Chapter 202: Immortal Sect Alliance, Cultivating the Yin Spirit

Shen Yi had originally planned to set out immediately.

But another tall figure walked into the courtyard.

The Li siblings had already intended to leave, and upon seeing Jiang Qiulan, they bowed at once, then turned and fled, not even noticing that Jiang had changed into a black dress.

Noble scions might not fear the Regional Commander—after all, most of the time he was no different from a wooden post.

But the stacked heads on the walls of Lady Yushan Juncheng kept every sect and noble house on constant alert.

"Aunt Aqian asked me to bring you a Breath-Concealing Art."

Jiang Qiulan knocked lightly, and only after receiving a reply did she push the door open and step inside.

"Much obliged." Shen Yi took the martial art from her hand.

"The Body Tempering Art and pills you mentioned earlier—I've had them prepared and sent to the address on the letter."

Jiang Qiulan sat down beside the young man, her voice pleasant, a gentle warmth in her eyes.

"Good."

Shen Yi nodded. With his current merits, he only needed to say the word and Zhen Mo Si would open the Internal Affairs Vault and pull out the finest martial arts and pills to send to a mere martial artist of the jianghu.

Let alone the leakage of martial arts—even if Butcher Zhang used them to found his own sect, the local Zhen Mo Si office would do its utmost to support him.

But even if he emptied the entire Outside Qingzhou Zhen Mo Si—

He still couldn't find a single martial art that would make Shen Yi's heart stir.

He glanced to the side: "How many demon-slaying merits would it take to exchange with the imperial court for a Hunyuan Realm martial art?"

Yet Jiang Qiulan's reply left Shen Yi somewhat surprised.

"The Daqian court primarily cultivates Yin Spirits—there are no Hunyuan Realm martial arts. The Wumiao might have some, but probably not many."

"The Wumiao doesn't belong to the Daqian court?"

If Shen Yi remembered correctly, hadn't his previous rewards also been exchanged through the Wumiao?

Jiang Qiulan shook her head gently: "It's that the Daqian court belongs to the Wumiao. I mean the true Wumiao—the one that signed the alliance pact with Xuanguang Cave and Mount Wutong was the Wumiao, not Daqian."

This wasn't the first time Shen Yi had heard those two names: "Are these the two immortal sects you mentioned?"

"Mm." Jiang Qiulan had grown used to his indifference to worldly affairs. For someone like Shen Yi, who devoted all his mind to martial cultivation, that was perfectly normal.

"Within the alliance now, Mount Wutong takes the lead—its True Person has twelve disciples. Xuanguang Cave has many followers, seventy-two in all, but its strength is second. As for the Wumiao… the strong ones of the Wumiao, you should have already met them."

Met them?

Shen Yi hesitated. Surely she couldn't be referring to that old man with dementia, and the remaining twelve corpses?

If that was the case, he'd have to reconsider whether to stay or go.

Zhen Mo Si was already weak enough, but the higher-ups turned out to be even weaker.

"What are the conditions for joining an immortal sect?"

"……"

Jiang Qiulan fell silent for the first time, then looked at the young man: "Don't… at least for now, don't have such thoughts."

She had never interfered with anyone's choice.

Even back at Xitai Mountain, when she knew danger lay ahead, after making the reasons clear, if the other party still wished to follow, she would never say another word.

But this time, the expression on Jiang Qiulan's Bai Xi face was utterly serious.

"Even if you went, there would be nothing there you want. The methods of breaking through from the Hunyuan Realm to the Transformation of Spirit Realm differ for each person—all must be seized and comprehended on one's own. They aren't paths that can be taught, which is why the title 'Grandmaster' exists."

"You will certainly comprehend it yourself." Trust welled up in Miss's eyes.

"Thanks a lot."

Shen Yi shot her a look. Where on earth did this inexplicable confidence come from? But then he thought—everyone else had to grind away by comprehension too—and he felt much better, since this whole journey he'd endured it the same way.

"Above Hunyuan and Wu Xian is the Transformation of Spirit Realm?"

"Different paths, same destination—both are the process of shedding the mortal body, just different choices."

Speaking of cultivation, Jiang Qiulan was clearly very interested: "But Yin Spirits have a method to follow. Over the years the Wumiao has accumulated twenty-three Golden Body Arts—obtain one, and you hold the path to the Transformation of Spirit Realm."

From Embracing the Core to Wu Xian, then from Wu Xian to Transformation of Spirit.

Compared with Hunyuan martial artists, this was still a shortcut.

Only, taking a shortcut always comes with a price—one glimpse of it can be seen from the Wumiao's current state.

"Understood."

Shen Yi stood up and pushed open the door.

As expected, the decision back then to cultivate both paths in parallel had been right—at least if one path was blocked, there would still be another choice.

Whatever happened, he would condense the Yin Spirit first.

……

Linjiang Commandery, the General Who Suppresses Demons' residence.

Chen Qiankun looked at the two young people before him. Though only a few days had passed, his hands still trembled with excitement.

"Did it work?"

The words had barely fallen when he gave his head a hard shake.

What kind of muddled nonsense was he asking.

If it had failed, how could these two be standing before him so leisurely?

The old man stood up, paced back and forth in the room, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, then finally drew in a deep breath before managing to calm his emotions.

After a long pause he said: "Can this old man truly rest now?"

He had originally planned to look after things for Shen Yi a while longer, but ever since the boy had slain the flood dragon right before his eyes, Chen Qiankun could no longer think of anything he could help with.

"I actually want to find time to visit my colleagues in the other commanderies…"

After the last letter was sent out, not a single reply had come back.

It really wasn't satisfying enough.

"I'll be staying here for a while."

Shen Yi nodded. He had originally planned to first use up the wish-power belonging to himself, then consider other methods.

But since Old General Chen was going to visit a friend, it was just the chance to borrow the incense and wish-power of the Zhen Mo Si in Linjiang Commandery.

"There's no time to lose."

Chen Qiankun took out a jade tablet from his person and casually slapped it on the table.

It was plain to see that being tied down in Linjiang Commandery for several hundred years had already worn this old gentleman down to the bone.

"..."

Shen Yi felt a touch of emotion.

This time, although he had the idea of condensing a Yin God, he had also genuinely intended to come see the other party — after all, he had received quite a few favors from General Chen back then.

It was just that he'd been busy going out to slay demons and truly couldn't spare the time.

He hadn't expected that after only chatting a few sentences, the other party was about to leave.

"Ruin it however you like."

Chen Qiankun waved his hand and strode out. He was now completely at ease with the young man — with Shen Yi holding down this place, unless Howling Moon came in person, absolutely nothing could go wrong.

Ruin it however I like?

Shen Yi reached out, picked up the jade tablet, and raised an eyebrow.

That was what the old gentleman himself had said.

"Mm?"

Jiang Qiulan looked at Chen Qiankun's retreating back, then at the subtle shift in Shen Yi's expression.

She recalled that when Shen Yi went to find the Little Demon King, he'd worn a similar expression.

The deputy general outside, sharp-eyed, arranged adjacent courtyards for the two of them.

Shen Yi returned to his room.

Jade tablet in hand.

The moment he closed his eyes, vast white mist surged in from all directions, filling his entire field of vision!

(End of chapter)