Chapter 402: Seven Stars Spirit Spring

"A peerless genius of extraordinary talent, already cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm, could still vanish?"

He Pingsheng was also stunned.

That was a being who had endured eight or nine heavenly tribulations.

At the Nascent Soul realm, one may not be invincible, but surely one can defeat peers without issue?

"When he vanished, he could have taken on any Nascent Soul cultivator alone!" He Pingsheng looked at Liang Huaqiu.

Liang Huaqiu said: "Yes… I heard from the Ancestor that when he disappeared, he was at Nascent Soul Second Layer and had already defeated every Nascent Soul cultivator!"

"He even fought to a draw with a certain Soul Transformation elder from the Qi Kingdom!"

"Add to that the sacred immortal sword he wielded—he essentially had no fear of Soul Transformation elders!"

"But how exactly he vanished remains unknown!" Liang Huaqiu shook her head regretfully: "Some say he was assassinated by several Soul Transformation elders working together; others say he suffered qi deviation; still others claim he went into seclusion!"

"The most outrageous theory is that he found a passage to the Spirit Realm and departed there!"

He Pingsheng said: "Unfathomable!"

"Forget about him!" Liang Huaqiu said: "There are still over three months until the Nine Kingdoms Grand Competition, and before we head to He Wenti Mountain, our imperial house will gather all selected cultivators to cleanse their bodies at the 【Seven Stars Spirit Spring】. Prepare well…"

"We'll likely depart in just a few days!"

He Pingsheng was startled: "Seven Stars Spirit Spring? What's that?"

Liang Huaqiu said: "A sacred site of the imperial house—I've never seen it myself, but it's said to be an immortal spring containing some kind of spiritual fluid. Bathing in it brings boundless benefits, and you might even temporarily ascend one realm!"

"In short, it's an incredible treasure—and within this spring, the Five Elements Dao laws manifest!"

"Just prepare yourself."

"Let's go!"

With that, Liang Huaqiu waved her hand and left immediately.

He Pingsheng returned to the Grand Void Trading Society.

He glanced at Ling Zhiwang: "Ling Daofriend, I'll be entering seclusion for the coming period… Please have someone check in daily—if anyone challenges the Tenth Dragon Platform, alert me right away!"

"Of course, no problem!" Ling Zhiwang replied promptly.

After He Pingsheng left, his face darkened: "Ugh… should've bet on the Young Master today… Sigh…"

…

What followed was exactly as He Pingsheng had predicted.

No one dared challenge the Tenth Dragon Platform.

Until the Dragon Platforms closed.

Likewise, since He Pingsheng's announcement, no one had challenged Liang Huaqiu's Ninth Dragon Platform either.

After more than ten days, the qualification contest ended.

The top ten were fixed.

First place: Tian Jia Shen, second: Kuxing True Person, third: 【Red Pill Daoist Nun】, fourth: Lu Daoxuan…

Ninth place: Liang Huaqiu, tenth: He Pingsheng.

Yet the group heading to He Wenti Mountain for the Nine Kingdoms Grand Competition wasn't limited to these ten—two alternates were included.

On this day, everyone gathered beside the Dragon Platforms.

He Pingsheng came as well.

Because he was about to depart for the 【Seven Stars Spirit Spring】 that Liang Huaqiu had mentioned.

"Here…" Liang Huaqiu walked up to He Pingsheng and handed him a porcelain bottle.

He Pingsheng didn't take it: "What is it?"

"Look for yourself!" Liang Huaqiu forcibly shoved the bottle into his hand, then pouted at him.

He Pingsheng smiled and opened the bottle to look inside.

Inside were six pills.

All top-grade!

Mingwu Pills!

Seeing them, He Pingsheng was moved.

Top-grade Mingwu Pills double a cultivator's natural insight—combined with his own, that's triple.

Each pill lasts two full years.

"The Seven Stars Spirit Spring reveals Dao laws!" Liang Huaqiu whispered: "When you get there, swallow one—it'll help you absorb more rule energy."

He Pingsheng asked: "One pill isn't enough?"

Liang Huaqiu rolled her eyes: "You'll be listening to the Dao for ten years at He Wenti Mountain… Don't you want more?"

Uh…

She thought of that too?

Fine.

He Pingsheng smiled and pulled out another porcelain bottle: "Actually… I prepared something for you too…"

This was pure lying.

He hadn't prepared anything—he'd just grabbed it at random.

A jade bottle, placed before Liang Huaqiu.

Liang Huaqiu picked it up: "What's this?"

He Pingsheng said: "Look for yourself."

Liang Huaqiu opened the bottle.

"Sss… This is…?" She was slightly stunned: "Ultra… ultra-grade… Mingwu Pills?"

"Twelve of them?"

"One batch?"

He Pingsheng nodded.

Liang Huaqiu pouted, looking wounded: "Fine… I was overthinking it… Give it back…"

Before He Pingsheng could speak, she snatched back the porcelain bottle she'd just given him with lightning speed.

Uh…

He Pingsheng opened his mouth slightly, at a loss.

This…

He scratched his head: Did I do something wrong?

After thinking for a full half-burn of incense, He Pingsheng still couldn't figure it out. He hurried to Liang Huaqiu's side: "Give me back your five top-grade ones—I need them!"

Liang Huaqiu rolled her eyes and pouted.

Though she feigned reluctance, she was inwardly delighted as she handed the bottle back to him.

He Pingsheng was overjoyed: Take them back, refine them, and I'll have ten ultra-grade Mingwu Pills… Hmm… That means I only lost two.

Hmm… Not bad!

At that moment, Futo Elder spoke: "All of you… In three months, we depart for the Xuan Gate Sacred Land!"

"To ensure you gain high rankings in the Nine Kingdoms Grand Competition and possess superior combat strength, our imperial house has decided to open a secret realm for your use!"

"Consider it your opportunity."

"Follow me aboard!"

With that, Futo Elder stepped onto a hovering airship.

The others, led by Tian Jia Shen, flew up and landed on the immortal vessel's deck.

Twelve people total.

Besides the top ten, there were two more.

They were Dan Tai Qi and Bu Nu True Person.

These two ranked just below the top ten and were brought along as alternates.

After all, if any of the top ten were injured during the competition, they'd still have replacements.

Boom…

Futo Elder waved his hand, and the immortal vessel lifted into the air.

The ship was small—only dozens of zhang long—but its speed was high.

The immortal vessel flew over the imperial capital.

This was a special privilege.

Normally, no one dared fly over the capital.

The immortal vessel left the capital, heading southwest—only then did they realize the imperial secret realm wasn't within the capital at all.

It was outside the capital?