Chapter Thirty-One: At Last, Ninth Rank

The bookshelf held a considerable collection of books; their pages had turned slightly yellow, a clear sign of age and long storage. Su Ye picked one up and discovered it was a memoir documenting the life of Qu Zhang’s friend. Intrigued, Su Ye spent some time reading through its contents.

“Cloudspring Wanderer must have died at the hands of that fire serpent!”

Qu Zhang’s friend was known as Cloudspring Wanderer, a name born from his cultivation in Cloudspring Mountain. In his lifetime, Cloudspring Wanderer had reached the ninth rank, a man of noble character who had slain countless evil spirits and monsters. The last entry in the book recounted how he had been invited to Fire Sun Mountain to kill a ninth-rank demon serpent.

This demon serpent was a natural dragon breed. Though it had just entered the ninth rank, its strength was formidable. Despite Cloudspring Wanderer and his companions also being ninth-ranked, they failed to slay the serpent, managing only to seal it within Fire Sun Mountain.

Cloudspring Wanderer sustained grave injuries in that battle. After returning to Cloudspring Mountain, his wounds soon worsened, and he died shortly thereafter.

Having finished reading Cloudspring Wanderer’s life, Su Ye began to browse through other tomes on the shelf. The content was remarkably varied, but after a thorough review, he found several pieces useful to himself.

Among them were the cultivation insights of Cloudspring’s three disciples and their renowned technique: Mistwalking Art.

Mistwalking Art resembled Fog Weaving from the Seventy-two Earth Fiend Arts. It could conjure fog in rivers, lakes, or places heavy with moisture. This mist not only bewildered enemies with its illusionary power but could also be condensed into mist soldiers for attack.

“This sort of technique is best left for when I reach the ninth rank. For now, my priority is to advance my cultivation to that level,” Su Ye sighed softly.

He removed the original meditation mat from the quiet chamber, placing his own mat in its stead. This spirit-gathering mat was a ranked artifact, with excellent ability to attract spiritual energy. Su Ye sat cross-legged upon it, activating the Yin-Yang Five Thunder Heart Method. The ambient spiritual energy gathered, forming a stream that slowly flowed into his body.

At the same time, the companion jade talisman in Su Ye’s sea of consciousness radiated a gentle blue light, drawing even more spiritual energy for his cultivation.

Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.

“My cultivation has finally returned to the ninth rank!” Su Ye exhaled deeply, a joyful smile appearing on his face.

He had reached the ninth rank in his previous life. Now, after so much time and effort, he had finally regained his former realm.

“With so much time gone by, Bai Song’s injuries must have healed as well. Now that I’ve reached the ninth rank, it’s time to settle accounts with Bai Song!”

Su Ye emerged from the quiet chamber, casting a glance at the nearby wooden huts. He took out the talisman brush hidden in his sleeve.

Now this talisman brush was also a ranked artifact. Previously, without the ninth rank, he couldn't fully harness its power. But now things were different.

As soon as Su Ye drew out the brush, he silently channeled his magical power from his dantian. In an instant, the brush was enveloped by his power. With a gentle wave of his hand, boundless spiritual light surged from the brush.

The light intertwined into talisman patterns, swiftly coalescing into a sealing charm and settling into the wooden huts.

The sealing charms joined into a formation, completely sealing off the huts. The talisman array was interconnected; Su Ye was not only adept at talismans but also highly skilled in formations.

The sealing array he had crafted could only be broken by someone of ninth-rank cultivation. Otherwise, it was impenetrable.

Afterward, Su Ye descended Cloudspring Mountain, heading swiftly toward Jinhua County.

“Little Fox, has the Su family encountered any danger during my absence?” Upon returning home, Su Ye immediately inquired about events in his absence.

“The Su family is fine. Bai Song hasn’t caused any trouble,” Little Fox replied, leaping into Su Ye’s arms. He quietly sensed the changes in Su Ye’s aura, uncertain of Su Ye’s current cultivation.

“Su Ye, have you entered the ranked realm?” Little Fox asked.

“I’ve indeed reached the ranked realm. We need not worry about Bai Song any longer!” Su Ye stroked Little Fox’s head, smiling. “Let’s go find Qu, the City God, and discuss how to deal with that demonic Bai Song.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you! The City God asked that you come see him as soon as you returned,” Little Fox exclaimed in Su Ye’s arms, burying his head in embarrassment. He had meant to relay the message, but seeing Su Ye had caused him to forget.

“Then let’s go to the City God’s Temple now!” Su Ye said with a smile.

The City God’s Temple stood ten miles east of Jinhua County, atop Falling Walk Mountain. It had once been highly efficacious, its incense flourishing. But ever since demons and monsters rampaged through Jinhua, the temple’s incense had waned.

Now, few commoners came to offer incense, causing Qu Zhang’s power to weaken.

Su Ye, with Little Fox in tow, soon reached the temple. As he appeared on Falling Walk Mountain, Qu Zhang sensed his arrival.

Qu Zhang promptly dispatched his ghost messengers to escort Su Ye to his residence.

The temple itself was not Qu Zhang’s true abode; it was merely the site where he received offerings and gathered incense power from the people. His real residence lay behind the temple, at the boundary between yin and yang.

Qu Zhang’s residence was not opulent, with only a few buildings. Su Ye followed the ghost messenger, taking in the residence before meeting Qu Zhang, who awaited him.

“Congratulations, Daoist Su, on entering the ranked realm!” Qu Zhang had noticed the change in Su Ye’s cultivation. Now that Su Ye had reached the ninth rank, he was genuinely pleased.

Once Su Ye helped him rid the county of Bai Song and other evil cultivators, he could once again collect incense power from the townsfolk and restore some of his strength. Then, step by step, he could cleanse Jinhua County of monsters and demons.

“It’s all thanks to your generosity, City God, lending me Cloudspring Mountain for cultivation. Otherwise, I don’t know when I would have reached the ninth rank!” Su Ye replied with a smile.

After exchanging mutual compliments, Su Ye took a seat under Qu Zhang’s guidance, and the two began their discussion.

“Now that Daoist Su has reached the ninth rank, let us plan how to deal with that demonic Bai Song,” Qu Zhang said solemnly.

Of all those who bore grudges against Bai Song, Qu Zhang’s enmity ran the deepest. Especially during Su Ye’s time cultivating in Cloudspring Mountain, Qu Zhang had clashed with Bai Song several times, usually to his own disadvantage.