Chapter 9: Hey, a new journey ahead

*Knock Knock*

"Uncle Hongyi, do you have time to talk for a little?" I waited for Uncle Hongyi's response outside the door. I had something to tell him, it's something that I've made my mind up about.

"Come on in" Once I got confirmation, I opened the door and walked into his office. The office itself wasn't something extravagant, just a big white room with a desk sitting at the end of it. It had ventilation in the form of a glass window.

I sat on the chair to the right side of the wooden desk before I finally began speaking, "I came here to tell you something that I've been planning for a while now, Uncle" He nodded his head and just sat there listening, "I'm going to leave this city, I'm not sure when but it's probably going to be in a year or two at most."

I looked deeply into his expression, trying to see if he was going to object but he had a resigned expression instead. Did he know that I was going to leave?

"I had expected this day to come but I didn't think it would come this soon, but special circumstances have forced us to adapt." He sighed at the end. I knew what he was talking about, my father's death and how my cultivation has skyrocketed into the True Profound Realm.

I sighed, "I know that I shouldn't be doing this but I want to explore the world, see for myself what the world is truly like", I did really want to explore the world, I had plenty of reasons as to why.

Firstly, I wanted to find Aunt Dongxue. Secondly, I still wanted to build that sect and thirdly, Ling still needed a body to be built for her. Plus all the exploring I could do would be super fun.

But, I'm not ready to leave yet, I still have a lot of stuff to learn here. Runes and Formations are still a new territory for me, I haven't explored them enough and I hope I can make something like a barrier around the city to protect it from harm.

"Yun, I may have expected this day to come, if it came sooner than I anticipated, but that doesn't mean the others have, I hope that you know that and are ready to tell them ahead of time."

I nodded my head, I have already thought of that too but I have yet to think of a way to tell them without my friends clinging to me. I still had some time until then so hopefully I'll be fine.

"Well, I'm not going to take up more of your time. I'm just glad to see that you're okay with my decision" I stood up from my seat and was about to go and let Uncle Hongyi continue his work when I heard him chuckle.

I gave him a confused look, "You seem to have the wrong idea here, I'm not okay with your decision, in fact I want to keep you here but I understand that you need to do this."

Oh, so it's seeing your child go out into the world, you don't want to leave them but you understand that they need to do this.

I gave him a smile, "You don't have to worry, I'm still staying here for a while longer."

—

Formations, the thing that isn't explored in this place. They have so much potential yet people ignore them for seeking strength not knowing that Formations themselves can help you gain strength far faster.

Thanks to Uncle Hongyi I got scrolls that have information regarding Formations but sadly the information is scarce and you won't find anything beyond the basics that anyone is willing to sell. Because of that I had to get creative and do my own thing, using the basics to build formations.

Right now, I'm trying to find new combinations I can use to make a barrier like formation. The problem is that I'm not really sure what Runes to use, I have a limited amount of them and not all Runes work well together to make a formation.

Some can blow up in your face.

That wouldn't stop me though, I won't leave this place until I have a good countermeasure for in case anything happens. Sadly, this will probably take a while until I find the right combination for a barrier like Formation.

Though it's quite frustrating since I need to find the correct set of Runes to put together.

Sigh.

[Hey, Yun, I have some information that will make this easier for you]

Did you find something new?

[I wouldn't call it new but I have been pondering whether to tell you this for a long time, ever since you activated your first Rune]

Hmm? Is it something dangerous?

[It is but I think you'll be responsible with the information. The Runes and Formations of this world are crude made, they don't really exist until you activate them. It basically means that you force them on your reality]

Huh.

Does that mean that I can make my own system?

[You should be able to, yes. But I have to warn you, should you abuse this the Heavens themselves will strike you down because you're basically tearing down its reality]

Ah, I can see why you didn't tell me about this before. But still, this is great news, with this I can try to make a new system, maybe even combine your world's Runes and Formations with this world's and get more options for formations.

[Just make sure not to over do it, I don't want the Heavens striking you down]

Of course, I wouldn't want that either.

Alright, it's time to make a new system of Runes, one that is simply better and has more variety to it. With this new system, I should be able to solve most of my current problems that won't let me leave this place.

[You should be able to make a formation that lets you gather Profound Energy into a specific place and you'd just have to absorb it]

Oh, great idea. That way I can Cultivate faster and if need be, use that Energy to power up the formations that I make. I could probably also make a cloud that I could ride on.

Holy crap, just thinking about it is making me excited. Alright let's stop wasting time and make this system.

—

[You know, I'm kind of surprised that the Heavens haven't struck you down by now]

Hey, don't knock it.

[All I'm saying is that with the stuff you've already made in these few short months, you should've been put down by the system that's running this place]

I have no idea, I'm just happy that this works. With these new Runes, I've made a ton of new stuff but from what I have been told, it's nothing new to be completely honest.

A barrier around the city? Those big sects have them but around their own sect. Storage rings? Already existing. Formations to protect the user? Formations to gather Energy to a specific place? Those are also a thing.

[I guess. It still feels wrong]

You sound like an angry child.

Anyway, I should go talk to Uncle Hongyi and give him some of these formations to help protect him and also lay down the formations for the barrier around the city.

I stood up from the nice grass patch I had found a little outside the city and began walking back in, since I'm one of the strongest people in the city I can walk around by myself. The freedom is nice to have that I hadn't realized I missed until I began walking alone.

Walking inside the city, I greet people. The city has mostly gone back to normal with people coming in and out, of course the deaths and the threat is still something people think about, but the fear has mostly faded away.

I do think it's a good thing, it has already been over a year now. I have also broken through into the Spirit Profound Realm, sitting at the 3rd level currently.

Humming, I quickly make my way towards the Xia mansion, my new home. Saying hi to the guards I walk in and make my way towards Uncle Hongyi's office. It's time to talk business.

*Knock Knock*

"Come in"

I open the door and walk in, "Hey, Uncle Hongyi, I finished making the product that I told you about" I directly get to the subject. The man's busy with his work and I don't need to take away too much time from his already busy schedule.

"Oh? Already? You could have taken your time you know"

"You don't have to worry about that, I was close to finishing the storage rings when I came to talk to you about it anyway" I sat down on the right side of his desk and presented him the ring. The ring itself wasn't special, just a black one with hidden formations all over it. I hid the formations because I didn't want people who saw them to suspect that they were special.

Not for now at least, I might make them visible when I have built my own sect and it can stand on its own feet.

Uncle Hongyi began inspecting the ring and I could see his inner merchant coming out. "So, how does this work exactly?"

I began explaining things, it wasn't really complicated. The ring has extra space in it, 100 m3 to be exact. I made this ring work without the need for profound energy to be used, as it already gathers that from the surrounding area. Basically, anyone can use it but I made sure to tie it to Uncle Hongyi with a formation so that he doesn't need to worry about anyone stealing it.

He tested it, taking things in and out and I even showed him the anti-theft formation. "Thank you, Yun. This will really help me in getting more products to other cities and villages."

I just waved him off, "Don't worry about it, I gave one to you because I wanted to, there is no other reason. You can do whatever you want with it now."

I was about to leave since my business here came to an end, but the door suddenly opened and Qingyue came in. She looked angry for some reason, so I gave Uncle Hongyi a quick glance and he didn't seem as surprised at Qingyue's appearance.

But wait, why would she be angry in the first place?

"I finally found you Yun!"

Eh? She's angry at me? "What's going on, Qingyue? Did you need me for something?"

She began walking up to me, her steps heavy and her eyes down cast. The fuck is going on?

[I think she's angry at you]

Thanks for pointing that out, Ms Obvious.

I got down from the chair I was sitting on and stood in front of her. You know, I was ready for a slap or a punch for me doing something stupid without realizing but instead I got a hug, a tight one.

"Please don't leave…" I froze for a second while my brain rebooted. I haven't told anyone except for Uncle Hongyi…

I sent him a glare but he was making himself busy with some paper. "Qingyue, please" I patted her on her back because my arms were under hers. "Can you at least listen to my reason first?" I haven't planned this, I didn't even know how to open this subject with my friends, but now Qingyue knows I can just get it over with.

She had still to let go of me and I didn't want to stand around here to tell her everything so I made sure my arms were tight around her before I picked her up and began walking towards the door.

"Don't worry Uncle Hongyi, we'll talk more later" I promised before closing the door with my foot.

I walked her into my room that wasn't very far away before closing the door too and sitting down, of course with her not letting me go for even a second.

"Qingyue, do you know why I'm leaving?" I began by asking a simple question, I think it's best to keep it as simple as possible.

She shook her head so I answered her, "It's because I want to find Aunt Dongxue, your mom." That got a reaction out of her as she let go of me and looked me in the eyes.

"I'll come with you then!" Yeah I figured this would happen, she's been nonstop about finding this Realm of the Gods place that I sometimes have to come get her away from the books.

"No" I refused her of course, not because I didn't want her to come with me but because I don't think I have the ability to defend her should things go wrong and I'm pretty sure they will, this was a Cultivation world after all.

Ah, she looks so dejected with her head looking down and her body looking like it might fall over, "W-Why? Is it because I'm too weak?"

With my hand finally free, I patted her head, "Of course not" I was about to tell a half-truth, "I could make you strong right now but that isn't the point, you know my dream right?" I asked her.

She looked up at me now while slowly nodding her head, "I'm going right now to experience the world so that I can build my own sect one day, with all of you." This was the truth, I really wanted to build a sect and have all my friends be part of it.

She still looked unconvinced, which I totally understood. I, too, wouldn't want my friends to leave me without saying anything beforehand. "Hey, how about we make a promise, a promise that when I return we both go on an adventure together?"

I didn't know how she would react but her looking at me with hope was a great thing, "Yeah, yeah, I want to go on an adventure with you!" I was happy that she was happy.

So, I gave her my pinky finger "Then it's a promise, when I return you and I will have our own adventure, just the two of us" She sealed the promise with her own pinky.

Well, I now have one more promise I need to fulfill when I return from my journey. Though I realize now that I need to tell my other friends about me leaving too, this is gonna be a long day.

—

"Hey dad. I'm sure you know but today's the day I leave, so I won't be able to come here until I get back. I know you're gonna be worried about me but don't worry, I'll take care of myself and make sure to return safe and sound"

You know, I know that it's kind of stupid to talk to a grave but it helps me mentally. I didn't have a lot of opportunities to talk to my dad and show him my progress so I'm kind of making up for it right now.

Of course, if I get the chance to revive him I would take it. It's just that there aren't many ways to do so, the easiest one is to find his soul and get it before he reincarnates.

That method sadly only works if you have the soul near you otherwise you have to find the place where souls gather to reincarnate and try to find the soul there. More bad news is that there is a time-limit on it.

Another method would be to turn back time on the universe itself but I have no information or the power to make that work, for now. Ling doesn't really know any other method that can work here but I'm still hoping that the locals here might have another method.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you, but my Cultivation has risen to Peak Spirit Profound. I don't get it myself but it seems like my Cultivation doesn't destabilize itself after breaking through levels. Though Ling did warn me not to abuse this too much as we don't know if there will be any backlash for me Cultivating so fast

"Also, my ride for my journey is done, it'll be a cloud. I made it using a simple experiment from my old world and then sealed it up using formations. It took a long time to make but I'm glad that I made it."

I don't really have much more to say so I stood up and looked at his grave. A stone with a round head on it says "Song Guang, Hero of Floating Cloud City". The place for the grave I chose myself, it was on a hill inside the city a little bit off where people would bury their family.

Taking a step back, I gave a formal Chinese bow before saying one last thing before I go "Don't worry about me dad and I'll see you soon." With that, I made my way towards the city gates, where all my friends and family are right now.

I deliberately walk through the city instead of just taking a shortcut, it's going to be a while before I see it again.

[Already homesick?]

Maybe. I've lived in this city for 12 years now so it's not gonna be easy to just move away for a long while. This place wouldn't have been special without the good memories though.

[Well, you'll just have to hurry back home when you are done]

Yeah, I just hope that we find info about the Realm of Gods soon, that will be the biggest deciding factor of this whole journey.

I slowly make my way through the city, watching people go about their day. I see how the children run around playing, the adults coming and going and the elderly sitting together playing a board game or just gossiping, typical things but I still loved this place.

You know Ling, I might just truly make this a Floating Cloud city when I return.

[You can make this whole city your sect then, having everyone join even those that don't cultivate]

Hmm, I don't know about that but we'll have to see. I don't really like the idea of pressuring people to join.

I arrive at the front gate and see that Uncle Hongyi, Elder Lie, Qingyue, Yuanba, Lingxi and Xiao Che are already there waiting for me. Making my way towards them, I make sure that the barrier formation activation key is in my hand.

I've already placed the formations around the city and powered them up, they can even absorb Profound Energy from the air to last longer, now all I need is to give the activation key to someone who can use it if the city is ever in danger. I have one too, but that hopefully won't be used.

"Hey guys, how you doing on this fine morning?" Yeah, it's not even noon yet, crazy how some people like to get up early in the morning. Seeing them look at me, I give them a wave.

"Yun," Uncle Hongyi begins, "Seems like you're ready for your journey." I nod my head, I already had everything in my ring which I had upgraded to 200 m3, sadly it didn't have any time dilation effects. Yet.

Elder Lie steps forward a little "I have to ask you one last time but are you sure you don't want a sword to use when fighting? I can even get you a Nascent Grade one right now."

Ah, this topic again "Don't worry Elder Lie, I use my hands to fight," I show him my hands, "Besides I already have a few swords but they would be used for rendering animals at most" I don't really like using swords or any weapon for that matter, they just don't feel right when I hold them.

People who gonna fight against me are gonna need to catch these hands.

"Well, I won't insist on the matter any longer then", with Elder Lie seemingly done, my friends came forward instead. I have to wonder if they planned who is going to talk first or something.

Though they seem to be hesitating about something, "What's up?"

Xiao Che seems to be the first one to get over that hesitation, "We just wish you could stay longer with us," I see everyone else nod with him which in turn made me sigh.

We already went over this but they're still unwilling to see me go.

"I get it, I really do. I also want to stay here but we all have things that we must do." Sometimes, it's best to separate, even if it's hard to let go. "Besides, we all have our dreams, I'm just taking the first step to achieving mine"

I don't see this ending on a happy note if I continue to stay here, it's time to actually say goodbye and leave.

"Alright, it's time for me to leave so come here and give me my goodbye hug" I didn't even give them a chance to react before I gave them all a big group hug, a tight one. "I'm gonna miss you guys, I really will" I separate soon and move to Uncle Hongyi who I also hug before giving Elder Lie a hug too.

Hugging people is nice.

I take out my ride from my storage ring before looking back at them, "Want anything when I return?"

"Just return safely" Uncle Hongyi sure loves being a dad.

"Big Brother Yun, I want some candy" Yuanba, please never change.

"Get me some medical scrolls" Yeah, yeah, Mr future doctor.

"I want a ring" Huh, Lingxi's request came unexpectedly but I'll make sure to give her the best ring.

"I don't want anything, I already have our promise" I looked at Qingyue who was blushing a little. Ah kids, they won't even hesitate to tell you they pooped on your carpet but will blush at times like these.

I gave her a thumbs up, "Then you just have to wait for a little longer."

I quickly turned around and jumped on my cloud because I knew what was gonna happen. "You guys made a promise without us?!" Yep, I didn't tell them about my promise with Qingyue and I'm probably gonna regret it when I get back, but that's for future me to deal with.

"Bye everyone!"

I quickly flew off without looking back.

—

Chapter end