Inside the Lingqiao Grotto, Zhao Sheng was overjoyed and immediately went to the pool, took out a large-bellied, narrow-necked jade bottle, and waved it towards the Qiongling Jade Liquid.
A jet of spiritual liquid suddenly shot up from the pool and gurgled into the jade bottle.
After a few breaths, the jade liquid in the pool was empty, and the jade bottle was more than half full.
Zhao Sheng shook the bottle slightly, listened to the sound of water, and estimated that there were about two liters of water.
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He smiled with satisfaction, glanced around, then suddenly remembered something, frowned, and immediately turned to leave.
The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.
With a bang, Zhao Sheng suddenly burst out of the water from the sea.
In mid-air, he flicked his right hand, and the silver-white flying boat flew out rapidly, growing from the size of a palm to three zhang in size.
After jumping onto the flying boat, Zhao Sheng activated his divine sense, and the flying boat suddenly accelerated, speeding towards Jiuzhen Island.
In the blink of an eye, the flying boat disappeared into the vast horizon.
Half a day later, as the sun set and night fell, lights were lit on the various islands of Jiuzhen Island. The most bustling and lively Chunqiu Island was especially brightly lit, illuminating the nearby night sky.
At this moment, a silver-white flying boat suddenly broke through the night and descended from the sky, landing in the middle of the Alliance Peak in the center of Spring and Autumn Island.
Huimeng Peak is not high or large in area, but it is the core of the spiritual vein of Jiuzhen Island, where the spiritual energy is most abundant.
This place is also where the high-ranking members of the Spring and Autumn Alliance go into seclusion for arduous cultivation. The cave dwellings of the three Golden Core cultivators are located on the mountainside of Huimeng Peak.
Zhao Sheng put away his flying boat, took to the air on his sword, and soon flew to a stone platform that had been carved out halfway up the mountain. At the end of the stone platform was a tightly closed bronze gate, with two young men in black standing on either side of it.
Zhao Sheng stepped forward and said loudly, "I am Zhao Chonghe, and I am currently a Foundation Establishment Guest Elder in the Alliance. I have important matters to discuss with True Person Qifeng. Please inform him on my behalf."
As he spoke, he took out the guest elder token and showed it to the two of them.
After carefully verifying the authenticity of the token, the young man in black on the right bowed and said, "Senior, please wait a moment! I will go and inform them first."
"Okay, go ahead!"
The young man in black cupped his hands in greeting and then turned and went into the cave.
A short while later, the man returned and led Zhao Sheng inside.
The two walked through the passage, where exposed stone walls lined both sides with simple, unadorned stone chambers.
Zhao Sheng was quite surprised to see this, never expecting that the high-ranking and powerful Master Qifeng was actually a hermit.
After passing through the passage, the two arrived at a simple living room, where they met Master Qifeng, who was dressed in a gray Taoist robe.
Master Qifeng was slightly displeased. Upon seeing Zhao Sheng, he immediately teased, "Young Zhao, it's been two years, and this is the first time I've seen you come to visit. Tell me, what important matter requires your presence?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng was filled with shame and quickly clasped his hands in apology, saying a few words of forgiveness.
This finally made the old Taoist Qifeng let him go, and he asked, "What brings you to see me today?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng's expression turned serious. He immediately invited Ge Chen, Meng Quyi, and Fang Weishan to go hunting the Poisonous Dragon Python. As a result, two died and one escaped, leaving only him. However, he discovered a spiritual vein and informed Master Qifeng.
"Huh? Meng Quyi and Fang Weishan, both Foundation Establishment cultivators, are dead? And you actually discovered the spiritual vein?" Master Qifeng suddenly sat up straight, frowning and confirming with a cold gaze.
"Huh, did Ge Chen not inform me? I dare not lie. Senior, please look, these are the remains of Brother Meng and Fellow Daoist Fang."
As he spoke, Zhao Sheng took out the two bodies and placed them on the living room floor.
Master Qifeng glanced at them briefly, then his face turned cold. The two corpses were lying there; there was no doubt about it.
The Spring and Autumn Alliance has only about thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators in total. Apart from neutral ones like Zhao Sheng, there are only eight people belonging to Qi Feng Lao Dao's side.
Unfortunately, Fang and Meng were two of the eight people.
This time, two people died. If Old Daoist Qifeng didn't fly into a rage, then he must have mastered the art of self-control.
The reason why Zhao Sheng visited Master Qifeng as soon as he returned to Jiuzhen Island was, of course, to turn the tables and take the initiative.
The truth will eventually come out!
The deaths and annihilation of two Foundation Establishment cultivators are no small matter. Rather than being questioned later, it's better to take the initiative and confess.
Zhao Sheng did not hand over the two people's storage bags and magical artifacts, and Master Qifeng did not ask about them either.
Returning the body was already more than enough; the rest were Zhao Sheng's spoils of war. This was an unspoken rule passed down through generations in the cultivation world, which very few people broke.
...
A moment later, two streaks of light rose rapidly from Huimeng Peak, flew to the sky above Xiaguang Island, and then fell down.
Upon seeing the bodies of Fang Meng and the other man, Master Qifeng immediately took Zhao Sheng to find the alchemy master Xu Chong.
The purpose is nothing more than to demand an explanation.
Fang and Meng's cultivation was insufficient, so their deaths were no big deal. But Ge Chen returned without even a word of notification.
This infuriated Master Qifeng. Ge Chen's actions were not only unethical but also chilling.
Due to his status, Master Qifeng would not cause trouble for the younger generation, but Xu Chong, as an elder, had to give a satisfactory explanation.
The whole thing is very simple and clear.
Zhao Sheng explained it in detail again in front of Xu Chong.
Xu Chong felt ashamed after hearing this.
If your apprentice is a bad person, you'll lose face too.
The world of cultivation is not just about fighting and killing; it's also about human relationships and social interactions.
The rest is self-explanatory.
Xu Chong hurriedly apologized to Master Qifeng and promised on behalf of his disciple to send a generous sum of compensation to the families of Fang Meng and his companion.
Afterwards, Zhao Sheng heard that Ge Chen had been imprisoned in the Repentance Cave for ten years to reflect on his mistakes, which was considered an explanation to Master Qifeng.
Zhao Sheng never expected that Ge Chen would remain silent after escaping, not even sending a message, leading to this awkward situation. Who could he blame?
Perhaps Ge Chen thought he was the only one who had survived, which is why he chose to "keep quiet".
Early the next morning, under Zhao Sheng's guidance, the old Taoist Qi Feng conducted an on-site investigation of the first-order spiritual vein.
After exploring the spiritual cave and confirming that the spiritual vein was of mid-grade first rank, Master Qifeng finally showed a smile.
In the world of cultivation, spiritual veins are the foundation of all cultivation forces, and no one would complain about having too many spiritual veins.
Back then, the Zhao family paid a heavy price to rent the spiritual vein of Dragon Carp Lake. After relocating to Taiwu Mountain, they risked death and injury to participate in the war of expansion in the southern frontier. In the end, they obtained ownership of a first-order spiritual vein at the cost of Flame Ridge and Rotten Peach Mountain.
One can imagine how rare and precious spiritual veins are.
Zhao Sheng also wanted to hide this spiritual vein, but he couldn't.
Don't forget, Ge Chen also knows this place.
Rather than letting Ge Chen expose it, it's better to proactively inform the Spring and Autumn Alliance and gain some benefits in the process.
Inside the underwater spiritual vein cave, Master Qifeng finished surveying the cave and turned to Zhao Sheng, saying, "It's just the two of us here. You think carefully about what you want to exchange it for. Don't worry, with me here, I guarantee you won't suffer any losses!"
Seeing the meaningful look in Qi Feng's eyes, Zhao Sheng understood what he meant.
The implication in their words was quite clear: they were trying to recruit us.
Since that's the case, don't blame him for asking for an exorbitant amount.
"I wish to exchange this Foundation Establishment Pill formula for another one. I humbly request your permission, Master!" Zhao Sheng said directly.
Master Qifeng raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Good lad, you know how to pick your timing, and you really dare to speak up."
Seeing this, Zhao Sheng felt relieved, knowing that the matter was settled.
Which is more important, spiritual veins or the Foundation Establishment Pill formula? For any given power, that's a matter of opinion.
However, from Master Qifeng's perspective, a mere pill formula not only brought back a spiritual vein but also attracted a Foundation Establishment cultivator, making it a win-win situation and extremely worthwhile.
A moment later, the two left the underwater spiritual vein and returned to Jiuzhen Island.
Three days later, Zhao Sheng was summoned by Master Qifeng again and finally obtained the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill as he wished.
At the same time, he naturally became one of Qi Feng Lao Dao's people.
Over the next month, Zhao Sheng met with eight Foundation Establishment cultivators from his side, thus confirming his status as "one of their own."
...
Upon returning to his cave, Zhao Sheng hurriedly entered the quiet room, waved his hand, and released four barrier talismans to establish an isolation barrier.
Then, he excitedly took out the jade slip containing the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill, probed it with his divine sense, and examined it carefully.
After a while, Zhao Sheng put away the jade slip, a thoughtful expression on his face.
As far as he knew, the Foundation Establishment Pill in the Central Continent used Crimson Fire Ganoderma as its main ingredient, but the formula in his hand was different; it used Thousand-Patterned Star Algae Fruit as its main ingredient for Foundation Establishment.
The Thousand-Patterned Star Algae Fruit is a spiritual fruit produced in the Star God Sea. Only during the once-a-year Star Algae Tide, a very small number occasionally rise to the shallow sea and are picked by some lucky individuals.
In terms of both quantity and rarity, the Thousand-Patterned Star Algae Fruit is far less common than the Red Fire Ganoderma.
In other words, the number of Foundation Establishment Pills produced annually in the Shattered Star Sea is extremely limited, far from meeting the needs of Qi Refining cultivators.
Zhao Sheng had purchased a Foundation Establishment Pill on Windfire Island, so he naturally knew that its price was on average more than double that of the Central Continent.
After pondering for a while, he put away the pill formula jade slip, took out the jade bottle containing the Qiongling Jade Liquid, poured out a mouthful of the liquid, and swallowed it.
brush!
As soon as the spiritual liquid entered his stomach, he instantly felt an incomparably cool sensation surge upwards from his stomach, passing through his lung meridian and neck, and rushing into his Purple Mansion Soul Sea, transforming into a light drizzle of spiritual rain that dripped down and merged into his Soul Sea.
In an instant, Zhao Sheng felt as if his brain had been coated with a layer of cooling balm, making him feel extremely cool and refreshed. His thoughts became incredibly clear, and his thinking speed was much faster than before.
At this moment, his divine sense unconsciously spread outwards, and after reaching its maximum range of thirteen zhang, it gradually expanded outwards.
Time seemed to have passed for a long time, yet it also seemed to have only been a moment.
After the spiritual liquid was completely absorbed, Zhao Sheng was pleasantly surprised to find that the strength of his divine sense had increased slightly, and the range of his divine sense had also expanded by more than a foot.
Seeing how miraculous the Jade Elixir was, Zhao Sheng was overjoyed and couldn't help but take another sip.
brush!
The strange state reappeared, and his spiritual consciousness began to expand outward little by little.
...
Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Recently, a new alchemy shop called Tianding Pavilion opened on Zhenyan Street in Danhuo Market, Xiaguang Island.
Do you know who the owner of Tianding Pavilion is?
At a table in a restaurant on the street, a middle-aged man with a mustache asked his friend in a mysterious manner.
"Who is it? Old Li, stop being so mysterious and just tell me! I'll treat you to this meal if necessary," his friend urged impatiently.
The middle-aged man, known as Old Li, chuckled before saying, "You know that the Alchemist Association has recently gained a few more alchemists, right?"
"Enough with the nonsense!" the friend snapped impatiently.
"Don't be in such a hurry!" The middle-aged man chuckled awkwardly and hurriedly said, "The owner of Tianding Pavilion is the recently famous Senior Zhao Chonghe. He is not only a newly promoted first-level alchemist, but also a guest elder of the Spring and Autumn Alliance. I have also heard that Senior Zhao's strength is unfathomable and he has never been defeated in his battles."
"Really? How come I've never heard of him before?"
"Senior Zhao has always been a low-key person. If my third uncle hadn't had some dealings with him, we wouldn't have known how formidable he was."
While the two were talking about Zhao Sheng, the main character of the conversation was meeting a friend in the backyard of Tianding Pavilion.
In the living room, Jin Ming wiped his sweat and said with a mix of pride and complaint, "I've been running around so much for you that my legs have gotten thinner and my throat is practically hoarse from talking so much."
Zhao Sheng personally poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Brother Jin, you've worked hard! I wonder if things went smoothly?"
Jin Ming took a sip of tea with a satisfied smile and said smugly, "Needless to say, with me here, you've got what you wanted."
After saying that, he took out a bright red gourd and carefully handed it to Zhao Sheng.
Zhao Sheng took the gourd and probed it with his divine sense. He saw a palm-sized bright yellow spiritual flame floating inside the gourd, burning quietly.
"Is this the Golden Crow True Fire?" Zhao Sheng couldn't help but ask upon seeing this.
"This is nothing! The Golden Crow True Fire can scorch the heavens and destroy the earth. This little guy doesn't even have one percent of its power. At best, it's just a Golden Spirit Flame. Whether you can advance to the Golden Crow True Fire in the future depends on whether you can gather all seven-colored spirit flames." Jin Ming waved his hand and said indifferently.
Zhao Sheng wasn't disappointed and nodded, saying, "So this is the Burning Gold Spirit Flame. Not bad. As long as it can be used for alchemy, that's fine."
"Brother Zhao, your demands are too high! Countless alchemists in the guild are eyeing this Burning Gold Spirit Flame, and now it's in your hands. Don't be ungrateful!" Jin Ming said indignantly.
Zhao Sheng put away the fire gourd and said with a smile, "I didn't say I was ungrateful. Anyway, everyone competed fairly, and whoever bids the highest gets it! Who can they blame for not bidding?"
"Hmph, besides me, who in the Alchemist Association knows that your Zhao family is so wealthy! You're willing to spend 200,000 spirit stones for a single alchemy fire."
"Fellow Daoist Jin, are you implying that the hush money I offered wasn't enough?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Ming's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "I wouldn't dare say that. However, it would be wonderful if Fellow Daoist Zhao could give me some pointers on how to refine the Spirit Essence Pill."
The Spirit Essence Pill is a second-tier spiritual pill recorded in the "Hundred Pill Recipes" and is mainly used to enhance cultivation.
In just a few years, Jin Ming was shocked to discover that Zhao Sheng's alchemy skills had unknowingly surpassed his own.
The other party could refine at least three types of second-tier spirit pills, while he hadn't even succeeded in refining a single one.
Whenever Jin Ming thinks about this, she feels like she's wasted her life.
"That's easy, we'll go to the Earth Fire Chamber tomorrow." Zhao Sheng readily agreed.