Chapter 6: The Teleportation Array

Years ago, back when Xie Xuan and Xie Kun were still novice cultivators at the Qi Refinement stage, they didn’t have the qualifications to compete. They attended the grand competition purely to broaden their horizons.

Leng Baiwei, a top contender from Yaomen, was expected to take the crown. No one anticipated that the underdog from the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect would suddenly emerge—a dark horse that took down Leng Baiwei in just a few swift moves.

Xie Xuan, sitting in the audience, was so stunned he dropped his sunflower seeds. It all ended too quickly for him to comprehend.

Xie Kun’s odd behavior after the event didn’t escape Xie Xuan’s notice, but he didn’t care enough to ask. A few days later, Kun Kun came running back in tears and recounted the whole ordeal—his youthful crush, his confession, and ultimately, his rejection.

After hearing it all, Xie Xuan spat out the remaining sunflower seeds, and with a spark of interest, asked, “So you got to witness the legendary Dragon Subduing Palm of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect? Come on, show me a set—I want to see it for myself!”

The past, however, is beyond reach. Those involved have long forgotten, and Xie Xuan had no real intention of reopening Kun Kun’s old wounds. Still, his curiosity lingered.

“You made it to the top five, but why did you forfeit?” Xie Xuan asked He Guang, the tension in the air suddenly palpable.

He Guang’s expression stiffened, clearly unsure how to respond.

You Xiaowu quickly jumped in to explain, “Because she leaked her sect’s martial technique. Iron Master gave her a good beating—broke her leg.”

It was a tale to move anyone to tears, a tragedy for both listener and speaker alike.

The four of them left the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and flew toward the teleportation array in the heart of the city.

As the saying goes, “If you want to get rich, you have to build roads first.” The Kunyu Realm was abundant with resources, teeming with countless beings—those who walked the earth, flew in the sky, wandered the mountains, and swam in the seas—anything you could imagine.

For short-distance travel, people rely on spirit beasts and flying boats; for long-distance journeys, they depend on teleportation arrays.

The study of arrays in the Kunyu Realm is highly advanced, particularly in the area of teleportation. Array masters carve intricate patterns between cities, and all it takes is a high-level cultivator standing at the array’s core, acting as a protector, to channel spiritual energy through the preset patterns, completing the teleportation process.

Most mid-sized cities are connected by teleportation arrays. Even if a city doesn’t have one, it can still connect to others via the central hub cities.

The cities housing the gates of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and the Great Yan Sect are major cities, equipped with some of the largest teleportation hubs. These arrays see constant traffic, with people coming and going at all hours.

Above the bustling crowd, a transmission talisman continuously broadcasts updates:

“Tickets for eastward cities can be purchased in Zone 1. For northbound cities, head to Zone 2. Westbound cities, please proceed to Zone 3. Southbound travelers, go to Zone 4.”

“Due to unforeseen safety concerns, prices for the teleportation array heading to the Ten Thousand Mountains have increased. Office-goers, please reconsider your options. For adventurers and tourists, it’s probably best to pick a different destination.”

“The teleportation array to the Cangming Sea is currently closed. Any aquatic beings returning home should use flying boats or find their own means of travel.”

“Mortal citizens wishing to exchange gold and silver for spirit stones, please head to the entrance for currency exchange. It’s crowded today, so demonic cultivators, mind your distance—there have been quite a few Daoist scammers trying to bump into people and extort them, so keep an eye on your property.”

“To our friends from the demon race, please refrain from pulling out your feathers, as it inconveniences the cleaning staff. Aquatic beings, stop causing a ruckus—the teleportation arrays to the Cangming Sea are closed, so you’ll have to find alternative travel methods.”

From the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect to the Dayan Sect, there are six teleportation sessions a day—three in the morning and three in the afternoon. Each journey lasts around fifteen minutes.

By the time He Guang and her group of four pushed through the bustling crowd and bought their tickets, it was already midday, and the array’s guardian, who controlled the formation, was taking a break.

The teleportation array between the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and the Dayan Sect covers an enormous distance, making it one of the most complex and powerful formations. It could carry up to 10,000 people at a time, requiring intricate patterns and immense spiritual energy to activate.

Standing at the heart of the formation was the array guardian, a key figure responsible for its activation. His role demanded not only a massive outpouring of spiritual power but also precise control. He was dressed in a white outer robe with faint gold formation patterns embroidered along its edges. Though his robe was clean, it was full of wrinkles, as though it had been hastily scrunched and smoothed out repeatedly.

The guardian squatted near the array’s core, head bowed, with a loosely tied ponytail secured by a simple cloth strip. A traditional pipe hung from his lips, releasing slow puffs of smoke. Every few moments, he exhaled a thin ring of smoke into the air, his manner almost lethargic.

He Guang tilted her head slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of his face. Just as she did, he abruptly looked up, meeting her gaze with bloodshot eyes framed by deep, dark circles. His weary eyes held a sharp, scrutinizing gleam, a hint of threat lurking beneath the fatigue.

Unfazed, He Guang simply gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment.

The guardian’s nose twitched slightly as if he found something amusing. A subtle smile played at the corners of his lips before he released another slow puff of smoke, lowering his head again. His hunched posture resembled a resting lion, majestic yet worn out.

You Xiaowu, noticing where his senior sister was looking, followed her gaze. His curiosity piqued, he asked, “I wonder, what is the cultivation level of the senior managing the array?”

Before anyone could answer, Xie Xuan interjected, a hint of smugness in his voice. “At least the Nascent Soul stage. Without that level, there’s no way they could handle the teleportation. And for this array, between here and the Dayan Sect? I’d say it’s likely someone in the Great Ascension stage.”

You Xiaowu’s eyes widened with excitement at the thought. An actual Nascent Soul cultivator, someone of such high status, personally managing the array! In his mind, cultivators who reached that stage were either elders of great sects or preparing to enter seclusion for a lifetime of enlightenment.

“Even the Transformation Stage cultivators have to work?”

Xie Xuan casually draped an arm over Yu Xiaowu’s shoulder, projecting a camaraderie between them. “Bro, is this your first time venturing out?”

Yu Xiaowu scratched his head, a bit sheepish. He wasn’t used to being this close to anyone; the last time he had been, he was eating dirt under his senior sister’s feet. “I’ve been studying Buddhism at the sect since I was little, so this is actually my first trip away from home.”

Xie Xuan understood immediately. It made sense that this was You Xiaowu’s first outing, and his knowledge of the outside world was limited. “Well, even Transformation Stage cultivators are just people. They have to go out and earn a living, too.”

Two years ago, humanity established a post-war system that recognized the four major sects as the ruling powers. Except for the Ten Thousand Mountains, all spiritual veins, mineral resources, and other non-renewable resources were seized by these four sects, which then allocated them to all the other sects and cultivators.

Any cultivator caught mining these resources without permission would be charged with rebellion.

Even Transformation Stage cultivators, if they didn’t possess at least one profitable skill—like alchemy or talisman crafting—were forced to take on physical labor to support themselves and their families.

As noon approached, the crowd of people and beasts began to swell.

The easiest to identify were the demon clans and the sea folk. The demon clans often took human forms but always retained some features of their original forms, like ears or tails. The sea folk, on the other hand, were draped in a suffocatingly strong fragrance to mask the scent of fish on their skin.

The demonic cultivators typically dressed in black or red, keeping their distance from the masses, fearful of the Daoist cultivators who might try to frame them. Incidents of framing were common; a Daoist would feign an injury, collapsing to the ground and grasping the sleeve of a demon cultivator, falsely accusing them of unleashing demonic energy that caused the Daoist to lose control.

Commoners were easy to spot as well; they usually traveled in groups, clustering near the array’s center. If there were any malfunctions in the formation, being close to the center provided the safest refuge and ensured protection from the array guardian.

The four of them had arrived early, becoming wedged among the throngs near the array’s center.

Learning that a senior Daoist like the formation protector had to sell his services for a living filled You Xiaowu’s eyes with a touch of pity. The formation protector caught his gaze several times, as if sensing the boy’s scrutiny.

Not wanting her unfortunate junior to embarrass himself further, He Guang quickly intervened. “The transport is bidirectional. They operate twelve trips a day, each capable of carrying thirty thousand people, and each ticket costs two hundred spirit stones. That amounts to seventy-two million spirit stones daily. The formation master takes ten percent, the transport management takes twenty percent, taxes account for another twenty percent, and the formation protector keeps fifty percent. He can earn thirty-six million spirit stones a day, which is more than my master makes in a year.”

Li Tiezhu, as the head of the Zen sect, didn’t engage in production work; he was limited to a meager salary that barely sustained him throughout the year.

You Xiaowu’s fingers fumbled as he tried to grasp the staggering amount. Thirty-six million… He had never seen so many spirit stones in his life.

His eyes sparkled as he looked back at the formation protector, imagining the vast wealth. Thirty-six million… in just one day…

His gaze wandered over the formation protector’s attire, pondering if his storage bag could even hold such a fortune.

The more he looked, the more confused he became. Ignoring the plain uniform, the protector’s shoes were merely ordinary boots, and his hair was tied up with tattered cloth. The old smoking pipe was scarred with nicks and scratches of various sizes.

There wasn’t a single item on him that could be considered luxurious. Was this the kind of modesty exhibited by today’s wealthy?

You Xiaowu had a talent for letting go of what he couldn’t understand; he never let such musings trouble him. His curiosity was vast, and he refused to dwell on a single topic for too long. At that moment, rather than the strange formation protector, he was much more intrigued by Xie Xuan.

He leaned in closer to Xie Xuan, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Benefactor, I have a question that has been gnawing at me. Would you be so kind as to enlighten this humble monk?”

As the teleportation array activated, the spiritual energy radiated from the center, flowing along the intricate patterns beneath their feet, casting a soft blue glow around the array.

Xie Xuan, appearing earnest, waved his hand casually in agreement, his expression a blend of amusement and interest.

“You really want to know what I like about Liu Youyou?” he replied, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

You Xiaowu had seen Liu Youyou’s portrait, and while she was undeniably beautiful, he couldn’t comprehend why anyone would become utterly infatuated to the point of obsession. There were other beautiful women—why was she the one causing such turmoil?

This question piqued not just his curiosity but also He Guang’s. She fought the urge to turn her head, pretending to be disinterested while subtly straining to listen.

Xie Kun tightened his grip on the sword in his hand. He had asked Xie Xuan the same question before, only to receive vague, rehearsed answers about love at first sight, gentle demeanor, and a pure heart.

But today, there was a glint in Xie Xuan’s eye that suggested he might reveal something more genuine.

These words could easily apply to Liu Youyou, or to anyone else for that matter—even to the old woman selling melons in the marketplace.

Suddenly, Xie Xuan froze, as if time itself had come to a standstill. Moments later, a whirlwind of emotions—joy, anger, regret—played across his face in rapid succession.

You Xiaowu stared in shock, thinking he had inadvertently struck a nerve with Xie Xuan. “I’m sorry!” he quickly exclaimed, scrambling to backtrack.

But to his surprise, Xie Xuan shot his head up with fierce intensity, locking his gaze on He Guang, his eyes burning crimson with a wild, destructive fury.

“What do you want to do to Youyou? What nonsense about otherworldly souls? You’re spouting lies!”

The abrupt shift in Xie Xuan’s demeanor left the three of them reeling.

He Guang blinked in confusion, murmuring, “Is he possessed?” How had he changed so dramatically?

Before any of them could process what was happening, Xie Xuan wriggled through the crowd like a slippery eel. They barely had time to react, watching helplessly as he darted toward the teleportation array.

Xie Xuan shouted at the guardian, his voice echoing with urgency, “I don’t want to go to the Dayan Sect! I want to go back! He Guang can’t go to Dayan; she’ll kill Youyou!”

At the center of the array stood Mo Changge, hands placed firmly on the array’s core, channeling spiritual energy.

He lifted his eyelids, casting a curious glance at Xie Xuan, intrigued. After years of serving as the guardian, this was the first time he encountered a madman—albeit a handsome one at that.

Mo Changge had barely opened his mouth to calm the madman when he found himself grabbed by the arm, violently shaken. The surge of spiritual energy from the array went haywire, causing the formation to shake violently, scattering blue light in all directions.

As the guardian, his hands couldn’t leave the array’s core, and with Xie Xuan so close, he had no way to kick him away.

Fuming, Mo Changge roared, “Don’t touch me, you lunatic!”

A person possessed by madness lacked rationality. Even as the formation distorted into a chaotic mess, with people tumbling over one another, and the danger of a catastrophic collapse looming, Xie Xuan’s mind was fixated on one thought: he couldn’t go to the Dayan Sect.

In a desperate bid to stop him, Mo Changge spat out his smoking pipe, which struck Xie Xuan squarely on the forehead, knocking him out cold.

With a grunt of frustration, Mo Changge channeled all of his energy, accelerating the transmission to the Dayan Sect, compressing the journey that typically took a quarter of an hour down to a mere three minutes.

He Guang squeezed through the crowd and rushed to Xie Xuan’s side, pulling out her binding spell, the Knot of the Immortals, and without hesitation, tightened the bindings around him.

“Senior, he’s lost control and has offended,” she said, urgency lacing her voice.

Mo Changge retracted his pipe and took a deep drag, eyeing her up and down with a smirk. “So, you’re one of the Buddhist practitioners?” His tone dripped with mockery. “Is he your responsibility?”

He Guang furrowed her brows, sensing that whatever was coming next wouldn’t be good.

Before she could respond, Mo Changge unsheathed his sword and sliced through the binding chains on Xie Xuan, instead fastening a heavy iron chain around himself. He tapped the tip of his smoking pipe against Xie Xuan’s forehead, his voice firm and unyielding. “If you can’t handle this, I’ll take over. He’s now under arrest for endangering public safety.”