I only want immortality.

Don't rush.

Li Pinghe blew on the freshly brewed tea, the tea leaves rising like pointed flags, reflecting his wrinkled, aged face. He simply spoke, and Zhao Yuanxiao, who had rushed over, felt a sense of clarity.

He immediately became fully awake.

He quickly bowed and said with shame:

"Yes, disciple was presumptuous."

Li Pinghe smiled and gently gestured for him to sit down opposite him, then poured him a cup of tea.

Although Zhao Yuanxiao was a little anxious, he forced himself to calm down, picked up the tea, and took a small sip.

It wasn't until Li Pinghe asked for the specifics of the situation that he hurriedly put down his tea and carefully considered his words:

"The day before yesterday, the Qinghe Sect sent three disciples to the Jiuyang Sect to persuade them to surrender. The Jiuyang Sect naturally refused, and the two sides fought. As a result, the sect leader Han Xianghe was seriously injured due to insufficient magic power. His disciple Lü Kong, on the other hand, showed his fighting skills and fought against three opponents at once, resulting in a draw. Seeing that the Qinghe Sect disciples could not succeed, they left."

Li Pinghe put down his tea, gently tapped the table, and looked thoughtful:

"Han Xianghe is Xianyu Qiong's disciple. In his early years, he mastered the 'Dongyang Capturing Palm' technique, possessing pure and profound magical power. He is particularly adept at prolonged battles, and now, more than twenty years later, he must be even more perfect... To be able to wear him down, this Qinghe Sect disciple must not have relied on his own abilities, right?"

"My senior brother is wise."

Zhao Yuanxiao was secretly amazed. This senior uncle seemed to have a pair of heavenly eyes; nothing could be hidden from him. He nodded and said:

"The leading disciple of the Qinghe Sect held a treasure resembling a water vessel, which was suspended above his head. Its magical power was inexhaustible and it could create a water barrier. Han Xianghe's Dongyang Capturing Palm had reached the pinnacle of its power, but it could not do anything to him when it landed on the water. Fortunately, although Lü Kong was Han Xianghe's disciple, he cultivated the 'Pure One Sword Qi,' which was agile and powerful. He directly attacked the other two, forcing the Qinghe Sect disciples to stop fighting and make peace."

Listening to Zhao Yuanxiao's description, Li Pinghe remained calm, but the tea in his hand rippled slightly.

Taoji treasure!

It must be a foundational treasure!

Almost immediately, this answer popped into Li Pinghe's mind.

The reason is simple: Han Xianghe is the leader of the Nine Yang Sect, and his cultivation level and ability to fight are beyond doubt. His Dongyang Qinna Palm has also been improved by him and is flawless. It is highly unlikely that he would be easily defeated by someone in his most proficient area of ​​magic.

To put it another way, the power of Dongyang Capturing Palm is no less than most offensive spells of the time, and at least within the Qi Refining Realm, it is impossible for anyone to ignore it.

Those who can do this, even if they are not Dao Foundation cultivators, must be related to Dao Foundation.

Combined with Zhao Yuanxiao's mention of the "water vessel," he was almost 70-80% certain that this was the foundational treasure he had been seeking.

"It should belong to the water element... but it's unclear whether it's located on the yin or yang side."

Li Pinghe thought to himself, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:

"The Qinghe Sect should have three Dao Foundation cultivators. Now, it is recruiting a sect, but only its disciples are showing up. This is rather presumptuous... The Qinghe Sect is being somewhat unwise."

Zhao Yuanxiao nodded in agreement:

"It was indeed unwise. Even a lion should go all out when hunting a rabbit. Now that the Qinghe Sect has failed in its first attack, the Baoxia Sect, Chenjiang Sword Sect, and Lotus Valley may not be willing to submit in the future. Perhaps they look down on our Song Kingdom."

Li Pinghe nodded. Such matters are hard to say. A powerful nation's sect naturally looks down on a small nation's sect. Even if the difference between the two sides actually depends more on the amount of resources in their own country, a powerful nation's sect will often only think that it is the result of their own efforts and naturally ignore the influence of the actual environment.

A person's nature is not determined by strength or weakness, but by the individual.

"However, there is one point worth considering."

Li Pinghe thought for a moment and then said:

"Since the Qinghe Sect intends to wipe out the seven sects of the Song Kingdom, it should be led by a Dao Foundation cultivator to sweep them away with lightning speed, preventing the seven sects from joining forces and eliminating future troubles. This is the most convenient method and not difficult to decide. However, no Dao Foundation cultivator has come forward yet..."

Zhao Yuanxiao pondered, "Does Master Uncle mean that the Dao Foundation cultivators of the Qinghe Sect are restrained and unable to come?"

"That's possible."

Li Pinghe nodded: "They may have been injured, or they may still be in Wuling Kingdom. What came was just the advance team, and we may not know their strength, so we are only scouting now."

The Qinghe Sect has revealed too little information, so he cannot judge the situation.

"However, the fact that so little information has been released itself implies something: the Qinghe Sect may not be as powerful as people imagine."

Li Pinghe concluded.

If the Qinghe Sect were truly that powerful, there would be no need to deliberately hide its strength; instead, it would openly display its power, which would naturally command respect.

Zhao Yuanxiao deeply agreed, but then worriedly said:

"Master Uncle, you previously told us to hold our ground and wait for their next move. Now that the Qinghe Sect and the Jiuyang Sect have begun their actions, what should we do?"

"Let's keep waiting."

Li Pinghe took a sip of tea, his drooping eyelids revealing only calm:

"If the Qinghe Sect is really testing us, then it's still too early... You should send someone over to Wuling Kingdom as soon as possible to watch the tigers fight from the sidelines, and make sure you understand the situation clearly."

"This disciple understands."

Zhao Yuanxiao quickly said goodbye and prepared to leave.

"Oh, right, summon the golden light."

Li Pinghe gave the instructions.

Zhao Yuanxiao was taken aback for a moment, but quickly agreed.

Before long, Jin Guang rode on the back of a black water buffalo and barged into the hall, loudly proclaiming:

"Teacher, Senior Brother Zhao said you called me?"

Li Pinghe wasn't annoyed. When he was young, he had taught some disciples on a voluntary basis while traveling, and he was quite strict with them. But now that he's this age, he loves his personal disciple no matter how he looks at him. Young people might find it hard to understand this mindset. He guesses that his juniors, like Zhao Yuanxiao, are secretly criticizing him as their master for spoiling his disciple too much.

Of course, he knew that spoiling a child was like killing a child, and his apprentice was no exception. But although Jin Guang was young and acted recklessly, he knew right from wrong and did not act recklessly. Even if he made a small mistake, it was not a big deal and he did not want to be too harsh on him, lest he spoil his nature.

To grow a big tree, you have to allow it to grow many glaring branches, rather than pruning it into the shape you like, even if others don't like it.

Of course, if his disciple causes trouble, it is his responsibility as the teacher, which he cannot shirk and is willing to bear. It is precisely because this responsibility is too heavy that he has only truly accepted this one disciple over the years.

Seeing Jin Guang return, Li Pinghe smiled and waved:

Come here.

The black buffalo then flicked its wrist, leaving the golden light behind. It took a few steps forward, picked up the tea that Li Pinghe offered with its tongue, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good cow."

Li Pinghe gently stroked the head of the black water buffalo that nuzzled against him, and laughed heartily while stroking his beard.

"Teacher, why are you writing so sloppily!"

Jin Guang was in a great hurry. He took a few leaps and jumped to Li Pinghe's knees, hugged his thigh, and turned his head to glare at the black water buffalo.

Li Pinghe shook his head:

"To be ignorant and incompetent is to show favoritism."

"Yes, yes, yes, favoring one over the other, favoring one over the other."

The black water buffalo, with its big, watery eyes wide open, seemed afraid of this troublemaker and obediently shrank back. Jin Guang immediately laughed triumphantly, not caring much about Li Pinghe's lesson.

After playing around like this for a while, Li Pinghe stroked his golden hair and asked:

"Jin Guang, how long have you been following me, your teacher?"

Jin Guang propped himself up on the edge of the couch with both hands, pouting, "I don't know. I've been following you, teacher, ever since I can remember."

Having said that, he suddenly turned his head and asked warily:

Why are you suddenly asking me this?

"Haha, it's nothing. I was just thinking, you've been stuck at the tenth level of Qi Refining for over a year now, haven't you?"

"About a year and a half..."

Jin Guang recalled with a pout, "It felt like something was pressing down on me from above, and I just couldn't get up."

Li Pinghe knew he was referring to his feelings while attempting to forge a foundation for his Dao, so he nodded, looked outside the hall, and slowly said:

"You were born with the potential to cultivate the Dao, but it's a real waste of your abilities to be born in the Song Kingdom. Have you ever thought about going out to see the world beyond the Song Kingdom?"

"Okay, okay, teacher, didn't you say there are a lot of powerful people outside? I want to go and see... Wait, you don't just want me to go alone, do you!?"

Jin Guang jumped up, overjoyed, but then immediately remembered something and stared warily at Li Pinghe.

Seeing his precocious manner, Li Pinghe couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Don't worry, I just haven't decided where to go yet."

"oh."

Jin Guang was relieved to hear this. Although the old man was sometimes unreliable, he had never lied to him.

"Ha—I'm going to sleep now."

The little boy was young and got sleepy quickly. He yawned and talked for a while, then turned around and rode barefoot on the back of the black water buffalo, falling fast asleep.

The stone slabs inside the hall were cool as water in the night. Li Pinghe turned off the lamp, walked outside the hall, and sat quietly on the steps, gazing at the bright moon.

……

Several more days passed.

Outside Chun Jun Gate.

Clusters of mountains, like haystacks, lie across the land.

The three stood on one of the hilltops, gazing at the mountain gate standing between two peaks in the distance, each with a different expression.

"This is Chun Jun Sect. Its mountain gate is quite large, even more imposing than our Qinghe Sect."

One of them spoke up, his tone tinged with a hint of sourness.

Another person chimed in:

"It's not just Chun Jun Sect, the Yang family's mountain gate is not bad either, and the Jiu Yang Sect is said to be even more magnificent... Heh, the smaller the place, the more they care about appearances, it's just being fussy."

"Alright."

The leader was a young Taoist priest with a square face, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes, exuding a heroic air. Hearing the two's conversation, he lightly rebuked them:

"Although it is a small country and a minor clan, it has produced figures like Li Canglang. Do not underestimate it."

Upon hearing the name "Li Canglang," both of them fell silent for a moment, but couldn't help but sigh:

"When I first learned the 'Yi Wood Mystic Light Shield,' the elder who transmitted the technique said that this spell was improved by cultivators from the Song Kingdom. I almost thought I had misheard..."

"It is a rare and extraordinary thing that a small local sect could produce a master of magic like Li Canglang."

"In a way, we've received favors from him, yet now we're here to subdue his sect. To be honest, I'm not entirely comfortable with this."

"What are we compared to them? It's said that the Vice Sect Master even had a past relationship with Li Canglang..."

"That's different. Although we are old friends, this is a matter of life and death for the sect. Personal relationships can't take precedence over official business, especially since the vice sect leader is now..."

"Silence!"

The square-faced young Taoist priest at the head of the group grew increasingly cold as he listened, and finally couldn't help but rebuke him.

"Yes, Senior Brother Lu!"

The two sensed the anger in his voice and quickly shut up.

Senior Brother Lu glanced coldly at the two of them before saying:

"You two wait here, I'll be right back."

The two quickly bowed and took their leave.

Senior Brother Lu immediately spread his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and rode the air away, as graceful as an immortal.

Once they were out of sight, the two breathed a sigh of relief, and one of them said sullenly:

"What's with the attitude!"

"This Lu Mingchen really thinks too highly of himself! If it weren't for the foundational magic treasure he possesses, how dare he swagger into someone else's mountain gate? How much stronger is he than us?"

Another person offered a helpless consolation:

"There's nothing we can do about it. He's a true disciple of the Dao Foundation. When that person passes away, he'll take over. Fortunately, the Xiye Sect is gone, which has freed up two positions. If we make contributions, we might have a chance in the future."

The two looked at each other and sighed. That's what they said, but there were far too many people in the Qinghe Sect waiting for those two spots.

"Alright, let's take a look first. Chun Jun Sect is, after all, the former residence of Li Canglang. It is said that there are many advanced techniques in the sect. Even if Lu Mingchen has magic treasures to help him, it will probably take him some time to take it down alone."

"I wonder if we'll encounter a situation like the Nine Yang Sect, where Lü Kong managed to suppress all three of them, it's simply unbelievable."

"The Nine Yang Sect and the Chun Jun Sect are not the same thing. The Nine Yang Sect has powerful backers; I heard they're based in the Donglai Kingdom of Qingzhou..."

"Ha, how many families in this world can occupy a sacred site without a powerful backer?"

"Alright, enough of that. Let's see when Lu Mingchen comes back."

After chatting for a while, the two found it boring and both looked towards the direction of Chun Jun Gate.

From afar, Lu Mingchen could be seen standing outside the Chun Jun Sect's mountain gate, saying something, and soon several figures came to greet him.

After the two sides negotiated for a while, they couldn't hear each other from a distance. Since Lu Mingchen didn't give any warning, they figured there wasn't anything serious. But not long after, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, a golden stream of light flew out from the mountain gate and landed on Lu Mingchen.

"A fight has broken out!"

The two people on the hilltop jolted, instinctively straightening their bodies, holding their breath, and staring intently at the scene.

Although they wished Lu Mingchen would suffer a crushing defeat, they were also concerned because if things went wrong, neither of them would benefit.

Lu Mingchen did not issue a warning and escaped safely in the golden light. He then summoned an object, which swelled in the wind and quickly grew so large that the two men on the mountain could see it clearly. It was a pointed triangular yellow flag.

The triangular flag is decorated with dragons and snakes, their eyes glaring and teeth bared. With a gentle shake, it seems as if divine intervention is present, and the surrounding area around the mountain gate immediately trembles.

The several Chun Jun Sect cultivators who had originally faced Lu Mingchen were all thrown down by the shockwave, completely powerless to fight back!

"The Chun Jun Sect is also unlucky. What Lu Mingchen brought was the sect leader's 'Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Flag,' which can be used for both defense and offense, but it is not the 'True Water Bowl' that Senior Brother Zhu brought to the Nine Yang Sect, which is not good for attacking."

The two men on the mountain couldn't help but shake their heads, their tone half pity and half sigh at their lack of ambition, before slumping down and sitting cross-legged on the ground.

This is also the source of their confidence that Lu Mingchen will win.

Small countries and sects may not know the true extent of the gap between Foundation Establishment cultivators and ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, but they are well aware that it is a despairing... enormous chasm.

Even if what comes is just a magic weapon used by a Dao Foundation cultivator.