Chapter 551: Origins and Lineage

Qin Ming had already decided that if things turned bad,

he would abandon these two hundred mu of spirit fields and prepare to flee.

After all, if this secret realm became the center of contention among the three major factions, the entire Five Elements Mountain Range would turn into a powder keg ready to explode.

"As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall."

"The cultivation world of Great Jin is vast—better to seek fortune elsewhere than to compete for resources under the eyes of Nascent Soul elders. It's truly unwise."

Qin Ming thought this to himself, then resumed his life of farming and cultivation.

He entered the Small Spirit Realm and fed the two blood pearls in his hand to his life-spirit plant, Yin-Yang Mystic Vine.

In an instant,

the miraculous life-spirit vine underwent some unimaginable transformation after absorbing the blood pearls.

The black vines' silver spiritual patterns shimmered and intertwined, blooming once more with alternating yin and yang flowers.

At the same time, three golden terms appeared in Qin Ming's vision.

【Name】: Yin-Yang Mystic Vine 【Term】: Prolonged Lifespan x5 (Maturity 65%) 【Name】: Yin-Yang Mystic Vine 【Term】: Space-Time Leaf x5 (Maturity 66%) 【Name】: Yin-Yang Mystic Vine 【Term】: Potent Purity x5 (Maturity 67%) "Damn, maturity's already over half."

…

The time of cultivation passed another half-year.

During this period, something happened.

That was, under the effect of the Divine Wood Pill, Hua Tianxiong finally broke through to Golden Core Mid-Stage.

This made him feel triumphant; no Golden Core cultivators within the Ten Thousand Dao Trading Society dared to look down on him anymore.

Hua Tianxiong followed Qin Ming's advice, rigorously practiced several life-saving techniques, and spent a fortune to reforge and elevate his life-spirit magic treasure, refining and nurturing it.

Though cultivation is not something achieved overnight, over the years he had inevitably been influenced by Qin Ming and felt he still had room for growth.

Especially after being granted the Divine Wood Pill, he saw a clear path ahead in his cultivation.

In the future, Qin Ming would need him more and more—he must keep his cultivation level up.

Thus, the once lazy and pleasure-seeking Hua Tianxiong seemed to have become an entirely different person.

Even Gan Elder of the Flame Palace, upon seeing him again, regarded him with new respect.

One day,

Hua Tianxiong obtained another crucial piece of intelligence and eagerly contacted Qin Ming.

"Master, I have important news to report!"

"Alright, meet me at the usual place."

Qin Ming immediately put down his work and went to the edge of the Five Elements Mountains.

Upon meeting Hua Tianxiong, he pulled him into the Small Spirit Realm to speak.

Qin Ming sized up Hua Tianxiong and couldn't help but exclaim, "Not bad—you've got decent talent? Golden Core Mid-Stage already?"

"Hehe! Thanks to the Divine Wood Pill you gave me—I'd still be grinding away without it," Hua Tianxiong said gratefully.

Qin Ming asked calmly, "Go on. What news do you have?"

Hua Tianxiong gathered his thoughts and excitedly reported:

"Master, after returning, I secretly mobilized many people to investigate the secret realm deep within the Five Elements Mountains."

"After half a year of effort, I've finally uncovered its true origins."

At this, not only did Qin Ming grow interested, but the Devouring Rat also sprinted over from nearby, eager to hear: "Oh? You've got good connections! Spill it."

Hua Tianxiong nodded and spoke slowly: "According to my findings, the secret realm secretly controlled by Divine Dao Mountain is almost certainly the ruins of the ancient great sect—'Qingyuan Sect.'" "What? Qingyuan Sect?" Qin Ming, upon hearing the sect's name, was taken aback.

Because the main cultivation scripture he currently practices, "Qingdi Scripture," was originally bestowed upon him by the old man Mo Qingshan after he passed the trial in the Plant Illusion Realm.

The great weapon he now wields, "Hook Jade Golden Light Mirror," also traces its lineage back to Qingyuan Sect—there's deep historical connection here.

Now, after arriving in Great Jin, he had encountered news of Qingyuan Sect again.

Previously, he had been actively seeking information about Qingyuan Sect, but had learned next to nothing.

Seeing Qin Ming's expression, Hua Tianxiong asked, "What's wrong? Master, have you heard of it before?"

"Hmm, never mind. Keep going," Qin Ming said.

Hua Tianxiong nodded and continued: "According to my intelligence, the ancient Qingyuan Sect was truly extraordinary!"

"At its peak, Qingyuan Sect was the foremost sect in the mortal realm, even producing several powerful Soul Transformation masters—and among them, some who successfully ascended to the higher realms."

"Geez. Soul Transformation?" the Devouring Rat muttered in awe.

"Even more remarkable, Qingyuan Sect, as the top sect of the mortal realm, was famed specifically for cultivating spirit plants."

"Its early-stage techniques were mediocre, but once cultivators reached later realms, they could harness the spiritual energy of ten thousand trees as their own—not only did they gain immense longevity, but they also possessed an extremely fearsome technique that once struck terror into the entire cultivation world."

"It was precisely this foundation that made Qingyuan Sect a unique and dominant force for a very long time."

"Later, the Soul Transformation masters of Qingyuan Sect successively ascended to the higher realms and departed; then, an unknown internal event occurred, and the sect began its decline."

"From then on, Qingyuan Sect gradually faded into the dust of cultivation history."

"To be honest, had I not discovered this, I never would've known such a powerful sect once existed in the mortal realm."

"It's said their founding ancestor, 'Qingdi the Venerable,' was invincible across the mortal world—I wonder if that's true."

Hua Tianxiong sighed deeply, then shifted tone with a smile:

"If that's true, then the secret realm controlled by Divine Dao Mountain has an astonishing origin!"

"If this place was indeed Qingyuan Sect's ancestral mountain, then it's not just about Nascent Soul opportunities—there might even be Soul Transformation opportunities."

"Not to mention the countless hidden treasures and lineages of Qingyuan Sect."

After hearing this, Qin Ming was also slightly stunned.

He hadn't expected Qingyuan Sect's origins to be so grand.

Qin Ming carefully recalled every event he had encountered on his journey.

It all seemed as if fate had woven them together.

First, the ancient ruin discovered by Yunze Great Wilderness's Lingyu Sect—perhaps it was once a medicinal garden of a Qingyuan Sect branch.

Second, the Plant Illusion Realm used in the Southern Wastelands to test spirit plant cultivators, with its mysterious tree array—both derived from Qingyuan Sect's legacy.

Later, he encountered the White Bone King Palace, collected two bronze mirrors, and found the Washing Thunder Pool to restore this legendary Qingyuan Sect treasure.

And now, Qingyuan Sect's ancestral mountain seems to lie right beneath his feet, within reach! It was hard not to connect all these events together.

"Fortunately, the Seven Marvelous Tree blooms only once every three thousand years—without a Gao Jie spirit plant master's special methods, Divine Dao Mountain can't open the secret realm anytime soon."

"Otherwise, even a single leaked detail would shake the entire cultivation world."

"At that point, it wouldn't just be internal chaos among Great Jin's three major factions—neighbors Da Li and Da Zhou would likely invade Great Jin."

After hearing Hua Tianxiong's report, Qin Ming was certainly tempted by the opportunities within the secret realm, but he still held to his principle of cautious management and suppressed the impulse.

"Even if one succeeds in entering such a place, the legacy inside won't be easy to claim—there might even be mortal danger. Better to let these big sects fight it out first."

(End of Chapter)