Inside the teleportation channel, the world warped into a vast river of shimring colors before settling into the usual darkness. Space stretched and folded like a complex origami art piece.
The flow of Formation energy rippled around them, forming an endless tunnel that extended beyond sight.
Lin Mu imdiately brought out the Mobile Courtyard. It appeared gracefully from his storage, expanding from a small dot into a comfortable villa-like structure with several buildings floating gently inside the channel's stable zone.
Everyone stepped inside with practiced ease.
ng Bai looked at the shifting void outside the courtyard's barrier and asked, "So how long this ti? Do not tell it is months again."
Daoist Chu checked a jade slip and answered, "We are heading to another outpost, but this ti one belonging to the Eastern Immortal Court. The distance is extrely large. Depending on spatial turbulence, the journey could take anywhere from ten to fourteen months."
ng Bai groaned loudly. "Fourteen months. Why does it always have to be so many months?"
"I'd prefer if it stays boring" Elyon said not wanting anything too exciting.
Cattaleya laughed and patted his shoulder. "Cheer up. At least it will not be boring"
ng Bai gave her a bewildered look. "How can it not be boring? It is a teleportation channel. Nothing happens here."
Daoist Chu shook his head. "Not exactly. Traveling between two different courts is not simple. The teleportation channel must pass through neutral areas
of the void. In those regions, few teleportation lines intersect."
Cattaleya nodded. "Which ans more danger. Spatial distortions tend to
appear in those places. And spatial beasts, too."
ng Bai stiffened. "Spatial beasts? In the channel?"
"Yes," Daoist Chu said. "Rare but possible. The longer the jump, the greater the chance."
Cattaleya added, "It is fine. We can handle it."
Then she jabbed her thumb at Lin Mu. "Especially with him."
Lin Mu said calmly, "We will deal with whatever appears. Just focus on your cultivation."
ng Bai sighed. "Fine. If Master says it will be fine, then it will be fine. Probably."
Cattaleya smirked. "You will be fine. Unless you slack on your training." ng Bai shivered. "Please do not remind ."
Life settled into routine.
Inside the spacious Mobile Courtyard, ti flowed calmly. Outside, space warped and twisted. Inside, the rooms remained calm, lit with gentle lamps and filled with quiet activity.
Lin Mu devoted several hours each day to cultivation. His cores, Dantian, ridians and Flesh resonated gently as energy circulated through him. He used the rest of his ti studying books, reading ancient scrolls, and reviewing logs from the moirs of the Lost Immortals.
Daoist Chu also cultivated diligently. He often sat on the upper balcony of the expanded courtyard, reviewing techniques or assisting ng Bai in understanding Dao patterns.
Elyon spent most of the ti in his own cultivation, trying to deepen his understanding of the Darkness Dao.
In all though, ng Bai received the most attention.
Or perhaps, the most abuse.
Cattaleya showed no rcy.
Every morning, ng Bai woke up knowing that pain was coming. Cattaleya would smirk and drag him outside. Armor or no armor, he was tossed around the courtyard with casual cruelty.
"Block faster," she would say as she struck.
"Move faster," she would say as she kicked.
"You fight like a wounded chicken," she would say while throwing him into the wall.
ng Bai would wheeze on the floor. "Senior Catt, why do you always say bird taphors?"
Cattaleya shrugged. "Because they fit."
If not for the high grade healing pills and recovery elixirs, ng Bai might have beco permanently bent.
Little Shrubby, anwhile, cooked. He made soups that restored Spirit qi, roasted ats that boosted vitality, and desserts that improved ntal clarity. His cooking allowed ng Bai to regain strength every evening so he could be punished again the next morning.
Lin Mu sotis joined the sparring sessions, but he mostly guided ng Bai through more refined aspects of combat as well as Formations.
"How are you holding the spear?" Lin Mu asked once, adjusting ng Bai's grip. "Your thumb is too stiff. Relax it slightly. The weapon should move with you,
not against you."
ng Bai nodded seriously. "Understood."
Daoist Chu occasionally stepped in to explain Dao comprehension, ntal clarity, and application of spirit sense in relation to Formations.
Cattaleya focused on beating him into shape.
And Lin Mu balanced between brutality and wisdom.
In between all this, Lin Mu continued studying. He rotated between reading long lost immortal moirs, analyzing materials, and planning the dwarven weapon forging challenge that lay ahead.
Days blurred. Weeks passed. Space around them shifted like cosmic tides. Through all of it, Lin Mu's calm presence anchored the entire group, making the long journey feel like a structured cultivation retreat.
Six months passed quietly within the teleportation channel.
Days were marked by training sessions, cultivation cycles, reading, and the occasional teasing or bickering that broke the monotony. The Mobile Courtyard drifted peacefully through the tunnel of spatial barrier, its interior warm and stable, like an island floating in a sea of darkness.
Then one day everything changed.
Tremble
It started with a faint vibration under their feet. Soft at first, almost like a distant tremor. Lin Mu paused while reading a jade slip and lifted his head
slightly.
TREMBLE
A mont later, the trembling intensified.
The courtyard shook lightly, the walls vibrating, utensils clinking together in the kitchen. ng Bai stumbled and grabbed a table. Cattaleya straightened from her stance and frowned. Daoist Chu instantly put away his brush. Little
Shrubby's fur stood on end.
TREMBLE
Then ca the third tremor.
This ti, the entire Mobile Courtyard shook as if struck by a massive force.
Lin Mu imdiately stood. "Let us go outside."
Everyone hurried out. The mont they stepped into the open courtyard, they
felt it more clearly. The spatial tunnel around them was flickering irregularly, veins of distorted color pulsing like storm clouds beneath water.
Daoist Chu whispered, "This is not normal."
ng Bai looked around with wide eyes. "Is it just spatial turbulence? We have seen distortions before, but never this strong."
Cattaleya shook her head slowly. "This is different. I can feel sothing wrong
beyond the barrier."
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