Chapter 386: Minghe Sect

When Song Qingming brought back the news that Song Xinyu had successfully established his foundation, the entire Mount Funiu began to become lively. The Song family had a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Xiaoyao Sect, and in the future, the family would finally have someone who could speak in the sect, which was also a great improvement for the status of the Song family.

A few months later, Song Xinyu, who had already established his foundation, returned to Mount Funiu. Under the instruction of Song Qingming, the family's Foundation Establishment ancestor, the Song family arranged a grand banquet for him and specifically invited various Qi Refining families attached to the Song family to come to Mount Funiu to observe the ceremony.

Although there were not many families attached to the Song family now, since they attached to the Song family, except for the chaos of demonic cultivators experienced by the Wu family of Mount Longtan decades ago, there had been no major turmoil in the territories of other families. Over the years, the strength of each family had grown compared to before.

Especially the Wang family of Mount Fengtou, who discovered the Gengjin mine, had obtained many spirit stones by relying on the share of the mine over the years. The strength of the Wang family had also risen with the tide. Now, there were several cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining in the clan, and they had already ranked among the first-class from the second-class Qi Refining families in Qinghe County back then.

The Wang family earning spirit stones by lying down like this every year naturally made the surrounding family forces very jealous. Over the years, they had also tightened their hold on the Song family's thigh. The spiritual items offered to the Song family every year would automatically be more than other Qi Refining families, and they had already taken the initiative to intermarry with the Song family.

This time, to celebrate Song Xinyu's Foundation Establishment, the Wang family leader, Wang Ziyuan, was the first to arrive at Mount Funiu early in the morning and specifically presented a Tier 2 spirit peach worth nearly a hundred spirit stones as a congratulatory gift, which truly won the favor of many people in the Song family. Song Qingming was naturally very satisfied with the Wang family's performance.

The banquet was held for two consecutive days, and many people who did not receive invitations also heard the news and came to Mount Funiu, including Feng De of Qinghe Market and Ma Boshan, who guarded the Mount Fengtou mine.

Both of these were Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Xiaoyao Sect. Knowing that their new junior brother, Song Xinyu, had returned to Qinghe County, they naturally gathered around. They were all fellow disciples, and they also wanted to take this opportunity to get on good terms with Song Xinyu.

Besides this, after the Huang family learned the news, they also took the initiative to send a cultivator to congratulate them. Because his master, Huang Shengyang, was a Huang family cultivator, Song Xinyu also gave enough face to this Huang family cultivator at the banquet and personally took him to the room where only a few Foundation Establishment cultivators were seated.

Song Xinyu's successful Foundation Establishment also greatly encouraged the younger generation of the Song family this time. Those cultivators of the "Xin" generation who were not much different in age from him, seeing him in the banquet, all showed envious expressions.

Among the "Xin" generation, besides Song Xinyu, who had the best cultivation talent, the two with the greatest hope for Foundation Establishment were the Eighth, Song Xintang, and the Nineteenth, Song Xinhe.

Among them, Song Xintang had already cultivated to the eighth level of Qi Refining and was an alchemist. He had not lacked cultivation resources over the years. He was absolutely sure to raise his cultivation to the ninth level of Qi Refining before the age of sixty. However, he was a pseudo-spirit root cultivator with four spirit roots like Song Qingming. Even with a Foundation Establishment Pill, the hope of successful Foundation Establishment could only be about 30% to 40% at most.

Another Nineteenth, Song Xinhe, although his cultivation had just broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, he was not old and was only in his thirties now. In more than ten years, he would also be able to cultivate to the ninth level of Qi Refining. Moreover, his spirit root was better, and a three-spirit root cultivator with the addition of a Foundation Establishment Pill, on the surface, Song Xinhe's hope for Foundation Establishment was higher than Song Xintang's.

Now the Song family had gathered enough merit points in the Merit Pavilion of the Xiaoyao Sect, and they would definitely be able to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill within ten years. However, Song Qingming had not decided who this Foundation Establishment Pill should be used on, and he was still considering it.

There was only one Foundation Establishment Pill. Whether to give it to Song Xintang, who had made greater contributions to the family, or to Song Xinhe, who had a better spirit root, or to keep it for Song Yuanli, who would have a greater grasp of Foundation Establishment in the future, was indeed a difficult choice for Song Qingming, an elder.

No matter who was chosen, someone would inevitably lose the opportunity to advance further on this Dao path forever. Moreover, such a large investment, once the chosen person failed in Foundation Establishment, it would also be a difficult problem to explain to other cultivators in the family.

There were countless cultivators in the cultivation world, but cultivation resources were always limited. Every cultivator who wanted to advance further had to fight for their lives to compete for these cultivation resources. Unless you could ascend to the Dao and leave this world, no one could escape this final fate.

After the banquet ended, Song Xinyu originally wanted to stay on Mount Funiu for a few more months, but unexpectedly, after only more than a month, his master, Huang Shengyang, sent a letter to Mount Funiu, calling him back.

Not long after Song Xinyu left, Song Qingming entered seclusion and did not turn the materials in his hands into the talismans he had already made until more than half a year later. This time, Song Qingming had made more than a hundred Tier 2 talismans, which could already exchange for many spirit stones for him.

This time, he made a large number of talismans in seclusion for a long time, and Song Qingming's talisman-making technique had also made great progress. Now he could stably make many Tier 2 Mid-grade talismans and had already become a Tier 2 Mid-grade talisman master.

It was not easy to improve after the hundred arts of cultivation reached Tier 2. Song Qingming's talisman-making level could now be considered the highest level in Qinghe County.

The talismans he made this time, except for a small part left to be put into the family's shop in Qinghe Market, were all taken by Song Qingming to several nearby markets such as Guiyun Market and Jinshan Market to be sold separately.

Tier 2 talismans were more popular in the market than those Tier 1 talismans, especially Tier 2 Low-grade talismans, which could already be used by cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Almost every Qi Refining family in Qinghe County would prepare a few as the family's foundation in case of accidents.

This time, the sale of talismans was also very smooth. Not long after, Song Qingming earned nearly ten thousand spirit stones. After having enough spirit stones, Song Qingming also ran to the Xiaoyao Sect immediately and exchanged for the Foundation Establishment Pill he had been thinking about in the Merit Pavilion, finally completing a major event in his heart.

After the Foundation Establishment Pill was in hand, Song Qingming hid it directly in his cave dwelling on Mount Funiu. However, Song Qingming did not tell all the clansmen that he had a Foundation Establishment Pill on him, but only revealed some news to several elders in the clan that the family could exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill in the Merit Pavilion of the Xiaoyao Sect within ten years.

Now Song Qingming had not decided how to determine the ownership of the Foundation Establishment Pill. He wanted to observe for a period of time and also wanted to listen to the suggestions of several family elders before deciding on this matter. In any case, several people in the family who could use the Foundation Establishment Pill had not yet cultivated to the ninth level of Qi Refining, and there was plenty of time for everyone to consider this matter.

——

On the east side of the State of Zheng, there was a market about the same size as Guiyun Market, called Xianhe Market. The manager of this market was the only Golden Core sect near the market, the Minghe Sect.

As one of the two Golden Core sects in the cultivation world of the State of Zheng, the Minghe Sect controlled the territory of three counties in the eastern part of the entire State of Zheng, and there were three Golden Core ancestors in the sect.

During the last beast turmoil, about one-third of the territory in the northern part of the State of Zheng fell into the hands of the beasts. In order to resist the attack of the beasts, the Minghe Sect lost many cultivators, and even a Golden Core ancestor fell into the hands of the beasts.

Fortunately, later, surrounding countries such as the State of Wei came to help in time, finally allowing them to stabilize the situation, survive this beast turmoil, and subsequently recover many lost territories.

It was a pity that good times did not last long. Not long after the beast turmoil ended, the State of Zheng fell into internal fighting among sects again.

The Minghe Sect and the Tianxing Gate in the western part of the State of Zheng were old rivals who had been at odds for many years. Both sides had been attacking each other for many years, but their strength was not much different, and neither had the strength to eat the other.

However, in the past ten years or so, the situation of the Minghe Sect had become worse and worse. The Tianxing Gate did not know when it began to receive the support of a force, and its strength slowly suppressed the Minghe Sect and occupied a great advantage. In the past ten years, the Tianxing Sect had eroded many territories of the Minghe Sect.

The strength of both sides had gradually become unbalanced. If the Minghe Sect did not make some changes, it would be a matter of time before it was swallowed by the Tianxing Gate in the future. For this reason, the interior of the Minghe Sect was also very worried.

In Xianhe Market, in a small courtyard that was very inconspicuous in the market, two cultivators were talking softly.

"Junior Sister Liu, I heard that you found two helpers with good strength this time. I received the news you sent on the mountain and rushed over immediately. This matter is of great importance. Can you tell me first?"

The woman surnamed Liu looked at the sect leader senior brother who was a bit uneasy in front of her and said urgently: "Sect Leader Senior Brother, don't worry. The two people I found this time have extraordinary strength, and both are not below me. As long as they can be recruited, we will have a grasp of going to Gufeng Ridge this time. Please, Senior Brother, must come forward to help talk and strive for these two fellow Daoists to join in."

The sect leader senior brother in the mouth of this woman surnamed Liu was the miscellaneous affairs sect leader of the Minghe Sect, Tao Hede. He came down the mountain this time for a major event related to the sect.

"Junior Sister Liu, don't be too anxious. Tell me first about the background of these two people and how their strength is."

The woman surnamed Liu nodded and said: "These two people don't seem to know each other before, and they are also coming to the market for the first time. They are here to look for elixirs to improve their cultivation. One of them is from the State of Wei and claims to be a rogue cultivator. Although this person's cultivation is still at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, his strength is already not below mine.

The other person's appearance is a bit mysterious, and I can't see any background. I just feel that it seems to be from the east. The cultivation has reached Foundation Establishment. You will naturally know when you get there."

"That's good, just follow what Junior Sister said. We have already found many fellow Daoists this time. If we add two more people, we can have a few more points of certainty. In order to recapture Gufeng Ridge, the Great Elder has already issued a word. The Tier 2 spiritual items in the sect's Treasury Pavilion can be taken out. As long as these guys are willing to help, everything can be discussed."

After Tao Hede finished speaking, under the leadership of the woman surnamed Liu, the two quickly came to a restaurant in the market together.

As soon as they entered the door, the two saw from afar two women who covered their whole bodies tightly with bamboo hats, sitting by the window and slowly enjoying the scenery around them.

After the woman surnamed Liu took a look at these two people, she quietly gave Tao Hede a wink, and then walked over with him.

As soon as the two sat down, one of the bamboo hat women pointed in the air, and soon set up a relatively simple sound-insulation restriction, and said to the woman surnamed Liu: "Fellow Daoist Liu, what is the matter with asking us to come over this time, please just say it directly."

"The two fellow Daoists must have guessed my identity long ago. I won't beat around the bush this time. This is my senior brother Tao Hede. The two of us came here this time just to ask the two fellow Daoists for a favor, to follow us to Gufeng Ridge to recapture a spirit stone mine. I don't know if the two fellow Daoists are interested."

Hearing the woman surnamed Liu say this, the two bamboo hat women looked at each other and stood up slowly.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, the two of us are just rogue cultivators and have no intention of getting involved in the affairs of your sect and the Tianxing Gate. Please ask someone else, so as not to delay things here."

Seeing that these two people were about to leave, Tao Hede said with a smile: "The two fellow Daoists, please wait. Can you listen to the old man first before making a decision?"

"Fellow Daoist, please speak!"

Tao Hede paused and said: "We cultivators seek the Dao, and we also seek a chance. Now there is a chance placed in front of the two. If the two miss it so easily, are you not afraid that you will regret it in the future?"

"Haha! If you want to invite the two of us to sell our lives for you, I don't know what kind of chance you have brought out, can you tell me first."

Hearing that the other party was already willing to stop, Tao Hede also knew that his goal had basically been completed. He smiled and took out a white scroll from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

"As long as the two agree to this matter, you can choose one of the spiritual items in it as a reward. After the matter is done, the two will be friends of my Minghe Sect in the future. From now on, in this market, no matter which shop you go to, you can directly enjoy a 10% discount. I don't know if the two are satisfied."

After the bamboo hat woman who spoke just now heard the other party say this, she took the scroll directly from Tao Hede's hand, scanned it with a calm face, and then handed it to her companion.

After the other woman looked at it carefully, she said directly: "Fellow Daoist means that the things on this, you can take them out immediately, right?"

"Not bad! As long as the fellow Daoist chooses, you can take them away directly. Although my Minghe Sect is not a big sect, it is not enough to joke with the two for these things. Please rest assured about this." Tao Hede said with a confident face.

"Good! Then it's settled. When will we set off? Please tell us in advance, and the two of us will go one step ahead."