The seasonal hunt to Demonside Mountains had been announced, causing the Inner Court to quickly become fervid with anticipation. Many newer students armed themselves and went to the Weapon Pavilion to spend points on weapons. Some even went and bought fierce mounts to support themselves in the hunt.
Everyone was preparing for the hunt, and for the top Inner Disciples, the goal was the Golden Proxy Pill. The Sect also announced that there would be other rewards for second and third place, but they had yet to release the specifics.
Everyone knew the dangers of Demonside Forest, it was one of the major danger zones in Blue Sky Province. It had a reputation for possessing some of the most dangerous Demonic Beasts in the province, and because of its large size the number of beasts there were uncountable.
Originally, back in the Sect's glory days, one of Blue Sky Palace's main duties was to suppress Demonside Forest and protect the rest of the continent from its dangers. This was back when Blue Sky Palace was the number one sect in the entire continent, and because of their decline, other sects stepped up to the task of suppressing Demonside Forest.
In fact, it could be said that most of Demonside Forest didn't even belong to Blue Sky Palace anymore. Another sect, the Raging Beast Sect, forcefully took a large portion of the Forest as one of its training grounds - to Blue Sky Palace's dismal.
This was a source of shame to Blue Sky Palace, but there was nothing they could do.
During the week, Wang Li and Yan Zhou were had at work cultivating. Wang Li quickly returned to his estate and cultivated furiously - easily stepping into the Seventh Level of Body Transformation.
He had hopefully awaited a sign from the Ancient Seal in his Dantian, but it remained motionless. He could only sigh and take stock of his strength.
At the Seventh Level and beyond, cultivators used Qi to temper their internal organs. For most cultivators, the internal organs were the softest spot in their body, even after the Ninth Level.
Wang Li had just stepped into the Seventh Level, and he still didn't know how he compared to other Body Transformation artists. But he still felt confident, after all, if Hua Taixu felt that he wouldn't be able to fight a Qi Foundation expert he wouldn't have placed him within the Inner Court.
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Yan Zhou also cultivated during this time but didn't make too much progress. Instead, he decided to go to the Weapon Pavillion and buy a treasured sword for the hunt.
"Ah, I just spent nearly all of the points I accumulated during my time as an Outer Disciple." Yan Zhou said depressingly, crying out to Wang Li. Wang Li chuckled; the two had become closer over their preparation.
"Let me see, is it particularly spectacular?" Wang Li held the sword, examining its light blue handle and simple silver blade. It didn't look too special, except a rudimentary rune engraved at the hilt of the blade. Running his finger through the rune, he could sense some kind of energy pulsating within.
"That's a Weapon Rune, the work of a Runesmith. It's what makes the sword so deadly, increasing its sharpness by a significant factor." Yan Zhou smiled at the rune - it was where the entire value of the sword was.
"So the Blacksmith makes the sword, and then the Runesmith engraves the Rune? Is it the same for pills?" Wang Li asked. He was still actively learning about the world around him; he was the definition of a "country bumpkin". He had learned a lot over the past week and was continuing to learn more and more. He even began to attend some classes.
"Yes, but often times Blacksmiths and Pill Masters are Runesmiths themselves. It keeps the cost down, as master runesmiths are extremely rare and expensive. A famous runesmith or pill master can hold more influence than someone with a powerful cultivation. They earn boundless amounts of money, and all types of sects and organizations try to bring them in. Some of the most famous Runesmiths are even more powerful than our Sect Master." Yan Zhou spoke with awe; fabled Runesmiths were legends within the Feng Continent.
Even the Imperial Family rushed to grasp at revered Runesmiths! The Runesmith League had an almost unshakeable position within all Six Provinces!
"Seriously? How do I become a Runesmith?" Wang Li caught wind of Yan Zhou's anticipation and couldn't help but inquire. After all, if he could be a famous Runesmith, how helpful would that be?
He would have friends and connections across the continent, and be able to call upon invincible forces!
"Haha, it is no easy matter. After all, Runesmiths are often times Spiritual Cultivators, a rare form of cultivation only accessible to a small percentage of the population. Although the Runesmith League isn't very large, each and every individual is someone Blue Sky Palace has to pay very close attention too! If you want, you can go to a nearby Runesmith Shop and ask to be assessed for your spiritual talent." Yan Zhou didn't mind Wang Li's constant cluelessness, although he found it strange. Wang Li told him he came from the wilds, and every day he proved that to be true.
"Ah, I see. Once I enter Qi Foundation, I'll have to stop by and see what I can do." Wang Li laughed, and the two continued all the way until they arrived at their estates. The two separated; the hunt was about to begin and they both needed to prepare.
Yan Zhou wanted to practice with his new sword, and Wang Li wanted to continue to make advances toward the Eighth Level.
The hunt would soon begin!