Wei Yan opted to ignore the woman's grim circumstances and went with his way. Although Li Hongye reminded him of the thin and petite Soul Transformation maidservant who also had the same given name a million years ago, Wei Yan didn't feel the need or obligation to help her. Giving the Horned Centipede's horn was already enough.
After walking for days, Wei Yan finally arrived at the mountain which was situated in a very remote region just outside the farthest border of Taichung Nation to the north, away from mortal cities or big Martial Sects.
Upon a quick scan, Wei Yan found out why nobody wanted to live here. The mountain range was inhabited by numerous Spirit Beasts with varied species.
"Hmm, the spirit beasts are not going to be a problem, they usually just mind their own business if not provoked. However, why are there so many sect disciples at the moment? But, they were just at Meridian Tempering Realm. I can deal with them if things go south, they are not much of a problem unless they start bitching after getting slapped and calling their senior or elder. Tch, tch, tch… What cumbersome brats. Forget it, let's just enter the mountain and see what will happen."
Wei Yan thread his way carefully, suppressing his Qi to bare minimum. He wouldn't get detected unless somebody with higher grade Spiritual Sense detected him which was highly unlikely since there's no human who could compete with his Supreme Rank Spiritual Sense.
While combing the valley to find a suitable cultivation cave, he avoided unnecessary encounters while observing the youths from afar, trying to identify them. Wei Yan felt something was off as the disciples who were wearing sect attire looked so nervous and restless.
"Red and black attire, flame shaped badges on left chest, wavy and curvaceous-shaped swords... Hmm, if memory serves me right, they were disciples of Burning Sky Sect. Renowned for their brassiness. Tch, tch… let's not meddle with their business."
Upon reaching higher plateau where the Earth Rank Qi felt the strongest, he stumbled upon a dome shaped formation array which enclosed the mountain peak.
Wei Yan grumbled after he learned that the formation array was so weak. "What a lousy installment, which amateur did this horrendous work?"
He promptly focused his Qi onto the tip of his index finger, delicately shaping his Qi into a tiny blade, just enough to make an opening. After he successfully opened the formation array, Wei Yan then closed the hole he made as if nothing had happened to the barrier.
Upon further investigation and dismantled many formation traps along the way, he finally found out why the mountain peak was closed. The entire peak was shaking violently when six Spirit Core Experts relentlessly attacked a Five-tailed Black Tiger Beast from all directions.
Wei Yan was completely stunned by the sheer brutality that happened before his eyes.
However, he remained focused on his own task, ignoring the Black Tiger's fate. While the bloody fight unfolded on the surface, he eventually stumbled on a nice cultivation cave. Not only spacious, the cave also has a fresh water pool which trickles down from the stalactites above.
Wasting no time, Wei Yan deployed the strongest Formation Array in his disposal, [Turtle Dome]. The greenish, jade-like sheen on the dome with turtle's shell patterns separated him from the outside world almost completely despite it taking quite a heavy toll to deploy as it consumed so much energy, especially for his current Cultivation Stage.
The barrier worked like a one way mirror where he could see his surroundings just fine while the outsider couldn't anything. However he couldn't hear anything from outside and vice versa but the downside was negligible since it offered him ultimate protection, even a Soul Transformation Expert would have a hard time detecting it.
He sat in a lotus position and began to assess the Cultivation Art which was once taught by Immortal Sage when he was in the shape of Heavenly Treasure: Celestial Inn.
After a few moments of doom scrolling the transparent screens before his face, he eventually stumbled on a Cultivation Technique which suited the Spiritual Root in his body.
[Heaven Earth Convergence Sutra]
[When the five realms align in a single line, the path to Immortality shall be granted upon you.]
"Hmm, instead of drawing Five-element energy from the ambient air, this technique would allow me to cultivate Five-elements energy simultaneously without needing to deploy another formation array to attract the elemental energy. As expected from the Ancient God Clan! Their cultivation techniques are indeed very profound. If combined with Five Elements Peach or any Five-elements consumable treasure, the progress will be twice faster than usual!"
It didn't take long for Wei Yan to memorize and refine the technique. After a few months of rigorous meditation without sleeping even in a wink, he was ready to consume the Five-elements Peach as well many other consumables which were left behind by Immortal Sage.
Wei Yan almost jumped out of his skin when he saw a pot full of Celestial Spirit Bamboo Wine amongst the heaven-defying treasure in the [Inventory].
"I couldn't even begin to think how I should express my gratitude, thank you, Immortal Sage! I will use your treasure for the just and righteous cause!"
Wei Yan put the wine pot in front of him, opening the lid to let the sweet and fragrant aroma fill the dome. He was aware of the intoxication level of the wine despite the abundant Qi Essence in each drop. Therefore, he wouldn't dare to drink it, even when the lid was closed, he could smell the aroma right away.
Afterward, he took out the Five-element Peach and ate it in a single gulp. He couldn't stop grinning while munching the fruit which has five different flavors. Combined with the sweet aroma of the wine, Wei Yan was in a completely blissful state.
Once he finished the fruit, he began to refine the crude Qi Essences that entered his body. Afterward, the Five-elements energy in the surrounding mountain range began to move through underground earth veins, filling the Seven Spiritual Veins. From those seven channels, the gaseous Qi began to condense in his Sea of Consciousness without sign of stopping.
Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, the leaves changed, falling onto the earth or drifted away by the winds for miles away. After six months of arduous secluded training, Wei Yan stepped out of the cave as a Peak Stage Perfect Vein Realm, just one step away from Meridian Tempering Realm.
With this new profound strength, Wei Yan was more confident to explore the surrounding region and to find a suitable place where he could build his main body as the Celestial Inn.
Although he had enough resources to cultivate his vessel's strength all the way up to the Spirit Core Realm, his curiosity to learn human culture of the current era was so irresistible and kept tickling in the back of his head. Moreover, before he could build the inn, he needed to build connections and a trusted supply chain for the long run just like what Immortal Sage did in the past.
However, Wei Yan suddenly smelled something sour and tangy from his body. Upon checking himself, Wei Yan covered his nose as he found himself drenched in impurities after his secluded training.
"Aiyo! I need to wash my clothes and find a store or merchant where I could buy new clothes!"