Chapter 1063
Bitter Feelings, Breaking the Promise
Six months later, at the forbidden magic array below the summit of "Red Cloud Mountain".
A young man in his early twenties was sitting cross-legged on a round stone, meditating with his eyes closed.
With each breath the young man took, the surrounding spiritual energy slowly gathered around him, causing a faint glow to emanate from the top of his head.
This young man was none other than Song Shaoyu, who had been taken in as a personal disciple by Song Qingyu more than a decade ago and taken to "Red Cloud Mountain" for cultivation.
More than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye. Song Shaoyu has not only transformed from a naive boy into a handsome young man, but his cultivation has also improved rapidly, successfully breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining.
Just as Song Shaoyu was meditating on the rock, a surge of spiritual energy suddenly came from outside the barrier below, and then a woman in white robes walked up from outside.
"Greetings, Senior Sister Liu!"
"Huh! Why is it Junior Brother who's in charge here today?"
Seeing the polite Song Shaoyu in front of her, Liu Yue smiled and nodded, then cautiously asked, "Junior Brother, is my master still in Master's wife's cave?"
"Reporting to Senior Sister Liu, the Ancestor has been here recently. Master said that if there is anything, you should go to her first and not disturb the Ancestor."
"Yes! Thank you for reminding me, Junior Brother. These fruits are from the foot of the mountain; consider them a token of my gratitude."
After greeting Song Shaoyu in front of her, Liu Yue took out a few more spiritual fruits and handed them to him. Then she sighed softly and turned to walk towards the top of the mountain.
In a cave on the north side of the mountaintop, Song Qingming, dressed in a green robe, used magic to extinguish the flames beside him and immediately placed a pot of freshly brewed spiritual tea on the stone table next to him.
"Siyuan, I bought this spiritual tea when I went to Donghuang Kingdom last time. It is said to be able to calm the mind and spirit of cultivators and also to help heal injuries to the dantian. You should try it first."
"But my tea-brewing skills might not be as good as yours or Qingyu's. If you don't like the taste, I'll invite her over another day."
"Alright, husband, Qingyu is a Nascent Soul cultivator now. You're not letting her cultivate in peace, and you even made her come to brew tea for me. How could you even think of that?"
Besides, my injuries need time to heal and won't recover quickly, so why are you in such a hurry for me?
"My lord, I'm actually all set about here. Don't waste your time serving me; go back and focus on your cultivation!"
Huang Siyuan, whose face was still a little pale, couldn't help but remind Song Qingming, who had been staying with her all this time.
Upon hearing this, Song Qingming was slightly taken aback, then quickly waved his hand with a smile and said, "For so many years, you've always been the one serving me. What's wrong with it being my turn this time?"
Don't worry, I just broke through to a higher level of cultivation recently, and I need some time to stabilize my realm. It won't delay my cultivation.
Besides, you'll be going into seclusion to heal your injuries soon, and I won't have many opportunities to spend time with you. It wouldn't be appropriate for you to send me away now."
As Song Qingming spoke, he poured a cup of the freshly brewed spiritual tea and carefully placed it in front of Huang Siyuan.
Seeing Song Qingming looking at her expectantly, Huang Siyuan thought for a moment but decided not to say anything more. She forced a smile, took the spiritual tea, and took a sip.
As the aroma of tea entered her stomach, although the tea tasted sweet, Huang Siyuan couldn't help but feel a touch of bitterness in her heart.
After a full ten years of seclusion, Huang Siyuan consumed numerous precious spiritual items and exerted all her strength to break through to the next level, but she still failed to form a Nascent Soul and ultimately collapsed at the step of condensing her nascent soul.
Although she made significant progress in her second attempt at forming her nascent soul, successfully reaching the stage of condensing her primordial spirit, it also triggered extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth.
However, Huang Siyuan ultimately failed this time and was unable to pass the Nascent Soul stage as she had hoped.
Over the years of cultivation, he has witnessed many cultivators around him, such as Bai Yuxian, Xia Mo, Song Qingming, Song Qingyu, and Li Xuanyi, successfully forming their Nascent Souls and embarking on their own path to Nascent Soul.
However, she herself failed to achieve Nascent Soul twice and was never able to catch up with the others. How could Huang Siyuan not feel resentful about this?
Over the years, in order to help themselves achieve Nascent Soul formation, Song Qingming, Song Qingyu, and others have searched far and wide for spiritual objects related to Nascent Soul formation.
Not only did they prepare many spiritual items for her, such as "Ice Spirit Fruit" and "Nascent Soul Pill," but they also imparted various Nascent Soul formation techniques to her.
Compared to when Song Qingming and the others formed their Nascent Souls, Huang Siyuan received the best help she could receive during her seclusion to break through her cultivation level.
Even so, she still couldn't get through this hurdle. At this moment, she felt the difficulty of the Nascent Soul Path and understood the difference in opportunities between individuals.
Even if Song Qingming and others can reach the Nascent Soul stage, it doesn't mean that she herself can easily form a Nascent Soul like everyone else.
But she hadn't been able to taste the bitterness within it before.
Seeing Huang Siyuan put down her teacup, her expression still somewhat grave, Song Qingming quickly smiled and reassured her:
"Siyuan, we cultivators should not be concerned about temporary successes or failures. You should try to relax more."
"Don't worry, now that Qingyu and I have both successfully formed our Nascent Souls, it won't be difficult for us to find one or two Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects in the future."
Once you've recovered from your injury, I'll figure out how to arrange all of this. No matter how many times it takes, we'll do our best and never give up easily.
I believe that as long as we are united in purpose, no matter how difficult the road ahead, we will always find a way to move forward.
As a cultivation partner who had been together for many years, Song Qingming naturally saw the bitterness in Huang Siyuan's heart at a glance.
However, the formation of a nascent soul ultimately depends on individual fate. Even if Song Qingming could find many precious spiritual items for Huang Siyuan to form a nascent soul, he could not guarantee that she would definitely form a nascent soul.
All we can do is try our best.
Fortunately, Huang Siyuan still has enough lifespan and has the opportunity to try to break through to the Nascent Soul realm again, so there is no need for them to rush this.
"Seventh Brother is right, Sister-in-law, don't worry. As long as we all work together, no matter how difficult the road ahead is, we won't be afraid of not being able to overcome it."
"At worst, I'll exchange all my magical treasures for spirit stones; I'll definitely do my part to help my sister-in-law achieve Nascent Soul stage."
Just as Song Qingming finished speaking, another voice came from outside the cave, interrupting the two who were talking.
A short while later, Song Qingyu, dressed in plain clothes, walked towards Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan with a smile on her face.
"You silly girl, we haven't seen you for days, what brings you here to visit us today?"
"Hehe! It's rare to see you and your wife so inseparable, Seventh Brother. How could I possibly bother you every day? If I didn't have something to do today, I wouldn't dare to come and visit!"
After jokingly teasing the two of them, Song Qingyu walked to the stone table, poured herself a cup of spiritual tea, and took a sip.
"Alright, this tea was specially brewed for your sister-in-law to heal her injuries. If you have something to say to me, just say it quickly, don't just stare at this."
Seeing that Song Qingyu had finished her cup and then fixed her gaze on the teapot, Song Qingming quickly interrupted her.
Seeing this, Song Qingyu smiled knowingly, then put down her teacup and continued, "I have good news to share, but I didn't expect you to be so stingy, Seventh Brother."
The East Sea Yunyang Sect replied the day before yesterday, saying that they had recently refined the Infant Cultivation Pill and asked us to come and discuss how to exchange it for the elixir.
"Seventh Brother, do you think I should go to the East China Sea? You stay here and keep your wife company."
"Yunyang Sect! This matter has dragged on for so long, I thought they were going to break their promise, but I didn't expect to have good news today."
This matter is of great importance. If they try anything funny, you won't be able to handle it alone. I'd better go myself.
The "Yunyang Sect" mentioned by Song Qingyu is currently the strongest sect in the cultivation world of the East Sea. It has five Nascent Soul cultivators and its overall strength is even greater than that of the "Wanling Sect" in the Qin Kingdom.
Back then, in the struggle for the Nine Tribulations Jade Lotus, Song Qingming made a bet with Yuan Yushan on Qitian Island in the East Sea, and obtained a contract from him to go to Yunyang Sect to exchange for the "Nurture Pill".
Several years later, Song Qingming personally visited the other party, only to find that an unexpected event had occurred and the elixir could not be successfully refined. This matter has been delayed until now.
Now that he had received a message from the Yunyang Sect that the Infant Cultivation Pill had been refined, Song Qingming was somewhat surprised, but a smile appeared on his face.
Unexpectedly, news of the creation of the spirit object for the nascent soul came so quickly, which saved him a lot of trouble.
Seeing that Song Qingming was preparing to go on a long trip, Huang Siyuan immediately said, "After resting for so long, I feel much better. I want to go into seclusion for a while to recuperate from my injuries."
"My dear husband, please go ahead and handle whatever you need to do. Don't worry about me."
Seeing that Huang Siyuan took the initiative to support his departure, Song Qingming nodded slightly, exchanged a few more words with Song Qingyu, and then left the cave to head to the East Sea Immortal Cultivation World.
The Yunyang Sect is located in the southern part of the cultivation world in the East China Sea. After traveling east through the Duanyun Mountains, Song Qingming immediately turned southeast.
After more than a month of travel, he finally arrived near "Lingkong Island" in the sea area of Yunyang.
As soon as Song Qingming cast the spell to send out the "sound transmission talisman," an elderly man with a white beard quickly came out to greet him. He was none other than Jin Xuanyao, one of the five Supreme Elders of the Yunyang Sect.
I remember when I first came here more than 20 years ago, the Yunyang Sect did not seem to value me too much. They only sent a Golden Core cultivator to greet me.
Unexpectedly, Song Qingming was greeted by a Nascent Soul Elder, which surprised him. He quickly stepped forward and bowed to the elder.
"I am Song Qingming from Chiyun Mountain in the Floating Cloud Mountains. I greet you, fellow Daoist!"
"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Song has come from afar. The entire Yunyang Sect is deeply honored. Please come in quickly."
At Jin Xuanyao's invitation, Song Qingming soon followed him to the reception hall of the Yunyang Sect.
The two had just sat down and taken a sip of tea when Song Qingming waved his hand and took out the contract that Yuan Yushan had given him years ago, presenting it directly to Jin Xuanyao. "Fellow Daoist Jin, when I received this contract back then, it was agreed that I could come to your sect at any time to exchange it for a Nascent Soul Pill, but unfortunately, bad luck has delayed this matter until now."
"Since your esteemed sect has invited me here today, I, Song, will return this contract. Please accept this item, fellow Daoist."
"Alas! Fellow Daoist Song, please don't be anxious. This Nascent Soul Pill is not in my possession. Please wait a moment, Senior Brother Qin will be here soon."
Upon seeing Song Qingming take out the contract from back then, Jin Xuanyao immediately smiled and explained that he was waiting for someone else to arrive.
Upon hearing this, Song Qingming looked slightly disappointed and could only nod and put away the contract on the table.
After chatting in the hall for a while, the two saw another young man in a Taoist robe walk in. The aura he exuded was comparable to their own.
"Fellow Daoist Song, this is Senior Brother Qin of our sect, who is also the only mid-grade fourth-level alchemist in our sect. The Nascent Soul Pill that you wish to exchange for was refined with the help of Senior Brother Qin."
"Oh! My name is Song Qingming. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Qin."
Although he was also a Nascent Soul cultivator with profound cultivation, he was surprised to find that the other party was a high-level alchemist who could refine "Nurture Pill".
While Song Qingming was somewhat surprised, he instinctively felt a sense of respect and quickly stood up to cup his hands in greeting.
The cultivator surnamed Qin, seeing this, did not say much, but simply raised his hand in return and invited Song Qingming to sit down again.
After they sat down, the man surnamed Qin didn't mention the "Nurture Pill," but instead directly asked Song Qingming:
"Fellow Daoist Song, I've heard that you have some connections with the Hundred Flowers Palace on Wanhu Island. Is this true or not?"
"Well, what you say is true, fellow Daoist. Back when I was still a Nascent Soul cultivator, I traveled to the cultivation world of the East Sea and met a fellow Daoist named Xia from the Hundred Flowers Palace."
"I wonder why you suddenly brought this up. Could it be that your sect sent me here today because of something to do with the Hundred Flowers Palace?"
Having heard that the Yunyang Sect had offered to exchange him for the Infant Nourishing Pill, Song Qingming instinctively sensed that something was amiss.
Seeing that the other party suddenly asked about him and the "Hundred Flowers Palace", Song Qingming gradually understood and couldn't help but ask a question in return.
Upon hearing Song Qingming's question, the man surnamed Qin hesitated for a moment, but instead of answering, he replied evasively: "Fellow Daoist Song, to be honest, I do indeed have another Nascent Soul Pill."
However, this pill isn't just something you want, fellow Daoist; our sect has also promised it to another fellow Daoist, so this matter is truly somewhat difficult.
“Fellow Daoist Qin, I am not a cultivator from the East Sea, nor do I often come here. I have come here today only to exchange for the Nascent Soul Pill, and I have no other intentions.”
"Fellow Daoist, please speak frankly, lest I, in my dullness, utter the wrong words."
Seeing that Song Qingming had understood the meaning behind his words, the man surnamed Qin nodded slightly before continuing, "Since Fellow Daoist Song says so, then I, Qin, will not beat around the bush with you."
I heard that Fellow Daoist Xia of Baihua Palace brought back a Xuanling Pill from the Tower of Babel in the Floating Cloud Mountains decades ago. I wonder if you are aware of this matter?
"If you can satisfy my curiosity, then this Nascent Soul Pill in my hand is yours!"
"Mysterious Spirit Pill!"
"Fellow Daoist Qin, you have asked the wrong person. I have not heard of this matter and am truly unable to answer you."
Back when Xia Mo went to the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains" to participate in the "Tower of Heaven" secret realm, many cultivators there had seen her.
Although Xia Mo disguised herself as a rogue cultivator while wearing a mask, even the best disguise will leave some traces, and it is still very difficult to completely deceive everyone.
Song Qingming had heard similar rumors during his time at Chiyun Mountain, so he wasn't too surprised that Yunyang Sect would ask about it.
Back when they were competing for spiritual items on the second floor of the "Tongtian Pavilion," Xia Mo did indeed snatch a golden ball of light from the crowd.
However, Song Qingming did not ask the other party whether there was a "Mysterious Spirit Pill" inside, and he himself was also unable to be sure about it.
Moreover, Song Qingming and Xia Mo were good friends who had gone on many adventures together. Regardless of whether he knew the truth about the matter or not, he would never rashly betray information about her to outsiders.
Upon hearing that the Yunyang Sect's true purpose in summoning him was to indirectly inquire about Xia Mo and the Xuanling Pill, Song Qingming didn't ponder it much and simply shook his head at the person before him.
"Fellow Daoist Song, please don't misunderstand. I only heard about this matter some time ago and was just curious, so I wanted to confirm its authenticity with you."
Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I can guarantee with my integrity that no matter what you say today, we will never mention it to anyone after we leave this door.
My Yunyang Sect has always enjoyed making friends with fellow cultivators from the outside world. If Fellow Daoist Song needs anything in the East Sea in the future, please feel free to come to Lingkong Island to find me.”
Seeing Song Qingming shake his head at him, the cultivator surnamed Qin did not give up. He spoke up again with righteous indignation, making a series of promises to Song Qingming.
But Song Qingming was, after all, a Nascent Soul cultivator who had cultivated for hundreds of years, so how could he believe such a joke as the other party's personal guarantee?
As soon as the man surnamed Qin finished speaking, he waved his hand apologetically at the other party again.
"I understand what Fellow Daoist Qin has said, but I have never heard of this matter before. How dare I speak nonsense? I really have no way to answer Fellow Daoist."
I have traveled a great distance to come here today to exchange Infant Cultivation Pills with your esteemed sect. Please forgive me for not being able to help with anything else.
If your esteemed sect does not possess the Nascent Soul Pill, then I, Song, will take my leave now and visit again at a later date.
After speaking, Song Qingming ignored the other party's somewhat dissatisfied gaze, cupped his hands in greeting to the Qin-surnamed cultivator, and turned to walk out the door.
"Fellow Daoist Song has misunderstood."
Seeing that Song Qingming was unwilling to say more and was about to leave, Jin Xuanyao, who was sitting next to him, quickly stepped forward to explain a few words before seeing him off from "Lingkong Island".
After Song Qingming and Jin Xuanyao left, another figure appeared in the reception room and stood in front of the man surnamed Qin.
"This guy surnamed Song is quite cautious; he won't reveal a single word!"
".."
A white streak of light flew swiftly across the northeast of "Lingkong Island" and quickly disappeared from the sea area.
Standing on the flying boat, Song Qingming looked at the contract he had obtained from Yuan Yushan and couldn't help but want to tear it to shreds.
When Song Qingming first obtained this item, he thought he had acquired a "Nurture Pill".
To Song Qingming's utter surprise, the Yunyang Sect, the number one sect in the East China Sea cultivation world, was completely untrustworthy.
Having visited twice only to find no one there, I suppose the other party has no intention of honoring the contract.
This made Song Qingming, who was standing in mid-air, feel quite indignant.
However, after calming down, Song Qingming put the contract back into his storage bag and turned his gaze back to the direction of the Yunyang Sect.
My cultivation level is not high enough, which is why the other party dares to be so contemptuous and delay fulfilling the contract.
When he advances to the late Nascent Soul stage, Song Qingming will definitely come back to the Yunyang Sect and demand an explanation from those who broke their promises!
Thinking about what the cultivator surnamed Qin had just inquired about, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in Song Qingming's mind, and he also felt a little curious.
Previously, Song Qingming found a "Mysterious Spirit Pill" on the gray-robed man, which helped him indirectly prove that Xia Mo may have also contained this item when she stole the "Golden Light Orb".
If Xia Mo really obtained the "Mysterious Spirit Pill", after so many years, she is very likely already in seclusion trying to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage.
If she successfully advances to the late Nascent Soul stage, the "Hundred Flowers Palace," which possesses great cultivators, will definitely see a significant increase in its strength and status.
The fact that the Yunyang Sect inquired about this matter might actually be related to this.
It has only been two hundred years since Xia Mo advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. It is truly astonishing that the other party was able to become a great cultivator so quickly.
On the way back, Song Qingming kept thinking about this matter. He had originally wanted to go directly to the "Hundred Flowers Palace" to inquire about it.
But then he thought that going directly to their door might not yield any results, and might even alert the people in the shadows of the Yunyang Sect, who might then notice something amiss.
After much deliberation, Song Qingming changed his route and went to the "Tianxing Sea Area," leaving the matter to Song Changze and Liu Yuxin.
Because of He Mengxin, Liu Yuxin often goes to the Baihua Palace on Wanhu Island.
Let her help inquire; even if she doesn't find anything useful, it won't arouse too much suspicion.
After arriving at the "Tianxing Sea Area", Song Qingming not only gave instructions to Song Changze and his wife, but also took the opportunity to visit Luo Li on "Baisha Island".
Since successfully forming his core, Luo Li's cultivation level has improved rapidly, and the entire "Tianxuan Sect" has also developed smoothly.
The spiritual veins on "White Sand Island" have now been upgraded to the third-grade low level, making it a powerful Golden Core force in the surrounding seas.
Luo Li was able to successfully form his core because he had also cultivated the "Jade Profound Scripture" taught by Song Qingming.
During this visit, Song Qingming imparted all the Golden Core stage techniques of the "Azure Jade Refining Treasure Technique" that he had deduced to Luo Li.
Although the two did not have a formal master-disciple relationship, Song Qingming had already regarded her as half a disciple in his heart.
After several days of instruction, Song Qingming finally turned and boarded the flying boat back to the Floating Cloud Mountains. (End of Chapter)