Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Decades have passed, and the signboard of "Li's Teahouse" remains the same as it was back then, with little change.

Seeing Li Xuanyi already standing at the door to greet him, Song Qingming smiled slightly, finally letting go of his earlier displeasure.

"It's been so many years, how have you been, Senior Sister?"

"Junior brother, what are you saying? What's wrong with me?" Even after decades apart, Li Xuanyi's personality remained the same, still somewhat unforgiving.

Only when a hint of embarrassment appeared on Song Qingming's face did she smile and turn to the side to speak:

"Qingyu and Siyuan are already inside, let's go in quickly!"

After Song Qingming suddenly left, Song Qingyu and Huang Siyuan had already noticed and knew what had happened in the "Fengrui Pavilion" not far away.

However, the two women did not choose to follow. Instead, they ended their shopping trip and went to the "Li's Tea House" to visit their senior sister, Li Xuanyi, with gifts.

When Song Qingming arrived, Huang Siyuan had already brewed a pot of spiritual tea in the backyard and quickly filled everyone's cups.

"My husband, we haven't been back for so long, so it's inevitable that there will be some oversights. There's no need to worry about these things too much."

Anyway, we're back now, these things can be dealt with later.

"Yes! Siyuan is right. I've been in the market all these years. Although I've heard some stories of swindling and cheating, the overall atmosphere in the market is not bad."

These are my honest thoughts; I'm not trying to excuse them.

"It's rare that you and Qingyu have returned safely. As the ancestor, you don't need to let these juniors affect your mood. Tell me first, what have you been through all these years?"

As soon as Huang Siyuan finished speaking, her senior sister Li Xuanyi, who was sitting next to her, immediately spoke up to offer some advice.

Seeing this, Song Qingming sighed and said to the group, "It's not that I'm petty, but it's really unpleasant to encounter this so soon after returning."

Forget it, let them investigate this themselves for now, and I'll see what the result is later.

It's rare for us to get together again today, so let's not talk about these troubling things!

".."

Although the white-robed man was only swindled out of a hundred spirit stones, it was nothing much in front of this Nascent Soul ancestor.

However, Song Qingming happened to be present at the scene today and witnessed the entire process. He knew very well that this matter was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

In large markets like "Chiyun Mountain," all sorts of people mingle, and it's not uncommon for merchants to occasionally cheat and swindle customers.

What angered Song Qingming most about the whole affair was the appearance of the "enforcement team" in the market.

After learning about this, the group led by the Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Zhang didn't even bother to investigate or verify the matter before directly siding with the shopkeeper of "Fengrui Pavilion".

It's clear that these "enforcement team" members have an unusual relationship with the shop owner, and this perfunctory behavior is by no means the first time.

Otherwise, the group from "Fengrui Pavilion" wouldn't have acted so brazenly in public, completely unafraid of the market's "enforcement team."

Now that he had just returned, Song Qingming didn't want these people to affect his mood too much. After thinking about it, he decided not to mention the matter any further and changed the subject to talk to his senior sister Li Xuanyi about the things that had happened to him over the years.

When Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan left the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range", their original plan was to travel around for about ten years before returning.

However, after going to the "Xihua Immortal Continent" Immortal Realm, he happened to encounter Song Qingyu's seclusion to form his Nascent Soul, which delayed him for more than ten years. Now, thirty years have passed since he returned.

Since he began his cultivation journey, this was the first time Song Qingming had traveled for such a long time, and the experiences he had had were naturally much richer than before.

As Song Qingming and the other two recounted their experiences over the years, as well as the perilous journey Song Qingyu went through when she formed her nascent soul, Li Xuanyi's expression kept changing.

"Qingyu, I didn't expect that after so many years, you would have formed a Nascent Soul before me. As expected, you and Junior Brother Song are both people with great opportunities."

It seems that if Siyuan and I want to achieve Nascent Soul formation in this lifetime, we'll need to stick close to you and absorb more of your good fortune.

Li Xuanyi was born into the Nascent Soul Immortal Clan at a young age, and later gained the appreciation of her master, "Lingxu Daoist," and directly joined the "Taixu Sect."

Before she reached the Nascent Soul stage, her path to enlightenment was incredibly smooth. Before she was even three hundred years old, she had already reached the peak of the Golden Core realm, ahead of Song Qingyu.

However, after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, Li Xuanyi finally encountered her first setback on her life's journey.

Even with the help of her master, "Lingxu Daoren," and her junior brother, Song Qingming, she still hasn't been able to overcome this hurdle.

Seeing that Song Qingyu had already formed her Nascent Soul before her, Li Xuanyi felt somewhat helpless and could only express her envy.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingyu immediately shook her head and replied:

"Although I had some good fortune to reach the Nascent Soul realm first, when it comes to cultivation talent, I am far inferior to my senior sister and seventh brother."

My senior sister's words were a bit of a dig at me.

I see that Senior Sister's cultivation foundation is already sufficient, and she should be able to take the step towards the Nascent Soul stage at any time. Perhaps it won't be long before she steps into the Core Formation stage and surpasses me.

"Hehe! I thought you'd changed after you came back because you haven't said much. But you're still so sweet-talking."

After years of tempering my character, I've developed a desire for seclusion. Whether I succeed or not, I'll take your good wishes, senior sister!

".."

The group enjoyed tea and conversation in the courtyard, all in high spirits, until night fell, at which point Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan got up to say goodbye and leave.

Song Qingyu, who had just returned, chose to stay in the market to accompany her senior sister, Li Xuanyi.

The two seemed to be like sisters when they first met. Now, after many years apart, they reunited and immediately became inseparable.

Song Qingming didn't say much about this, but he whispered a few words of advice to Song Qingyu.

Just as Huang Siyuan and Song Qingming returned to the mountaintop, they saw several figures already waiting outside Song Qingming's cave.

Upon seeing Song Qingming and his companion arrive, several figures immediately stepped forward and knelt down. These were Wei Yunlong and his two companions, who had already learned of Song Qingming's return.

"Disciple respectfully welcomes Master and Mistress!"

"It's been so many years, and your cultivation has improved quite a bit. No need for formalities, please rise and come inside to talk!"

After glancing at the three disciples kneeling on the ground, Song Qingming waved his hand with a smile and then led the three of them into the cave behind him.

Although more than 30 years have passed, Song Qingming's cave is still very clean and new, without a speck of dust.

Without even asking, Song Qingming knew that it must be the result of Wei Yunlong and the other two frequently coming over to help manage things over the years, and he couldn't help but nod with satisfaction to the group.

When Song Qing and Huang Siyuan left Chiyun Mountain together, Wei Yunlong, the second disciple with the highest cultivation level, was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Now, thirty years have passed, and Wei Yunlong's cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the third level of the Foundation Establishment realm.

In addition, the fourth disciple, Liu Yue, has also successfully established her foundation, but it seems that she has not been in the foundation-establishing stage for long, and her cultivation level is currently still at the first level of the foundation-establishing stage.

Of the three, only the third disciple, Tang Muyan, was still at the peak of the Qi Refining stage and had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

Seeing that his second disciple Wei Yunlong and fourth disciple Liu Yue had already successfully established their foundations, Song Qingming didn't seem too surprised. However, he looked at his third disciple Tang Muyan, who hadn't yet established his foundation, with some confusion.

When Song Qingming left, he had already anticipated that he might not be able to return for a while while traveling, so he rewarded each of the three of them with 5,000 points of sect merit.

Given that they already had some savings, it shouldn't have been difficult for them to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill in the sect's "Good Deeds Pavilion".

Thirty years have passed, and Tang Muyan's cultivation has reached the peak of Qi Refining, but he still has not prepared to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm. Something is clearly wrong with this.

"Mu Yan's cultivation has reached that level, so why isn't he preparing to establish his foundation? Is it because he hasn't accumulated enough merit points yet?"

Upon hearing Song Qingming's question, Tang Muyan was about to explain when Liu Yue, who was standing to the side, knelt down first.

“Master, my third senior brother had actually reached the ninth level of Qi Refining six years ago. The reason he was unable to go into seclusion to establish his foundation is all my fault, which delayed his cultivation.”

I beg Master to punish this disciple, and not to wrongly blame my senior brother!

"Junior sister, why are you saying all this? It was all my own choice, how can I blame you for it?" Seeing the self-reproach on Liu Yue's face, Tang Muyan quickly stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and explained.

Seeing that his two junior brothers and sisters beside him had already knelt down, Wei Yunlong did not think much and knelt down as well.

Seeing this, Huang Siyuan, who was sitting to the side, quickly used her magic to help the three of them up and said in a friendly manner, "What are you doing? If you have something to say, just get up and talk it out."

Now that your master and I are back, is there anything that can't be resolved?

"Yunlong, you should speak!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Upon hearing Huang Siyuan's question, Wei Yunlong, the senior brother, quickly explained the whole story to Song Qingming and the other person in front of him.

Back then, after Song Qingming and his companion went on their travels, Wei Yunlong and his two siblings lived a relatively comfortable life on "Red Cloud Mountain" because of their status as direct disciples of the sect's Nascent Soul Ancestor.

The group already possessed many spiritual items bestowed upon them by Song Qingming and his wife. In addition, Song Yuanhao and Senior Brother Bai Jingyun would occasionally come to check on them and offer assistance. Soon, all three of them successfully cultivated to the peak of Qi Refining.

Wei Yunlong was exceptionally gifted, being a cultivator with a lightning spiritual root. His foundation-building process was also very smooth, and he became a foundation-building cultivator ten years ago.

Seven years later, the fourth disciple, Liu Yue, also reached the peak of Qi Refining and began to cultivate in seclusion to establish her foundation.

Unfortunately, although Liu Yue successfully obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect's "Good Deeds Pavilion," an accident occurred during her seclusion, and she failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm like Wei Yunlong.

Logically speaking, with Liu Yue possessing dual-attribute earth spiritual roots and the assistance of the "Foundation Building Pill," her chances of successfully establishing her foundation should be at least 70% to 80%.

Even with such a high success rate, unexpected situations occasionally occur, and she happened to fail at this hurdle on her first attempt at Foundation Establishment. Fortunately, with the protection of the Foundation Establishment Pill, Liu Yue's physical body was not greatly affected after the failure, but her state of mind became depressed because of this failed seclusion.

Seeing that their usually lively junior sister had suddenly become sullen and had lost her smile all day, Wei Yunlong and the others were very worried.

Later, after discussing it with their senior brother Bai Jingyun, Wei Yunlong and Bai Jingyun decided to pool together more than 8,000 merit points to help Liu Yue exchange for another Foundation Establishment Pill.

This time, Liu Yue did not disappoint everyone after all, successfully passing the Foundation Establishment stage four years ago.

However, because he lent a lot of merit points to Liu Yue, Tang Muyan naturally had less merit points to exchange for "Foundation Building Pills".

This is why, even though his cultivation had reached the peak of Qi Refining several years ago, he still hasn't been able to begin his Foundation Establishment cultivation in seclusion.

Just as Wei Yunlong finished speaking, Tang Muyan, who was standing to the side, immediately spoke up to continue explaining, "Please rest assured, Master and Mistress."

In recent years, my senior brothers and sisters have helped me accumulate a lot of merit. At most, my disciple will be able to enter seclusion and establish a foundation within two or three years, which will not delay my cultivation time much.

"This was all done willingly by my disciple and senior brother. Please, Master and Mistress, do not blame your junior sister for this."

After hearing their explanations, Song Qingming remained silent for a moment before nodding slightly and saying, "I will not blame you too much for the friendship among your fellow disciples."

However, the matter of Foundation Establishment is related to your future path, and it cannot be treated so lightly.

When I left, I told you that if you needed anything, you could ask Yuan Hao and the others for help. Why didn't you go?

"Well... Master, my second senior brother originally wanted to go find Elder Yuan Hao, but unfortunately, he had gone into seclusion a few years ago."

Now that I've accumulated enough good karma, I wanted to spend more time refining my magical powers, so I didn't bother him anymore.

Seeing the rather honest look on Tang Muyan's face as he spoke, Song Qingming knew what the other party was thinking. He definitely didn't want to trouble others too much, so he couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Alas, I know your character well, so you should not mention this matter again."

Tomorrow, Yunlong, accompany Muyan back to the sect to deliver a letter to Senior Sister Bai for me, and then go to the Merit Pavilion to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Those whose good deeds are insufficient can make up for it with spirit stones!

After saying that, Song Qingming raised his hand and took out a "spirit stone bag" and handed it to Tang Muyan, who was standing to the side.

"Master, this..."

"Take it!"

".."

Seeing the unquestionable look in Song Qingming's eyes, Tang Muyan ultimately didn't dare to say anything more and obediently accepted the spirit stones he was offered.

Wei Yunlong and Liu Yue, who were standing nearby, finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Song Qingming did not blame them for this.

Seeing that Tang Muyan had already put away the spirit stones in his hand, Huang Siyuan, who was sitting to the side, smiled and took out several prepared gifts from her person.

He went up and gave each of Tang Muyan and the other two a portion.

"Over the years, even when we weren't on the mountain, it was all thanks to you few who helped look after this place. These things are a reward from your master's wife, so please don't be shy about accepting them."

"Thank you, Master!"

Since moving to "Red Cloud Mountain" after becoming a disciple, Tang Muyan felt extremely nervous every time he saw his master, Song Qingming.

Only in front of Huang Siyuan did the three of them not appear too reserved, and upon hearing that there would be gifts to reward them, they immediately showed some anticipation in their eyes.

The items Huang Siyuan prepared for the three of them were all valuable second-level spiritual pills. Foundation Establishment cultivators could save at least a few years of arduous cultivation time after taking them, and these were all spiritual items that were of great use to them at present.

Upon seeing the elixir in their hands, Tang Muyan and the other two were filled with excitement and hurriedly stepped forward to kowtow and express their gratitude.

After Song Qingming gave them some final instructions, the group departed and returned to their respective caves.

After seeing Tang Muyan and the others off, Song Qingming turned around and walked around the cave, tidying up the various parts.

After being away for decades, Song Qingming finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the familiar sights and objects in the cave.

"I'm finally back!"

After settling his puppets, spirit beasts, and spirit insects, Song Qingming came out again to have tea and chat with Huang Siyuan before returning to his secluded stone chamber for cultivation.

Recently, in order to rush back to the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range", Song Qingming has not been able to go into seclusion for cultivation for a long time.

Now that he has returned to his cave, he can finally put aside all the many things on his mind and properly go into seclusion to cultivate.

Song Qingming took out a white futon and sat down cross-legged. He reached out and gently touched the "storage magic item" at his waist, and a golden ball of light appeared in his hand. He then placed it in front of him.

Before long, under Song Qingming's spell, pure golden spiritual light emerged from the "golden ball of light," then wrapped around Song Qingming and was slowly absorbed into his body.

The "golden orbs of light" that Song Qingming took out were the "golden relics" that he had previously exchanged with the Buddhist master Amoghavajra.

This is because he successfully practiced the secret Buddhist methods taught by "Master Amoghavajra".

After refining a "Golden Light Relic", Song Qingming not only greatly enhanced his physical strength, but also successfully entered the late stage of the Golden Core realm in his "Heaven-Reaching Myriad Spirits Technique" which he had cultivated for many years.

Having received such great benefits, Song Qingming felt as if he had smelled a delicious spiritual feast, and was unable to resist it.

Later, Song Qingming, who was at the "Golden Sword Workshop", found the temple where Master Bukong was again through Liang Jianxuan's connection, and exchanged the spiritual items in his hand for several "Golden Light Relics" of similar quality.

Before leaving Xihuazhou, Song Qingming made sure to pay a final visit.

Unfortunately, when they visited for the last time, the "Master Bukong" no longer had the item, making Song Qingming and his companions' trip a waste.

Seeing that Song Qingming seemed somewhat obsessed with refining the "Golden Light Relic," Master Bukong was also puzzled and kindly offered some advice.

After all, while a spiritual object of the "Golden Light Relic" level can strengthen a cultivator's physical body, refining such an object is also a very time-consuming and laborious task.

Normally, it would take a Nascent Soul cultivator at least several decades of hard work to completely refine a level four "Golden Light Relic," which would definitely have some impact on their cultivation.

Most people would only refine one or two relics in their lifetime, but Song Qingming had exchanged three "Golden Light Relics" from him in succession, which would be enough even if he distributed them to other people around him.

Of course, "Master Amoghavajra" was unaware of this.

Because Song Qingming possessed the incomplete map, his speed in refining spiritual objects was several times that of ordinary cultivators, and he would not waste too much of his cultivation time refining the "Golden Light Relic".

The reason he sought so many "golden relics" was to use them to quickly cultivate the "Heavenly Myriad Spirits Technique" within his body to the Golden Core Perfection realm.

In that case, when they meet again next time, the spirit of the "Xuantian" artifact should look at him with new respect!

Moreover, refining the "Golden Relic" can greatly enhance a cultivator's physical body. Song Qingming, who has successfully refined a relic over the years, now feels that his physical body is significantly stronger than before.

Improving a cultivator's physical strength can also significantly enhance their defensive and combat abilities.

In the world of cultivation, many body cultivators who study body-refining techniques have cultivated their physical bodies to the highest level, even surpassing those powerful demonic beasts of the same rank.

Even more impressively, some can fight against cultivators of the same level without relying on magic weapons, and their prowess is no less than that of sword cultivators.

However, although the body-refining path of body cultivators is powerful, its cultivation process is also extremely painful, which is by no means something that ordinary cultivators can endure. Therefore, there are not many cultivators in the cultivation world who specialize in this path.

Although Song Qingming's current level of physical improvement is still far from being as powerful as those body cultivators who specialize in body refining techniques.

However, as long as he can refine the remaining two "golden relics" on his body, his physical body will probably be several times stronger than it is now, and he should be able to barely be considered a half-body refiner.

If he has the opportunity to acquire more high-level spiritual items for body refinement like the "Golden Relic" in the future, Song Qingming is confident that he can continue to improve his physical strength.
-
Just as Song Qingming returned to his cave to focus on his secluded cultivation, in the "Council Hall" of the market town at the foot of the mountain, Chen Xuanxin and many other Golden Core cultivators all wore worried expressions.

"Senior Brother Chen, I've done a quick investigation. It turns out that the people from Fengrui Pavilion were trying to swindle a Qi Refining cultivator out of his spirit stones, which is why the enforcement team was alerted."

We hadn't heard anything about Uncle Song returning to the sect before, so I guess he just happened to be there when he came back.

As soon as Luo Qingyun finished speaking, Zhou Yuquan, who was sitting to the side, quickly stood up and explained, "Fellow Daoist Chen, it's all because I didn't manage my subordinates properly that this happened."

I have already had those idiots and those guys from Fengrui Pavilion taken back to the Enforcement Hall for punishment.

I would appreciate it if Fellow Daoist Chen could speak to Senior Song and see if it would be possible to hand over Junior Nephew Zhang to me to take back to the sect for further processing.

This matter is ultimately for the sake of our clan's reputation, so I humbly request that you all put in a good word for me. I, Zhou, will be eternally grateful.

Seeing Zhou Yuquan's polite demeanor as he bowed to everyone present, Chen Xuanxin quickly stood up and waved his hand, saying:

“Fellow Daoist Zhou, there’s no need for that. I can help convey this message to Uncle-Master Song, but I don’t know how Uncle-Master Song will respond.”

I remember reminding you all a long time ago, but this still happened. I think the enforcement team really needs to take a step back and do something about it.”

"Brother Chen is right. Some people in the enforcement team have indeed gone too far over the years. This matter is probably not that simple."

I recall that something similar had happened at Fengrui Pavilion before, but I've been busy scouting the movements of the monsters in the north lately and haven't had time to investigate it.

If they didn't have powerful backers, they probably wouldn't have been so bold.

Upon hearing Chen Xuanxin's somewhat displeased warning, Song Yuanhao, who had been sitting quietly to the side, suddenly chimed in.

Hearing the implied meaning in Song Yuanhao's tone, another person in the room quickly smiled and nodded, saying:
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Song is right. However, even if we are willing, we cannot prevent all the swindling and deception in the market."

Frankly speaking, this kind of thing is the same everywhere, and it doesn't necessarily mean they have some powerful backer.
However, it was indeed our fault that Senior Song ran into us this time; we should be more careful next time.”

"..." (End of Chapter)