Chapter 709: Visiting Xu Ziyan, the Passing of an Old Friend (Please Subscribe)

As soon as Song Qingming finished speaking, Huang Siyuan nodded in immediate agreement. Having just emerged from half a year of seclusion, she was also eager to head out and move about.

Standing to the side, Song Yuanfang felt a surge of excitement upon hearing that Song Qingming intended to travel to the Wu Kingdom for the "Star Assembly." After a moment of hesitation, he asked cautiously, "Seventh Great-Uncle, may I accompany you to the Wu Kingdom this time?"

Over the years, whenever the three of them were away, it was Song Yuanfang who helped manage the family affairs; consequently, he had rarely left "Mount Funiu."

Hearing that Song Qingming planned to take several family elders along, Song Yuanfang did not want to miss this rare opportunity to gain experience, so he ventured to ask.

"Hmm! You may come, but you must arrange the family affairs properly first. Otherwise, if we are all away and some urgent matter arises that no one can handle, it will be troublesome."

Seeing that Song Yuanfang also wished to follow him to broaden his horizons, Song Qingming pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement, though he stipulated that he must hand over his duties to others.

The family's many elders had grown accustomed to Song Yuanfang managing affairs over the years, and compared to him, the prestige of others was indeed lacking. Song Qingming could not immediately think of anyone to replace him, so he left the choice to Song Yuanfang himself.

Fortunately, a trip to the Wu Kingdom should only take about a month to return to the family. Recently, the areas surrounding the Wei Kingdom had become peaceful, so he assumed there would be no major issues.

Having received Song Qingming's consent, a look of joy appeared on Song Yuanfang's face. He hurriedly bowed in thanks before taking Song Linrui, who was beside him, and voluntarily withdrawing.

After discussing it with Huang Siyuan, Song Qingming immediately wrote a letter back to Xu Ziyan, agreeing to travel together to the Wu Kingdom for the "Star Assembly."

Time passed in a flash, and soon a month had gone by. To avoid missing the "Star Assembly," Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan set off a few days early to rendezvous with Xu Ziyan and the others at the sect.

This time, besides the couple, Song Yuanfang, Huang Leqing, Song Yuanhao, and Song Xuanting were also traveling together. The group boarded Song Qingming's "Phantom Boat" and soon arrived at Mount Guyang.

After the group settled in on the mountain, Song Qingming went alone to Xu Ziyan's spirit mountain, intending to greet her, but unfortunately found she was out and not in her cave dwelling.

"Uncle Song, Master has gone to the cemetery behind the mountain to visit Uncle Gao. If you are not in a hurry, you might as well rest in the pavilion for a while; Master should be back before long."

The young woman who came out to greet Song Qingming was a Foundation Establishment disciple under Xu Ziyan. Seeing that Song Qingming had come to find her Master, she hurriedly explained before leading him to a nearby stone pavilion to wait.

"Which Uncle Gao were you just referring to?" Song Qingming, who had just taken a few steps, stopped and asked the other party with a calm expression.

Suddenly hearing Song Qingming's inquiry, Xu Ziyan's disciple, who was walking in front, was somewhat surprised and hurriedly turned to answer:

"Reporting to Uncle Song, Uncle Gao was my Master's fellow apprentice, named Gao Yuyao. She unfortunately passed away from illness on the mountain half a month ago, and Master has been visiting her at the cemetery behind the mountain frequently of late."

"Daoist Friend Gao has already passed away?" Hearing the words from the disciple of Xu Ziyan, Song Qingming was slightly stunned, and the image of Gao Yuyao's face from the past instantly surfaced in his mind.

The last time Song Qingming saw Gao Yuyao was also here at Xu Ziyan's place; at that time, she was still striving to break through to the Core Formation realm.

The two had known each other for many years and could be considered friends. Song Qingming had originally intended to help her, but because Xu Ziyan later secured a Core Formation spiritual item for her, he did not pay further attention to the matter.

However, although she obtained another Core Formation spiritual item, Gao Yuyao's third attempt at Core Formation still did not succeed, and her cultivation ultimately stopped at the Foundation Establishment realm, unable to advance any further.

It was only after returning from the cultivation world of the "Donghuang Continent" that Song Qingming heard the news of Gao Yuyao's failed Core Formation from Song Yuanfang and others.

Gao Yuyao's age was about the same as Song Qingming's. If one only counted the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she should have had at least another dozen years of life left; she shouldn't have passed away so early. Hearing the news of her death from illness, Song Qingming found it somewhat hard to believe.

After inquiring with Xu Ziyan's disciple, Song Qingming first went to the sect's Merit Pavilion to exchange for some spiritual items for the memorial, and then arrived at the spiritual mountain where Gao Yuyao was buried.

Just as Song Qingming arrived on the mountain, he saw from afar that Xu Ziyan was standing alone beside a new grave, with a pile of spirit money burning in front of the tombstone.

"Senior Brother Song, why have you come here!"

Seeing a streak of light land not far from her side and revealing the figure of Song Qingming, Xu Ziyan was also somewhat surprised, and she hurriedly turned around to bow and greet him.

Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately returned the salute, walked forward, and slowly said: "I was afraid of delaying everyone's time, so I came two days early. I originally went to look for you, but unexpectedly heard the sad news of Daoist Friend Gao's passing, so I came here to pay my respects to her.

I have known Daoist Friend Gao since we were young, and we can be considered close friends. It has only been a few short decades since we last parted; I never expected that she would leave so suddenly. We are now separated by life and death before I could even see her one last time.

The path of cultivation is ultimately ruthless. We lucky ones who have the opportunity to go further must also bear more of the pain of parting from loved ones than they do. Junior Sister Xu, do not be too sorrowful because of this."

After speaking, Song Qingming took out the spiritual items he had prepared one by one and placed them in front of the tombstone, then solemnly paid his respects before Gao Yuyao's grave.

Hearing Song Qingming's words, Xu Ziyan gave a bitter smile in her heart, and with a regretful sigh, she said: "After Junior Sister Gao failed her attempt at the Core Formation realm, her path was severed, and she remained depressed and unfulfilled ever since.

During the last beast riot, she was slightly injured at Iron Immortal Fortress. It was originally nothing serious, but I did not expect that she would be too anxious while in seclusion healing, causing a mishap that damaged her dantian. Not long after, she passed away in her cave dwelling.

Back then, Master entrusted me to take good care of her. It is a pity that despite my all-out support, I still failed to help Junior Sister Gao succeed in Core Formation. When I go down to see her old self in a hundred years, I fear she will still blame me."

Xu Ziyan's tone was very calm, yet it revealed a trace of helplessness, as if lamenting the trickery of fate.

Since successfully forming her core and becoming a Core Formation Elder of the sect, Xu Ziyan had twice helped Gao Yuyao secure Core Formation spiritual items, which had drawn quite a bit of criticism from other disciples.

As a fellow disciple, Xu Ziyan had truly done her best for this Junior Sister Gao.

She did not expect that despite such dedicated support, Gao Yuyao still could not break through to the Core Formation realm. Not only did her previous efforts go to waste, but Gao Yuyao also passed away more than a decade early due to the mental knot of failing to form her core.

Thinking of this, Xu Ziyan could not help but shake her head slightly, wondering if she had lived up to the entrustment given to her by her master, Liu Xingfeng, on her deathbed.

"Junior Sister's support for Daoist Friend Gao can be considered as having done your utmost; these are things everyone has witnessed. I believe that if Senior Liu knows of this in the afterlife, she certainly will not blame you for it.

Individual destiny is determined by heaven. Even if we cultivators have extraordinary divine abilities, we cannot force it. Daoist Friend Gao had no hope for the path in this life; perhaps in the next life, she will be able to go further than us. Junior Sister Xu, you do not need to take this matter too much to heart."

While burning the spirit money in his hands, Song Qingming spoke again to comfort Xu Ziyan, who was standing to the side.

Although Song Qingming had not seen much of Gao Yuyao over the years, he had heard some things about the care Xu Ziyan had shown her after forming her own core, and he believed that Xu Ziyan had certainly done her best for this junior sister.

However, the world is impermanent. For cultivators breaking through cultivation realms, besides the necessary auxiliary spiritual items, individual destiny and effort are equally important.

There are many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the "Carefree Sect" attempting the Core Formation realm. Among them, there is no lack of sect elders supporting their direct disciples or younger relatives, but those who ultimately succeed in forming their core and breaking through to the Core Formation realm are few and far between.

Since Song Qingming formed his core, more than a hundred years have passed. Among the hundreds of cultivators in the "Carefree Sect" who have attempted the Core Formation realm, only Xu Ziyan and Fang Baixuan have succeeded. The probability of advancement is undeniably low.

Because there are so many disciples in the sect, the Core Formation spiritual items the sect can provide are also limited. Except for a very small number of people with backers, other disciples must obtain a glimmer of a chance for Core Formation through intense competition within the sect.

Even so, not everyone can be like Song Qingming, who spared no effort to support Huang Siyuan and the other, preparing Five Elements Core Formation spiritual items for his disciples. When many Foundation Establishment disciples of the "Carefree Sect" attempt the Core Formation realm, they can actually only use the secondary "Jade Dust Pill."

If it hadn't been for Song Qingming stepping in to help her exchange for a Five Elements Core Formation spiritual item in time after her first failure, it would have been very difficult for Xu Ziyan to have reached this step smoothly.

Precisely because of this, it is truly not easy for those who can successfully advance; it is impossible for everyone to have such good luck to step onto the Core Formation path.

After the two spoke for a while before Gao Yuyao's grave, the spirit money Song Qingming brought was mostly burned, so he returned to her spiritual mountain cave dwelling together with Xu Ziyan.

Knowing that Song Qingming and the others had arrived early at Guyang Mountain for the sake of going to the "Star Assembly" in the Wu Kingdom, Xu Ziyan was also very happy and chatted with him about many questions regarding the trading assembly.

Like Huang Siyuan, this was also Xu Ziyan's first time participating in such a large-scale trading assembly, and she was also very much looking forward to it.

Xu Ziyan's cultivation was the same as Song Qingyu's, both only at the fourth level of Core Formation, but Song Qingyu had formed her core much later than Xu Ziyan. Seeing her own cultivation being caught up to by a latecomer, Xu Ziyan also felt somewhat anxious.

This time, heading to the "Star Assembly" in the Wu Kingdom, Xu Ziyan also wanted to obtain one or two spiritual items useful to herself to speed up her own cultivation. After the two sat down and chatted for a while, Song Qingming sipped some spiritual tea and asked again: "Junior Sister Xu, besides us, I wonder which other fellow disciples are going to the Wu Kingdom this time? Could you tell me about it first?"

Xu Ziyan nodded slightly and replied: "Besides Senior Brother Song and Junior Sister Huang, Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Chu, Senior Sister Zhao, Junior Brother Fang, and Junior Brother Zhang will also be going with us.

The sect side is already prepared, and all the goods to be brought have been loaded onto the flying boat. Once Junior Brother Zhang arrives in two days, we can set off first."

"Oh! Is Senior Sister Bai not going this time?"

In the past, when participating in the "Star Assembly," the Carefree Sect would always send the Sect Master to lead the team. Hearing Xu Ziyan list all the candidates going to the Wu Kingdom without the name of Bai Yuxian, Song Qingming was somewhat surprised.

Seeing the doubt on Song Qingming's face, Xu Ziyan hesitated for a moment before softly saying: "Senior Uncle Li has given instructions that Senior Sister Bai needs to focus on closed-door cultivation recently and cannot go out, so Senior Brother Li will lead the team to the Wu Kingdom this time.

Senior Sister Bai has been in closed-door cultivation recently, and most of the sect's affairs are now handled by me and Senior Brother Xuanxin. If Senior Brother Song has any matters in the future, just come to me."

"Oh! So that's how it is. Then I will have to trouble Junior Sister Xu in the future." Hearing this, Song Qingming nodded to Xu Ziyan with a thoughtful smile.

Although Xu Ziyan did not say it directly, Song Qingming immediately understood that Bai Yuxian going into closed-door cultivation at this time should be to prepare for her next breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.

Bai Yuxian had cultivated to the ninth level of Core Formation for many years, her cultivation had long been polished to perfection, and she had previously had the experience of attempting the Nascent Soul bottleneck once. As long as she could find one or two high-level spiritual items to assist in condensing the Nascent Soul, she could attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul realm at any time.

During this beast riot, although the "Carefree Sect" suffered heavy losses in several major battles, they also harvested many high-level beast materials. Without any accidents, they would certainly be able to exchange for a Nascent Soul-forming spiritual item for Bai Yuxian.

Although it is not an easy matter for a cultivator to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, and countless geniuses in the cultivation world have been blocked outside the Nascent Soul realm, even though Bai Yuxian possesses the top-tier Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude of the cultivation world, she does not have absolute certainty that she will succeed in condensing the Nascent Soul.

But if Bai Yuxian can truly successfully break through to the Nascent Soul realm next, the sect will have an additional Nascent Soul ancestor, and the entire "Carefree Sect" will inevitably see a great increase in strength. In the future, when facing beast riots again, the cultivation world of the Wei Kingdom might not have to be as passive as it was in the past.

Thinking of this, Song Qingming was also secretly excited, sincerely hoping that Bai Yuxian could successfully break through this time and change the current unfavorable situation of the Wei Kingdom.

"Senior Brother Song doesn't need to be too envious. You are only over two hundred years old and have already broken through to the seventh level of Core Formation. You will certainly have the opportunity to challenge the Nascent Soul bottleneck in the future.

It is us people with mediocre talent who are afraid it will be difficult to even break through to the late stage of Core Formation in this lifetime, let alone dream of touching the Nascent Soul realm." Seeing the excitement on Song Qingming's face, Xu Ziyan also smiled and teased him.

Seeing this, Song Qingming hurriedly shook his head slightly and said:

"Junior Sister Xu is wrong. Once cultivation reaches the Core Formation realm, it is nothing more than looking at individual destiny. As long as the destiny arrives, the path of cultivation will naturally be smooth. Who among us will have the opportunity to challenge the Nascent Soul bottleneck in the future cannot be seen at a glance right now.

Senior Brother Chen was trapped at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment for many years and formed his core much later than us, but who would have thought that after stepping into the Core Formation realm, his cultivation would immediately advance by leaps and bounds? Isn't he walking ahead of us now?"

"Hehe! Senior Brother Song is right. I don't know when I will have the same fortune as Senior Brother Chen and meet my own individual destiny early." Xu Ziyan smiled lightly, but she could not help but sigh in her heart.

For Core Formation cultivators, individual destiny indeed has a great influence, but not everyone can have such good fortune to find this share of destiny that belongs to them.

Since the founding of the "Carefree Sect" thousands of years ago, there have been at least a hundred elders who passed away without cultivating to the ninth level of Core Formation. These people were, without exception, top-tier geniuses of the Wei Kingdom's cultivation world, but they still found it difficult to find the destiny to advance further on the Core Formation path.

Xu Ziyan being able to successfully establish her foundation without using a Foundation Establishment Pill back then could be considered as having some destiny, but she still walked somewhat arduously on the Core Formation path. She did not know if this upcoming trip to the Wu Kingdom could bring her a bit of good luck.

After the two chatted for a while, seeing that it was getting late, Song Qingming, having inquired about the news he wanted to know, rose to bid farewell and left Xu Ziyan's place.

Just as he returned to his residence, before Song Qingming even walked through the door, he saw from afar that Song Yuanfang had taken the initiative to come out to greet him and bowed respectfully.

"Seventh Grand-uncle, I just went to the General Affairs Hall with Yuanhao to inquire. Eighth Uncle started his closed-door cultivation two months ago after getting everything ready, right on Yulin Peak.

However, the sect's law enforcement team there is controlling things very strictly and won't let us get close. We only asked at the foot of the mountain, and currently, the cave dwelling where Eighth Uncle is in closed-door cultivation seems to be going smoothly with no abnormalities."

"Hmm! Xinyu's closed-door cultivation for Core Formation will take at least a few years, so there is no need to be too anxious now. You pay more attention to his situation, and if there is any news, inform me immediately."

Learning the news that Song Xinyu had successfully entered closed-door cultivation for Core Formation, Song Qingming also let go of a bit of his worry for him and nodded slowly.

"Yulin Peak" is a place with relatively rich spiritual energy on Guyang Mountain. When most of the sect's Foundation Establishment disciples go into closed-door cultivation for Core Formation, they are arranged to be there. Xu Ziyan and Chen Xuanxin, who were well-acquainted with Song Qingming, also successfully formed their cores on "Yulin Peak" back then.

For Song Xinyu's closed-door cultivation for Core Formation this time, both the spiritual vein and the auxiliary spiritual items for Core Formation had been prepared long ago, and he was not much different from others. The family had already done its best to support him; as for whether he could succeed, that would depend on his personal destiny.

The next day, taking advantage of the remaining time, Song Qingming went to "Muyun Peak" with Huang Siyuan to pay respects to the late True Person Guangling and the old Sect Master Yao Ganshu.

After Yao Ganshu attended True Person Guangling's funeral last time, just as Huang Siyuan had said, his condition quickly worsened, and he passed away in his cave dwelling in less than half a year.

Subsequently, the "Carefree Sect" also held a very grand funeral for this former Sect Master and buried him beside his old partner, True Person Guangling.

Both were meritorious people who had worked diligently for the sect for their entire lives for hundreds of years, so their graves were naturally much more exquisite and magnificent than those of ordinary people.

Even though several years had passed, the incense in front of their tombstones had never been extinguished, and from time to time, sect disciples and their own descendants would come to pay their respects.

Just as Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan were preparing to leave, a young figure walked up from the mountain below. Seeing that the other party looked somewhat familiar, Song Qingming immediately recalled his identity in his mind.

"Junior Yao Muling pays respects to the two Senior Uncles!"

After sweeping his spiritual sense over the Yao Muling before him, Song Qingming nodded slightly to him with a calm expression and asked: "You have come here, are you also here to visit Senior Brother Yao?"

"The Old Ancestor treated me with great care during his lifetime. Now that he is no longer here, I still often think of his voice and smile in my heart, so I often come here to visit in my spare time."

Seeing that Yao Muling answered very straightforwardly, not like someone who had just learned the news and rushed over to put on a show, Song Qingming nodded with great satisfaction.

"In just a few years, your cultivation has improved quite a bit. It seems you are still very diligent in your cultivation.

Since we met here today, it can be considered fate. This elixir will be of some help to you in breaking through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment; consider it a reward of destiny for you.

Your talent and aptitude are quite good. As long as you are willing to focus on hard cultivation, you will definitely have a chance for Core Formation in the future. Do not be negligent."

"Many thanks to Senior Uncle for the treasure. I will certainly never forget today's teachings. Please rest assured, two Senior Uncles!" Seeing the small jade bottle Song Qingming took out, Yao Muling was also surprised and hurriedly stepped forward to kowtow and express his gratitude.

As a clan descendant of the old Sect Master Yao Ganshu, Yao Muling could be considered to have had slightly poor luck. When he entered cultivation, he did not catch the good time when the family ancestor Yao Ganshu was serving as Sect Master.

Yao Muling had just successfully established his foundation not long ago when the Old Ancestor Yao Ganshu began to be bedridden, and his own clan's prestige in the sect immediately began to decline sharply.

When Yao Ganshu was still around, surrounding cultivators and even those Core Formation Elders of the sect would still hold him in high regard. Since the Old Ancestor passed away a few years ago, Yao Muling had gradually felt the change in the attitude of those around him.

However, although Yao Muling was not old, having been by Yao Ganshu's side for a long time, his character matured relatively quickly, and he soon adapted without feeling too lost because of it.

When he encountered some grievances outside of his cultivation, he did not complain too much, but only came here alone to tell his own ancestor about it.

"There is no need for such formalities, get up! Senior Brother Yao entrusted me to take care of you back then, and I agreed. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can also entrust someone to send me a message.

Although I am not in the sect, I hold the position of Guest Elder and can always put in a word for you."

Seeing Yao Muling so excited, Song Qingming hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, and after leaving him a few words, he walked down the mountain with Huang Siyuan.

Yao Muling, standing in place, watched Song Qingming and his companion walking away toward the foot of the mountain. It was not until their backs disappeared from his sight that he came back to his senses, revealed a smile on his face, and carefully put away the jade bottle he had just received.