The Science of Cultivation
Chapter 305: Crawling out of the Crypt

The plan was for Li Lang to go fetch the group that had stayed outside to guard the heavenly water after he had taken a sample of each heavenly resource and pills for himself. However, just as he leapt out of the library, he found the Radiant Wing Sect disciples on the roof of the pyramid with him. They were cautiously scouring the place and instantly noticed Li Lang. They rushed over once they recognized him.

“Headmaster Li, is everything going well? Where are the others?” one of the disciples asked in a worried tone.

“Yes, everything is fine. What’s the matter with your group? Why have you come and brought along the heavenly water as well? I thought it refused to go any further.”

“Well, after the earth trembled, it became more active. It began moving up the stairs, and to our surprise, none of the traps activated, so we followed.”

“Hmm, that’s probably because we managed to pass all the tests. It may have caused all the traps to be disabled. Your fellow disciples are securing the spoils right now. I was just about to come get you guys to come help.”

“What? Truly?” The orthodox disciples exchanged glances and nodded. “Let us go right away, then.”

With the additional hands securing everything, the group finished packing up in no time. As expected of a big sect, the members of the Radiant Wing Sect had ample space rings to clear everything out.

With their goal accomplished, Li Lang had the Thousand Change Sea Breath guide them to the exit. It was about time they returned. He was sure his minder, Jun Ziyan, was making a fuss about now, seeing they hadn’t heard anything from them for some time. He also still had students to recruit before heading back to Starpoint Island.

Their party moved quickly through the caverns of the tomb in high spirits, chatting merrily about their gains. Li Lang was just as happy, as obtaining new materials meant his repertoire would expand. The power of Ruby was fully leveraged with these valuable and rare resources. Just from the few samples he received, he could experiment with them countless times without restraint. He would then have to source more of these materials once he had any fruitful results, but that wasn’t something he was concerned with at the moment.

Star Gem Academy was still in its infant phase. Once they got their new batch of disciples settled in, they would inevitably experience exponential growth. It helped that strengthening their economy was what Li Lang had in mind as their next step anyway.

There were many opportunities waiting for him to exploit. Just upgrading and expanding on his current offerings would already keep him busy for the next few months.

The group cheerfully passed through a narrow and winding tunnel and soon entered a dark cavern, where they could clearly hear the sound of flowing water. An underground stream was nearby, and everyone relaxed upon seeing it. The entrance to this tomb was past a waterfall, so seeing the water source assured them that the exit was nearby.

Just as they were thinking about what they would do upon their return, disaster struck.

Li Lang suddenly heard several grunts of pain behind him, coming from their rearguard.

Everyone turned in confusion at the same time. A dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators in the group, and none sensed anything amiss. What could possibly happen without any of them noticing?

They received their answer quickly. Dozens of unkempt figures stared at them. They stood there calmly with their weapons drawn. The one at the front was dual-wielding swords that were currently embedded through the backs of two Radiant Wing disciples.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Before they could observe their ambushers in more detail, the new foes rushed past the dual wielder. The Radiant Wing Sect disciples reacted a split second later, rushing into battle as well. Just before they clashed, several Qi arts exploded between the two parties. It was the work of the back lines of both forces.

Those who were rushing forward were only momentarily staggered and resumed their charge right away.

The only person who hesitated was Li Lang. His lack of experience in such conflicts showed. Thankfully, Mu Hanyue didn’t let him stand there like a target dummy. She pulled him back in time to unleash a translucent set of wings to shield them from harm. Several thin needles bounced uselessly off of it, snapping Li Lang out of it.

“Li Lang, stick close! We’ll be retreating in formation once our vanguards blunt their attacks.”

“Thank you. I shouldn’t have blanked out there. I’ll—”

A green vine lashed out from the ceiling, causing Mu Hanyue to jerk up. Before she could act, a gray barrier appeared in the sneak attack’s path. With its momentum going strong, the vine couldn’t avoid it. It rammed straight into the barrier, and it instantly crumpled around it. The moment the edge of the gray barrier made contact with it, it effortlessly sliced through.

“That worked out,” Li Lang casually commented before turning back to the young woman. “Don’t worry about me. Go focus on the battle. I’ll try not to be a burden.”

Mu Hanyue didn’t argue and turned her attention back to the greater battle.

Li Lang knew that staying out of the way was the best he could do in these group skirmishes. Disciples in the same sect knew what each other was capable of and had certainly had some training in how to fight together. He never got to that point during his time in Spirit Grove, but he certainly observed such training before.

Backing up to a corner, a stream of water violently shot toward him. Li Lang put his new technique to good use and quickly conjured a barrier with the Absolute Dome Art to guard against water element attacks.

The barrier was manifested much closer to him this time, but he was more confident in its strength. Just as it was about to hit his barrier, his scenery abruptly changed. A wall of water appeared in front of him, absorbing the attack of the same attribute with ease.

It took a good second for Li Lang to realize it was the heavenly water, the Thousand Change Sea Breath, joining the fray.

I guess it sees me as the inheritance of its master’s legacy now?

The wall of water remained strong instead of ebbing away. It was clear that it had the intention of shielding Li Lang.

The disciples of the Radiant Wing Sect didn’t care about its intentions, though. In the midst of their exchange of Qi arts, they noticed a convenient cover had popped up nearby and didn’t hesitate to move to take advantage of it. They redoubled their offensive efforts once they were under the protection of the heavenly water. Li Lang took the hint and joined the fight.

Instead of targeting the chaos in the center, he aimed for the ones who were trying to recover in the back. Healing pills worked wonders if given the chance to come into play. Everyone knew that.

Half a dozen thick needles with the girth of a chopstick soon quietly flew around the outskirts of the battlefield. To Li Lang’s surprise, his foes were completely clueless. They had their eyes glued on his allies that wounded them, allowing his needles to all hit their targets.

Unfortunately, the Gossamer Knife Dance technique that Li Lang used was only a Mortal-grade technique. It still had enough power to pierce through these Foundation Establishment cultivators of the early stage, but that was only true if they were completely defenseless.

Li Lang’s targets reacted just in time. Some of them simply swiped the needles away, while some of them had various barriers up in time to take the brunt of the force. However, their last-minute attempt meant that the needles still managed to nick them.

To cultivators, such small wounds weren’t anything to note. The more cautious victims coursed their Qi through their body to cleanse it of any foreign elements. They continued to heal their wounds as if nothing had happened, but then their expression rapidly changed.

Sharp pain coursed through the small flesh wound they received. They stared down at their wounds in alarm and confusion. Their moment of distraction only allowed the needles to catch them off guard again.

“What are you doing back there? Hurry up and switch!” one of the ambushers fighting on the frontline yelled back.

With the chaotic mess that encompassed dozens of experts in the heat of battle, they had no way of knowing the misfortune their allies were suffering from.