Chapter 415

Since that's the case, I won't disturb you further; I hope Fellow Daoist Ji will let me know about this when Fellow Daoist Yunhe emerges from seclusion.

Inside the Bai Xiao Pavilion, a cultivator wearing a fiery red robe embroidered with nine dragon patterns, handsome in appearance, smiled and clasped his hands toward Ji Li Yun, saying.

"That's natural; regarding Fellow Daoist Fulong's matter, I will certainly convey it."

Ji Li Yun also wore a smile, rose and clasped his hands toward the visitor.

"Hahaha, thank you."

After saying that, the red-robed cultivator turned and transformed into a streak of red light, departing.

This person is none other than the Supreme Grand Elder Fulong of the Nine Dragon Sect of Yuan State, who once had a passing acquaintance with Yunhe.

The Yuan State, where the Nine Dragon Sect is located, is now one of the main battlefields between human cultivators and the sea tribe, so the sect's days are not easy.

Like the Abyss Tribe, the Sea Tribe's cultivators inevitably gain considerable strength when in the ocean, while the Abyss Tribe's cultivators rely on the Black Abyss Mist.

Therefore, choosing the battlefield on the sea will indeed cause heavy losses for some cultivators and sects, but it is also an unavoidable measure.

Having met once before, calling each other old acquaintances is hardly a problem.

"When I left, people often came to visit Yunhe; now that I'm back, they still come to visit?" Fang Qiuyu pursed their lips, sat in the chair beside Ji Li Yun, poured themselves a cup of spiritual tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

Although the battlefield is perilous, it is indeed the best opportunity nowadays to acquire various treasures.

What's more, it's someone like Yunhe.

Adding these three things together, Yunhe certainly counts as a renowned figure among today's human cultivators, and it's normal for visitors to come in an endless stream, after all, interactions among Yuan Ying Cultivators still revolve around personal relationships and worldly etiquette.

"Senior Brother, someone's come to see Yunhe again."

Emerging from the flow of light was Fang Qiuyu, looking travel-worn, with a hint of lethal aura on their person, clearly just returned from the battlefield.

Pushing a plate of pastries toward them, they said: "Fellow Daoist Yun, you too are now counted among the famed of our human cultivators; many Nascent Soul Mid-stage cultivators are far inferior to him, and some even praise that Fellow Daoist Yun now has the strength to contend with Nascent Soul Late-stage cultivators."

After Fulong the Elder departed, Ji Li Yun shook his head, just about to leave the hall, when another streak of light shot from afar.

In fact.

And the Nine Dragon Sect is one of the foremost sects to bear the brunt.

He is not the only Yuan Ying Cultivator to have come visiting during this period; he may not even be the last, but he is among the few who originally knew Yunhe.

Not only the Bai Xiao Pavilion, but most of the Yuan Ying Cultivators who had gathered in Taixuan City have already left for the battlefield.

Human cultivators pursue profit; with great gains they naturally are willing to fight and even risk their lives.

Escaping from the clutches of a Fourth Level Late-stage thousand-winged blood mosquito demonic beast, he slew the Nascent Soul Mid-stage Elder Ji Huan, and furthermore, under circumstances even the Fushan Daoist could not manage, he completed the mission in the Cangmo Mountain secret realm, thwarting the Abyss Tribe's plans.

Besides Yunhe and Ji Li Yun, there are no other Yuan Ying Cultivators left in the Bai Xiao Pavilion of Taixuan City; they have all gone to the battlefield.

Sensing a fluctuation in magical power, Ji Li Yun halted his steps.

Seeing that Fang Qiuyu was in good condition, Ji Li Yun let go of the worry in his heart and nodded.

After all, Yunhe's battle record is still quite impressive.

The reason Fulong the Elder came to the Bai Xiao Pavilion was naturally to seek Yunhe.

Upon hearing that, Ji Li Yun couldn't help but chuckle helplessly.

You should know, Yunhe is still only at Nascent Soul Early-stage and already possesses such combat power; if he later breaks through to Nascent Soul Mid-stage or even Late-stage, his strength will inevitably increase.

The fact that he achieved Nascent Soul formation before the age of three hundred is no secret, and he certainly has the potential to break through to Nascent Soul Late-stage in the future.

With such limitless potential, which sect or power wouldn't want to maintain good relations?

Even if relations cannot be improved, it's best not to offend them.

Unless one is at Nascent Soul Late-stage, who could claim they can now suppress Yunhe in strength?

Even a Nascent Soul Late-stage great cultivator, without adequate preparation, would not dare to act against Yunhe; otherwise, should they fail, his retaliation is not something ordinary people could endure.

It is precisely because of his outstanding survivability, excellent strength, and extremely high potential that he has earned the goodwill of so many.

"Senior Brother, don't say that; if you say Yunhe could face a Nascent Soul Late-stage great cultivator and not fall behind, I really wouldn't be surprised at all." Fang Qiuyu stuffed a piece of pastry into their mouth, muttering.

Ji Li Yun shook his head.

To be honest, he himself is not surprised either.

Because surprises have happened so often, he feels that surprise has become the norm.

"Qiuyu, with all this praise, are you trying to kill him with praise?"

Suddenly.

A familiar voice came from afar.

Ji Li Yun and Fang Qiuyu's eyes lit up simultaneously; looking toward the source of the sound, they saw a young cultivator in a green shirt walking out with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Yun."

"Yunhe."

The visitor was naturally Yunhe, who had just emerged from seclusion.

The three were already well acquainted, so there was no need for those formalities; Yunhe stepped forward, casually picked up a piece of pastry and popped it into his mouth, saying: "Nascent Soul Late-stage great cultivator, you dare say that? Back then, being able to dispatch Elder Ji Huan was solely due to my having a certain advantage over him."

Fang Qiuyu smiled.

She was just saying it.

If it were truly spread now that Yunhe faced a Nascent Soul Late-stage great cultivator and did not fall behind, she would surely still be shocked enough to drop her jaw.

But Ji Li Yun detected a subtle different meaning in Yunhe's words, pondered briefly, and asked tentatively:

"And what about now?"

Yunhe glanced at Ji Li Yun, smiled, and said nothing.

However, seeing his smile, Ji Li Yun seemed to understand something and also remained silent.

"By the way, Yunhe, how's your cultivation coming along? Are you about to break through to Nascent Soul Mid-stage?" Fang Qiuyu asked, not paying attention to their tacit exchange.

"Nascent Soul Mid-stage is nowhere near that simple."

Yunhe shook his head and let out a sigh.

He has no Elixir, the "Five‑element Spirit Body" has not fully coalesced, only the Formless Sword Lord's jar of "Sour Sword Wine", and his sealing time was short—just three years—how could he possibly break through the mid‑stage Nascent Soul?

"Then why did you come out?"

Yunhe looked toward Ji Liuyun and said, "Is the communication spirit talisman that Liuyun left for me accurate?"

Ji Liuyun nodded, "I have already sent people to investigate; although I have not seen it with my own eyes, judging from the environment of that place and the descriptions of surrounding forces and families, it should not be false."

Because Yunhe needs Earth‑attribute and Metal‑attribute Fourth Level demonic beast essence blood to coalesce Earth‑element and Metal‑element spirit bodies, he had asked Ji Liuyun before sealing himself to keep an eye on information about Earth‑attribute Fourth Level demonic beasts, and the communication Jade Slip he left explained this matter.

So he sealed himself for three years, coalesced the Fire‑element spirit body, and after entering the basics of the two secret arts "Sword Refinement into Silk" and "Formless Sword Formation", he chose to emerge.

"Thank you," Yunhe said.

Ji Liuyun waved a hand, "Don't be formal. You are my Elder of Bai Xiao Lou; your affairs are the affairs of Bai Xiao Lou. The entire power of Bai Xiao Lou can be at your disposal; there's nothing to thank for."

He deliberately said only "Elder" instead of "Guest Minister Elder", which was vague and also a cautious test.

Yunhe understood the meaning and did not correct him.

Entering Bai Xiao Lou is entering Bai Xiao Lou.

At least Bai Xiao Lou gave him a decent impression, and its intelligence capability truly surpasses the entire Eastern Realm cultivation world, which is what he needs.

Moreover, that uncertain‑whether‑alive "Sheng Banzi" is also a decent "background".

Seeing Yunhe remain silent, Ji Liuyun breathed a sigh of relief and immediately felt great joy rise in her heart.

Since he injured his foundational Cultivation Base and could no longer advance a single step, now Bai Xiao Lou's major and minor affairs are basically all overseen by him, so he knows very clearly that Yunhe's reputation brings huge benefits to Bai Xiao Lou.

Of course.

More importantly, Yunhe's age—given his current Cultivation Base and potential, he will have no problem shouldering Bai Xiao Lou in the future.

Other forces may wish to befriend Yunhe; Bai Xiao Lou is no different.

"By the way," Ji Liuyun, still elated, remembered something else, took out a Jade Slip and placed it on the desk, "Also, here's information about the 'Black Crystal Divine Seed'; most of it was found in ancient texts, all compiled here."

Hearing that, Yunhe's eyes brightened.

He picked up the Jade Slip and gave it a quick glance.

His divine sense scanned the contents at great speed; not saying how thorough, but he already grasped the gist.

Although this Jade Slip does not record detailed methods for using the "Black Crystal Divine Seed", it does contain some rough descriptions.

Compared with the Jade Slip given by the Heavenly Corpse Gu, the difference is not large.

"Heavenly Corpse Gu is this honest?"

"But this Jade Slip also says that even if absorbing the 'Black Crystal Divine Seed' fails, it will not leave too many troubles for the body."

Yet thinking carefully, the Heavenly Corpse Gu still needs him to help enter the Heavenly Insect Sect to retrieve something, so it probably won't tamper with the use of the 'Black Crystal Divine Seed', at most it might meddle with the Gu Insect's advancement method.

"Since failure causes no trouble, trying it is not a problem."

"How about it, is this what you need?" Ji Liuyun asked as Yunhe set the Jade Slip down.

"Not bad," Yunhe nodded slightly.

After a pause, he continued, "In that case, I will need to go out for a while."

"Alright."

To that, Ji Liuyun naturally had nothing else to say.

He took out a storage bag, "These are the items and tribute letters that some people have sent over the past period, as well as your offerings during this time."

"Oh?"

Yunhe took the storage bag, his divine sense swept through it, and he silently muttered in amazement.

Whether to speak or not.

One benefit of a big reputation is this influx of gifts.

There are actually so many!

Among them are not lacking many precious Fourth Level materials.

Moreover, the "offerings" from Bai Xiao Lou are far more than what was originally promised to him.

At this moment Yunhe really wanted to know.

If he later successfully breaks through the mid‑stage Nascent Soul and holds a grand ceremony, or when he reaches three hundred fifty or four hundred years old and holds a longevity celebration, how many gifts could he collect?

————

PS: You might not believe it, but my grandfather was hospitalized for white Candida infection and human herpes virus, my grandmother was hospitalized for a severe cold, my father was hospitalized for a gastric polyp.

(End of chapter)