Qinghe Immortal Clan.

It should be noted that the spiritual resources within the cultivation world of the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom" are far richer than those in the remote "Floating Cloud Mountains".

Even though Liangzhou is the smallest of the thirteen states in terms of area, the number of cultivators within its borders is no less than the total number of cultivators in the entire "Floating Cloud Mountain Range".

Ruling over a province, the amount of spirit stones one can collect each year would be considerable.

This is definitely icing on the cake for the rapidly developing "Xiaoyao Sect". It is estimated that they will not have to worry about spirit stones for the next two hundred years.

Thinking of this, Song Qingming was also a little excited, and quickly asked the two people in front of him about the details of choosing the location.

To his disappointment, the ten major sects were to choose their respective territories according to their ranking.

The "Free and Unfettered Sect" ranked ninth in this year's Sword Tournament, and can only choose from the last two states after the top eight sects have made their selections.

This is understandable. In the previous competition for the ranking of the top ten sects, sects such as the "Heavenly Dao Sect" would take the initiative to challenge the sects ahead of them, which also involved the struggle for interests.

Song Qingming was unaware of the details beforehand, and therefore did not choose to actively challenge other opponents.

After all, in the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains," no sect has ever been selected as one of the top ten sects in thousands of years.

Song Qingming and the "Xiaoyao Sect" were entering the top ten for the first time, and no one expected that the "Xiaoyao Sect" would eventually be selected as one of the top ten sects.

Otherwise, given the relationship between Song Qingming and Lü Yue, the other party would have informed him of this matter long ago.

However, even knowing all this in advance, Song Qingming wasn't actually confident that he could defeat the top sects among the top ten cultivators.

The final result should not differ too much.

In Song Qingming's estimation, it was almost impossible for anyone to voluntarily make concessions on such a matter that concerned the sect's enormous interests.

Seeing that he didn't have any good options, he knew there was no need to trouble others to help negotiate the matter. He and Lü Yue shook their heads, indicating that they hadn't thought about it yet.

Since there's no other choice, I might as well wait until the other eight major sects have made their selections, and then consider the rest myself. That way, I won't have to spend the time and effort researching them.

Upon hearing this, Lü Yue smiled and nodded.

"Since Fellow Daoist Song says so, then let's arrange it this way for now. We will inform your sect as soon as we have any news."

Alright, I've finished saying the first thing.

Next, the second matter concerns Senior Chen, so let Fellow Daoist Feng speak on it!

After Lü Yue finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Feng Yangzi, who was sitting to the side. The latter smiled slightly, immediately stood up, took out a talisman, and handed it to Song Qingming.

"Fellow Daoist Song, our sect plans to invite some fellow cultivators to explore an ancient immortal abode in the Falling Star Sea in a while."

This was sent to you by Uncle Chen, who hopes that Fellow Daoist Song can join us in our actions.

If you are interested, please accept this talisman first. We will then activate the talisman to notify everyone to act together.

"Ancient Immortal Abode, is this matter related to Senior Chen?"

Previously, Song Qingming had already heard from Lü Yue and He Yuliang about the fact that the ancestor of the "Tianyu Sect," Chen Qingxuan, had gone to the Falling Star Sea to search for the ancient immortal abode.

When he saw Feng Yangzi appear, he already suspected that the other party might have come for this matter.

However, in order to avoid being noticed by the other party, he still pretended to be very surprised, as if he had just heard about it.

Seeing this, Lü Yue smiled slightly.

After Feng Yangzi explained again, Song Qingming nodded thoughtfully and put away the talisman that the other party had placed beside him.

"It is rare for Senior Chen to think so highly of a junior like me and invite me to do my part. How could I dare to refuse such an opportunity?"

Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Feng, I, Song, will certainly be there on time.

Previously, when He Yuliang and Lü Yue invited Song Qingming, he had already pondered this matter repeatedly in his mind.

Although the "Falling Star Sea" is the territory of the demon race, high-level demon beasts can be seen everywhere in the sea, and its danger level is no less than that of the Northern Frontier.

When Song Qingming went to "Xihua Continent" with the Heavenly Dao Sect and others, he had already witnessed the dangers involved.

But this time, with Chen Qingxuan, the Nascent Soul Ancestor, leading the team, and a group of Nascent Soul stage experts accompanying them, the situation was much better than it had been back then.

Even if we do encounter sea monsters, as long as they are not demon saints at the Nascent Soul level, there should be no danger.

An ancient immortal abode that has never been entered before—the opportunities within are enough to tempt even a Nascent Soul cultivator, let alone a Core Formation cultivator like Song Qingming.

If he could find one or two useful spiritual items inside, it would definitely be of great help to his future advancement to the Nascent Soul realm.

Even though it was somewhat dangerous, he still found it hard to convince himself to let this opportunity slip away.

Moreover, as long as he agrees to this matter, he can also gain the favor of the "Tianyu Sect" and the "Dangmo Palace", which is also a worthwhile thing for Song Qingming to do.

Putting aside the distant future, Song Yuanhao will soon enter the "Heart Refining Tower" for cultivation. If he can receive personal guidance from He Yuliang, his chances of success will undoubtedly increase significantly.

If he didn't agree to this, even if he begged He Yuliang to help him, He Yuliang might not be willing to help him sincerely.

Even if people in the cultivation world address each other as fellow Daoists, they still have to prioritize interests when dealing with others; otherwise, it's difficult to gain genuine recognition from others.

"Hehe! Since Fellow Daoist Song has agreed to this matter, then I have completed the task assigned by Uncle Chen. Thank you in advance."

".."

Not far away, Feng Yangzi and Lü Yue saw that Song Qingming agreed without much hesitation, and their faces showed some satisfaction.

In particular, Lu Yue, who came on behalf of the "Demon-Slaying Palace," couldn't help but show a hint of joy in his eyes when he looked at Song Qingming.

When he and He Yuliang invited Song Qingming, they thought that the other party had the cultivation of the late Nascent Soul stage and was not weak in supernatural powers. They thought that they could bring him along to travel together and add a lot of combat power to their side.

Unexpectedly, Song Qingming not only successfully obtained an invitation from the "Tianyu Sect", but also displayed his superb skills on the arena, defeating "Jingyue Zhenren" as a dark horse and entering the top ten of the sword competition.

In everyone's eyes, Song Qingming's supernatural abilities are now close to those of a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator, far exceeding the expectations of Lü Yue and the others.

Even among the three major powers, the Demon-Slaying Palace, there are probably only two or three people who are confident of defeating Song Qingming.

Song Qingming's agreement to go to Falling Star Sea inadvertently provided Lü Yue and his group with a very powerful ally.

When the time comes, as long as they can successfully enter the "Ancient Immortal Abode", their chances of finding treasures will certainly increase significantly.

Having achieved their two objectives, Lü Yue and Feng Yangzi did not linger and bid farewell to Song Qingming with great satisfaction.

Before leaving, Lü Yue invited Song Qingming to his residence in a few days for a chat, presumably to discuss the specifics of going to the "Ancient Immortal Abode".

After seeing off Lü Yue and Feng Yangzi, Song Qingming originally wanted to have a chat with Ling Zhentian for a while.

When he inquired with Song Qingyu and the others, he learned that Ling Zhentian had already bid farewell to Song Qingyu and the others and left "Dangmo Mountain" after he went up on the stage to receive the reward.

Unexpectedly, Ling Zhentian's personality remained so carefree; he came and left just as decisively, without even giving himself a chance to say goodbye in person.

Upon hearing this news, Song Qingming could only nod slightly with a hint of regret.

".."

After the martial arts competition ended, the "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament" was successfully completed, and Song Qingming and the others returned to their residence in the market town below Dangmo Mountain.

Although the trade fair has ended, the market in "Dangmo Mountain" is still very lively.

After all, it wasn't easy for them to come to the cultivation world of "Donghuang Kingdom". Instead of leaving, they planned to stay in the market for a few days before setting off back to Fuyun Mountain Range.

To celebrate Song Qingming's achievement of the "Xiaoyao Sect" being among the top ten sects, Bai Yuxian hosted a banquet at a restaurant in the market that night, inviting Yang Fengyu and others to attend.

During the meal, Yang Fengyu, Chu Lingyun, Fu Yungui, and others took the initiative to frequently toast Song Qingming.

Besides offering verbal congratulations, the expressions on everyone's faces also showed a greater sense of respect.

If Song Qingming's advancement to the late Nascent Soul stage and becoming a great cultivator was considered by many to have been somewhat due to luck, then this was a different story.

Now, Song Qingming has defeated "Master Jingyue" in a head-on battle and won the title of one of the top ten masters in the Sword Tournament. His strength has already surpassed that of Zhao Wuling back then, and he has deeply impressed everyone in the Floating Cloud Mountains.

Even if Song Qingming himself were being polite, no one would believe that his achievements were merely due to good luck.

Unbeknownst to them, everyone present realized that the person in front of them had already reached a height that was beyond their reach.

Even Bai Yuxian, her fellow disciple, felt the same way after witnessing Song Qingming repeatedly shatter her perception of him.

Although Bai Yuxian and Song Qingming appear to be only one realm apart in cultivation, the gap between them has already widened considerably.

Even if Bai Yuxian is able to advance to the late Nascent Soul stage as she wishes, she will still have a long way to go to catch up with Song Qingming.

Meanwhile, Song Qingming also felt that the way people were looking at him had changed significantly compared to before.

However, he remained very calm and always had a smile on his face no matter who came up to toast him. He did not put on any airs just because he had become one of the top ten masters.

After the banquet ended, gazing at the bright moon in the sky, Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, and the others seemed not yet satisfied and led everyone to stroll around the streets.

Song Qingming and Li Xuanyi didn't intend to stay with them any longer. After strolling around the streets for a while, they quickly returned to their residence.

Because his injuries had not yet fully healed, Song Qingming quickly found a place to sit cross-legged and begin to treat his injuries after returning to his room.

He had only just entered meditation when a fluctuation suddenly came from the magic array outside the door.

Li Xuanyi, who was still brewing tea nearby, quickly opened a corner of the barrier upon seeing this, and a sound transmission talisman flew swiftly into her hand.

After opening the talisman and taking a look, Li Xuanyi showed a hint of surprise and walked towards Song Qingming's location with a smile.

"My lord, it is Fellow Daoist Zhou and Uncle Meng Liang who have come to visit. I suppose they have come specifically to congratulate you!"

"Yes! Please invite them in first." As a Nascent Soul Immortal Clan from the Southern Continent of the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom, the Li family of "Yunlong Mountain" also has members attending the Eastern Phoenix Sword Gathering.

Because Li Boying's lifespan was limited and it was inconvenient for him to go out, the people who came with him were Li Mengliang and Zhou Daoping, who had just formed his Nascent Soul.

Previously, Song Qingming and his group had already met Li Mengliang and his companion in the market, and had even been invited to their home for tea and a chat.

Upon learning that Li Mengliang and Zhou Daoping had come to visit, Song Qingming immediately ended his meditation and personally went to the door with Li Xuanyi to invite the two in.

"I was unaware that Fellow Daoist Zhou and Senior Meng Liang had come to visit. I hope you will forgive my lack of hospitality."

"Hehe! Qingming, you're too kind. You and Xuanyi are all family to us, so there's no need to be so formal."

In this martial arts competition, Qingming successfully won a place in the top ten, which can be considered as bringing honor to our Yunlong Mountain. How could I not come to congratulate him?

This is just a small token of my appreciation; I hope you and Xuanyi won't find it offensive.

Seeing the wooden box that Li Mengliang took out from his body, Song Qingming and Li Xuanyi, who was standing next to him, were both a little surprised and quickly stepped forward to wave their hands.

"Senior Meng Liang, you are too kind. I was fortunate enough to make it into the top ten in this martial arts competition, but it was just a nominal achievement. I would never dare to accept gifts from others because of this."

Please take this back, senior, so as not to cause trouble for Xuan Yi and me.

During the banquet, when Yang Fengyu and others toasted, some people had prepared gifts to give as congratulations, but Song Qingming refused them all.

In the world of cultivation, regardless of one's level of cultivation...

Generally, cultivators only hold grand banquets and collect congratulatory gifts when they advance in their cultivation or when they marry a wife or concubine and hold a dual cultivation celebration.

Song Qingming's achievement of ranking among the top ten in the arena competition is a major event that is enough to cause a sensation throughout the entire "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent".

However, this was just a competition, and he had no intention of holding a celebration, so he wouldn't accept other people's gifts for no reason.

Not only Song Qingming, but Li Xuanyi, who was standing to the side, also stepped forward to decline.

"Yes, we appreciate it as a gesture of goodwill from our great-uncle to congratulate my husband."

"But since there's no celebration now, this gift is unnecessary, lest others say we don't know the proper etiquette."

"Alas, Xuan Yi is mistaken. Qing Ming's achievement of winning a place in the top ten of the martial arts competition with his Nascent Soul seventh level cultivation is also a joyous occasion for our Li family."

As an elder, what's wrong with me bringing a congratulatory gift?

This is just an ordinary low-grade fourth-level spiritual fruit, which happens to be of some help to your cultivation. We're all family, so there's no need to be so polite with your great-uncle.”

".."

Seeing that Li Mengliang insisted on not taking back the jade box, Li Xuanyi could not refuse and had no choice but to put it away. Then she hurriedly invited the others to sit down and served them freshly brewed spiritual tea.

After presenting a congratulatory gift, Li Mengliang then chatted with Song Qingming about the martial arts competition, his words filled with envy and respect.

Although Li Mengliang's cultivation level was only at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage, he also signed up to participate in the sword competition.

Unfortunately, his first opponent was a powerful Nascent Soul Stage 6 rogue cultivator, and unsurprisingly, he was defeated.

Although he knew his supernatural abilities were only average, Li Mengliang couldn't help but sigh inwardly that he hadn't even made it past the first round.

Back when Li Boying was still around, although he couldn't make it into the final battle of the top twenty, he could still get through the first few rounds.

Now that he's not participating, it's unbelievable that the Li family of "Yunlong Mountain" doesn't even have the chance to be a foil for experts like Song Qingming.

It must be said that once the Li family loses its ancestor Li Boying, its status in the cultivation world will inevitably decline considerably.

After chatting for a while, Li Mengliang picked up the spirit tea, took a sip, and then changed the subject to ask Song Qingming:

"Qingming, now that your Xiaoyao Sect has won a place among the top ten sects, have you decided which state territory you want to choose?"

"To be honest, senior, Fellow Daoist Lü of the Demon-Slaying Palace mentioned this matter to me, but we still have to wait for other sects to make their selections first, and we don't know which state we will be assigned to yet."

Upon hearing this, Li Mengliang quickly said, "To be honest, besides congratulating Qingming, I also came here to inquire about this matter."

If Qingming hasn't decided which state to choose yet, he might consider taking over Nanzhou as his territory.

Our Nanzhou is one of the thirteen states of Donghuang Kingdom. Although it is not as rich as the other major states, it is still relatively peaceful.

As long as the Xiaoyao Sect can rule the Southern Continent, our Yunlong Mountain will certainly be able to lend a hand, saving you a lot of trouble.

Given the relationship between Qingming and the Demon-Slaying Palace, I think it shouldn't be difficult as long as someone is willing to put in a good word.

Upon hearing Li Mengliang's words, Song Qingming finally understood his true intentions: he had come to cooperate with the "Xiaoyao Sect".

Although Nanzhou is not small in area among the thirteen states, it is located on the coast of Falling Star and has many mountains, rivers and lakes, making it far less prosperous than other inland continents.

The number of cultivators and the strength of sects within its borders also rank among the bottom of the thirteen states of the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom".

The sect that previously ruled Nanzhou was the "Sanyuan Sect," which ranked ninth in the previous sword tournament.

Now that Song Qingming has entered the ranks of the top ten sects representing the "Xiaoyao Sect," his chances of taking over Nanzhou as his territory are still very high.

It was precisely because Li Mengliang saw this potential that he chose to visit Song Qingming early on to inquire about the matter and see if he could persuade him.

If a cooperation can be reached with the "Xiaoyao Sect", with Li Xuanyi's connection, the Li family and Yunlong Mountain will definitely usher in a wave of opportunities in the next two hundred years.

Even if our ancestor Li Boying passes away, the Li family's status in Nanzhou will not decline as a result.

If the Li family can seize this opportunity to cultivate one or two Nascent Soul cultivators in the future, Yunlong Mountain might have a chance to rise again.

After Li Mengliang finished speaking, he noticed that Song Qingming remained silent for a long time, and he immediately felt a little nervous.

He quickly turned his pleading gaze to Li Xuanyi beside him.

Li Xuanyi was an intelligent person, and upon hearing Li Mengliang's words, she naturally understood his purpose.

However, this matter is of great importance and is related to the sect.

She didn't want to influence Song Qingming's decision because of her relationship with him, so she turned away from Li Mengliang's gaze and went to brew tea.

When Li Xuanyi returned with a pot of tea, Song Qingming slowly said, "Senior Meng Liang's words make some sense. Compared to other places, Nanzhou is indeed more suitable for us."

However, although this matter is good, it is still uncertain whether it will come to fruition. We need to negotiate with other sects before we know for sure.

Alright, I'll go to Dangmo Mountain tomorrow and say hello to Fellow Daoist Lü.

"Once I have news, I'll send a message to inform the senior, shall I?"

"That's great, then we'll wait for your good news."

After waiting for a long time, seeing that Song Qingming finally gave the answer he wanted, Li Mengliang's face immediately lit up with joy, and he quickly stood up, cupped his hands in response.

Having achieved their goal, Li Mengliang and Zhou Daoping chatted for a while longer before getting up to say goodbye and leave.

After seeing the guests off with Li Xuanyi, Song Qingming was about to turn around and return to the place where he had just been meditating when she stopped him.

"Husband, did you agree to Uncle Mengliang's request just now because of me?"

Seeing Li Xuanyi ask the question with a serious expression, Song Qingming simply shook his head.

"Currently, the sect is short-handed, and things in Donghuang Kingdom will have to be dealt with slowly. Having a helper would be good, and Nanzhou is indeed a good choice. I have seriously considered it."

Besides, whether this matter can be resolved in Chengdu is still uncertain, so you don't need to think about it too much.

Previously, when Song Qingming learned that the sect could rule over a province in the future, he had already thought of the Southern Province, which he was more familiar with.

But things happened so suddenly that before he could even think things through, Li Mengliang had already come to him.

I just thought about it carefully. Although cooperating with "Yunlong Mountain" will definitely allow them to take some of the profits.

However, having a familiar partner to help would save the sect a lot of trouble, which is also very important to Song Qingming and his group.

After all, the "Xiaoyao Sect" currently only has six Nascent Soul elders, and they are already quite busy managing their own territory, the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range," so it is difficult for them to spare many people to come to the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom.

If we can find a suitable helper here, it wouldn't be a problem to share some of the profits with them.

However, Song Qingming was still unsure whether the Li family could handle the matter well, which was why he seemed somewhat hesitant just now.

This can be seen as an indirect reminder to Li Mengliang in front of him that he was taking this matter very seriously.

To prevent the Li family from thinking they are easy to fool and from taking advantage of this relationship without any scruples in the future.

However, it is not yet certain that he can take over Nanzhou, so it is too early to talk about these things. Song Qingming can only slowly consider them after everything is confirmed.

After offering a comforting remark to Li Xuanyi and seeing that she didn't say anything more, Song Qingming was about to leave when another voice appeared beside him.

“Husband, I remember that the technique can help each other heal injuries. Why don’t we practice it together today?”

This will also speed up your recovery.

"I know, but this might delay your cultivation. Let's not worry about it. My injury is nothing serious, and I'll recover soon."

Seeing that Li Xuanyi wanted to use the dual cultivation method to sacrifice her cultivation time to help him heal, Song Qingming originally wanted to politely refuse her offer.

But when Li Xuanyi heard this, she looked at her with some disappointment.

"My lord, could it be that you find me unworthy?"

"..." (End of Chapter)