Chapter 197: Nalan Xi's Second Summons

"Indeed!"

"Seven days ago, Elder Wei successfully broke through to the Jin Dan realm within our sect and has now assumed the position of Supremacy Elder."

A sense of immense pride flowed through Han Lin's words.

First, Elder Ao fell for the stability of the Immortal Realm; now, a newly promoted Jin Dan Elder has been born.

With the old replaced by the new and inheritance proceeding in order, the Dao lineage of Lei Yuanzong remains unbroken.

With a heavenly-grade spiritual root and still young, Wei Wuya's formation of a Jin Dan will shelter Lei Yuanzong for hundreds of years without decline, sufficient to maintain the sect's hegemonic status in the State of Wei.

"Hehe! Then I congratulate your sect on birthing another powerful Jin Dan Elder!" Qin Ming put on a smile, accepted the gold-embossed invitation handed over by Han Lin, and returned the courtesy with congratulations.

Han Lin treated Qin Ming with great respect, smiling meaningfully as he said, "Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Qin is the one who makes us envious!"

"Oh? How so?" Qin Lin asked, revealing a trace of confusion.

Han Lin explained, "Hehe! Fellow Daoist Qin is one of the cultivators specifically designated for a special invitation by Elder Wei himself after his successful breakthrough to the Jin Dan."

"Counting True Person Canghai, the list of cultivators specifically invited by Elder Wei numbers no more than five, and Fellow Daoist Qin is among them."

"This fully demonstrates that Fellow Daoist Qin is held in extremely high regard in Elder Wei's heart."

"Oh? Hehe, I never expected Qin Mou to have such honor." Qin Ming was also somewhat surprised.

For the Jin Dan Grand Ceremony of Lei Yuanzong, ordinary powers and cultivators did not even have the qualification to attend.

Loose cultivators could only look on from afar and retreat.

Only some major powers and the top-tier cultivators of the Wei State's Immortal Realm were qualified to receive an invitation to go to Lei Yuanzong and witness such a grand event.

After all, Jin Dan stage experts were already the ceiling of the entire Wei State's Immortal Realm, totaling only three individuals.

Not only did Qin Ming have the qualification to be invited, but he was also personally invited by Wei Wuya; just this display of status was already maxed out.

"Hehe! Speaking of which, if I weren't responsible for delivering invitations in this area of Canghai Xiancheng, I would still have never met Fellow Daoist Qin."

"Han Mou has long heard of Fellow Daoist Qin's great name; seeing you today fulfills a long-cherished wish of mine, hahaha!" Han Lin said flatteringy.

"Now that the invitation has been delivered into Fellow Daoist Qin's hands, I must proceed to the next location; when you come to the sect then, we will surely sweep the couch to welcome you!"

"In half a month, a Dharma boat of our sect will be in Canghai Xiancheng to ferry the invited cultivators attending the ceremony to the sect; by then, Fellow Daoist Qin may board it or travel there independently, either is fine."

Hearing this, Qin Ming nodded. "Then I will not see Fellow Daoist Han off; rest assured, Qin Mou will definitely accept the invitation and come to witness the ceremony."

Subsequently, after Han Lin took his leave from Qin Ming, the Dharma boat of Lei Yuanzong turned into a streak of flowing light and vanished into the horizon.

"Unexpected! This Wei Wuya is truly a genius of unparalleled brilliance."

"Under such an all-or-nothing situation, he actually managed to achieve the Jin Dan in one go; I fear the quality of his formed pill is not low."

After learning the news of Wei Wuya's successful pill formation, Qin Ming could not help but reveal a trace of envy.

In the following few days.

The huge news of Wei Wuya of Lei Yuanzong ascending to become a Jin Dan True Person swept through every corner of the entire Wei State's Immortal Realm like a hurricane.

The magnitude of the uproar almost overshadowed the beast tide that was still occurring.

"Sigh~"

"Going to Lei Yuanzong for the banquet inevitably means giving a gift."

"For Wei Wuya's Jin Dan Grand Ceremony, the gift cannot be too shabby; it must be something presentable."

"What should I give?"

Qin Ming paced back and forth at the entrance of his cave dwelling, pondering the matter of gift-giving for the occasion.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Qin Ming left the Black Water Crocodile to guard the home, then summoned his Silver-Yin Yi Shuangfeng, departed from Wangyue Island, and prepared to go to Lei Yuanzong to attend the banquet and witness the ceremony.

Riding the Silver-Yin Yi Shuangfeng at lightning speed, after one hour of flight, Qin Ming arrived at Canghai Xiancheng.

Having experienced the suppression of the spiritual energy Islands, the demonic beasts around the Xiancheng had quieted down considerably.

They had not organized any large-scale beast tides to assault the city again.

After Qin Ming sent a message transmission to Lv Liang, shortly after, the other party came out to open the formation array for him, allowing him to enter the city.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, you have also been invited by Lei Yuanzong to attend and witness the Jin Dan Grand Ceremony, haven't you?" Lv Liang asked with a smile on his face, full of envy.

Being able to participate in such a grand ceremony was considered a significant highlight on one's path of cultivation.

Qin Ming nodded, and after the two chatted for a while, they parted ways. He learned that the Mirror Snow Pavilion and some major powers within Canghai Xiancheng had all been invited.

Thus, he also planned to go along with the crowd and not stand out as unusual.

Half a day later.

Qin Ming boarded the Dharma boat of Lei Yuanzong together with Gu Qingzhao and others; on behalf of the Mirror Snow Pavilion, she and Huangfu Qi were the two representatives attending.

On the other side, he also saw Xu Jing and others from the Pill Cauldron Pavilion.

Some highly respected cultivators from within Canghai Xiancheng were also on the Dharma boat, such as the Grand Pill Master Sun Jinnian and the Master Refiner Fang Yezi.

Finally, above Canghai Peak, a streak of Bai Guang swept across, and the spiritual pressure of a Jin Dan True Person descended upon the Dharma boat.

It was actually True Person Canghai, Nalan Xi, going personally.

The elders of Lei Yuanzong very respectfully welcomed True Person Nalan Xi into a room within the Dharma boat.

The setting sun slanted westward.

Waiting until the time was about right, the Dharma boat of Lei Yuanzong activated, and in an instant, it transformed into a streak of flowing light and vanished into the horizon.

The journey ahead was still quite distant; even with Lei Yuanzong's large-scale Dharma boat, it would require several days of flight to arrive.

Along the way, Qin Ming chatted with Gu Qingzhao and Huangfu Qi.

During this time, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he was called away by True Person Canghai for a private conversation once.

Nalan Xi was mainly worried about her spiritual pet and came to inquire about Qin Ming's progress in cultivating the Spirit-Transforming Demon Fruit.

Naturally, Qin Ming could not hand over the spiritual fruit to her so quickly; at the very least, he had to drag things out for some time.

"Please rest assured, Senior; after my careful cultivation, the Spirit-Transforming Demon Fruit has already begun to bear fruit, and it will ripen in two years' time."

Upon hearing this, a rare smile appeared on Nalan Xi's solemn face.

"By the way, I heard that the one premium Soul-Returning Pill used by Yunxi Laozu Ao was made by Qin Xiaoyou?" Nalan Xi suddenly changed the subject, abruptly blurting out the question.

Qin Ming pondered silently; no wind or grass stirred in Canghai Immortal City without escaping this person's sharp eyes, so the matter of his visit to the Exquisite Pavilion of Lei Yuanzong had likely already been investigated thoroughly.

His thoughts raced, and then he honestly admitted, "Reporting to you, Senior, that is correct; regarding the Soul-Returning Pill, it was indeed True Person Wei Wei who found me back then and secretly commissioned its refinement."

"Fortunately, I was lucky enough to refine it successfully and did not delay the important affairs of several Seniors."

"Qin Xiaoyou, your words are mistaken; let me speak the truth to you: without that one premium Soul-Returning Pill of yours, which caused Yunxi Laozu Ao's cultivation to surge briefly, enabling him to annihilate the demons in one stroke..."

"... otherwise, in the Battle of Yiling Valley, the three of us would not have been confident in exterminating the Demon Vine; there would have been a high probability of it escaping into the Beast Roar Mountain Range."

"In that case, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

"Speaking of which, we must credit Qin Xiaoyou with a merit."

"I did not expect Qin Xiaoyou's pill dao skills to have reached the peak of the second tier; I fear that next, the Wei State Immortal Realm is about to give birth to its first third-tier Pill Refining Grandmaster, correct?"

Nalan Xi looked at Qin Ming and spoke with profound meaning.

"Hehe, Senior, you praise me excessively; slaying demons and eliminating evil is our duty, and being able to assist several Seniors is an immense honor for this junior."

"There is no need to record any merit."

"As for becoming a third-tier pill refiner, that is still too distant for this junior; there is still a long road to travel." Qin Ming spoke modestly, his answer flawless.

True Person Nalan Xi smiled slightly and said, "Does Qin Xiaoyou truly intend to forfeit this merit? I originally planned to reward achievements by bestowing high-grade spirit stones upon you."

Upon hearing these words, Qin Ming's entire spirit instantly vibrated with energy.

"Cough! Since Senior insists and believes I deserve this merit, I leave everything to Senior's discretion!"

"..."

"Furthermore, I wish to purchase Soul-Returning Pills from you; Qin Xiaoyou should still have some, correct?" Nalan Xi asked directly.

Qin Ming did not hide anything and quickly nodded, saying, "By luck, four pills were successfully refined; after handing two over to Lei Yuanzong, this junior still has the final two remaining here."

Subsequently, Qin Ming took out one ordinary-quality Soul-Returning Pill and one premium Soul-Returning Pill, handing both over to True Person Nalan Xi.

"Mm, indeed excellent."

Nalan Xi then took out five high-grade spirit stones and completed the transaction with him.

(End of Chapter)