Chapter 439: You Are Also a Prodigy?

The white clouds dispersed.

The Qingyue Sect's treasure ship returned Shen Yi and the other two to the General Nanyang Sect.

Liu Qianyun clasped her hands to bid farewell.

She then steered the treasure ship, soaring toward the Qingyue Sect.

This outing was said to be to broaden Shen Yi's horizons, but unexpectedly, it ended up opening her own eyes.

Even after parting ways, the other party never mentioned the reason for the incident.

This could only mean one thing.

Shen Yi had a very deep sense of boundaries; he did not intend to impose his grievances on the Qingyue Sect just because of the Meng Sect alliance, nor did he proactively make any requests based on his father's attitude.

If slaying the Bihai Toad proved his strength,

then securing the gate-keeping Deer Demon in advance proved his meticulous mind and flawless execution.

However...

Liu Qianyun retracted the treasure ship, stepped into the inner court of the Qingyue Sect, and arrived before that bamboo tower.

She felt a slight headache.

She knocked and entered, approaching her father, and said in a low voice, "Elder Liu, I am back."

The stern middle-aged man held one hand behind his back, his figure upright, sketching a crescent moon on paper with the tip of his brush, and said softly, "How is it? Is he still accustomed to it?"

Young people rising from such insignificance often develop a huge sense of disparity due to external circumstances.

Once a powerful figure surrounded by everyone, suddenly becoming ordinary; if one is not careful for a moment, the Dao heart is easily lost.

Recalling Shen Yi's previous performance, Liu Qianyun clicked her tongue: "Perhaps he is even more accustomed than the Elder imagined..."

"Oh?"

Elder Liu put down the brush, pointed to the chair before the table, and said with slight interest, "Sit down and tell me slowly."

"..."

Liu Qianyun knew the temper of this old-fashioned man well; this gesture meant that what followed was no longer official business, so she became much more casual, walked straight to the table, sat down, picked up his teapot, poured herself a cup of spirit tea, and drank it in one gulp.

"I took him to celebrate the birthday of a mere demon cultivator, and when we came out, there wasn't a single living soul left inside."

"But I don't think he is the type to bully others by relying on power; it must be that group of demon cultivators who were aggressive... If I'm not mistaken, it was definitely that Bihai Toad, thinking his water-demon status was noble, seeing the two of them dressed as unaffiliated cultivators, and wanting to bully them."

After Liu Qianyun finished speaking, she looked up.

She saw Elder Liu close his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "According to your account, was it him who acted?"

This was not an accusation, but simple confusion.

Although Elder Liu acknowledged Shen Yi's status as Sect Master, he could not ignore his cultivation level, which had just entered the Killed Fanxu realm.

"He has methods to control puppets; the strongest of them, that yellow dog, has a strength that is certainly no worse than a cultivator at the fourth layer of Killed Fanxu," Liu Qianyun shook her head.

"..."

Elder Liu thought for a moment, then picked up the brush again and waved the tip casually: "If the Hongze Water Clan comes to argue, since we are allied sects, you can represent them; if the situation becomes unmanageable, you may present my decree."

"It probably won't be needed; his hands are very clean, even more experienced than mine."

Liu Qianyun said this, but still accepted the decree handed to her; even as his own daughter, it was hard for her to obtain such a good thing.

Although it could only be used once, the decree representing a cultivator of Bai Yujing could resolve ninety-nine percent of the troubles within Hongze.

"Is there anything else?" Elder Liu glanced over.

Liu Qianyun pouted, consciously stood up from the chair: "I estimate the General Nanyang Sect has little foundation left; his eating manner is quite ugly, really not like a prestigious orthodox sect..."

"Without breaking the rules, you can help him a bit more. If there is anything within the sect, if he is willing, he can act together, granting him the treatment of an executive... Also, is it appropriate for you to discuss 'ugly eating manner' behind his back? Do not forget the hierarchy of elders and juniors."

Elder Liu calmly reminded her.

"Disciple knows her mistake." Liu Qianyun dared not argue with him on such matters; this old man would truly punish people.

She turned and walked toward the door, but just as she was leaving, she couldn't help but turn back and ask one more question: "Why are we helping him like this? Do you really intend to support him to ascend the Sect Master's throne?"

"Nonsense."

Elder Liu glared at her, then said helplessly, "I am merely a cultivator; where do I have the qualification to help others ascend to the immortal position? It is merely to fulfill the alliance pact... When he is forced to a dead end by the other sects and cannot defend the Harmony Dao sacred land, recalling our old friendship, he might be willing to join my sect as a disciple."

"The words spoken earlier by the Tianjian Sect were not false; this young man indeed possesses the Dragon Aspect."

"They are willing to lose face to snatch the Harmony Dao sacred land; my Qingyue Sect cannot do such a thing, but if we can recruit such an excellent disciple, that would not be bad."

Having said this, Elder Liu waved his sleeve: "Go out."

Obviously, on the day the General Nanyang Sect saw the light of day again, the words and deeds of certain allied sects truly made this Elder feel nauseous.

So much so that he unusually spoke such offensive words.

Talking about 'ugly eating manner'—this is what truly constitutes an ugly eating manner!

Above the General Nanyang Relief.

Shen Yi was preparing to open the great formation when he suddenly discovered two figures in the distance.

"..."

Li Qingfeng also recognized the newcomers; they were Elder Yang and Senior Brother Yan from yesterday.

"You have finally returned."

Elder Yang sighed as he approached, complaining, "Sect Master Shen, you should also manage the executives within your sect. I came to lecture according to the Elder's decree, yet they refused to open the formation for this old man, letting me shout outside for a whole day. What kind of logic is this?"

"Thank you, Elder Yang."

Shen Yi nodded without changing his expression: "I will speak to them when I return."

He had thought the Qingyue Sect was just being polite, but he didn't expect them to send someone so quickly, and not just an ordinary executive, but an outer court Elder most proficient in formations.

Fortunately, since he had previously infused his qi, he didn't need to perform again in front of the allied sect.

"No harm, no harm. Do not take it seriously."

Elder Yang waved his hand: "I was just rambling. I came here of my own accord, simply to exchange further insights on the elegant art of arrays with Shen Zongzhu."

At this, Yan Wencheng let out a bitter smile.

This was the first time he had felt the taste of being forsaken.

Yet as he looked again at Shen Yi, he recalled the earlier contest in the grand hall—if all of it had truly happened, then not only himself, but even among all seven of Yu Nanhong's disciples, it would be hard to find one more outstanding than him.

He had come along this time solely to witness this young Shen Zongzhu's abilities once more.

"When I have free time, I will certainly accept your invitation."

Shen Yi nodded in reply, gripped his Dao token, activated the array, and led the group back into the General Nanyang Sect's inner precincts.

Hearing this, Elder Yang's face lit up with joy: "Good, good, good—I'll be waiting for you."

Had Wu Dao'an and Chen Qiankun been here, they would surely have told this old man just how long one must wait for Shen Yi's "free time."

"Take Elder Yang to the Lecture Hall, and notify the others to come and listen."

Shen Yi nodded to Li Qingfeng; after days of tidying up, the inner precincts, though still sparsely populated, had at least begun to resemble the appearance of a Xian Sect.

With an outer precinct elder personally delivering a lecture, the Yu family would surely be very interested.

He saw the group off.

Only then did Shen Yi return beneath the ancestral statue in the main hall, sat beside the wooden man, and said softly: "Forgive the interruption—I wish to learn about the Shenggong Method. If one wishes to receive the Azure Phoenix Qi and attain an Xiangong, what should one pay attention to?"

Since demons and monsters have ample lifespans, one might as well think long-term—if one could obtain the Azure Phoenix Qi, it would surely greatly aid future cultivation.

The wooden man, whom True Person Qingfeng had shouted at all day without response, finally opened his eyes.

Li Xuanqing looked at Shen Yi and shook his head: "I don't know."

"Hm?" Shen Yi paused, then heard the man's sincere voice.

On Li Xuanqing's rigid wooden face, a hint of humility had emerged.

"My first three palaces were all Heavenly Palaces."

"..." Shen Yi took a deep breath and began to reassess the wooden man before him.

Two years later, he once again recalled the discomfort he'd felt while with Jiang Qiulan—the irritating clicking sound seemed to echo in his ears once more.

"Then, how does one attain a Tiangong?" Shen Yi suppressed his emotions.

"My method may not suit you. For my first three palaces, I visualized only a single pillar—second-rank. I had the former General Nanyang Sect Master as my teacher, and the treasures were provided without me needing to think."

Li Xuanqing sighed—this was why he had earlier said he could not help Shen Yi and the others.

According to the Yu Nanhong Seven's rules, one who forms three spiritual palaces may be taken as a direct disciple.

Though I too am called a direct disciple, I stand above them.

The path of a prodigy cannot be easily copied by others.

"I have some matters to attend to—I'll take my leave."

Shen Yi gave a slight bow and stepped out of the hall.

In truth, cultivation need not require perfection at every step—what difference does it make whether it's a Tiangong or an Xiangong? As long as one breaks through, that's enough.

Hmph, why bother obsessing over such things?

Shen Yi slowly clenched his five fingers within his sleeve, walked to a secluded spot, opened his interface, and spent twenty thousand years of demon lifespan to condense two Zhen Stones.

He then condensed demon primordial essence and began reshaping his demon soul.

Whether the Venerable Bihai Toad or the Spirit Cloud Immortal, both were ordinary demon cultivators, unlike the Phoenix Demon and the old dog, who often remained in slumber.

Thus, their demon souls required genuine demon primordial essence to accumulate.

The Deer Demon swallowed ten, the Toad swallowed eight.

【Remaining demon lifespan: 124,000 years】

It seemed like much, yet Shen Yi strangely felt it was acceptable.

Whether it's much or little depends on comparison.

After all, as Liu Qianyun had said, even a talented seed worthy of becoming an outer precinct elder spent over twenty thousand years to visualize a third-rank Dao pillar.

Compared to before, where he routinely consumed hundreds or thousands of times others' time, this was now less than tenfold.

Of course, this is predicated on these two Zhen Stones reaching the third-rank level.

Shen Yi retrieved two ruined corpses and poured their flesh and blood into the Zhen Stone statues.

Soon, a toad and a plum deer appeared on his forehead.

He formed a hand seal and summoned the Liang Zhu Chi.

Nervously, he pressed the ruler against the statues—next instant, thick Jin Guang surged within his mind.

The Spirit Cloud Immortal's Zhen Stone statue sent the Jin Guang shooting upward, barely reaching third-rank.

The Venerable Bihai Toad's was even better—it pushed beyond the line, sprouting a sharp peak.

It was even superior to Venerable Bihai's toad, as another peak suddenly emerged on that line.

As Shen Yi thrilled, he suddenly remembered the matter of the Tiangong.

According to this ruler's progression, under similar bloodline conditions, wouldn't one need a demon of Killed Fanxu fifth or sixth layer to reach the second-rank line?

To break through Killed Fanxu second layer, must one kill a demon comparable to an outer precinct elder?

What kind of madness is that?

Shen Yi shook his head, dispelling the distractions, summoned his Dao Palace, selected his three best Zhen Stones, and added the Divine Wind White Swan and Jin Chi Tiger.

He attempted to activate the Six-Pillar Shenggong Method.

At that moment, his Dao token suddenly trembled again.

Just then, the Dao token at his waist suddenly trembled again.

Shen Yi sighed, pulled out the Dao token, and heard Liu Qianyun's voice within.

Shen Yi sighed, took out his jade tablet, and heard Liu Qianyun's voice from within.

"Shen Zongzhu, I see you are already a Return-to-Void cultivator. Does your sect have any rare materials for your use? If you need any, the Qingyue Sect actually has quite a bit of information on hand — it would just require going out to handle a few matters. I wonder if you're interested."

"…"

Shen Yi pondered for a moment, then slowly waved his hand and recalled the Dao Palace.

If the previous palaces were the easiest time to receive the blessings of heaven and earth,

then he had to consider whether this was the only chance in his life to see the Primordial Violet Qi.

Besides, apart from Old Dog, he now had two more Return-to-Void third-layer guards at his disposal.

A prodigy… who wouldn't want to be one?

(End of chapter)