Lin Zhou leaned on the armrest of the recliner, slowly sat up, patted the locust leaf fragments off his clothes, and casually said to Jiang Li, who was tidying up the stone table and chopsticks not far away, "I'm going out for a bit."
As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent.
Stone, who was chopping wood, suddenly stopped. The axe in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," scattering wood chips everywhere. He stared wide-eyed at Lin Zhou, his face full of disbelief: "Master...Master? You're going out?"
Xiao Chen, who was wiping his rusty iron spear, paused in mid-air, the cloth in his hand momentarily falling silent, his spear intent dissipating slightly. He frowned and looked at Lin Zhou.
Since he joined the Qingyun Sect, he had never seen his master go out on his own initiative. Usually, he would either lie on a recliner and take a nap or urge them to work. Why did he suddenly want to go out today?
Su She had just unrolled his book, preparing to organize his insights from the day, when he heard these words. The book stopped in mid-air, and the golden aura of talent trembled slightly. He pushed up his non-existent glasses, his eyes full of doubt: "Master, has something happened?"
Jiang Li also stopped what she was doing, her red dress swaying gently. She looked at Lin Zhou without speaking, but with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Master never does anything useless; if he suddenly goes out, it must be for something important.
Lin Zhou didn't even glance at the disciples' surprised expressions. He waved his hand and said casually, "It's nothing. Go get something."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the courtyard as if it had merged into the air, leaving not even a spatial ripple. All that remained was an empty recliner gently swaying under the old locust tree, and four people standing there, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Shi Tou scratched his head, picked up the axe from the ground, and muttered, "What is Master going to get? He actually has to go out himself..."
Xiao Chen gazed in the direction where Lin Zhou had disappeared, lost in thought: "Master, he said he went to find something that could contain the origin."
Su She closed the book and nodded: "A thing that would make Master come all this way must be something extraordinary. Let's guard the sect first and wait for Master to return."
Jiang Li didn't speak, but simply put the cleaned dishes into the kitchen, her gaze occasionally drifting into the void.
She had a feeling that her master's trip this time might not be so simple.
At this moment, Lin Zhou had already traversed countless realms and was rushing towards the small mountain village where innate energy was hidden.
Lin Zhou's figure appeared in a star field filled with shattered stars, with swirling nebulae beneath his feet. In the distance, a city entirely constructed of meteorite iron floated in the void.
The city walls are engraved with dense star patterns to defend against the fierce winds and demonic beasts in the star field.
This is the most prosperous "Meteor City" in this region, and also the only hub near that small mountain village.
He concealed all his aura, suppressed his cultivation to the early stage of the Beginningless Realm, and disguised himself as an ordinary traveling cultivator.
If he were to reveal his true strength, the entire city would likely be so terrified that they would kneel and beg for mercy before he could even inquire, and he would be unable to get any useful information out of them.
Lin Zhou swayed his body, like a traveler walking on air, and slowly landed at the gate of Meteor City. The cultivator guarding the city glanced at him, saw that his aura was ordinary, and did not question him further, letting him into the city directly.
The city wasn't particularly bustling; most of the shops lining the streets had their doors half-closed, and the cultivators seemed to be hurrying along.
His face showed a hint of caution, and he deliberately lowered his voice when talking, which was completely different from the hustle and bustle of other cities in the realm.
Lin Zhou's gaze swept across the street, quickly locking onto a young cultivator carrying a sword box and dressed in coarse cloth.
Judging from his appearance, he seems to travel frequently and may know something about the outside world.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait."
Lin Zhou stepped forward, his tone calm, "I'm new here and would like to ask you something. Have you heard of a small mountain village nearby that is said to possess innate spiritual energy?"
The moment these words left his mouth, the young cultivator's body stiffened abruptly, and his brisk steps came to an abrupt halt.
He slowly turned around, his face turning deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror, as if he had heard some taboo words. His hands instinctively tightened around the sword case straps, his lips moved, but he didn't utter a single word.
Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow, about to ask another question, but the young cultivator recoiled as if pricked by a needle, taking two steps back, lowering his head, and not daring to look at Lin Zhou again.
He turned and ran wildly towards the end of the street, not even daring to look back to pick up the sword box that had fallen to the ground. He left only a series of hurried footsteps before disappearing around the corner.
"Such a big reaction?" Lin Zhou looked at the young cultivator's retreating figure, somewhat surprised.
It seems that the small mountain village is more mysterious than he imagined, and has even become a "taboo" in this area, which cannot even be mentioned.
Undeterred, he inquired with several more people: the grocery store owner, upon hearing "innate energy" and "small mountain village,"...
He slammed the shop door shut with a loud bang; the waiter wiping the tables in the teahouse dropped his rag, shaking his head repeatedly to signal Lin Zhou not to ask any more questions.
Even an old monk who was sitting in the corner basking in the sun, upon hearing this, suddenly stood up, leaned on his cane, and walked away shakily, losing all interest in sunbathing.
After asking around, not a single person dared to say a word to him. They either avoided him or fled in terror, as if that small mountain village were some kind of man-eating monster.
Lin Zhou stroked his chin, his curiosity growing. What could possibly make the entire city so wary?
If a village can also protect its innate energy, then the people behind it are probably not just a few Dao Realm cultivators.
Just then, a crisp sound of jade ornaments clinking together rang out. Lin Zhou looked up and saw at the end of the street...
A man dressed in a brocade robe walked slowly towards them. The robe was embroidered with dark gold star patterns, and a piece of warm jade engraved with the words "Star Palace" hung at his waist.
Behind him were two attendants whose auras had reached the peak of the Nirvana Realm. They were relaxed and had an innate arrogance in their eyes. They were obviously important figures in Meteor City.
Lin Zhou's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting to the man in the brocade robe, saying, "Fellow Daoist, I have something to ask you. Have you heard of the small mountain village nearby that harbors innate energy?"
Unlike the terror of the others, the man in the brocade robe merely stopped and glanced at Lin Zhou casually.
His gaze swept over him, and seeing that he had an ordinary aura, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
Unlike the others who avoided the question, he directly asked, "Are you looking for 'Falling Star Village'?"
Lin Zhou's heart stirred; it seemed that this man in brocade robes indeed knew the name of that small mountain village.
He nodded and said, "That's right. May I ask how to get to Falling Star Village?"
The man in the brocade robe chuckled, shaking the warm jade at his waist, his tone tinged with impatience: "Going to Falling Star Village? You've got quite the imagination."
He looked Lin Zhou up and down, and seeing that he had no special tokens on him, he said directly, "If you want to enter Falling Star Village, first produce an invitation."
"If you don't have an invitation, anyone who dares to approach within a hundred miles of Falling Star Village will be killed on the spot by the people of Falling Star Village, leaving no trace of your body."
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