The Science of Cultivation-Chapter 223: Witherfall City

“Teacher Yu,” Li Lang interrupted her mid-speech by shooting up his hand. “What about artifacts capable of ranged attacks? Are they the same as all the other artifacts?”

“That’s correct. They are, but with one big caveat. Ranged artifacts constantly consume a colossal amount of Qi to operate, as the energy imbued into the projectile is consumed entirely. It is basically no different from many Qi arts. In fact, a solid melee artifact could enhance most Qi arts to a level comparable to dedicated ranged artifacts, so they are rarely seen.”

“I see.”

After some thought, Li Lang thought her words to be true. In an intense fight, if a cultivator was caught off guard, they would much rather have a melee weapon to fend off enemies with rather than a bow. If the damage from ranged attacks were equal, ranged artifacts only had demerits. There was also the logistics involved as well. Ammunition that could be imbued with powerful Qi was not cheap. Constantly using such expensive disposables could easily bankrupt someone.

Those who wished to pursue ranged options would rather hone their Qi arts.

Perhaps a gun can be useful? No, I’ve seen what high-level cultivators can do. The muzzle velocity isn’t anything powerful cultivators can’t deal with. The constant amount of Qi I will have to expend on it isn’t worth it.

After some sidetracking, Li Lang refocused on his objective of creating a melee artifact for himself and his companions.

The lessons didn’t last long, and Yu Chengfong soon exhausted everything she could teach about Mortal-grade artifacts.

“That’s about as much time as I have to spare. Farewell.”

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Without waiting for a reply, the fiery artificer forcefully kicked out her guests from her underground workshop. As soon as they left, the sound of the forge coming to life could be heard.

“Well, let’s go check out their stock of beast cores and get out of here.”

After once again inquiring with one of the receptionists in the lobby, Li Lang’s group exited the Artificer Guild. They hadn’t come out empty-handed as they did manage to buy a limited quantity of beast cores. However, it wasn’t nearly enough. Without rest, they headed for the Eroding March Pavilion next. To be precise, their branch within Witherfall City.

Like many sects, their main pavilion wasn’t located in the middle of a mortal city. They had their own land and living area, often exclusive to their members. Li Lang and his gang weren’t shy about relying on their relationships and had the people stationed at the branch reach out to Gui Hong and Ning Fei, the acquaintances they had met in Polarity City.

After notifying the Eroding March Pavilion, the group retired to an inn for the night. This was the only time of the day when the trio were left alone by their Nightmoon Valley bodyguards.

“Wei Ping, are you going to be tackling your bottleneck again tonight?”

“Y-yes. Another day passed is another day lost. I-I have to make use of my time w-wisely.”

Wei Ping soon consumed a Foundation Pill and went silent as he made another attempt at his bottleneck. This was a regular occurrence, so Li Lang and Long Yi quickly moved on.

“What do you think?” Long Yi asked. “Have your chances of succeeding in artificing improved after today?”

“It’s hard to say—it’s all too vague to measure with only two of us as a benchmark.”

Long Yi stole a glance at the perspiring Wei Ping.

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“But we should keep trying, right?”

“Yes. We have enough for half a dozen rounds of tests, unfortunately though, each core is from a completely different type of Qi beast with different attributes.”

The trio spent the night hard at work. Unfortunately, none of their efforts had been rewarded that night.

The next morning, they found three people there to greet them when they exited their rooms. They consisted of the two they invited, Gui Hong and Ning Fei, plus a vaguely familiar face that Li Lang couldn’t put a name to.

It was only when Zhu Yi and Ma Kong went to greet these newcomers that he was reminded of his name.

“Greetings, Gui Tianzi. I believe it’s our first time meeting. I have been admiring your accomplishments at such a young age ever since you bested even our little princess,” Zhu Yi greeted.

That’s right! That guy I made into our scapegoat to take the heat away from us. In the end, Nightmoon Valley found me out anyway, so I can’t even bear to face him eye to eye. His sacrifice was in vain.

“Yes, it’s an honor to meet all of you as well. You’re all guests of our pavilion during your stay here, so please feel free to let us know if you need anything.”

No one replied to the man’s kind words and an awkward silence descended over the lobby of the inn. Nightmoon Valley’s duo only nodded, as they deemed it not their place to take over the conversation, while the others waited for Li Lang to speak on their behalf. They quickly realized Li Lang had gone silent, and they all wondered what was wrong.

Those unfamiliar with Li Lang speculated that there may have been some squabbles between the two parties during their time in the pocket realm. This was especially so for Gui Tianzi.

After having unexpectedly found himself as the most well-known cultivator of the junior generation, he had eventually learned to just go with the flow. However, he still internally panicked as he feared he was suffering from occasional memory loss. He couldn’t be sure if he had offended Li Lang at some point in the past.

He didn’t dare tell anyone about his potential memory issue, as it was one of the common signs of cultivation deviation. If he was suspected of cultivation deviation, he was sure his elders would imprison him until they could be sure he was okay. That’s why he played along with what others said while he couldn’t help but panic internally.

‘Did I offend this Li Lang at some point? What in the world was going on with me while I was in the pocket realm?’ he thought.

Thankfully, the awkwardness didn’t persist. Gui Hong and Ning Fei were there to fill the void.

“Time sure flies. It only felt like yesterday that we were wandering around the various auction houses of Polarity City. Anyway, now that you’re visiting, feel free to use us as your guides.”

“Gui Hong is right. Feel free to tell him anything you need. He’ll accommodate you,” Ning Fei added.

“Why are you singling me out? Aren’t you here too?”

The trio chuckled at the two’s antics, and the atmosphere relaxed.

“Actually, Li Lang and I were looking for something that we could use your help on,” Long Yi said. “Do you happen to know where we can procure some beast cores? Just Mortal-grade will do.”

“Hm, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Gui Tianzi responded in his cousin’s stead. “You should see how many gifts we’ve been receiving since the end of The Great Trial of Water Crest. I’m sure we have more cores than we know what to do with.”

The group soon exited the inn and went around town under the guidance of the local trio. They toured the city for the morning before stopping at their branch, where someone had carried out the request for beast cores.

Li Lang paid the fair market price, and he was finally restocked with all the materials he needed to explore traditional artificing.

When the transaction was done, they parted ways with the Eroding March Pavilion disciples, as they prepared to continue their journey.

Heading back north toward the mountain ranges, their journey was smooth—or so they thought.

Only a few hours after leaving Witherfall City, when they had to lower their altitude to be just above the treeline, the group of five found something amiss. It was subtle, but all of them noticed it regardless.

“This—is it just me, or are the trees below getting closer?” Long Yi muttered out loud.

“Is o-our Skyrunner dipping down?”

Due to his companion’s words, Li Lang tried to pull their vehicle up, but to his surprise, their elevation remained the same. No, to be precise, the trees below grew in height along with the Skyrunner!

“Seniors,” Li Lang couldn’t help but call out to the more powerful cultivators. “Do you sense anything amiss?”

The two from Nightmoon Valley spent their time on the roof of the Skyrunner, so their expressions couldn’t be read. However, their silence was very telling.

Nothing good seems to be coming out of this.