Chapter 47: Banishment


    <span style="font-weight:400">Li Lang quickly calmed himself down once he realized he was starting toe up with crazy ideas, like joining a demonic sect. Based on the books he had read and the information he gathered, demonic cultivators weren’t decent human beings. He didn’t have enough information to make any definitive statements, but all his sources had negative things to say about demonic cultivators.


    <span style="font-weight:400">However, their techniques definitely caught Li Lang’s interest. Their cultivation techniques were known to allow practitioners to advance regardless of their aptitude. They aplished this by absorbing the Qi and cultivation from others. That particr characteristic was why several elders in Spirit Grove had used Li Lang of being a demonic cultivator.


    <span style="font-weight:400">While reaching stage four of Energy Gathering at the age of twelve wasn’t anything impressive, it was another matter when aptitude was taken into consideration. It was believed those of a lower aptitude had less talent for manipting Qi, and few ever get past stage three without years of bitter cultivation.


    <em><span style="font-weight:400">Either way, I don’t think I can stay here. The nearby sects will probably hear about me from Spirit Grove as well, so I’ll have to go somewhere far away if I want to continue with my experiments. How dare they associate it with demonic cultivation!</em>


    <span style="font-weight:400">Li Lang red back down on the map he bought from the Mission Hall.


    <span style="font-weight:400">It was much more detailed than what he had seen within the Zi family estate. It showed the surrounding provinces and the main roads.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Spirit Grove was still located in the same province as the Zi family’s home in Lingyun Town, within the Yellow Qilin province. It was on the southern tip of Violet Isle and had four neighboring provinces. The first one to the east was called Jade Lotus. The one to the north was Vermillion Dragon, while the one to the west was called Azure Mist.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The one that stood out the most was also thergest province to the south, which was simplybeled Demonic Cultivator Territory. It was the only coastal province and boasted thergest area among all the surrounding territories.


    <span style="font-weight:400">There were few details about the Demonic Cultivator Territory, but the map surprisingly depicted a city right on top of the border it shared with the Yellow Qilin province.


    <em><span style="font-weight:400">Is this where they trade with demonic cultivators? Wait…Do they even engage in trade with them?</em>


    <span style="font-weight:400">Li Lang pulled his hair out all night as he fretted about the future.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The next day, Elder Cao showed up again in the early afternoon.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Have you made a decision?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“...Yes. I have decided to listen to your rmendation and leave.” Li Lang let out a sigh of relief once he managed to voice his decision out loud and met the elder’s eyes with a determined gaze.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Very well. I will handle the matters with the sect. Expect to leave tomorrow morning.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Elder Cao, will I still be able to use up all my contribution points before I go?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“...It may be awkward for you to try. Your…unique appearance is hard to miss. Give me your sect token. I can procure what you want for you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you, elder.” Li Lang respectfully handed over the token while his mind was running calctions on what he needed for his travels. “Also, may I ask about the situation in Prity City?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Prity City? Hmm…I guess that isn’t a bad ce to go if you want to continue with your… tests. I’ve seen many people like you who wanted to search for ways to bridge the gap in aptitude. Just know that there are lines you shouldn’t cross, like demonic cultivation. It’ll corrupt your mind from within, then no one will be able to save you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Of course, elder.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Prity City is one of thergest neutral cities where trade prospers. The city lord there has unfathomable cultivation and does not allow any fighting within his territory, so it should be safe for you to go. It is my personal rmendation for you to head to Azure Mist and join another sect, but Prity City is not a bad choice either.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Umm, even if it is right beside the Demonic Cultivator Territory?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yes…” Elder Cao frowned. “The demonic cultivators aren’t a united force. Some of them…can be reasoned with. Neutral cities exist to allow us to trade with them for their various resources that are only found within their territory. But anyway, it is quite a trip there on foot…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Do you think I can buy a Skyrunner with my contribution points?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“They aren’t cheap and require Qi stones to power them.” The elder took a second to inspect Li Lang’s sect token. “I should have known you would umte such an amount of contribution points since you seed in refining pills every session. This should be enough to purchase something made by an apprentice Woodsmith.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Throughout the year Li Lang had spent in Spirit Grove, he never stopped refining pills. He could do three batches a day, and each batch had four pills on average. While he had spent some on coins to pay test subjects, Li Lang was still left with over two thousand points.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The next morning, Elder Cao met with Li Lang at his dorms. He handed over the pack with his Spirit Grove disciple robes to the elder before exiting the ce he lived in for almost a year. Without the olive-green robes that all disciples wore, Li Lang stuck out like a sore thumb.


    <span style="font-weight:400">However, no one dared to question Li Lang with Elder Cao right beside him, and they made their way toward the Sky Berth.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I have converted all your outstanding contribution points into Qi stones here.” Elder Cao handed a small bup bag over before waving her hand to materialize a Skyrunner. “And this is your Skyrunner. It can’t go that fast, but that also means it won’t consume as many Qi stones.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The wooden carriage in question did appear more shabbypared to all the ones Li Lang had encountered. It had no adornments and was made of cheap-looking wood. Other than that, it didn’t differ too much from the conventional Skyrunner, with seats for six.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Li Lang didn’t really mind as long as it worked, so after a quick nce, he brought his attention to the Qi stones instead.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“There sure is a lot in here.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“...I added a little extra…as a parting gift. That is all I can do for you as the one responsible for bringing you into the sect. You will have to take care of yourself from now on.”


    <em><span style="font-weight:400">She talks as if she was responsible for any of this…In fact, it should be the opposite. I’m sure inviting someone into the sect who waster found to be conducting dubious experiments didn’t look good for her. I’m d I met someone kind like her.</em>


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you for everything…I owe you a lot. I won’t forget about this.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Elder Cao said nothing and simply nodded. After a few more words of warning and instructing Li Lang how to drive his new Skyrunner, the little big-headed boy departed from Spirit Grove.


    <span style="font-weight:400">He drove his new Skyrunner in the opposite direction from the colossal tree that was the symbol of the Spirit Grove and headed straight for Xiang Yang.


    <span style="font-weight:400">It took half a day to arrive at the familiar city as Li Lang’s new Skyrunner was much slower than the other ones he’s been on.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Arriving at the city, this time, Li Lang no longer had a sect token to show the gate guards, but he did still have his alchemist ring. The problem was what to do with his Skyrunner.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Umm, can I leave my Skyrunner out here?” Li Lang politely asked the gatekeeper.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No, you’ll have to bring it along with you, like all the other carriages, and park it somewhere else.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">It was only at the guard’s words that Li Lang realized a Skyrunner could function as a normal carriage too. He smacked himself on the forehead for the bted realization. Every time he saw Skyrunners, they had always been in the air. That was how he differentiated them from normal carriages.


    <em><span style="font-weight:400">So all those normal carriages running around in the streets could be Skyrunners too…Or not, they usually disappear at the wave of the hand of their owner…</em>


    <span style="font-weight:400">It took Li Lang some extra time to navigate the city with a carriage, as his usual path went through narrow streets. Still, he hadmuted to the city enough times over the ten months that he wouldn’t get lost on the way to Wei Ping’s residence.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“B-boss! You’re back. How d-did the sect cpetition go?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well…A lot happened and I’m no longer part of Spirit Grove now…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“W-what?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Let’s sit down first. It’s a long story.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Li Lang proceeded to retell his tale over a cup of tea while Wei Ping listened quietly the entire time. His expression changed several times throughout the story, but he only spoke after Li Lang was finished.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“So, what a-are you nning t-to do now?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’m moving to Prity City, and I was hoping you’de with me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Please, I need you. Our research is close topletion, but the sects around here won’t let me continue it on their turf.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“A-as long as you d-don’t mind, I w-wille along. I want to be a p-powerful cultivator, too!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The young boy stood tall, unleashing his aura of a third stage Energy Gatherer.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Wei Ping took a surprisingly short time to pack his things. It was only now that Li Lang learned his ce wasn’t actually his, but belonged to a deceased old man. Wei Ping only secretly lived there, as no one cared about the shabby shack.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The two young boys excitedly stocked up for their journey and exited the city the next morning.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Just as they exited the gates and began to ascend into the air on their Skyrunner, a loud shout reached their ears.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Li Lang! Wait for me!”