Chapter 111: Solar Power?

Seven days later.

A dark golden, bowl-shaped spaceship about two hundred meters in diameter drifted through the sky.

At the edge of the ship’s top deck, Yang Yi, dressed in crimson robes, furrowed his brow slightly, his gaze frequently flickering toward the tightly shut door of a room on the side of the deck.

Originally, Yang Yi and Li Feiyang had come near the border of Southern County to investigate the presence of evil cultivators. The reason for recruiting disciples was simply to gather all those with some cultivation on the border into one place, making it easier to conduct their inquiry.

Yet, to their surprise, no sign of any evil cultivators appeared throughout the recruitment process. Instead, a puzzling figure named Liu Pan had suddenly emerged.

Though Liu Pan’s aura stirred the Sunfire Sparrow into agitation, after thoroughly examining his body and the cultivation method he practiced, there was no trace of any evil energy. This anomaly made the situation even stranger.

What puzzled Yang Yi even more was that ever since Liu Pan’s arrival, Li Feiyang had completely abandoned the investigation into the evil cultivators. Instead, he spent all his time urging Liu Pan to cultivate, leaving Yang Yi unsure of his true intentions.

At first, preoccupied with the investigation, Yang Yi had paid little attention to Li Feiyang’s behavior, seeing no grave issues. But now, with the recruitment over and his focus shifting away from the evil cultivator matter, Yang Yi felt that Li Feiyang’s actions were not just questionable—they were deeply problematic.

During the seven days aboard the spaceship, aside from glimpsing Li Feiyang and Liu Pan during the three daily meals, the only other sight was that sealed room door.

Was Li Feiyang pressing Liu Pan to become his direct disciple? Yang Yi remained noncommittal.

Liu Pan had an ice-element spiritual root, while Li Feiyang possessed a fire-element root. Though there were no explicit rules or spoken norms that a powerful cultivator must recruit disciples with the same elemental affinity, the fundamental principle was to align with the same Yin or Yang attribute.

Among the eight elements, Metal, Earth, Thunder, and Fire belonged to Yang; Wood, Water, Wind, and Ice belonged to Yin.

Fire was Yang, Ice was Yin. So the likelihood of Li Feiyang accepting Liu Pan as a direct disciple was slim.

Of course, Yin and Yang alignment was not absolute. Dual cultivation existed, where Yin and Yang complemented each other to enhance progress. But the most basic requirement of dual cultivation was a male and a female. Therefore, Liu Pan and Li Feiyang could never fit this condition.

So what was going on?

At this moment, Yang Yi thought again of Li Feiyang’s standing within the sect and the words the former sect leader had said to him before he left. A strange feeling stirred in his heart. Unconsciously, Yang Yi turned his gaze once more toward the sealed door.

Suddenly, a faint ripple emerged from behind the door. Yang Yi’s eyes flickered. After a brief hesitation, he retrieved a specially prepared communication sword from his storage ring, activated it with a wave, and sent it flying...

...

Inside a room on the spaceship’s deck.

Liu Pan sat cross-legged, his spirit stones releasing energy swiftly under the guidance of the Profound Ice Technique, merging into the primordial energy core in his dantian. His aura grew stronger, clearly on the verge of a breakthrough.

After seven days of cultivation, Liu Pan’s power had reached the early stage of Martial Master, just a step away from mid-level Martial Master.

Opposite him, Li Feiyang’s eyes were wide open, his mind intensely focused. Given the last breakthrough’s circumstances, this time Li Feiyang refrained from using spatial powers to confine the area. Instead, he expanded his divine sense to the fullest, closely monitoring Liu Pan’s body and the three-meter space around him.

During these seven days, that strange aura had appeared three times, but without any warning signs each time, leaving Li Feiyang unable to grasp its nature.

Now, finally, as Liu Pan was about to break through again, Li Feiyang had thoroughly prepared, unwilling to miss this chance.

Although currently clueless about the energy of the strange aura, since this power was repairing Liu Pan’s hidden injuries, Li Feiyang knew this might be his only opportunity. If he seized it, he might be able to return to the Central Plains.

Li Feiyang truly no longer wished to remain in Southern County, this desolate and impoverished land.

Soon, Liu Pan’s aura surged to a critical point, and Li Feiyang’s focus sharpened more than ever.

Suddenly, Liu Pan’s body trembled slightly as he successfully broke through to Martial Master, Fourth Stage. Simultaneously, the mysterious aura appeared again, fleeting as ever.

Li Feiyang was taken aback. Quickly, he scanned his surroundings, a strange expression flickering in his eyes. This time, he distinctly sensed that aura.

“Could it be...”

Looking around, a thought suddenly struck Li Feiyang. His expression turned from puzzlement to surprise, and then, without hesitation, he vanished from the room.

Moments later, Liu Pan emerged from his cultivation trance, only to find Li Feiyang no longer in sight.

What was going on? Liu Pan felt puzzled. He didn’t think Li Feiyang would leave without reason at such a critical moment.

Had something happened? Thinking this, Liu Pan rose and opened the door to step outside.

Blue sky and white clouds greeted him, gentle breezes brushing his face. He couldn’t help but marvel at the advanced technology of this spaceship, far surpassing Earth’s airplanes.

Ignoring the energy array’s power conservation, all directions except beneath his feet were essentially skylights. Despite the rapid flight, the array’s shielding prevented strong winds from being felt on the deck. Truly a marvel for world travel and sightseeing.

His gaze swept the deck, spotting only Yang Yi standing dumbfounded at the edge.

Liu Pan opened his mouth to ask something but suddenly noticed Yang Yi’s gaze directed toward the rooftop of the room behind him, which puzzled him. What was he looking at?

Turning around and looking up, Liu Pan stepped back two paces, then froze.

On the roof stood a tall black figure, upright like a sunflower, staring up at the blazing sun.

The sun?

After a moment, Liu Pan regained his senses, confused. Could the strange power inside him be connected to the sun above?

Wasn’t this a bit over the top?

But if not, how else to explain Li Feiyang’s current behavior? Liu Pan frowned, feeling utterly baffled. He knew he had never written about powers related to the sun, moon, or stars in the story...

Wait, never written about sun, moon, or star powers?

“...”

This was a bug!

Liu Pan suddenly felt speechless. After encountering this so-called non-bug bug, he began to think his entire story was riddled with such glitches.

Moreover, what was going on with this body? It could even absorb solar energy—was it some kind of Ultraman reincarnation?

Even more puzzling, his ice-element root was Yin in nature, so if it absorbed energy, it should be the Yin essence of the moon, not the Yang energy of the sun.

What on earth was this nonsense? Liu Pan felt his head grow heavy. With more and more bugs appearing, it was as if the story’s author was being driven mad.

Just as Liu Pan’s thoughts spiraled into chaos, Li Feiyang suddenly reappeared before him.

After giving Liu Pan a strange once-over, Li Feiyang spoke: “From now on, cultivation will be conducted here on the deck.”

Having said this, Li Feiyang seemed to notice something and turned toward Yang Yi standing at the edge of the deck, asking oddly, “Why are you here?”

Startled from his daze by Li Feiyang’s question, Yang Yi shivered and stammered out, “I was feeling cooped up alone... so I came out to get some fresh air.”

At this moment, Yang Yi was genuinely frightened.

That morning at breakfast, Li Feiyang had told him not to disturb him and Liu Pan at noon. Yang Yi had sensed that Li Feiyang must have important business then.

Because of this, Li Feiyang had chosen that crucial midday hour to send the communication sword to the edge of the deck.

But Yang Yi hadn’t expected that after sensing a slight ripple in the room, as soon as he finished sending the sword, he turned to see Li Feiyang standing on the roof of the deck’s room.

What kind of feeling was that? Like stealing something and just after tossing the owner’s belongings out the window, turning around to find the owner standing right behind you.

Yang Yi felt this was the most heart-stopping moment of his life. He dared not imagine how much chance of survival he would have if Li Feiyang discovered what was recorded on that communication sword.

“You should stay inside the ship’s cabin to keep watch. This kid will be cultivating here on the deck. If you have nothing to do, don’t wander around here,” Li Feiyang frowned and said. At that moment, he found Yang Yi’s behavior strange but didn’t dwell on it, simply telling him to leave.

Yang Yi responded and quickly retreated to the cabin. He didn’t want to remain on the deck for even a quarter of an hour—more precisely, he lacked the courage to face Li Feiyang.

For the rest of the time, Liu Pan followed Li Feiyang’s orders, cultivating tirelessly day and night on the deck. Liu Pan found this utterly exasperating. Why refuse the comfort of a room and insist on sitting on the deck?

Though this was supposedly to study whether the strange power came from solar energy, did he really need to sit on the deck all the time? Couldn’t he just come out when close to breaking through?

Despite his complaints, when Liu Pan suggested he only sit on the deck near breakthroughs, Li Feiyang refused. The only reason given was that this method made observation and analysis easier in combination with daily circumstances.

With no power to argue or resist, Liu Pan resigned himself to sitting on the deck, bathing in the light of sun, moon, and stars.

Of course, he occasionally got rained on... (Thanks to Bai He for the monthly ticket, Red-Eyed White Curry for the reward, and all readers for their recommendation votes. Two updates tomorrow.) (To be continued.)