Qinghe Immortal Clan.

One year later, on Taiyue Lake in western Wei State.

After the "monster turmoil," as the main force of the monsters in the lake retreated back to the Water Palace, many islands on the shore of Taiyue Lake that had been occupied by monsters gradually returned to the hands of human cultivators.

On the west side of this island controlled by human cultivators, there is a small market town where many cultivators and mortals live. The streets are bustling with people.

"Hey! Look what's that?"

A sudden exclamation rang out from the crowd, and everyone quickly looked up at the sky, where they saw a purple streak of light rapidly approaching the island from afar.

Once the purple light stopped above the island, it soon transformed into a beautifully crafted purple flying vehicle, with figures faintly visible moving above it.

"May I ask, which Foundation Establishment senior is this, that he has such a grand manner?"

"Hmph! You guys really have no knowledge. This flying vehicle is clearly a high-level magic weapon. How could an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator control it?"

"What? Could it be a Golden Core elder from the Free and Unfettered Sect? How is that possible?"

".."

The market was frequented only by ordinary people from the vicinity of Wei Kingdom and low-level cultivators in the Qi Refining stage; even Foundation Establishment cultivators were rarely seen.

The sight of such an exquisite flying car suddenly appearing in mid-air immediately drew everyone's attention, and they all began to speculate about which important figure had arrived.

Just as everyone was filled with doubt, a middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator who managed the market also noticed the purple flying car that had suddenly appeared above and was about to go forward to take a look.

Before he could even step onto his flying sword and get closer, several powerful beams of light suddenly shot out from the market below and landed on the purple flying chariot before him.

Sensing that the auras of these people were all far superior to his own, the middle-aged man, who was already near the flying car, was momentarily frightened and at a loss for what to do.

Just as the middle-aged man was caught in a dilemma, a white figure suddenly landed on the purple flying car and blocked his way.

"Disciple greets Martial Uncle Wu!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, who turned out to be a Golden Core Elder from the sect, the middle-aged man hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully with a somewhat nervous expression.

"Junior Nephew Lin, we are just passing through today, there's nothing more for you to do, you should go back first!"

"Uncle-Master, rest assured, I understand."

After nodding slightly, the middle-aged man immediately turned and left on his sword. However, when his gaze swept over a figure in a green robe on the flying chariot, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.

"Who could it be that Uncle Wu would personally come to pick someone up?"

"Could that figure really be that ancestor? Why would he suddenly come here?"

The middle-aged man, who had a suspicion in mind, remembered that the other party had just come out of the market he managed. His expression changed immediately, and he was so frightened that he almost lost his footing.

".."

"Junior Brother Song, I am so sorry. I was delayed at the Good Deeds Pavilion and arrived half a day late. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's alright. Since we rarely get to go out, we just happened to take a stroll around the area and enjoyed the scenery on the lake."

In the purple flying car high in the sky, Bai Yuxian smiled slightly as she looked at Song Qingming and the others who had come to join her. She quickly reached out and invited everyone inside, and asked several Golden Core disciples to brew tea to welcome the guests.

After returning the greeting with a raised hand, Song Qingming scanned the area with his divine sense.

Several years have passed, and Bai Yuxian's aura has changed noticeably compared to before.

Furthermore, Song Qingming sensed a familiar aura from her, so it was no surprise that she had successfully switched to cultivating the "Purple Sun Divine Light Technique," and her cultivation seemed to have improved considerably.

Song Qingming has been cultivating the "Purple Sun Divine Light Technique" for many years, but this technique has remained at the late Golden Core stage, which has not had a significant impact on his cultivation.

Bai Yuxian's remarkable achievements in just over six years are truly surprising to Song Qingming.

It seems that, just as he expected, Bai Yuxian, with her Heavenly Spiritual Root, was cultivating the "Purple Sun Divine Light Technique" at a speed far exceeding that of a cultivator with only four spiritual roots like himself.

"Senior Sister Bai's flying car is still the prettiest. It's much more comfortable to ride in than Brother Qi's flying boat."

Standing to the side, Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi looked at the exquisite and gorgeous flying car in front of them and immediately pulled Li Xuanyi to quickly enter it.

Bai Yuxian's purple flying chariot is a low-grade fourth-level flying magic weapon.

Although its speed is slightly slower than Song Qingming's level 4 mid-grade "White Bone Flying Boat".

However, the interior of the flying vehicle is more than ten zhang long and wide, and it is divided into upper and lower sides. Its area is several times larger than that of the White Bone Boat, and it is equivalent to a small pavilion in the air.

The interior of the flying car was exquisitely decorated, and Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi, who both loved beauty, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Seeing the envious looks on Song Qingyu and her companion's faces, Bai Yuxian gently shook her head and stepped forward to reply:
"Hehe! This flying car is only good for looking at. Its speed is still not as good as Junior Brother Song's White Bone Flying Boat. Qingyu, please don't laugh at me, a commoner."

"Junior Brother Song, you must be tired from your journey. I just happened to prepare some freshly picked spiritual tea from the mountain. Please sit down and have a taste."

After smiling and inviting them to sit down, Bai Yuxian dismissed her disciples and personally served them spiritual tea.

But as soon as her gaze fell on Li Xuanyi beside her, a hint of surprise suddenly appeared in her eyes, and she couldn't help but ask:

"Huh! I remember that Junior Sister Li only just advanced to the third level of the Nascent Soul stage a few years ago. How come she broke through her realm again so quickly? Junior Sister's cultivation is progressing so rapidly. Could it be that she has encountered some kind of fortuitous opportunity while traveling recently?"

When everyone had just gathered, Bai Yuxian was busy greeting everyone and did not notice the changes in Li Xuanyi for a moment.

Only when she got closer did she suddenly realize that Li Xuanyi's cultivation had somehow broken through to the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage, which truly surprised her.

It should be noted that Li Xuanyi only broke through to the third level of the Nascent Soul realm after returning from the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom, thanks to the "Golden Spirit Pill" given to her by Jin Yue, which was only a little over ten years ago.

When Bai Yuxian met Li Xuanyi six years ago, Li Xuanyi had only accumulated about half of his magical power and was still a long way from advancing to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Based on the normal cultivation speed of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would take her at least twenty years to reach the peak of the third level of Nascent Soul and begin attempting to break through the bottleneck of the mid-stage Nascent Soul.

However, in just six years, Li Xuanyi has already successfully broken through to the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage. Such a cultivation speed really surprised her, which is why she couldn't help but ask a question out of curiosity.

Sitting opposite her, Li Xuanyi could only calmly accept the spiritual tea offered by Bai Yuxian, despite the doubt in her tone.

"Senior sister, don't overthink it. Xuan Yi has been staying on the mountain all these years and hasn't gone out to travel. It was only recently, with her husband's guidance, that she had a breakthrough in her cultivation technique and was fortunate enough to advance to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

Senior Sister Bai was only four hundred years old when she reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage. My cultivation speed is far inferior to yours.

"Oh! I see. I didn't realize that my junior brother had a part in this."

Seeing Bai Yuxian suddenly glance at him with some curiosity, Song Qingming pretended not to notice and quickly picked up the spiritual tea on the table and took a sip with a serious expression.

"It has a refreshing taste, like drinking morning dew, and a beautiful color. It has a sweet aftertaste. It is truly a fine tea!"

Li Xuanyi's cultivation level suddenly improved so much, and Song Qingming's help was indeed a factor in this.

However, the real reason was not the martial arts technique she mentioned.

Although Li Xuanyi and Song Qingming became true Daoist partners at the dual cultivation celebration held at Yunlong Mountain.

However, the two have been cultivating in their respective caves all these years and have not broken through the final layer of their relationship.

It wasn't until half a year ago, after Song Qingyu advanced to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, that she and Song Qingming began to cultivate the dual cultivation secret technique left behind by the "Twin Saints of Ziyang" in order to increase their cultivation speed.

Unexpectedly, on their first joint cultivation of the secret technique, Li Xuanyi broke through the bottleneck directly by relying on the power of Yin-Yang fusion, raising her cultivation to the fourth level of the Nascent Soul realm.

Meanwhile, Song Qingming's internal magical power also increased significantly because it was his first time practicing this secret technique.

Originally, he was still a long way from the eighth level of the Nascent Soul realm, but now he has accumulated more than half of his magical power, which has shortened his arduous cultivation time by at least forty or fifty years.

It is estimated that in about twenty years, he will be able to cultivate his internal magical power to perfection and attempt to break through to the eighth level of the Nascent Soul realm.

However, compared to Li Xuanyi's easy advancement to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, the benefits Song Qingming received were not as obvious, which is why Bai Yuxian did not notice anything unusual about him.

Seeing that Song Qingming suddenly changed the subject and began to discuss tea and philosophy.

Bai Yuxian quickly poured him a cup herself and presented it to him with a smile.

"Junior brother, since you like this spiritual tea so much, shall I have some sent to Crimson Cloud Mountain another day?"

"I feel ashamed that you have taken such good care of my appetite, Senior Sister. I don't know how to thank you."

"It's just some spiritual tea from the mountain, nothing rare or precious. Junior brother, there's no need to be so polite with me. If you really want to thank me, you can give me some pointers on my cultivation technique sometime in the future."

"what."

Song Qingming, who had just picked up his teacup, stopped abruptly, seemingly out of curiosity, before he could even taste it.

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanyi and Song Qingyu's expressions changed slightly, and they looked at Song Qingming, who was not far away, with some curiosity.

"Junior brother, what's wrong? Is there something troubling you?"

"It's nothing, how could I dare disobey my senior sister's orders!"

".."

While the group was chatting, the flying chariot, controlled by several Golden Core disciples on the lower level, transformed into a streak of purple light and sped westward across the lake.

The reason why Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, and the others headed west was to attend the bi-hundred-year trade fair of the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom".

Having a rare opportunity to attend such a significant "trade conference," the group naturally brought along many junior members of their respective sects. Besides the four Nascent Soul elders: Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, and Li Xuanyi...

Also present were Song Yuanhao, Zhang Yurong, and Song Siqing, who came from Chiyun Mountain, and Luo Qingyun, Wu Yueqin, Liu Yufeng, Wang Chengxuan, and Guo Jingzhou from Guyang Mountain.

Among these Golden Core disciples, only Song Yuanhao and Luo Qingyun had been in the Golden Core stage for a relatively long time; the other six were all sect elders who had formed their Golden Cores within the last hundred years.

The reason for bringing these newly promoted Golden Core cultivators along was to let them broaden their horizons and see the vastness of the cultivation world outside.

Because the "Ice-Fire Flood Dragon" was still in seclusion trying to break through its cultivation level, Song Qingming did not take it with him on this trip, and left his own avatar behind to protect it.

Besides Li Mufeng, the Nascent Soul Ancestor, Weiguo also has "Wind Ape" stationed at the front line of Golden Feather Mountain. Even if so many of them leave together, the sect will not be greatly affected.

After the flying boat passed through Taiyue Lake, it quickly met up with the cultivators from Tianji Sect, Xingchen Sect, and Yuxiao Sect as agreed.

Besides familiar faces Yang Fengyu and Chen Yunxiao, the "Star Gate" sent not Zheng Zitong and Ye Linyuan this time, but Liu Zongping, who had recently formed his Nascent Soul.

Liu Zongping had only been at the Nascent Soul stage for a few decades, and his cultivation was still at the first level. Song Qingming was somewhat surprised to see that Liu Zongping was the one leading the team.

After some questioning, it was learned that Zheng Zitong, the Grand Elder of the "Star Gate," had been in seclusion for more than ten years.

Another Supreme Elder, Ye Linyuan, went on a journey a few years ago and has not yet returned.

Left with no other choice, and not wanting to miss this rare trade fair, the Starry Sky Sect had no choice but to send Liu Zongping, the newly promoted Nascent Soul Ancestor, to lead the group out.

Upon hearing that Zheng Zitong had been in seclusion for so long and had not yet chosen to emerge, Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, and the others exchanged glances and quickly guessed that he was probably trying to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage.

Since Song Qingming suddenly advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage and became the only great cultivator in the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range," many people have begun to stir their desires again in recent years.

The two Nascent Soul cultivators who were most affected were Wang Yan of the "Ten Thousand Spirits Sect" and Zheng Zitong of the "Starry Sky Sect".

Before Song Qingming advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage, the "Wanling Sect" and "Xingchen Sect" were the dominant forces on both sides of the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

Now, however, they are relegated to the ranks of the rising star, the "Xiaoyao Sect." Wang Yan and Zheng Zitong are naturally somewhat unwilling to accept this, and they constantly hope that they can also take this step.

But the late Nascent Soul stage is not so easy to comprehend.

Among the nearly twenty Nascent Soul cultivators in the Floating Cloud Mountains, six have reached the sixth level of Nascent Soul cultivation: Wang Yan, Yang Fengyu, Zheng Zitong, Li Mufeng, Fu Yungui, and Bai Yuxian.

Apart from Bai Yuxian, the other five have all lived to be over a thousand years old.

Both Wang Yan and Zheng Zitong have almost exhausted their potential in this life, so the probability of them advancing to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm is very slim.

In comparison, the new generation of Nascent Soul cultivators, such as Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, and Ye Linyuan, are still far behind the older Nascent Soul cultivators in terms of cultivation level.

However, they still have relatively long lifespans, enough time to find their own opportunities, and the probability of breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage is actually higher.

After meeting up with Yang Fengyu and the others, the group crossed Taiyue Lake and soon encountered several other cultivators from various sects led by Chu Lingyun.

Compared to two hundred years ago, with the passing of Zhao Wuling and the rise of Song Qingming, the power dynamics between the east and west of the "Floating Cloud Mountains" have shifted.

Back when everyone participated in the Donghuang Sword Tournament, the "Wanling Sect" was the leader, but now the "Xiaoyao Sect" is taking the lead.

".."

After a long journey of several months, the group from the "Floating Cloud Mountains" quickly crossed the Illusionary Sea Desert and entered the territory of the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom.

Two hundred years ago, the organization responsible for hosting the "Donghuang Sword Tournament" was the Tianyu Sect, one of the three major Nascent Soul cultivator forces in the Donghuang Kingdom.

This time, it was the turn of the Yuanzhou sect "Dangmo Palace," which was familiar with Song Qingming.

As soon as the flying boat arrived near the market town of "Dangmo Mountain", the Nascent Soul Elder of Dangmo Palace, who had received the news in advance, took the initiative to come to the door to greet it.

As soon as the flying car landed, Song Qingming saw a somewhat familiar figure walking towards him from afar.

"Fellow Daoist Song, it's been many years! I never expected you to have advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage. Congratulations!"

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhu."

The person who came to greet them was none other than Zhu Qizheng, the elder of the Demon-Slaying Palace who had fought alongside Song Qingming in the "Tianhai Immortal Cultivation World".

The two had not seen each other for decades, and Zhu Qizheng's cultivation had advanced further to the fifth level of the Nascent Soul realm.

However, compared to Song Qingming, who had already advanced to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, his progress was rather lackluster, and he still looked at the person in front of him with some envy.

"Fellow Daoist Song, the Third Elder is currently busy and cannot get away. He has already sent word to me to make arrangements for everyone first, and he will come to see you once he is done with his business."

"Then I will trouble Fellow Daoist Zhu!"

The Third Elder that Zhu Qizheng mentioned was Lü Yue, who had specially gone to Yunlong Mountain to offer his congratulations when Song Qingming and Li Xuanyi held their celebration.

The Demon-Slaying Palace originally had five Nascent Soul stage cultivators, the most powerful of whom was the Grand Elder "True Man Bright Moon," who had advanced to the Half-Step Divine Transformation realm, and the Sect Leader He Yuliang.

The remaining three are the Second Elder Hu Canghai, the Third Elder Li Yunxia, ​​and the Fourth Elder Lü Yue.

A few years ago, because the Third Elder Li Yunxia passed away in the sect after her lifespan was exhausted, Lü Yue, who was originally the Fourth Elder, followed the sect's custom and took a step forward to become the Third Elder.

Upon seeing Zhu Qizheng coming to greet him, Song Qingming guessed that it was probably arranged by Lü Yue, and quickly nodded in agreement.

Under Zhu Qizheng's arrangement, the group soon settled down in a pavilion on the west side of the market.

I remember when Song Qingming came here, there weren't so many pavilions around here. It seems that they were built temporarily for this "trade conference".

Besides Song Qingming and others, there were also many other cultivators from other sects living in the pavilion, many of whom were also Nascent Soul cultivators.

They had been traveling for more than half a year, and whether it was Song Qingyu, Bai Yuxian and the others, or the Golden Core cultivators like Zhang Yurong who followed them, they had all been feeling frustrated for a long time.

Having finally arrived in the market, before they could even settle in, the group began to go out for a stroll.

Having visited "Dangmo Mountain" twice before, Song Qingming was already very familiar with the market town at the foot of the mountain, and he also asked Bai Yuxian and the others to be his guides.

As the "Trade Conference" approached, the market was already packed with people. Besides Song Qingming and his group from other sects who had come from afar, there were mostly local cultivators from the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom.

Compared to the trade fair held by the "Tianyu Sect" back then, the "Dangmo Palace" has also put in a lot of effort this time, and its scale is no less than that of two hundred years ago.

Having finally had the chance to come here, Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, and the others naturally made a large-scale purchase of spiritual items.

Zhang Yurong and the others following behind them also began to get busy.

In less than half an hour, Song Qingming and his group saw many high-level spiritual items that were rarely seen on the market.

Even spiritual items like "Foundation Building Pills" and "Five Elements Core Formation Pills," which are strategic resources that are extremely important to sects, can be found in the market shops.

Although the price of such spiritual items is about 10% higher than usual, it still attracts many cultivators to come and buy them.

After strolling around with everyone for a while, Song Qingming, who was gradually losing interest as everyone had already bought quite a few things, suggested that they return to their lodgings first.

But soon after he finished speaking, Bai Yuxian, Li Xuanyi and the others shook their heads in opposition, so he had no choice but to accompany them for several more hours.

Fortunately, with so many people together, Song Qingming didn't have to spend any special effort dealing with Bai Yuxian and the others.

Aside from being a little bored, he didn't feel too tired.

Only after nightfall did the group cross the street and return to the western pavilion, satisfied.

As Song Qingming approached his room, he saw a middle-aged man standing at the door, seemingly waiting for someone.

Before he could ask anything, the man saw Song Qingming and Li Xuanyi and immediately walked over with a delighted expression.

"Senior Song, I have come on the orders of the Third Elder to invite you to my residence for a chat."

"So it was Elder Lü who sent you. Please wait a moment, young friend."

After turning around and giving Li Xuanyi a few instructions, Song Qingming followed the man out of the pavilion and then arrived at a cave on "Dangmo Mountain".

More than a decade has passed, and Lü Yue is no different from before, still possessing the air of a profound and unfathomable elder.

"Fellow Daoist Song, it's quite a coincidence that we're here today. Let me introduce you. This is Senior Brother He from our sect!"

To Song Qingming's surprise, besides Lü Yue, there was also a middle-aged man wearing a silver crown in the cave, who was none other than He Yuliang, the leader of the "Demon-Slaying Palace".

When they followed the Demon-Slaying Palace army to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" to exorcise demons, He Yuliang personally saw them off, and Song Qingming had also met him before.

Upon seeing each other again, he quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Sect Leader He!"

"Hehe! I visited Junior Brother Lü today, and I never expected to have the honor of meeting Fellow Daoist Song, a young talent from the Floating Cloud Mountains. I pay my respects."

After exchanging greetings, Lü Yue quickly invited the two to sit down and had steaming hot spiritual tea served.

The three chatted for a few moments, and seeing that the atmosphere was right, Lü Yue picked up his teacup and asked Song Qingming:
"Fellow Daoist Song, since you've come to participate in the sword competition, have you registered for the upcoming sword trials?"

"This trip has finally given me the opportunity to learn from various masters, and I certainly don't want to miss it. May I ask what advice you have for me?"

Faced with Song Qingming's somewhat puzzled question, Lü Yue exchanged a glance with He Yuliang beside him before slowly speaking:

"Fellow Daoist Song, to be honest, the reason I invited you here is that my sect has a favor to ask of you!" (End of Chapter)