The white mist that now shrouded Xiaozhu Mountain, supported by over a hundred paper mist wards, still wasn't completely secure.
If someone wandered into the mountain and happened to dig up one of the buried wards, destroying it in the process, then the mist in that area would disappear.
The safest method, ultimately, was to raise a single paper mist ward powerful enough to cover the entire mountain and bury it in the spiritual courtyard. That way, even if someone tried to interfere from the outside, the core protection would remain untouched.
But crafting a ward of that scale was not something that could be done overnight.
Early the next morning, the spiritual tide returned after half a month of calm.
Spiritual energy across China had already been nearly drained by cultivators a week ago. Just last night, Song Miaozhu had looked up and seen almost no residual qi hanging above Yuanshan Town. Yet now, spiritual energy was surging again, flowing in torrents across the land.
With experience from last time, cultivators didn't wait for any alerts or commands. Everyone immediately began to cultivate.
All over the world, cultivators threw themselves into absorbing the influx, trying to draw more spiritual energy toward themselves.
Some countries had adjusted quickly after the last spiritual tide, opening up public access to spiritual cultivation and the Secret Art of Crafting, but two weeks was not enough time for someone to go from knowing nothing to mastering even one basic skill.
Meanwhile, China's cultivation literacy was still on the rise. The national push for widespread training in spiritual craftsmanship had made its population the most attractive target for the spiritual tide. Nowhere else drew spiritual energy so efficiently or in such quantity.
Song Miaozhu seized this opportunity as well, diving back into her paper crafting. As spiritual energy erupted from Xiaozhu Mountain, combined with the work of her Spirit-Gathering Fuwa, the mountain's aura intensified to an unprecedented level.
At the SEIU's Spiritual Energy Monitoring Station in Jingcheng
The monitor in charge of Lingcheng's Yunwu Mountain region rubbed his eyes as he stared at the screen.
"Is my third eye glitching? Why isn't there any spiritual surge at Yunwu Mountain?"
A colleague leaned over to glance at the feed. "You're not seeing things. There's nothing there. Looks like Master Song moved again."
Suddenly, another observer gasped from a separate monitor. "Hey! Look at Xiaozhu Mountain in Yuanshan Town! The spiritual density has spiked—it's turned into white mist!"
Everyone rushed over to check.
"That can't be right. Spiritual energy is colorful, even when dense. It doesn't turn white."
"Exactly. That doesn't look like spiritual energy. Looks more like real fog."
"Get someone without a third eye to take a look. If it's fog, they'll see it. If it's qi, they won't."
Moments later...
"It really is fog!"
"But Lingcheng's skies are crystal clear today. No sign of fog anywhere else, not even near Yuanshan or Yunwu."
"It's not just fog on Xiaozhu Mountain. It's only within the barbed wire perimeter at the mountain's base."
"This is strange. Even if there were natural fog, we shouldn't be completely unable to see through it from up close. That whole area looks like it's been erased."
"We'll investigate after the spiritual tide ends."
"Yes, right, let's not miss the tide."
This round of the spiritual tide lasted an entire day.
By the next morning, the surging energy finally subsided.
As usual, Song Miaozhu focused first on absorbing the lingering qi to cultivate and nourish her spiritual items.
Within all of Yuanshan Town, no one came close to her level of cultivation. Her ability to draw spiritual energy was unmatched.
Even after the tide ebbed, the spiritual energy she had summoned still hovered over the mountain, with more trickling in from nearby areas. Her Spirit-Gathering Fortune continued their work tirelessly. The accumulated energy from this one tide equaled three days' worth of her usual cultivation—saving her the equivalent of at least fifteen premium spirit stones.
Spiritual tides really were a blessing. If they happened every day, she wouldn't need to spend another spirit stone on training.
But like all tides, this one too would recede. No one knew how long the lull would last before the next wave.
As the energy flow calmed, while others scrambled to absorb leftovers, Song Miaozhu returned to using her stash of premium stones for cultivation. Meanwhile, an entire room full of Spirit-Gathering Fortune continued collecting residual qi from around the world on her behalf.
With the tide over, cultivators finally had time to notice other things.
The practitioners of Yuanshan Town were the first to observe that their local spiritual density now surpassed even the nearby cities. It seemed likely that Song Miaozhu—the strongest cultivator in town—had returned during the tide.
Looking toward Xiaozhu Mountain, they saw the familiar green bamboo forests were gone, replaced by a mountain blanketed in dense white mist.
Though the fog blocked the view, everyone knew the truth.
That was Master Song's domain.
Anyone who dared cross the barbed wire would quickly find a notice from the court accusing them of trespassing on private property.
"Master Song moved back to the mountain?"
"What's with the fog?"
Curious, many cultivators made their way to the base of Xiaozhu Mountain.
Inside the fence, mist stretched in all directions. Outside, the sun shone brightly.
"This is seriously weird."
"I know what this is! It's a spiritual item."
"Whenever something makes no sense, it's always a spiritual item."
"What kind of item can cover an entire mountain in fog?"
"Something crafted by the most powerful cultivator on Earth. You can't compare her work to our junk."
The SEIU was equally intrigued.
Zhao Huoyan contacted her through WeChat, but she only replied with two characters: "Spiritual item."
That was the best outcome. Let them all assume this mist had some formidable function. That way, no one would risk sneaking in just to satisfy their curiosity.
Xiaozhu Mountain might now be hidden, but it was still far from secure. Its only defense was stealth.
Only when Chen Yuanyuan asked her directly did Song Miaozhu explain a little more.
[Miaow Zhu]:I moved back to Xiaozhu Mountain. I'm using a spiritual item to generate fog, so no one can find my home anymore.
[Smooth as Yuanyuan]:Incredible! Even if someone wanted to drop a bomb on you, they wouldn't know where to aim now.
That was exactly the point.
Last time her home had been bombed, she had emerged unscathed, with no major losses. But she hadn't forgotten the threat of modern weaponry.
From the foot of the mountain, Xiaozhu was now nothing but a white blur. Not even satellites could pierce through the mist. But inside her spiritual residence, through the gaps in the branches, Song Miaozhu could still see the distant town below.
Sunlight continued to shine through the bamboo groves, just like always. The paper mist ward blocked only outsiders. To those she allowed, it was as transparent as ever.
A veil of mist for strangers. A sanctuary in the treetops, visible only to her and those she trusted.
For the first time in a long while, Song Miaozhu finally felt something like safety.
But this was only the beginning. She would continue reinforcing her sanctuary step by step, until Xiaozhu Mountain became an impenetrable fortress.
The paper mist ward was just the first layer.