Terrifyingly Formidable

“Mind moves with intent. Whichever direction we fly, the wind goes in that direction.

“Whichever direction the wind goes, that is the direction we fly.

“Because wind is everywhere, this spell consumes very little spirit energy.

“Because I am integrated with the wind, you see no trace of it with your naked eye, and even your divine sense cannot trace the path of my spirit energy.

“If I weren't carrying you along with me as I ride the wind, you wouldn't have been able to detect even the initial wind spirit energy beneath my feet. What you said earlier about the inside and outside of the boundary being two different states is very accurate.

“The wind rises because of me, and I move by blending into the wind. This boundary can be adjusted at will by the one riding the wind.

“When your understanding of the wind reaches a certain level, an intangible yet distinct boundary forms between the wind and the outside world. Inside the boundary, we are the wind rushing through at high speed; outside the boundary, it is just normal airspace, completely undisturbed.”

Hearing her master's explanation, Gu Ningyun gained a sudden insight.

She practiced a wind-attribute movement technique called 《Wind Walk》. Unlike flight techniques, movement techniques were auxiliary spells that low-grade cultivators could practice, requiring them to borrow momentum from support structures like the ground.

Her movement technique, 《Wind Walk》, was divided into four stages: Entry, Small Success, Great Success, and Perfection.

At the Entry stage, one could move with the help of the wind, more than doubling their speed.

Upon reaching Small Success, in addition to being twice as fast as the Entry stage, one could step directly on the wind without relying on any magic tools.

Once cultivated to Great Success, along with another speed boost, one could merge their body into the wind, moving without hindrance and leaving no trace of their whereabouts.

If one cultivated it to the stage of Perfection, they could even achieve a state where they existed wherever the wind was, teleporting via the wind.

Merging the body into the wind at the Great Success stage of 《Wind Walk》—didn't that bear an extreme resemblance to the Wind-Riding Technique?

Five years ago, when she had just left the sect, she was already able to borrow a bit of power from the wind to slightly separate herself from the weeds on the ground, hiding her footprints.

Five years had passed, and with her insights into the wind as well as her years of practicing 《Wind Walk》, her ability to borrow wind power had become second nature even before her Foundation Establishment.

Yet, she was always just a hair's breadth away from Small Success.

She had also tried it after her Foundation Establishment. As the purity of her spirit energy increased, her movement speed grew faster.

But no matter how she tried, she always felt that this speed hadn't reached its limit. In particular, it didn't achieve the effect described in the Small Success stage of doubling the speed of the Entry stage.

She had a vague idea of the reason, and hearing her master explain the Wind-Riding Technique today only confirmed her suspicions.

She tilted her head up. “Master, how can I improve my understanding and comprehension of the wind?”

Yi Chu raised an eyebrow. Even though he had long known his disciple was brilliant—often able to see the whole picture from a single detail and grasp the entire situation from a small corner—he still hadn't expected her to grasp the core of the Wind-Riding Technique, the comprehension of the wind, in such a short time.

Thinking of the techniques his disciple had practiced, he came to a sudden realization. It was likely due to her practice of 《Wind Walk》.

Instead of answering her question directly, he asked, “Apart from the 《Taiqing Astral Wind Art》 and 《Wind Walk》, have you practiced any other wind-attribute spells?”

Ah, this...

Gu Ningyun felt a bit guilty.

She was a multi-disciplinary cultivator in music, sword, magic, and body refining, and she had never slacked in either her cultivation level or her combat abilities. The only area where she fell short was the path of the wind, the very foundation of her cultivation which she valued the most.

Over all these years, even when it came to wind-attribute spells, she had only learned the first style of the 《Taiqing Astral Wind Art》 and 《Wind Walk》.

She honestly confessed the current state of her mastery over wind spells, but Yi Chu showed no sign of dissatisfaction.

“What was your original plan after returning to the sect?”

“I planned to first learn a divine sense cultivation technique, and then head to the Preaching Peak to learn arrays.”

Hearing this, Yi Chu pondered for a moment. “To comprehend the path of the wind, aside from sudden epiphanies, the most direct way is to expose yourself to more wind-attribute spells and techniques.

“Starting in a month, come to the peak summit every afternoon. I will first teach you some minor wind-attribute spells.”

Gu Ningyun's eyes lit up. She instantly thought of how Senior Sister Kong had studied every single auxiliary melody in the library before she was able to create 《Guiyuan》. Comprehending the path of the wind must be the same.

...

When they came, traveling via spatial transit had taken three hours, but the return trip via wind-riding was actually an hour faster.

Although there was a gap in their cultivation levels, spatial transit was an immortal-grade method, a completely different concept from the techniques of the cultivation world.

Below the rank of immortals, only the auspicious beast Pixiu was granted an exception by the Heavenly Dao and endowed with this ability.

Yet her master's Wind-Riding Technique was actually so much faster than spatial transit. It was truly terrifyingly formidable!

Gu Ningyun looked forward to it even more. She wondered when she would be able to learn this technique from her master.

The scent of herbs rushed over them, and in the blink of an eye, they returned to Alchemy Peak.

The Peak Master of Alchemy Peak, Daoist Lord Yi Shu, had already received the message and was waiting for them.

As soon as they arrived, she began checking Gu Ningyun's body and sea of consciousness.

Once she confirmed that Gu Ningyun's injuries were indeed fully healed with no hidden ailments left behind, she withdrew her hand and looked at Yi Chu. “Senior Brother, I will keep an eye out for news regarding a thousand-year soul-nourishing wood.

“I recall that Ximu Peak successfully transplanted an eight-hundred-year-old one a few years ago. If you are in a hurry, you can buy a section from them to use for now.”

“Let's wait for news first.” Yi Chu glanced at Gu Ningyun.

Yi Shu nodded. “Punishment Peak, Array Peak... those four peaks also said to wait. At least the five of them have recovered from their injuries, so there's no rush for the moment.”

What kind of riddles were her master and martial aunt speaking in? It seemed to have something to do with the five of them.

Gu Ningyun was completely bewildered. Once they left Alchemy Peak, she asked, “Master, what do you need a thousand-year soul-nourishing wood for?”

“Now that you have reached Foundation Establishment, I plan to refine a magic tool for you that can both protect your divine sense and assist in your divine sense cultivation.”

Yi Chu cast an isolation barrier. “The difference between an eight-hundred-year-old and a thousand-year-old soul-nourishing wood might seem small, but once it reaches a thousand years, a qualitative change occurs. It is equivalent to the difference between a juvenile and an adult form.

“The gap between them cannot be summarized by a mere thousand-fold difference.”

Refining a magic tool for his disciple naturally required the finest materials.

The relevant records from the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》 unfolded in Gu Ningyun's mind. The soul-nourishing wood had extremely harsh growth requirements. Let alone a thousand-year-old one, even a hundred-year-old one was a rare treasure that could only be found by chance.

Whenever one appeared in the world, it would be instantly snatched away, making it almost impossible to grow to a thousand years.

Over time, the secrets distinguishing a thousand-year soul-nourishing wood from a hundred-year one gradually faded into legend, recorded only by ancient, long-standing sects and great families.

She projected her divine sense into her space and, following the identification methods from the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》, verified the soul-nourishing wood she had.

The soul-nourishing wood, which had previously been chopped down until only the root and a small section of its trunk remained, had long since taken root in her space. It inhaled and exhaled the pure yin energy of the Yin-Gathering Pearl, and the remaining stump had actually grown a bit larger than when it was first planted.

Although the space was bright, the trunk of the soul-nourishing wood did not reflect a single ray of light; it was a pure, deep black.

The entire tree was simple, ancient, and restrained to the absolute extreme. If Gu Ningyun were not the master of the space and did not possess a top-grade wind spirit root mutated from fire and wood, she would not even have been able to sense that this wood was absorbing and giving back Yimu energy.

This extreme purity and low profile were precisely the defining characteristics of a thousand-year soul-nourishing wood.