Translator: AnubisTL
Before he knew it, three years had passed since Li Qing entered seclusion. He continued his painstaking efforts, relentlessly trying to grind away at the barrier to the Divine Transformation stage.
His progress remained minimal; the barrier proved as stubborn as ever, seemingly impenetrable.
During his seclusion, Li Qing received a spirit letter from the Great Wilderness Domain, sent by Liu Hanyue.
The letter informed him that she had successfully shattered her golden core and formed a nascent soul, becoming the second Nascent Soul cultivator in Moonchase Palace. With this achievement, she had rightfully inherited the position of palace master.
True Monarch Yue Xuan had since retired, and True Monarch Hanyue's name now resonated throughout the Great Wilderness Domain's cultivation world.
With two Nascent Soul cultivators at its helm, Moonchase Palace's status grew even more secure. The sect had always maintained absolute neutrality, refraining from involvement in worldly conflicts.
Upon learning this, Li Qing wrote a reply congratulating Liu Hanyue on her successful advancement to the Nascent Soul realm.
After that, the two exchanged spirit letters occasionally, maintaining contact a few times each year. Their relationship remained cordial but not overly intimate, resembling the distant yet respectful bond between gentlemen.
Afterward, Li Qing remained focused on breaking through the bottleneck of the divine transformation stage, essentially not venturing out of his seclusion. The sect's mundane affairs couldn't disturb him in his retreat.
In his fifth year of seclusion, a feng shui master from the nascent soul realm came to visit.
This was Qiu Zhen. After True Monarch Chen Yuan ascended to the heavens, he had finally reached the nascent soul realm.
Upon learning of this, Li Qing immediately invited him to his cave abode as a guest.
"Fellow Daoist Qiu Zhen, it's been many years. Your cultivation has progressed remarkably swiftly," Li Qing said with a light smile, looking at the master skilled in feng shui and geomancy.
Qiu Zhen shook his head with a wry smile. "Compared to you, this is nothing. Besides, I only managed to reach the nascent soul realm thanks to the Dragon Transformation Pill my master traded to you for Thunder Sound Bamboo."
"Haha, it was a fair trade. Nothing to mention," Li Qing waved his hand, appearing indifferent.
Then, he brought out a jar of Drunken Moon Brew, a spirit brew he had cellared in his cave abode. This brew had become a signature of the Lingyun Sect, sold through the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion across all great domains of the Human Realm. Demand far outstripped supply.
After each drinking a cup of spirit wine, they fell into casual conversation.
"Five years have passed since Senior Chen Yuan's ascension," Li Qing remarked with a sigh.
Qiu Zhen shook his head. "Indeed. For the past five years, I've been constantly worried about my master's fate. I still don't know if his ascension was ultimately successful."
Li Qing paused, slightly taken aback.
Ascension was indeed an extremely perilous undertaking. Even those at the late stage of Divine Transformation couldn't claim with absolute certainty to succeed.
"With Senior Chen Yuan's profound mastery of feng shui and geomancy, didn't he calculate the omens for his ascension? Why would you still be so anxious about him?" Li Qing asked, puzzled.
Qiu Zhen smiled bitterly. "As I mentioned before, I urged my master to divine the omens for his ascension, but he refused."
"He said it was meaningless. Whether the divination revealed good fortune or disaster, he would still have to ascend."
"For him, any worldly matter could be guided toward auspicious outcomes and away from misfortune. But ascension was different. No matter how ominous the divination, he had to face that path."
Li Qing felt a sense of solemn respect. True Monarch Chen Yuan's unwavering faith in ascension moved him deeply.
"Speaking of which, Senior Chen Yuan entrusted me with looking after you before he left. But now that you've reached the nascent soul realm, I doubt you'll need my continued attention."
With the power and cultivation of the nascent soul realm, one could roam the world freely, as long as they didn't foolishly provoke the great powers of the divine transformation stage.
But Qiu Zhen sighed. "Before my master departed, he instructed me to join the Lingyun Sect after reaching the nascent soul realm. I came today for that very purpose."
"Would Brother Li be willing to take in this idle fellow?"
This was somewhat unexpected, but if Qiu Zhen was willing to join voluntarily, it was naturally the best outcome.
After all, Qiu Zhen wasn't just a nascent soul cultivator; he was also one of the rare top-tier feng shui masters in the Azure Ridge Domain, having inherited True Monarch Chen Yuan's true legacy.
"Hahaha! Fellow Daoist Qiu Zhen, your joining the Lingyun Sect would be the greatest of fortunes!"
"I'll immediately arrange a grand sect-joining ceremony for you. From this day forward, you will be the third Nascent Soul Ancestor of our Lingyun Sect!"
With this, including Fan Tong, the Lingyun Sect would now boast four Nascent Soul realm combatants.
If Fan Tong weren't so utterly lazy, Li Qing might have even asked him to transform into human form and serve as the sect's "Tiger Ancestor."
Qiu Zhen waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm grateful for Brother Li's regard, but please dispense with the grand ceremony. I dislike such ostentatious affairs; simplicity suits me best."
"In the future, I'll occasionally impart a few techniques of feng shui and geomancy within the sect. Consider it my contribution."
Since Qiu Zhen had made such a request, Li Qing naturally wouldn't insist on anything more.
Thus, Qiu Zhen smoothly joined the Lingyun Sect.
When the news spread, the entire sect was shaken.
The sect had somehow inexplicably gained another Nascent Soul Ancestor! What's more, he was a Nascent Soul cultivator exceptionally skilled in feng shui and geomancy—a rare cultivation technique in the cultivation world.
After Qiu Zhen joined the Lingyun Sect, due to the insufficient number of spirit peaks, he voluntarily offered to take on the duty of guarding the Heavenly River Vein, a branch of the sect.
The Heavenly River Vein was originally a top-tier spiritual vein occupied by the Heavenly River Sect. The spiritual energy there was as dense as that at the Lingyun Sect's main mountain gate, and the cloud sea poured in like the Heavenly River itself, creating a breathtakingly magnificent spectacle.
However, the two locations were far apart, and travel between them took considerable time. This could cause delays for important matters.
Ultimately, Li Qing sent a message to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and invited a formation master from the Spirit Treasure Realm to establish a teleportation array between the two locations.
The invited guest was Old Man Tianxing, with whom Li Qing had a prior connection. In the lower realm, only he and True Monarch Jialuo possessed the ability to set up a teleportation array.
After refining four ascension platforms for Wan Shengtian, the two had received substantial rewards. Old Man Tianxing had since advanced to the late-stage nascent soul realm.
"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Limitless, how have you been?" Old Man Tianxing greeted Li Qing, clasped his hands in a friendly greeting.
Li Qing smiled in response. "Thanks to Fellow Daoist Tianxing's good fortune, my days have been quite comfortable."
"Hahaha! I've long heard that Fellow Daoist Limitless is preparing for Divine Transformation. I'd like to offer my congratulations in advance!" Old Man Tianxing boomed with laughter.
"Then I'll gladly accept your good wishes!"
After some pleasantries, Old Man Tianxing got down to business, surveying the area around the Lingyun Sect.
(End of the Chapter)
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