Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 694: Dai Bufan: I Have A Mission for You Two

“This thing about using solar energy for light and heat sounds familiar. I’ve done something similar before,” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy commented cheerfully on the way back as she stretched lazily.

She had been cultivating by sleeping on her bed, recovering her strength. Now that she was awake, it indicated that her cultivation progress had temporarily paused.

“Immortal Fairy, you’ve worked hard sleeping. Did you also use solar energy in ancient times?”

“I haven’t heard of ‘solar energy,’ but the usage should be roughly the same.”

“How did you use it?”

“There was a period when I enjoyed reading. I’d read during the day and continue at night. Although my vision was excellent, and I could see clearly even in places without light, it lacked the right atmosphere.

“Hence, I invited a jinwu crow. During the day, I let it rest and conserve its energy without shining, and at night, I had it illuminate for me. Let me tell you, it was as bright as daytime.

“Sometimes, when the fire wasn’t strong enough while cooking, I’d invite a jinwu to help blow on the fire and heat things up. Of course, I wouldn’t let it help for free; I always invited it to stay for a meal.”

“...I think the way we use solar energy for light and heat isn’t the same thing,” Lu Yang remarked.

“Is that so? This immortal thinks they’re quite similar though. Look, didn’t I first store the solar power?”

“Yes.”

“And isn’t the solar power released after storing it?”

“Yes.”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy clapped her hands. “There you have it. Exactly the same.”

Lu Yang patiently tried to distinguish the two for the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. “The solar energy I’m talking about can not only be used for light and heat but also to heat water, replace horses, and make carts move.”

“This immortal’s solar power can do that too! I can make the jinwu crow boil water or pull me around to fly everywhere and such.”

Lu Yang, “...”

After hoodwinking the two creed leaders as planned, the Heavenly Court Creed members made their way back to the Dao-Seeking Sect.

Lu Yang was striving to explain to the Everlasting Immortal Fairy that solar energy wasn’t what she thought it was.

Meanwhile, Meng Jingzhou was studying the cultivation techniques offered by the Radiant Sun Creed, learning how to maximize the absorption of solar power.

In the cultivation manual, a completely naked man faced the sun with arms spread wide, allowing sunlight to touch every inch of his skin. The illustrations were vivid, lifelike, and easy to understand.

In the margins of the page, the Radiant Sun Creed had added notes emphasizing the necessity of stripping completely and not leaving a single piece of cloth, especially in the crotch area, stating that there was no concept of shame in matters of cultivation.

The reasoning given was quite thorough: If other parts are cultivated, why does the crotch area not need cultivation?

In addition, various sunbathing postures were listed.

The Radiant Sun Creed was considerate; apart from the male version, there was also a female version.

Meng Jingzhou stared at the two books in his hands and fell silent.

The cover of the second book featured a completely naked woman in a seductive pose, seemingly excited from sunbathing. He contemplated whether he should open it.

No wonder nobody studies your creed’s cultivation techniques. Are these even proper cultivation techniques?

The four heavenly king protectors dropped Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou at the sect entrance and returned to their respective mountain peaks.

“Do you feel like there are fewer people in our sect?” Lu Yang remarked. On the way back, he noticed fewer disciples than usual.

“Now that you mention it, it’s indeed so.”

The two went to the Great Mission Hall to report the details of their operation to Dai Bufan.

“Senior Brother Dai, that’s the overall situation of our meeting with the two creeds... Senior Brother Dai?”

After Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou finished their report, they realized Dai Bufan seemed distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere.

Dai Bufan snapped out of it as if jerking out of a reverie. “Ah, right. You did well. The bribes from the two creeds were obtained through your deception skills. No need to hand them over to the sect.”

Then, Dai Bufan looked at the two with a conflicted expression, as if a battle was raging inside him. Hesitant and decisive, he finally gritted his teeth and made a significant decision. “You came at the right time. I happen to have a mission here that needs you.”

“Mission?”

Dai Bufan pushed a small booklet toward them. It contained information on several mortals, all of whom were quite young.

“These people are...”

“These people are potential candidates for the sect’s upcoming recruitment. The plan is to observe their character beforehand—whether they can cultivate and whether they meet our sect’s standards. If they fulfill the criteria, we’ll invite them to take the entrance examinations here on the second day of the second month next year.”

Aside from disciples at critical cultivation junctures, on other missions, staying behind to maintain sect operations, or at the Void Refinement Stage, most Dao-Seeking Sect disciples had been sent out by Dai Bufan to observe the candidates’ characters.

Observing one’s character wasn’t something that yielded results in a day or two. The shortest would take a month, and the longest could take up to a year. Therefore, those dispatched might not have time to execute a second observation mission.

They were truly short-handed, forcing Dai Bufan to assign Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to observe the candidates as well. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

And this was precisely what he had been conflicted about.

If he weren’t occupied, he would rather go on the mission himself than send Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

Who knows what kind of trouble they might stir up?

“So that’s how it is.” Lu Yang revealed a confident smile and thumped his chest in assurance. “Don’t worry, Senior Brother Dai. Don’t you know us already? We’ll definitely complete the mission!”

Dai Bufan sighed. As usual, he reminded them before their departure, “If you discover someone not on the list who also meets our sect’s recruitment criteria, you can recommend them to me as well.”

“No problem.”

“By the way, do you know our sect’s requirements for one’s character?” Dai Bufan was still not very reassured.

“Be honest and do one’s part.”

“Cultivate steadily and diligently.”

Dai Bufan nodded, feeling slightly relieved. “Good that you know. Off you go.”

~~~

In the carriage, the two flipped through the information in the booklet. There were three mortals in total, all around fifteen years old.

“Let’s go to Jiulong City[1] in You Province first. It’s the closest to us.” Meng Jingzhou pointed to the mortal on the first page.

The mortal on the first page was a young man named Xie An. A senior male had discovered him during a mission in Jiulong City.

It had been a mission to eliminate a red-robed malevolent ghost that had committed numerous atrocities. After a thorough search, that senior male disciple finally tracked down the malevolent ghost’s whereabouts. When the ghost realized it was no match for that senior male disciple and noticed his reluctance to use his full power in areas with many mortals, it deduced he cared for mortals. Hence, it threatened him with mortal lives to secure an escape route.

The person who was held hostage was Xie An.

At the critical moment, Xie An displayed remarkable composure, staying unflustered despite being threatened by the red-robed malevolent ghost. He even used words to provoke the ghost. Enraged, the ghost exposed an opening and was slain by the senior male disciple.

At that time, Xie An was still young and not yet of age to test his spirit root, so his bone foundation was unknown.

“It seems like this kid called Xie An is a suitable seed for cultivation,” Lu Yang said with a chuckle. Remaining calm in danger is something even many cultivators fail to do. Only with such a mental fortitude does one stand a chance of survival in the face of peril.

Old Meng and I possess precisely this kind of mental fortitude.

1. “Jiulong” translates literally to “nine dragons.” ☜