Ning Zhuo looked up at the Mist Hidden Mountain towering between heaven and earth, then glanced at Sun Lingtong and, seeing the latter's indifferent attitude, nodded acknowledgment to the village patrol guard: "Then, I'm in your care."
Although he possessed the combat power of the Golden Core level, the events with the Lava Fairy Palace had not been too long past, and the various lessons it taught him were vivid in his mind.
Ning Zhuo was by nature cautious.
Since others had said the mountain was dangerous at night, it seemed reasonable for him to go with the flow and spend the night in the mountain village—what harm could there be in that?
"Esteemed guests, this way, please," said the smiling man from the patrol, taking the initiative to lead the way.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong followed him into the village.
Before long, they met with the village elder.
The village elder arranged for the two to stay in two guest rooms in the center of the mountain village. Ning Zhuo handed over twenty spirit stones as payment for the rooms and made arrangements with the village elder to converse over tea at night, to discuss matters regarding Mist Hidden Mountain.
The village elder accepted them naturally.
It was only appropriate to do so.
The patrol guard had taken a spirit stone from Ning Zhuo for the information on the road and had then changed his mind, inviting Ning Zhuo and Sun Ning to stay in the village.
"Esteemed guests, this is the unique Mist Hidden Tea of Mist Hidden Mountain. Although it cannot compare with famous teas, it has its own distinctive character," said the village elder, offering hospitality.
Ning Zhuo picked up a teacup and saw the deep green tea leaves covered with a layer of white down.
A mist rose from the surface of the tea, winding gracefully upwards.
Upon tasting, the tea was initially bitter, like the dense mists of the mountains wrapping around the tip of his tongue, but this bitterness vanished in an instant, leaving behind a prolonged aftertaste of tranquility and freshness as if the mists had dispersed to reveal the peacefulness between the mountain ridges.
"It has its own school of thought—not bad," Ning Zhuo commented lightly.
On the other hand, Sun Lingtong did not take a sip.
For one thing, he had never had any real interest in the elegance of tea drinking; to him, the purpose of tea was simply to quench thirst.
On the other hand, if Ning Zhuo drank, he would not. After all, they were travelers. This was one of the small understandings between him and Ning Zhuo.
The three of them exchanged pleasantries while sipping tea.
Gradually, Sun Ning and his companion gained a rough understanding of the mountain village.
The village had about three hundred households, totaling about fifteen hundred people. The highest cultivation level in the village was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, currently held by the village chief in the late Foundation Establishment Stage. There were six elders in the village who all had achieved the Foundation Establishment level at their peak. Some had suffered severe injuries and by their later years had fallen back to the Qi Refinement Realm. But with their experience and contributions, they still commanded the villagers' respect.
When it came to the village chief, Sun Lingtong asked where he was.
Logically, as Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Ning Zhuo and Sun Ning's presence should have warranted a personal welcome from the village chief.
But so far, the chief had not appeared.
The village elder then informed them that the chief had organized a group to deliver grain.
It turns out that eight hundred li from Mist Hidden Mountain, there was a Yugang Mountain.
This mountain was rich in Jade Dark Steel, and the Southern Bean Kingdom had reopened mines there, heavily guarded. Over time, a town had developed.
Over the years, the town's population had steadily increased, but Yugang Mountain itself was barren and could not sustain itself.
The Southern Bean government thus issued orders for the surrounding mountain villages to dispatch manpower and resources, arranging surplus supplies to be continuously sent to the town of Yugang Mountain.
The mountain villages were willing to do this.
That's because the goods sent to Yugang Town could be exchanged for a substantial amount of money and commercial goods. While it might not lead to a huge profit, even a slight profit on top of meeting the development needs of the village itself was a win-win situation.
As night deepened, Ning Zhuo voluntarily ended the tea conversation.
After the village elder took his leave, he and Sun Lingtong disappeared invisibly, scaling the walls and whispering about the village under cover of darkness.
There were patrol personnel nearby where he stayed.
But how could the rustic villagers sense the presence of Ning Zhuo and Sun Ning? Sun Lingtong hailed from the Bukong Sect, skilled in stealth and theft. Ning Zhuo possessed the Cloud Concealed Bud, a rare and exotic plant that could even deceive cultivators at the Golden Core level, let alone these patrolling villagers.
Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo, side by side, hopped lightly from rooftop to rooftop across the village.
The cool night breeze greeted them, and Sun Lingtong conveyed with a voice transmission, "Hehehe, exhilarating! Little Zhuo, this is the taste of freedom!"
He had long grown tired of his time at the Lava Fairy Palace. Were it not for his initial concerns for his master and his subsequent concerns for Ning Zhuo, his nature would have led him to leave long ago, wandering freely in the worldly society.
Ning Zhuo too wore a smile.
Since birth, he had lived in the Lava Fairy Palace, and for fourteen years, he had been wracking his brains to secure his place in the Immortal Palace.
Now, with the palace matters temporarily concluded, he set aside the weight from his mind and shoulders, freely navigating under the night sky, feeling a great sense of pleasure.
The two found a high spot and instantly halted.
Sun Lingtong transmitted a message: "Little Zhuo, let's compare our skills in probing with our Divine Sense. I won't take advantage of you—I'll suppress my cultivation to the early stage of Foundation Establishment."
Ning Zhuo replied, "If you're in the mood for elegance, elder brother, then naturally I wouldn't want to dampen your spirits."
"Hehehe," chuckled Sun Lingtong, as he immediately released his Divine Sense.
Ten zhang, thirty zhang, sixty zhang...
His divine sense continued to expand until it reached two hundred and sixty zhang and then stopped.
His divine sense covered more than half of the village, quietly surveilled for a moment, and then he immediately retracted his divine sense.
The speed at which he withdrew his divine sense was astonishingly fast, taking only three breaths to fully retract it.
More importantly, throughout the entire process of emitting and retracting his divine sense, there was absolutely no leakage of presence, concealed extremely well. Even though Ning Zhuo was right beside Sun Lingtong, he didn't feel any fluctuations whatsoever.
It was Ning Zhuo's turn.
He slowly released his divine sense.
Ten zhang, twenty zhang, forty zhang...
His divine sense expanded to one hundred and eighty zhang, then could go no further and had to stop.
His divine sense covered a little more than half of the mountain village.
Many villagers did not guard against such things and remained utterly unaware, allowing Ning Zhuo to see the various arrangements within their homes, as well as their nocturnal activities.
He discovered that many villagers worshiped the Mountain God. Eighty percent of the shrines, portraits, or small temples for the Mountain God were actually for the Fox God. Only twenty percent featured the Tiger God. And among those twenty percent, the majority included the Fox God as well. In other words, the Tiger God, as a true god, was merely an adjunct.
Ning Zhuo carefully retracted his divine sense.
He released his divine sense several times slower than Sun Lingtong, and when retracting it, he was dozens of times slower than Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong had been watching Ning Zhuo's performance and now slightly frowned.
"Little Zhuo, although our cultivation levels vary, after practicing the Three Superior Sect Techniques to cultivate the Divine Ocean Dantian, your divine sense range is only one hundred and eighty zhang?"
"You wouldn't be hiding your abilities in front of me, would you?"
Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head, "Elder brother, that's really the best I can do."
Sun Lingtong was puzzled, "That shouldn't be. One hundred and fifty zhang is the average for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique only reaches one hundred and eighty zhang? That doesn't make sense."
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly, offering an explanation voluntarily, "Elder brother, you might not be aware of this. The advantage of the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique requires the use of external objects to become apparent."
"According to the transmission of the teaching through the bell sound, I need to refine sub-mirrors. Each sub-mirror can project my divine sense even farther. The material and grade of the sub-mirrors determine the effectiveness of the projection."
"Should I actually possess enough sub-mirrors, I could cover the entire Mist Hidden Mountain. However, after numerous projections through the sub-mirrors, the divine sense becomes extremely weakened, and the sensing becomes very indistinct."
Sun Lingtong's brows unfurled, "So that's how it is."
Only then did he relax.
The comparison he had just made was only an excuse to help Ning Zhuo better master his divine sense. After all, Ning Zhuo had only recently advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage, whereas Sun Lingtong had long reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
A Qi Refining cultivator, relying solely on himself, can't spy with his divine thoughts. Even when reading a Jade Slip, it must be pressed against the forehead.
But upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, divine thoughts can condense and sublimate into divine sense. In the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, divine sense commonly extends up to one hundred and fifty zhang when leaving the body.
A cultivator specializing in the Divine Ocean Upper Dantian, upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, the range of their divine sense usually exceeds one hundred and fifty zhang. The better the cultivation technique, the further the distance extend.
Sun Lingtong, having suppressed his cultivation level to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, reached a divine sense distance of two hundred and sixty zhang. The Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique, coming from a master of the Three Superior Sects, managed only one hundred and eighty zhang, a figure significantly smaller than Sun Lingtong had anticipated.
After Ning Zhuo's explanation, he came to understand.
The Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique, unlike other techniques, needs to be used in conjunction with external objects to truly reveal its advantages.
Over the eons, the Cultivation World has produced countless wondrous cultivation techniques. Some allow the divine sense to become ethereal and elusive, some sharpen the divine sense to an extreme, and some even develop the divine sense into a means of attack.
The divine sense required for the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique must compliment external objects; although peculiar, it also reflects the principles of the masters of the Three Superior Sects—after all, it's a legacy of mechanisms. Utilizing external objects is the characteristic feature of the Upper Method.
After completing their surveillance, the two quietly returned to their guest room.
The villagers noticed nothing.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong lay in their beds, using their divine thoughts to penetrate the walls and communicate with each other in whispers, secretly exchanging the information they had gathered.
Discussing the numbers of the Tiger God and Fox God's placards, Sun Lingtong speculated, "Both the Tiger God and Fox God have been officially enshrined as true gods by the Southern Bean Kingdom, enjoying the offerings and incense that greatly enhance their own strength."
"However, the Tiger God seems too weak by comparison. Why would he be indifferent while the Fox God ambitiously collects the incense offerings? That's illogical."
"He hasn't been overshadowed by the Fox God, has he?"
In the present Cultivation World, both humans and gods rule together.
The Human Clan is the main body, while gods are scattered throughout the world.
Once a Cultivation Kingdom is established, it often suppresses the various gods within its borders, toppling mountains and destroying temples. Some gods who resist are frequently annihilated while those who submit are granted the status of official gods, receiving salaries and commands from the Cultivation Court.
A Cultivation Kingdom in itself very much needs these gods to increase the kingdom's governance.
Compared to the Human Clan, various gods are often simpler in mind, capable of enduring extreme environments, and can leverage their divine power to move clouds, control rain, and channel water to sculpt mountains.
And once gods join a Cultivation Kingdom, they can broadly gather followers, exchange with the outside world, and even cultivate more efficiently with the aid of the kingdom's qi fortune.
It's a mutually beneficial relationship based on cooperation and shared victories.