Chapter 742: On Route 742
Tan Shaoting held his daughter’s shoulder, and his words made the three children feel even worse.
The four female cultivators sitting next to the father and son listened to their conversation and felt conflicted. They always thought that Tan Shaoting’s partner, the children’s mother, had passed away, but it became clear from his words that she was not dead; they were just separated.
This realization left the four women feeling dejected.
Initially, during this journey, they saw Tan Shaoting in a different light. He was not cold and expressionless towards everyone; the way he treated his children was what every woman dreamed of in a man.
If he were raising the children alone, perhaps there was hope for them. But since they were merely a separated family, and his partner was still alive, their hope vanished instantly.
Due to the detour, they occasionally encountered scattered demon beasts; they would kill them upon sight, reducing future enemies they might face.
The performance of the three children impressed their fellow sect members who were on the mission with them.
They truly made progress every day, and most importantly, there was no tantrum from the children despite their young age; they always sat quietly beside their father.
Except during mealtime, when people still saw them as children, everyone generally regarded them as fellow cultivators.
This time, there were more demon beasts, but their levels were only two or three, so Tan Shaoting watched from the side, offering guidance on swordsmanship to the children.
They were truly hard to dislike; although they rarely spoke, they never backed away when it came time to fight, exemplifying the essence of being sword cultivators.
Some now thought Tan Shaoting’s swordsmanship might be superior to that of the supervising uncle leading the team. Some even felt they benefited greatly from his guidance to the children.
Out of the three children, Qi Yan’s swordsmanship was the best. This was the advantage of being a sword cultivator; attacks were not solely reliant on Spiritual Power.
They fought demon beasts daily, but not in large numbers, which minimized the chances of casualties.
Over the past few days, Tan Shaoting also noticed the children’s progress. He once thought it would be good if the children stayed in the Cultivation World, and it would be great if his wife could come too.
But this was just a fleeting thought; he couldn’t bear to let his wife experience the feeling of insignificance, helplessness, and fear in the time tunnel.
More than ten days had passed, but according to the map, they still needed at least ten more days.
During these ten days, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t encounter larger demon beasts.
"Dad, will this turmoil last a very long time?"
"It probably will. There are likely many high-level ones in the Demon Realm that haven’t come yet. When these low-level demon beasts disappear, it’ll be their turn to emerge, and then it will be the most dangerous. So you must work hard.
Since we’ve entered the Cultivation World, if you want to live well, you must become strong."
"Dad, we will all work hard."
On this day, Liu Lan Ting received another Sound Transmission Talisman. The tension on his face relaxed.
"We can reunite with our sect members in four days; everyone has performed very well on this journey, and I will report it all."
Hearing this, everyone was excited, as it signified qualification for entering the Inner Sect upon returning to the sect.
This was something all disciples aspired to because it concerned the distribution of future cultivation resources.
Liu Lan Ting’s motivational speech energized the disciples when they faced demon beasts again, as if they were infused with vigor.
Liu Lan Ting watched from the side, very satisfied with the disciples’ performance.
Of course, he was most pleased with the Tan family’s father and sons, especially the three children. He understood why the Sword One Peak’s Peak Master wanted to take them as closed-door disciples.
After they safely reunited with their sect members, Liu Lan Ting felt as if he had aged ten years, genuinely too tough; being attacked this way nearly a hundred times, if not more.
He dutifully reported their journey experience to Sword One Peak’s Peak Master Ye Wenxian.
"Very good, go to rest. You’ve worked hard on this journey."
The sect once again sent disciples over, allowing some of the seriously injured ones to be taken back.
Ye Wenxian was extremely busy but still used Divine Sense to check once his favored disciples arrived.
The father and sons were eating, and the meal looked rather sumptuous.
The father was indeed qualified; even in such a harsh environment, treating the children like this is rare.
Ye Wenxian merely glimpsed and then withdrew his Divine Sense.
Tan Shaoting noticed but did not show it, and he knew it must be the Divine Sense of the only Golden Core cultivator in the garrison.
After dinner, he set up the Array Plate, and the four entered the space. The Spiritual Energy here was denser than outside, allowing for a complete relaxation overnight.
The three children entered the space too, being fully relaxed because their father was there.
After washing up and drinking Spiritual Spring Water, the father and sons lay down together to sleep. Nearly two months had passed on this journey without any time to relax; entering the sect base and going into space together as a family was different.
This time, Tan Shaoting also fell asleep. Having the children around made him much more at ease, without worrying constantly about their safety.
The next day, the father and sons ate their fill and left the space. After dismantling the array, a team of sect members returning from their mission had arrived.
They waited for assignments; each outing was led by Foundation Establishment stage cultivators taking Qi Cultivation stage disciples.
Typically, two Foundation Establishment cultivators led twenty Qi Cultivation stage disciples, ensuring safety.
Actually, Tan Shaoting didn’t like this; this time, he brought the children out to request from the Sword One Peak’s Peak Master, wanting to take on tasks independently with the children.
Arriving at the main tent, Ye Wenxian already knew the family was here, arranging the upcoming matters and welcoming them in.
The father and sons all properly paid their respects.
"Master, I am Tan Shaoting, an Outer Disciple, and these are my three children. I came this time to apply for permission to take on tasks alone with my children.
I know their cultivation is low, and I’m worried about burdening fellow sect members with team assignments; we are better off together."
Ye Wenxian looked at the family, feeling they had great potential and a bright future.
"That would be very dangerous."
"Master, I’m aware of the risks; we will act within our limits and won’t delay the tasks."
Ye Wenxian sensed some arrogance in Tan Shaoting, so he frowned at him.