Big Data Cultivation

After everyone finished their discussion, Feng Jun took them into the Void.

This time, there were many more treasure-finding spots for everyone to choose from. The only one who picked their original treasure-finding spot was the Xuanshui Sect; all the other Sects chose newly developed spots, even the Yuangang Sect and Xuanhuang Sect were no exception—there was no way so many people could squeeze into the same place.

These new treasure-finding spots were all the portion Luan Xiong True Sage had handed over to Feng Jun. Him taking them out to supply others for treasure hunting was fair enough.

The Jinwu Sect, on the other hand, occupied two of their own treasure-finding spots.

Han Hai True Sage followed Feng Jun and made a round of all the known treasure-finding spots—he put the unpleasant words up front: these all had owners already. If he wanted to find new treasure-finding spots, he had to avoid these.

After Han Hai True Sage had made a circuit, he asked aloud, "Your very first treasure-finding spot, I heard it was fairly quiet and even good for recuperating... it’s not among these, is it?"

So Feng Jun had no choice but to take him to the Big Stone again, and added, "This counts as my private place as well. There aren’t any rubble fields nearby, so there’s no need to come here. It’s my first foothold in the Void and has commemorative value for me."

Han Hai True Sage lightly stamped his foot on the stone beneath him. "If this stone were shattered, there might be something inside it, you know."

"Let’s not," Feng Jun shook his head and said offhandedly, "An object that’s a milestone of sorts is also a record of my growth. Even if it is the remains of the Star Devouring Clan, I have no interest in taking it out or destroying it."

He had a feeling that if this stone was damaged, Yi Jue would definitely be very unhappy. He didn’t want her unhappy, so he changed the subject, hoping to divert the other party’s interest.

"Star Devouring Clan..." Han Hai True Sage let out a light snort, but he did not let the topic be diverted. Instead, he asked another question, "Aren’t things in the Void all moving?"

Feng Jun felt a bit strange inside. You’re not even a little interested in refining a Swallowed Star Demon corpse? Over this past year, Spirit Plant Path had come under all sorts of pressure because of that corpse.

Han Hai True Sage seemed to hear Feng Jun’s inner voice again, and said dismissively, "It’s nothing but the Star Devouring Clan, and it’s not even alive. Is it really worth my attention? What matters is that I haven’t been to the Void much and haven’t explored it deeply, so there’s a lot I don’t really understand..."

Those words did show the arrogance he ought to have, but he wasn’t lying either, especially about... how unfamiliar he truly was with the Void.

By rights, he was also a stunningly talented genius and should have had plenty of chances to roam around. That he was unfamiliar with the Void was what sounded bizarre—there’s no way Xuanshui Sect elders wouldn’t have brought him here to temper himself.

Yet he had spoken the truth. The Void... he had actually been here many times. Back when he was at Nascent Soul, the Sect elders had brought him here more than once or twice—the treatment a genius received was ultimately different from that of ordinary people.

But precisely because he was a once-in-three-millennia prodigy, the Sect elders watched over him very carefully—there was no problem with coming to the Void to broaden his horizons, but if he wanted to take the opportunity to act on his own, that was absolutely impossible.

He was just over a thousand years old and had been to the Void no less than nine times, but each time, he never had the chance to explore independently—when he was weak, others wouldn’t allow him to explore at will; once he became strong and wanted to explore the Void, every single time he would be subjected to some external influence.

Coincidence? Maybe. But it absolutely wasn’t just coincidence. Yi Jue was also a prodigy, even a few points more monstrous than he was, yet her understanding of the Void surpassed his—she even dared to chase Tiegu into the Void.

In fact, Han Hai True Sage had compared the differences between himself and Yi Jue—Yi Jue was known for being a homebody, usually too lazy to go out adventuring. So even if she entered the Void, the True Sages of Spirit Plant Path wouldn’t keep that close an eye on her: with her temperament, how could she possibly cause trouble?

But he, Han Hai, was different. Once his temper flared, he dared to do anything, so there was simply no way for the Sect to feel at ease about him.

So even the rules of movement for objects in the Void were something he needed to reconfirm—despite the fact that, in his heart, he clearly already knew the answer.

Feng Jun thought it over and still didn’t want to offend this True Sage with the strange temper. "The various energies in the Void are too complex; most objects move in Chaos. However... there are also a few that are relatively stationary."

Han Hai True Sage nodded at that. "When we search for other treasure-finding spots, there’s always some deviation, but we found this stone in one go. Is that because it’s stationary?"

Feng Jun answered very straightforwardly, "It’s moving too, but I care about it, so I’ve been keeping an eye on it all along."

"So that’s how it is." Han Hai nodded. "Make a rough Void map for me, then. We’ll still split the treasure-finding spots fifty-fifty."

He said it lightly, but Feng Jun had the distinct feeling that if he refused again, the other party really might turn hostile.

So he thought it over. "The Void is hard to pinpoint, since the origin point is always drifting. If you want a map, I can make one for you, but it won’t remain accurate all the time... I ask for your understanding, True Sage—this truly isn’t my fault."

"That much I do understand." Han Hai True Sage waved a hand impatiently. "Just give me a map. As long as it’s roughly right, that’s enough."

Feng Jun wouldn’t turn down this request; in fact, he’d been wanting to do this himself. He didn’t want Han Hai True Sage spinning in circles in areas Luan Xiong True Sage had already swept—doing less pointless work and opening up a new patch of territory, what’s not to like?

Now that the other side had brought it up, he nodded without hesitation. "Then let’s head to the Star-Devouring Demon Rubble Belt first."

The so-called Star-Devouring Demon Rubble Belt was actually the rubble belt everyone visited the most; it was practically recognized by Tianqin cultivators as the Void’s origin point—though of course, the Void didn’t really have an origin. It had just become a commonly accepted coordinate, so treating it as an origin was normal enough.

On this rubble belt, at the moment, only people from Xuanshui Sect were present: ten True Immortals and over seventy True Persons. If they kept mining here with this many people, the rubble belt wouldn’t last very long.

But in reality, these Xuanshui Sect people were just waiting for Han Hai True Sage to discover new Treasure-Finding Spots. For now they were gathered together, so it’d be convenient for the True Sage to come back and take people along; while they waited, they happened to pick up some treasures on the side.

Once Feng Jun brought Han Hai True Sage over, he used his Divine Sense to sketch out two maps and handed the Obsidian to Han Hai. "True Sage, what comes next has nothing to do with me. I still have to head to the Insect World. Try to expand your treasure-hunting area outward as much as you can."

"Of course it has to do with you," Han Hai True Sage objected, for once very straightforward. In truth, he had his own agenda. "Each time we come in, it’s three years, right?"

"It’s not necessarily exactly three years," Feng Jun had a clear sense of this. "Three years in here is just over three months outside."

"I’ve got a lot on my plate, so I might not have time to watch over things here. Maybe I won’t come looking for you until four or five months later... fine, what I mean is: three years is the baseline, it might be a little longer, but it won’t be shorter. Please rest assured, True Sage."

Han Hai True Sage’s figure and face were still very indistinct, but he turned his head toward Feng Jun all the same. "I’m hoping you can drop by once in the middle. Once I find a suitable Treasure-Finding Spot, transporting our sect mates around won’t be nearly as fast as you."

Feng Jun thought about it, then still shook his head. "All I can say is I’ll do my best. I don’t dare guarantee I’ll definitely make it over."

Han Hai True Sage didn’t press the issue. Clearly he knew he was pushing it a bit. "Right, there’s something else... Taixu Sect seems to have a Void Annihilation Technique. The Space-Cracking Devouring Bees here are pretty annoying."

Elder Cang Jing of Xuanshui Sect was very familiar with this bundle-qi-into-gang Cultivation Technique and had seen Feng Jun use it before. On their last trip into the Void, three Taixu sect members had cultivated this technique, which ensured everyone could treasure-hunt in the Star-Devouring Demon Rubble Belt.

In fact, the corpses of Space-Cracking Devouring Bees were also excellent materials. The three Taixu disciples searched all over the rubble belt for Space-Cracking Devouring Bees and killed quite a few; in the end, they couldn’t find any more.

Who would’ve thought that this time they’d show up again? Xuanshui Sect had sent more people, while the Space-Cracking Devouring Bees were only appearing in ones and twos, just a few here and there, so they didn’t cause too big an impact—but it was still a hidden danger.

Feng Jun thought for a moment and pointed out two Treasure-Finding Spots where Taixu disciples were located. "True Sage can go ask them. If anyone’s willing to come over, that would be ideal."

Han Hai True Sage pondered, then pointed at one spot. "This should be about the edge of where Luan Xiong explored. Take us there. We’ll give up on this Treasure-Finding Spot."

So in the end, he still didn’t want to use Taixu people! Feng Jun understood, then nodded. After waiting half a day for all the Xuanshui Sect people to return, he sent them over to that place.

This area was much smaller than the Star-Devouring Demon Rubble Belt and the energy here was more violent. The big stones were all on the outer rim and got smaller the further in they went. Luan Xiong True Sage had originally thought highly of this spot, but he was occupying too many good places, so he’d had to yield this one.

Once Feng Jun set the coordinates, he left the Void directly. Even though the time flow ratio here was ten to one, he’d already burned a bit too much time in Tianqin. The folks over in the Insect World were likely getting anxious.

However, when he finally rushed over to the Folding-Ruler Star System, he discovered the cultivators had only just finished moving that big stone into position, adjusted its direction, speed, and rotational angle, and had officially started mining on the rock.

To be on the safe side, Feng Jun didn’t leave and instead patiently watched them work.

The waiting felt long. A dozen Out-of-Dust cultivators in spacesuits busied themselves mining the Energy Stone Mine, while over a thousand other cultivators hid in the dark, silently observing.

In the blink of an eye, ten-odd days passed. There had been a dangerous moment when over a dozen Golden Core Insect Tribe members flew by more than a hundred thousand li from the stone, noticed this big rock, but didn’t approach—probably because their course was different and they couldn’t be bothered.

The dozen Out-of-Dust cultivators hid themselves according to plan, putting on a proper act of a Human Race exploration team sneaking in to mine an Energy Stone Mine.

That was the only unexpected event. After that, nothing happened. Some more hot-tempered cultivators were starting to feel they couldn’t take it anymore.

The Way of Painting True Immortal and Xia Nichang came to Feng Jun, asking if they should create some illusions to lure the insects over to investigate.

Feng Jun shook his head. "It’s not that I don’t trust the Way of Painting’s skills, but I recommend we let things unfold naturally. No matter how perfect an illusion is, it can’t beat the real thing... if we’re fishing, how can we have no patience?"

(Updated to here, calling for monthly tickets.)