CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 87: CLOUD LADDER CICADA (SEEKING INVESTMENT AND FOLLOWERS)

More than half of the New Year holiday was over in a flash.

Apart from visiting his master and Senior Brother Zhu Wushang on the festival day itself, Hong Yuan spent all his other time in secluded cultivation within his courtyard.

He didn’t even participate when the Book Pavilion opened its annual seven-day super benefit event.

Big red lanterns hung on both sides of the training room’s door. Couplets stating, "No man has a thousand days of good, no flower stays red for a hundred days," were pasted beside the entrance, with "Guard Against Arrogance and Rashness" as the centered, horizontal warning.

This served as a reminder to Hong Yuan about how to conduct himself. In a sense, it was self-positioning.

Inside the training room, figures blurred and the wind whistled.

Suddenly, Hong Yuan halted his charging steps and adjusted his breathing.

At this moment, he was drenched in sweat, his short training clothes clinging to his skin—the very picture of someone who had overexerted himself. And that was indeed the case.

The Cloud Ladder Step required explosive bursts, demanding that Hong Yuan constantly switch from extreme stillness to extreme motion. However, the limited space of the training room meant he was essentially practicing with shackles on, making it considerably difficult.

Fortunately, after nearly half a month, he had finally mastered the Cloud Ladder Step to the Perfected Realm, transforming the practice into a Worm.

[Name: Hong Yuan]

[Realm: Second-Order Advanced]

[Cultivation Technique: Cloud Ladder Step (Perfected Realm 117/16,000)]

Above the Energy Sea within Hong Yuan’s Aperture, next to the Fly Leopard Savage Worm, floated a cluster of white mist. Its shape was ever-changing. When not in use, it was merely a cluster of white mist, but when Hong Yuan activated it, it transformed into a white cicada.

Let’s call this Cultivation Worm the Cloud Ladder Cicada for now. I just don’t know what rank it would be according to Worm classification,

Hong Yuan wondered.

Worms were categorized by rank. His Cloud Ladder Cicada was clearly a speed-type Worm, but he didn’t know if it had reached the third rank. Moreover, conventional Worms could be combined or upgraded. I wonder if these Cultivation Worms of mine can be combined, he thought, perhaps creating one that possesses multiple advantages, or one that greatly enhances a specific strength.

After a moment of contemplation, Hong Yuan shook his head slightly and left the training room to clean himself up.

There were still four days left before the trip to Nanyang Government to earn his stripes, and Hong Yuan was in no rush.

His movement technique was now accomplished, granting him an escape ability far surpassing his peers. If some peerless monster still manages to catch me even with this, then I’ll have nothing to complain about.

From what he understood, those heading to Nanyang Government were mostly second or third-order cultivation Disciples; True Disciples were rare. I refuse to believe I can’t outrun these ’teammates’.

...

An hour later, Hong Yuan stepped out of his house and made his way slowly to the back mountain area of Phoenix Fire Peak.

Hong Yuan knew he was fast now, but not precisely *how* fast. He planned to test himself against the swift flying beasts in the area to gauge his agility when using the Cloud Ladder Step.

When Hong Yuan successfully reached the back mountain area of Phoenix Fire Peak, an Outer Sect Deacon stopped him. "Junior Brother, your identity Token?" he asked.

"Of course," Hong Yuan replied. He presented his identity Token, which marked him as a cultivation Disciple, to the several Deacons and was allowed entry into the forest of Phoenix Fire Peak’s back mountain area.

Phoenix Fire Peak had a unique geographical environment, suitable for nurturing certain rare flying beasts. The back mountain area contained a forest where a group of artificially bred Snow Eagles, Fierce Vultures, and other such creatures were kept.

As Hong Yuan knew, his Senior Brother Zhu Wushang had also invested in this venture. Every year, Zhu Wushang sold a batch of these flying beasts to the Disciples of the Spirit Beast Hall, earning a profit from the markup.

These flying beasts were extremely fast; their leaders could even reach third-order speeds. For a second-order creature to possess third-order speed was quite terrifying!

This area used to be a favorite spot for Disciples from the Refining Equipment Hall to have cookouts and relax. However, because the Book Pavilion’s seven-day special benefit event was currently ongoing, hardly any cultivation Disciples would be picnicking here at this time.

As Hong Yuan stepped into this area, he heard the distinct calls of various birds.

KREE!

CAW! CAW!

The flying beasts spotted Hong Yuan and raised an alarm with their cries.

Snow Wolves and snow leopards, hidden in the woods, also emerged one by one to observe this uninvited guest.

Hong Yuan hadn’t intended to bother with these wild beasts, but it wouldn’t do to simply ignore them.

"Come out."

With a mental command, one Rapid Bee Worm and nine Sting Bee Worms flew out from Hong Yuan’s Aperture, ferociously pouncing on the Snow Wolves and snow leopards.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ.

Due to the snowy weather, Hong Yuan could only dispatch these fully formed Bee Soldiers. Otherwise, driving away the wild beasts would have been much quicker.

A single clash was all it took for the Snow Wolves and snow leopards to scatter and vanish.

Cloud Ladder Cicada, activate!

Hong Yuan spurred the Cloud Ladder Cicada. At that moment, he felt his legs, especially his thighs, brimming with explosive power.

He stomped violently. The ground cracked beneath him as he surged forward, a sharp sound of displaced air tearing through the silence.

Hong Yuan was like an arrow released from its bow, directly charging toward the farthest snow leopard.

In the blink of an eye, Hong Yuan covered a full hundred meters. He skillfully avoided the obstructing trees and appeared before the snow leopard.

Startled by the figure that had suddenly appeared before it, the snow leopard leaped up, then slipped and skidded on the ground, carving a trail through the slush, cutting a thoroughly pathetic figure.

Hong Yuan glanced at the snow leopard, then looked towards a Snow Wolf fleeing in another direction, a faint smile touching his lips.

BOOM!

Another rush of air followed as Hong Yuan took off again. The kicked-up snow and air blasted the snow leopard in the face, making it look even more wretched.

At that moment, Hong Yuan felt as if he were in a 50-meter sprint, running with all his might, the wind seemingly chasing him from behind.

The snow leopard hadn’t even managed to scrape the slush from its face before Hong Yuan was already in front of the Snow Wolf.

The Snow Wolf was initially stunned upon seeing Hong Yuan appear, but it quickly bared its fangs and ferociously lunged at Hong Yuan’s neck.

"Heh."

With an emotionless expression, Hong Yuan activated the Fly Leopard Savage Worm. Instantly, the operational method of the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword circulated, rapidly augmented by True Essence.

He struck out with a powerful palm. A swirling vortex of wind appeared between his hands. The Snow Wolf’s pupils contracted violently, its body frozen in terror.

The True Essence-empowered palm met the wolf’s face.

A deafening sound erupted! Snow and dirt flew into the air. A deep pit appeared in the ground, and within it, the Snow Wolf was smashed into a pulpy mass of boneless flesh, resembling a bloody hide plastered to the earth. Truly a miserable end.

The snow leopard watched from afar, no longer bothering to clear the slush from its face as it hastily fled deeper into the forest.

Hong Yuan stood rooted to the spot, carefully gauging the True Essence consumed by a single activation of the Cloud Ladder Cicada. After a good while, he finally had an estimate of the True Essence drain.

Using the Cloud Ladder Cicada actually consumes a quarter of my True Essence. That’s a bit much, Hong Yuan mused, his brow furrowing slightly before quickly smoothing out.

Although the endurance was indeed a concern, the Cloud Ladder Cicada’s effect was exceptional. It allowed him to cover five to six hundred meters in an instant, leaving other Disciples far behind.

His safety was now significantly enhanced!

Just as Hong Yuan was familiarizing himself with the incredible speed granted by the Cloud Ladder Cicada, madly dashing through the trees in the back mountain of Phoenix Fire Peak, Le Congsheng and Tang Baiwei arrived looking for him.

They wanted to introduce a new friend to Hong Yuan. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and agreed.

Another useful asset. Not bad...