Chapter 59: This Young Master Isn't Surprised

Chapter 59: This Young Master Isn't Surprised

The Earth-rank method that had made the Lan family so threatening was Wood attribute. The Patriarch was practicing it. Why would he do it in Clearsprings City when the Spa Cavern was superior in every way? Especially when he had to shorten the time it took for him to return to his old cultivation level by any means possible.

Where was Lan Fen in all this then? What was she doing? Her previous schemes took on a new light now. Not just exposing the Patriarchs cultivation. It was to expose that he wasnt even there. Attacking the Lan family wasnt just to weaken them in the eyes of the other families. It was to force the Patriarch to come out of seclusion and back to the city. Was that where she planned to deal him the killing blow? The Lan family having an Earth-rank method was one thing. The Lan family having an Earth-rank method and a cultivation paradise? That was something else entirely.

Chen Haoran shivered. If it werent for that prince giving the major families a reason to rally together, Lan Fens plan could have spelled the end for the Lan family. It still might. The Lan family didnt seem keen on sharing the secret of the Spa Cavern after all.

Regardless, the danger of the cavern had rocketed up several levels. He was potentially in the same area code as the second strongest cultivator in Clearsprings City who would probably like nothing more than to skin him alive. Perhaps hed run into one of the other Lan family Elders first before that happened though? Or if he was lucky he would become chow to some passing Liquid Meridian beast. Or maybe the powder keg that was Clearsprings politics would blow up and multiple factions would duke it out within the cavern.Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)

You know Phelps if surviving difficult situations was a school assignment my report would be marked up in red pen. Hed get a passing grade for the sheer fact he was still alive despite it all but much like his old math teachers, hed be getting points off for not showing how his equations actually lead him to that conclusion. Naturally, the solution to this was the same way he passed high school engineering.

Copy the smarter student.

Once again he would have to peek at Lan Fens cheat sheet to survive. So if he were Lan Fen, where would he be right now to maximize his chances for revenge?

Here, Chen Haoran sighed. She would be right here. He looked up towards the cavern roof. Lan Fen if youre in here then you better find me or Im going to be so pissed.

To begin with, not every qi sense was equal. Lan Fens insane range was evidence enough of that but given how ridiculous she was in general he discounted anything about her being in the range of standard or explainable. Deep in the steam he received a more reliable example of this in action, from when he ambushed the first hunting group to the various foraging parties he was now avoiding he noticed them with his qi-sense before they did every time. It was clear that his range was greater than that of the Lan cultivators. Cultivation was the cause of it, with every Layer he grew so too did his sense. Layer alone wasnt enough to explain everything. Barring any personal talent or genetic dispositions for sensing the biggest reason could only have been the quality of his qi. His Earth-rank cultivation method had helped him crush many cultivators who were otherwise his equal in level.

For now.

The journey upriver thus passed in a safe but much too tense manner for his liking. The only good thing was that the patrols confirmed he was getting closer to his goal of escape. He didnt dare go near the river anymore for fear of discovery and could only hope he hadnt veered too far off course in the steam. He didnt dare wish for visibility however. A clear view would spell his death and he was dreading the next cold snap.

His efforts bore fruit in the end. The roar of water grew louder than ever, such that he could feel the vibrations through the stone beneath his feat. With the utmost caution, he slowly swung back around to the river. As if pushed away by the force or by some other method the steam thinned to the point he could see a waterfall two hundred feet in height bursting out of the sheer wall of the cavern like a spout. Rising equal in height alongside it was a tree, bent and sloped like an organic ramp, its branches were woven into railings. One end was buried in the ground, the other end speared into the stone next to the top of the waterfall.

Thick boxes suddenly appeared out of the waterfall and fell into waiting nets at the base where workers quickly scrambled like spiders on the web to remove them. On top of the tree, men picked up barrels and crates and slung them at the top of the waterfall where they disappeared without a trace.

The Lan family camp was enclosed within a semi-circular stone wall that enveloped the base of the ramp tree and the waterfall and met with the river in the center where a chain net rose out of the water. Two tall watchtowers sat on either shore. If Chen Haoran wanted a better view he needed to reach a higher elevation. Unfortunately, there were no pillars or hills near enough for him to climb. Hed probably be spotted had he attempted such a thing anyway.

He would have to ask someone else.

He turned to look at the presence that deliberately revealed itself behind him. I have some questions for you.

Out of the steam, as if she were some dead warrior's ghost, appeared Lan Fen.