I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 157 Young Master
Xue Xiang was eager for the two sides to fight so he could take the opportunity to escape.

The cloaked man suspected that the Qin soldiers were Xue Xiang's accomplices, while the Qin soldiers suspected that the cloaked man had stolen their treasure.

The contradictions are irreconcilable.

No sooner had Xue Xiang finished speaking than the two sides began to fight.

Qin Bing let out a long roar, and the three men behind him immediately drew their weapons, each taking up a side, their light waves whistling as they formed a battle formation.

The cloaked figure seemed to disregard the group entirely, flicking his hand to send his halberd flying through the air, crackling with electricity, its shadows weaving into an impenetrable wall.

Qin soldiers swung their swords to meet the attack head-on, while three of their companions simultaneously unleashed flying swords and golden sabers, creating a chaotic mix of golden light and lightning.

In an instant, the wind howled like thunder through the forest, and the flashes of swords, halberds, and blades clashed fiercely, creating a deafening roar.

Rocks cracked and trees broke, and waves of fire and frost crisscrossed in all directions.

Although the four Qin soldiers were in formation, they were completely overwhelmed by the cloaked man's powerful halberd strike.

As soon as the fight broke out, Xue Xiang, who had originally planned to run away immediately, suddenly stopped fleeing.

His mind raced, and another inspiration struck.

With Wen Xiang and others present, the cloaked figure could not possibly be the final victor.

Once the cloaked man is driven away, he can take the opportunity to clear his name and hang out with Wen Xiang, Dong Xiaoping and their gang.

This middle-level area was far too dangerous for Xue Xiang.

The danger does not come from powerful monsters, but from the large number of treasure hunters in the area.

He has limited strength and is all alone, so anyone who encounters him will treat him as easy prey. Therefore, he must rely on a group.

The small circle formed by Wen Xiang, Dong Xiaoping, Tong Feiyu, and Qin Bing was not united, which made it easy for him to play both sides.

While closely monitoring the battle, Xue Xiang took the opportunity to consume a Rejuvenation Pill, doing his utmost to restore his spiritual power.

Suddenly, a scream rang out. One of the Qin soldiers, a burly man in tight-fitting clothes, was struck by the halberd's flash. Blood spurted out as he flew backward, crashing heavily into an old tree and breaking half of his body.

The situation quickly became unbalanced, and the Qin soldiers and others suffered repeated defeats.

Xue Xiang gritted his teeth and was about to join the battle.

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard, and a shockwave cleaved down from the sky, booming like thunder shattering the heavens.

The terrifying shockwave had barely hit when the cloaked figure staggered backward.

"You brat, die!"

Wen Xiang arrived gracefully, his body brimming with spiritual energy. With a slash of his longsword, a sword light over ten feet long shot straight into the sky, carrying the immense spiritual pressure unique to the Core Formation stage, like a celestial river pouring down.

As the light fell, the cloaked figure's protective spiritual energy shield was crushed.

Just as the cloaked man was about to be struck by the sword light, a flash of runic light appeared around him, and he instantly teleported a hundred feet away.

"Teleportation Talisman!"

The Qin soldiers cried out in alarm.

Almost at the same moment, Han Xiaoping and Tong Feiyu's two groups also rushed out from both sides of the forest, surrounding them in groups of cloaked figures.

"What kind of skill is it to outnumber the weak? If you're so capable, try one-on-one."

He pointed his halberd at Wen Xiang.

"That's exactly what we're doing."

Wen Xiang snorted coldly, waved his hand, and the sword light flashed again.

The crowd showed no mercy and launched a frenzied attack.

The cloaked man roared repeatedly, then charged westward, where Tong Feiyu and his gang guarded the weakest point.

At the same time, a white copper umbrella suddenly appeared above the cloaked man's head.

As soon as the umbrella opened, thousands of runes fell like raindrops, and the overlapping light curtains forcefully pushed back the shockwaves coming from all directions.

"White-grade magic artifact".

Wen Xiang's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly sheathed his sword.

He pushed his palms upwards, summoning a storm out of thin air.

Instantly, two brilliant lights emerged from his palms, growing brighter and brighter as they converged.

The ultimate move is about to be unleashed.

Just then, the cloaked man hurled three elemental explosion beads, which struck the shockwave coming from the group.

With a deafening roar, the Yuan Explosion Bead burst open, sending waves of fire sweeping across the land, and flames soaring hundreds of feet into the sky.

In an instant, the entire forest seemed to be set ablaze by heavenly fire.

Screams and cries of agony filled the air as more than a dozen figures were swept away by the shockwave, their blood splattering everywhere in a scene of utter carnage.

As the smoke and dust filled the air, the cloaked figure transformed into a streak of light and drifted away into the distance.

Despite being closest to the Yuan Burst Bead, he escaped unharmed thanks to the protection of a white-grade magic artifact.

This tactic is almost identical to the strategy Xue Xiang used to eliminate Lü Wenhou and his two companions.

"Damn, damn..."

The Qin soldier coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"It's that bastard, it's that bastard, the Yuan Burst Bead, I can't forget this damn thing even in my dreams."

Tong Feiyu said sternly.

Xue Xiang also fell to the ground, getting covered in dirt.

While cursing, everyone kept putting pills into their mouths.

The Qin soldiers who had been struck by the cloaked knight's halberd earlier were already on the verge of death. Now, they were caught in the blast wave, and their breath was barely a thread.

Qin soldiers stuffed several pills into his mouth, but his complexion did not improve. In desperation, Qin soldiers sought out the Five Phoenix Pills, a divine healing pill, but no one was willing to lend a helping hand.

Just as Qin Bing was getting so anxious that blisters appeared on his lips, he heard a voice say, "I have some here."

The Qin soldiers were overjoyed and looked in the direction of the voice. The speaker was none other than Xue Xiang.

Xue Xiang flicked his hand, and two pills flew into the Qin soldier's palm.

One is the Phoenix Five Pill, and the other is the renowned Great Rejuvenation Pill.

Instantly, everyone showed expressions of horror.

The Great Rejuvenation Pill is a much more precious elixir than the Phoenix Five Pill.

Xue Xiang casually gave it away.

"Saving lives is the priority, fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so polite."

Xue Xiang cupped his hands in greeting.

Qin soldiers quickly gave the Great Rejuvenation Pill and Phoenix Five Pill to the seriously injured man.

In an instant, the seriously injured man's breathing became much more stable.

Qin Bing was overjoyed and came to Xue Xiang's side. Just as he was about to thank him, he heard a voice say, "Brother Qin, shouldn't you tell us who this person is?"

Who is that cloaked figure?
Why did you send a signal for our help?

Qin Bing said, "I only rushed here after hearing the sound of the Yuan Explosion Bead exploding."

As he spoke, he pointed at Xue Xiang, "As soon as we arrived, we saw this fellow Daoist confronting that scoundrel."

Fellow Daoist seems to be exhausted, and that cloaked man is incredibly arrogant…

"Speak the key."

Wen Xiang's patience had reached its limit.

He has had no success since entering this place of demons.

Not only did the duck that was almost in their mouth fly away, but they were also bombed several times.

Qin Bing snorted coldly, but Xue Xiang interrupted first, "Let me speak."

Fellow Daoists, I was with my head steward when we encountered a beast tide.

The steward defended me from the enemy and told me to go first, but the steward and I were separated by the beast tide.

Before I knew it, I had ended up here, and I happened to see the cloaked man playing with a golden pill.

Before I could even speak, the cloaked figure charged at me like a madman.

If it weren't for the many magical artifacts my father bestowed upon me, which allowed me to withstand the frequent bursts of energy beads released by the thieves, I would have given up long ago.

Of course, I must also thank all my fellow cultivators for their timely assistance.

"What does a golden pill look like?"

Several people shouted in unison.

Xue Xiang sighed, "I didn't see it very clearly either. What, could it be that the pills belonged to you all and were stolen by that thief?"

"Golden pills, skillful use of Yuan Explosion Beads, such formidable strength—who else could it be but this thief?"

Qin Bing said sternly, "I think we should act quickly and search the whole world for this thief, and kill him as soon as possible."

"Gentlemen, don't be anxious. This thief has offended me and is doomed. As for your pills, I'll make sure you get them back."

Xue Xiang took on everything.

"Who are you?"

Dong Xiaoping said in a deep voice.

Xue Xiangdao said, "You need not ask who I am, and I will not tell you."

If you insist on asking, I can only say that my surname is Han.

My elder brother is a student from Jingjun who has been sent to Canglan Prefecture. My father is biased and lets my brother come into this blessed land to search for treasures, but he won't let me in.

Such an unfair act naturally offended me, so I and my personal butler sneaked into this room.

To be honest, there's nothing to see here. It's full of monsters, it's incredibly boring.

"Gentlemen, who among you is willing to escort me? Once I find the steward, this purple crystal core will be yours."

As he spoke, Xue Xiang reached behind him and pulled out a purple crystal core, which was now in his palm.

Instantly, everyone's breathing quickened, and their faces flushed red. "Young Master Han, please wait a moment, allow us to discuss this for a while."

Dong Xiaoping bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

Xue Xiang waved his hand, "Hurry up, I think this place is very dangerous."

"Once I get in touch with the head steward, you'll all have someone to rely on."

"Please wait a moment, young master."

After Dong Xiaoping finished speaking, he winked at the people behind him, clearly indicating that they should keep an eye on Xue Xiang.

He then quickly joined up with Tong Feiyu, Qin Bing, and Wen Xiang.

"What do you think?"

Dong Xiaoping got straight to the point.

Qin Bing said, "He's obviously a greenhorn. Who comes up here and immediately shows off a purple-grade crystal core?"

"Perhaps he's playing dumb to take advantage of others."

Tong Feiyu said in a low voice, "His expression and his skin texture don't match quite right; he's probably wearing a mask."

"What's so surprising about that? Aren't there plenty of people hiding their true colors here?"

Wen Xiang said in a deep voice, "What I mean is, do you all think it's better to slaughter a pig for meat or raise pigs first?"
This fiend can casually give away Great Rejuvenation Pills and Phoenix Five Pills, and readily produce Purple-grade Crystal Cores; heaven knows how many more valuable items he has in his storage ring.

"What you say is very true, but we must also be mindful of this."

Dong Xiaoping said in a low voice, "For him to be able to openly produce such a treasure, he must either come from a prominent family and be inexperienced in the ways of the world, or he has ulterior motives. In either case, it is inappropriate to harm him now..."

…………

Xue Xiang leaned against a large tree, feigning sleep, looking exhausted, but his peripheral vision kept glancing at Dong Xiaoping and the others.

He had already prepared his explanation to Dong Xiaoping and the others when he decided to join the group.

He was aware of the risks involved in giving away the Phoenix Five Pills and the Great Rejuvenation Pill, and revealing the Purple-grade Crystal Core, but this was a risky move made after assessing the risks.

Joining a team is one thing; being able to establish a certain status within the team and avoid risks is another.

The latter, on the other hand, requires him to establish a persona.

He believed that there must be some intelligent people among the group in front of him.

The information he leaked is enough for these people to fill in the blanks.

Of course, even if he makes a mistake, he still has room to maneuver.

Having figured this out, Xue Xiang simply stopped worrying and focused on regulating his breathing to recover his spiritual power as quickly as possible.

Not far away, the debate among Dong Xiaoping and others gradually came to a consensus.

Then Qin Bing said, "Don't forget the key word he mentioned, 'Jingjunsheng'. What kind of people are those who can obtain the status of Jingjunsheng?"
It seems there really is someone surnamed Han among the students from Jingjun who came to Canglan Prefecture this time.

Dong Xiaoping said in a low voice, "I not only know that there is a person with the surname Han, but I also know that his name is Han Feng, the son of Han Simeng, a scholar of the Longtu Pavilion and a Hanlin scholar."

If this person is indeed Han Simeng's youngest son, then everything makes sense.

"It's not surprising that the son of Hanlin Hanlin could produce any treasures."

Wen Xiang's eyes lit up. "The son of a Hanlin scholar, tsk tsk, such a status, truly a chosen one of heaven."

It seems this child cannot be killed.

Tong Feiyu nodded, "If only we had left the cloaked man behind, that scoundrel would have been gone. If we had really killed this Young Master Han, we would have been in trouble."

With the cloaked man as a witness, we'll likely never sleep peacefully again.

After another round of discussion, Dong Xiaoping concluded, "In that case, we should keep this Young Master Han here for now."

Whether or not we can help him find a head butler is another matter, but at least let's establish a good relationship first.

Before he could finish speaking, his trusted aide Cao Fang stepped forward quickly and whispered, "Everyone, take a look! That kid's aura has changed drastically, and his blood energy has diminished considerably. It seems he's taken some kind of blood-strengthening pill to inflate his blood energy and fake his cultivation level."

Now that the Blood-Strengthening Pill has lost its effect, his vital energy has weakened considerably; it seems he hasn't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

"hiss."

Qin Bing gasped, "This kid is incredibly audacious."

Tong Feiyu said, "As expected of a spoiled brat, he's used to being arrogant and doesn't know his own limitations."

Dong Xiaoping clapped his hands lightly, "This time it's really confirmed."

Think about it carefully, will there be any juniors in the Qi Refining Realm who enter this place?
Aside from impulsive young masters like this, no one would risk their life.

"Wait a minute."

Wen Xiang asked, "Is it possible that they are students from the trials?"

Dong Xiaoping chuckled softly, "Brother Wen, you probably don't know much about the current situation of students."

Those who were able to enter the trial realm from each prefecture this time were all the best of their respective prefectures.

The quality of students nowadays is high, and those who can become the best in a prefecture are basically all at the Foundation Establishment stage.

As far as I know, those who are qualified to enter here must be the best among the students in a state.

That difficulty is no less than that of Core Formation.

To be honest, those who achieve this are not necessarily inferior to cultivators in the early stages of Core Formation.

To say that a mere Qi Refining junior could top the competition in a trial of this level is a joke.

Wen Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I was really worried that something else might go wrong."

To be honest, everyone, I was tricked by that scoundrel while searching for treasure at this blessed land. Now I see everyone as a swindler.

"Gentlemen, haven't you reached an agreement yet? Alright then, I won't bother you any longer. I'll go on my own."

Xue shouted loudly.

He had already discerned the outcome of the discussion from everyone's subtle expressions, and his imposing manner immediately followed, perfectly embodying the air of a spoiled young master.

"Young Master Han, please don't be angry."

Dong Xiaoping cupped his hands and said, "We have reached a consensus. Even if we give up the treasure hunt, we will still help you find the head steward. If we cannot find the head steward, we will do everything in our power to help you return home safely."

Xue Xiang paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "You guys are quite clever. Don't worry, I'll remember this favor."

"I think you four are the leaders, right? Alright, for your performance, I'll give you a cheap bargain first."

As he spoke, Xue Xiang waved his hand, and four black crystal cores shot out at Wen Xiang, Dong Xiaoping, Qin Bing, and Tong Feiyu respectively.

The group was both surprised and delighted to receive the crystal core, and the last trace of doubt in their hearts vanished.

After all, what junior Qi Refining cultivator could acquire so many high-level crystal cores on their own?

Dong Xiaoping even thought that perhaps the greatest opportunity in entering this demonic land was not to seek treasures in blessed lands, but in this noble young man before him.

At that moment, Dong Xiaoping hurriedly introduced everyone to Xue Xiang.

Xue Xiang nodded in greeting to each person. When he introduced Wen Xiang, Xue Xiang asked, "Fellow Daoist Wen, are you at the Core Formation stage?"

Wen Xiang nodded arrogantly.

Xue Xiangdao said, "My father once said that the key to forming the elixir lies in 'gathering without dispersing, and being able to release while containing.' The moment the elixir is formed, the acupoints become a small world, and the spiritual sea surges, like rivers flowing into the sea."

If one is obsessed with great power, the elixir will ultimately be in vain;

If one is obsessed with clever methods, the elixir will inevitably be empty inside.

Only when Yin and Yang are in harmony can one obtain the true elixir.

The so-called "emptiness cannot be contained by reality, and reality cannot control emptiness" is the true path to forming the elixir.

Do you agree?

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Wen Xiang's pupils constricted sharply, his heart trembling, almost doubting whether he had misheard.

You must know that this passage was truly exquisite; to him, it was like the resounding strains of a great bell.

Such a conclusion would never appear in classical texts; it would only be the self-realization of a great cultivator.

He suppressed his arrogance, cupped his hands and bowed to Xue Xiang, saying, "Your father's words are truly insightful. I have benefited greatly from them. Thank you."

Xue Xiang calmly waved his hand, "Fellow Daoist Wen, you flatter me. After the matter is settled, I will introduce you to my father."

His profound insights were certainly not something he came up with on his own.

Similar insights can be found on another wall in the Wenxu Blessed Land, all of which are the reflections of top Core Formation experts.

Dong Xiaoping and the others were stunned, and then felt intense jealousy towards Wen Xiang.

If we could truly meet Han Hanlin, that would be like a bird transforming into a phoenix, soaring into the sky.

Unfortunately, they knew their own abilities were limited, so all they could do was admire each other.

Dong Xiaoping then decided to change direction and start by befriending Xue Xiang.

At that moment, he asked Xue Xiang with great consideration about his next move.

Xue Xiang said, "Let's head home. It would be best if we could run into the head steward. If not, I will make sure you all take me home without wasting your time."

Upon hearing this, Dong Xiaoping and Wen Xiang immediately agreed loudly.

Qin Bing and Tong Feiyu seemed to be deep in thought.

After all, they paid a heavy price for coming to this place of demonic possession.

Xue Xiang's promise was good, but with Wen Xiang around, they were destined not to get much of the benefits.

Xue Xiang smiled slightly, "If you have any difficulties, please speak up. I never force anyone to do anything against their will."

Tong Feiyu swallowed hard. "Young Master Han, please don't be angry. Brother Qin and I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that it's not easy for us to come all this way."

Now that no treasures have been found in this blessed land, it would be truly unsatisfying not to hunt some monsters and obtain some crystal cores.

The Qin soldiers quickly echoed this sentiment.

Xue Xiang laughed and said, "I wondered what it was about? This is easy."

Later, I will bestow upon you all a karmic connection.

Everyone was shocked.

(End of this chapter)