Chapter 396

"Lord Li, from now on, this mountain peak shall be your cave dwelling."

The old Daoist, Daoist Daoist Zi Yang, led Li Rui and his party to a beautiful, small mountain.

Li Rui and his party walked along a small path that had been cleared and paved with bluestone slabs.

They arrived at the Qingwei Sect.

Daoist Daoist Zi Yang had brought them here.

The Qingwei Sect occupied an enormous area.

It had as many as a dozen mountain peaks.

Standing at the summit of the small mountain, one could see the rolling mountains and the palaces built of white jade bricks, giving it quite the feeling of a legendary immortal palace.

Although the small mountain peak stationed by the Yu Kingdom was not large, it had one excellent advantage.

That was its close proximity to the main peak.

This point was very important.

The Great True Person Daoist Qing Ding had already set up a grand array, making the concentration of spiritual energy within the Qingwei Sect far exceed other places in the Ten Thousand Mountains; with the main peak as the center, the further out one went, the thinner the spiritual energy became.

It was also because of this that the distinction between inner and outer was drawn.

And the mountain peak where Li Rui was located was in the innermost position.

This was also the key reason why so many people wanted to be stationed at the Qingwei Sect.

The importance of the word 'inner' was self-evident.

Just think, the menial disciples who had just joined the Qingwei Sect could only live twenty miles away from the main peak, where the spiritual energy was pitifully thin.

By comparison, Li Rui's treatment could not have been better.

Very soon.

Under the guidance of Daoist Daoist Zi Yang, Li Rui saw a quiet and elegant residence.

Although not luxurious, it had an air of detachment from the world.

Surrounded by a sea of bamboo, it was refreshing to the eyes and ears.

Daoist Daoist Zi Yang said: "Lord Li, this is where you and the others will stay. The matters within the sect have all been written in the small booklet. You are honored guests, but please still abide by the rules of this sect."

"Naturally."

Li Rui smiled and nodded.

After Daoist Daoist Zi Yang finished speaking, he turned and went down the mountain.

He had no intention of staying longer.

That was also correct; the Yu Kingdom sent people to be stationed here, nominally for communication, but in reality for surveillance.

It would be strange if the people of the Qingwei Sect were happy about it.

Li Rui did not take it to heart.

By the same token, he was sent by the Yu Kingdom, his salary was paid by the imperial court, and he had the Son of Heaven backing him; how the Qingwei Sect felt was not important.

As long as he kept the situation under control, that was enough.

Then, it was to improve his cultivation as much as possible.

This was the purpose of Li Rui coming here.

Xue Gui had once secretly reminded him not to forget his identity as an official of the Yu Kingdom.

Li Rui was now an overt spy.

To be a spy, one must have the awareness of a spy; no spy who has been turned has a good ending.

Of course, he would not do such a stupid thing.

Coming to the Qingwei Sect was to obtain scarce resources for cultivation, not to get himself trapped.

Li Rui was very clear about this.

Ning Zhongtian looked at the spotless room and clicked his tongue, saying: "The place where these immortals live is really clean, huh."

Tan Hu, Ge Hong, and the others were also full of excitement.

Very soon.

Their respective rooms were assigned.

Being stationed at the Qingwei Sect actually had nothing to do, or rather, what the imperial court wanted was deterrence.

As long as Li Rui stayed at the Qingwei Sect, that was enough.

It was a leisurely job.

Li Rui's room was in the center, the second largest one.

Although not as imposing as the Assistant Regional Commander's mansion, the two-courtyard residence was more than enough for him and Liu Tiezhu.

As for the largest one, it was of course reserved for other uses.

Liu Tiezhu put down the bags and bundles he was carrying.

Then he began to nimbly shake out the bedding.

And arrange various items.

Li Rui picked up the small booklet placed on the wooden table in the room and began to read it carefully.

"Interesting."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

The small booklet detailed many things, such as the Qingwei Sect having seventeen peaks and twenty-three halls, and it provided a detailed introduction to the functions of these halls, as well as the things that outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples had to do.

Of course.

These had nothing to do with Li Rui.

He only needed to pay attention to one point.

That was simply where he could not go.

There really was such a place, and that was the forbidden area in the back mountain of the main peak.

Except for the Daoist Daoist Qing Ding, no one could step even half a step inside.

Very soon.

Li Rui was attracted by the six arts of immortal cultivation mentioned in the booklet.

For an immortal cultivator, the ultimate goal was of course to cultivate longevity and become an immortal who lives as long as heaven and earth.

But this process was extremely long.

It required massive resources, and even more so, it was unavoidable to fight with others.

Therefore, the six arts of immortal cultivation appeared.

The so-called six arts were alchemy, artifact refining, talismans, arrays, beast taming, and spiritual planting.

Actually, the Yu Kingdom also had corresponding sects.

It was just that compared to the methods of a true immortal sect, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Although martial artists had great killing power, compared to the many methods of immortal cultivators, they were far inferior, so martial artists were often regarded by immortal cultivators as clumsy brutes.

Li Rui looked at it, his heart stirred slightly.

'Must find a way to get some to try.'

Three days later.

When the auspicious time arrived, the Qingwei Sect's grand opening ceremony began.

The Great True Person Daoist Qing Ding led his seven great disciples to pray for blessings and worship the Three Pure Ones.

The next day.

The Qingwei Sect's immortal gate examination began.

The immortal seekers who had come from all over the world were almost crowding an entire mountain peak.

It was very lively.

As an envoy of the Yu Kingdom, Li Rui attended the ceremony.

The examination was divided into three stages.

First, spiritual verification.

Second, the illusion realm.

Third, the trial.

Then, from those who passed the three stages, the best of the best were selected to become outer sect disciples.

As for those who failed.

They could choose to leave or stay as menial disciples.

If they performed excellently, they would have the opportunity to become outer sect disciples; of course, it was unavoidable that they would have to be exploited by the Qingwei Sect for many years.

Compared to the others.

Li Rui focused his attention on those failed disciples who were plain and unremarkable, yet calm and composed.

If their surname happened to be Han, he would not hesitate to take them as disciples.

Building good relations, after all.

It was a pity that he could not get his wish.

The examination lasted for three days in total.

As a bystander, Li Rui was naturally leisurely, but the examinees were not so calm and relaxed.

Finally.

One hundred people successfully joined the Qingwei Sect.

What surprised Li Rui was that there were actually a thousand menial disciples.

Once the dream of immortal cultivation, which had been suppressed for ten thousand years, erupted, its power was truly unimaginable.

Among them, there were even fifth-rank martial artists who volunteered to become menial disciples.

This left Li Rui between laughter and tears.

The days that followed were much more mundane.

The Qingwei Sect became very lively.

But these had no great relation to Li Rui.

On this day.

Shenhua Peak, in front of the Dharma Transmission Hall.

Chunxuzi sat cross-legged on the high platform, and the one hundred outer sect disciples were all looking forward to it.

Chunxuzi said loudly:

"Immortals are the Dao. To cultivate immortality, one must first cultivate truth. This truth is the unity of nature and life, with the spirit restrained within, and only then can one draw spiritual energy into the body."

Chunxuzi was a high disciple of the True Person Daoist Qing Ding.

He himself was an expert of the top three ranks.

It was only because the Qingwei Sect had just been established that one could see him personally lecturing on the Dharma.

Li Rui, with Ning Zhongtian and the others, listened from the outermost edge of the crowd, and not far away, he could also see the stationed officials of the Wu Kingdom.

He listened very carefully.

He pondered to himself.

'So this is the small Primordial Realm.'

Compared to martial arts, the method for immortal cultivators to step into the Primordial Realm was much simpler and cruder: elixirs plus empowerment.

Of course, the body could not be too poor either.

At the very least, one had to be at the eighth rank.

After that, there was fetal breathing, Qi refining, primordial core condensation, and so on.

Li Rui had listened to the Dharma for many days and gradually gained some insights; no wonder Yuan Dingting said that different paths lead to the same destination, the key lies in the person.

The convergence of the two began from the Mysterious Realm.

This corresponded exactly to the Tongxuan Realm.

Only from the Mysterious Realm could one be called a True Person.

Both followed the path of using spiritual energy to resonate with heaven and earth; the difference was merely in the methods. Some people liked to use weapons, while others liked to use magic treasures.

Who was stronger?

Before Tongxuan, immortal cultivators had a great advantage, but once they reached the top three ranks.

Actually, it was about the same.

If one could crush the other, would Chunxuzi be so polite to Nie Siming?

In the end, strength is the foundation.

Because the sect was established in the Yu and Wu Kingdoms, the ranks above Mysterious were changed to Tongxuan and Heavenly Phenomenon to follow local customs.

Li Rui would come to the lectures every day.

He often gained inspiration.

He exclaimed that coming to the Qingwei Sect was truly worth it.

Listening to the Dao by day and cultivating at the Grand Void Dojo by night, Li Rui's days were truly pleasant.

His cultivation progress was advancing by leaps and bounds.

The most prideful thing.

Was that the stone fetus above his dantian's immortal court had actually shed a piece of stone skin.

This change was no small matter.

It meant that Li Rui was very likely to step into that Dao Fetus Realm.

Through the corner where the stone skin had fallen off, one could faintly see the delicate skin inside.

Li Rui was faintly expectant.

For the day when the stone skin completely fell off and the Dao Fetus was born.

Changqing Peak, inside the courtyard.

"Lord Li, is it because your Changqing Peak has more spiritual energy that even these spiritual bamboos grow better than those on my Mantuo Peak?"

A middle-aged man laughed heartily.

Li Rui took a sip of tea:

"Lord Sang, raising bamboo also requires sincerity."

"Sincerity?"

"Yes."

Li Rui looked very earnest.

The Qingwei Sect had allocated this small mountain peak to him, so he named it Changqing Peak.

The most praiseworthy thing about Changqing Peak was that the bamboo on the peak grew exceptionally well.

Everyone said that the feng shui here was good and the spiritual energy was sufficient.

Only Li Rui knew that these bamboos were clearly growing because they had consumed the immortal Xuan Qi from his cultivation.

The man in front of him was named Sang Kong.

Like him, he was an official sent by the Wu Kingdom to the Qingwei Sect.

With similar circumstances, plus Li Rui's great fame in the Wu Kingdom, the two became tea friends after a few interactions.

Sang Kong curled his lips.

"Who doesn't know that your Pavilion Master Gu is a good friend of the Great True Person Daoist Qing Ding? It's clearly intentional favoritism."

Although he envied it, he would not feel jealous because of it.

Li Rui did not refute this.

Because this was a fact.

Sang Kong drank the tea in his cup and then said: "Lord Li, recently tell your subordinates to be more careful; the Ten Thousand Mountains are not peaceful."

"Oh?"

"What happened?"

Li Rui raised his eyebrows slightly.

Sang Kong: "A few days ago, two outer sect disciples of the Qingwei Sect who went out died. Upon investigation, it turned out to be the work of the remnants of the Purple Chai Jingong."

"Purple Chai Jingong?"

"Yes."

Sang Kong nodded: "You also know that quite a few people escaped from the Purple Chai Jingong. The Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu and the great demons who guarded the palace still have two lurking in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

"The Yu Kingdom is the main force. The Purple Chai Jingong knows you are in the Ten Thousand Mountains and will definitely find a way to retaliate."

Li Rui nodded: "Many thanks to Lord Sang for the reminder."

The Ten Thousand Mountains were too big.

It was too simple for a few people or demons to hide, and they simply could not be found.

The enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light.

What else can be done but be more careful?

Sang Kong suddenly chuckled: "Lord Li, if you encounter danger, you can come find me. This brother is still quite diligent and will soon break through."

Li Rui knew.

The breakthrough Sang Kong spoke of was not a small barrier, but a step into Tongxuan.

Becoming a Grandmaster of the top three ranks.

The conditions promised by the Qingwei Sect to the Wu Kingdom were the same as those for the Yu Kingdom.

Both could only send martial artists below Tongxuan.

But rules are rules, and there is always room for flexibility.

When Sang Kong came to the Qingwei Sect, he was indeed at the Primordial Realm, but he was already at the Primordial Realm that had broken through the Spirit Refining barrier, and then he happened to break through.

Hmm, it was all a coincidence.

If someone else were to be replaced, the Wu Kingdom would definitely have to re-select new officials, which would take time.

This time could be long or short.

Spending seven or eight years to select one person was a very common thing.

So during this period, the Qingwei Sect could only bear with it more.

Regarding this, the Qingwei Sect could only turn a blind eye.

Even if it was an immortal sect, the foundations of the Yu and Wu Kingdoms could not be underestimated; otherwise, the destroyed Purple Chai Jingong was the best example.

This was also the practice of that Zhang Shoufu's theory of water control.

Blocking is not as good as dredging, but it also requires killing the chicken to warn the monkey.

Li Rui: "Congratulations, congratulations."

Sang Kong smiled proudly.

If it were anyone else, he definitely would not say it.

He would not get so close to any Yu Kingdom official.

Li Rui was an exception.

Who told Li Rui to have such good private relations with the Great Shaman and the Third Princess? He knew that Li Rui had a Black Dragon Token on him.

Only the people of the Wu Kingdom truly knew the gold content of the Black Dragon Token.

And I don't know where the news came from, saying that Li Rui once soaked his feet with the Great Shaman.

Good heavens.

This friendship was certainly worth his effort to build.

It was impossible to be stationed at the Qingwei Sect for a lifetime; sooner or later, he would have to rotate back. Perhaps he could climb up to the behemoth of the Great Shaman through Li Rui's line, so he had to be more attentive.

The two talked happily.

It was not until evening.

That Sang Kong left, still feeling unsatisfied.

Li Rui, with a smile, got up and returned to his room.

And began to cultivate again.

Outside the Qingwei Sect, in a corner of the rolling mountains.

A toad with a body a full zhang tall and a body of crimson red was lying on the ground, looking at ease.

At this moment.

An old man in a black robe walked up to it.

The big red toad slowly opened its eyes and spoke in human language: "Blood Shadow, you are indeed alive."

The Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu looked at the Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha, once one of the three pillars of the Purple Chai Jingong, and said coldly: "Have you forgotten the kindness of the Immortal Venerable?"

The Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha narrowed its eyes.

Kindness?

It was forced to join the Purple Chai Jingong, okay?

If it weren't for Si Feng being outrageously strong, it would have slipped away long ago.

Isn't it comfortable to bask in the sun in peace?

Why get involved in human disputes?

Of course, the Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha would not say what was in its heart. It chuckled: "The Immortal Venerable has been captured, so you tell me, what should we do?"

The Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu snorted coldly: "Of course, rescue the Immortal Venerable."

Hearing this sentence.

The Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha almost cursed.

Si Feng was captured; did he surrender voluntarily?

That was being captured!

Even Si Feng was no match; it and the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu together were also no match.

So it chose not to speak.

The Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu took a deep breath; he saw that the Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha in front of him was not very active.

But now he really needed a helper.

He said coldly: "There is something I need in the Qingwei Sect. You send some small demons to watch a person named Li Rui. If any Qingwei Sect disciples go out, kill them if you can."

"Make those bull-nosed priests of the Qingwei Sect pay in blood."

Not bad.

He followed Li Rui all the way to the Ten Thousand Mountains.

He was determined to get that Thousand Soul Banner.

However, he also knew that this matter could not be rushed and had to be planned slowly.

The Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha hummed twice: "Got it."

Hearing the Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha agree.

The Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu's expression eased slightly.

Running around all day, he had gathered a considerable force. Besides the Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha in front of him, the Three-Eyed Ghost Elephant, another of the three pillars, had already taken action.

Can't beat the True Person Daoist Qing Ding, can't he take action against his disciples and grand-disciples?

After doing everything.

The Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu turned and left, disappearing into the layered dense forests of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Watching the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu leave.

A small demon stepped forward and said timidly to the Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha: "Great King, are we really going?"

The Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha lazily rolled over:

"Didn't give a single cent, why risk our lives?"

The small demon blinked: "Great King, then what should we do?"

The Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha flipped its entire body, exposing its belly to the sunlight, and said comfortably: "What else can we do? Just call a few demons to hang around near the Qingwei Sect; try not to take action."

The great demon was immediately impressed by the Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha.

"Great King is wise!"

Sending the small demon away.

The Heavenly Ox Zhu Ha's pride grew: "Among the three pillars, I am the smartest; that old elephant is stupid."

Qingwei Sect, Yunxiao Peak.

In a huge palace, people were moving about.

Besides outer sect disciples, there were also many menial disciples.

This was the Qingwei Sect's Dharma Transmission Hall.

Simply put, it was the place where Qingwei Sect disciples obtained immortal arts.

Whether outer sect disciples or menial disciples, there was only one way to obtain cultivation techniques, and that was to exchange them for merit.

The Qingwei Sect had another hall, called the Merit Hall.

Both outer sect disciples and menial disciples could go there to accept missions, and after completing them, they could obtain merit.

Merit could be used to exchange for immortal arts, elixirs, talismans, and so on.

And the missions of the Merit Hall, besides helping the sect's elders look after spiritual plants and demons, also included bounties from the Yu and Wu Kingdoms.

Li Rui walked in the crowd.

Estimating that he was on the older side, people often cast curious glances at him.

He had long been accustomed to it.

Fortunately, it was not as if there were no old people joining the Qingwei Sect, and quite a few were menial disciples, so it did not cause any big waves.

Although he was an official stationed by the Yu Kingdom, he almost never appeared in public.

So not many people knew his identity.

Li Rui found a young disciple.

"Little friend, I want to sell an immortal art, I don't know..."

Before he finished speaking.

The young disciple pointed impatiently at a wall:

"Everything is written clearly above. Say what you want directly. If you have merit, buy it; if you give merit, get lost."

After speaking.

He hurried away, rushing about in the great hall.

Li Rui did not take the young man's rude attitude to heart.

Normal; who wouldn't go crazy working for eight consecutive hours?

Everyone went through this when they were young.

He raised his head and looked at the wall, which was a full ten zhang high, with many small characters densely written on it.

Countless cultivation techniques were written above, and the required merit was also marked.

If there was no merit, one could also use elixirs, talismans, etc., to exchange for merit at the corresponding Elixir Hall or Talisman Hall.

Li Rui watched for a long time.

Most of these cultivation techniques were martial arts of the Jianghu; immortal cultivation also required martial arts training. This time, many menial disciples actually did not have high cultivation bases and needed to improve their martial path realm before they could step onto the immortal path.

At the very top were the cultivation techniques.

Talismans, arrays, magic treasure refining, and immortal formulas were all available.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes and watched for a long time.

Finally, he settled on a book called "Complete Explanation of Talismans".

(End of chapter)