Cultivation is Just That Scientific

The scene remained untouched, and the male cultivator was startled when he saw the deep pit.

Judging by the pit and the surrounding area, the power of this strike was incredibly formidable, even surpassing that of an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

His figure flickered, and he appeared beside the pit. He lightly patted his storage pouch, and a jade ruler appeared in his hand.

He tapped the pit and the surrounding area with the jade ruler, but it showed no reaction, causing his brow to furrow deeply, a look of confusion in his eyes.

“Senior Brother Zhao, did you find anything?” the female cultivator asked from the side.

“Strange, there isn’t even a trace of spiritual energy left behind from this strike!” the male cultivator looked at the jade ruler, replying with uncertainty.

Though powerful martial artists existed in the secular world, unless they reached the Xiantian level, they were no threat to cultivators and could be dealt with effortlessly.

Even a Xiantian martial artist who could threaten a Qi Refining cultivator could only inflict serious damage through a sudden and unexpected assault.

As long as a Qi Refining cultivator was prepared and there was some distance between them, a Xiantian martial artist posed no threat.

“Could it have been a Xiantian martial artist?” the female cultivator suggested.

“No. Though this strike is powerful, it is scattered and unfocused. It definitely wasn’t an attack from a Xiantian martial artist!” The male cultivator, having seen more of the world, replied with certainty.

The reason a Xiantian martial artist could threaten a Qi Refining cultivator was that their attacks could concentrate Xiantian energy into a single point, allowing them to break through a cultivator’s defenses.

This demonstrated a Xiantian martial artist’s control over their innate energy. After all, martial artists were still martial artists and could not afford to waste so much Xiantian energy.

If a Xiantian martial artist executed such an attack, their reserves of Xiantian energy would be extraordinarily vast—almost frighteningly so. The male cultivator had never heard of a Xiantian martial artist possessing such reserves.

This strike’s power exceeded late-stage Qi Refining, and based on its form, it was more likely the work of a cultivator.

The problem was that whether it was a high-power talisman or a powerful art, even after several days, his artifact should have been able to detect traces of lingering spiritual energy at the scene.

The male cultivator meticulously recorded the details of the scene. This information needed to be archived and submitted to complete the mission.

“Prefect Li, prepare accommodations for the two of us. We’ll be staying in Nanling City for a while. It’s best if the residence is near here; I’ll need to conduct further inspections!” Having wrapped up his tasks, the male cultivator turned to Li Wenyuan.

Originally, this mission was simple: a cultivator causing trouble in the secular world likely wouldn’t be very powerful.

The secular world was barren of spiritual energy, and ordinary cultivators avoided it unless necessary. No cultivator willingly stayed in the secular world for long periods.

Two mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators took on the task, assuming it would be straightforward. However, upon arrival, they discovered that the trouble-making cultivator was already dead. The mission now involved investigating the circumstances and identifying the killer.

The recorded information they had wouldn’t be accepted back at their sect. Even the male cultivator wouldn’t have believed his own findings without having seen the scene firsthand.

“There are two guest courtyards in the residence. If the two of you don’t mind, you may stay there!” Li Wenyuan offered with a smile.

“Alright!” The male cultivator nodded without ceremony.

After arranging for the two cultivators to be taken to the guest courtyards, Li Wenyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Father, why are immortal cultivators here? Were they sent by Zhongdu?” Li Shiming asked curiously.

“They have an imperial decree, but there hasn’t been any official correspondence from Zhongdu,” Li Wenyuan replied quietly.

The Great Xia’s governance was highly organized. Typically, when Zhongdu sent someone, there would be official documents along with the decree.

However, considering the two were immortal cultivators and the decree was genuine, Li Wenyuan could only host them while sending an inquiry to Zhongdu.

“I don’t think they mean any harm,” Li Shiming comforted his father.

Though the two cultivators were arrogant, they were polite enough, clearly not evildoers like the cultivator who had killed thirty-five people.

Li Shiming felt helpless, the sense of powerlessness against stronger beings making him long for strength.

Senior Brother Zhao and Junior Sister Zheng arrived at the guest courtyards, which were adjacent to each other.

“Junior Sister Zheng, the cultivator who appeared this time is stronger than us. We must not act separately during our stay here,” Senior Brother Zhao said solemnly.

“I’ll follow your instructions, Senior Brother Zhao!” Junior Sister Zheng replied with a light smile.

Senior Brother Zhao took out a disk-shaped formation plate. Activating it with his spiritual energy, a white glow spread out, covering both courtyards.

The two cultivators were not dual cultivation partners; if conditions allowed, they wouldn’t stay in the same place.

No matter how close the relationship between cultivators, maintaining distance was crucial for safety.

During cultivation, a cultivator needed complete focus and was nearly defenseless. No one would willingly leave themselves exposed and vulnerable to another cultivator.

Of course, Senior Brother Zhao, being stronger and wealthier, took extra precautions by setting up a defensive formation over both courtyards.

Junior Sister Zheng entered her room, taking a talisman from her storage pouch. She activated it with spiritual energy, and a red glow spread over the doors and windows.

If anyone outside touched the doors or windows, the talisman would trigger and alert her.

Junior Sister Zheng was not as wealthy as Senior Brother Zhao and relied on his protection, so she economized where she could.

However, she never skimped on cultivation. Most of her resources went toward improving her cultivation speed. She took out a round disk and placed four spirit stones into it.

She channeled spiritual energy into the disk, and the spirit stones released their energy. The disk lit up with intricate patterns.

Junior Sister Zheng sat on the disk, feeling the surrounding spiritual energy with a satisfied smile.

Unlike other cultivators who focused on enhancing their combat abilities, she had saved for years to acquire this Spirit Gathering Disk, determined to surpass her peers.

Meanwhile, in his room, Senior Brother Zhao sensed the sparse spiritual energy and sighed, reluctantly taking a spirit stone in hand.

“We need to find clues quickly and return. The cultivation environment here is awful!” he muttered to himself.

The next day, Senior Brother Zhao and Junior Sister Zheng searched all over Nanling City but found no traces of a cultivator. They decided to stay for one more day; if nothing was discovered, they would return.