7 The Land of Wandering Souls

From Jiang Lan's brief scan of the Four Breaths, Four Minds Method, she knew she would have to find a location suitable for body cultivation in order to advance more efficiently.

In a way, this method was custom-made for those used to hardship and suffering. The more pain one suffered and the longer they endured, the faster their cultivation would advance and the stronger their mind would become.

Jiang Lan silently reasoned, "I have already experienced death once, maybe twice. What is a little pain compared to the pain of death?" She gritted her teeth and hardened her gaze.

The Cursed Ghost Sect was spread out over five mountains, surrounding a valley nestled in the middle. These five peaks represented different factions within the sect, each with their own specializations. The sect itself was shrouded in an ominous mist and was located in the center of a large wilderness called the Land of Wandering Souls, a forest characterized by its overabundance of yin energy.

Most lower level disciples cultivated within the sect boundaries, but the Cursed Ghost Sect encouraged higher level disciples, especially those too poor to afford training rooms, to cultivate inside the Land of Wandering Souls by granting them contribution points.

As a relatively newer sect, with lower standards of recruitment than their more established peers, the Cursed Ghost Sect used this method of pitting disciples against the perils of the wilderness to cull out weaker candidates.

Though Jiang Lan had previously entered the forest to collect spirit grasses, the area she had traversed was located within the outer perimeter of the sect's protective formation. This contained a section of the forest that was used to cultivate wild spirit herbs and raise spirit beasts: a free-range farm of sorts.

Outside this perimeter, was where the true cultivators trained and where the real danger laid.

Jiang Lan submitted her identity jade and reported the predicted length of her training mission as two to three months. Her application was swiftly approved and her identity jade was returned, along with the addition of a few basic supplies.

She promptly departed from the sect, with a grim certainty that the days to come would not be easy ones.

A shrill scream pierced through the eerie silence.

Speeding through the dark underbrush was a small flock of Shrieking Masks, faces eternally frozen in various grotesque expressions of fear, hatred, and disgust. Their bright red mouths were stretched garishly thin, uncovering numerous sets of jagged teeth, as they hurdled towards their newest victim.

Just as the Shrieking Mask taking point came close enough to take a bite out of the flock's next meal, the seemingly immobilized target suddenly retreated several feet, whipping an arm out and swinging a dull gray sickle that effortlessly reaped the lives of the three Shrieking Masks leading the assault.

Shocked by this abrupt turn of events, the remaining four Shrieking Masks rapidly scattered, whimpering like a pack of dogs with their tails between their legs.

Jiang Lan reflexively smirked, patting herself on the back for an easy victory, before internally sobering up and deflating her puffed up pride. She knew that in an unknown wilderness as dangerous as this one, arrogance was a one-track road to a senseless death.

As a disciple on the weaker end of the spectrum, in comparison to the mid to late stage qi condensation cultivators that frequently used the Land of Wandering Souls as their training ground, Jiang Lan had carefully planned a winding route through the forest utilizing the map given to her at the training hall.

This map was Jiang Lan's lifesaver, as it gave an overview of explored regions of the woods, detailing the basic territories of the beings residing within and their corresponding danger levels. For the past week, she had been lucky enough to avoid the more dangerous monsters, and had only encountered creatures residing at the bottom of the forest's food chain.

However, though these bottom feeders were relatively easy for mid qi condensation cultivators to kill off individually, they tended to hunt in groups, giving them a decent chance of overwhelming their targets.

Shrieking Masks in particular, were a type of demon that specialized in mental attacks. Their typical hunting method was to band together and use their combined volume to transmit mental attacks through sound. This would normally be enough to immobilize a cultivator for a few moments, and the Shrieking Masks would follow up by swarming, latching on to their prey, and injecting poison.

For Jiang Lan who had begun cultivating Four Breaths, Four Minds, a method specifically focused on tempering both the body and mind, the initial comprehension of this method was enough to strengthen her consciousness to a level able to shake off this type mental assault in seconds.

Matched with these opponents, it was luck that had won the fight for Jiang Lan, not skill.

Collecting herself, Jiang Lan prepared to push on towards her final destination when she heard the incongruous sound of laughter heading her way.

"Hahaha, did you see the look on his stupid little face? Like a frog choking on a fly, eyes all bulging!"

"Would it kill you to hold back a little? After all, they are our sect juniors."

"If they cannot withstand a bit of education from a senior to a junior, then they should not wander these woods. They will end up as dead sect juniors sooner or later."

"At least they're not completely useless. They are fun to play with. And even better as bait!"

At first, Jiang Lan hesitated, debating whether to avoid these unknown seniors or gamble on the chance that they would be willing to guide her. But after hearing that snippet of conversation, it was eminently clear what route to take.

She stealthily took off through the underbrush.

Moments later, two men and two women arrived at the clearing.

One of the men, tall and slender with a thin face, mused, "Looks like we scared off a little junior. What a pity."

"At least this one isn't quite as pathetic as the others. They might actually make it back to the sect," replied the other male as he casually surveyed the neatly severed Shrieking Mask corpses. This man, in contrast to his companion, had a much stouter build.

Impatient, the lively young female cultivator interjected, "Come on, we cannot waste time on any more stupid juniors!"

The sturdy looking man responded, "Take it easy. Timing is what matters. Whether we are early or late makes no difference."

"Technically, if any little junior has the right timing, they could steal this fated encounter from their poor, unlucky seniors," the lanky male slyly commented, baiting his companions.

Their spirited discussion was put to a halt by the elegant, aloof female who had hitherto been disinclined to enter the conversation.

"If they are lucky enough to steal what is ours, I am certain we will be lucky enough to steal their life. Ignore the rats."