Overjoyed, Meng Quyi eagerly led Zhao Sheng to complete the alliance membership procedures and select a cultivation cave.
Two hours later, after completing the formalities, Zhao Sheng quickly selected a cave dwelling.
In order to keep a low profile and ensure safety, Zhao Sheng deliberately chose a secluded cave on the edge of Spring and Autumn Island.
Although the concentration of spiritual energy in this place is relatively low, Zhao Sheng is very satisfied because the cave is built on a cliff with the sea below.
After bidding farewell to Meng Quyi, Zhao Sheng quickly arrived at the cliffside cave, opened the stone door with the restriction token, and went inside.
This cave dwelling is quite large, with a spacious interior containing more than a dozen stone chambers, complete with decorations, furniture, and so on. The concentration of spiritual energy inside is quite profound, roughly equivalent to a first-order spiritual vein or spiritual aperture, making it very suitable for cultivation.
After briefly looking around the cave, Zhao Sheng went into the cultivation room. The cultivation room was not large, only about five or six zhang in size, and the furnishings were quite simple. Apart from a white jade bed and an apricot-yellow futon, there was nothing else.
Zhao Sheng was quite satisfied with the layout. After briefly checking the four stone walls and the stone door and confirming that there were no surveillance restrictions, he felt relieved and sat cross-legged on the futon.
With a flick of his sleeve, Zhao Sheng sent out a barrier talisman that landed squarely on the stone chamber door. White light spread out in all directions, forming a pale white light curtain that completely isolated the entire cultivation chamber from the outside world.
After that, Zhao Sheng pondered for a moment, then flipped his hand and took out a dark black shield from his storage bag. It was the low-grade defensive spiritual artifact, the Sea Abyss Shield, which he had obtained in the Bei Mansion Cave Heaven.
With a gentle toss, Zhao Sheng sent the Sea Abyss Shield spinning into the air. Then, his eyes shone brightly, and he formed hand seals. A divine sense imprint suddenly shot out and entered the shield.
...
Three days later
Inside the cultivation room, Zhao Sheng's expression was solemn as strands of divine sense and spiritual restrictions continuously entered the Sea Abyss Shield.
As the refining spirit seals were continuously injected, the Sea Abyss Shield was emitting a black light, and the sound of ocean waves could be faintly heard in the cultivation room.
At this moment, the Abyss Shield hovered in mid-air, its surface constantly revealing countless spirit-restricting runes. The runes intertwined and clashed, clearly condensing into defensive spirit restrictions, numbering more than twenty at a glance.
Just then, Zhao Sheng's eyes flashed with divine light, his hand seals suddenly stopped, and he spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The blood essence instantly turned into a layer of blood mist, which, driven by his divine sense, disappeared into the Sea Abyss Shield in a flash.
The next second, the Sea Abyss Shield shone brightly, emitting a clear sound like ocean waves. Shields of light and shadow gradually appeared in the training room, swirling and roaring around the spirit shield.
Upon seeing this, a flash of joy crossed Zhao Sheng's eyes.
"Condensate!"
He let out a low shout, and his Foundation Establishment realm divine sense burst forth.
The phantom shield in the air shone brightly, and then, like a weary bird returning to its nest, it plunged into the main body of the Abyss Shield.
In an instant, a large amount of black light burst forth from the Sea Abyss Shield, and more than twenty spiritual restrictions suddenly appeared and then disappeared into the Sea Abyss Shield.
The next second, Zhao Sheng had a thought, and the Sea Abyss Shield suddenly shrank to the size of a palm, turning into a black light that flew in front of him. As his thoughts changed, it quickly circled around his body.
Zhao Sheng smiled slightly, reached out and beckoned, and the Sea Abyss Shield flew down with a "whoosh" and landed in his palm.
"Good. I've finally finished refining all three spiritual artifacts. The previous owner of the Bei family was a good man! Every treasure he left behind is a masterpiece." Zhao Sheng put away the Sea Abyss Shield and couldn't help but sigh.
After refining the spiritual artifact, Zhao Sheng stood up and slowly walked out of the secret chamber.
As soon as I stepped outside, I discovered a messenger crane flying aimlessly around the cave, its head covered.
Zhao Sheng reached out and beckoned, and the talisman crane flapped its wings and quickly flew over, landing in his hand.
Upon opening the talisman, Zhao Sheng frowned first, then relaxed, muttering to himself, "The Alliance Leader is back and wants to convene a meeting of guest elders? Is it specifically for me, or is there something else going on? Interesting!"
Zhao Sheng washed and dressed, changed into a plain brocade robe, and then rested for a while.
Half a day later, Zhao Sheng walked out of the cave. Suddenly, a white light shot out from his sleeve. The white light circled around his body, and he instantly transformed into a platinum sword rainbow, rushing towards the Spring and Autumn Hall.
A moment later, the sword light landed in the square in front of the hall. Zhao Sheng dispersed the sword light, retrieved his flying sword, and stepped into the magnificent Spring and Autumn Hall.
The entire hall was extremely tall and spacious, covering an area of over two hundred zhang and nearly twenty zhang high. Inside, there were eighteen thick golden dragon pillars supporting the hall, and the top of the hall was inlaid with over a hundred fist-sized radiant pearls, illuminating the hall as bright as day.
In the middle of the main hall were two rows of white jade tables and chairs, where seventeen or eighteen cultivators, each with an extraordinary bearing and unique demeanor, sat in twos and threes on the jade chairs.
Some of them were whispering to each other, while others were resting with their eyes closed. Meng Quyi was among them, chatting happily with the person next to him.
At this moment, on the three large blue jade chairs in the center of the main hall sat two unfathomable old men. One of them, whom Zhao Sheng had already met, was none other than Master Qifeng. The other had an ancient face, a tall and imposing figure, and fiery red eyes, with two flames burning in his pupils.
As soon as Zhao Shengfang stepped into the main hall, he attracted the attention of some of the guest elders.
When Meng Quyi saw Zhao Sheng arrive, he immediately stood up with a big smile, quickly stepped forward, and laughed loudly: "Haha, Brother Zhao, you've finally arrived. Come, come, let me introduce you to our fellow practitioners."
"This is the Supreme Elder of our alliance, True Man Chiyuan."
"Junior Zhao Chonghe greets True Man Chiyuan!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng immediately bowed to the ancient-looking True Man Chi Yuan.
"Forget it! Old Daoist Qi, you're lucky. You've found such a young Foundation Establishment junior. But now that you've joined the alliance, why are you still acting all secretive?" True Person Chi Yuan's voice boomed, his tone neither warm nor cold as he sarcastically remarked.
Seeing this, the old Taoist Qi Feng laughed loudly and mocked, "Haha, Yuan Datou, you can only be envious! Young friend Zhao has already agreed to join the External Affairs Hall. Besides, you're meddling too much. That's his privacy; does he expect me to report to you?"
"Hmph!" Master Chiyuan glared angrily at his old rival.
Seeing this, Meng Quyi quickly pulled Zhao Sheng downstairs and introduced him to the other people.
"This is Lu Xia, Fellow Daoist Lu, currently serving as the head of the External Affairs Hall," Meng Quyi said, pointing first to a handsome middle-aged scholar.
"My name is Zhao Chonghe. I greet you, Hall Master Lu."
"So it's Fellow Daoist Zhao! I heard a few days ago that a young talent had come to our hall. Seeing him today, I can confirm it's true! We should get closer in the future. Once this matter is settled, I, Lu, will definitely visit Fellow Daoist Zhao's cave." The middle-aged scholar's eyes lit up when he saw Zhao Sheng. He immediately stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Sheng from afar, and said loudly.
"Master Lu, you're too kind. It should be me, Zhao, who is going to pay you a visit," Zhao Sheng replied politely, cupping his hands in greeting.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with him, Meng Quyi led Zhao Sheng to introduce the other people.
"This is Fellow Daoist Lu..."
"Friendly Lu Daoyou!..."
…
"This is Senior Zhuge Zhen..."
Greetings, Senior Zhuge.
...
After most of the introductions were completed, half an hour had passed, and the jade chairs in the main hall were already full of people.
Zhao Sheng joined the alliance last, so he found the jade chair at the very end and sat down.
At this moment, someone beside him cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, you look very young. You must have established your foundation quite early, right?"
Zhao Sheng turned his head and saw that the person who spoke had a fair complexion, delicate features, and looked to be only in his twenties. He was dressed in a brocade robe and looked dashing and debonair, like a handsome young gentleman in a turbid world.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Chen Guanxi. I may look young, but I'm actually quite old," Zhao Sheng said, half-jokingly to avoid trouble.
The man smiled slightly and was about to say a few more words.
Then, a flapping sound of wings came from the entrance of the main hall.
Chen Guanxi's expression turned solemn as he turned to look at the doorway, and the others in the hall followed suit.
The next second, two people walked in from the entrance of the main hall. One of them was an elderly man with a kind face, about six feet tall, wearing a jade-colored brocade robe and a tall crown. The other was a young man with a bright and handsome face and reddish-brown hair.
"Alliance Leader!"
"Greetings, Alliance Leader!"
Upon seeing the old man appear, everyone in the hall stood up to greet him, their eyes filled with respect.
The old man was none other than the leader of the Spring and Autumn Alliance, a powerful figure in the late Golden Core stage, Master Changkong.
"Alliance Leader, this must be the special envoy! Indeed, he is handsome and has an extraordinary presence!"
Qi Feng and Chi Yuan, who were seated at the head of the table, had already stood up at the same time and went to greet them.
"Gu Yanqiu greets the two seniors!" The young master smiled slightly and casually bowed to the two Golden Core cultivators.
Zhao Sheng silently sized up this "special envoy." Judging from his name, he was clearly a member of the Gu Yan family of Zhuque Island.
Judging from the aura emanating from him, this person was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and perhaps even a few years younger than him.
As soon as Gu Yanqiu sat down, a guest elder stepped forward to introduce himself, and most of them were very respectful to the special envoy.
Gu Yanqiu appeared polite and very kind, but Zhao Sheng could occasionally see a hint of contempt in the depths of his eyes.
After a short while, everyone finished their introductions. Because Zhao Sheng was very young and was the last one, Gu Yanqiu inevitably had a deeper impression of him.
After this incident, Master Changkong's expression became serious, and without uttering a word, he instantly took control of the atmosphere in the hall.
"Today, I have summoned everyone here to discuss the conflict between our alliance and the Xuanxiao Sect. What are your opinions regarding the ownership of the Seven Star Reef spiritual vein?"
At this moment, Chen Guanxi whispered an explanation to Zhao Sheng:
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you arrived late and didn't know. Our Spring and Autumn Alliance has been clashing with the Xuanxiao Sect frequently over the spiritual veins of Seven Star Reef. This time, I'm afraid a major battle is about to break out. Hehe, Fellow Daoist Zhao, your luck is really bad!"
Zhao Sheng nodded slightly upon hearing this, his expression showing no change. He didn't think he was unlucky; on the contrary, he saw it as an opportunity.
The Spring and Autumn Alliance is the overlord of Nine True Island. He wants to learn truly profound alchemy techniques, and with the help of the Spring and Autumn Alliance, he can achieve his goal faster and better. The prerequisite for all of this is to make enough contributions to the Spring and Autumn Alliance.
Zhao Sheng silently observed the others expressing their opinions passionately, and he found that most people supported a head-on confrontation with the Xuanxiao Sect.
Looking at the appearances of the three Golden Core cultivators at the head of the table, Zhao Sheng vaguely realized that all of this was done for Gu Yanqiu's benefit.
After everyone expressed their opinions, Gu Yanqiu smiled with a hint of emotion and said, "Before I came, my family said that the Spring and Autumn Alliance was a disorganized mess. But judging from today, that's completely wrong. Your alliance is quite united! Senior Changkong, you've made up your mind, are you really going to fight the Xuanxiao Sect?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Feng and Chi Yuan exchanged glances, their eyes flickering before turning to the alliance leader.
At this moment, Master Changkong smiled slightly and slowly said, "Special Envoy, it's not that the Spring and Autumn Alliance insists on fighting the Xuanxiao Sect, but rather that they have gone too far. The ownership of Seven Star Reef has long been a matter of public consensus in the Shattered Star Sea! But the Xuanxiao Sect is using unreasonable arguments to insist on occupying Seven Star Reef. The Spring and Autumn Alliance cannot retreat, nor should it! Otherwise, wouldn't it become a laughingstock among our fellow cultivators!"
Gu Yanqiu took a deep breath and said, "Peace is the most important thing in all things! Your alliance and the Xuanxiao Sect are both old friends of Vermilion Bird Island. Why don't you both take a step back? I am willing to act as a peacemaker and go to the Xuanxiao Sect to mediate. Senior Changkong, what do you think?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the old Taoist Qi Feng said loudly, "Special Envoy, you may not know this, but since the discovery of Seven Star Reef two hundred years ago, it has been within the sphere of influence of my Spring and Autumn Alliance. Originally, there was only one first-order spiritual vein here, with little potential for development."
However, recently, someone unintentionally discovered that an even larger second-tier spiritual vein was connected to the end of the Seven Star Reef spiritual vein. The Xuanxiao Sect, coveting this second-tier spiritual vein, claimed that the spiritual vein was not within the Seven Star Reef area and was an unclaimed spiritual vein.
Even more shameful, they actually claimed that they had discovered the second-tier spiritual vein long ago and that it should belong to the Xuanxiao Sect. This is utterly absurd and utterly intolerable!
These words immediately aroused outrage among everyone present.
After finishing his speech, the old Taoist Qi Feng stared directly at Gu Yanqiu and pressed him for an answer: "Special Envoy, do you think the Xuanxiao Sect did the right thing?"
Gu Yanqiu glanced at the burning gaze of Master Qifeng, suppressed his smile, and slowly said, "Since that's the case, let's do it the old way! You two will have a duel. As for the method of the duel, each of you and the Zixiao Sect will send three Foundation Establishment cultivators to fight to the death, and the winner will get ownership of Seven Star Reef."
Upon hearing this, Qi Feng and Chi Yuan both showed displeasure and were taken aback.
Just as Qi Feng was about to argue, Chang Kong Zhenren waved his hand and said solemnly, "A duel is fine, but Xuanxiao Sect must also offer something of equal value as a wager."
"Alright, I will persuade the Xuanxiao Sect to agree. In that case, let's postpone this duel for six months from now, how about that?"
"Can!"
"Alliance Leader, you mustn't!" True Immortal Chi Yuan blurted out anxiously upon hearing this.
Master Changkong waved his hand and said in an unquestionable manner, "No need to persuade us, let's settle the matter with a wager."
At this point, the expressions of most of the others below were uncertain, and it was unclear what they were thinking.