Raise a sword!

Upon hearing that the Flying Swallow Tower, which had been dormant for ten years, was stirring up trouble again, Jiang Peng could hardly help but think of the Demonic Calamity.

Especially considering the evil cultivation practices of the Flying Swallow Tower cultivators, although there was no evidence, Jiang Peng subconsciously felt that the Flying Swallow Tower and the demonic cultivation forces had probably already colluded.

So Jiang Peng told Liu Zhu about the demonic calamity and asked Liu Zhu to pass it on to the Liu family patriarch.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhu's expression turned serious, and he immediately agreed earnestly.

With this, Jiang Peng's mission was finally completed.

That evening, he accepted Liu's invitation to a banquet and then stayed at Liu's house for one night.

He didn't leave Bibo Harbor until dawn the next day, returning to Cangshan Sect.

...

There were no further setbacks on the way back to the clan.

After returning to the Cangshan Sect, Jiang Peng first went to see Chu Chun'an and told him about the demonic calamity.

After listening to Jiang Peng's account, Chu Chun'an's expression changed slightly.

"Recently, there have been frequent attacks in the northwest of the sect. I initially thought they were remnants of the Chen family, but now that you mention the demonic calamity, it reminds me of something unusual."

Chu Chun'an, who was originally in a good mood because Jiang Peng had brought Xuan Xinye back safely, suddenly fell into a state of worry.

He glanced at Jiang Peng, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook his head slightly.

"Knowing that Junior Brother dislikes these trivial matters, I will not tell you about this. Junior Brother, just focus on managing the Pill Hall... and refine the Foundation Establishment Pills as soon as possible. The sect intends to hold a grand competition to boost the morale of the disciples, and we are in need of Foundation Establishment Pills as rewards."

Jiang Peng immediately agreed to the matter.

For the next two weeks, Jiang Peng spent his time refining Foundation Establishment Pills at Danhuo Peak.

For Jiang Peng now, obtaining a low-grade second-tier Foundation Establishment Pill is a piece of cake.

To avoid drawing too much attention, he deliberately left some minor flaws during the alchemy process, while also being able to distract Zhao Shan'ao, who was assisting him.

"The refining of the Mysterious Heart Leaf requires special care. Before refining, one must carefully examine the condition of the spiritual material... For example, these two Mysterious Heart Leaves in front of us have slight differences, so the refining time and the intensity of the heat must be adjusted accordingly."

Jiang Peng always did her best to follow Zhao Shan'ao's guidance.

The minor conflicts of that time are nothing now. Even Zhao Shan'ao himself, when he thinks back to his absurdity, only feels that he was ignorant and laughable.

After nearly twenty years of silence, Zhao Shan'ao was well over sixty years old and had lost the desire to pursue Foundation Establishment. He only wanted to improve his alchemy skills.

Therefore, Jiang Peng never hesitated to give him guidance.

With Jiang Peng guiding them as they refined the pills, all the Foundation Establishment Pills were successfully made, resulting in nine pills, six of which were two-pattern Foundation Establishment Pills, which were quite valuable.

However, when handing over the Foundation Establishment Pills, Jiang Peng had a little scheme. He replaced one of the two-pattern Foundation Establishment Pills with the one he had in his hand that had been upgraded from one pattern to two patterns by the Purple Gold Cauldron, but which he had never used.

In this way, the two-pattern Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand can be upgraded to a three-pattern pill through the Purple Gold Cauldron.

This Three-Patterned Foundation Establishment Pill, which is said to guarantee the establishment of a foundation, was prepared for Lan Yingying.

However, Jiang Peng was not prepared to give it to her directly.

Lan Yingying is a very strong-willed person.

After ten years of seclusion, coupled with the fact that Jiang Peng had given her the Jade Blood Fruit back then, although she is now over sixty years old, her cultivation has also reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, and she is currently refining her foundation.

Jiang Peng knew that she intended to win a Foundation Establishment Pill in the upcoming sect competition.

...

A few days later, I added it to my favorites so I could continue reading "Raising a Sword!" anytime, anywhere. News of Jiang Peng submitting nine Foundation Establishment Pills to the sect spread like wildfire.

Although this matter was not exactly a secret, the news spread so quickly that Jiang Peng felt that the sect leader was probably secretly pushing things along.

Sure enough, two days later, news came that the sect elders were to be summoned.

Inside the main hall of the main peak.

Jiang Peng, Cheng Kaihai, and Liu Qinghe stood in an inconspicuous corner.

"Junior Brother Jiang's alchemy skills have probably surpassed those of Elder Liu Zhi back then. I heard that more than half of the Foundation Establishment Pills this time are two-pattern Foundation Establishment Pills," Cheng Kaihai said in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of flattery.

As time passed, Jiang Peng, though only at the third level of Foundation Establishment, was still one step away from the mid-stage of the fourth level.

However, his status in the Cangshan Sect had already subtly diverged from that of ordinary Foundation Establishment elders.

So much so that even friends like Cheng Kaihai and Liu Qinghe, who had known each other since the Qi Refining stage, now seemed somewhat respectful and reserved in front of Jiang Peng.

Jiang Peng was fully aware of these changes, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, so she could only accept it helplessly.

"Unfortunately, our peak's foundation is still shallow. We only accepted two nominal disciples last time we opened the mountain, and we are far from being able to compete for the Foundation Establishment Pill," Liu Qinghe said regretfully.

"Senior Brother Liu, you are mistaken," Cheng Kaihai said with a smile. "With Junior Brother Jiang around, the quality of Foundation Establishment Pills will only get better and better in the future, so there's nothing to regret."

"That makes sense." Liu Qinghe also laughed.

Jiang Peng casually chimed in from the side.

Before long, all twenty-odd Foundation Establishment elders from the sect had arrived.

In front of everyone, Chu Chun'an spoke about the sect competition.

"In this sect competition, the top eight true disciples will all receive Foundation Establishment Pills as a reward."

Upon hearing this, many elders showed expressions of surprise.

This is an unprecedentedly large undertaking.

In the past, during sect competitions, only the top three disciples received Foundation Establishment Pills as a reward, and sometimes only the first-place winner received them.

"The sect needs to boost the morale of its disciples during the ten-year closure of the mountain. This matter has been decided, and there is no need for further discussion."

Chu Chun'an waved his hand to quell the crowd's discussion, and then said, "In addition, the top three disciples in this sect competition will also have the opportunity to enter the Spirit Transformation Pool."

"A Spirit Transformation Pool?!"

Among the many elders, a slightly aged and hoarse voice stood out.

"On what grounds are you offering up a spot in the Spirit Transformation Pool? Why didn't you consult the Jiang family about this?"

It was Elder Jiang, who was of exceptionally high seniority, who stepped forward.

"I will let bygones be bygones regarding the Spirit Transformation Pool incident last time, but in the past, the spots for the Spirit Transformation Pool have always been appointed by the sect itself, and there has never been a rule of selection through a grand competition. Isn't what the sect leader is doing a bit against the rules?"

Chu Chun'an showed no displeasure; he simply looked calmly at Jiang He.

"So, according to Uncle-Master Jiang's suggestion, how should the slots for the Spirit Transformation Pool be allocated?"

Jiang He blurted out, "Let the top leaders in the sect discuss it."

Upon hearing this, many Foundation Establishment elders looked grim, but none of them intended to refute it.

Jiang He is a cultivator of the same generation as the sect's True Person. The Jiang family is also deeply rooted in the sect and not to be trifled with.

Therefore, many people secretly hoped that Chu Chun'an would refute them.

But Chu Chun'an remained silent, as if waiting for something.

After a brief, eerie silence in the main hall, a voice rang out from a corner.

"Interesting. Junior brother is curious, in Senior Brother Jiang's eyes, which is more important, the sect or the family?"