Chapter Seventy-Nine: An Acquaintance

The instant Liu Pan looked up and saw the silver spaceship, a peculiar glint flickered in his eyes. This was, without a doubt, the most advanced piece of technology in his entire book—none could compare. The ship was quite large, shaped like an inverted bowl or plate, and even from a distance, one could see numerous patterns of glowing runes shimmering along its hull.

Its speed, however, was not impressive; in fact, it was considerably slower than the pace at which an ordinary Martial Master would fly using their own artifacts. Spaceships, after all, were designed primarily for transporting goods. For cultivators capable of flying on their own treasures, riding in a ship was simply a waste of time.

Of course, in certain special circumstances, even the most powerful cultivators might willingly board such a slow conveyance. The reason was simple: while the ship was slow, it was also a moving fortress. The higher the grade of the ship, the more terrifying its offensive and defensive capabilities became.

In the end, if one truly needed to travel quickly, the teleportation arrays remained the fastest option. Yet, the cost of using these arrays was so prohibitive that ordinary cultivators couldn't possibly afford it. Thus, the most common way to travel across the Sky Summit Continent was still by flying on one’s own.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the spaceship soon reached the plaza and descended to a corner of the square. For most of the cultivators present—who had never seen a spaceship before—this was a rare spectacle.

Liu Pan’s eyes shone with curiosity as well. After all, this was his first time witnessing such a vessel. For a homebody from Earth in the twenty-first century who had never even flown on a plane, seeing such a colossal machine soaring through the sky was enough to inspire wonder in anyone.

Once the ship landed, the runes on its outer hull quickly dimmed, and a side hatch opened with a hiss. One after another, people began to disembark.

Among those who emerged from the ship, aside from the first two to step out and the two who stood guard at the door, most were youths around fifteen to seventeen years old, all with Martial Apprentice-level cultivation. Liu Pan could easily guess that these were the fresh recruits the Cloudstream Sect had gathered from outside.

It was only natural for the Cloudstream Sect to recruit disciples from beyond their walls, and Liu Pan hadn't paid the matter much attention at first. But as his spiritual sense casually swept over the new arrivals, he suddenly froze.

Why is he here? Liu Pan frowned deeply. He had never expected that, after fleeing so far with Liu Kuang, he would run into someone familiar.

He spotted a young man of about sixteen or seventeen, at the peak of the Martial Apprentice realm. Dressed in black, a bit on the shorter side, he carried a four-foot-long blade on his back and radiated a sharp, imposing aura.

Perhaps this young man was nothing special compared to the others, but Liu Pan noticed him instantly. This was none other than his third senior brother from the Medicine Peak of the Baiyang Sect—Wang the Blade.

Liu Pan didn’t know where the Cloudstream Sect went to recruit their disciples, but he was certain they would never travel as far as the Baiyang Sect for that purpose. Wang the Blade’s appearance here was truly unexpected.

Could something have happened at Baiyang Sect after he and Liu Kuang escaped? The thought made Liu Pan’s mind race. He swept his spiritual sense over the new arrivals again, his frown deepening.

He didn’t recognize any other familiar faces besides Wang the Blade, but he couldn’t be sure there weren’t more. Back at Baiyang Sect, the entrance competition had made him somewhat notable. As a result, almost every disciple in the sect knew what he looked like.

That was the problem—everyone from Baiyang Sect could recognize him, but he hardly remembered any of their faces. When he and Liu Kuang fled, it was in full view of the entire sect, so their story had likely become well-known by now.

One reason for coming so far to the Cloudstream Sect was precisely to avoid running into anyone from Baiyang Sect who might recognize them. But now, with Wang the Blade’s arrival, Liu Pan felt a sense of unease. He knew perfectly well that if Wang the Blade or any other Baiyang Sect disciple discovered either him or Liu Kuang, it would spell trouble.

“Don’t stick with me,” he murmured to Xu Xiaozhan, sensing that those who had disembarked were already mingling with the crowd in the square, and seeing Wang the Blade drawing closer to his position. “If anything comes up, I’ll contact you. And if you run into trouble, try to reach me as well.” With that, Liu Pan slipped swiftly into the throng.

He weaved his way through the crowd, not to confront Wang the Blade, but to avoid him.

After all, this was the Cloudstream Sect—no proper sect would tolerate disciples fighting among themselves within its walls. Moreover, Liu Pan had only just joined; if he caused any kind of disturbance now, there would be severe consequences.

Whether or not there were other Baiyang Sect members among the new arrivals, Liu Pan could not afford to care. With so many unfamiliar faces, Wang the Blade was the only one he recognized.

Once the two groups of disciples had mingled, an overwhelming pressure suddenly swept across the entire plaza. A deep, resonant voice, amplified by elemental energy, echoed in every disciple’s ears: “Quiet!”

The speaker was a square-faced man, his expression cold and stern, with prominent muscles along his jaw—someone who appeared rather difficult to get along with. Standing atop a raised platform, the man’s words immediately silenced the previously noisy square, drawing every eye to him.

“First of all, congratulations on passing the Cloudstream Sect’s entrance test and becoming disciples of our sect,” he announced, though his tone was utterly devoid of warmth or joy.

“But don’t think that joining the Cloudstream Sect means your troubles are over. I’m going to explain the rules of our sect—you’d best remember them well.”

With that, he cast a detached glance over the new disciples, then turned and stepped down from the platform.

Immediately, a young disciple with a cheerful smile took his place on the stage, ready to explain the sect’s rules.