The rest of the trip through the Halls of Exalted Purity is a relatively calm one.

Contrary to that strangely rare moment of silence and inactivity earlier, when Wei and I were talking, this area never stops moving. Even as the sun has gone down, there is constant movement and action from those all around us. Like the inner and outer city, there’s always work to be done, at all times of day and night.

Thus, both Wei and I have been seeing an interesting aspect of the sect that occurs on the ground. Bright light is on all areas of the ground, keeping everything clearly seen and lit.

That’s not the interesting part, though. With my senses, I can see the additional purpose of this setup.  

From time to time, cultivators that are flying on swords pass from area to area, holding bundles on their backs and in their arms. With the lights below, it enables them to swiftly move down, drop things off, and leave.

Considering that this is using Foundation Establishment cultivators to do this… each of those packages must be of significant importance. A reminder of the constant passing of secrets and goods that happen within the sect.

One thing that is easy to take for granted is the rank of Foundation Establishment cultivators in a sect.

A Qi Condensation cultivator at the late and peak stages would actually be considered an expert or specialist, outside of the sect. And once they reach the Foundation Establishment realm, they would be eligible for an elder position in a small sect.

Just reaching Qi Condensation adds 50 years to your lifespan.

The realm after?

200 years.

And for the majority of cultivators, they would spend most of that time reaching those heights. Fighting life and death battles, while gaining impressive knowledge and experiences through it.

That doesn’t include the level of power that they hold. With many of their abilities being able to level a city block. My fight with Ao Jin, the demonic cultivator whose family I’m now transporting, only went so well because his abilities were specialized in 1v1 attacks. If he was more standardized in his techniques, I wouldn’t have been able to use the swarm tactics as effectively. Maybe even at all.

Even in an above average sect like this, while cultivators of that realm may not have the same status as they might have outside of it, it doesn’t change the level of respect and strength they hold in general. The level of a tactical leader.

So, to have them deliver items like this shows the importance of those items.

As these thoughts cross my mind, I sense a blur of movement behind us. Suddenly leaping onto the back carriage.

But I feel no panic, as I know what… or who they are.

I take a casual glance behind us and see the black panther licking its paws near the back of the carriage caravan. Acting as if it was always there.

Its eyes raise up to meet mine, staring at me, as it gives another slow lick to its paw.

… this thing. It’s been following me everywhere, but staying just outside the range of my normal scan. I feel like it takes enjoyment in trying to evade my sight. Of course, my pulses always catches it.

But this is as good a time as any to do what I wanted to earlier.

A glance at my side, toward Wei, shows that she’s taken the opportunity to get some rest. A normal thing, as this will be a several days long ride.

I wait a bit longer, until there are only a few people around, before saying a small whisper.

“Fingers of Life.”

Out of my body rises slivers of healing qi. Unlike the time at the hospital, I don’t make it generate visible light.

The targets of my ability are the Qi Condensation spirit beasts that have been hidden on my body since I left the taming guild area.

The Panther. A Middle stage Qi Condensation beast.

The turtle, who has been in the shape of a shield on my back. High stage.

The earthworm, who's been hidden within in the pockets of my clothes. Middle stage.

The giant frog and carp who lives in the frog’s mouth. Low and Peak stage.

The last being the walking plant, who can control other creatures, stealing away their bodies. They remain condensed around my body like a vine. Peak stage.

There were a few times I had to throw them in the storage space, like for my learning of the Library’s techniques. Thank goodness for my constant healing aura on them. They certainly weren’t fans of the limited air supply.

I’ll have to scrounge up a few things to change that before I head back to Monchon City.

…

As my cultivation technique reaches them, I focus on optimizing their bodies and imparting my new adjusted spirit beast style Omnibus Cultivation System method to them. Ingraining it into our connection and bodies, all while continuing to use my healing aura on them.

This immediately shows its benefits.

A light shines out from my pocket and around my body. Specifically, from the frog’s mouth and all over the walking plant.

Qi flows in from all around us and I can sense several eyes look toward our area.

 

The carp and plant are ascending to the next realm. Into Foundation Establishment.

But to my surprise, the other spirit beasts around me move, as well.

Shooting off my back is the turtle, who, while still reduced in size, appears to be guarding our backs on the carriage.

The panther, contrary to their earlier laziness, sprints alongside the carriages. Their eyes are wider than I’ve seen before. Scanning the horizon for threats.

The earthworm lengthens, extending out to wrap around my body. Covering the light emitting from the plant on me, like some kind of worm armor.

And the frog grows, positioning itself between the turtle and I. Closing its mouth to hide the light.

Each of them defending their fellow spirit beast. Something almost never seen between different species in the wild.

I knew it was the right choice to bring these guys along. They’ve grown close enough to feel this way about each other through our shared connection.

I feel some pride in this development. Something that I anticipated, but was still may not have occurred.

However, despite all these changes, one thing completely astounds me in this situation.

I hear a loud snore beside us.

Sitting in the seat to my right… is Wei.

Her mouth is hanging open, and she gives another obnoxiously loud snore, as she is completely and utterly sleeping. Even through all the noise that was just made.

I can tell the truth with my scan.

But even so, I have to check.

A slight opening is made in the worm armor around me. Poking my arm through, I wave it in front of her face.

Nothing.

I poke her cheek.

Still nothing.

… how could a person with a spiritual sense as sensitive as hers fall and stay in such a deep sleep? Though, I guess everyone has their weaknesses.

Ah, right.

I haven’t healed her yet.

I’ll do it when we get back to the tower. Might as well let her get some sleep now. 

…

It only takes a few minutes for the light to dim and the large qi flow to slow.

Both the spirit beasts and I finally relax as they settle back into their normal positions. The spirit beast's form of tribulation finally completed.

They can come in different forms, but mainly involve two things: a noticeable amount of qi inflow and becoming vulnerable to attack by other spirit beasts. Which is why the others defending them was such an important change.

However, since we were not in a forest or an area with hostile spirit beasts, the tribulation passed uneventfully, despite the visible light. Even the eyes watching speedily looked away when they saw the situation.

In fact, there were even a few nods of approval as we passed.

This is why I joined the sect.

Here, we are all generally on the same side. There will be conflicts, issues, and fights. Definitely betrayals. But within this sect, a standard and a shared side exist.

Another cultivator in the sect having their tamed spirit beasts increase in power is both a point of envy, but also an opportunity for admiration and hope.

I won’t have to worry about much here.

As the claps fade in the distance and the night grows darker, my mind shifts to other subjects and plans. Specifically one that I've deeply discussed with Sister Nuan.

A glance at the sleeping Wei shows that I have another golden opportunity in front of me.

Something I’ve been waiting to do since I’ve entered the Halls of Exalted Purity.

Hmm… While we travel, I might as well go treasure hunting.

Time to grab some forgotten caches on the way back. I’ll just view it as things that will be great for rewards back at the tower.

An evil grin crosses my face.

Providing a slight lifting of spirits from this grim carriage ride.