to a Secret Realm."

Zhang Deming shook his head. "No Contribution Points needed. We’re going to the Cyan Wood Secret Realm to handle the matter of the Flower Demon Elves—the race that made a promise to us back then."

Li Shifan looked at Zhang Deming, confused. Zhang Deming continued, "Because of us, the leader of the Flower Demon Elves made a promise.

Now, the Cyan Wood Forest and the Cyan Wood Flower Sea have been cleansed of their pollution.

The Sect wants to put great effort into nurturing the Flower Demon Elves, but because they’ve already made that promise, we need to go and explain in person that we are disciples of the Sect. Only then will they agree to align themselves with the Sect.

You know how their promises work. They’re almost the same as our Dao Heart Oaths."

Realization dawned on Li Shifan. "That’s simple. Senior Brother, just let me know when we’re leaving tomorrow.

It’s not like there’s any downside for us. Besides, if we want gardeners in the future, it’ll be easier to apply for them once the Sect has cultivated more Flower Demon Elves."

"Not just gardeners. You could probably even get one from the Royal Race, provided we can cultivate one first." After speaking, Zhang Deming shot him a look that said, ’You know what I mean.’

Li Shifan’s expression faltered for a moment. "Senior Brother, you’re getting more and more humorous!"

"I’m being completely serious!" Zhang Deming said with a straight face.

Li Shifan nodded earnestly. "So am I!"

Zhang Deming gave Li Shifan a surprised look. ’The kid’s making progress!’

"Well, that’s all the official business I had for today. By the way, about those stalls in the Outer Sect..."

The two of them chatted for a long time before Li Shifan finally left the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower.

After seeing Li Shifan off, Zhang Deming returned to the Cultivation Room on the third floor and focused on his Cultivation.

A Three-Star High-Grade Spirit Vein was a full five to six times more potent than a Two-Star Low-Grade Spirit Vein.

Now, just by passively cultivating here for a day, Zhang Deming could gain around three thousand Experience Points.

As for the three Spirit Crystals, Zhang Deming had taken one and, using Hidden Spirit materials, fashioned it into a small pendant. Whenever he left his Cave Mansion, he would take it out and hang it around his neck.

The reason he didn’t use it inside the Cave Mansion was that the Spiritual Power drawn from the Spirit Crystal already exceeded the maximum amount his Cultivation Technique could normally absorb. Therefore, using it inside the Flying Spring Waterfall Cave Mansion was no different from using it anywhere else.

To maximize its effect, Zhang Deming had made this choice.

After a few days of earning several thousand Experience Points daily, Zhang Deming’s Cultivation was on the verge of a breakthrough.

「 」

The next morning, Zhang Deming woke up at his usual time, his body having long since developed a fixed internal clock.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Energy surged in his inventory, and just under half a golden Merit Light Ball appeared. It seemed Li Shifan’s transfer had been approved. ’This Golden-Haired Sheep is worth fleecing for a long time to come.’

In high spirits, he got up, washed, made and ate breakfast, and then did his morning exercises in the courtyard, completing his daily routine. Just as he finished his practice, Li Shifan arrived.

"You’re here early," Zhang Deming said with a smile.

"How could I call it early when Senior Brother is already waiting?" Li Shifan replied.

After a few pleasantries, Zhang Deming led Li Shifan away from the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower to the small plaza where the Immortal Crane Riding Place was located.

From a distance, Zhang Deming spotted a strange pair: one disciple was watching from the side while another was walking across the plaza on his hands.

A few scattered people were gathered around, watching.

As Zhang Deming and Li Shifan approached, a disciple came up to greet them from afar. He had a prosperous-looking face but wasn’t fat.

The disciple jogged over and said respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Brother Zhang. I am Yang Guangfu from the Resources Department. I will be guiding you on your trip to the Cyan Wood Secret Realm today."

Zhang Deming looked at him and asked, "Did Senior Brother Song have any instructions?"

Yang Guangfu paused, glancing at Zhang Deming before replying, "In response to Senior Brother, Master Song only instructed this disciple to follow Senior Brother Zhang’s orders."

Zhang Deming nodded. "Alright, let’s go then."

Just as they were about to leave, Zhang Deming paused and asked, "What’s going on over there?"

Yang Guangfu glanced at the small plaza. "He committed a minor infraction and is being punished."

Realization dawned on Zhang Deming. "So the informal punishment from the Spirit Nurturing Peak’s Law Enforcement Team is a handstand?"

Yang Guangfu nodded. "Something like that."

According to rumor, the Law Enforcement Team didn’t have regulations for informal punishments in the past.

If you made a mistake, a minor one would result in a deduction of Contribution Points, while a major one meant a trip to Wanghui Peak. Back then, the Law Enforcement Team was considered a rather lucrative department.

But later, the disciples below protested, saying the Law Enforcement Team was just finding creative ways to rip them off, exploiting them for the meager Contribution Points they had.

No one knows which generation of disciples started it, but eventually, the options of informal punishment and a contribution deduction were introduced.

From then on, one could choose their penalty for minor infractions. However, the specific informal punishments were decided internally by each Law Enforcement Team, leading to a wide variety. Most were designed to be humiliating, with physical punishment as a secondary goal.

For a Cultivator, losing face was an effective deterrent, but it was only applicable to minor mistakes.

With that said, Zhang Deming paid it no more mind. He led Li Shifan and jumped onto the back of an Immortal Crane that had been prepared for them.

Yang Guangfu quickly followed, leaping onto the back of another Immortal Crane.

As the Immortal Cranes spread their wings, the three men and two cranes flew toward the rear mountain of the Celestial Spirit Main Peak.

As the Celestial Spirit Sect’s only Four-Star Spirit Vein mountain, Celestial Spirit Peak had been developed to its absolute limit—a sustainable limit, at that.

From the foot of the mountain to its peak, countless buildings were nestled among its rises and falls.

Riding the Sect’s Immortal Cranes, the three of them traveled unimpeded to the back of the Main Peak.

The Immortal Cranes landed at the foot of the Main Peak’s rear. Because it was morning and they were in a gorge at the mountain’s base, the surroundings appeared hazy and deep.

Yang Guangfu jumped off his Immortal Crane. "Flying is forbidden in the Secret Valley, not even for the Sect’s Immortal Cranes. We’ll have to walk from here."

Hearing this, Zhang Deming and Li Shifan nodded and followed Yang Guangfu into the valley.

The entire valley stood in stark contrast to the front of the Main Peak. Not only was it serene, but there wasn’t a single building in sight.

However, with his perception as a Tier Two Array Dao practitioner, Zhang Deming discovered that the entire gorge was guarded at a frequency of practically one post every five steps.

Moreover, most of the Arrays were invisible Concealing Arrays.

Yang Guangfu led the way, using a special token to navigate through them.

The group didn’t move quickly, taking about twenty minutes to arrive inside the valley.

The valley was surrounded by mountains on all four sides, with only a single gorge leading to the outside world. All around were continuous mountain peaks.

The valley wasn’t large; a rough estimate put it at a few miles in circumference, small enough to see across at a glance.

The entire valley contained two medicinal fields, a small pond, and beside the pond, two old, thatched-roof cottages.

At that moment, in front of one of the cottages by the pond, a middle-aged man sat fishing.

The deep mountain gorge, the thatched cottage, the pond, and the man fishing by its edge composed a scene like a natural scroll painting, exuding a picturesque and poetic aura.