Chapter 386: Generous Sect Master Shen

The disciple guarding the formation gate went straight to the reception hall and found the steward: "Steward Mu, someone outside claims to seek the Sect Master."

Steward Mu, who was planning next month's Immortal Realm Alchemy Forum, frowned at this: "Who is it? A Divine Alchemist from the Alchemy Gate?"

The guarding disciple shook his head: "No, his cultivation seems only at the Immortal-Fanqiao realm, and his Dao aura is barely noticeable. He introduced himself as Ding Huan and didn't say why he's here."

"Tell him to get as far away as possible," Steward Mu scowled at the messenger, annoyed. "What kind of nonsense are you bringing me? Can't you even tell a trivial matter from an important one?"

"Yes." The guarding disciple silently cursed himself: I'm such a fool—just a single threat from an ant at the Immortal-Fanqiao realm, and I actually came to deliver his message.

Steward Mu grunted: "Where did this… wait—Ding Huan? He said his name is Ding Huan?"

Steward Mu suddenly remembered the name Ding Huan. He dashed out in one step: "Go immediately and accompany Daoist Ding! Remember, show him no disrespect whatsoever—I'll notify the Sect Master right away."

The guarding disciple stared in shock at Steward Mu racing wildly toward the Sect Master's peak, utterly bewildered.

What's going on? Just a moment ago he told me to drive the man away, and now he wants me to accompany Daoist Ding and show him no disrespect?

But he was only a message-delivering disciple; whatever the steward ordered, he had to obey.

Shen Yi sighed. Another failure.

He had tried repeatedly, consuming countless Immortal Spirit herbs, yet still could not reach the rank of Fourth-Rank Immortal Alchemist, leaving him deeply disheartened.

This was likely due to insufficient Immortal Spirit sources within the Immortal Sect—though the Fourth Immortal Realm's Immortal Spirit sources were already scarce, the Immortal Mist Alchemy Sect's supply was relatively decent.

The Immortal Sect had produced few mid-tier Immortal Spirit herbs, and he had recently consumed many more in his attempt to break into Fourth-Rank Immortal Alchemist.

It seemed he'd have to lie low for a while—but he was unwilling to accept it.

Without becoming a Fourth-Rank Immortal Alchemist, he could not brew the Great Yi Immortal Pill; without brewing the Great Yi Immortal Pill, he could not enter the Great Yi Immortal realm.

Just as his mood was at its lowest, the forbidden seals outside his cave were tapped.

Fortunately, Shen Yi's temperament was extremely gentle; otherwise, he would have opened the seals and cursed wildly.

"Steward Mu, what do you want?" Though deeply irritated, Shen Yi still asked politely.

Steward Mu exclaimed excitedly: "Master, someone named Ding Huan has come to pay his respects and says he wishes to see you."

"Ding Huan?" Shen Yi repeated, then his eyes lit up: "Where is he?"

"Outside the sect's protective formation," Shen Yi said urgently.

"Quickly bring him in—no, I'll go myself." Shen Yi finished speaking, leapt onto his flying sword, and shot swiftly toward the entrance of the sect's protective formation.

Seeing the Sect Master depart, Steward Mu wiped sweat from his forehead.

That was close—I almost ruined a matter of vital importance to the sect.

If I had truly driven Ding Huan away, even if the Sect Master were as magnanimous and gentle as ever, the elders of the sect would never forgive me.

Because everyone understood what Ding Huan meant.

Ding Huan's arrival meant the sect now had an Immortal Spirit Spring.

What did an Immortal Sect that cultivated Immortal herbs and brewed Immortal pills desire most? Naturally, an endless supply of Immortal Spirit sources.

Yet the Immortal Mist Alchemy Sect's Immortal Spirit sources were insufficient; between cultivation needs and herb growth, their supply had long been stretched thin.

Ding Huan did not wait long before he saw a man in ordinary cultivation robes rushing toward him.

"Are you Daoist Ding?" The man had not even landed before he urgently bowed and asked.

He didn't even hear the guarding disciple calling out to him.

Ding Huan returned the bow: "I am Ding Huan. I apologize for intruding upon Sect Master Shen—I feel deeply uneasy."

"Hahahaha…" Shen Yi laughed heartily: "Daoist Ding's visit to Immortal Mist Alchemy Sect is our great honor—please, come inside and let us talk."

No matter how good Shen Yi's reputation, Ding Huan could never enter the Immortal Mist Alchemy Sect.

This was a Level-Three Immortal Formation—if he entered and something went wrong, would he even live to regret it?

"Sect Master Shen, I have urgent business today—I came only to borrow one thing from you. After I finish, I will return to trouble you again." Ding Huan bowed, his tone sincere.

"Daoist Ding, speak freely—anything I, Shen Yi, can assist with, I will gladly help." Shen Yi showed no trace of disappointment.

Ding Huan said: "I must leave the Fourth Immortal Realm for a matter. But since I'm not a sect disciple, returning will be difficult. I wish to borrow an entry-exit formation token."

Ding Huan did not know that entry-exit formation tokens for the Fourth Immortal Realm were extremely rare—fewer than a thousand existed across the entire realm.

These tokens were all held by the Sect Masters of major sects, and every one of those Sect Masters was listed on the Ascending Dao Field Sect Rankings.

The Immortal Mist Alchemy Sect was not on the Ascending Dao Field Sect Rankings, and thus had no right to possess such a token.

Only because the Immortal Mist Alchemy Sect had made immense contributions to the Immortal Realm's alchemy was it granted one such token by the Fifth Immortal Realm.

Ding Huan assumed that since recruits were hired annually from the Fourth Immortal Realm, these entry-exit tokens must be common.

He did not realize that the Fourth Immortal Realm's protective formation opened automatically each year—this was precisely when sects came to recruit disciples and hire cultivators.

Under such circumstances, no token was needed at all.

"Hah! I thought it was something serious. I have the token—take it."

Shen Yi unhesitatingly handed Ding Huan the token hanging at his side, showing no reluctance or emotion whatsoever.

Ding Huan took the token and bowed: "Sect Master Shen, rest assured—I will return the jade token the moment I finish my business."

"Keep it. Return it whenever you like," Shen Yi waved dismissively.

Ding Huan thanked him again and departed.

After Ding Huan left, Shen Yi looked at the guarding disciple and said: "Do not reveal today's events to anyone—death is the penalty for disobedience."

"Yes, Sect Master." The guarding disciple had never heard of Ding Huan; seeing the Sect Master lend out the formation token, his mind was completely blank.

The Fifth Immortal Realm strictly forbade any protective jade token from being lent out—each was a symbol of sect identity, usable only by the Sect Master himself.

Yet now their Sect Master had lent out the protective jade token.

If this got out, wouldn't it bring disaster upon the sect?

…

Ding Huan didn't know the token's value—he wasn't a fool.

He had seen the guarding disciple's shock when Shen Yi handed over the token, and realized he might have misunderstood something.

Ding Huan looked at the formation token in his hand and noticed some writing on the back:

"The formation token is strictly forbidden from being lent out; otherwise, you bear the consequences yourself."

Seeing these words, Ding Huan knew that Reminding Shen Yi had deliberately not warned him in order to befriend him.

Still, Reminding Shen Yi was a man of responsibility — knowing full well that lending out the formation token was problematic, he had lent it to him anyway.

Since Reminding Shen Yi had acted this way, he couldn't drag the man down with him.

Didn't that Wu Hongtian still have two years before returning?

He'd try and see whether he could crack this formation token.

Although his formation Dao level was only that of a first-rank immortal formation master, he was quite familiar with law-based formations.

And this formation token was also a man-made law formation token; with his Great Cosmos Art, it was very likely he could sense the traces of law-Dao resonance within it.

Thinking of this, Ding Huan once again found a secluded spot, dug out a cave abode, set up a concealment grand formation, and began studying this formation token.

Pile after pile of upper-grade immortal crystals were implanted by Ding Huan into gathering-immortal-qi formations; cracking this kind of law formation token definitely required a sufficient source of immortal spiritual energy.

Ding Huan's method of cracking the formation token differed from the usual approach — he was not using his divine sense to seep in and comprehend the law formation patterns within the token.

This method wasn't unworkable; it just wasn't suited to Ding Huan.

First, using this method to crack the law formation patterns of a formation token required a massive accumulation of time, and one's formation mastery had to reach a certain level.

Ding Huan didn't have that much time, and his formation Dao level was only at the first-rank immortal formation tier.

So what Ding Huan used was, for him, the simplest method — constructing a Great Cosmos Art Zhou Tian, and through the Great Cosmos Art sensing the law formation patterns within the token.

The Great Cosmos Art swiftly constructed a Zhou Tian, and the formation token too fell under Ding Huan's Great Cosmos Art Zhou Tian.

Only a single day had passed.

When layer upon layer of profound law formation patterns and various formation-pattern restrictions were captured by Ding Huan, and Ding Huan sensed those profound and intricate formation patterns, he knew that even though his Great Cosmos Art was the most suited for cracking this kind of formation token, he still couldn't break it.

It wasn't that the Great Cosmos Art was lacking — it was that his formation Dao level was insufficient.

This formation token had been crafted by at least a fourth-rank or higher immortal formation grand master; the law formation pattern restrictions were densely packed, one following another, and with his current formation Dao level, trying to crack these formation pattern restrictions was nothing short of a fool's dream.

If he couldn't crack these formation pattern restrictions, then he couldn't replicate an identical formation token.

Ding Huan did not continue cracking; in his heart, unless he got this matter done, he absolutely would not let it rest.

One day later, Ding Huan had transformed into a frail sect disciple, his cultivation having also reached the first layer of True Immortal.

After transforming, Ding Huan, at top speed, controlled the iron pot and once again arrived at Inviting Moon Xiancheng.

It wasn't that Ding Huan didn't go elsewhere; he only knew Inviting Moon Xiancheng — other immortal cities were either too far, or he didn't know about them.

Ding Huan had come to Inviting Moon Xiancheng for only one purpose: to purchase large quantities of materials for making formation flags.

If his cultivation couldn't be raised, surely his formation Dao level could be raised, right?

So Ding Huan planned to raise his formation Dao level to a higher tier here, and then continue cracking that formation token from the Fourth Immortal Domain.

To be safe, Ding Huan purchased a full hundred thousand immortal crystals' worth of various low-grade immortal materials.

A hundred thousand immortal crystals, buying all kinds of low-grade immortal materials — it nearly emptied out half of Inviting Moon Xiancheng.

In just a few short days, every cultivator in Inviting Moon Xiancheng knew that an immortal sect procurement disciple had come here — a disciple who bought all kinds of low-grade immortal materials, every kind of immortal material.

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