Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Back when he was forced to break through to the Nascent Soul realm in the East Sea, Song Qingming made a promise with Qu Bai to help him, saying that he would do something for Qu Bai after he successfully formed his Nascent Soul.

Two hundred years passed in the blink of an eye, but Qu Bai never brought up the matter himself. Song Qingming was also often concerned about it, wondering what the other party wanted him to do for him.

When Qu Bai first met Song Qingming, he was just a primordial spirit who had lost his physical body. He could barely exert the strength of the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm with the help of the puppet in his hand.

Unexpectedly, in just two hundred years, this guy's strength has improved by leaps and bounds, and he is actually able to refine a puppet at the late Nascent Soul stage to possess.

Song Qingming was also curious at this moment, wondering what the other party could possibly need his help with given their current formidable strength.

Upon hearing Song Qingming bring up the agreement from back then, Qu Bai remained silent for a moment before nodding slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Song is right. The reason I have come back to find you is precisely because of the promise we made back then."

However, what I want to do is still a bit beyond your current strength. It would be best to wait until you advance to the late Nascent Soul stage.

In addition, I need to refine a high-level magic weapon, and I need your help to collect some high-level materials.”

After saying that, Qu Bai used his magic to take out a scroll and threw it to Song Qingming, who was not far away.

After examining the scroll he held to his forehead, he...

The next moment, Song Qingming's face immediately showed a look of shock, and he looked at the other party with a puzzled expression.

"This is a level five spiritual treasure. Senior, you actually want to refine something like this? Are you joking with me?"

Since bringing Qu Bai to "Yinfeng Ridge", Song Qingming has helped him search for special materials needed to refine magic weapons and puppets over the years.

But in the past, the things Qu Bai asked him to find were basically ordinary level three or four spiritual items that could be found on the market.

This time, however, the scroll he gave Song Qingming contained records of various high-level materials needed to refine a level 5 "spiritual treasure".

This really surprised him; he thought the other party had given him the wrong thing.

Faced with the doubt on Song Qingming's face, Qu Bai calmly waved his hand and said, "Fellow Daoist Song, please don't be anxious. We have known each other for so many years. When have I ever deliberately made fun of you?"

To be honest, what I'm trying to refine isn't the real spiritual treasure inside, but rather a replica of it—something you call a replica spiritual treasure.

Although the imitation spirit treasure is not a real spirit treasure, we Nascent Soul cultivators can still unleash about 20% of the power of a real spirit treasure when we wield it.

"You've been at the Nascent Soul stage for several hundred years now, surely you haven't heard of such a spiritual object in the cultivation world!"

"So that explains why Senior Qu would suddenly want to refine a level-five spiritual treasure!"

When I was traveling before, I heard a high-level weapon refiner talk about imitation magic treasures. It is said that their power and supernatural abilities are even greater than those of a fourth-grade high-quality magic treasure.

"I never imagined that you, senior, could refine something like this. I truly admire you."

Seeing Qu Bai earnestly introducing himself, Song Qingming quickly smiled and nodded in response, though he seemed to be deep in thought.

Many years ago, Song Qingming had heard about the imitation of spiritual treasures from Li Boying, and he actually had a "Ziyang Token" that had been successfully refined.

However, as Qu Bai said, only Nascent Soul cultivators can usually refine imitations of spiritual treasures.

Upon hearing that Qu Bai was actually going to collect materials to refine this item, Song Qingming found it hard to believe that the other party actually had a way to refine such a high-level spiritual item.

Seeing the lingering doubt in Song Qingming's tone, Qu Bai revealed a hint of smugness and said:
"The spiritual energy resources in this world are already so scarce that even Nascent Soul cultivators are rare. It's not your fault that you don't know some things."

However, just because you can't think of something doesn't mean I can't do it.

A few years ago, I found a piece of high-grade level four spirit wood outside to use as the main material. Fellow Daoist, you only need to help me collect the other materials inside, and I can start refining this item.

"If we can successfully refine this treasure, we'll have a 60-70% chance of completing this task. If, in addition, Fellow Daoist Song's cultivation advances to the late Nascent Soul stage, then it should be a sure thing."

After speaking, Qu Bai's face showed a hint of excitement, as if what he was about to do was about to succeed.

Since meeting Qu Bai, the other party has never revealed his true identity or whether he comes from other realms above.

However, given that a mere injured and incomplete primordial spirit could unleash combat power at the Nascent Soul level, Song Qingming could guess that the person's cultivation level in life must have been extraordinary.

At his peak, Qu Bai was probably at least at the late Nascent Soul stage, or even a Deity Transformation stage cultivator.

Now that the other party has recovered to the late Nascent Soul stage, it's likely that their claim of refining imitation spiritual treasures isn't just empty talk.

Seeing Qu Bai's confident tone, Song Qingming nodded slightly and put the scroll in his hand into his storage bag at his waist, thus accepting the task.

"Since Senior Qu has already found the main material, then I will take care of the other auxiliary materials."

However, I just took a look, and there are quite a few auxiliary materials here that I've never seen before. Whether I can collect them all is up to me to the best of my ability.

"Hehe! I've been away for so many years, but I've heard of Fellow Daoist Song's reputation in the Floating Cloud Mountains. I believe you can definitely help me with this matter."

Rest assured, once this treasure is completed, as long as you fulfill our initial agreement, I can gift this replica spiritual treasure to you.

With this treasure protecting you, you will be virtually invincible among cultivators of the same level in the future, and you will not be at a disadvantage even when facing those late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Oh! Then I, Song, will thank you in advance, Senior Qu."

Although Qu Bai needs to search for a large number of auxiliary materials, including several valuable high-level spiritual items, it will cost at least two or three hundred thousand spirit stones.

But when he heard that the other party was willing to give him the "imitation spirit treasure" that he had refined after the agreement was reached, Song Qingming was immediately overjoyed and bowed to thank him.

It should be known that in the cultivation world, a replica of a spiritual treasure of this level is not something that an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator can possess, and its value is beyond measure in terms of spirit stones.

Compared to obtaining a precious spiritual item of this level, the materials needed to collect these auxiliary materials are simply insignificant.

Seeing Song Qingming's excitement, Qu Bai, standing opposite him, also showed a hint of understanding on his face.

Having dealt with Song Qingming for so many years, he knew that the other party was not one to suffer losses.

If you want the person in front of you to help you wholeheartedly in the future, you probably have to give them something in return.

"Alright! I'm busy preparing to refine the imitation spirit treasure, so I won't keep you here any longer."

"Remember, once you've gathered all the materials, bring them to me as soon as possible. It will also take me quite a while to refine this treasure. Use this time to improve your own strength."

After saying that, Qu Bai turned around and returned to the sky above the pool.

"Uh! Senior Qu, please wait a moment. I have another question I would like to ask."

"Why are you being so polite with me, fellow Daoist? Just say what you need to say!"

Hearing that Song Qingming still had doubts, Qu Bai immediately stopped and looked over again.

Seeing this, Song Qingming smiled and cupped his hands, asking, "Senior, my friend has a damaged replica of a magical treasure."

"Since Senior Qu has the ability to forge replicas of magical treasures, I wonder if he has a way to repair this one?"

“If a replica of a magical artifact is damaged, it is not impossible to repair it if the necessary materials can be found, although its power may be somewhat affected compared to before.”

"You can bring that artifact to me later so I can take a look. If it's truly worth repairing, I'll tell you what materials are needed."

"If you are willing to help, then I thank you on behalf of my friend!"

No wonder this kid agreed so readily; he was waiting for me here!

In response to Song Qingming's thanks, Qu Bai's lips twitched slightly, and he quickly smiled and waved to him.

"Hehe! We've known each other for years, it's just a small favor, no need to be so polite."

If it weren't for the fact that my cultivation hasn't fully recovered and that level-five spiritual wood is really hard to find in this world, even refining a real spiritual treasure for you wouldn't be a difficult task for me.

"As long as you help me fulfill this promise, I will never treat you unfairly in the future."

"Does Senior mean that if you can find level-five spirit wood, you can refine a true level-five spirit treasure?"

"Hahaha! You wish! Level 5 spirit wood in this world has almost disappeared outside. You can't just find it whenever you want."

Moreover, with your current cultivation level and magical power, you can barely control a replica of a magical treasure. If you want to activate a real magical treasure, you will have to wait until you reach the late Nascent Soul stage at the very least.

Don't be impatient. Focus on your cultivation and wait until you've reached a certain level before worrying about anything else!

After saying that, Qu Bai thought of Song Yushan outside again and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Ah! I see, I've learned a lot!"

".."

After bowing to Qu Bai in farewell, Song Qingming turned and walked out of the cave. Soon after, he transformed into a streak of light and left "Yinfeng Ridge".

Although Song Qingming still didn't know what the agreement Qu Bai wanted him to fulfill was when he came to see Qu Bai, he did learn a lot from him.

Even more unexpectedly, Qu Bai, who had made a promise with him, was actually able to refine a high-level spiritual object like a replica of a spiritual treasure, which truly excited Song Qingming.

If I can help the other party fulfill their agreement in the future, I will be able to obtain this replica of the magical treasure.

With his supernatural abilities, as long as he doesn't encounter a sword master like Ling Zhentian or a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator, he should be able to put up a fight against them.

If Song Qingming's cultivation were to advance further and break through to the late Nascent Soul stage, the entire Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent would likely be affected.

Apart from those rare Nascent Soul stage monsters who rarely show themselves, very few people could keep him here.

These things seem far away for Song Qingming, but he has a feeling that he will see this day sooner or later.
-

"Xiaoyao Sect", Guyang Mountain. A dozen or so Xiaoyao Sect disciples dressed in white robes stood straight in front of the mountain gate, with two level-two wolf-shaped "puppet beasts" that were more than half a person tall standing not far away.

Since Song Qingming, the Nascent Soul Grand Elder of the sect, passed down the "Puppet Technique" to the sect's Merit Pavilion decades ago, the number of disciples practicing this technique in the Free and Unfettered Sect has increased considerably over the years.

Nowadays, well-crafted puppets can be seen everywhere in the sect's merit pavilion.

Even "puppet beasts" of level two or above can now be obtained by exchanging them if you have enough merit points.

The "puppet beasts" of level three and above are few in number, only five or six in total. They are currently only kept as strategic reserves and have not been easily handed over to sect disciples for use.

These puppet beasts also played a significant role in the years-long war against the "Tianhai Alliance," helping many sect disciples save their lives on the battlefield.

This is why, although the "Free and Unfettered Sect" sent the most reinforcements among the three Nascent Soul sects, its actual losses were not greater than those of the "Starry Sky Sect" and the "Heavenly Extreme Sect".

As a white streak of light flew swiftly from afar, a young man dressed in a silver-white robe quickly appeared before the gatekeeper.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had already sensed the abnormality, quickly led all the Qi Refining disciples at the gate to meet them.

"We respectfully welcome the Supreme Elder!"

"Get up!"

After waving to the people in front of him, Song Qingming walked directly into the mountain gate and soon encountered a woman in purple who had come to greet him.

"Disciple Yueqin greets Martial Uncle Song!"

The woman in purple was named Wu Yueqin. She possessed dual spiritual roots of wood and water and was a Golden Core elder of the "Xiaoyao Sect" who had only recently formed her Golden Core over a decade ago. Her cultivation had just reached the second level of the Golden Core stage.

Wu Yueqin was a cultivator from a Foundation Establishment family in Guyang County. In her early years, due to her outstanding spiritual roots, she was sent to "Guyang Mountain" to become a disciple of Bai Yuxian.

Although Bai Yuxian has many disciples, he has more than a dozen close personal disciples.

However, Wu Yueqin stood out among her fellow disciples with her talent and hard work, and eventually succeeded in forming her Golden Core, becoming the second Golden Core cultivator trained by her.

Wu Yueqin's other senior brother was Fang Baixuan, who had already successfully formed his core long ago.

Seeing Wu Yueqin rushing over, Song Qingming nodded slightly, signaling her to stand up.

"But your master sent you to pick me up?"

"Reporting to Uncle-Master Song, Master is already waiting for you at Jade Beauty Peak and specifically instructed his disciple to come and greet you."

"Okay! Let's go to Jade Beauty Peak first!"

Song Qingming, who originally wanted to go to the sect's "Good Deeds Pavilion", changed his plans and followed Wu Yueqin to Yuxiu Peak after seeing that Bai Yuxian had taken the initiative to send someone to welcome him.

The two flew forward for a while and soon arrived at "Yuxiu Peak" where Bai Yuxian lived.

"Junior Brother Song, you've finally arrived!"

"Hehe! It's only because Senior Sister Bai invited me that I was able to see such a beautiful view of Jade Peak."

Unlike "Red Cloud Mountain" where Song Qingming is located, Guyang Mountain has been managed by "Xiaoyao Sect" for thousands of years, and its spiritual energy and scenery are significantly better.

In addition, Bai Yuxian has many disciples, with no less than a hundred living on Yuxiu Peak alone, so her cave dwelling location looks much more magnificent.

Although it wasn't his first time here, Song Qingming couldn't help but exclaim in praise every time he came here.

"Although Junior Brother Song lives in Chiyun Mountain, which is quite far away, now that you have a teleportation array to Wei Kingdom, it's not difficult for you to come back."

"In the future, if you ever have time and wish to come and enjoy the scenery here, please don't hesitate to tell Yueqin."

"Hehe. If that's what Senior Sister Bai says, then Junior Brother won't be so polite to you in the future."

".."

As the two were talking, they had already entered the main hall of the cave, where a lot of fragrant spiritual tea and fruits had been prepared!
Once the two were seated, Wu Yueqin gestured to the maids beside her, and soon only Song Qingming and Song Qingming remained in the hall, sitting opposite each other.

After taking a sip of the spiritual tea, Song Qingming finally spoke up and asked:
"Senior Sister Bai sent a message to Chiyun Mountain a few days ago. Is there something you need to talk to me about?"

Seeing this, Bai Yuxian also put down her teacup.

"Junior Brother Song, it's like this."

A few years ago, when you were away, I went with Fellow Daoist Zheng from the Starry Sky Sect to the "Thunder Cloud Sea" cultivation world to participate in a large auction and won a Nascent Soul Pill for our sect.

I called you here today to ask for your opinion on what we should do with this Infant Nourishing Pill.

Since Bai Yuxian and Song Qingming and others successively formed their Nascent Souls, the strength of the "Xiaoyao Sect" has changed dramatically. Now, both the number of cultivators and the financial resources of the sect have more than doubled compared to before.

Upon hearing the news that Bai Yuxian had won a Nurturing Pill at auction from "Lei Yuan Hai", Song Qingming was not too surprised.

It was just a little strange that she asked him about this in such a private setting, instead of discussing it with Li Mufeng and other cultivators from the sect.

"The Infant Nourishing Pill, does Senior Sister Bai mean to give this pill to Siyuan?"

Seeing that Song Qingming had seen through her thoughts at a glance, Bai Yuxian immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "Junior Sister Huang, it's been a while since you formed your Nascent Soul."

I had already discussed this with Senior Brother Li. If Junior Brother couldn't find the Nascent Soul Pill, then we would give this elixir to Junior Sister Huang.

Don't worry, Junior Brother Song. You and Junior Sister Huang have both made great contributions to the sect. This Nascent Soul Pill is rightfully yours.

Only Senior Brother Li and I know about this pill; no one else in the sect will have any objections.

I'll ask Yueqin to go to the Good Deeds Pavilion later and transfer the good deeds for you.

Having said that, Bai Yuxian took out a black wooden box from her person and handed it to Song Qingming.

Faced with the elixir so close at hand, Song Qingming pondered for a moment, but then suddenly shook his head.

“I appreciate Senior Sister Bai and Senior Brother Li’s kindness, but Si Yuan doesn’t need the Nascent Soul Pill for the time being, so let’s give it to another suitable disciple in the sect!”
. "

After waving his hand to refuse the other party's kindness, Song Qingming immediately informed Bai Yuxian, who was not far away, that Huang Siyuan had gone out to seek an opportunity to form a Nascent Soul.

Having learned that Song Qingming had gone to Donghuang Kingdom to find Huang Siyuan, Bai Yuxian thought that Song Qingming had brought her back with him this time. She never expected that these things would happen to them.

She only snapped out of her surprise after Song Qingming finished speaking.

“Junior Brother Song, Siyuan failed to form her Nascent Soul twice, perhaps it was just that her opportunity had not yet arrived. Now that she has found her own opportunity, it is a good thing.”

I believe she will return sooner or later after successfully forming her nascent soul, so you don't need to worry.

"Thank you for your comforting words, senior sister. I understand."

Faced with Bai Yuxian's reassurance, Song Qingming, who had already figured everything out in his heart, nodded slightly and did not show much worry.

"Since Junior Sister Huang doesn't need this pill for the time being, I'll take it back for now. There are quite a few people in the sect who have reached the late Golden Core stage, so I'm afraid there will be a lot of fighting over it later."

Bai Yuxian, having retrieved the "Nurture Pill," couldn't help but sigh as she recalled the scene of sects vying for spiritual pills decades ago.

Currently, within the Xiaoyao Sect, excluding Huang Siyuan who is away and has not yet returned, there are nearly thirty Golden Core elders.

Among them, there are six people whose cultivation has reached the late stage of Golden Core: Xu Ziyan, Zhou Ziyang, Fang Baixuan, Yun Nishang, Song Yuanhao, and Luo Qingyun.

Apart from Song Yuanhao and Luo Qingyun, whose cultivation levels were relatively low, the other four were all at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage and could go into seclusion at any time to break through their cultivation levels.

If they learn that a "Nurture Pill" has appeared in the sect, they will probably have to engage in another fierce competition.

However, Bai Yuxian is now handling most of the sect's affairs, so Song Qingming doesn't need to worry about them for the time being.

After chatting with Bai Yuxian for a while, Song Qingming took his leave and left her cave, arriving at the sect's "Good Deeds Pavilion".

The scroll that Qu Bai gave him contained more than thirty kinds of auxiliary materials of various sizes. After searching around the Good Deeds Pavilion, Song Qingming quickly found about half of them.

The remaining items are rare finds on the market and are not currently available in the "Xiaoyao Sect". Song Qingming can only return to "Chiyun Mountain" and slowly try to find a solution.

Fortunately, Qu Bai did not set a time limit for him to collect spiritual items, so he could slowly inquire about these things.

If all else fails, I can contact Long Ziyun and ask the "Four Seas Business Alliance" for help. Collecting all the items shouldn't be too difficult.

Before leaving "Guyang Mountain", Song Qingming made a special trip to visit Song Linxi, who was injured in the last battle in Lu State.

After more than two years of treatment and recovery, Song Linxi is now in much better condition and can walk to greet Song Qingming who comes to visit.

However, her dantian is still severely damaged, and she cannot freely use her magic power. It will probably take a long time for her to fully recover.

Although his injuries severely hampered his cultivation path, Song Linxi was still relatively lucky compared to those cultivators who lost their lives on the battlefield.

After Song Qingming patiently comforted her, the somewhat disappointed look on her face softened a little.

".."

Seeing that it was getting late, Song Qingming decided to stay overnight at "Guyang Mountain" and received many people, including Xu Ziyan, who came to visit him.

It was three days later when he set off to return to "Red Cloud Mountain".
Just as he returned to the entrance of the mountain cave, a frantic figure suddenly ran up to Song Qingming in a panic and knelt down on the ground.

"Mu Yan, why are you in such a panic? What happened?"

"Master, Fourth Junior Sister... Fourth Junior Sister and Junior Brother Song went down the mountain together?" (End of Chapter)