After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

Lin Fengmian bowed again before turning and leaving.

Behind her, the little fox demon followed with tiny steps, her fluffy tail swaying happily.

At this moment, chaos erupted within his mind.

Li Cheng's old face turned bright red with anger. He stomped his feet in his mind, his hands trembling, his voice shaking, yet he dared not lash out loud.

"Young friend! My dear young friend! How could you... how could you give the Soul-Nourishing Wood to someone else! What am I to do now! I've waited for thousands of years! You... you..."

He wanted to curse loudly, but when he thought of Lin Fengmian's previous threat of the "Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Qing Dynasty," he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and could only feel a deep sense of grievance and resentment, like a child whose candy had been taken away.

Lin Fengmian ignored him, only a slight smile appeared on his lips.

One plays the good cop, the other the bad cop. Although Li Cheng talks a lot, he's got a lot to say, so we can't let him get away.

You have to give him a nudge from time to time to let him know who's in charge.

……

The next morning, Lin Fengmian left home feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Today is the day to enter the Imperial Pool.

In the Hehuan Sect's headquarters, everyone's face was filled with undisguised joy.

The Imperial Pool—the national treasure of the Great Yan Dynasty—is said to allow one to comprehend the Golden Core Dao by soaking in it, greatly aiding cultivators in forming their cores. It is a top-tier opportunity that ranks among the best in the entire Qingzhou and even the entire Southern Frontier.

Originally, the number of people allowed to enter the Imperial Pool was extremely limited, and only the royal family of the Great Yan Dynasty and its closest forces were eligible to obtain it.

But this time, because of Lin Fengmian's influence—or more precisely, because of Chu Qingyi's influence as the "Supreme Elder"—the Hehuan Sect received three extra spots.

At this moment, besides Chu Qingyi and Honglian Zhenren, Xiao Xiyue and Liu Shiyin were also present.

Both of them were at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and originally they would have had to wait at least several more decades to gain the opportunity to enter the Imperial Pool.

Now, thanks to Lin Fengmian, they have received this tremendous opportunity ahead of schedule.

Xiao Xiyue's cold, beautiful phoenix eyes looked at Lin Fengmian, her gaze shimmering with a strange light, and she thought to herself:

"Tonight... I must treat him well."

Liu Shiyin, standing to the side, also had a slightly flushed cheek and a sweet smile on her lips, secretly thinking to herself:

"I need to find an opportunity... to properly repay him."

Master Honglian coughed lightly, pulling everyone's thoughts back to reality:

"Alright, it's getting late, let's get going."

The group then set off towards the imperial palace of the Great Yan Dynasty.

The imperial city is majestic, with towering palace walls, vermilion gates and golden nails, and glazed tiles that gleam in the morning light.

As soon as they arrived outside the palace gates, the seventh prince of the Great Yan Dynasty came out to greet them with a group of attendants.

He was dressed in a black brocade robe today, with a jade belt around his waist. He had a handsome face and a gentle temperament. Upon seeing the people from the Joyful Union Sect, his face immediately lit up with a warm smile:

"Fairies, Brother Lin, you've arrived! Please, please come in!"

As the seventh prince led the way, he enthusiastically introduced the palaces and pavilions along the way, adopting an extremely humble posture and treating the Hehuan Sect members with a respectful attitude that bordered on fawning.

He knew very well that the Chu Qingyi before him was a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator!

Lin Fengmian was someone she cherished and protected dearly.

If I were to be even slightly negligent, I might not even know how I died.

Before long, the group arrived at the Imperial Pool.

Ahead, amidst billowing white mist and rising steam, a massive hot spring pool sits atop a platform made of white jade. The pool water is a pale milky white, shimmering with light, faintly radiating a spiritual glow, and exuding a warm and profound aura.

Above the pool, mist swirls like gauze or a veil, with mysterious runes faintly visible within, seemingly in accordance with some profound principle of heaven and earth.

The seventh prince stood by the pool, hands behind his back, a hint of pride on his face, and introduced the scene in a loud voice:

"As you may not know, this Imperial Pool was discovered by our Great Yan Dynasty's ancestor, the Great Yan True Monarch, in a secret realm during his travels."

"This pool contains a trace of the true principles of the Golden Core Dao. When cultivators soak in it, they can comprehend the true meaning of the Dao amidst the misty water vapor, which has immeasurable benefits for improving the quality of their Golden Core."

"It is precisely because of this Imperial Pool that our Great Yan Dynasty has been able to become the power with the most Golden Core cultivators in the entire Qingzhou in just a few hundred years. It is no exaggeration to say that we are the number one Golden Core cultivator in the Southern Frontier."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fengmian nodded slightly, secretly rejoicing.

Fortunately, the Imperial Pool is only beneficial for those who have formed their core.

If this thing can also help those who have reached the Nascent Soul stage, then all the Nascent Soul elders in the entire Southern Frontier will probably be restless and will definitely turn the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty upside down.

Although Core Formation cultivators are the backbone of the cultivation world, the real power struggles between nations and forces still depend on the whims of those Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

A Nascent Soul cultivator is enough to sweep away a group of Core Formation cultivators—no matter how many Core Formation cultivators there are, they are nothing but chickens and dogs in front of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Just then, Lin Fengmian's gaze swept across the Imperial Pool and he noticed that there were already quite a few figures in the pool.

These were other disciples from various sects who met the entry requirements.

The sword cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect all had cold and stern expressions, with faint sword energy emanating from their bodies.

The demonic cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Hall had sinister eyes and were filled with murderous aura.

At this moment, however, the way these people looked at Lin Fengmian was tinged with resentment.

After all, which of these people present hadn't suffered a loss at Lin Fengmian's hands?

Either he stole their opportunity, or he publicly humiliated them.

However, with the "Supreme Elder" of the Hehuan Sect in charge, they could only suppress their resentment.

The Seventh Prince, clearly sensing the awkward atmosphere, quickly stepped in to smooth things over, smiling and saying:

"To facilitate your peaceful comprehension, the Great Yan royal family has specially set up a partitioned array in the Imperial Pool. Each sect has its own independent area, where they do not interfere with each other."

Upon hearing this, the cultivators from the other sects secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

They had originally planned to take advantage of Lin Fengmian's enlightenment to cause some trouble and make him suffer a hidden loss.

Now that the formation is in place and everyone is isolated, they can no longer find an opportunity.

"Then thank you very much, Seventh Prince."

True Person Honglian nodded slightly and bowed to the Seventh Prince in thanks.

The Seventh Prince quickly returned the greeting:

"You're too kind, it's my pleasure."

Without further hesitation, everyone headed towards the area where their respective sects were located.

The cultivators from the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Heavenly Demon Hall leaped into the pool, their spiritual light surging and water vapor rising as they closed their eyes to comprehend the mysteries.

A moment later, only the members of the Hehuan Sect remained by the Huangji Pool.

Lin Fengmian's gaze swept across the pool, then he turned to look at the four women beside him, a meaningful smile slowly curving his lips: