My Cultivation Techniques Upgrade Automatically

Chapter 161: Chapter 160: Junior: Li Feiyu

Precious medicinal herbs grew in the corners of the ruins, and valuable fungi sprouted from the dark walls. Each stalk was worth several thousand silver coins.

But after the voice echoed from within the great hall, the two lost all interest in looking.

Xue Hongling watched the great hall where the voice had come from, on high alert. She wasn’t particularly afraid, however, simply sticking close to Wu Chen’s side to cover him.

Wu Chen’s left hand also quietly came to rest on his scabbard. He appeared expressionless, but he was already paying close attention to every movement around them.

He knew that if a figure like the one in the hall decided to act, he would be completely unable to stop them, but it was still necessary to maintain one’s guard.

STEP! STEP! STEP!

The two quickly arrived before the collapsed great hall. As they stepped onto the stone stairs, the scene within was laid bare before them.

The reason it was laid bare was that the roof of the hall seemed to have been sheared off by brute force, leaving no trace of it behind.

The top was completely open to the sky, but there weren’t many bricks or tiles littering the floor inside. The main doors hung loosely open, crooked and askew, looking as if they could collapse at any moment.

In such a state, the view inside was naturally unobstructed.

With a single glance, the two could see a bronze statue, about thirty feet tall and covered in mottled rust, deep within the hall.

On the other side of the hall, a plume of white mist was rising, looking like another place of wonder.

They just didn’t know what it was.

The pair paused for a moment before the hall. Wu Chen politely cupped his fist and spoke toward the interior:

"This junior, Li Feiyu, has accidentally trespassed on Senior’s treasured land. I hope Senior will not take offense."

’Li who-yu?’

Xue Hongling was taken aback for a second upon hearing Wu Chen’s words. Though confused, she copied his gesture, cupping her fist and giving a slight bow toward the bronze statue inside the hall.

"This junior, Xue Hanyan, pays her respects to Senior."

’Quick on her feet!’

Wu Chen praised her internally, his peripheral vision catching Xue Hongling, whose aura showed no fluctuation. He gave a subtle nod of approval.

He had used a fake name, of course, because he was worried about some fantastical curse-killing arts. After all, he still knew very little about this world.

He wasn’t sure if there were Divine Abilities in this world that could curse an enemy to death just by knowing their name.

But considering that true power was concentrated within oneself, it didn’t seem impossible that a powerful expert could kill with a single thought.

That was why he had spontaneously made up a name.

"Li Feiyu?"

"Why did I hear someone call out ’Wu Chen’ just now?"

Wu Chen heard a questioning voice, as if it were right beside his ear. He instinctively turned his head to look, and when he saw what was there, his brow twitched involuntarily.

Perched on his left shoulder was a three-inch-tall figure.

From its appearance, it was an old man with long hair and a long beard, well past his sixties, dressed in a simple white robe.

Although the figure was tiny, its eyes and brows were distinct and exceptionally lively.

What puzzled Wu Chen, however, was that the person’s body was slightly transparent, like a phantom.

’Is it a soul projection or something else?’ Wu Chen was slightly curious, and most of his worries instantly dissipated.

After all, if this being, who had appeared on his shoulder without him noticing, truly had any malicious intent or wished to possess his body, they would have likely acted already.

They wouldn’t have just shown up like this.

But Wu Chen’s lack of concern was his own business. Seeing the tiny man on his shoulder, Xue Hongling adopted a stance as if to draw her blade and strike.

This made Wu Chen tense up immediately. He quickly blinked his eyes, signaling her not to attack under any circumstances.

’It would be embarrassing if I didn’t die at the hands of this newcomer, but at the hands of my own ally instead.’

"Li Feiyu is this junior’s childhood name."

Wu Chen looked at the tiny man on his shoulder and casually made up an excuse.

"Sly brat."

The three-inch-tall old man shook his head, then looked at Xue Hongling beside Wu Chen, seeming to sense the killing intent in her eyes.

The old man wasn’t afraid. He simply chuckled and said:

"Your methods can’t kill me."

As he spoke, he waved his arms, his sleeves fanning lightly, and uttered a single word:

"Withdraw!"

As his voice fell, both Wu Chen and Xue Hongling felt their hands suddenly go light.

The two weapons they were gripping tightly inexplicably flew from their grasp, spun in the air, then shrank unnaturally, turning into streaks of light that were caught by the tiny man on Wu Chen’s shoulder and held in his hands.

Before Wu Chen and Xue Hongling could react, they felt a surge of Powerful Qi from behind, and their bodies were uncontrollably pulled toward the great hall.

CRACK!

With a sharp crack, the great hall’s doors slammed shut.

BOOM!

With a dull thud, the great hall’s doors collapsed.

Witnessing this scene, the atmosphere inside the hall fell into a somewhat awkward silence.

"I completely forgot this rundown place was smashed to bits."

The old man on Wu Chen’s shoulder gave an embarrassed laugh and quickly changed the subject. "So, tell me, what is your purpose in coming to my Celestial Star Sect?"

"To answer Senior, this junior came here for precious herbs, Divine Weapons, and of course, Martial Arts and Cultivation Techniques."

Wu Chen didn’t try to hide anything. Anyone who came to a secret realm would be after these things. Being secretive would only risk displeasing an expert of this caliber.

After speaking, he glanced around the great hall, his gaze finally landing on the mottled bronze statue. He discovered that the statue’s face was identical to that of the old man on his shoulder.

’They must be one and the same,’ he thought.

"I suppose that was a pointless question."

The old man sat cross-legged on Wu Chen’s shoulder, smacking his lips as he spoke:

"There are precious herbs outside the hall. As for the other things, those are definitely a no-go."

"Mm," Wu Chen responded faintly, saying nothing more.

’If you lower your expectations, you can accept any outcome.’

"Aren’t you curious enough to ask why?"

When Wu Chen simply grunted in acknowledgment and said no more, the old man was the one whose curiosity was piqued.

’It’s been a long time since anyone came here, and it’s been a long time since I talked to anyone, but shouldn’t anyone ask for the reason after I said that?’

"Why?" Wu Chen asked, playing along.

"I forgot," the old man answered sullenly, his face falling.

"???"

’Wait, with an answer like that, shouldn’t *I* be the one getting annoyed? Why are *you* the one getting upset?’

Wu Chen’s mouth twitched. He glanced at the three-inch-tall old man on his shoulder and noticed that his figure seemed to have become somewhat more transparent than before.

Looking through him, he could even see the distorted shapes of objects on the other side.

"I’m really not lying to you, I actually forgot."

The old man said sullenly, "I’ve even forgotten my own name. I’m sure I remembered it just a moment ago..."

"Hah... I can’t... I’m getting a little sleepy. I’ll take a nap first. I’ll find you again in a bit."

As he spoke, the old man stretched, yawned, and seemed utterly exhausted.

With that, he turned into a streak of light, burrowed into the bronze statue, and vanished without a trace. The great hall fell silent once more.

"Uh..."

Wu Chen didn’t know what to make of the old man’s eccentric behavior, but when he considered that the man might have been alone in this place for several hundred years, it seemed understandable that he’d have some mental issues.

"Well, since things are like this, let’s just grill some fish first."

With no Martial Arts to be found, Wu Chen naturally had little interest in anything else. He glanced at Xue Hongling, and the two of them walked out of the hall.

However, based on what the old man had just said, Wu Chen could still tell that he must have been an incredible figure in his life.

As for whether it was true or not, Wu Chen couldn’t be bothered to figure it out. In any case, it was still early, so he decided to wait there for the old man to wake up.

Soon, a bonfire was lit at the entrance of the great hall.

In less than an hour, the aroma of fish filled the air before the hall.

Staring at the perfectly cooked fish in his hand, Wu Chen hadn’t even had a chance to stuff it into his mouth when he heard a familiar voice from beside him again:

"That smells amazing! Quick, quick, let me have a taste!"

Before the words even finished, and without waiting for Wu Chen’s permission, the steaming piece of fish in his hand vanished. It rapidly shrank to the size of a toothpick and landed in the old man’s hands.

Immediately after, the distinct sound of chewing could be heard by his ear.

"Can a soul-like state like this also eat food?" Wu Chen asked curiously.

But the old man didn’t answer, focusing only on eating the grilled fish.

"So satisfying, so satisfying! I never thought I’d be able to eat warm food again."

"Oh, right, junior. Where were we in our last conversation?"

After eating his fill, although the old man’s figure was still hazy, his condition had clearly improved, and he proactively picked up their previous conversation.