Journey of True Cultivation

Yuan slowly sipped the black tea, swallowing it with ease.

It was normal tea.

He had already noticed it from the aroma alone, but he didn't show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he smiled.

"Haa, it's been a while since I last drank tea. What a pleasant feeling."

"Haha, Sir, why praise such simple tea?" Elder Rein chuckled. "This is just a basic brew I bought from a traveling merchant in a nearby city. Sir must have tasted far better tea than this common one."

Yuan let out a small chuckle of his own.

"Indeed, Elder Rein, I have tasted better tea in my life. But that does not mean normal tea is without value. The true essence of tea lies not only in its leaves, but in the intent behind its preparation."

He gently swirled the tea in his cup before continuing.

"If tea is made purely for profit, it will never reach true excellence. But if it is made with care, for love, or with the intent to create an atmosphere for conversation and understanding, then even the simplest tea becomes enjoyable. It is not just the leaves that make tea great,it is the intention of the one preparing it."

Hearing Yuan's words, Elder Rein's eyes widened slightly, then he suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahahaha! Sir truly understands the art of tea! How ignorant of me to think tea was only about the leaves! What a foolish old man I am. I must thank Sir for enlightening me.without your words, I would have never thought of it this way!"

With renewed appreciation, Elder Rein sipped his tea once more and nodded approvingly.

"Indeed, it is just as Sir says. This tea even tastes better than the one I made this morning!"

Yuan smiled slightly, watching the old man's reaction.

Though his words about tea were true, in reality, mortal tea could never reach such mastery. Only spiritual tea had the power to change the state of mind.

But beyond tea itself, what he had truly mean was not tea, but relationships.

If a person pursues only wealth, they will never put in the effort beyond what benefits them. If a person seeks love, then they will act with care and devotion toward the one they cherish.

The intentions behind all relationships are like tea,the more care you put into them, the better they become.

But it seemed the old man didn't fully grasp the deeper meaning behind Yuan's words or at least, not yet.

That meant one of two things: either Elder Rein was simply not well versed in politics and hidden meanings, or he was an incredibly cunning man, able to wear a perfect mask at all times.

Yuan could only hope it was the former.

After both had finished enjoying their tea, Yuan placed his cup down and met the elder's gaze.

Yuan placed his cup down gently, the faint clink of porcelain breaking the momentary silence.

"Elder Rein, though I appreciate this peaceful moment of tea with you, I am here on a serious mission from the sect. I must ask you a few questions, so we must set aside this tranquility for now."

Elder Rein took another slow sip of his tea, as if savoring the warmth, before exhaling softly.

"Yes, of course," he said, though his voice carried a slight delay, as if weighing his words. "Please ask anything you wish, Sir Yuan. I will do my best to provide answers."

Yuan's expression grew more solemn.

"Then, Elder Rein, please tell me in detail how the demonic beast began its attack on the village. Though it may be painful to recall, I need to understand exactly what happened. Please endure it, Elder."

The old man's fingers tapped lightly against the rim of his cup, an idle motion,one that stopped abruptly the moment Yuan asked about the attack.

"Ah... I remember that day all too well... The day of hell."

His voice was steady, yet there was a certain stiffness to it, as if he had told this story many times before.

"It started like any other day. The children were either playing or learning, the adults were working or resting, and I was making my usual rounds through the village."

He paused, his eyes momentarily unfocused, before continuing.

"Then, suddenly, a loud noise echoed through the village. And before I could even process what was happening... I saw it. A massive, snake like beast."

He glanced at Yuan as he spoke, just briefly, before shifting his gaze to the side.

"In a mere moment, the village began to tremble. The children and adults froze, paralyzed by fear. The warriors, knowing they were outmatched, hastily took up their weapons, ready to die for the village. The few cultivators among us rushed forward to stand against the beast."

He sighed, rubbing his knuckles absentmindedly.

"But it was futile."

"Their weapons had no effect. The spiritual essence around that demonic beast didn't make sense,it was chaotic, unnatural. And as they fought, one by one, our warriors fell, their bodies strewn across the cold earth. The beast spared no one. It was chaos,pure, merciless chaos. Death consumed our village that day."

Elder Rein exhaled slowly, placing his cup down with deliberate care. His hands did not tremble, but his grip on the porcelain seemed just a fraction too firm.

"So many poor villagers died... children and adults alike. The beast did not discriminate. It slaughtered without reason, without remorse."

Yuan remained silent, studying the elder carefully.

"Then, suddenly, it stopped." Elder Rein's voice dropped to a whisper. "Why? Who knows? Perhaps it had eaten its fill. Perhaps it was simply no longer interested in us. I cannot say."

His hand moved to his lap, but Yuan caught the faintest twitch of his fingers,a habitual motion, as if suppressing the urge to make a sign of warding.

"But since that day, it has not attacked again."

A breath. A pause. Then, a carefully measured continuation.

"Then, some weeks later, the outer disciples of the Howling Wind Sect arrived, believing they could slay the creature. But one by one, they fell."

He closed his eyes for a moment, a crease forming between his brows.

"What remained of them... were their mangled, torn corpses,scattered across the outskirts of the Dorn Plant region."

As Elder Rein finished, the room fell into a weighted silence,one that stretched just a little too long before he exhaled and reached for his tea again.

Yuan narrowed his eyes, processing the elder's words carefully.

Something felt… off.

"Don't worry, Elder Rein. I will definitely kill this snake bastard and I'll make sure it suffers a fate more horrific than it ever inflicted upon your people!"

His eyes shone with deep anger, as if he had personally suffered at the hands of this beast.

Seeing this, Elder Rein let out a small chuckle and shook his head.

"Please, Sir, do not let hatred consume you. Just slay the creature. If it is defeated, then perhaps the fallen souls of our people can finally ascend to the cycle of reincarnation... with peaceful smiles on their faces."

After that, Elder Rein spoke a little more about the lasting effects of the attack on the village.

Most villagers lived in constant fear, always dreading that the beast would return to slaughter them again. The tragedy had left deep scars,not only in their homes but also in their hearts. Families continued to grieve for their lost loved ones, and the village had yet to recover from the devastation.

But as the elder spoke, a new thought formed in Yuan's mind,a thought that filled him with unease.

Something about this entire situation felt... off.

Not just with Elder Rein,but with the Howling Wind Sect itself.

Normally, a righteous sect like the Howling Wind Sect would have immediately assigned an inner disciple or even a core disciple,to deal with the threat and protect the village.

Yet... they didn't.

Instead, they ignored the situation completely, allowing the village to suffer for months without aid.

This was dangerous.

If another sect caught wind of this negligence, they could question the Howling Wind Sect's so-called righteousness. Worse, they could use this as an excuse to brand the sect as corrupt or even evil,justifying a takeover of its nearby territories.

Why?

Why would the sect allow this to happen?

It didn't make sense.

Even Elder Rein began to sound more suspicious as he spoke.

He talked at length about the aftermath of the attack,how the village suffered, how the people lived in fear,but he never once mentioned any attempts to seek outside help.

Why?

If they truly struggled this much, why didn't they seek aid from a wandering righteous cultivator, beg another sect, or request assistance from a clan?

The more Elder Rein spoke, the more Yuan noticed the glaring absence of any real attempts to solve the crisis before the Howling Wind Sect finally intervened.

Something was off.

Why did the village endure so much before the sect sent disciples?

Yuan tried to make sense of the situation, but no matter how he turned it in his mind, he couldn't reach a logical conclusion.

Gathering More Information.

After talking at length with Elder Rein, Yuan finally bid farewell, assuring the elder that once he killed the demonic beast, he would return for another cup of tea.

Elder Rein smiled warmly, seemingly pleased.

"You will always have a seat here, Sir Yuan," the elder said, his voice full of gratitude.

With that, Yuan left the elder's tent, but his mind remained troubled.

The contradictions in the villagers' behavior, the sect's inaction, and the elder's vague explanations didn't sit well with him.

Now, he needed to hear from the last remaining warriors of the village,the survivors of the beast's attack.

Speaking With the Warriors.

Yuan approached the surviving warriors and questioned them about the attack.

The first man, his face pale with fear, spoke in a trembling voice

"The monster attacked wildly… without any pattern!"

Another warrior, his brows furrowed in thought, added

"No… it wasn't random. It looked like it was searching for something."

And then, there were many more stories.

Some claimed the beast moved like a shadow,swift, unseen until it struck.Others swore it crushed houses like paper but ignored certain buildings.A few even said they heard whispers in the air,something unnatural about the attack.

But as Yuan listened to each account, a realization began to form.

Something Wasn't Right

Everything they described made no sense.

With Basilisk's memories, Yuan knew more about snakes than anyone.

Snakes were not chaotic creatures.

Even among demonic beasts, there were countless varieties of snake type creatures that could match parts of the description.

But for one single snake to exhibit all of these traits,random attacks, erratic movement, destructive force yet selective targeting,was impossible.

Even a Body Ascension stage demonic beast wouldn't behave this way.

Which could only mean one thing…

Something about this attack was unnatural.

There was more to this situation than anyone was telling him.

Pondering about the demonic beast didn't help at all,it only left more questions than answers.

So, Yuan decided to explore the ruined village, searching for any clues.

A Battlefield Full of Contradictions

As he examined the destruction, his confusion only deepened.

The demonic beast was at least at the Meridian Awakened Stage.

That was the first realization he came to after analyzing the battle marks and the deep prints left behind.

But if the beast was that strong… why didn't it kill all the villagers?

It didn't make sense. A Meridian Awakened-stage demonic beast should have been able to wipe out the entire village effortlessly.

Even stranger, the ruins of the buildings didn't look like they had been destroyed by a battle.

No, they looked as if they had been crushed by an enormous force,like an immense weight had slammed down upon them, flattening everything under its sheer gravity.

The more Yuan analyzed the battlefield, the more he realized that he wouldn't find any answers here.

This village was covered in mystery.

If he continued asking questions, the villagers would start noticing his suspicions.

Manipulation wouldn't work here.

And kidnapping a villager? Too risky.

What if the person he took didn't feared death and feared more the betrayal of his village?

That wasn't a gamble he was willing to take.

Only One Path Remains

"So, I have no other choice but to go into the Dorn Plant Area, huh?"

Yuan whispered to himself, letting out a quiet sigh.

"An easy mission, he said… Li Yun you truly have fooled me. This is no by no means a simple killing task,it's a mission filled with mystery and death."

He shook his head, his lips curling into a dry smirk.

"What a fool I am to trust someone's judgment when it comes to missions."

With that thought lingering in his mind, Yuan turned his gaze toward the dense trees of the Thirty Plant Mist Forest.

And without hesitation, he began walking toward the unknown.