“Why was it that Lan Yang couldn’t come?”

“Something about a shipping route under threat,” Li Xinyue replied as she stared at the array in boredom.

William wanted to ask more about these shipping routes that were casually mentioned, but she seemed to be in a horrible mood for some reason. Perhaps the reality of leaving the city where her clan lived was finally hitting her. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to exacerbate it since he wanted to get in another sparring session before they had to separate tomorrow. Especially since he was so close to reaching the second level of Qi Gathering.

He let Li Xinyue be and joined her in staring at the array. An Inner Disciple was supposed to arrive to replace the busy Lan Yang, though he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t needed since they would be moving out of the city. There was a wishful hope that he would have protection on the mission, but William remembered Elder Yu’s words. She made it beyond clear that he and Ren Bo would be alone, and she didn’t seem to be one that would lie.

William exhaled softly and looked back at the alerts he got yesterday night after Wang Xiaoling reluctantly gave him two Silver as payment for helping her in the market.

[Side Quest Completed | Help Wang Xiaoling sell spirit fruits: +25 XP]

[Hidden Bonus | Sell 50 Gold worth of spirit fruits: +50 XP]

[Hidden Bonus | Gain Insight into Dao while selling spirit fruit: +4000 XP]

[Level up! | 5 Stat Points Added]

He remembered how that second-to-last last alert had made him wander back to his room with a lost look. It seemed like a gift that fell on his head… again, but after thinking about it for some time, he decided it was well deserved.

After all, that insight he had gained in the Dao of Perception had nearly made his soul unravel, enough for it to require an intervention by an expert in the Dao Seeking Realm.

Plus, it also made William wonder what that alert meant. If it was taken at face value, it could be understood as his insight having never left his mind… or was it his soul?

It was likely the latter since Daoist Chen had to seal it away because of his weak soul.

However, that was beside the point. The important thing was that the insight William had gained would likely be available to him whenever that block Daoist Chen put on his soul faded away. It should be something that excited him, and it truly did, but the experience points he had gained because of this outshined it.

Maybe it was because William didn’t understand what it truly meant to have insight into Dao, which was true, or perhaps it was because he was becoming a numbers fanatic with the system being a constant companion, which was also true. Still, he didn’t think it was a problem at the moment.

William pulled up the cultivation submenu to prove it to himself.

Cultivation: Qi Gathering (1st Level)

Cultivation Technique: Horizon’s Seeker

Martial Skills (3)

Max Level: 19

Max Attribute: 30

Impurity: Stage 1 (80%)

Days Remaining

Upgrade Requirements (2):

. Spirit: 20

. Eligible for Level 20

Those limits wouldn’t be holding him back for much longer.

Level: 19

Experience: 1932/2375

“Looks like someone is coming.”

William looked away from the beautiful numbers bringing his mood up to see the array filled with a mist of silvery Qi. It would be his first time seeing someone arrive through the array.

A familiar figure stood in the center of the array in less time than it took to blink his eyes. However, that wasn’t what William was focused on.

He wasn’t sure if his eyesight had been tricked by the bright flash that accompanied the teleportation, but he thought he had seen the space rip apart, revealing an inky void that almost reminded him of the place Daoist Chen saved him from.

William shuddered in fear before he forced himself to pay attention to the present. Li Xinyue was already greeting the disciple who had arrived.

“And it’s the little brother from before! Senior Sister Lan told me that you were accepted! Congratulations!”

“Thank you, Senior Brother Qin,” William bowed his head in thanks. He was the only one that called Lan Yin 'Senior Sister,' so with Qin Yu referring to her as the same, William assumed that the older boy was also on the Sentinel path.

He glanced at Qin Yu’s sleeve and saw that the second circle was almost filled to the brim but not quite to the level of Lan Yin’s, meaning he was in the later stages of Foundation Establishment.

“Don’t worry, Junior Brother!” Qin Yu clasped William’s shoulder, “Even though Senior Brother Lan couldn’t come, I’ll whip you into shape in no time!”

“Li Xinyue, when is the consummate time that you will have to leave the city tomorrow?”

William had to resist burying his face in his hands. He had forgotten that Qin Yu had the odd quirk of switching a word with something completely different. From the affronted look on Li Xinyue’s face, she seemed unaware of it.

“Senior Brother Qin, I think you meant approximate time, right?”

“That’s what I said,” Qin Yu replied with a confused look before asking Li Xinyue, “So? When is it?”

“… There’s no set time, Senior Qin. Master told me we could leave as early or late as necessary.”

“Good!” Qin Yu beamed, “Then I will take Junior Brother to the city outskirts so he can practice with those.”

William and Li Xinyue’s eyes followed where Qin Yu was pointing and stared at the leather boots on his feet.

“They are rather ugly if I say so myself, but they were free from what Senior Sister Lan mentioned,” Qin Yu commented with a shrug.

William did a double take when he saw Li Xinyue nodding in agreement beside him. When she saw him looking at her, she replied with an eerily similar shrug he just saw from Qin Yu.

“Anyway, let’s head out right now!” Qin Yu said with a clenched fist, as if about to do something courageous, “Li Xinyue, why don’t you come with us? After what I’ll put Junior Brother through the next few days, we'll need healing.”

“I... can’t,” Li Xinyue struggled to continue till her eyes lit up, “Elder Yu sent a junior from the Sect to act as Wei Liang’s healer. I’ll go get him!”

William mentally congratulated Li Xinyue for knocking out two things at once. She wouldn’t have to be away from her books to help heal him, and on top of that, she got rid of the annoyance that was Ren Bo.

At the very least, William was happy that Ren Bo would return to a normal, albeit highly talented, healer without Li Xinyue’s presence around him. That would mean mostly pain-free, and annoyance-free healing for the next few days.

As for knowing that Qin Yu intended to train him hard enough that it would require a healer on standby?

William welcomed it. Call him a masochist, but whatever would get him to the next level would be desired.

“So that was Li Xinyue… much younger than I had thought.”

“Ah, I suppose she is, Senior Brother.”

“I can see why you have your eyes on her. She is enormous!”

William should have immediately denied that he was interested in that sort of thing with anyone, let alone Li Xinyue, but he was stuck wondering what word Qin Yu meant to say. It took him a good few seconds before he landed on a reasonable guess.

“She is gorgeous?” William asked slowly.

“Do you not think so?” Qin Yu asked with furrowed brows, “I suppose you are still too young to really know things. Just wait a few more years, Junior Brother.”

William nodded while mentally rolling his eyes. If that was the word Qin Yu used to describe gorgeous women, he doubted the guy would ever have a partner in this life. Especially since most female cultivators seemed to be vain enough to make an effort to keep a youthful appearance.

“Though, I have to say I’m a little disappointed. I have always heard Li Xinyue was a genius, but she seemed to have trouble understanding me.”

William coughed to hide the laugh that escaped him. He supposed that was one way to look at it.