The Programmer Cultivator

Upon hearing this, Zhang Deming chuckled and said, "Regardless, we should at least take a general look around. Otherwise, how are we supposed to turn in the mission?"

"I don’t know how the Alliance judges the completion and thoroughness of an information-gathering mission like this, but if we just make a quick round and leave, I imagine we won’t be able to turn it in."

Tong Hou paused for a moment upon hearing this. "You’re right," he said. "I forgot about that."

"So, are we searching together or splitting up?" Nangong Cheng asked, looking at Zhang Deming and Li Shifan.

Zhang Deming paused, glanced at Feng Mingyou and Tong Hou, and said, "Let’s split into three groups and search by area. The three of us will each take a path, and Clear Tea and Sacrificial Chess, you two can feel free to follow any one of us.

"We’ll search in adjacent areas, which will be much faster. And since we’ll be nearby, we can provide support quickly if anyone runs into trouble. It shouldn’t be too dangerous. How does that sound?"

Nangong Cheng furrowed his brow. "In that case, what about anything we find..."

Zhang Deming smiled. "Judging by the state of this place, who knows how long it’s been abandoned. Besides, it’s not some top-secret location; people have clearly been here before.

"Plus, those two were living here for several months. What kind of treasures could possibly be left...

"Under these circumstances, finding any valuable items would be pure luck, so let’s not worry about dividing them. If we discover a special location, like a separate Cave Mansion dimension, we can discuss that then. How about it?"

Nangong Cheng nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that works. I just wanted to ask ahead of time. It’s better to get things cleared up beforehand, since this is our first time working together."

"Understood," Zhang Deming replied, glancing at Nangong Cheng.

He then turned to Feng Mingyou and Tong Hou. "Who will you two follow?"

Feng Mingyou, who rarely spoke up on his own, immediately said, "I’ll go with you, Senior Brother Summoning Spirit!"

Hearing this, Tong Hou glanced between Li Shifan and Nangong Cheng, hesitated, and said, "Then I’ll go with Senior Brother Painted Sword."

Between his former teammate and his fellow sect brother, he hesitated but ultimately chose his sect brother.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming looked at Nangong Cheng and said, "Then Fellow Daoist Speaking Lotus, you’ll be on your own? We’ll be searching adjacent sectors anyway, so we won’t be far apart. There shouldn’t be much danger."

Nangong Cheng nodded. "Yes, I have no objections."

"I’m easy," Li Shifan finally said.

"Then let’s get moving. We’ll try to finish the search in half a day," Zhang Deming said, finalizing the plan.

With that, the three of them took out their map artifacts and began to divide the area.

Zhang Deming’s was a palm-sized Magical Artifact. Li Shifan had spent years roaming the back mountains, so his map of the Hengduan Mountain Range was even more detailed than Zhang Deming’s. Nangong Cheng had also clearly come fully prepared.

Thus, all three had comprehensive maps, and they finished partitioning the zones in moments. Then they split into three parties and began searching their respective areas.

...

The mountain peak was very high, and it had a significant number of building complexes. It must have originally possessed a decent Spirit Vein.

But it was impossible to say whether it had vanished along with the people of the ruins, was destroyed later, or was simply taken away by a Great Mage. Now, all that remained of the entire mountain was a ruin, though its Spiritual Power was still relatively abundant.

After the five of them split up, Zhang Deming and Feng Mingyou chose a location and began their search.

The two were not strangers. They had spent ten years together on Little Qing Mountain, which was a considerable period in both their lives. Thus, as they searched, Feng Mingyou started looking for something to talk about.

"Back when you left Little Qing Mountain, Master Zhang, I knew you were destined for a meteoric rise. I foresaw it, but even so, I never expected you to ascend so quickly.

"In just two short years, you’ve become a Duality Master, and you’ve made a great name for yourself in the Inner Sect. Looking back, the past still feels so vivid. How time flies!"

Zhang Deming looked at the emotional Feng Mingyou and said, "Didn’t we agree to call each other sect brothers? Addressing me like that is a bit too formal, Steward Feng."

Feng Mingyou paused for a moment. "You’re right, my apologies."

Zhang Deming smiled. "Speaking of things changing, haven’t you already reached the Tai Chi stage, Steward Feng? That’s a world of difference compared to before."

"Speaking of which, I haven’t even properly thanked you, Senior Brother Zhang! If it weren’t for your support, I’d probably still be stuck on Little Qing Mountain," Feng Mingyou replied.

Zhang Deming shook his head. "It had little to do with me; I just mentioned it in passing. Being able to enter the Alliance and receive such an opportunity ultimately depended on your own Karma Technique, Steward. If your Karma Technique wasn’t sufficient, nothing I said would have mattered."

"But without your support, Senior Brother, I wouldn’t have had the slightest opportunity. This is all thanks to you. I will never forget your kindness," Feng Mingyou insisted.

The two chatted idly as they searched. But because of the vast difference in their strength, Zhang Deming could clearly feel they could no longer find the easy rapport they once shared.

Their current relationship wasn’t quite like that of a superior and subordinate, but it was no longer like that of two good friends who had known each other for years.

In their idle chat, Feng Mingyou’s words were always tinged with a bit of flattery, a feeling entirely different from the usual exchange of professional pleasantries.

Although Zhang Deming sensed this clearly, he could only feel resigned to it. With the changes in their status and power, a change in their relationship was inevitable.