First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

"It's getting late, I need to go back to the valley, so I'll take my leave now."

After finishing a pot of tea, Xu Mu stood up and said.

"Alright, fellow Daoist, take care." Master Lingxu politely cupped his hands in greeting.

They estimated they would stay at Peach Blossom Temple for another night and then return to Fuling Temple the next day.

The situation is complicated now, and his coming here is clearly a waste of time.

If we can't get his help, he'll definitely try other methods. Hopefully, this guy is smart enough not to go back and report us to the sect and get people to deal with him.

As things stand, the situation seems to have stabilized.

However, just to be on the safe side, Xu Mu planned to go to Wulei City to inquire about the Qinglan Sect, and it was also a good time to sell spirit fertilizer.

So he left Peach Blossom Temple directly without lingering.

……

A few days later, everything seemed to return to normal.

Xu Mu instructed the Tiger King and the Monkey King to guard the house.

These two guys get to eat his Spirit Gathering Fruit every year, so they're quite strong, both at the third level of Qi Refining.

If a fool like Wei Wushuang dares to get close, he will most likely die in the tiger's mouth.

"Keep a close eye on them. Anyone who approaches the valley is to be killed on sight, understand?" Xu Mu said sternly.

"Roar!" The Tiger King raised its head, its eyes filled with a firm assurance.

Xu Mu then instructed the monkey to keep watch and notify the Tiger King if any people were found in the mountains.

In any case, he had already warned Master Lingxu that if they dared to break in again, he should just take action without any discussion.

After doing all this, he bid farewell to the two sisters with peace of mind and headed to Wulei City.

……

After entering Wulei City, Xu Mu first went to a teahouse to have some tea and see if he could hear any gossip.

If we go directly to Riyuexuan to ask, it might be faster, since they are very resourceful and should know inside information about Qinglan Sect.

But for that mysterious female master, information is also a commodity, so if you ask her directly, you'll definitely have to pay for it.

Xu Mu decided to first hear about the recent situation in the cultivation world before considering whether or not to pay the money.

The teahouses in Wulei City are much larger than those in Nanlian Valley, and cultivators drink tea and chat here every day.

However, this is Qinglan Sect's territory, so no one dares to openly discuss Qinglan Sect.

Xu Mu could only drink tea and wait patiently, gathering bits and pieces of information.

Overall, the Qinglan Sect is indeed in a bad state right now, with more and more conflicts arising between fellow disciples.

The disciples were never a united front; they often schemed against each other to obtain cultivation resources. For example, Wang Yin once tried to steal Mu Changfeng's Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, back then, everyone had to respect the sect's rules, so many things were done secretly.

However, now even outsiders know about this, and the sect is no longer a sect, nor a sect.

After listening for a day, he got a general idea of ​​the situation, but it wasn't very useful to him. He could only go to Riyuexuan to ask for some truly useful information.

Rumors from the public can't compare to those of a professional team.

Upon arriving at Riyuexuan again, Hongling was still in charge of greeting us. I wondered if the mysterious female master was still there.

He has been dealing with her for twenty years, but he still doesn't know her name and can only address her as a senior.

When he handed the spirit fertilizer to Hongling, she accepted it calmly.

Cash on delivery.

The payment was made directly with spirit stones, saving him the trouble of buying them separately.

After completing the transaction, he asked, "Has anything happened at the Qinglan Sect lately?"

Hongling glanced at him and said indifferently, "Gathering information? That's a separate deal."

"Uh... my territory in the mortal realm has been affected, so I wanted to ask what the situation is so I can make plans."

"This has nothing to do with our Riyuexuan; we can only handle it as a regular transaction."

"Don't be so heartless. How about we treat it as an intelligence exchange? I'll tell you what I know, and you share what you know with me, how about that?" Xu Mu put on a smile and tried to get closer to him.

Hongling scoffed, "What valuable information could you possibly have?"

Xu Mu smiled and said, "You underestimate me."

At least I know that there is a struggle taking place within the Qinglan Sect, with the Core Formation stage elders being at odds with each other.

In their struggle for a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, they formed cliques and factions, resulting in outer disciples becoming the victims and losing their Foundation Establishment Pills.

Now they are fighting over the incense offerings, causing constant strife in the mortal world, from the imperial court to the folk Taoist temples, no one can live in peace.

What I want to know is how far their struggle has progressed, and whether it will affect me.

"You know quite a lot." Hongling looked at him, clearly a little surprised.

"If you really want to charge for this last bit of information, how about a friendly price? That's not too much to ask, is it?" Xu Mu said.

Hongling pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "Alright then, I might as well tell you."

Currently, the Qinglan Sect is divided into two factions. One faction, led by Elder Yunfu, mainly controls the recruitment of disciples and the enforcement of sect laws; the other faction, led by Elder Ziyuan, controls resources and financial allocation.

The sect leader of Qinglan Sect is currently observing from the sidelines, and his attitude is unknown.

As for how far things have progressed... that's hard to say. Throughout history, the decline of sects has always stemmed from improper distribution of resources, internal strife, and then external enemies taking advantage of the situation.

This is a tribulation that every sect must go through. In the end, they will either split or even perish, or a second Nascent Soul cultivator will emerge, readjust, and reach a higher level.

Judging from the movements of other sects... you don't need to worry about the mortal realm; they'll soon be too preoccupied to attend to you.

Upon hearing that last sentence, Xu Mu's expression shifted: "You mean, the other sects are going to make a move?"

"That's natural. How could the Guihe Sect and Tianjian Sect, which are the closest, just stand by and watch Qinglan Sect produce a second Nascent Soul True Monarch?" Another voice suddenly rang out.

"Master." Hongling bowed respectfully.

Xu Mu cupped his hands in greeting to the surrounding darkness and said, "Greetings, senior. So you're here."

The mysterious female master didn't respond to his question, but chuckled and said, "Little guy, if you keep asking, you'll have to pay."

Xu Mu gave an awkward smile, bowed, and said, "Then this junior will take his leave."

Knowing that the mortal realm was safe for the time being and that no force from the sects would directly interfere, he felt relieved.

Paying money is out of the question.

After he left, Hongling said thoughtfully, "Master, this kid is really strange, clearly different from ordinary people."

He was already at the late stage of Qi Refining at such a young age, and he knew so much about the Qinglan Sect, as if he came from the Qinglan Sect, but he went to the mortal world to tinker with that so-called spiritual fertilizer.

It's one thing to tinker with spiritual fertilizer, but to go and do it in the mortal realm without fear of shortening one's lifespan.

"So many years have passed, and his cultivation level has barely improved, yet he shows no impatience; it's truly baffling."

The female master said calmly, "Have you forgotten the motto of our Sun and Moon Pavilion? We will never pry into the secrets of our guests, regardless of their status or cultivation level."

"It was Hongling who overstepped her bounds..." Hongling immediately tensed up and lowered her head to admit her mistake.

The female master snorted, "There are all kinds of geniuses, prodigies, eccentrics, and geniuses in this world. What's so strange about that? Mind your curiosity."

"Yes, ma'am." Hongling tightened her small face, her expression becoming increasingly blank.