Vessel of Worlds

"Nephew Zhao... you—" On Recluse Peak, a slightly portly middle-aged cultivator spotted Andy emerging from the crafting workshop passage and was about to greet him when he noticed the powerful spiritual energy radiating from the younger man. He froze, swallowing the rest of his words.

"Uncle Kuang!" Andy clasped his fists in greeting.

"Ha ha! Junior Brother Zhao has achieved Foundation Establishment! If you don't mind, just call me Senior Brother from now on—no more of this 'Uncle' business. Congratulations on your breakthrough!" The middle-aged cultivator laughed heartily.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Thank you, Senior Brother Kuang!" Andy said. "I was planning to visit the Enquiry Hall and report my breakthrough to Sect Leader Xiong."

The middle-aged cultivator nodded. "That's right—once you've reported to the sect leader, you'll be free to find yourself a private cave dwelling anywhere in the Kuanglu Mountain Range. The sect treats us Foundation Establishment cultivators well. Not only are we exempt from all duties, but the sect provides two mid-grade spirit stones each year as tribute from the junior disciples."

"But before you head to Hanyang Peak, you should come with me to the Hundred Tempering Hall first. After all, you were an outer disciple here before, and there are some simple procedures to take care of. Don't worry—it won't take long at all." The middle-aged man spoke with exaggerated courtesy, almost obsequiously, as though afraid Andy might refuse.

"In that case, I'll come along. The Hundred Tempering Hall isn't far from here anyway." Andy nodded, a barely perceptible, enigmatic smile flickering at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing Andy agree so readily, the middle-aged cultivator beamed. "You must have broken through quite recently, Junior Brother. I'm still only at early-stage Foundation Establishment myself—never managed to advance further. But I have been at this stage for quite a few years, and I've picked up some insights about cultivation after the breakthrough. Why don't we exchange notes along the way?"

Andy blinked in surprise, then brightened. Having someone to offer guidance would save him a great deal of fumbling in the dark. Even if the man couldn't provide anything groundbreaking, at the very least he could share basic knowledge and practical experience about Foundation Establishment cultivation—the kind of opportunity that didn't come along often.

The two set off toward the Hundred Tempering Hall. True to his word, the middle-aged cultivator talked at length about his cultivation insights. Some of it was entirely new to Andy; other parts struck him like sudden illumination, clearing away confusion he hadn't even known how to articulate. By the time they arrived, he had gained a great deal.

The conversation flowed easily, and the atmosphere between them was as warm as could be.

But the instant they stepped through the doors of the Hundred Tempering Hall, the Kuang surnamed cultivator's tone changed abruptly. His voice turned cold and sinister. "Junior Brother Zhao, I must say—your reaching Foundation Establishment was quite unexpected. Three Foundation Establishment Pills notwithstanding, with your five-root aptitude, it should have been nearly impossible. You must have had some other treasure helping you along."

"I'm not sure what Senior Brother means. Perhaps I was simply extraordinarily lucky and stumbled into a successful breakthrough." Andy had anticipated this, but he put on a convincing show of bewilderment.

The middle-aged cultivator let out a dry laugh. "Ha ha—indeed, your luck has been remarkable. How else would you have come to possess something like a high-grade spirit stone?"

Far from alarm, Andy smiled. "So it was you, Senior Brother Kuang. I've been wondering—why was Lu Wen waiting for me the moment I returned to the sect? How did he manage to set up a formation trap on Recluse Peak in advance? It was all your arrangement, wasn't it?"

"Not entirely, but not far off either!" The Kuang surnamed cultivator seemed to be in excellent spirits, grinning broadly. "I had no idea beforehand why Lu Wen wanted to move against you. All I did was lend him a complete set of Golden Blade Tiger-Subduing Formation equipment—the formation flags, the formation disc, the formation pearls—along with a peak-grade artifact: the Mo Yuan Shield. I believe that shield is sitting in your storage pouch right now."

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Andy nodded, then frowned. "It is. But there are two things I don't understand, and I'd appreciate Senior Brother's clarification. First, what did Lu Wen give you in return for lending him an entire formation set and a peak-grade artifact? Second, no one else was present during my fight with Lu Wen. How did you learn that I possess a high-grade spirit stone?"

The Kuang surnamed cultivator laughed. "Fair enough—at least you'll die knowing the full story. The first question is simple. Lu Wen had a childhood sweetheart, a remarkably pretty young woman. The boy was sharp enough to notice my interest in her, and he took it upon himself to persuade her to become my concubine. I owed him a considerable favor for that, so I lent him the two items. As for the second question—that's a bit more interesting. When I lent Lu Wen the equipment, he refused to tell me what he actually intended to do with it, brushing me off with vague excuses. My curiosity got the better of me, so I slipped a Spirit-Hosting Pearl in among the formation pearls. As long as I'm within a few kilometers, I can sense the pearl's location and recall the wisp of spiritual sense I attached to it. From that wisp, I can get a rough picture of what happened nearby."

"The Spirit-Hosting Technique—a skill only Foundation Establishment cultivators can practice. Truly ingenious. Neither Lu Wen nor I detected it," Andy said with a nod. Many of his lingering questions had just been answered.

"An ordinary Spirit-Hosting Technique, no matter how powerful, would be difficult to conceal completely. But a Spirit-Hosting Pearl happens to be the perfect vessel for hiding a wisp of spiritual sense—that's the only reason it went unnoticed," the Kuang surnamed cultivator added.

"Thank you for the explanation, Senior Brother Kuang. I take it you've made thorough preparations for bringing me here," Andy said, his expression hardening.

"Indeed. The moment I learned you had a high-grade spirit stone, I wanted to find you immediately. Unfortunately, you were holed up in the crafting workshop and wouldn't come out. I had no choice but to wait by the exit, day after day—for a year and a half. What I didn't expect was that when you finally emerged, you'd already be a Foundation Establishment cultivator!" The Kuang surnamed cultivator made no attempt to hide his patient ambush.

Andy looked around the hall without haste. "I'm sorry to have kept Senior Brother waiting so long. You chose to confront me here in the Hundred Tempering Hall, so I assumed the hall must be fitted with some formidable restriction. But I've been scanning with my spiritual sense since before I set foot inside, and apart from a standard protective formation, I can't detect anything else."

"You're not wrong—there are no special restrictions here. If I'd set any up, it would only have aroused your suspicion, and you'd never have stepped through the door," the Kuang surnamed cultivator said approvingly. "I chose this place simply because there's no one else around. This has always been my territory, and I ordered all other disciples to stay away well in advance. That's how I intend to relieve Junior Brother Zhao of his high-grade spirit stone—without anyone being the wiser." His tone remained perfectly casual, as though he were discussing something utterly mundane.

Andy matched his composure. "Senior Brother makes a fair point. If I'd sensed anything unusual in here, I certainly wouldn't have walked in—one ambush from Lu Wen was quite enough. But are you certain that killing me here won't bring you any trouble? The sect strictly forbids disciples from killing one another."

The Kuang surnamed cultivator laughed again. "Junior Brother needn't worry about that on my behalf. Without hard evidence, who would bother looking into it? All those disciples who died in Dragon Descent Valley—did anyone investigate? We cultivators are a cold-hearted lot. Without sufficient incentive, no one meddles in other people's affairs."

"I see. Then by that logic, if I were to kill Senior Brother Kuang here, I'd be perfectly safe as well?" Andy's tone remained one of mild inquiry.

A flash of anger finally crossed the Kuang surnamed cultivator's face. "Not necessarily," he said coldly. "I'm the supervisor of this peak, and I've never once left Recluse Peak. If I were to vanish without explanation, the sect would conduct at least a cursory investigation into everyone who'd entered and left. You'd likely fall under suspicion. But rest assured, Junior Brother—I have no intention of letting that happen."

His lips curled into a cruel smirk. After a pause, he continued: "From the very beginning, Junior Brother Zhao, you've carried yourself as though you had everything under control. Frankly, it's been rather irritating. Do you really believe a single peak-grade artifact and a talisman treasure are enough to handle me? I may be early-stage Foundation Establishment like you, but I've been at this level for years—my cultivation is far deeper than someone who's just broken through. And I'm a master craftsman by training. The artifacts at my disposal are beyond what any ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator could match. Are you truly not afraid?"

Andy chuckled. "Senior Brother Kuang is certainly no ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. But I'm no ordinary cultivator either." As he spoke the last words, a razor-sharp killing intent flared in his eyes.