Lin Mu remembered flying here yesterday. The journey had taken nearly two hours even for High Elder Shatter Peak. The Wild Peak truly occupied an isolated region of the Inner Court Continent.
"How exactly am I supposed to get over there?" he asked aloud.
Normally this would not even qualify as a problem as he could simply fly. If he wished to arrive even faster, Little Shrubby would have him there within minutes.
Unfortunately... Neither option existed anymore.
Little Bull could not fly. Little Bull also definitely did not possess an adorable yet terrifying immortal liger capable of outrunning immortals. Calling Shrubby out in broad daylight would end his disguise before it had properly begun.
Lin Mu crossed his arms while looking across the forests below. "There has to be some transportation."
He thought back to the previous day’s arrival. The Wild Peak certainly wasn’t disconnected from the rest of the sect. People constantly traveled between divisions.
Then he remembered. "There should be a minor teleportation array."
Unlike the massive intercontinental arrays, smaller transportation formations connected the various peaks and administrative areas throughout the sect. Surely the Wild Peak possessed one.
It took him another fifteen minutes before he finally located it. Nestled between several gigantic trees stood a modest stone platform engraved with familiar teleportation runes. The array itself remained spotless.
Fresh spiritual stones rested within its energy channels and protective formations surrounded it. Everything appeared perfectly maintained. Only one thing was missing: People.
Lin Mu slowly looked around.
Not a single disciple stood nearby. There were no guards, attendants, administrators and not even a servant wandering around nearby.
He sighed. "Figures."
For some reason, he was no longer surprised. Apparently even the teleportation platform operated on its own. He stepped onto the formation and extended a strand of immortal sense toward the core mechanism.
He intended to activate it directly.
The response came instantly.
HUMM
A gentle ripple spread across the formation before pushing his immortal sense away.
"Rejected?" Lin Mu blinked.
He tried once more but the result remained identical. Only this time he carefully examined the rejecting force.
"...Identification verification." Understanding dawned almost immediately. "The array needs a disciple token."
Without an authorized identity token, the formation simply refused to activate.
Lin Mu slowly stepped back. "Crap."
His disciple token had never been issued. His registration remained inplete. The realization struck him harder than expected.
Right now... He technically did not exist within the sect’s official records.
The irony almost made him laugh. Yesterday he had caused half the Elder Council to fight over him. Today the sect’s own formation considered him an outsider.
"This is being troublesome."
He rubbed his forehead.
"If anyone asks who I am..."
He imagined the conversation.
’Who are you?’
’Little Bull.’
’Prove it.’
’...High Elder Shatter Peak said I belong here.’
’Do you have proof?’
’No.’
’A disciple token?’
’No.’
’Registration?’
’No.’
’Contribution record?’
’No.’
Lin Mu almost winced. "This might be more dangerous than I originally thought."
The freedom offered by the Wild Peak suddenly revealed its other side. Most disciples appreciated having no one constantly watching over them. Unfortunately, plete freedom also meant plete responsibility.
No one would solve problems for him unless he found them first.
Xukong chuckled quietly inside the ring. "Great freedom often carries equally great risks."
Lin Mu nodded. "I suppose that’s true."
"It reminds me of someone."
"Oh?"
"There once was a thief."
Lin Mu listened with interest.
"He stole from the heavens themselves."
Lin Mu blinked. "Stole from... the heavens?"
"Indeed."
"What did he steal?"
"Immortal peaches."
Lin Mu stared ahead for several moments. "...Someone actually did that?"
"A monkey."
Lin Mu looked genuinely surprised. "A monkey stole immortal peaches from Heaven?"
"He did."
"...Successfully?"
"For a while."
Lin Mu could already tell the story would not end well. "What happened afterward?"
"He was eventually caught."
"I assumed as much."
Xukong’s tone remained calm. "They sealed him beneath a mountain."
Lin Mu waited. "For how long?"
"A few thousand years."
Lin Mu nearly stumbled. "A few thousand..."
He unconsciously rubbed his back. "...That sounds unpleasant."
"It certainly gave him time to reflect."
Lin Mu laughed quietly. "I’ll remember not to steal immortal peaches."
"A wise decision."
The brief story helped lighten his mood considerably. Still, his current predicament remained unresolved. He looked once more toward the distant buildings barely visible beyond countless forests.
"If I can’t teleport..." He shrugged. "...I suppose I’ll just walk."
"You could." Xukong sounded thoughtful. "Though walking seems unnecessary."
Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Run."
Lin Mu blinked. "...Run?"
"Your cultivation may be sealed." Xukong continued patiently. "Your vitality isn’t. The seal hides your Qi. It does nothing to suppress your physical body."
Lin Mu’s eyes gradually widened. "...Right."
He had spent so much effort maintaining the Little Bull persona that he had subconsciously limited himself even more than necessary. Little Bull possessed extraordinary physical strength.
Running quickly would appear pletely natural.
In fact considering the stories surrounding him... It would be expected.
"With your current physique," Xukong continued, "your running speed should rival many immortal cultivators in flight."
Lin Mu smiled. "I pletely overlooked that."
He immediately searched for a suitable starting point. A nearby cliff overlooked the descending mountainside.
"Perfect." He walked toward the edge before taking a deep breath.
His muscles gradually tightened as every fiber within his body awakened. He bent his knees, crouched low and gathered strength.
KACHA
The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly from the accumulating force.
Then...
BOOM!
The cliff exploded beneath him and Lin Mu shot into the air like an arrow released from a divine bow. The rushing wind howled past his ears as several hundred meters disappeared beneath him within moments.
His body followed a smooth arc through the sky before descending toward the canopy of one enormous tree. Rather than crashing through it, he landed lightly atop the thick branches.
The giant tree bent only slightly and before it could rebound...
BOOM!
He jumped again as several hundred meters vanished. His movements rapidly developed into a smooth rhythm as he jumped from tree to tree. Each landing lasted barely a heartbeat before another tremendous jump launched him onward.
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