Chapter 261: Temptation and Dissuasion

Qin Ming stored everything away in his storage bag, then opened the door.

The moment the door opened.

Seeing the visitor, he froze briefly in surprise, then stepped aside to welcome them into the room.

"So it is Daoist Huangfu; please come in."

"Daoist Long, it has been a long time."

Dressed in refined scholarly robes, Hu Fuqi greeted him warmly, a smile on his face as he entered the room.

Qin Ming's gaze also fell upon the other man; after more than a year apart, Hu Fuqi's aura of magic power was now exceptionally formidable, clearly indicating he had also reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.

The next step would be planning for the Jin Dan.

Combining this with recent developments, Qin Ming could roughly guess the purpose of the visit.

It most likely concerned that Taihu ruin.

After pouring a cup of spirit tea for his guest, Qin Ming adopted Daoist Long's tone, asking in a deep, muffled voice: "I wonder what matter brings Daoist Huangfu to seek me out?"

"Hehe! To be honest with Daoist Long, I have come to invite you to join us in exploring the newly emerged Taihu ruin to seek an opportunity for forming a Jin Dan." Hu Fuqi, a man of direct speech, immediately stated his purpose without beating around the bush.

"Aside from myself, there are several other reliable fellow cultivators joining us, including Daoist Xiang Zehao from Shennong Valley, as well as a few other Daoists at the peak of Foundation Establishment."

Hearing this, Qin Ming was instantly stunned; he himself had been avoiding that so-called Taihu ruin, let alone planning to go there.

Hu Fuqi had clearly taken notice of 'Daoist Long's' cultivation and strength, holding him in high regard, which was why he had personally come to extend the invitation.

The companions he had gathered were all renowned great cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment within the State of Wei.

However, the information Qin Ming had obtained from the artifact spirit far exceeded what Hu Fuqi and the others knew; even with such a powerful lineup, they would not even be enough to fill the teeth of that Golden Toad Demon King, not to mention the terrifying White Bone True Person who was about to revive within.

Furthermore, after ten thousand years of sedimentation, countless powerful ghostly entities had spawned within the trenches at the bottom of Taihu Lake, and it was even possible that Jin Dan-level ghost creatures existed there.

While their strength was indeed formidable outside, venturing into the White Bone King's Palace to explore would be no different from walking straight into death.

Qin Ming immediately declined politely: "Thank you for the invitation, Daoist Huangfu, but I fear I must decline your kind offer."

"I have no interest in that secret realm and do not intend to go."

Qin Ming had already made up his mind; he would absolutely not return to the Taihu ruin.

Once he obtained the spiritual materials for Auntie Long.

He planned to return to his Wangyue Island, sitting back and watching the shifting tides of the Immortal Realm; whatever opportunities or secret realms existed would have nothing to do with him.

Let whoever wants to go to that ruin go ahead.

After all, the most valuable items inside—the fragment of the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror treasure and the artifact spirit—had already been taken by him. Qin Ming hadn't expected the allure of the White Bone King's Palace emerging this time to be so great.

It had even drawn in this powerful Great Protector from the Mirror Jing Xue Ge.

"Daoist Long, will you not reconsider? Do you have some concern?"

"The fellow cultivators I have recruited this time are all individuals of formidable strength."

"With our combined power, ensuring our safety within the secret realm of the ruin should be more than sufficient."

"Moreover, the thunder techniques I primarily cultivate have a natural suppressing effect against ghostly entities."

Hu Fuqi had not expected Daoist Long to reject his invitation outright without even considering it.

So he continued speaking.

"According to intelligence gathered by our Pavilion, this ruin is very likely the traveling palace of an ancient great expert from ten thousand years ago."

"Its scale is even several times larger than that ancient ruin which appeared in Yunze Dahuang fifty years ago; they are simply not on the same level."

"There must be resources for forming a Jin Dan inside; could it be that Daoist Long has no desire whatsoever to form a Jin Dan?"

Hu Fuqi spoke with sincere attitude, still hoping to persuade the other man to join.

With Daoist Long's strength and character, one could not find a second like him in the Immortal Realm of the State of Wei.

That was why he had extended such an enthusiastic invitation; for anyone else, Hu Fuqi would not even have bothered to pay attention.

Qin Ming sighed slightly in his heart; Hu Fuqi was one of the few fellow cultivators he actually knew.

Back when they were at Qingyang Market, the man had even helped him greatly.

As for resources for forming a Jin Dan, he now possessed the Jin Dan pill formula, and the spiritual seeds of the two main materials were already in hand; refining the Jin Dan pill was merely a matter of time.

Additionally, with a portion of 'Wanhua Spirit Liquid' plus the Fengyou Ghost Jujube, he could cultivate the Jin Dan spiritual item 'Xuansha Spirit Liquid'. Just these two alone could increase his chances of forming a Jin Dan by twenty percent.

Furthermore, he had his innate spiritual plant, Yin-Yang Xuanteng, and the Ancient Wood Evergreen Body, which was comparable to a Heaven-grade spiritual root. Judging by the Jin Dan resources Qin Ming currently controlled, he estimated he had even more than what lay within that secret realm, making any further risk-taking completely unnecessary.

All he needed to do was return to Wangyue Island, cultivate these resources, and then prepare to breakthrough to the Jin Dan.

The only difference would be the quality of the resulting Jin Dan.

Of course.

As a friend.

Qin Ming did not want to stand by and watch Hu Fuqi go to the Taihu ruin only to die in vain.

So he hesitated for a moment before advising:

"Daoist Huangfu, let me speak honestly with you; I previously went to investigate the area near that Taihu ruin myself."

"That place is likely not a safe haven; I personally witnessed a Jin Dan Laozu enter the lake-bottom ruin and never return."

"It is probably not as simple as you imagine; I hope you will think thrice before acting."

"My suggestion to you is to best not enter."

"Even if you do not obtain this opportunity for forming a Jin Dan here, as long as you keep your life, there will surely be other places where you can find one."

"Risking your life for an uncertain ruin is not worth it."

Qin Ming spoke with sincere words, having done all that benevolence and duty required.

He had said all that needed to be said; whether Hu Fuqi took it to heart was now the other man's affair.

"Ah, so that is how it is..."

"I never expected that Daoist Long had already gone to investigate beforehand..."

"So even a Jin Dan old ancestor couldn't make it out?"

"Truly beyond my expectations."

After hearing Qin Ming's admonition, Hu Fuqi's face displayed an expression of utter astonishment.

Immediately, he fell into deep thought.

"Then many thanks to Daoist Long for the information."

"I shall return to discuss this further with the other few Daoists before making a decision."

After pondering for a long while, Hu Fuqi rose, bowed with clasped fists toward Qin Ming, and then took his leave.

Watching Hu Fuqi's departing figure, Qin Ming shook his head.

Faced with such an immense temptation as the opportunity to form a Golden Core, not only low-level rogue cultivators, but even cultivators from great powers—how many could remain calm and stay seated? All were like moths darting into a flame, rushing forward one after another, striving for that sliver of a chance.

Even knowing full well the dangers were manifold, they would still leap in, refusing to give up until they reached the Yellow River.

'If not for my cheat ability with entries, I might well be just like them right now.'

Qin Ming sighed with deep emotion.

More than half a month passed.

Within Mo Yuan Immortal City, the flow of people had surged dozens of times over in such a short span; Qin Ming could see cultivators from various nations almost every day, crowds surging, bustling in and out incessantly, a ceaseless stream of carriages and horses.

Even the nearby restaurants and inns were packed to capacity, room prices soaring along with the tide, instantly multiplying several times over, while establishments with better conditions saw prices jump more than tenfold.

Fortunately, 'Daoist Long' was now a super VIP client of the Mirror Jing Xue Ge, so Aunt Long still hadn't asked him for lodging fees.

From the surging number of cultivators, one could see that the Immortal Realm was about to be swept by rising winds and surging clouds, the situation poised to change dramatically.

On this day.

Qin Ming was in the first-floor restaurant, gathering some of the latest news.

He saw Aunt Long approach with a face beaming like spring breeze, saying to Qin Ming, "Senior Long, good news!"

"All the third-tier spiritual materials on the list you provided have been found."

……

(End of Chapter)