Cultivating Immortality: What kind of cheat can you use if you don't have money?

Chapter 175 Secret

boom!

A dull, muffled sound.

It came from the distant, unreachable depths of the heavens.

The dull thud resonated in the hearts of every living being in Qingling City.

Immediately afterwards, all the swirling, strange colors in the sky instantly returned to a deathly stillness.

The clouds slowly dispersed, and the sky became clear again.

Li Qingyi withdrew her gaze, her heartstrings still taut.

The next second, he suddenly turned around.

In the center of the room, space distorted silently, and a figure staggered out.

Xuanji's robes were torn, and his face was deathly pale.

Li Qingyi asked, "Did it succeed?"

Xuanji grimaced, which aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp in pain. He then shook his head and slumped into the nearest chair.

"No—they were rescued. Damn it, we lost a fortune!"

"They've been rescued?" Li Qingyi's heart sank. The worst had happened. "Who? Dao Sect?"

Xuanji raised his eyelids and looked at Li Qingyi with surprise: "Huh? How did you guess that?"

"Guess," Li Qingyi said calmly.

"You guessed quite accurately." Xuanji waved his hand weakly. "But what good does knowing do? Are you going to storm the Daoist sect's gates and demand our people back?"

Li Qingyi remained silent for a moment, her gaze deep and unfathomable: "What if I said—I really wanted to fight it?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanji straightened up slightly from his limp body, a look of anticipation appearing on his face.

"Will the Pavilion Master make a move? If he's willing to personally intervene and attack the Dao Sect's mountain gate, it's not impossible—"

He paused, looked at Li Qingyi's calm and expressionless face, and shrugged.

"Unfortunately, judging from your expression, the Pavilion Master doesn't seem to have that plan for the time being, right? Never mind then, pretend I didn't say anything."

Li Qingyi: "————"

Li Qingyi finally understood that in the end, she still had to rely on herself.

"The way you look—" Li Qingyi looked at him and couldn't help but say, "You really don't look like a True Immortal of the Purple Mansion."

"What should a True Person of the Purple Mansion be like?" Xuanji rolled his eyes, completely unconcerned.

"So solemn and awe-inspiring? Unfathomable? Isn't it tiring to put on airs like that? Isn't the purpose of cultivation to be carefree and joyful?"

"It's so boring to always have a long face like you, always scheming and plotting."

He pointed to himself, "This way, I feel good, and others look at me with a relaxed attitude. Isn't that great!"

Xuanji looked completely unconcerned; all he wanted in life was to live a carefree and happy life.

Li Qingyi ignored his talk of carefree living and asked directly, "How badly are you injured?"

"I'm alright, I won't die." Xuanji patted his chest and coughed twice.

"I'm tough. I'll be back to my old self after a short rest." As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Qi Xuanjia, who had been standing quietly to the side.

"My friend? What I'm about to discuss are important internal matters of Tingyu Pavilion. Perhaps we should excuse ourselves?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Xuanjia remained expressionless, turned around without a word, strode out of the reception room, and closed the door behind him.

Xuanji watched the door close before raising his hand, his fingertips glowing faintly as he sketched several intricate runes in mid-air.

The runes disappeared into the surroundings, and a light barrier that isolated people from the outside world quietly rose up.

"Okay, we're safe now."

Xuanji breathed a sigh of relief and gestured with his chin towards Li Qingyi, "Young Master, please ask whatever you wish."

Li Qingyi pondered for a moment, then asked, "What exactly is the meaning of the information you left on the Xuan Turtle Mirror? Does the tomb keeper know about it?"

"The literal meaning," Xuanji replied casually, then slapped his forehead.

"Oh right, that old ghost gravedigger erased most of it, so you can't see the whole thing."

But don't worry, he doesn't know what was recorded on it; he probably just deleted the information out of spite.

He adjusted his slumped posture to make himself more comfortable. "Alright, let's start from the beginning and talk about metal first."

His expression became slightly more serious: "Zhao Ling'er and the Zichuan Zhao family are not actually related by blood."

"It doesn't matter?" Li Qingyi frowned. "But she has the Zhao family's identity token, and the Zhao family has acknowledged her identity."

"That's all a smokescreen," Xuanji scoffed.

"In essence, she is an infant spirit born from an extremely rare innate metal element in the world, conceived by chance."

Born with the body of the Dao, it is in harmony with all laws.

Her birth caused minor celestial anomalies and spiritual energy surges, attracting the attention and competition of various forces.

However—in the end, it was the Zhengyang Immortal Sect that succeeded.

"The Zhengyang Immortal Sect?" Li Qingyi caught the key point. "Then how did she end up being found by the Zhao family?"

"This is the trick the Dao Sect uses," Xuanji explained. "The Dao Sect secretly arranged for Ling'er to be given to the Zhao family, forging her identity and making her acknowledge her ancestors. This was merely to facilitate certain plans of theirs and also to cover their tracks."

Li Qingyi's heart tightened. "Are they trying to deceive the royal family and the Six Gates?"

"That's right. This gives the royal family and the Six Gates the illusion that they can also obtain the Golden Nature. In reality, they have already secretly controlled Zhao Wuyi."

Li Qingyi had met Xianmi before and thought that Daozong was a very upright sect, but she didn't expect that it was more ruthless than anyone else.

Li Qingyi was puzzled. "But according to your logic, since the Zhengyang Immortal Sect obtained Ling'er first, why were they willing to release her and allow the Dao Sect to intervene?"

Xuanji said, "In a sense, the three sects are one."

"Just like on Qingxin Peak, the Qingchi Immortal Sect plotted to obtain the Heaven-Mending Pill, which was their chance in this round."

They failed, and you obtained the Heaven-Mending Pill. According to the rules, only the Zhengyang Immortal Sect and the Dao Sect can decide whether to intervene and compete for it, or take other measures, depending on the situation.

Similarly, in matters of metal, the Daoist sect was the first to attempt it, and they had the right to make preliminary arrangements.

Sixteen years ago, Ling'er was obtained by the Zhengyang Immortal Sect, carrying the Zhao family's identity token, which was part of the Dao Sect's early planning.

Mentioning the Heaven-Mending Pill, Xuanji's gaze towards Li Qingyi became somewhat meaningful: "Speaking of the Heaven-Mending Pill—kid, you don't really think that the three sects didn't cause you any trouble afterward because you hid it well, do you?"

Li Qingyi's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm: "Isn't that right?"

"Of course not." Xuanji chuckled. "That's because the Pavilion Master took on most of the pressure for you without your knowledge, which is why you can move freely in Xuan Kingdom."

His sword strike aimed at Qingxin Peak from afar was not just about saving you; it was also a blatant warning.

Otherwise, do you think the Zhengyang Immortal Sect and the Dao Sect would let you off easily?

Once you've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, they'll probably have already captured you and refined you into the Ascension Pill.

19

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyi was startled.

He never expected that the three sects would have such a complicated relationship.

More importantly...

He didn't actually eat the Heaven-Mending Pill; instead, he gave it to Qin Xiyue.

This secret must never be revealed.

Once exposed, Qin Xiyue will likely become the target of public criticism.

Li Qingyi suppressed her emotions and asked, "Since the Pavilion Master is so protective, why did no one from Tingyu Pavilion come to my aid when I faced Lu Zhenxuan?"