Three spirit beasts: Xiaohuo and Xiaofan at Fifth-Rank, Feifei at Fourth-Rank. Xiaohuo excelled in fire techniques, possessing Sun True Fire with immense power; Xiaofan excelled in water techniques and, having grown up in the harsh environment of the sea, possessed even greater combat prowess. Although Feifei's strength was not high, it possessed a special ability to calm and soothe the mind.
These three spirit beasts significantly increased Mo Tiange's strength. She dared say that within the entire Kunwu, there were hardly any Core Formation cultivators who possessed two Fifth-Rank spirit beasts like she did.
Spirit beasts were difficult to raise. Although many cultivators in Kunwu also raised spirit beasts, they basically couldn't keep up with their own cultivation. After all, corresponding to their long lifespans, the cultivation speed of spirit beasts was also very slow. Without sufficient pills for them to consume and relying solely on their own cultivation, they simply couldn't match the cultivator's progress. And if there were pills, which cultivator wouldn't take them for themselves first?
Even figures like Dao Lord Jinghe and Qin Xi couldn't. Although Dao Lord Jinghe had a spirit beast courtyard, the highest-ranked beast within was only a Seventh-Rank spirit beast, not reaching the Eighth Rank. Qin Xi raised a Chongming Bird, which was now only at the Fifth Rank. Because it couldn't keep up with his cultivation, he usually didn't keep it by his side.
According to Mo Tiange's knowledge, only the Spirit Beast Sect, one of the Seven Great Sects of Tianji, would have spirit beasts whose cultivation was not inferior to the cultivator's own. But their techniques were special; raising spirit beasts had to start from the spirit beast egg. Spirit beast eggs were rare treasures, and each person only had one, so under normal circumstances, they would only have one truly contracted spirit beast.
As for Mo Tiange, having just broken through to the Core Formation mid-stage, she already had two Fifth-Rank spirit beasts. This meant her combat power alone was equivalent to that of two others.
Silently calculating in her heart, Mo Tiange revealed a smile. With these two Fifth-Rank demon beasts, even if she were alone outside now, there shouldn't be any great danger.
Thinking this, she used her divine sense to summon Xiaofan.
Xiaofan quickly flew into the bamboo hut, water still dripping from its body—it was having a great time in the stream outside the bamboo hut. Although it had no companions, the spiritual energy of the stream was too rich; it cultivated very quickly, and there were countless spirit herbs lined up for it to eat.
"Master, you called me?"
Seeing Xiaofan's sharp teeth and hearing its clear voice, Mo Tiange couldn't help but smile. "Is your injury healed?"
"Mhm." Xiaofan used its fin to wipe its dripping body, choosing not to land but to float in mid-air instead. It was a sea beast; landing on the ground was far less comfortable than floating in the air.
"Then, tell me the secret your grandfather told you."
"Okay." Also bound by a spirit beast contract, Xiaofan was much more obedient than Xiaohuo and Feifei. Usually, it either cultivated in the stream or stared at those spirit herbs drooling, occasionally exchanging a few words with Xiaohuo and Feifei. Other than that, it always followed Mo Tiange's words without objection, unlike Feifei and Xiaohuo, who would occasionally come to pester her.
"Grandfather said, to the south of this small island, about a month's flight, there is a large island. On that large island, there is a volcano. The inside of the volcano is hollow. Following the volcano inward, you can reach a very, very deep place. Then, through the underground, walking to the end, you can exit from a hot spring. That place is the South Pole Island of Yunzhong."
"Your grandfather didn't tell you the exact location?" Mo Tiange frowned. The sea was so vast; flying in a certain direction would inevitably involve some deviation, making it difficult to find this large island. She somewhat regretted not having that old Cang Dragon lead the way.
"Master need not worry." Sensing her mood, Xiaofan proudly raised its head high. "We sea beasts have our own way of navigating in the sea. Grandfather told me; I can lead Master there."
"Oh?" Hearing Xiaofan say this, Mo Tiange's brows relaxed. "That's good."
Pausing for a moment, she asked, "Is that path safe? Are there any demon beasts or dangers?"
"Grandfather said this path was discovered by Grandfather's master by accident. It's very dark inside, but there's no danger."
Mo Tiange indicated her understanding and patted Xiaofan's head. "Go back and continue cultivating. I'll call you when I need you."
"Yes." Xiaofan obediently responded, flicked its tail, and flew back to the stream.
Mo Tiange sat cross-legged on the prayer mat, sinking into contemplation.
If asked whether she wanted to go to Yunzhong, the answer was definitely yes. Through Mo Yaoqing's records, she knew Yunzhong was such a flourishing world of cultivation; how could she not yearn for it?
In terms of talent, she was already high enough; spirit stones, the stipends from being a senior of two sects, the Xuanqing Sect and the Bixuan Pavilion, plus the gains from the Tianmo Mountain journey, she had a shocking amount; pills, at least before reaching Nascent Soul, she had no worries, and there were also pills for after Nascent Soul. Apart from these, what did she lack? It was experience, rich experience, and broad horizons.
She wanted to see what other continents were like. She wanted to know if the cultivators who practiced Confucianism and Buddhism were the same as their Daoist cultivators. She also wanted to know everything Mo Yaoqing had once faced.
She found it somewhat hard to suppress this longing because she knew that for her path of cultivation, this was what she lacked most.
However, leaving Tianji for Yunzhong was not a simple matter, even if she knew of a safe path. First, it was too far; second, the time spent was too long. Both factors easily led to accidents.
She even considered returning to the Xuanqing Sect and waiting for Qin Xi to exit seclusion before going to Yunzhong, but that would require waiting at least ten to twenty years.
Ten to twenty years was not very long for Nascent Soul cultivators or even Core Formation cultivators, but if she wanted to catch up to Qin Xi, she had to make good use of her time.
Having just advanced, she needed to travel to enhance her mental cultivation before she could continue seclusion. If she entered seclusion now, it would definitely be unwise.
After considering for a while, Mo Tiange finally decided: Yunzhong, she would go now, alone!
Of course, before that, she still needed to arrange many things. After all, going to a place as far as Yunzhong would take about a year just on the journey. Traveling might take over ten years. Coincidentally, during this time, both Qin Xi and Dao Lord Jinghe were in seclusion. To avoid any mishaps, she needed to leave some spirit herbs for them.
After making the decision, Mo Tiange quickly put it into action.
First, she planned to return to Linhai.
Although finding this place had taken several months, the return journey only took one month. Because those months were spent searching, often taking wrong turns, while this time she had a definite route.
After returning to Linhai, Mo Tiange rested briefly, then returned to Kunwu via the Bixuan Pavilion's teleportation formation. Subsequently, she traveled day and night back to the Xuanqing Sect.
When she returned to the Xuanqing Sect, travel-worn, the first thing she did was to see Qin Xi.
Although he was in seclusion, Qin Xi's current seclusion was only to stabilize his realm and didn't require too much strictness. Mo Tiange merely triggered the restriction outside, and he stopped cultivating, opening the door to the seclusion chamber.
"Why did it take so long to return?" Seeing her, Qin Xi revealed a smile.
Mo Tiange approached him, and the two naturally embraced.
"It feels like so long has passed," she sighed. "Even though it's been less than a year."
Qin Xi also had this feeling, so he said nothing, just held her tighter.
After a while, when they had embraced enough, they separated slightly. Qin Xi smiled and asked, "Advanced to mid-stage? It seems you gained a lot from this trip. Where did you go?"
Mo Tiange leaned against him, lying down, her head resting on his leg, looking up at him sideways. "Guess."
"I can't guess this." Qin Xi played with her hair, his gaze gentle. "But, seeing you so happy, it must be something good, right?"
"Of course." Mo Tiange smiled proudly, no longer hiding, and recounted her experiences of the past year to him in detail.
Qin Xi listened very attentively. When Mo Tiange mentioned there was such a passage between Tianji and Yunzhong, his pupils contracted sharply, and he said perceptively, "Yunzhong... you want to go to Yunzhong?"
Their personalities were originally similar, and they had lived together for over a decade, already having tacit understanding. She wasn't surprised at all that he guessed her intention.
She nodded. "Correct, I want to go to Yunzhong once. The cultivators of Tianji are all trapped on a single spiritual vein like Kunwu. I want to go to Yunzhong to see a broader world."
"..." Qin Xi didn't speak, but his expression was very grave.
Mo Tiange's expression also became serious. She sat up straight and asked, "What? Is it inappropriate?"
"No." Qin Xi let out a breath, pulled her close, and sighed. "It's just... I can't accompany you right now." He had just advanced to Nascent Soul; stabilizing his realm was the most important thing.
"I know." Mo Tiange paused, then still said it. "So I've decided to go alone."
The arm holding her stiffened slightly. After a moment, Qin Xi released her, looking directly into her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Mhm." Mo Tiange nodded. "I'm not someone who looks for trouble; you know that. My current strength is also sufficient for self-protection. Going to Yunzhong alone won't be a problem."
Qin Xi's brows furrowed. He didn't speak for a long time.
This matter was too significant. Although he had gradually come to accept Tian Ge's ideas and was willing to let her travel alone, going to Yunzhong was still too dangerous!
Mo Tiange also didn't speak. She wasn't unaware of Qin Xi's thoughts, but for such a major matter, she had to consider his feelings.
"Is there a compromise?" After a long while, Qin Xi spoke. "You want to go to Yunzhong; I won't stop you. But letting you go alone like this, I'm also not at ease. It's too far. If something unexpected happens, I can't go to rescue you in time."
Mo Tiange thought for a good while, hesitantly saying, "Otherwise... I'll draw a route map for you. When you can leave seclusion, you can come find me?"
"..." Qin Xi didn't speak. Mo Tiange scratched her head, somewhat troubled. "You can't leave seclusion now, and I can't wait well either... Do you still not trust that I can protect myself?"
Qin Xi's gaze softened as he looked at her, speaking gently, "It's not about trust, but concern leads to confusion. I know you can protect yourself, but no matter what, if you're not by my side, I will worry."
"..." This time, it was Mo Tiange who didn't speak. She felt deeply moved.
After a moment, she said, "Otherwise, I'll go ask Master?"
Qin Xi thought for a moment and nodded. "That's good too. Master should give us very good advice."