NOVPUBOriginally piled up like a small mountain, the stacks of documents were reduced to a booklet only about an inch thick after being sorted by Lou Yi and others.
While still not a small amount, it was no longer overwhelming to a point where one did not know where to start.
Ma Shengxu looked at the stack of booklets and let out a sigh of relief.
He exclaimed repeatedly,
"I knew calling you over was the right move!"
Wang Ba also smiled and looked toward Lou Yi,
"Nephew Lou, you stay here in Diwu Hall for now and help the Vice Hall Master with his work for a while."
Ma Shengxu was overjoyed,
"Great, great, great! Nothing could be better."
Lou Yi quickly came forward and bowed respectfully.
"Then, Uncle Master, if there’s nothing else, may I leave now?"
Wang Ba asked with a smile.
Ma Shengxu laughed and scolded,
"You must be missing my disciple!"
"Go ahead, go! I’ve got plenty to do here, but it’s true that it doesn’t have much to do with your Five Elements Division."
Wang Ba did not care about Ma Shengxu’s teasing and cheerfully left Diwu Hall.
Li Yingfu, Tao Ruyi, and others followed him out.
"Ruyi, I’ve been in seclusion for so long; what I missed most was your cooking. You must prepare a great feast today."
Wang Ba did not rush off but instead smiled at Tao Ruyi.
Tao Ruyi rubbed the back of his head good-naturedly,
"Okay, after I finish my duties today, I’ll head over to Wanfa Peak."
Zhou Lve immediately rolled her eyes at Tao Ruyi,
"Dummy, we’re in the All-divisions Hall, whether we finish our duties or not is up to Uncle Master."
Tao Ruyi was taken aback for a moment.
Seeing this, Wang Ba couldn’t help but laugh heartily.
Li Yingfu, Zhen Boen, and others also burst into laughter.
This laughter melted away the slight alienation formed by a decade of separation.
"By the way, Uncle Master, may I ask what gains have you achieved from your ten years of seclusion?"
Zhou Lve asked curiously.
Hearing Zhou Lve’s words, everyone also looked at Wang Ba with interest.
Wang Ba just smiled and said nonchalantly,
"What gains could there be? Ten years of arduous cultivation simply took me from the early stage to the middle stage of the Golden Core."
Li Yingfu heard this and shook his head slightly,
"Chief Division Master’s progress is not small. As far as I know, the Dharma Lineage of Wanfa Peak is different from the other peaks. Due to the variety of cultivation methods practiced, progress is much slower than for other cultivators. If I remember correctly, it has been less than fifty years since Chief Division Master entered the Golden Core stage, right?"
"Less than fifty years and already at the middle stage of the Golden Core, Chief Division Master’s speed is not slow even compared to normal cultivators."
"Old Li, you should stop flattering me."
Wang Ba laughed heartily,
"Let’s go, I’m giving you all a day off today, let’s head to Wanfa Peak."
The group laughingly made their way to Wanfa Peak.
In their casual conversation, Wang Ba also unexpectedly learned that Xi Wushang had finally succeeded in his third attempt to reach the Nascent Soul stage not long before.
Unfortunately, he had advanced in years when he achieved the Nascent Soul, missing the best chance to compete for personal discipleship.
Ji Yuan was indeed eligible, but he had unfortunately failed in his attempt to compete for the position of personal disciple.
"Senior Brother Zhao Feng has the most hope. He famously slew several Nascent Soul cultivators with his complete Golden Core in the West Sea Country before breaking through in the midst of battle. His sword prowess was so great that late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators of Tu Pi Continent would retreat three paces upon seeing him."
"When he returns to the sect, he will surely have a chance to secure a position as a personal disciple!"
Speaking of Zhao Feng, Zhen Boen, Tao Ruyi, and others all showed a look of reverence.
"Senior Brother Zhao truly deserves to be called a hero of our times!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Ba also couldn’t help but clap his hands in admiration.
He couldn’t help but remember the days back in Yan State when Zhao Feng, then just at the early stage of the Golden Core, dared to challenge a cultivator who had completed the Golden Core. Given Senior Brother Zhao’s temperament, such a feat was indeed not surprising.
As the group chatted along the way, Wang Ba gained a good understanding of the changes inside and outside the sect over the years.
Soon, Wanfa Peak was already in sight.
His Spiritual Sense swept out like water.
Wang Ba saw Bu Chan and Wang Qingyang but did not see Wang Yi’an.
"It seems he’s gone wandering off somewhere again... that kid."
Wang Ba shook his head inwardly.
He had been busy with his cultivation and hadn’t paid much attention to Wang Yi’an. Now that his cultivation had slowed down a bit, he found he had a little time to spare.
"Before I go to the Northsea Continent, I need to lay down some rules for this young man."
Wang Ba thought to himself.
Having reached the middle stage of the Golden Core, he planned to take a trip to the Northsea Continent to learn the Ice Style technique that his master had mentioned before.
Otherwise, once the Tribulation Crossing Raft was successfully built, he might not have such an opportunity.
The Formation of Wanfa Peak sensed Wang Ba’s arrival and quickly opened up.
Bu Chan sensed the change immediately and flew out without delay.
The elderly-looking Wang Qingyang also shakily flew out after her.
Seeing that the visitor was Wang Ba, Bu Chan and Wang Qingyang’s eyes first lit up with surprise and joy, which was soon overshadowed by disappointment.
"Brother."
"Master!"
Wang Ba also flew over to Bu Chan’s side in an instant, saying with a smile,
"Sister."
"Qingyang."
However, he quickly noticed the unusual expressions on their faces and his own expression grew solemn,
"Sister, what’s going on?"
Bu Chan’s face was heavy, her eyes unusually filled with a hint of panic and urgency,
"Yi An, Yi An is missing."
"Missing?"
Li Yingfu and the others also flew over, surprised by Bu Chan’s words.
Wang Ba felt a sinking feeling in his heart but did not lose his composure as he asked in a deep voice, 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
"How did this happen?"
Although Bu Chan was distraught, she still attempted to steady herself and shook her head,
"A few days ago, he suddenly started clamoring to go to the West Sea Country to join Senior Brother Zhao in battle. I didn’t take it seriously, but a few days later, he disappeared without a trace. I didn’t think much of it; he often goes to Xinjian Peak to spend some time, and I thought he had just gone there. But a couple of days ago, a young female cultivator from Feiyu Peak came looking for him. I directed her to Xinjian Peak, but he wasn’t found..."
