Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

"A bet?"

Shen Shanshui really didn't expect that these demon cultivators would be so persistent.

A celestial treasure is certainly precious, but is it really enough to warrant the intervention of a True Lord?

Yunzhou is mainly populated by human cultivators, so isn't the Dragon Lord's Mansion being a bit too domineering? Or are these demon cultivators really brainless?

"The Dragon Lord's Mansion is really going all out this time, offering a precious dragon blood herb as their wager!"

As Liu Jiujiang spoke, he couldn't help but lick his lips, clearly very envious of this precious dragon blood herb.

Shen Shanshui blinked. Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, his perspective was probably the narrowest; he hadn't really seen anything good.

"Ahem... Fellow Daoist, you really are oblivious to everything else, focusing solely on your arduous cultivation!"

Liu Jiujiang chuckled and stroked his beard, genuinely surprised that Shen Shanshui hadn't even heard of such a precious medicine.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. The other person is too young and has been working hard all this time, so it's understandable that they lack experience.

"This Dragon Blood Medicine is a special celestial plant from the True Dragon Blessed Land of Qianlong River. Legend has it that it is an ordinary plant that has been stained with the blood of a true dragon and has undergone a transformation. Each plant is different, but all of them exhibit dragon-like characteristics, hence they are collectively called precious medicines."

It can help Foundation Establishment cultivators rebuild their Dao bodies... it's truly a heaven-defying item!

For Foundation Establishment cultivators aiming to break through to the Golden Core stage, the most difficult challenge is often avoiding contamination of their physical body, which could sever their path.

This precious herb can rejuvenate the Dao body and resume the path to immortality; it is truly defying the heavens!

"What a grand gesture! Is that immortal treasure from the Immortal Craftsmanship Sect really that valuable?"

Upon hearing Liu Jiujiang's introduction, Shen Shanshui was deeply shaken. Such a miraculously potent elixir could be said to have a very high chance of cultivating a Golden Core True Monarch.

Using such a precious medicinal herb to gamble against a celestial treasure yet to be born. Shen Shanshui believed he would never do such a thing, and he wouldn't even let others know that he possessed this precious medicinal herb.

His Dao body is pure, so there's no need to worry about the path to the flesh and blood golden core being cut off. It can be used as a safety net, just in case.

Liu Jiujiang shook his head and said meaningfully:

"Who knows? Perhaps it's not just about that magical treasure?"

Without pausing for long, Liu Jiujiang continued, "This bet only involves cultivators below the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage, including the younger generation of cultivators at the sixth level. In the past, Qingyang County did not have any immortal sects, so we didn't need to concern ourselves with such matters."

However, now that you have established your own sect, and the Heavenly Dao Sect is a registered immortal sect in the Immortal Register, this matter is probably unavoidable.

This matter concerns the reputation of Jiangnan Prefecture, and even the face of the human cultivators of Yunzhou; it is not something I can refuse.

Shen Shanshui: "Our Heavenly Dao Sect has only been established for a short time, and most of our disciples are only at the first or second level of Qi Refining. Even if they go, they will probably only lower the status of our immortal sects in Jiangnan Prefecture."

"Isn't Tang Yan there? Are you worried about those people who were secretly targeting Tang Yan before?"

Liu Jiujiang frowned slightly; he hadn't considered this point before.

Indeed.

Nodding slightly, Shen Shanshui gazed into the distance, her thoughts drifting back to the events of the past.

During this time, Tang Yan did not descend the mountain, and those people never appeared again. Shen Shanshui did not know whether they had given up or were considering the two powerful officials of Qingyang County.

The two remained silent for a long time, with Liu Jiujiang also considering the pros and cons.

As a celestial official of the Celestial Dynasty, he could not ignore the tasks assigned by his court. However, he was also now a respected elder of the Heavenly Dao Sect, and even if it was just a nominal position, he could not allow the disciples of the celestial sect to be in danger.

"Fellow Daoist, could you please tell me what is so special about Tang Yan, and how did he come to be targeted by those people?"

Liu Jiujiang had also secretly investigated the two unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivators who were killed and injured, but in the end, he could find nothing except that they were not native cultivators of Jiangnan Prefecture.

Tang Yan was a cultivator born and raised in Qingyang. He was previously a useless person who could not cultivate. How could he attract such attention from outside forces?

When questioned, Shen Shanshui gave Liu Jiujiang a deep look.

"It's not that I don't trust the magistrate, but the cause and effect involved in Tang Yan's case is extremely complicated."

"Alright. Fellow Daoist, please consider this. If it really doesn't work, it's fine to just bring those disciples with lower cultivation levels to go through the motions."

There were many sects that applied for the recruitment, and the Heavenly Dao Sect, being a relatively new sect, is understandably lacking in capable disciples.

Liu Jiujiang naturally wouldn't force the issue; this was a task he could easily handle. He had simply hoped that the Heavenly Dao Sect could use this opportunity to gain fame and secure more resources from the manor.

After a brief chat about other things, Liu Jiujiang left Tianyi Mountain.

Wu Lianshan has been in seclusion these days, and he has been here all the time. Even though he keeps a close eye on the changes in Qingyang with his divine sense, he still has a lot of official business to deal with.

……

……

"It seems my fist and sword skills have reached a bottleneck, making it impossible to compete with my peers. It's truly a pity!"

Tang Yan stood on the boulder, the stone wall behind him covered with fist marks and sword marks he had left behind.

"It's not that there's no chance."

Shen Shanshui's voice suddenly rang out behind Tang Yan.

"Master?"

Upon seeing Shen Shanshui suddenly appear, Tang Yan immediately jumped down from the boulder and ran over to her.

Looking at this platform, which is covered with traces left by Tang Yan in honing his supernatural abilities and fist intent, Shen Shanshui couldn't help but sigh at Tang Yan's unwavering Dao heart.

Although this guy has a rather peculiar way of thinking, you have to admire him for his ability to endure loneliness.

Although Tang Yan appears rebellious and his words and actions are somewhat frivolous, he carries out the tasks assigned by Shen Shanshui meticulously.

"Come! Let your master see the results of your cultivation over the past year!"

"Huh? I'm fighting with my master?"

Tang Yan pointed to himself and looked at Shen Shanshui in disbelief. He was a bit arrogant, but not stupid.

If a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining were to challenge a Foundation Establishment True Person, his fate would probably be even worse than that of the candidate disciples he brutally beat up on the day he opened the mountain to accept disciples.

"Master, have I done something wrong recently?"

"Go all out! Don't you think no one can be your whetstone, and that it's boring to struggle alone? Then let me be your whetstone, and let's see if you're up to your arrogance!"

Shen Shanshui stared sharply at Tang Yan, showing no sign of joking.

Seeing his master's serious expression, Tang Yan knew that Shen Shanshui wasn't teasing him, and took a deep breath.

"Master, let's make this clear first, you can't take this opportunity to beat me up, and if you do, you can't hit my face."

"Why all this nonsense?"

Shen Shanshui swung a large sinus at Tang Yan, who was caught off guard and was sent flying. Tang Yan rolled rapidly on the ground, leaving a long scar on the solid ground.

"It hurts!"

Tang Yan quickly stood up. The slap he had just received made him look disheveled, but it hadn't actually hurt him.

Shen Shanshui deliberately controlled his strength, maintaining it at roughly the level he had when he was at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining.

……