Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 63

“I’ve successfully switched my cultivation technique!”

After two grueling days of relentless effort and clenched-teeth perseverance, Qi Ping couldn’t help but roar out in exhilaration. His voice brimmed with intense joy and the thrill of hard-earned success.

Following his movement, a surge of formidable spiritual power swept outwards. A large boulder near Qi Ping was instantly shattered into fragments by this casually released energy!

Fourth Level of Qi Refinement!

After switching his technique, not only had Qi Ping’s realm not dropped, it had grown even stronger. Still at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, with the same total amount of spiritual energy, the potency was now several times greater than before!

“Thanks to the Wood Flame Art and my Li Fire Body, my spiritual power is now multiple times stronger than before!” he exclaimed. “And once I stabilize my foundation at the fourth level of Qi Refinement and improve my control over my spiritual energy, my power and combat strength can increase even further!”

The influence of cultivation techniques and special talents on combat prowess was truly significant.

At that moment, Qi Ping recalled something. Back when they were returning from Greenstone Market, Sister Nan, at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, had nearly killed a battle-hardened fifth-level Qi Refinement bandit cultivator. Now it seemed Sister Nan either practiced a powerful technique or possessed a special talent. Qi Ping leaned towards the former; if she had a special talent, her cultivation level would likely have been higher already.

Next, Qi Ping cast Healing Art several times to treat the internal injuries caused by switching techniques. With that, his technique transition was completely successful.

“Now that I’ve successfully switched techniques, it’s time to advance rapidly in my cultivation!” he declared. “With my current talent, plus the blood ginseng and fire spirit grass, and the Fire Spirit Body Tempering Pill formula, the middle stage of Qi Refinement shouldn’t hold me back for long.”

His current cultivation speed with the Wood Flame Art was more than ten times faster than it had been with the Wood Shield Art—there was simply no comparison. Whether it was the speed of absorbing spiritual energy, refining it, or his degree of control over spiritual power, all far surpassed his previous capabilities.

Having experienced his current cultivation speed, Qi Ping felt his past progress had been as slow as a snail. This new speed could only be described with one word: exhilarating.

However, just as Qi Ping used his spiritual energy to cleanse the grime and dried blood from his body and prepared to return to the mountain peak to rest, a High-Speed Cutter Bee brought him a headache-inducing message.

“Buzz… (Boss, that blue-clothed two-legged beast is here again…)”

“Buzz… (She’s been here for over a day!)”

“Buzz… (The Golden Marrow Bees have all been hidden as you instructed, Boss…)”

“That woman is here again?”

Hearing news of the blue-robed woman from the Qingyuan Sect, at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, Qi Ping immediately felt a headache coming on. He couldn’t understand why she was so certain that the late Qi Refinement black-robed bandit cultivator had disappeared here.

“Perhaps it’s not just here; maybe she visits many places repeatedly, and this is just one of them. It’s just that black-robed bandit cultivator is extremely important to her…”

But headache or not, he decided he must send her away first. After preparing what he would say, Qi Ping once again entrusted his important belongings to the High-Speed Cutter Bees to hide. He then transformed into a bee and took a long detour before finally returning to Peak Number Seven.

Regarding this blue-robed woman, aside from finding her a nuisance, Qi Ping wasn’t particularly afraid. Not only had his swarm of High-Speed Cutter Bees reached the planned number of one thousand, but he had also nurtured many mature Armored Ink Bees, skilled in defense, and Venomous Bees, experts in poison. Thus, he felt relatively confident.

Roughly an hour later.

When Qi Ping, wearing a straw hat, returned to Peak Number Seven, the blue-robed woman was sitting cross-legged under the ancient pine tree, meditating with her eyes closed. Her jet-black hair fluttered gently in the evening breeze. Not far from her was the hive of the small black bees. As nightfall approached, most of them were returning to the hive in succession. They followed Qi Ping’s instructions, living their normal lives gathering nectar and making honey, showing no abnormalities that the woman could detect.

This harmonious scene left Qi Ping speechless; one might think this was her home…

But Qi Ping soon noticed something that made him uneasy.

The woman in blue was injured!

Her face was pale, her aura unstable, and it even felt like her cultivation level might drop at any moment. These were clear signs of severe injuries, possibly of a type that ordinary healing pills couldn’t cure. A faint trace of blood had seeped through her clothes around her abdomen.

This made Qi Ping anxious.

Who was this woman in blue?
Ninth level Qi Refinement, an inner disciple of the Qingyuan Sect!

This was Qingyuan Sect territory. Who would dare injure her to such an extent? And who even could?

“Has the outside world become so chaotic after just half a month of not paying attention?” Qi Ping wondered inwardly. He knew the situation in Greenstone County would continue to deteriorate, but this was too fast!

What troubled Qi Ping even more was: why had this injured woman not returned to her sect to heal, instead coming here? She might end up attracting her enemies here.

Anyone who could injure her to this extent here was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Qi Ping had no desire to face such a dangerous individual! Even if he won, losing over half of his bee swarm would be a devastating loss.

So, he needed to send this woman away, and quickly!
Steeling himself, Qi Ping pretended to just notice the woman. He hurried to a spot still quite far from her, clasped his fists, and said:

“Honored Lady!”

The reason he didn’t get closer was that she was injured. If he approached rashly, she might mistake his intentions and think he was attacking her.

“You’re back?” she said.

“Yes, Honored Lady, I went to…” Qi Ping began, following his prepared script.

However, the woman seemed uninterested in his answer and cut straight to the point, asking about the black-robed bandit cultivator: “Have there been any news of that black-robed bandit cultivator during this time?”

Qi Ping shook his head: “Reporting to you, Honored Lady, during this time, I have been the only one on the mountain. No second person has appeared here…”

His words held no falsehood; even Sister Nan hadn’t visited for a long time.

“He never appeared at all?” Hearing Qi Ping’s answer, the woman frowned deeply. Although she had expected this, she was still disappointed.

Seizing the opportunity, Qi Ping voiced his confusion: “Honored Lady, after all this time, is it possible he has already escaped?”

“I placed a special tracking mark on him. He disappeared after last appearing here. He either entered a secret realm or died here. Those are the only two possibilities,” the woman stated.

After speaking, she looked deeply at Qi Ping. She was certain the three major families and the Qingyuan Sect hadn’t acted. So, who else could have killed that black-robed bandit cultivator? There were some old-timers in the Jia sector of the Cloudy Mist Mountains with the capability, but she had already investigated; it most likely wasn’t them.

Then who could it be?
If the black-robed bandit cultivator wasn’t dead, then he must have entered a secret realm. But there seemed to be no trace of a secret realm here.

“Continue keeping watch. You don’t necessarily need to see anyone, but immediately inform me if you discover anything unusual. I will not lack spirit stones or rare treasures for you!” Without waiting for Qi Ping’s response, she left these words, then mounted her sword and flew away, dragging her injured body.

Qi Ping watched her figure disappear into the sky, lost in thought.

The two possibilities the woman mentioned were both bad news for him.

If the black-robed bandit cultivator was dead, he would likely fall under suspicion.

If the black-robed bandit cultivator was alive, didn’t that point directly to the secret underground area where the blood ginseng grew? That place would probably be exposed sooner or later anyway.

“It seems I need to make plans early…” Qi Ping felt the woman might already suspect him. After all, he had appeared like this twice now. No matter how flawless his reasons, it was useless. In situations like this, often suspicion alone was enough; here, the Qingyuan Sect made the rules.

He was, after all, just a minor rogue cultivator. The fact that the woman in blue had been this polite to him was already quite rare. As time went on, who knew if she would mobilize forces for a large-scale search?

“I need to find a retreat path in advance…”

“Next, I must find an opportunity to explore the secrets underground where the blood ginseng grows as soon as possible. With my current resources, I’m sufficient to find a new intermediate-grade first-order spirit land to develop. I don’t necessarily have to stubbornly hold on here.”

“Also, I don’t know how chaotic things have gotten outside during this time. I must promote my strength as quickly as possible…”

“At the very least, I need to restore the Li Fire Crow to the first-order perfection stage as soon as possible.”