Qinghe Immortal Clan.

"Wanjian Mountain Range", located on a mountain peak in the west.

Sitting in the pavilion halfway up the mountain, Song Qingming was looking through the window at the deep valley below the cliff, shrouded in mist.

A moment later, he picked up the teacup beside him and realized that he had already finished the spiritual tea inside, so he gently put it down again.

After he sent his visiting card up the mountain, Song Qingming was brought here by a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the "Heavenly Sword Pavilion". He has been sitting here for more than half an hour, but no one has come to reply to his message.

Although I had heard from "Master Feihe" before that the cultivators of "Tianjian Pavilion" were quite domineering.

However, Song Qingming was quite surprised that the other party would treat him, a Nascent Soul cultivator, with such contempt and disrespect upon his visit. He couldn't help but sigh softly to himself.

After sitting there for another fifteen minutes, just as Song Qingming was patiently preparing to take out a scroll to read, footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.

Before long, an elderly man with white hair and a slightly aged appearance pushed open the door and walked in, while a smiling man stepped forward and bowed to him.

"Junior Cheng Rong greets Senior Song!"

After bowing to Song Qingming, Cheng Rong calmly continued, "Senior, we have already forwarded your letter to Senior Uncle Yu Hua of Purple Sword Peak."

Senior Master Yu Hua has agreed to see you. Please come up the mountain with me, senior!

"Oh! In that case, I'll trouble you to show me the way."

Upon hearing the white-haired old man named Cheng Rong say that Madam Yuhua wanted to see him, Song Qingming, who had just been feeling somewhat depressed, was immediately overjoyed and quickly nodded slightly to him.

Led by Cheng Rong, the two quickly left the mountain peak and arrived at the mountain gate ahead.

When Cheng Rong led Song Qingming to the door, the many "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" cultivators guarding the entrance did not pay much attention at first.

Only when they realized that they couldn't see through the newcomer's cultivation level, and seeing Cheng Rong's extremely respectful demeanor, did they hurriedly step forward and bow as well.

One of the leading men in white, upon seeing Song Qingming, immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:
"Senior, I am Tong Xuan, an elder of the General Affairs Hall. Please leave your name here first, so that we can register."

“Junior Brother Tong, this Senior Song is here to visit Senior Uncle Yu Hua. Didn’t I already inform you beforehand? Why do we need to register here?”

Seeing the white-clad man place an empty name card in front of Song Qingming, Cheng Rong looked puzzled and quickly stepped forward to explain.

Upon hearing this, the man in white immediately responded in a prepared tone:
"Senior Brother Cheng, you may not know this, but Uncle Li from the sect's General Affairs Hall reminded us last time that all Nascent Soul cultivators from outside the sect must be registered in the hall to prevent any omissions in the future."

It's not that we intentionally want to make things difficult for you, Senior; we simply dare not disobey the sect's orders. We hope Senior Song can understand.

After speaking, the man in white bowed apologetically to Song Qingming, his face showing a hint of embarrassment.

Seeing this, Song Qingming remained silent for a moment before reaching out to stop Cheng Rong, who was about to step forward to explain, and then took the blank name card from in front of him.

"It's just a small favor, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

After calmly replying in a low voice, Song Qingming immediately used magic to leave his name on the post and then handed it to the white-robed man in front of him.

"Thank you for your understanding, senior. We hope you will forgive our rudeness."

After bowing and expressing his gratitude, the man in white quickly stepped aside and activated the "mountain-protecting formation" behind him, watching Song Qingming and the other man enter together.

Only after passing through the mountain gate did the white-haired old man, with a somewhat apologetic expression, bow to Song Qingming and say:

"Senior Song, the General Affairs Hall of the sect is under the jurisdiction of Golden Sword Peak. These people have always been at odds with our Purple Sword Peak. I hope you will not take offense at my words just now."

"I will definitely speak to Senior Uncle Yu Hua about this matter later, and I will make sure that the people of Golden Sword Peak learn a lesson!"

As early as yesterday, Song Qingming had already inquired about the fact that there were four lineages of disciples in the entire "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" sect: "Purple Sword", "White Sword", "Golden Sword" and "Azure Sword".

These four lineages of disciples only unite when facing external threats; otherwise, they constantly compete with each other for sect resources.

After hearing Cheng Rong's explanation, Song Qingming seemed to understand why he had waited for so long at the foot of the mountain, and shook his head helplessly.

"It's alright, don't worry about it. I'm not such a petty person. Let's go quickly."

"Hehe, it's rare to see such tolerance from a senior."

At the gate of the "Heavenly Sword Pavilion," the white-robed man who had just seen Song Qingming and his companion off was now looking at the name card in his hand with a smug expression.

"Song Qi, hehe, I didn't expect him to not only look ordinary, but also have such a rustic name. Could he be some rogue Nascent Soul cultivator from out of town?"

Even someone like him can become a Nascent Soul cultivator, while we are stuck at the Golden Core stage. This cultivation world is truly unfair.

Thinking of Song Qingming's ordinary appearance just now, the man in white muttered to himself and turned his gaze to the corner of the name card.

"Huh, what's this thing!"

Seeing a strange white rune suddenly appear on the corner of the post in his hand, the man in white quickly reached out and touched it.

But before he could even touch the white runes, the strange runes flashed with white light and suddenly disappeared, disappearing directly into his hand.

The next moment, the man in white felt a current run through his entire body, and he immediately collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

".."
-
After entering the "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" mountain gate, Song Qingming followed Cheng Rong and sped southeast, seeing many "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" disciples coming and going along the way.

As a Nascent Soul sect renowned for its sword cultivators, "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" was quite different from other sects Song Qingming had encountered before.

Whether they are Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining stage disciples, most of them carry a long sword on their backs. When traveling in the air, they basically do not use flying boats, but fly directly on their swords.

However, the flying swords beneath their feet were of various kinds. Some were similar to ordinary flying swords, while others were much wider and larger than ordinary flying boats, capable of carrying more than a dozen cultivators at the same time.

Some of the flying swords even had colorful spiritual light behind them, and the places they passed by were constantly flashing with rosy light, which was truly a beautiful sight.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the two finally arrived near a high mountain shrouded in clouds and landed on a flat area on the mountaintop.

As soon as he approached the mountain peak, Song Qingming sensed a very pure spiritual energy around him, and guessed that this place should be "Purple Sword Peak".

After landing, they followed Cheng Rong for over a hundred feet, and then they saw the clouds and mist dissipate on both sides, revealing a tall palace standing before them.

The main hall is several tens of feet high, with the eaves divided into several sections. In the middle, a vertical plaque hangs high, bearing the two large characters "Sword Palace".

The characters "Sword Palace" were written with extremely sharp strokes, unlike any characters Song Qingming had ever seen before. It was as if someone had carved them directly with a flying sword.

Just by standing below and glancing at the plaque above his head, Song Qingming felt a faint killing intent emanating from it, which made him feel a chill in his heart.

After reaching the entrance of the "Sword Palace" main hall, Cheng Rong turned around and bowed slightly to Song Qingming beside him.

“Senior Song, Master Yu Hua is in the hall, so I won’t go in and disturb you and Master Yu Hua’s conversation.”

After nodding slightly, Song Qingming turned around and strode forward, stepping directly into a transparent barrier in front of him.

Upon entering the "Sword Palace," one is greeted by a large hall several tens of feet long and wide, with eight stone pillars flanking the center and numerous tables, chairs, and benches.

After glancing around and finding the hall completely empty, Song Qingming casually found a chair and sat down.

But he had barely sat down when a voice suddenly came from in front of him, making him stand up again.

"Fellow Daoist Song, may I ask if you come from the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent?"

Looking towards the source of the sound, Song Qingming was surprised to see a seven or eight-year-old girl in purple clothes slowly walking towards him with her hands behind her back.

Although the other person looked like a child, the aura emanating from him and the tone of his voice were clearly not those of an ordinary child, which immediately made Song Qingming's gaze more solemn.

"What, can't you answer my question, or is there something inconvenient about it?"

Upon hearing the little girl in purple's persistent questioning, Song Qingming quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Fellow Daoist, you jest. I am indeed from Donghuang Immortal Continent."

"However, this matter was not mentioned in the previous invitation, so I am quite surprised that Fellow Daoist Yuhua guessed it."

As soon as Song Qingming finished speaking, the little girl in purple standing to the side changed her expression slightly and said directly, "You really are from Donghuang Immortal Continent. It seems that your name is fake."

"Your name is Song Qingming, right?"

"This is the first time I've met you, fellow Daoist. How do you know my name?"

When he visited the mountain earlier, Song Qingming did not reveal his identity and still used the name Song Qi.

Upon hearing this, the little girl in purple not only guessed that he came from "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent" but also immediately recognized his identity.

While Song Qingming was extremely surprised, he also began to wonder in his mind where he had slipped up and how the other party had discovered his identity.

After thinking it over, he still couldn't find an answer, so he could only look at the other person with a puzzled expression again.

The little girl in purple in front of him, however, had a bright smile on her face and began to look him up and down.

Seeing this, Song Qingming was immediately filled with doubt, but he didn't dare to speak up for the time being, so he could only stand there patiently.

After a while, footsteps suddenly came from the back of the hall, and two more people walked towards their location.

Both of them were young women, dressed in very luxurious black and blue outfits, and their auras had reached the Nascent Soul stage.

The woman in black was even more powerful than Song Qingming, seemingly having already entered the late Nascent Soul stage.

"Distinguished guest, Yu'er, please refrain from any disrespect and step back immediately!"

Upon hearing the reprimand from the woman in black, the little girl in purple who had been staring at Song Qingming immediately looked as if she had done something wrong, blinked her eyes, lowered her head, and retreated behind the woman in black.

"No wonder I couldn't tell your cultivation level; it turns out you're not Lady Yuhua!"

Seeing this scene, Song Qingming instantly realized what was happening, and a somewhat unpleasant expression appeared on his face. At first glance, seeing the little girl in purple with her haughty demeanor, even though she only had the cultivation level of the Golden Core realm, Song Qingming's first reaction was to assume that she was Lady Yuhua, who wanted to see him.

After all, there are many strange abilities and techniques in the cultivation world. The other party is a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. He may have cultivated some kind of supernatural power to conceal his true cultivation level, which is why he has turned into the appearance of a child in front of him.

Unexpectedly, the girl in purple, a mere Golden Core cultivator, dared to impersonate a Nascent Soul cultivator and make fun of him. How could he not look rather unpleasant at this moment?

Seeing this, the woman in black standing in front spoke softly to Song Qingming, "My junior nephew is young and has a rather unruly temperament, so please don't take offense, Fellow Daoist Song."

"I am Lady Yuhua, whom you are looking for. May I ask what brings you here?"

Although "Madam Yuhua" reprimanded the girl in purple, there was no hint of blame in her tone; she was clearly just putting on an act.

Perhaps the little girl in purple who came out to trick me was deliberately instigated by this "Lady Yuhua".

Seeing this, Song Qingming could only swallow his anger and bow to "Madam Yuhua" in front of him, saying, "I, Song, greet you, Madam."

"I have come here with two matters I wish to inquire about with you, Madam. I would be most grateful if you could grant me this request."

"Hmph! I seem to have no relationship with Fellow Daoist Song, so there's no need for words of gratitude. Just tell me what you need!"

As for whether I can answer you, that depends on whether I'm in the mood.

After saying this, "Madam Yuhua" sat down to the side, her gaze fixed on Song Qingming, as if trying to see something on his face.

Seeing that the other party was not very polite, Song Qingming pondered for a moment and then asked directly, "I have long heard that Madam is a high-level weapon refiner."

"The first reason for my trip is to inquire about this item from you, Madam. Does Madam know its origin?"

After speaking, Song Qingming's hand flickered with spiritual light, and he took out the "silver iron block" from his body and placed it in front of "Lady Yuhua".

"This item looks like a Silver Star Stone. How do you have such a thing? Where did you obtain it, fellow Daoist?"

Upon seeing the "silver iron block" before her, "Madam Yuhua's" expression changed slightly at first, but she quickly recovered and asked Song Qingming a question.

Upon seeing this, Song Qingming quickly replied, "To be honest, Madam, I obtained this item from a demon emperor in the Nebula Sea. I wonder what this Silver Gang Star Stone is and what its purpose is."
"I would be grateful if you could offer me some guidance, Madam. I will certainly not let you work in vain." As soon as he finished speaking, Song Qingming produced another bag of spirit stones.

However, upon receiving the spirit stones from Song Qingming, "Madam Yuhua" simply waved them back to him and then continued to reply:

"This Silver Star Stone is a type of meteorite from outer space. It can be used to refine high-level spiritual treasures and is considered an extremely rare refining material in the cultivation world."

However, although this thing is rare, it can only be used to refine high-level magic weapons and spiritual treasures. Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators have no use for it at all, so it's hard to say how much value it has.

Of course, this isn't just my opinion. If you don't believe me, you can always ask others.

"It can be used to refine high-grade spiritual treasures!"

Upon hearing Madam Yuhua's explanation, Song Qingming was also surprised. He hadn't recognized the object in his hand before and thought it was some rare material.

To his utter surprise, this item was actually used to refine a level-five spiritual treasure, which immediately filled him with astonishment.

However, although the "Silver Star Stone" is a good item, it is indeed as the other party said, that his current cultivation level seems to be completely useless to it.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming could only put it away for now and see if he could trade it with other fellow Daoists or seniors in the future to exchange it for something useful to him.

"Thank you for your understanding, Madam. These spirit stones are not many, but they are a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept them!"

Seeing that Song Qingming had once again offered the "spirit stone bag" in his hand, "Madam Yuhua" unexpectedly refused him again and pushed the spirit stone back.

"Fellow Daoist Song, as I said before, whether I can answer your question or not depends entirely on my mood."

I've already answered your first question, fellow Daoist. Now, please answer your second question!

Seeing that the other party insisted on not taking his spirit stones, Song Qingming could only nod slightly and put the spirit stones back in his hand.

"The second thing is that I would like to inquire with you about someone. I wonder if your sect has a female cultivator surnamed Liu."

This person was also a Nascent Soul cultivator, who had traveled to the Floating Cloud Mountains of the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent decades ago...

"Among the Nascent Soul cultivators in our sect surnamed Liu, there are only two of us, Zi Xin and I. It seems that Fellow Daoist Song is looking for us."

You've traveled all this way to Xihua Continent, surely for Junior Sister Qingyu? I'm sure I'm right!

Before Song Qingming could finish speaking, "Madam Yuhua" immediately interrupted him and directly said what he still had in mind.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming was once again shocked and couldn't help but ask, "Was the Senior Liu that Qingyu met back then the same person as Madam?"

“That’s right! My Taoist name is Yuhua, and my secular surname is Liu! However, I don’t use this name often when I’m out in public. People can just call me Madam Yuhua.”

According to the information left by Song Qingyu back then, Song Qingming only knew that the senior of the "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" she was looking for was surnamed Liu, and had no idea about the Taoist name "Lady Yuhua".

He himself did not expect that the Senior Liu mentioned by Qingyu was the "Madam Yuhua" in front of him. At this moment, he felt a little embarrassed but also a little excited.

Song Qingming finally understood why the girl in purple had guessed his identity so quickly. It was probably because Qingyu had mentioned him to her, which was why she recognized him immediately.

Seeing Song Qingming's obvious embarrassment, "Madam Yuhua" remained calm and ignored him, then spoke directly:
"I know you came here for Qingyu. Fellow Daoist Song, don't worry, she's doing well here and nothing's wrong."

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming quickly cupped his hands to "Madam Yuhua" and said, "It turns out it was a misunderstanding. I thank you for informing me, Madam, and I also thank you on behalf of Qingyu for your care over the years."

I wonder where Qingyu is now. Could you please ask her to come out and meet me?

Upon hearing that Song Qingming wanted to see Song Qingyu, "Madam Yuhua" paused slightly, then immediately shook her head and said:
“Fellow Daoist Song, it’s not that I don’t want Qingyu to see you, but she’s currently in a somewhat inconvenient situation to come out and meet people. Now that you know she’s alright, why don’t you go back first?”

When the time is right, you will naturally have the opportunity to meet her.

"I wonder what has happened to Qingyu that prevents her from seeing me. Madam, could you please tell me? Otherwise, I am afraid I will not be at ease."

Faced with "Madam Yuhua's" refusal, Song Qingming's face also showed a hint of doubt, and he looked at her with some confusion.

At this moment, "Madam Yuhua," who was sitting in the chair, waved her hand again and said:
"Fellow Daoist Song, the matter concerning Qingyu not only involves her safety, but also some secrets of our sect. Please forgive me for not being able to tell you directly right now."

Fellow Daoist, you should understand what I mean!

"This concerns Qingyu's safety. What do you mean by that, fellow Daoist? Has Qingyu encountered some trouble?"

Seeing that the other person's tone was somewhat evasive, as if they were hiding something from him, Song Qingming couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

Hearing the person in front of her keep asking questions, "Madam Yuhua" paused, her expression showing some displeasure, and said:
"I just told Fellow Daoist Song that whether I'm willing to answer your question depends on my mood."

"I've told you everything I needed to say about Qingyu. If you continue to pester me, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Seeing the other party's sudden change in expression, Song Qingming felt a surge of anger, gritted his teeth, and spoke again:

"I am connected to the Qingyu clan by blood. As her elder brother, I only wanted to know about her situation. I did not come here to cause trouble. I hope you can understand."

Madam, rest assured, as long as you tell me about Qingyu's condition, I am willing to sign a contract and will never reveal this matter to anyone else.

If Madam still refuses to speak, then I will not leave Heavenly Sword Pavilion like this; I will certainly inquire about this matter elsewhere.

"Hmph! If I haven't misheard you, Fellow Daoist Song, are you perhaps threatening me?"

"I wouldn't dare! But for Qingyu's safety, even if it means offending Madam, I, Song, will take the risk."

Facing the cold glint in "Madam Yuhua's" eyes, Song Qingming remained unmoved and met her gaze directly.

Seeing that a spark seemed to be about to fly in the eyes of the two, the woman in blue and the girl in purple standing to the side immediately looked rather ugly.

"Senior Song, you should leave here first. Uncle Liu didn't lie to you, Qingyu is really fine now!"

Despite the purple-clad girl's attempt to persuade him from a distance, Song Qingming remained unmoved.

Having already been deceived once before, he didn't have much trust in the three people in front of him now. Moreover, this matter concerned Qingyu's safety, so he really couldn't trust them.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for a while before Lady Yuhua finally withdrew her gaze first. After a moment's thought, she spoke directly:

"Fellow Daoist Song, my Heavenly Sword Pavilion has always relied on strength. Since you insist on knowing about Qingyu from me, I will give you a chance."

If you can withstand three of my moves unscathed, I will tell you about Qingyu right now, and I will never go back on my word.

If you lose, you don't need to sign any contract. You just need to leave the Heavenly Sword Pavilion. This will be a good thing for both you and Qingyu.

Fellow Daoist, do you dare to accept this challenge?

"Okay then, it's a deal!"

Faced with the bet proposed by "Madam Yuhua", Song Qingming did not hesitate for long and immediately nodded in agreement.

Seeing Song Qingming so readily agree to the challenge, "Madam Yuhua" and the woman in blue and the girl in purple beside her looked quite surprised.

Somewhat unbelievable, Song Qingming agreed so readily without even a second thought.

It should be noted that "Lady Yuhua" is a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, while Song Qingming's cultivation has only recently advanced to the mid-stage Nascent Soul.

The difference between the two in terms of cultivation level alone is already quite obvious.

Moreover, Lady Yuhua cultivates the path of swordsmanship, and her offensive capabilities are extremely domineering, far surpassing those of ordinary cultivators of the same level.

Song Qingming's actions will likely not only bring him no benefit, but will also result in him suffering a great loss.

"This guy's got some nerve!" (End of Chapter)