Chapter 976: Why So Dark?

"At last, the mid-stage of Soul Transformation."

Within the pitch-black cavern of his dwelling, Lu Yang’s sigh echoed softly, and as he opened his eyes, their bright, snow-like gleam grew starkly visible amidst the dark.

"Wait a moment, why is it so dark in here?"

"Well, this Immortal felt that leaving the candles lit completely ruined the atmosphere, so I blew them out for you."

With the widespread adoption of solar-powered lamps these days, very few people still relied on candles; Lu Yang’s cave dwelling utilized mermaid-fat candles, which he felt no urgent need to replace.

Lu Yang shook his head helplessly, for with his current level of cultivation, whether a candle was lit mattered very little, as he could see perfectly well regardless, but since the Immortal Invincible wished to blow them out, he would let her have her way.

Lu Yang stretched luxuriously, having spent a full six hours in secluded meditation to break through to the mid-stage of Soul Transformation; now that the seclusion was over, his entire body felt immensely relieved and comfortable.

Presently, Lu Yang sat back down.

"Time to consolidate the realm."

His foundations were rock-solid, requiring only a brief moment of consolidation.

As his realm stabilized, Lu Yang pushed open the heavy stone doors of his dwelling, only to find Yun Mengmeng with her back to him, facing a chessboard in deep, prolonged contemplation until she pinched a black piece and, with a soft click, placed it down, signaling the end of the game.

"Five in a row, I win!" Yun Mengmeng cheered.

"Sister Mengmeng, Third Senior Sister, could you perhaps find somewhere else to play?" Lu Yang said helplessly. "Must you two block the very entrance of my dwelling to play Gomoku? You weren't here when I went into seclusion, so when exactly did you arrive?"

Gan Tian explained with a gentle smile, "Mengmeng said the geomancy of your place is excellent, and that by staying closer to your dwelling, she could absorb your luck to help her win."

"How is my luck good?" Lu Yang muttered to himself, wondering if she meant his misfortune of being haunted by the Immortal Invincible.

"Little Zhi mentioned that half-immortals and true immortals in the outside world are not nearly as common as I thought, so it was sheer good luck that we ran into them all."

"See, I told you that you have great luck," Yun Mengmeng pointed at the chessboard with a triumphant air. "By absorbing your fortune near your dwelling, I won the very first game."

Beside the board lay a plate of osmanthus-stuffed biscuits, where the winner of each round was entitled to eat a piece.

Knowing Yun Mengmeng's chess skills as he did, Lu Yang highly suspected that Third Senior Sister was intentionally letting her win.

Having just broken through, his mood was excellent, and Lu Yang decided to head down the mountain to see how Old Meng and the others were progressing in their cultivation.

Yun Mengmeng called out to Lu Yang while still chewing on a biscuit, "Oh right, Little Zhi said she went out to visit a friend and probably won't return today. Second Chief, since you've broken through, why don't the three of us head to the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion tonight to celebrate?"

"Sounds good," Lu Yang smiled, agreeing that reaching the mid-stage of Soul Transformation was indeed a cause for celebration.

After Lu Yang walked away, the two women commenced their second game.

"By the way, Mengmeng, why do you always call Junior Brother 'Second Chief'?" Gan Tian asked, puzzled as to when her junior brother and Mengmeng could have ever sworn brotherhood.

Yun Mengmeng offered a mysterious smile, "It's a secret."

...

Lu Yang sought out Meng Jingzhou at his cavern, but unfortunately, he was currently in secluded meditation.

Mangu had been invited to serve as a judge for a Nascent Soul-level tournament held in a certain province; a Soul Transformation cultivator of the Dao Seeking Sect held immense weight in the outside world and could practically be regarded as a high-tier cultivator.

"Junior Brother Li, what are you busy with... Senior Su is here too, greetings Senior Su." Lu Yang had not expected Su Yiren to be present as well.

"Yes, I calculated that Haoran should be breaking through to the mid-stage of Soul Transformation, so I came to protect his dharma," Su Yiren replied with a sweet smile as she peeled an apple for Li Haoran, slicing it into small, neat pieces that were easy to eat.

"Breaking through to the mid-stage of Soul Transformation hardly requires dharma protection," Li Haoran mumbled with his head lowered, the breakthrough being an entirely natural progression that would likely take less than half a day. Su Yiren’s deliberate journey here made him rather embarrassed, particularly when spoken aloud in front of his friend.

Unlike typical Soul Transformation cultivators who made all manner of grand preparations when facing a breakthrough, he was currently on the verge of it yet still had the leisure to design artifact treasures, needing no preparation whatsoever.

Or rather, the most crucial state of mind was already prepared.

Li Haoran’s blueprints covered the entirety of the cavern floor and ceiling; it was a magical treasure.

Lu Yang knew little of artifact forging, tilting his head to study Li Haoran’s drawings for a long time without understanding what the man intended to forge, discerning only that there was a sword formation upon the parchment.

"What exactly is drawn on this blueprint of yours?"

"An automatic cooking pot. This is a water sphere formation, this is a sword formation, and this is a rootless fire formation. So long as the raw ingredients are prepared, this treasure can automatically wash, chop, and stir-fry the food, and the taste should be comparable to that made by an entry-level spiritual chef."

"A fine piece of work," Lu Yang praised greatly. If such a treasure were forged and subsequently upgraded through generations, wouldn't it completely block the career path of the Immortal Invincible?

"No treasure can ever replace the culinary arts of this Immortal," the Immortal Invincible scoffed at Li Haoran’s creation.

"Right? Senior Brother Lu, you also think it's a fine thing." Li Haoran placed great trust in Lu Yang's judgment.

Seeing that Li Haoran’s breakthrough was imminent, Lu Yang refrained from deliberately flaunting his own cultivation, lest it cause a flaw in Li Haoran’s state of mind during his breakthrough.

"Then when you finish your breakthrough later, I shall treat you to a meal." Lu Yang took his leave of Li Haoran and Su Yiren.

On his way to find Tao Yaoye, Lu Yang encountered several disciples from the most recent intake, all of whom respectfully greeted him as Senior Brother; these junior brothers had faced a very smooth entry trial, which had been hosted by Senior Brother Dai without any unexpected incidents.

"A pity that when they took the entry trial, Old Meng and I were away in the Demon Kingdom, so we couldn't help Senior Brother Dai share the burden."

"Junior Sister Tao, are you there?" Lu Yang triggered the formation at Tao Yaoye's entrance to notify the master of the dwelling.

Tao Yaoye poked her head out, and seeing Lu Yang alone, she pulled him into the cavern with a bright laugh, "Senior Brother Lu, please come in."

Upon entering the cavern, Lu Yang beheld a mountain-like pile of spirit stones, containing not a single low-grade stone, but consisting entirely of mid-grade and high-grade spirit stones.

"Are all of these yours?"

"These are merely the earnings from the sale of the Phantasmagoria illusions for this quarter, just delivered. I was just counting them."

Lu Yang clicked his tongue silently; the wealth Tao Yaoye now possessed was likely more than enough to last until she reached the Tribulation Transmutation stage.

"A person of fortune; if there comes a day when this Senior Brother runs out of funds, I shall need your relief, Junior Sister Tao."

"What nonsense are you speaking, Senior Brother? If you ever need spirit stones, I would gladly give all of these to you."

"That would never do." Lu Yang waved his hands hastily, having only intended it as a jest.

After chatting with Tao Yaoye for some time, seeing that the sky had grown dark, Lu Yang hastened to the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion on the commercial street as agreed, where Yun Mengmeng and Gan Tian were waiting for him in a private room.

"Come, come, let us celebrate the Second Chief's successful breakthrough." Yun Mengmeng raised her cup, which held freshly squeezed peach juice.

Gan Tian's cup contained pure spring water.

Lu Yang's cup held osmanthus tea.

Though said to be a celebration for Lu Yang, it was in truth Yun Mengmeng's own gluttony; eating alone lacked flavor, so she wished to find companions for a feast at the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, as food tasted better the more people there were.

Once the three had finished eating, Lu Yang thanked Yun Mengmeng for her hospitality and returned to his dwelling to sit in cultivation, and a night passed.

"At last, the mid-stage of Soul Transformation."

Within the pitch-black cavern of his dwelling, Lu Yang’s sigh echoed softly, signifying the end of his six hours of secluded meditation and his final breakthrough to the mid-stage of Soul Transformation.

"Wait a moment, why is it so dark in here... Huh, haven't I said these words before?"