Cultivation Nerd-Chapter 266: Elder By Fire

“What?”

“Blazing Sun Immortal? He’s still alive?”

“How come he never appeared before?”

Many people were surprised. Even the Core Formation cultivators who had kept stoic expressions until now showed flickers of shock. Clearly, not everyone had deduced that the Blazing Sun Immortal was still alive.

That surprised me a bit too.

Suppose the Blazing Sun Immortal was still alive and knew his Heavenly Calamity was approaching. Why hadn’t he reacted in time to protect the Sect?

Hmm...

The rest of the meeting mostly consisted of the elders bombarding Zun Gon with questions about the Immortal. But even Zun Gon clearly didn’t know much beyond the fact that the man existed and that there was supposedly a way to contact him.

After a few rounds of pointless speculation, I stopped listening. My thoughts had already moved on to more immediate problems.

The meeting ended not long after. The rest was just more speculation about the Immortal’s status and a lot of talking in circles. Even Zun Gon didn’t sound confident. He was clinging to hope more than conviction.

Once the ordeal was over, we walked out of the building together as a group.

“Hey, good luck with your cultivation,” said an elder with a chiseled jaw and blindingly white teeth. He smiled like a charming and practiced politician. “What the Sect needs now is a stabilizing force. A young man like you is perfect for that. If you ever consider becoming something more than just an elder, feel free to contact me. We can talk.”

He walked off with a confident stride, clearly pleased with himself.

A few people glanced my way. He hadn’t exactly been subtle about what he meant.

It seemed like more than a few people were already expecting me to become some kind of future Sect Leader.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded taking the position. But after that earlier negotiation, where they agreed to everything I asked for, what else could the title even offer me?

We stepped outside into the blackened remains of the Sect grounds. The smell of ash still clung to the air, sharp and lingering.

“So, we just separate here?” I asked.

Zun Gon nodded. “Yes. If we figure out how to contact him… The previous Sect Leader might’ve known the method, but we have no clue.”

“Shouldn’t he know what’s happened here? After all...” I left the rest unsaid.

But anyone who knew about Heavenly Calamities would understand what I meant.

And for those who didn’t? Well… the scorched Sect grounds and a mountain slumped like wax under a torch should’ve been enough to wake anyone, no matter where they were.

“Well, I’ll go meet with my team. If I’m needed, don’t hesitate to reach out,” I said.

With that, I summoned a skin-tight jade barrier, launched into the sky, and flew off like a jade-armored Superman.

I wanted to meet the Blazing Sun Immortal too. But I couldn’t come off as needy.

Besides, I had other things to take care of first.

It didn’t take long before I reached the front gate of the Sect. Fu Yating, Wu Yan, and Speedy stood at the side. The girls seemed deep in conversation, and Speedy, surprisingly, was awake and alert. As for the guard disciples, they’d returned to their usual posts at the gate.

I landed on the ground before them, and the disciples glanced my way. It looked like they were going to say something… but in the end, they just stared and kept quiet.

Looked like the tension had eased up, at least for now.

“So, you seem better,” Fu Yating said.

“What a talented conversation starter you are,” I replied. “Anyway, I’m an elder of the Blazing Sun Sect now. Probably the most important Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the whole Sect.”

“Okay, that almost makes sense… but what do you mean by the most important Foundation Establishment Cultivator?” Fu Yating asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, duh. I’m nineteen and already at a stage most cultivators never even reach,” I sighed.

Her eyes widened a bit. She nodded, and a smile slowly made its way onto her face.

“That’s good. As expected, the Sect really did recognize your talents,” she said.

Then she stared at me, just a little longer than normal. Usually, I’d be suspicious. But my mind was elsewhere.

Meeting a real Immortal? I hadn’t expected the opportunity to come this soon. A real one, too. Not a lingering ghost, not a residual thought, but an actual Immortal.

I sensed someone approaching.

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A peak Qi Gathering disciple descended on a flying sword. He looked like the picture-perfect cultivator with long hair, slim build, and a handsome face.

He landed in front of us and immediately bowed, clasping his hands in a respectful salute.

“Elder Feng, sorry for the delay. I’m Chen Haoyu, and I’ve been assigned to guide you to your new personal property within the Sect,” he said.

Then his eyes widened slightly, and he added quickly, “I apologize if I caused any offense. I wasn’t sure whether to address you as Elder Liu… since your cousins might make that confusing.”

He looked genuinely nervous, his hands trembling slightly, eyes darting across the ground without ever quite meeting mine.

“I don’t mind,” I said, waving off his concerns.

Though I had to admit, being called “Elder” felt a bit awkward by someone who looked older than me.

“Lead the way,” I said, expanding a translucent jade sphere around Fu Yating, Wu Yan, Speedy, and me.

Chen Haoyu nodded, stepped onto his sword, and blasted off. I fed Qi into the jade sphere, lifting us into the air and gliding after him.

We arrived at a barren patch of land near the peak of the Inner Sect. The area was close to where the Sect Leader’s palace used to stand.

I glanced at the ruined terrain. This was probably prime Sect territory with blossoming courtyards and elegant walkways just months ago. Now it looked like someone had punched a volcano into the mountain.

Like everywhere else, it had been scorched. Melted rock had cooled into strange rippling formations, like frozen waves. At the center of the land stood a stone home, average in size and appearance.

“This house is only temporary, Elder Feng,” the guy said hurriedly as he landed on the blackened ground, cupped his fists, and bowed his head. “We didn’t have time to build larger lodgings. But if you need extra room, there’s a basement that wasn’t affected by the blast.”

“What was this place before the explosion?” I asked.

“Uhm,” He coughed, his gaze flicking around like he expected someone to accuse him of treason. Then, in a meek voice, he said, “It used to be a winery.”

I nodded, glanced around, and spread my senses. It was a cozy place.

“You can go now,” I said.

He was clearly nervous about being around me. No need to torture the guy any further. Maybe all that time spent near Song Song had left some of her reputation rubbing off on me.

He bowed again, muttered some lip-service thanks, and blasted off on his flying sword.

Probably scared I’d take offense and make an example out of him. I could imagine some elders doing just that.

“Poor guy. Looks like he hasn’t had a break in a while,” I said.

“And as an elder, it’s now your job to make sure he doesn’t get one,” Fu Yating added jokingly.

I turned toward her, stared her in the eyes, then slowly let my gaze wander from her feet up to the top of her head.

“Yep. You’re right. We do need a maid. And since you’ve shown talent for cooking, maybe that also translates to cleaning… and doing dishes,” I said.

I kept my expression straight, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw her stiffen like I’d just declared war.

“What?” Fu Yating blinked...

But she recovered fast, frowning. “Can’t you find someone else to do that?”

“Of course. But I don’t trust them as much as I do you,” I said.

“Liar. Not too long ago, you were convinced I might poison you,” she muttered.

“But you didn’t. Which has earned my trust,” I said, grinning like the perfect idiot. “Now that you’ve earned my trust, you should try to poison me. Also, I won’t even check if you’ve bought any poison.”

Fu Yating stood there like a fish, mouth opening and closing with no words coming out.

“Well, I’m going to check out our new house,” I said, turning and heading toward the door.

The inside was surprisingly nice. The kitchen appliances and basic furniture like tables, chairs, and a couch were all intact. Near the window sat an artifact: a crystal flower that emitted a faint, pleasant scent.

Lavender?

I immediately extended my Qi and turned the artifact off.

Scented things like that could easily be used to mask the smell of poison.

“Wow, this place is surprisingly nice,” Fu Yating said, looking around cautiously. “Though there’s a lot to rebuild, this shows that the Sect is putting in some effort.”

Was this the same girl who once called my parents’ two-story house small? It seemed a few months spent sleeping in the wilderness had helped her appreciate what she used to take for granted.

“The only downside is that the front door isn’t wide enough for Speedy to fit through,” I said, frowning at the door.

“I don’t think our friendly turtle even likes being indoors,” Fu Yating said, scratching the top of Speedy’s scaly head.

“Yeah, but I’d like the option to be there,” I muttered.

To others, he might just be a turtle. But to me, Speedy was part of the family.

“Well then, I’ll just have to do this myself,” I said, stepping outside and looking for flat land near our stone house.

After a short search, I found a suitable patch. I crouched down, fingers sinking into the ashy ground. It was not ideal terrain for this array, and it would drain almost half my Qi, especially for the kind of structure I had in mind.

“House Array,” I whispered.

Immediately, roots burst from the earth. It felt like something was sucking the Qi straight out of me, like a black hole devouring energy. Dead tree roots hidden underground stirred and became temporarily revitalized.

This time, instead of a standard structure, I created a large one-story wooden home with a wide entrance and much better quality overall.

The roof sloped backward to keep out rain, collect it, and redirect it into a built-in indoor shower.

I had bigger plans: a pool, a hot spring, maybe more, and anything Speedy might enjoy. But I didn’t have the resources yet.

“Wow. Do you know the meaning of restraint? You built a damn wooden palace. Our stone shed looks like a glorified outhouse in comparison,” Fu Yating commented.

I ignored her, stepped inside, and made my way to one of the more isolated corners. The room had large windows angled perfectly to catch the morning and midday sun, bathing the space in natural light.

I waved a hand, activated my storage ring, and summoned a human-sized egg with red dots on its shell. It appeared in the middle of the room.

Kneeling beside it, I placed my palm on the shell and sent a pulse of Qi inward, probing for signs of life. It had been inside my storage ring for a long time. I trusted my arrays, but this kind of thing was worth double-checking.

The egg had matured well. I could even sense the rough shape of the creature inside, and it had grown during our journey.

But as the image in my mind clarified, my brow furrowed.

What the hell?

That wasn’t a pelican.

The shape inside this egg… felt more like a bat.