Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

After chatting for a while, Xia Dong took out a batch of newly made talismans and pills from the prepared package and pushed them in front of Zhao Ting.

Zhao Ting casually picked up a few talismans and medicine bottles to examine them, and his eyes immediately lit up.

He quickly discovered that this time, both the quality of the pills and the spiritual energy flowing on the talismans were significantly improved compared to before.

A thought suddenly popped into Zhao Ting's mind, but he hesitated and swallowed it back before he could say it.

Xia Dong took in the changes in his expression and, without waiting for Zhao Ting to speak, asked directly, "Brother, are you dissatisfied with the quality of this shipment?"

"Don't mention it!" Zhao Ting waved his hand repeatedly and laughed, "The quality this time is better than before. It seems that the friend behind you has improved his skills recently."

Xia Dong smiled slightly and did not offer any further explanation.

Zhao Ting's sigh was not surprising at all. After all, it was only natural that his skills in making talismans and refining pills had improved over such a long period of time.

In fact, when the two first started working together, Zhao Ting thought that Xia Dong was using his connections to resell pills and talismans from within the Qixia Immortal Sect. However, as time went on, Xia Dong's supply became not only unusually stable, but the brushstrokes on the talismans and the aura of the pills were clearly from the same person.

Zhao Ting had long suspected that Xia Dong might have a personal alchemist and talisman maker standing behind him.

However, Zhao Ting was a smart man and knew that these things were difficult and shouldn't be investigated too deeply. After all, Xia Dong was shrouded in too many mysteries, and his identity was far too enigmatic.

The root of all this lies in Xia Dong's mysterious and unpredictable "Taoist" identity.

Zhao Ting picked up his teacup and took a sip, his gaze subtly observing the young man before him. He knew perfectly well that Xia Dong hadn't yet officially recognized his family.

If he has the opportunity to return to the capital in the future and be recognized by the Taoist family behind him, with the amazing talent Xia Dong has shown in martial arts, he might be able to directly serve in the mansion of a prince, or even become an imperial bodyguard.

Whichever path you choose, the future is definitely bright.

As the saying goes, it's good to cultivate oneself within the Six Doors (a government agency).

For ordinary martial arts practitioners, being able to enter the Six Doors or the Eagle Wolf Guard is already considered a meteoric rise to power.

However, if one could become a royal bodyguard or a prince's bodyguard, the resources and future prospects that would be accessible would be unimaginable.

Given Xia Dong's age and talent, it's not impossible for him to become a martial arts grandmaster at the "True Intent Realm," capable of contending with Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Once you reach that point, not only will your lifespan be much longer than that of an ordinary person, but you will also wield immense power in the Great You Dynasty.

Of course, even if an ordinary martial arts master is very strong, if they have no background or connections, they can easily be marginalized even if they enter the imperial court.

But Xia Dong is different; the key lies in his possession of a Daoist certificate representing a special social class. This is a natural ticket to the core of power in the Great You Dynasty.

However, Zhao Ting sighed inwardly. All these wonderful ideas were contingent on Xia Dong's Daoist identity being able to appear openly and legitimately in the capital.

For the past few years, Xia Dong's Daoist identity has remained a mystery, and no major family in the capital has sent anyone to claim him, which has left Zhao Ting quite puzzled.

Furthermore, the fact that even the powerful patriarch of the Zhao family was not qualified to access Xia Dong's Daoist scriptures, which were sealed at the highest level in the Tongxuan Division, makes this matter seem even more extraordinary and unpredictable.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ting became even more hesitant to bring up the matter of Daoist registration in front of Xia Dong, let alone offer him any advice.

Such matters involve the most secretive high-ranking officials of the imperial court, so one must be careful not to let carelessness lead to trouble and endanger one's life and fortune.

"Why bother with all that?" Zhao Ting made up his mind.

Anyway, "Dongzi" is now his brother who would risk his life for him.

As long as this friendship is maintained, once this guy really becomes successful, will he ever forget about Lao Zhao?

Thinking of this, Zhao Ting's smile became even more sincere and radiant as he warmly gathered the package together.

He looked at Xia Dong and continued, "Xueyi, if there's anything else you need my help with, just say so. We're brothers, and I'll do my best to help you if it's within my power."

Xia Dong smiled slightly and went along with it, saying, "There is indeed one more thing I would like to trouble you with, brother."

He then briefly recounted the news Qin Wan had brought, namely his preparations to participate in the Qixia Immortal Sect auction.

Xia Dong said that if the auction coincided with their shift to protect that important person, they would have to trouble Zhao Ting to find someone in the Qianhu Office to relieve him.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting immediately agreed.

Immediately afterward, a hint of envy involuntarily appeared in his eyes: "I know about this auction. There are so many good things inside, and even our Qianhu guild only gets a handful of slots. I didn't expect that you, Xueyi, would actually have a way to get an entry ticket."

Xia Dong shook his head and smiled modestly: "It's all thanks to Senior Gu Yue's kindness, just a stroke of luck."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Xueyi, tell me the truth, just how good is your relationship with that Lonely Moon Immortal?"

Xia Dong shook his head calmly: "To this day, I have never even seen the face of Master Gu Yue."

That was indeed the truth.

When the Lone Moon Immortal descended upon the Yin Spirit Mine and unleashed the Taiyin Divine Light, he remained hidden in the quiet room, never daring to show his face.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting's face was filled with regret. He sighed, "That's such a pity. I heard that True Person Gu Yue is about to achieve the Golden Core stage in the next few years. With her profound foundation, she doesn't need to join forces with fellow cultivators to hunt down powerful demons and use demon cores to facilitate her Core Formation. She will most likely use top-grade Core Formation spiritual objects or elixirs to aid in the Core Formation breakthrough. A Golden Core formed in this way will most likely reach the 'Middle Grade,' and there's a good chance she'll even reach the Nascent Soul stage later. Xue Yi, if you can establish a good relationship with True Person Gu Yue as soon as possible, having such a powerful backer will ensure a peaceful and smooth life."

Xia Dong's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are the specific differences between a mid-grade Golden Core and a demon core formation?"

Seeing that Xia Dong was humbly asking for advice, Zhao Ting was happy to patiently explain.

It turns out that even the orthodox methods of Core Formation in the cultivation world are divided into different levels.

The best way is to open the "Purple Mansion" with one's own ultimate foundation, thereby proving the "Superior Golden Core"; the next best way is to find spiritual treasures or top-grade pills as an aid to prove the "Middle Golden Core"; and the worst and most desperate way is to hunt the inner core of a high-level demon beast as one's own Dao foundation and forcibly prove the "Inferior Golden Core".

The gap between them is like a chasm. Low-grade Golden Core cultivators will never have a chance to reach the Nascent Soul realm in their entire lives; while mid-grade Golden Core cultivators have a considerable chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul realm; as for those rare high-grade Golden Core cultivators, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm is almost just a matter of time.

"What about the 'Deity Transformation' realm, which is above the Nascent Soul stage?" Xia Dong pressed.

Zhao Ting clicked his tongue and said, "It's said that only those with a foundation in the highest-grade Golden Core stage have a very high chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage..."

Zhao Ting changed the subject and sighed, "Given the current scarcity of spiritual energy in the Great You Dynasty, achieving the Nascent Soul stage is already the limit of this world. The concept of the Divine Transformation stage is simply a vague legend. Even if someone could actually break through to the Divine Transformation stage, the current depletion of spiritual energy would force that powerful Divine Transformation expert to leave this place."

Xia Dong listened quietly, her mind completely clear.

He knew very well that the path of cultivating immortality was essentially a struggle against fate.

Even if one truly cultivates to the legendary Nascent Soul realm, one may not necessarily attain true immortality.

All the myriad spells and supernatural powers in this world, in the final analysis, are nothing more than means of protecting the Dao and seeking survival.

If one ultimately fails to attain immortality and live as long as heaven and earth, then all that magnificent power and extraordinary cultivation will ultimately be nothing but a dream, impossible to endure in this world.

"It seems that if I am lucky enough to attain the Golden Core or even the Nascent Soul stage in the future, I will still have to do everything I can to go to a higher level." Xia Dong thought to himself.

Upon thinking of this, the jade slip information left by the skeleton of the Eastern Palace Guard in the Transcendent Realm in the Ghost-Faced Spider Nest in the Yinling Mine suddenly appeared in his mind.

"A major overseas sect, the Penglai Dao Sect?"

A thoughtful look flashed in Xia Dong's eyes.

What kind of place is this exactly?

How could someone with such a distinguished background be so preoccupied with a sect token on their deathbed?

It was as if the token could not reach the Duke of Qi's mansion, and the owner of the skeleton would be a sinner to his family, dying with his eyes wide open in disgrace.

However, he knew that this matter involved the shocking case of the deposed crown prince of the Great You Dynasty, and the implications were far too great.

No matter how curious she was, Xia Dong suppressed her desire to explore.

He didn't even dare to ask Zhao Ting about the token, for fear that the slightest mistake would bring about a terrible disaster.