“It is,” Sun Wukong said, nodding. “But if you want to push the limits, ten times is also possible. If you sit at the very edge of the time-contraction field, you can still cultivate.”
By now, most of the adrenaline at having healed his core had faded. Sighing, Cha Ming walked over to the comfortable edge of the time-contraction field and sat down once more. He circulated his qi and built up momentum before impacting his core. The breakthrough was effortless.
Unlike last time, which had been so painful he’d nearly passed out, it only took a single pop. His qi was as pure as possible due to the long stabilization period. His core expanded as he reached late core formation and a vacuum appeared around him, gathering ambient energy. Cha Ming popped one of the many pills he’d crafted and began feeding his deficient core.
Ten pills later, he was done. He was once again at the limits of a cultivation realm. Tiny specks of impurity filled the qi as usual, and only cultivation and exertion could fix that. Unfortunately, he was out of time.
Cha Ming exited the time-contraction field only to be pounced on by Huxian. For the first time in a long time, he laughed and cried tears of joy. He’d spent over a hundred years of blood, sweat, and tears to finally heal himself and get back on the right track. They laughed for over an hour before Cha Ming looked back to Gong Shuren and the Sea God Clock, whose shortest hand was now fully covered in runes, and whose long hand was halfway covered. He couldn’t help but feel uneasy at their shrinking deadline.
“Maybe we should head back early,” Cha Ming said. “Just in case. She should be fine here alone, shouldn’t she?”
“It’s never a bad idea to be cautious,” Sun Wukong said. “Besides, there aren’t many people who can harm you anymore, the Sea God Emperor included. As for her…” He chuckled. “I’d hate to be the poor fool who tries to cut off her connection with the clock tower.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Cha Ming said. “Huxian?”
The small fox yawned. Then he called out to Mr. Mountain, who grumbled and turned into a violet mist that shot into Huxian along with Lei Jiang, Silverwing, and Gua. Cha Ming pressed a finger on the pale-blue mark on his forehead, and Huxian pressed a claw on his. Both marks shattered and sent them outside the Sea God Clock Tower.
Chapter 31: Challenge
Cha Ming and Huxian appeared in Clock Tower Square, prompting gasps from those around them. They surveyed the city as cultivators watched. The city had changed, and not in a good way. He cast out his transcendent soul and mapped out the city. Of his four disciples, only three were in the city, and none were in Haijing Academy. He and Huxian rushed through crowded city streets until they arrived at an assortment of rundown buildings. He was greeted by familiar people—students he’d taught in Haijing Academy, some elders, and other members of the Alabaster Group.
“Master!” Yue Bing yelled as Cha Ming entered a small house where many of them were gathered. She was busy treating a young man whose body was covered in cuts and bruises. A bloody stump where his hand used to be was steadily growing into a new limb, courtesy of Yue Bing’s blood vitality. The process continued, and a few minutes later, the young man’s condition finally stabilized.
“It happened in an alley seven blocks from here,” the man said to Elder Gan, who’d been waiting as Yue Bing treated him. “The City Guard wasn’t patrolling the area, and some ruffians robbed me. I was outmatched, so I gave them everything I had. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. They cut off my hand in their displeasure and told me to bring more next time.”
“They dare to be so brazen so close to our headquarters?” Elder Gan said angrily. “Do they think we won’t hunt them down?”
“We have no proof,” Zi Long said. The violet-robed man had been sitting cross-legged in a corner during the treatment. “The City Guard will intervene if we act against them. It’s nothing we haven’t already seen in the past two months.”
Elder Gan clenched his fists and breathed deeply. Then he frowned and looked up at Cha Ming in surprise. “Your cultivation. It’s increased.”
Cha Ming grinned. “I experienced a fortuitous encounter in the Sea God Trials. I don’t dare say I’m invincible, but there aren’t many in this city who would dare tangle with me. Even then, I think it would take a transcendent to kill me.”
“Good, good,” Elder Gan said, laughing heartily. “We might not be able to retake our place in the academy, but with you here, we should be able to leave the city alive.”
“Leave the city alive?” Cha Ming asked. First their members were getting attacked, and now they were talking about leaving the city? “What happened while I was gone? Why is no one in Haijing Academy?”
“What’s the point?” Elder Gan said, shrugging. “The headmaster has changed. Elder Dai is nothing more than a senior member of a neutral faction, while the Alabaster Group can only maintain a token presence in the academy. We’ve been cleared out to make way for those who wish to dedicate themselves to science instead of ideals, and we have no funding or facilities to operate with. The only reason we haven’t left yet is because we’ve been expecting an ambush just outside the city.”
“That bad?” Cha Ming asked, aghast. “Who the hell gave them that courage?”
“Zhou Li and his cronies, not to mention the support of the Sea God Emperor,” Elder Gan said. “He turns a blind eye to everything Zhou Li does, and the bearer of the Sea God Scales appointed Yao Lan as headmaster. He interprets
