Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

into the night.

East of Qingzhou City, at the Moon-Viewing Tower.

This restaurant is even more magnificent than the best restaurant in Suining Prefecture, Xianhelou. It has six stories with soaring eaves, and warm yellow light shines through the windows on each floor. From the street, the whole building looks like a giant lantern.

When Yi Yang arrived, Lin He was already waiting at the door.

Today he was wearing a dark blue brocade robe, the white jade buckle at his waist was polished to a shine, and he had his usual smile on his face as he came to greet us from afar.

"Lord Yi, we've been waiting for you."

Yi Yang glanced at the dozen or so exotic beast mounts parked at the entrance. They were of various kinds, and he couldn't even name some of them.

"Looks like everyone's here?"

"That's about it." Lin He stepped aside to lead the way, lowering his voice as he said, "The entire fifth floor has been booked tonight. All the guests are top 100 experts from the 'Heroes List,' twenty-three of them. There are disciples from sects in various prefectures, as well as deputy chief inspectors from the various prefecture's patrol offices. They are all True Qi Realm experts."

The two walked through the lobby and went up the wooden stairs.

There were guests on the first to fourth floors, and the sounds of eating and drinking filled the air, becoming quieter as you went up. When he reached the fifth floor, two of Lin He's attendants stood at the top of the stairs, and they stepped aside when they saw him.

The fifth floor was a bright and airy hall with a long table in the center, laden with food and drinks. About twenty people sat or stood in twos and threes, some holding wine or tea, talking in hushed tones.

The moment Yi Yang stepped inside, at least seven or eight pairs of eyes swept over him simultaneously.

These people concealed their auras very well, but Yi Yang's divine sense had already been activated the moment he stepped onto the fifth floor. Indeed, the room was full of True Qi Realm experts.

The three strongest individuals sat on the west side of the long table: two men and one woman.

Lin He leaned closer and began to introduce them.

"This is Xie Yungui, from Canglan Prefecture, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Sky Patrol Division, ranked thirty-ninth on the List of Heroes."

Xie Yungui appeared to be in his thirties, with a short beard, and wore a standard official uniform, but the cuffs were narrowed by an inch to facilitate drawing his sword. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yi Yang, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment.

"Lord Yi, I have heard of your impressive record."

Yi Yang returned the greeting with clasped hands.

Lin He then pointed to a young man with a thin face and deep-set eyes next to him.

"Ye Chen, a disciple of the Qingluan Sword Sect of Tianlan Prefecture, ranked forty-fourth on the Heroes List."

Ye Chen didn't stand up. He held his wine cup and nodded to Yi Yang as a greeting. He had thick calluses on his left index and middle fingers from the sword, and his nails were trimmed very short.

"This is Su Niannian, from Yuanping Prefecture—"

Before Lin He could finish speaking, a woman in an apricot-colored dress stood up and bowed to Yi Yang with a smile.

"Su Niannian is a disciple of Wanyao Valley in Yuanping Prefecture, ranked fifty-first on the list. Niannian has also heard of Lord Yi's deeds."

She was in her mid-twenties, spoke with a southern accent, and had a bright, smiling eye that made her look like a kind girl next door. But when Yi Yang's divine sense swept over her, he sensed an extremely concentrated medicinal power.

Wanyao Valley, a sect specializing in alchemy.

Yi Yang memorized this information, while Lin He introduced the others one by one.

The remaining people are Du Heng from Tianhe Prefecture, Qin Zhao from Yongzhou Prefecture, Luo Kaishan from Dongling Prefecture, Zhao Nanxing from Qingqu Prefecture, and Zhou Yucheng from Bailu Prefecture.

There are also several disciples from different sects, namely Hanjiang Sword Sect, Luoxing Sect, and Chixiao Martial Arts School.

Among the twenty-seven people seated, the one with the lowest cultivation level was at least in the late True Qi Realm.

As for those who have reached the peak of the True Qi Realm, there are as many as six of them.

These people, if placed in their respective prefectures, would be able to control the situation in their own regions, but in Qingzhou City, they could only sit on the same floor, looking at each other and talking.

After Yi Yang sat down, Lin He personally poured him tea.

The group quickly became acquainted, and after the first round of drinks, they started talking non-stop.

Although these people came from all over the country, they only talked about one thing—the Trade Bureau and the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.

"The experts at the Tongxuan Realm have already made their move." Xie Yungui put down his wine cup, his voice not loud, but everyone at the table listened. "I have several sources of information in the city. I received news the day before yesterday that at least a dozen Tongxuan Realm experts have left Qingzhou City and gone to three important towns."

"And what about us?" a burly man with a large beard asked, holding a bowl.

"Just wait," Ye Chen interjected lazily. "Those at the Profound Realm are the main force; we True Qi Realm cultivators are just there to do the work. The main force will arrive first before we get our turn to be assigned tasks."

"It'll be soon." Xie Yungui tapped his finger on the table. "I estimate we'll have results within ten days."

Yi Yang took a sip of his drink but didn't reply. He remembered this timeframe: ten days.

"By the way, have you heard about Lu Qinglan?"

Xie Yungui suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming more playful.

The moment that name was mentioned, the atmosphere at the table shifted. Several people who had been chatting quietly perked up their ears.

"How come I haven't heard about it?" Big Beard Luo Kaishan took a swig of wine and smacked his lips. "It caused quite a stir throughout Qingzhou City a couple of days ago. That girl single-handedly took on several masters from the top fifty of the 'Heroes List,' defeating them all in a single move."

Su Niannian, resting her chin on her hand, continued, "The most impressive thing isn't that. Later, she encountered that prodigy from Qingzhou, ranked twenty-eighth, a member of the Lu family, one of the four great families. He had already reached the peak of the True Qi Realm at the age of thirty-six, and was a formidable figure with a name and reputation in Qingzhou City."

"and then?"

"One palm strike." Su Niannian gestured with her palm. "That prodigy didn't even have time to unfold his Dharma body before she blasted three of his ribs with one palm strike, leaving him lying on the ground unable to get up for a long time."

The people at the table looked at each other in bewilderment.

At the peak of the True Qi Realm, he severely injured a prodigy of the same level with a single move.

This combat power would place them in at least the top ten on the "Heroes List".

"The strangest thing is," Xie Yungui lowered his voice, his eyes filled with something that was hard to tell whether it was admiration or fear, "this Lu Qinglan was never on the 'Heroes List' before. Nobody had ever heard of her, and nobody could find out her background."

"Some say she is a disciple of some reclusive sect, while others say she is the last disciple of some grandmaster."

"There's an even more outrageous claim," Luo Kaishan, the bearded man, chuckled and lowered his voice. "I heard that this Miss Lu declared—only the man who can defeat her is qualified to marry her."

The table erupted in chaos.

"Is this a martial arts contest to choose a husband?"

"What martial arts contest to find a husband? Her original words were that only the strongest who could defeat her were worthy of her. You should first assess your own capabilities."

"Hey, with her skills, why doesn't she try going up to the top ten of the 'Heroes List'?"

"You might not be able to beat the top ten, didn't you hear? He severely injured the 28th ranked prodigy with one move. That kind of person might have already touched the threshold of the Profound Realm."

Yi Yang listened to everyone's discussion while holding his wine cup, but did not participate in the discussion.

He memorized Lu Qinglan's name. Someone not on the "Heroes' List" yet possessing the strength to crush the top thirty, with an unknown background—this person's sudden appearance in Qingzhou City was too coincidental.

The conversation shifted from Lu Qinglan to the allocation of the three major towns, and several well-informed people gathered together to exchange information.

"It is said that the appointment for Hengyue Town has been finalized. The deputy garrison commander is Jiang Zhongtian, ranked 278th on the Hidden Dragon List, an old monster in the Tongxuan Realm."

"The Xuanming Stronghold is still embroiled in controversy, with both the Tianxin Sect and the Xuntian Division vying for it."

"The Demon Town is the farthest and most dangerous place. I heard that the people on the imperial court want it."

Yi Yang pieced together these scattered pieces of information in his mind, and gradually he got a sense of what was going on.

When they reached the third round of drinks, Lin He stood up.

"Gentlemen, it's a rare occasion for us to gather together tonight. Besides making friends, I've also arranged a little activity." He clapped his hands with a smile.

From behind the screen, two waiters carried out three long, low tables and covered them with velvet cloth.

"You are all about to head to the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. Before you depart, if you have any surplus resources that you wish to sell, or if you happen to be lacking something, you can exchange them here. I, Lin, will not charge any commission; I only wish for everyone to have smooth transactions."

Yi Yang glanced at Lin He.

That's the real purpose of tonight's meal.

He brought together a group of True Qi Realm experts who were about to head to the front lines, providing them with a trading platform. The resources they possessed were all valuable items brought from their respective prefectural cities. Lin He didn't earn commissions; he earned favors.

These people will arrive at the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains and owe Lin He a favor, thus securing the Sui Yuan Chamber of Commerce's trade routes.

A businessman's mind is faster than a knife.

Everyone stood up and began to put their things on the low table.

There are elixirs, spiritual materials, and precious artifacts here, all sorts of things.

Yi Yang glanced around; most of the items weren't very useful to him, and he already had everything he needed. His main goal was cultivation resources, but in this kind of setting, the best items wouldn't be cheap.

Just as he was about to turn around, his gaze was suddenly fixed on one of them.

In the corner of that low table, Su Niannian had placed several bottles of pills and some scattered spiritual materials. At the very edge of her pile of things was a piece of wood about the length of an arm.

It looks dark and dull, with a rough surface, like a withered branch picked up casually from the mountain.

No one in the room gave the piece of wood a second glance as they passed by.

But when Yi Yang's consciousness swept over it, his breath caught in his throat.

Inside that piece of wood lay an incredibly rich and vibrant life force.

That vitality was sealed deep within by some natural structure, and nothing could be sensed from the outside. Even if an ordinary True Qi Realm martial artist split it in two, they might not be able to detect what was inside.

But Yiyang is different.

He cultivates the "Yi Wood Nourishing Life Technique," and his sensitivity to the word "vitality" far surpasses that of ordinary people. More importantly, his divine sense has already entered the second realm, "Breaking Through Illusions," allowing him to penetrate the surface of matter and directly see the internal structure of spiritual objects.

That sealed-off vitality is like a sleeping fruit.

If we could bring it out...

Yi Yang pondered the usefulness of this piece of wood to him for a moment, and he sighed inwardly, "Could it be that after all these years, this old man is finally going to find a bargain?"

The vitality emanating from this piece of wood could very well help him break through the control of the True Qi Realm and advance to the Profound Realm. It's incredible that such a valuable treasure would appear in this small, private trading event, and he didn't even get to encounter it. Could it be that his luck has truly turned around?

Yi Yang sighed inwardly, and his years of experience told him that he should not be too surprised at this time, otherwise he would miss the opportunity.