Raise a sword!

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After listening to Jiang Peng recount his chance encounter with Zhang Daoshi, Chu Chun'an remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a sigh as he poured out his unspoken words.

"This is the price to pay for plotting against the Dragon and Snake Temple... Ten years of mountain closure, diminished fortune, and now the Chen family's property in the Chen Kingdom. All things considered, it's hard to say whether the sect has won or lost this battle."

Jiang Peng remained silent.

Seeing this, Chu Chun'an knew that Jiang Peng didn't like to get involved in these things, so he didn't say anything more and instead took out a red stone from his storage bag.

"Is this the Fire Dragon Stone?" Jiang Peng asked in surprise.

"Junior Sister Wei found this in the Chen Clan's treasury. Knowing that Junior Brother was in dire need of this item, she decided to use it as a reward for Junior Brother's role in overseeing the Pill Hall and supporting the sect's war effort."

Jiang Peng accepted the Fire Dragon Stone and bowed to express her gratitude.

With the Fire Dragon Stone in hand, and the Crimson Crow Feather given by the sect leader last time, Jiang Peng finally had all the materials needed to upgrade her magic sword.

...

At night, Biwu Peak was brightly lit.

Jiang Peng set up a barbecue stall to entertain his friends.

The three-year war has finally come to an end. The sect won a great victory, and news of the killing of two Golden Core cultivators in front of the mountain gate has already spread.

Liu Qinghe was a participant, one of the elders who fought against the Chen family's Foundation Establishment stage outside the mountain gate, and happened to witness the entire Golden Core battle.

"The most unexpected thing is still Senior Sister Ni Chang... The power of a Golden Core True Person is truly terrifying. At that time, Senior Sister Ni Chang casually rolled up her sleeve and turned the area outside the mountain gate into a swamp."

"The two Golden Core cultivators of the Chen family were held back by their Senior Sister Ni Chang, and soon fell into a disadvantageous position."

"That slovenly Taoist is incredibly powerful; he actually withstood a third-tier magic weapon with his bare body."

Liu Qinghe recounted his experiences during the Golden Core battle with great enthusiasm, captivating the three juniors on Biwu Peak, whose eyes gleamed with wonder.

The three juniors were naturally Mei Jinhe and Su Zhi, plus Liu Linong, who had only recently become an apprentice.

Mei Jinhe and Su Zhi are now at the sixth level of Qi Refining. After another year or two of consolidation, they can try to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.

At the same time, Mei Jinhe's spiritual root also advanced, and she has now become a genuine high-grade spiritual root cultivator.

This matter surprised Jiang Peng quite a bit.

He knew that the Dragon Tiger Technique, the Purple Jade Nourishing Pill, and other similar techniques could increase spiritual roots, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone actually increase their spiritual roots.

The party lasted until dawn.

After everyone had left, Jiang Peng simply sobered up and found Liu Linong.

Speaking of Liu Linong, this chubby boy, he really does live up to expectations.

After Jiang Peng abandoned him on the mountain path, he accepted the assignment to support the sect's assets.

He only learned last night that among the newly admitted disciples, Liu Linong had performed the best on the mountain climbing route and had been given an excellent rating by the sect.

I've heard that quite a few Foundation Establishment elders have taken a liking to this chubby boy and want to take him on as a disciple ahead of time.

In the kitchen.

Jiang Peng put the wrapped meat wontons into the pot, while Liu Linong, wearing an apron, was helping out in the kitchen meticulously.

"You have to have pork bone broth to eat wontons. The broth has to be simmered until it turns milky white. A little salt to enhance the flavor and five-spice powder to enhance the freshness are enough. Adding anything else would be superfluous."

Liu Linong stood to the side, drooling.

Two bowls of wontons were ready, and Jiang Peng invited Liu Linong to sit down in the restaurant to talk about their future plans.

"You're out of luck, kid. Your sect was punished by the Dragon and Snake Temple and sealed off for ten years to reduce its fortune. Your cultivation progress will be somewhat hampered during these ten years."

Liu Linong said nonchalantly, "This disciple has never liked Qi cultivation, so I don't care whether it's delayed or not."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Peng couldn't help but glare at the chubby boy.

"No wonder your father told me in his letter to train you hard. Cultivation is the foundation of everything, and this is the only thing that cannot be neglected."

"I know," Liu Linong replied, his face buried in the soup bowl, his voice sounding perfunctory.

Jiang Peng didn't care.

"You have your own cultivation techniques passed down, so the matter of absorbing qi and cultivating is up to you. I will only supervise you... In addition, your Liu family's spiritual plant cultivation tradition is quite extraordinary, so the spiritual fields in the back mountain will be entrusted to your care."

"That field of purple ginseng?"

"Um."

"Your disciple obeys." Liu Linong immediately replied.

"As for alchemy, you should start by learning the alchemy tradition of the Cangshan Sect," Jiang Peng said. "It's not that I'm being stingy, but the alchemy tradition of the Cangshan Sect is more suitable for you to get started. If you really have a good talent for alchemy later, it's not too late to switch to learning the alchemy tradition of Danyangzi."

"It's all up to Master's arrangement."

Jiang Peng looked satisfied and patted Liu Linong on the shoulder with a smile.

"You'll be staying in my little courtyard for a few days. I'll have your Senior Sister Mei and Senior Brother Su help you build a place to live later... Of course, if you have the money, you can also ask the sect's steward in charge of construction."

"It's up to you how you decide; there aren't many rules on Azure Mist Peak."

At this point, Jiang Peng pondered for a moment and felt that he had told her everything that needed to be told.

"That's about all I have to say. Do you have any questions?"

"Master, what time do we eat on Biwu Peak every day, and where do we order? I heard from Senior Sister Mei that Master's braised pork knuckle is exceptional, and I would like to eat crystal pork knuckle tonight."

Just then, Mei Jinhe poked her head out from outside the door.

She was drawn in by the aroma of bone broth, but upon arriving, she immediately heard Liu Linong's words.

Mei Jinhe knew Jiang Peng's temper well, and immediately knew things were going badly, so she tried to slip away.

But as soon as I turned around, I felt a hand grab my collar.

Mei Jinhe's expression stiffened, but she quickly regained her composure, coughed lightly twice, and turned to look at Jiang Peng, whose face was gloomy.

"Senior brother, men and women should not touch each other. Please let go."

"I asked you to mentor the new disciples, and this is how you do it? You even ordered the food, huh?"

Before Mei Jinhe could speak again, Jiang Peng exerted force and threw her over the courtyard wall.

Jiang Peng used a bit of skill to make it impossible for Mei Jinhe to get a grip on him.

Soon, a cry of "Ouch!" came from outside the courtyard wall.

After dealing with Mei Jinhe, Jiang Peng said to Liu Linong, "Go and ask your senior sister Mei about the basics of alchemy. If you still have questions, you can refer to some notes in my study."

"I'll be going into seclusion for a while, so don't count on the crystal pork knuckle... Tsk, you're already as fat as a ball and you're still thinking about food."

After sending his disciples away, Jiang Peng arranged some trivial matters on Biwu Peak before plunging into the alchemy room.

During this period of seclusion, Jiang Peng intends to attempt to upgrade her magic sword using earth fire.

However, Jiang Peng wasn't entirely confident about this matter.

"It's just an upgrade, not something created from nothing."

Jiang Peng was a little unsure.

If he cannot complete the upgrade of his magic sword on Azure Mist Peak, he will have to go to the Sword Pavilion again to borrow their weapon-refining furnace.

"I hope it goes smoothly."