The news of their master Shui Huanmeng breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage sent waves through the Xuanming Sect.
Once viewed as a slightly weaker division, Medicine King Peak had suddenly surged into the sect's top three. Not only had their master advanced, but all her disciples had successfully formed their cores, turning the peak into a living legend.
Now, every day, dozens of invitations and requests piled up outside Chen Jinshu's courtyard. She had to disguise herself before stepping out, just to avoid being recognized. Disciples seeking her help with spiritual plants or alchemy were several times more numerous than before.
Despite all the attention, what weighed most on her mind was helping Xiao Yin advance to the Golden Core stage.
Ever since its bloodline had been enhanced, and with guidance from the elder Qingluan's soul fragment within the Mingpei artifact, the little bird's cultivation had soared. It was now neck and neck with her, stuck just below the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment.
"Yinshan Que's original bloodline is quite weak. If it wants to form a core, it will need three specific items," said the spirit of Qingluan within the artifact.
"Each item corresponds to its bloodline, physical body, and cultivation. Only with a full upgrade on all three fronts will it have a real chance of transforming into a true Qingluan."
Chen Jinshu frowned slightly. She had already been quietly searching for rare materials tied to the phoenix bloodline, but had found little of value.
Enhancing the body was easier. She had spiritual items on hand, though none of high enough grade. Boosting cultivation was the simplest. The spiritual fluid she had collected from the secret realm would be enough to get Xiao Yin through the threshold.
Still, to be safe, she planned to use the sect's Spirit Vein Caverns.
These caverns, located at the core of the sect, were reserved for disciples attempting major breakthroughs, especially into the Foundation and Golden Core stages.
"With Master's Nascent Soul celebration approaching, there may be a chance to get what I need."
Over the past several days, Chen Jinshu had been helping with invitations for the banquet. Of course, she was not delivering them herself. Carrier pigeons were used, and her task was to prepare the invites and assign each bird.
By now, she had sent out several hundred.
Since Shui Huanmeng's personal hall was too small for the occasion, the banquet would be held in the main Medicine King Hall.
…
Half a month passed quickly.
The celebration began as scheduled in Medicine King Hall. Aside from elders on guard duty elsewhere, nearly the entire sect gathered to attend.
"The Chiyan Sect presents two tier-three spiritual tools and five bottles of tier-three pills…"
"Congratulations to Elder Meng. May your path to immortality be long and prosperous!"
Zheng Shaosi accepted the gifts from Chiyan Sect and led their representative to a seat.
"The Yanyun Sect presents ten tier-three spiritual trees and three tier-three tools…"
"The Golden Sword Sect offers five tier-three spiritual swords…"
By the end of the gift exchange, nearly every major sect in the cultivation world had sent a representative. Chen Jinshu watched these powerful figures with calm eyes. She was no stranger to the big stage now.
A banquet hosted by a Nascent Soul cultivator was a once-in-a-century event. The wine and spirit fruits served were all fresh and of high quality. Some had even come directly from her spirit field, handed over specifically for the celebration.
"Junior Sister, there will be a Golden Core cultivators' gathering later. Interested?" Zheng Shaosi leaned in and spoke quietly beside her.
Her eyes lit up. She had heard that Nascent Soul banquets often included a peer-level exchange among Golden Core cultivators, useful for both trading spiritual items and sharing cultivation insights.
She still lacked a phoenix-related item for Xiao Yin's advancement.
"I'd be honored, Senior Brother. Please take me along."
"It'll begin right after Master finishes her sermon."
Shui Huanmeng's sermon was insightful. She started with a general breakdown of the Foundation and Core formation stages to help younger disciples gain direction, then moved on to her own reflections during her Nascent Soul tribulation.
Chen Jinshu and the others each gained something from it. At the very least, the path ahead had become clearer. The banquet lasted an entire day, from the morning's chen hour until late afternoon. By the time it ended, nearly every platter of spiritual fruit and jar of wine had been emptied.
Once the guests began departing, Chen Jinshu followed her senior brothers to the Golden Core cultivators' private exchange gathering.
Inside the grand hall, there were fewer than forty cultivators—much smaller than the Foundation Establishment exchange she had attended before.
The host was a senior Golden Core elder from Longxiang Peak, likely around Shui Huanmeng's age. His speech was polished and practiced.
"The Golden Core path is arguably the most crucial of all stages. But even with half a pill, one lives only three mortal lifetimes. Today, thanks to Dream Ancestor's banquet, we have gathered here."
"Let us explore the Golden Core path and trade the treasures we lack."
…
Before the actual exchange began, the elder launched into a long discourse on Golden Core cultivation theory.
Some of it made sense to Chen Jinshu, but much of it felt overly abstract.
"Six hundred years from a single Core", he said. Yet many only lived a third of that. For her, staying true to the path was more important than lofty words.
"After such thoughtful discussion, let's move into free exchange. Anyone with trade requests, come forward freely."
"I have a piece of tier-three spatial magnetite. It contains spatial force and can be used to craft rare spatial treasures. I'm seeking an equally valuable tier-three item in exchange."
Spatial magnetite was rare. Chen Jinshu was surprised he was willing to part with it.
She had some interest, but not enough. Before reaching the Nascent Soul stage, it was nearly impossible for a Golden Core cultivator to craft spatial artifacts. No wonder he was offloading it.
Still, such items were always in high demand. Several others were already competing. Chen Jinshu waited quietly, but nothing of interest to her came up. Phoenix bloodline items were simply too rare, and few were willing to part with them. When the exchange slowed, she rose and held out a piece of tier-three lightning-struck wood.
"Does anyone here have items related to the phoenix bloodline? Even clues or partial remnants are acceptable. I have several pieces of this lightning wood. With the demonic cultivators acting up lately, tools made from this material are excellent for self-defense."
She smiled faintly, not expecting too much. Even rumors would be useful.
Her gaze especially lingered on one Golden Core cultivator in the robes of Chiyan Sect. That sect had a spiritual vein that had formed where a phoenix beast once fell. There should be phoenix-related items there.
"I do have something phoenix-related," the man said with a tight smile, "but your lightning wood alone is a little lacking."
"Then I'll add a length of purple thunder bamboo. The combined value should be well above most phoenix materials."
Her tone was calm, though her faint smile carried an edge.
He was clearly trying to raise the price. Phoenix items were valuable, yes, but this deal was already more than fair.
"In that case, it's a deal. This phoenix item will not disappoint."
The Chiyan cultivator retrieved a fiery red feather from his storage pouch. It pulsed with heat and glowed faintly with gold.
"This is a feather from the phoenix's belly. It's not as rare as tail feathers, but it's still very valuable."
Chen Jinshu studied it, her expression easing. This belly feather was indeed of high quality. Perhaps not worth both items, but nearly there.
"To make up the difference, I'll throw in a few drops of unrefined phoenix bird blood. You could extract at least one drop of pure essence from it."