Mortal: Starting by joining the Falling Cloud Sect

"Zhou Qing, you should already know the ultimate purpose of the Yunmeng Conference."

Zhou Qing nodded; he had seen it in the Records of Falling Clouds.

Deep within the Yunmeng Mountains lies the Yunmeng Secret Realm, which, according to the Nascent Soul cultivators of the three sects, is the ruins of an ancient sect. However, this secret realm is covered by a massive array, making it difficult for cultivators, even Nascent Soul cultivators, to enter.

However, after the three sects worked together to study it, they discovered that the formation would have a weak period of operation every thirty years.

During this period, Qi Refining stage disciples can explore within it without being attacked by the formation.

Therefore, every thirty years, the three sects would each hold a Cloud Dream Conference to select ten outstanding individuals to explore the secret realm.

The secret realm is full of rare treasures, spiritual herbs and medicines. Many disciples returned from the secret realm with a lot of good things, which they handed over to the sect and received a lot of benefits.

Because the three sects strictly prohibit fighting each other in the secret realm, the survival rate is quite high, except for accidentally triggering the restrictions in the secret realm or being ambushed and killed by monsters.

Therefore, the three sects regarded this journey to the Cloud Dream Secret Realm as a reward for the Cloud Dream Tournament rather than an adventure.

"I understand," Zhou Qing replied.

"If you successfully enter the top ten of the Yunmeng Tournament, you will be qualified to enter the Yunmeng Secret Realm. I hope you can find a spiritual herb for me in the secret realm." Song Yu finally slowly revealed his true purpose.

"What kind of miraculous medicine is it?" Zhou Qing asked in a deep voice.

Song Yu took out a page from a book and handed it to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing took a look and was immediately taken aback.

This fairy, Song Yu, was actually looking for a five-hundred-year-old Wuling Lotus.

He was both shocked and puzzled: such a precious spiritual medicine could not possibly be taken away by the sect. It would definitely be confiscated as soon as he left the secret realm. Even if it was found, how could it be handed over to Song Yu?

Zhou Qing was puzzled, but he didn't rush to refuse. He decided to listen to what Song Yu had to say next.

Seeing that Zhou Qing was surprised but did not rush to refuse her, Song Yu felt a little relieved and thought to herself, "It seems that this person is also bold! But for Yao'er's sake, I have no choice but to resort to this tactic."

"This is a treasure pouch. If you find the Black Spirit Lotus in the secret realm, you can put it in the pouch to avoid the sect's detection. As a reward, I can allow you to put one more item in the pouch to make your trip to the secret realm worthwhile. Moreover, if you successfully establish your foundation, I can also recommend you to my master's sect as a personal disciple. You should know that not every Foundation Establishment disciple in the sect can become a disciple of a Core Formation elder."

Song Yu slowly revealed the reward for this trip.

All Zhou Qing could say after hearing that was, "That's it?"

He firmly believes in one thing: he never takes unseen benefits seriously; he only believes in benefits when they are actually in his hands.

If the Black Spirit Lotus is indeed found in the secret realm, then it would be a win-win situation for both parties.

But what if he can't find it? Zhou Qing is going to search all over the secret realm for that Black Spirit Lotus, even though there are dangers in the secret realm.

Zhou Qing would never agree to risk everything and end up with nothing, a wasted trip.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Qing put on a hesitant look.

Seeing this, Song Yu understood and spoke again, "If you have any further conditions, please just say them."

"Uncle-Master, the reward you mentioned is indeed very good, but it will not be of any help to me in this secret realm. I think that if you could bestow a treasure upon me, so that I could be more at ease in the secret realm, it would greatly benefit your purpose."

"What do you want?" Song Yu asked.

"I saw the veiled hat that Junior Sister Song Yao was wearing today, and I was greatly impressed by its incredible beauty. Therefore, I would like to ask my Martial Uncle for this item."

Zhou Qing had already made up his mind. He had long coveted that veiled hat, and now that he had this opportunity, he might as well seize it decisively to avoid having difficulty asking for it later.

"A simple veil? Okay." Song Yu thought for a moment, then nodded, agreeing to Zhou Qing's request. "I'll have Yao'er deliver it to you later. Remember, I've already backed down; if you fail to find the Black Spirit Lotus, you'll bear the consequences!"

"Thank you, Senior Uncle Song! This disciple understands!"

After saying that, Zhou Qing turned and left, walking out of the pavilion.

Shortly after returning to the courtyard, Song Yao handed over the Su Yanwei, the reward that Song Yu had promised, to Zhou Qing, along with a treasure pouch and a jade slip.

The jade slip contains detailed information about the Yunmeng Secret Realm.

The treasure pouch was restricted by Song Yu, so that things could only be put in but not taken out, which was a kind of limitation on Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing did not stay in the courtyard for long and left soon after.

This time, our destination is Dan Ding Pavilion.

Although Zhou Qing's current strength is already outstanding and has been recognized by Song Yu, Zhou Qing always maintains an enterprising spirit and is unwilling to be complacent.

There is still a year and a half until the Cloud Dream Tournament of the Luoyun Sect.

With some effort this year, I might be able to elevate my cultivation to a higher level and reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

Of course, this would definitely require the help of a large number of pills.

The effects of Huanglong Dan and Jin Sui Wan diminished significantly after Zhou Qing reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

Zhou Qing was preparing to go to the Pill Cauldron Pavilion to find those elixirs and miraculous medicines that were truly suitable for cultivators.

Once refined, it can be used in conjunction with Huanglong Dan and Jin Sui Wan for a two-pronged approach, which may yield better results.

Danding Pavilion is located on a low mountain near Tianquan Peak.

Although it is called a pavilion, it is actually a large cluster of buildings built around the mountain.

At the center of these buildings are three tall, circular wooden buildings arranged in a triangular pattern.

Of these three circular high-rise buildings, the two on the sides are rented by the sect to its disciples for alchemy, and there are many alchemy rooms built in them.

The one in the middle is where the sect assigns alchemy tasks to its external disciples.

The foreign affairs disciple received the task and immediately began refining elixirs in the alchemy room of this high-rise building to complete the mission.

Just as Zhou Qing entered, he stumbled upon a scene of alchemy task assignment.

In the hall, an elder announced in a loud voice, "This batch of pills is needed urgently. After you collect the herbs, go ahead."

The disciples all shouted "Yes, sir!" and then took flight, landing in front of their respective alchemy rooms and going inside.

As the wooden doors slammed shut, the earth's fiery energy surged forth, and the disciples became engrossed in alchemy.

Zhou Qing watched for a while and was truly amazed. With such a grand spectacle, it was no wonder that Luo Yun Sect's alchemy skills were so renowned in Tiannan.

After passing through a corridor, Zhou Qing came to an open door with many disciples going in and out. This was the library of the Dan Ding Pavilion.

Unlike Yunjilou, this place requires an entrance fee.

The price wasn't cheap; one spirit stone cost two hours.

After handing over the spirit stones, Zhou Qing stepped into the room.

Each bookshelf has a corresponding label, such as those for increasing magical power, healing and recovery, detoxification and miasma removal, calming the mind and stabilizing the spirit, as well as some special miraculous pills.

Zhou Qing walked to the bookshelf that contained books on enhancing magical power, picked up jade slips, bamboo slips, and jade pieces, and began to search through them.

Soon, Zhou Qing found the elixir he was looking for on a jade slip.

"Qi Condensation Pill" is suitable for cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining to break through their realm. The required medicinal materials are...

The jade slip records everything from the medicinal materials needed to refine this elixir to various precautions during the refining process.

Zhou Qing believed that as long as he had a large amount of raw materials and followed the refining method on the jade slip, refining the Qi Condensation Pill should not be a problem.

With plenty of time left before the deadline, seeing such a detailed prescription, Zhou Qing couldn't help but want to find other prescriptions that he could use later.

Unfortunately, after searching the entire bookshelf, the highest-grade pill formula Zhou Qing could find was the Foundation Establishment Pill formula; there wasn't a single pill formula suitable for those above the Foundation Establishment stage.

This is not surprising. Even in the Luoyun Sect, where the alchemy tradition is so good, it is unlikely that they would casually reveal high-level pill formulas.

However, having obtained the formulas for Qi Condensation Pill and Foundation Establishment Pill, the trip was quite fruitful.

Before leaving, Zhou Qing made a special trip to the bookshelf labeled "Special Elixir" and took a look.

This unexpected discovery yielded a surprising result!

He discovered the formula for the Youth-Preserving Pill on the bookshelf, which greatly delighted Zhou Qing.

"This Youth Preservation Pill is an incredibly profitable item for me. A single pill can sell for a high price of 1,500 spirit stones. With a large amount of spirit stones, I can purchase powerful talismans and top-tier magic artifacts, further enhancing my strength and giving me more confidence for the Cloud Dream Tournament."

Carrying the three jade slips, Zhou Qingxing rushed back to the exit.

After handing over spirit stones to a Foundation Establishment senior master and receiving the replica jade slip, he quickly returned to his courtyard on White Phoenix Peak.

He was extremely busy that day. After returning to the courtyard, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and slept until the next day when it was fully light.