The First Venerable of All Paths

"Another problem?"

Fang Xuan asked with a puzzled look, "What do you mean by this, senior?"

Qi Xuanlin did not answer, but looked out the window and said, "Before answering your question, let's invite your friend in first, otherwise I'm worried she'll tear this inn down."

After saying that, Qi Xuanlin waved his hand, and the window opened by itself.

A woman stood in mid-air, holding a soul jar, her eyes warily fixed on the room.

It was Li Guanlan.

"Alright, let her dispel the soul realm."

Qi Xuanlin said calmly, "If I really wanted to harm you, you two little brats wouldn't be able to escape my grasp."

Fang Xuan touched his nose and said, "Senior, please don't be offended. I was just worried that the people from the Dao Seeking Sect would catch up with us."

As he spoke, Fang Xuan gave Li Guanlan a wink, signaling her to dispel the soul realm and enter the room.

In fact, from the moment he left the Dao Seeking Sect, Fang Xuan secretly sent a telepathic message to Li Guanlan, instructing her to follow him quietly.

Fortunately, although Qi Xuanlin had his own plans, he did not have any ill intentions towards him.

Moreover, compared to Li Chunqiu, if Qi Xuanlin, a sword cultivator, were to really attack him, he would have absolutely no chance of survival.

"You can speak now, senior."

With a flick of his finger, Qi Xuanlin unleashed several sword energies that instantly enveloped the entire room, forming a chilling sword array in the blink of an eye.

This method shocked Fang Xuan, but also left him deeply impressed.

Qi Xuanlin is truly exceptionally talented.

Besides being a sword cultivator at the half-step Profound Realm, he is also a master of formations.

His mastery of formations far surpasses even that of himself.

"Don't misunderstand, what I'm about to say is not for outsiders to know."

Seeing Li Guanlan's wary expression, Qi Xuanlin smiled and reassured him.

"Little girl, if I'm not mistaken, that jar in your hand is the legendary Devouring Soul Jar, isn't it?"

Li Guanlan glanced at Fang Xuan, then said softly, "Senior, please speak frankly."

"You're quite lucky to have encountered such a supreme treasure of the soul."

Qi Xuanlin said, "The Hundred Souls Hall has been searching for this thing for over a hundred years. They've practically turned the entire Qingzhou upside down."

Fang Xuan interjected, "So, the other trouble you mentioned, senior, is it the Hundred Souls Hall?"

"good."

Qi Xuanlin nodded and said, "Compared to sects like the Dao Asking Sect that are openly recognized, what makes the Hundred Souls Hall most feared is that they always hide in the shadows, never showing their true colors, but their overall strength is no weaker than that of the Dao Asking Sect."

"If they knew you had the Devouring Soul Jar, do you think they would let you go?"

Qi Xuanlin said, "As long as you join the Qingyun Sect, I can guarantee that the Hundred Souls Hall will absolutely not dare to cause you any trouble."

"At least, that's how it appears on the surface."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuan frowned and looked at Li Guanlan, as if seeking her opinion.

Qin Luoli, noticing this, raised her eyebrows almost imperceptibly and glanced at Li Guanlan.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior."

Li Guanlan added, "But I cannot become a disciple of the Qingyun Sect."

"It's alright."

Qi Xuanlin said, "But as long as Fang Xuan joins my Qingyun Sect, I can also protect you and prevent the Hundred Souls Hall from openly causing you trouble."

"Fang Xuan, what do you think?"

Qi Xuanlin's words made Fang Xuan hesitate.

To be honest, he could feel Qi Xuanlin's sincerity.

Joining a sect comes with too many restrictions.

Moreover, he carries countless secrets, and it cannot be ruled out that someone within the Qingyun Sect might covet him.

"If you're worried about the sect's rules, you can rest assured."

Qi Xuanlin said, "Since I'm giving you a trial spot, you need to have a reason to convince the sect. Apart from that, I won't interfere with what you want to do, and in my spare time, I can even guide you in your sword cultivation."

Qin Luoli looked over in surprise, seemingly feeling that the conditions offered by her master were somewhat excessive... preferential treatment.

"Since you've said so, senior, it would be ungrateful of me to refuse."

Fang Xuan said, "However, I have one condition: I will only enter the Qingyun Sect, but I will not become a disciple, since I already have a master."

"Can."

Qi Xuanlin readily agreed, saying, "Since we've discussed it enough, let's set off now and return to Qingyun Sect."

"Senior, could you please give me some time?"

Fang Xuan said, "I still have some matters to attend to. After I have resolved this matter, I will go to Qingyun Sect to pay my respects to you, senior."

Qi Xuanlin frowned and said, "The Dao Seeking Sect is now eager to kill you. Aren't you planning to go hide at the Azure Cloud Sect for a while?"

"As long as no expert at the half-step Profound Realm appears, the juniors can handle the rest of the experts."

Fang Xuan looked confident; he even wished the Dao Asking Sect would come after him so he could kill a few more.

"Whatever you want."

Qi Xuanlin tossed Fang Xuan a token and said, "This is the token of a Sword Peak disciple of the Qingyun Sect. I have infused it with a sword intent, which is the power of my full-force attack. If you encounter trouble that you cannot resolve, you can activate it with your sword energy."

"Thank you so much, Martial Uncle, for bestowing this treasure upon me. I am deeply grateful!"

Fang Xuan addressed his uncle with genuine sincerity.

With this, Fang Xuan had even fewer worries.

"You're quite realistic, aren't you?"

Qi Xuanlin chuckled and rolled his eyes.

Just now they were calling each other "senior" and "junior," but after receiving a benefit, they immediately changed their address to "disciple, senior uncle."

"However, you'd better go to Qingyun Sect as soon as possible. The trial is in three months. You've just broken through to the Divine Intent Realm, so you need to consolidate your strength to survive the trial."

Qi Xuanlin looked serious and patiently gave instructions.

"Your disciple will remember this."

Qi Xuanlin dispelled the sword formation, stood up and said, "Alright, you all go and take care of your business. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back."

"besides."

Qi Xuanlin looked at Li Guanlan and said, "Although the Devouring Heaven Soul Jar is a supreme treasure of the Soul Dao, it should not be used lightly unless absolutely necessary, otherwise it will attract those guys from the Hundred Soul Hall."

"Thank you for the reminder, senior. I will remember it."

Li Guanlan bowed to Qi Xuanlin and sincerely thanked him.

After the two left the room, Qi Xuanlin turned to Qin Luoli and asked casually, "Luoli, since you know Fang Xuan, why didn't you say a word just now?"

"There's not much to say."

Qin Luoli stood up and said, "Master, I'm a little tired, so I'll go back to my room to rest first."

"Go ahead, go ahead."

Qi Xuanlin waved his hand and said meaningfully, "Don't linger too long. We need to go back first thing tomorrow morning."

"Master, you..."

A blush crept onto Qin Luoli's pretty face behind the veil, and she pushed open the door and went out.

Looking at Qin Luoli's somewhat hurried steps, Qi Xuanlin sighed helplessly.

"Sigh, daughters really are hard to keep at home once they grow up."

Qi Xuanlin suddenly laughed out loud again, muttering to himself, "But Fang Xuan isn't bad either; he's a good match for this little girl."

......

"Fang Xuan, are you really going to Qingyun Sect?"

After leaving the inn, Li Guanlan hesitated for a moment before asking the question.

"What's wrong?"

Fang Xuan asked, "Do you think there's something wrong with the Qingyun Sect?"

"I don't know if there's a problem with Qingyun Sect, but Qi Xuanlin definitely has a problem."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuan's face showed a strange expression, and he chose to transmit his voice, saying, "You noticed it too?"

"Don't forget, I'm a Soul Master, my soul power is stronger than yours."

Li Guanlan said, "Qi Xuanlin seems to have good intentions, but he definitely has other motives."

"That's natural."

Fang Xuan nodded and said, "Otherwise, she wouldn't have insisted that I join the Qingyun Sect."

According to Qi Xuanlin, Senior Qinghe was expelled from Qingyun Sect, but Qi Xuanlin still insisted on going to Qingyun Sect himself.

Whatever her relationship with Qi Xuanlin may be, the whole thing is a bit strange.

"Then why are you still going?"

"Why not go?"

Fang Xuan smiled and said, "Besides the benefits she mentioned, I do need to find a place to settle down and cultivate for a while."

Despite possessing the Chaos Saint Body, the inheritance of the Nine Emperors, and even having cultivated to the pinnacle of martial arts, Fang Xuan is still formidable.

It was precisely because of his rapid cultivation speed that Fang Xuan still had many shortcomings in some aspects.

Fang Xuan gained a deeper understanding, especially after the battle with the Dao Seeking Sect.

Therefore, entering the Qingyun Sect was a way for Fang Xuan to buy himself time.

But before that, he needs to take care of something in advance.

"You have a point."

Li Guanlan nodded and said, "Compared to other places, Qingyun Sect is indeed the most suitable for you, but you must be wary of one person."

"Yan Daoming".

Fang Xuan looked at Li Guanlan in surprise and said, "What do you know?"

"I saw him send a message to the outside world after he came out of the room."

Li Guanlan said, "In order not to alert the enemy, I did not intercept them."

"It's probably a message sent to the Qingyun Sect."

Fang Xuan said, "Uncle Qi gave me a spot, but he was vehemently opposed to it."

"It's good that you know."

Li Guanlan suddenly frowned and said, "Is she waiting for you?"

Following Li Guanlan's gaze, Fang Xuan also showed a look of surprise.

On a mountaintop outside Shangyun City stood a woman.

Her figure was graceful, cold as ice, yet upright as a sword.

It was Qin Luoli.

Seeing that the other person's gaze was on him, Fang Xuan sighed helplessly in his heart.

His eyes then hardened.

What's meant to happen will happen sooner or later.

You could even say he had been waiting for this day for a long time.

"I'll be right back."

With a swift movement, Fang Xuan transformed into a sword beam and landed in front of Qin Luoli.

"Long time no see, Qin Luoli."

Looking at the woman before him, even with Fang Xuan's resolute Dao heart, he couldn't help but feel inexplicably excited.

Three years ago, the absurd events in that cave left a deep impression on Fang Xuan.

In a sense, Fang Xuan wouldn't have gotten this far without Qin Luoli.

Three years ago, he might have died in despair and agony in that unknown cave, turning into a pile of bones.

It was because he obtained Qin Luoli's primordial yin that he was able to unlock the Nine Emperors' inheritance and be reborn against death.

"You recognized me after all."

Looking into those bright, deep eyes, Qin Luoli subconsciously looked away, her tone somewhat complicated.

Fang Xuan's voice was gentle, tinged with a smile: "Compared to three years ago, you haven't changed much."

"Aren't you afraid I'm here to kill you?"

Qin Luoli's tone suddenly turned cold, and the sword energy within her body became chilling.

"If you really wanted to kill me, I would have died three years ago."

Fang Xuan chuckled, took out a porcelain bottle, handed it to Qin Luoli, and said, "I said three years ago that I am a man and should take responsibility for you."

"You bastard!"

A flash of shame and anger crossed Qin Luoli's eyes, and she slapped Fang Xuan directly with her palm.

The palm strike was fierce, faintly carrying the aura of swords.

Swords emerge from the palm of the hand?

Fang Xuan reacted quickly and gently grasped Qin Luoli's wrist.

"Relax!"

Qin Luoli's delicate body trembled, her anger intensified, and her sword energy surged forth, about to strike Fang Xuan, but she quickly withdrew it.

"You bastard, why didn't you dodge?"

Looking at the stubborn woman in front of him, Fang Xuan sighed helplessly and said softly, "Although it's three years late, I should still apologize to you. After all, that matter was not your intention."

Upon hearing this, Qin Luoli's cold heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp sword, causing her delicate body to tremble and her nose to inexplicably sting.

But she quickly regained her composure and sneered, "Stop pretending to be kind, and don't apologize to me."

"I'm calling you to tell you that I don't want anyone to know about our relationship."

Qin Luoli said in a voice as cold as a sword, "Otherwise, I will kill you!"

"I will obey my senior sister's orders."

Fang Xuan chuckled and said, "If there's nothing else, Junior Brother will be going now."

"you......"

Qin Luoli glared at her, then waved her hand impatiently.

"roll."

"Okay!"

Fang Xuan turned to leave, but after taking only two steps, he immediately turned back and pulled Qin Luoli into his arms.

Extremely strong force.

Qin Luoli's delicate body felt as if it had been electrocuted, but then a monstrous sword aura surged out from within her body and slashed towards Fang Xuan.

"I kill you!"

However, Fang Xuan instantly teleported and appeared a hundred meters away, waving at Qin Luoli.

"Wait for me to come back!"