On Dao Yuan Peak, a vast sea of flowers spreads out. It is rumored that there are over a thousand types of flowers here, all brought from various places by Luo Xiaochuan, the Sect Leader of the Mountain Ancient Land.
Each flower is vibrant, bursting with color, as if the entire world is painted in vivid hues.
A stone path cuts through the sea of flowers.
At the end of this stone path is a bamboo grove, where Luo Xiaochuan usually resides. Outside the bamboo grove, there are several stone turtle statues, each uniquely shaped, with many undecipherable inscriptions on their backs.
As soon as Peak Master Mu Hai arrived here, he noticed someone walking out from the bamboo grove.
The newcomer was dressed in white, appeared to be in his forties, with eyes like stars that seemed to hold boundless Sword Intent. His demeanor was extraordinary, with a hint of coldness—a truly handsome man.
"Vice Sect Leader." Upon seeing the newcomer, Peak Master Mu Hai respectfully clasped his hands in salute.
"Xu Muhai?" The man looked at Peak Master Mu Hai and said calmly, "Looking for the Sect Leader?"
"Yes, I have important matters to report to the Sect Leader," Xu Muhai nodded.
Seeing the usually carefree Xu Muhai so serious, the man in white nodded as well and then said, "The Sect Leader has entered the world, not in the sect. If you're willing, you can tell me."
With that, the man in white sat down on a nearby stone.
Xu Muhai thought for a moment and then explained two matters in detail.
The man in white listened from start to finish without any change in expression. Only after Xu Muhai finished did he speak, "That Li Changqing hasn't shown any hostility, and I've never heard of him. Just keep an eye on him, and when necessary, show a little goodwill."
"Making an acquaintance with such a powerful person can only be beneficial for our Mountain Ancient Land."
After speaking, there was a slight sharpness in his eyes, "As for the Ghost Race, instruct the disciples outside to pay close attention. If nothing major happens, the ghost cultivators wouldn't make such a public display. Yan Dongchen is just a pawn; there must be bigger fish coming. Report back to the sect immediately if something happens, I'll handle everything."
"With Vice Sect Leader's words, I feel at ease. Those ghost cultivator scoundrels dare to stir trouble on our Mountain Ancient Land's territory—they really have a death wish," Xu Muhai laughed and then said, "I shall take my leave."
Xu Muhai had no doubt about the man in white's words.
Nor did he think he was boasting.
Xue Qianbai, Vice Sect Leader of the Mountain Ancient Land, known as the 'Thousand Snow Sword Venerable.'
This title is not undeserved. If any ghost cultivator comes to make trouble within the Mountain Ancient Land, they're amongst the few in the world who could escape Xue Qianbai's sword alive.
Upon returning to his own Mu Hai Peak, Xu Muhai instructed the disciples of Mu Hai Peak to spread the message outside, constantly watching for the movements of the ghost cultivators.
At the same time, Xu Muhai didn't forget to send people to the other Thirty-Five Peaks to look for the disciple Li Hengsheng.
But a few days later, the disciples who went to the other Thirty-Five Peaks returned to report that they couldn't find anyone named Li Hengsheng.
This left Xu Muhai somewhat surprised.
The Yan family had previously said that Li Changqing's son, Li Hengsheng, left home three years ago and joined the Mountain Ancient Land, but how come there's no disciple named Li Hengsheng among the Thirty-Six Peaks.
Could it be that Li Hengsheng never actually came here?
Moreover, given Li Changqing's strength, his son must also have decent qualifications. Even if he hadn't joined the inner sect in three years, he should at least be an outstanding presence in the outer sect.
What exactly is going on?
Over a few days, Li Hengsheng went into a cultivation state.
He had never cultivated in such prosperous conditions before.
Previously, the little money he earned each month was pitiful; half had to be sent back to Li Changqing, and the rest wasn't enough to buy cultivation resources, forcing him to buy some herbs whose medicinal effects were nearly gone to aid in his cultivation.
The effects were minimal, leading to very slow cultivation progress for Li Hengsheng.
But this time was different, he had money in hand, so Li Hengsheng spent significantly to buy resources for cultivation that he could only drool over before. He even hired people to do his daily chores, allowing him to focus solely on cultivation.
He had fallen behind too much, he wanted to catch up.
He wished to exceed the Transcendent Realm soon, then enter the outer sect, join the Thirty-Six Peaks, and become a true disciple of the Mountain Ancient Land.
The Transcendent Realm is a process of improving the body, transforming strength, bones, organs, and blood. It's a critical process that allows one to exceed ordinary mortals, and only through true Transcendence can one enter the Houtian Realm.
"It's been a few days since I last saw Senior Brother."
Not far from where Li Hengsheng lived, Lu Qiaoqiao gazed into the distance. Since that day, she hadn't seen Li Hengsheng.
She knew Li Hengsheng had gone into seclusion and was happy for his ability to cultivate with resources. Yet, not seeing Li Hengsheng for a few days left a hint of disappointment in her heart.
Taking out a handkerchief from her bosom, Lu Qiaoqiao carefully unfolded it. Wrapped inside was an unknown iron token, a faint smile graced Lu Qiaoqiao's face; this was the first thing Li Hengsheng had ever given her.
Even though she didn't know what it was, and it looked worthless, Lu Qiaoqiao still treasured it.
Still, she was a bit curious, the token's material was quite special, seemingly not iron—iron wasn't this heavy, nor did it resemble other materials, something Lu Qiaoqiao had never seen before.
Gently rubbing the edges of the token with her fingers, there was a slight stinging sensation as if the material was incredibly sharp.
"Junior Sister Lu!"
At that moment, a voice suddenly appeared, and a hand landed on Lu Qiaoqiao's shoulder, startling her!
The hand trembled, and the token in her hand cut a wound on her finger.
"Ah!" Lu Qiaoqiao cried out in pain.
The sharp cry of Lu Qiaoqiao also startled the person who patted her. The newcomer was also a young girl named Xu Yueyue, who was usually on good terms with Lu Qiaoqiao and just wanted to playfully scare her upon seeing her daydreaming.
Seeing blood oozing from Lu Qiaoqiao's finger, Xu Yueyue was shocked.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Qiaoqiao, it wasn't intentional. Stop the bleeding quickly," Xu Yueyue hurriedly took out her handkerchief to wrap Lu Qiaoqiao's finger.
Yet Lu Qiaoqiao didn't mind these things. Looking at the token, she hoped it wasn't stained with blood, but to her surprise, not a trace of blood had tainted it.
What Lu Qiaoqiao didn't know was that the token had absorbed all her blood.
At the same time, in Minghong State, several people lurking in the dark were suddenly startled.
"The Qishan Order has been refined by someone." In an abandoned ancient temple, a ragged man sat cross-legged atop a filthy stone platform, his hair messy, his eyes covered by thick cloth, seemingly blind to the world's splendors.
These words caused the figures standing in front of him to change their expressions.
The Qishan Order has been refined?
Could someone have acted before them?
"Who is it? Could it be someone from Yin Shi Tower?" a ghost cultivator said incredulously.