Master of Strange Dao

His grandfather once told him that it wasn't some existence targeting their vital points.

It was that they were too weak, so weak that they couldn't even bear the whispers in their ears.

Like when he first started his cultivation, seeing those stronger cultivators soaring around, all were a flash of tunneling light, sometimes when they just stood there, all he saw was a blob of light.

Once, he accidentally witnessed a clash between two powerful beings, and the dazzling light nearly blinded him.

It wasn't that they had the slightest intent to harm him; it was just that he was too weak, yet still trying to engage with beings far more powerful than him.

At this moment, Wei Lan began to feel fortunate for his past pride because he never slacked off when learning things, and he remembered childhood stories well.

Now, he could firmly resist the whispers in his mind.

He thought that this powerful being might have tried to lower their voice and reduce their divine power.

After some time, the whispering in his mind began to become partially understandable to Wei Lan.

This existence was much more approachable than he imagined; instead of asking for allegiance on his knees, it asked him to do some very simple things and would reward him with some power.

Wei Lan didn't hesitate much and agreed immediately; if he didn't, he would die here now.

The next moment, a faint blue halo emerged within him, and as he opened his eyes again, a faint blue appeared in his irises, his body shrouded in a light blue glow.

Soon after, he saw statues in the distance becoming half-exposed, and as a gentle wind blew, snow re-covered them, as if they had never existed.

This meant those monsters could no longer detect his presence.

Wei Lan didn't dare delay, quickly sought a way out, and found a relatively safe path, moving swiftly through the Hengduan Mountains.

Upon leaving the Hengduan Mountains and reaching the city, after resting inside, he dared to recall the things left in his mind.

The being didn't leave much, not even clarifying the simple task he was supposed to do, just first granted him power to help him leave alive.

Wei Lan knew he would probably have to pay a considerable price later on.

But in such a situation, either he died then, or he might die later, and he could only choose the latter.

Connecting to that trace of imprint, he heard the whispers again.

Sporadically, he couldn't hear it all clearly but understood mostly.

Tasking him with two things.

One thing was to find a human who was leaving the Extremely Cold Forbidden Land with two members of the Wei Clan.

The second task was to find any trace or clue of a Great Devil named Seven Yin and report it.

The second task could proceed slowly, but the first one had to be done quickly.

Upon hearing this, Wei Lan knew immediately whom it was, and he breathed a sigh of relief, at least the Family Head and Wei Tai were still alive.

The first task was indeed simple, merely as a medium to contact the other party.

But this matter couldn't be known to a third person.

Wei Lan didn't dare gamble what might happen by speaking carelessly, so he could only wait here.

...

Yu Ziqing's group, fortunately, emerged from the Extremely Cold Forbidden Land, winding through the Hengduan Mountains, returning to the western part of Dazhen.

This time, Wei Jing was much more proactive, introducing Yu Ziqing to the surrounding areas, pointing out dangers and dangerous living beings as they passed through the Hengduan Mountains.

Much of this information wasn't mentioned in the classics, accumulated only through the years by families like the Wei Clan.

Seeing Yu Ziqing's apparent interest, Wei Jing took the opportunity to suggest that after their exhausting journey, with cold qi erosion not light, Yu Ziqing should rest at the Wei Clan, dispel the cold, and perhaps visit the Wei Clan's Book Collection Tower to observe and offer pointers, as many of the Wei Clan's records were somewhat outdated.

This old fellow Wei Jing was truly eloquent, and Yu Ziqing couldn't resist the call of knowledge, thus agreeing.

Upon entering the city, they met Wei Lan, who had been waiting here for a long time.

This young lad who had been quite proud a few months ago now appeared much more mature, becoming humble and steady.

Seeing his yet not fully recovered aura, it seemed he had suffered quite a bit on his solitary journey back.

At least now, whenever he saw Yu Ziqing, he would take the initiative to greet him, and there was such sincerity in his eyes that it was hard to tell if it was genuine or not.

Yu Ziqing felt that the Wei Clan's education philosophy was somewhat similar to Jinlan Mountain's but even more extreme.

At least at Jinlan Mountain, one only faced a beating and no life-threatening situations, suffering at most but not to death.

While the Wei Clan's trials were sheer life-risking, failure meant death.

Yet the results were remarkable.

It was like being reborn.

Yu Ziqing smiled and politely returned the greeting.

Wei Lan was somewhat nervous, thinking that if this being went to such lengths to use him as a medium to connect so courteously with this person,

Then this person must not be simple, and the Family Head's courtesy was not just a formality but genuine lowering of their stature for flattery.

Yu Ziqing followed the Wei Clan to their residence.

This place was not far from the Hengduan Mountains, with a small town where many entered the Hengduan Mountains, stopping there to rest and gather updated information.

Because over generations of exploration, expanding from this place into the Hengduan Mountains for over a thousand miles, most of the area had been explored, making it relatively safe.