Zong Shou inwardly groaned, feeling the soft, warm body pressed against him from behind, the twin peaks of her breasts pressed firmly against his chest—no man alive could remain unmoved. He wondered if Chu Xue was doing it deliberately.

He forcefully maneuvered Chu Xue off his back and set her aside.

Zong Shou finally nodded and declared, "No more practicing! For the next couple of days, we're heading out on an excursion. Let's have fun until we’ve had our fill first!"

Chu Xue immediately cheered, but after a brief moment, she grew hesitant, feigning concern: "Will this delay Young Master’s cultivation? Isn't it said that in the martial path, stagnation means retreat?" Before she could finish, Zong Shou smiled and flicked her forehead. He then stepped off the wooden raft and onto the lakeshore.

His movements were as swift as a leopard's as he headed toward the wooden cabin.

Three months of relentless, night-and-day grueling practice, even cultivating his primal spirit through the nights—he hadn't paused for a single moment. What he wanted most now was to completely let go and sleep soundly.

However, as he passed by Zong Yuan, he only heard his cousin snort. Turning, he saw the man wielding his spear with impressive force, but it was all just show. Although the movements were standard, they possessed form without spirit—truly an eyesore.

Zong Shou’s brow furrowed slightly. After a brief thought, he stopped and said, "Zong Yuan, show me your Purple Thunder Spear technique once more!"

Zong Yuan shot him a cold glance, intending to defy, but upon meeting Zong Shou’s half-smiling expression, he felt a pang of guilt. He had no choice but to comply, beginning the practice of his Purple Thunder Spear.

In front of Zong Shou, he dared not be perfunctory. With meticulous attention, the great spear moved as if it were a bolt of lightning, transforming into a spear blossom that weaved and pierced across a ten-zhang space, suddenly vibrating and sweeping outwards.

Yet, it was only for a moment before Zong Yuan was stunned.

Since becoming disheartened, he hadn't practiced the Purple Thunder Spear for a full three months. But executing it now, he felt no awkwardness at all; rather, it was extraordinarily fluid. The transitions and turns in his spear movements were free of countless flaws.

When did his martial path achieve such a breakthrough? A sudden thought crossed his mind: perhaps it was because of those stances Zong Shou had made him practice?

Seeing this, Zong Shou let out a cold laugh, tossing a vial of pills obtained from Xuanyuan Yiren in front of Zong Yuan before withdrawing his gaze. "These are Five Elements Pills refined by Yiren; they strengthen the organs. But there are only fifteen. If you still haven't broken through to the Earth Meridian Third Layer and become a Martial Grandmaster within half a month, they’ll be useless. I will certainly kill you, strip you naked, and hang your corpse on the main gate of Qiantian Mountain City for everyone to see!"

With that, he stopped bothering with the man and simply walked past him.

Zong Yuan did not feel shame or anger; he stood frozen on the spot. Only one thought occupied his mind: Zong Shou’s method actually worked for him. This Young Lord was truly guiding him.

Pocketing the pills at his feet, Zong Yuan then pursed his lips. No matter how good his martial path became, being controlled by another—what was the point?

However, when he moved his spear stance again, a measure of seriousness crept into his eyes. Though he considered himself disheartened, he possessed an innate pursuit of the martial way deep in his heart!

High atop the towering peak, Zong Shou sat at a spot intricately carved with spirit patterns, looking down from his vantage point.

This was the largest mountain range beside Narcissus Lake, spanning six hundred li. From here, casting spiritual techniques downward offered an unobstructed view.

Chu Xue stood beside him, her small face clouded with gloom. "Young Master, is this what you meant by an excursion? It’s so dull..."

Zong Shou did not turn his head, continuing to execute the spiritual formula, urging the temporary altar he had erected, and smiled faintly. "How is this not an excursion? We seek spiritual veins while relaxing and enjoying the scenery—isn't that perfect?"

With a chain of deadly calamities lying ahead, he still couldn't truly cast everything aside and wander without a single worry.

Tiger Zhongyuan, standing nearby, opened his eyes fiercely, showing a hint of Hu Qianqiu's bearing. "Xue'er, you are presumptuous! All four of us lack Earth Veins for advancement. To have the Young Lord deploy his great magic to seek them for us is an immense fortune; how can you still be dissatisfied? You are truly reckless!"

Chu Xue pouted, saying no more. It wasn't that she feared her uncle, but that she was too lazy to argue. She had figured it out: following her Young Master meant there was never a moment of true leisure.

Including Zong Yuan and the Shadow Lion, the three humans and one beast each occupied a separate side within the spirit formation, pouring their true essence into it. They used this array to sense the locations of Earth Veins nearby that matched their respective true essence attributes.

Although this location was the highest point of the mountain range, the spiritual veins could not be seen with the naked eye. They could only be vaguely perceived through the power of the spirit array. Besides this, they also had the duty of guarding the formation.

Zong Shou murmured spiritual words, pushing the hand seals. Slowly, above the four of them, a multicolored screen of light materialized. It wasn't perfectly calm; instead, ripples appeared intermittently, along with faint, flashing lines.

"The Three Profound Spirit Reflection Method passed down by Linhai Academy, while not as precise as Spirit Seeking Arts—which reveal every minute spiritual energy pathway—is valued for its vast range. It can reveal spiritual energy fluctuations within a thousand li. This is just a method from that broken academy; the dozen or so Spirit Palace Holy Lands must each possess unique secret traditions that surpass this. Knowing how powerful Spirit Masters are, I should have focused on cultivating some spiritual arts in my past life to avoid the hardship of desperately seeking Earth Veins..."

Zong Shou mused inwardly while quietly observing the subtle changes in the five-colored screen above. The ripples were generated by spiritual veins, but they interwove. His spiritual mastery was shallow, and his soul power weak; it was truly difficult to discern the source. Only the faintly flashing "lines" represented the spiritual veins that his Three Profound Spirit Reflection Method had truly illuminated, allowing him to identify their elemental composition through the five-colored glow.

However, most spiritual veins were flowing, lacking fixed positions. Even if seen, it didn't guarantee he could easily capture them.

In fact, he recalled several secret arts from defunct sects in his memory. But their origins were unknown, and he couldn't casually employ them. Especially here, nearby, those two peeping Toms might be watching from afar.

After Tiger Zhongyuan scolded Chu Xue, his tone shifted, subtly expressing a hint of doubt: "Young Master, I heard that finding spiritual veins usually requires profound cultivation realms—not only traversing a thousand li at night but also needing special magical artifacts. Young Master, are you perhaps being a little too hasty?"

Zong Yuan scoffed at this. Zong Shou wasn't just slightly hasty; he was far too rushed! To put it plainly, he had no idea how vast the world was!

After all, even in Qiantian Mountain, not many Spirit Masters could perform this remote sensing of spiritual veins. Each time they helped someone search, they charged an exorbitant fee, and success was never guaranteed. If this method were truly so simple, the Innate Martial Masters of Qiantian Mountain wouldn't find every advancement so difficult.

Zong Shou acted as if he hadn't heard, focusing intently on the variations of the light screen above. He had memorized this spiritual art but had never truly utilized it. Employing it now felt clumsy and obscure, making it hard to fully unleash its potential.

He could only use double the mental energy to observe the movement of the spiritual veins and make careful inferences.

He watched fixedly, unsure how much time had passed, before his brow suddenly lifted with a hint of joy. "Found it! Six hundred li away, all five elements are present, primarily Metal. The source spirit is pure; it should be a high-grade Earth Vein..."

Tiger Zhongyuan frowned and let out a bitter laugh. What good was finding it now? If it were within thirty li, it would be fine. Six hundred li away—by the time they arrived, the opportunity would be long gone.

Just as he was about to offer counsel, Zong Shou’s shadowy soul suddenly ascended from the back of his head.

Tiger Zhongyuan knew Zong Shou had reached the Soul Departure realm and could even move short distances, so he wasn't worried. He was merely amused internally—did Zong Shou intend to travel there using only this nascent soul? Even for a Soul Wanderer realm Spirit Master, traveling six hundred li would take a full quarter of an hour, likely risking demise. That spiritual vein might have already drifted far away. Even if it remained, what instrument would he use to collect it?

As he secretly shook his head, a three-tiered exquisite pagoda suddenly flew out from Zong Shou's sleeve.

Zong Shou's entire primal soul then cohered, transforming into the shape of a Luan bird.

However, what Tiger Zhongyuan’s eyes fixed upon was the faint, shimmering trio of talismans within that wisp of smoke. He then looked at the azure smoke—the cold energy within was extremely potent, utterly pure, clearly having undergone a qualitative change!

A fierce glare instantly erupted in his eyes as he stared fixedly at Chu Xue. "Xue'er, has the Young Lord reached the Soul Wanderer realm? Since when?"

Chu Xue scratched her cheek with her fingernail, also looking puzzled. "I think so? I don't know when Young Master broke through; we haven't been together recently..."

Tiger Zhongyuan felt no disappointment; he could no longer suppress his surging emotions and let out a great laugh that echoed across the wilderness.

He finally began to vaguely comprehend the feelings of his father when he competed martial arts against Zong Shou and fought to a standstill. Joy, relief, and anticipation for the future were all mixed in.

A major power like Qiantian Mountain surely required cultivation at the level of Black Tortoise Sect or higher to be founded. But if the successor were Zong Shou, with his realm as a Soul Wanderer Spirit Master, he would be more than capable.

Zong Yuan’s face turned pale, his eyes shifting constantly. He had thought Zong Yang and the others still had a chance of success. But now, all hope was utterly extinguished. Facing such a freak, it was clear that neither Zong Shi nor Zong Yang stood even the slightest chance.

The next moment, the Luan bird form of Zong Shou's primal soul suddenly flashed with lightning, giving its wings a mighty beat. Then, it abruptly vanished from their sight.

Tiger Zhongyuan gasped, instinctively standing tall and looking into the distance. He saw the lightning-wreathed Luan bird already a thousand zhang away! With just one beat of its wings, it had covered several li, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.

Tiger Zhongyuan was completely stunned. Such lightning speed—even a peak Reversion Realm Spirit Master could barely match it...

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