Chapter 1341
Newly Appointed Talent, Expressing Gratitude in Person
Huang Siyuan, who was sitting below the stage watching the view above, also sensed that something was wrong.
Before she could figure out her doubts, another figure appeared outside the pavilion.
"Sister Siyuan, are you alright?"
“Xuan Yi.”
After confirming that the Li Xuanyi standing in front of her was not someone else, Huang Siyuan turned around and glanced at Song Qingming in the distance, and her expression slowly relaxed.
"Xuanyi, when did you come back? Why haven't you sent any messages back?"
And what's the deal with your cultivation level? Tell me quickly what has happened all these years, and what kind of fortuitous opportunity have you obtained?
Looking at Li Xuanyi who had suddenly appeared before her, Huang Siyuan had many questions on her face.
When they saw Li Xuanyi and Song Qingming off, their cultivation level was only at the peak of the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage.
Only a little over thirty years had passed when the two met again. Li Xuanyi's cultivation had already surpassed Huang Siyuan's, advancing to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm.
Seeing such a big change in the other person, Huang Siyuan's eyes also showed curiosity.
It's important to understand that once you reach the late Nascent Soul stage, every step forward is no easy feat.
Li Xuanyi's cultivation speed must have been due to some unexpected opportunity she encountered outside.
"Sister Siyuan is right. My husband and I actually just got back not long ago."
Quite a few things happened during our trip together, which delayed our return.
Please don't be anxious, sister. I'll explain it to you slowly.
".
While Huang Siyuan and Li Xuanyi were chatting inside the room, Song Qingming, who was standing in mid-air, had already focused his gaze on the ten figures in front of him.
This year's "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament" has included those who have entered the top ten sects.
They are "Wuxiang Sect", "Wanshou Mountain", "Shengu Sect", "Danyuan Valley", "Bixia Palace", "Tiandao Sect", "Qingyang Holy Sect", "Xuanmu Sect", "Jingyue Sect", and "Baihua Palace".
Compared to more than two hundred years ago, this year's "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament" has many new faces among its top ten masters.
The "Formless Sect" Master Qiushui still ranks first.
Although his appearance seemed unchanged from two hundred years ago, Song Qingming could clearly sense that the aura of "Autumn Water True Man" was somewhat weaker than it had been back then.
This person has always been rumored by many cultivators in the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom's cultivation world to be the most likely to advance to the Nascent Soul stage.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be his last time participating in the sword tournament.
The second-ranked sect remains "Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain," whose former Grand Elder, Gu Lin, unfortunately died in the great war against demons on "Jade Profound Island."
Representing "Mount Ten Thousand Beasts" in this battle is a newly promoted half-step Nascent Soul cultivator, Jiang Daoli.
Although Jiang Daoli has only been at the half-step Nascent Soul stage for less than a hundred years, his cultivation is not as stable as that of the former Grand Elder Gu Lin.
However, having inherited several powerful replicas of magical treasures from the sect, his supernatural abilities were already comparable to his opponent's.
In this arena competition, facing challenges from several sects ranked below him, Jiang Daoli decisively defeated his opponents, helping "Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain" firmly maintain its second-place position.
Except for the fact that the rankings of "Wuxiang Sect" and "Wanshou Mountain" remain unchanged.
To Song Qingming's surprise, the third place was not the expert from "Dan Yuan Valley" that he had initially thought.
Instead, it was replaced by an acquaintance of Song Qingming, Yue Ling, the Grand Elder of the "Divine Gu Sect".
In the previous "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament", Yue Ling represented the Divine Gu Sect and ranked only seventh, which was not particularly noteworthy.
Unexpectedly, she had already advanced to the half-step Nascent Soul realm and successfully defeated a group of experts to enter the top three.
This is also the first time in the last thousand years that a new sect in the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom has stood in the top three positions.
Dan Yuan Valley, which had consistently ranked in the top three, dropped to fourth place because it only sent one elder at the peak of the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
The rankings from fifth to eighth are "Bixia Palace", "Tiandao Sect", "Qingyang Holy Sect" and "Xuanmu Sect" respectively.
Biyun Fairy of "Bixia Palace" and Lin Tianrong of "Tiandao Sect" were fortunate enough to be protected by Chen Qingxuan during the previous battle to exterminate demons.
Both of them were among the few half-step Nascent Soul masters who came to participate in the "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament," and unsurprisingly, they entered the top ten of the tournament.
Although the Qingyang Holy Sect lost its Grand Elder Liang Yushan, its Sect Leader, True Man Jingyue, recently advanced to the Half-Step Nascent Soul stage.
The Xuanmu Sect also did not send any half-step Nascent Soul cultivators to this conference.
However, they are also a long-established Nascent Soul sect in the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom, and their foundation is still quite impressive.
Lin Yuchong, representing the "Xuanmu Sect", performed exceptionally well in the martial arts tournament.
Not only did he easily defeat two other cultivators of the same level with the sect's treasure, the "Jade Heaven Ruler," but he even dared to challenge the top-ranking "Azure Cloud Palace" and "Dan Yuan Valley."
Ultimately, their supernatural abilities were slightly inferior, and the "Xuanmu Sect" could only rank eighth.
Ranked ninth is the "Pure Moon Sect," a newly established Nascent Soul sect at this conference.
The "Jingyue Sect" is a Buddhist sect within Yuezhou, which has been rooted in the cultivation world of Donghuang Kingdom for over a thousand years.
Although the "Jingyue Sect" is quite powerful, it has always been ostracized by surrounding forces, and its development has been lukewarm in recent years.
Although they had participated in the "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament" in the past, they had not achieved any results and had never been among the top ten sects.
This time, the "Pure Moon Sect" surprised everyone by sending several highly accomplished monks at the Nascent Soul stage to participate in the competition.
This also allowed them to successfully break into the top ten, and seize the throne of the top ten masters.
The outcome was quite unexpected, and it even sparked a discussion among many cultivators in the audience.
However, Song Qingming already knew about the "Jingyue Sect" matter.
As a Buddhist sect, the "Jingyue Sect" is not a simple entity. It was one of the forces sent by the "Xiling Temple," the leading Buddhist sect in Xihua Continent, to spread its teachings in Donghuang Xianzhou.
Previously, they were ostracized by the local forces of "Donghuang Immortal Continent," making it extremely difficult for them to enter the top ten sects.
But this time, the sealing formation of "Jade Profound Island" owes Zen Master Baiyue a favor.
Long before the conference was held, Chen Qingxuan had sent a message to Song Qingming, asking him to give up a spot for the Buddhist sect for a thousand years.
Bai Yuxian and the others were also fully aware of this matter, which is why the "Jingyue Sect" now had the opportunity to stand before Song Qingming.
The last place in this year's "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament" belongs to the "Hundred Flowers Palace" from the cultivation world of the East Sea.
Although Xia Mo was forced to stay in the "Tower of Babel" to cultivate, Yu Mengning, the new Grand Elder of the "Hundred Flowers Palace", has successfully advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage.
Although Yu Mengning only had the cultivation level of the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage at this conference.
But she was really lucky. She didn't encounter any formidable opponents in the first few rounds of the competition and easily made it into the top twenty.
In the final round of the top 20 to top 10, Yu Mengning was once again matched against Ye Linyuan, the weakest opponent.
After a fierce battle, Yu Mengning's supernatural abilities were slightly superior, and she defeated Ye Linyuan, barely making it into the top ten.
Thanks to this somewhat miraculous "luck," Hundred Flowers Palace successfully retained the last spot among the top ten sects.
"You are all elites of the human race in Donghuang Immortal Continent. I am very pleased to see you all at this conference."
"This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope that you will all strive to cultivate yourselves and uphold the prestige of our human race!"
After offering a few words of praise, Song Qingming gently waved his hand, and ten orbs of light flew out of his sleeve automatically.
"Huh! It's a high-grade level four magic weapon."
".
Seeing the numerous high-level magical treasures appear before him, "Autumn Water True Man," who had been prepared all along, was the first to rush forward as before.
The others around them also reacted quickly and stepped forward to compete for the treasure.
The entire arena was instantly filled with swirling spiritual light, which drew cheers from the many cultivators below.
All that remains is for the ten "Autumn Water Immortals" to each retrieve their respective magical treasures.
Song Qingming smiled slightly.
The next moment, he stood in mid-air, his figure suddenly turned into specks of light and disappeared.
"We respectfully bid farewell to our senior!"
".
Inside the pavilion on the eastern mountain peak.
Li Xuanyi and Huang Siyuan were still enjoying their tea and chatting when they saw two figures walk in from outside. They quickly stood up with smiles to greet them.
"Husband, Senior Sister Bai, you're back!"
After inviting everyone to sit down, Song Qingming looked at Huang Siyuan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
"On the way back, I rushed as fast as I could, and finally made it to the conference."
Thank you for your hard work these past few days.
"Hehe! My husband's return is just in time; there's an auction tonight!"
"Oh! Who's hosting the auction now? What spiritual items have you all prepared? Is there anything I can do for you?"
"These past years have been hard on Senior Sister Bai and Sister Siyuan. I haven't been able to contribute much outside. Husband, you should stay and keep these two sisters company."
I'll go find Qingyu and ask if she needs any help.
Upon hearing Song Qingming inquire about the "auction," Li Xuanyi immediately stood up, ready to go out and help.
But before she could leave, Bai Yuxian reached out and stopped her.
"Junior Sister Li, Qingyu and I have already made arrangements for the auction. I'm more familiar with it, so I'll go instead."
You've just come back from a long journey; you must be tired. Why don't you stay here and rest for a bit?
"Well! Since Senior Sister Bai and Qingyu have already made arrangements, if you don't know the situation and rashly interfere, you might just add pressure to them."
Why don't you stay and have some tea with me? We'll go over later!
"Senior Sister Bai, take these items and see if you can use them. This is our first time holding an auction, so we need to have some things to make it look good."
Having said that, Song Qingming raised his hand and took out a fourth-grade high-quality demon core, several pieces of demon beast materials, and two sets of high-level magic arrays from his body.
Both of these high-level magic arrays were personally crafted by Song Qingming some time ago, and they have already reached the fourth-grade upper level.
The remaining demon cores and demon beast materials were seized from the lair of the white-robed woman and other demon cultivators during the previous battle in the outer heavens.
Although they knew that Bai Yuxian and the others had already prepared many spiritual items for the "auction".
However, Song Qingming still did his best to find a few suitable items on his person and gave them to the other party. Knowing his intention, Bai Yuxian did not refuse and nodded slightly as she accepted the spiritual items.
After Bai Yuxian left, Li Xuanyi glanced at Huang Siyuan beside her and immediately stood up as well.
"I haven't been back for years, I need to go see Xinyuan and Yuling first."
"Sister Siyuan, you should spend some quality time with your husband!"
After winking at Huang Siyuan, Li Xuanyi ignored their attempts to stop her and walked straight out of the pavilion.
Before leaving, they made sure to close the door for them.
Seeing this, Huang Siyuan, who already knew her very well, couldn't help but shake her head.
"Before, when you hadn't been heard from, Senior Sister Bai and Qingyu were worried for a long time."
Unexpectedly, my husband and sister Xuanyi have encountered so many fortuitous opportunities while they were away. I estimate it won't be long before she can attempt to break through to the half-step Nascent Soul realm.
Hearing the hint of envy in Huang Siyuan's voice, Song Qingming, who had just picked up his teacup, shook his head in response.
"Although Xuan Yi advanced to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage before you, she took a shortcut by refining the Flame Heart Jade, and her foundation is far less solid than yours and Qing Yu's."
For her, breaking through to the half-step Nascent Soul realm is still a long way off.
Li Xuanyi's risky attempt to help Song Qingming refine his excess spiritual power resulted in her accidentally advancing to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm.
However, cultivation levels that are rapidly increased by relying on external aids will result in relatively weak and unstable internal magical power.
For her, the next step is to spend time honing her foundation and not to easily consume pills or spiritual objects to aid her cultivation in the short term.
Otherwise, if the foundation is unstable, it will increase the difficulty of breaking through the bottleneck realm.
On the surface, Li Xuanyi's cultivation level is now not much different from Song Qingyu's.
However, Song Qingyu's foundation is significantly more solid than Li Xuanyi's.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Song Qingyu will definitely reach the peak of the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm earlier than her, and then attempt to break through to the half-step Divine Transformation realm.
Meanwhile, Huang Siyuan, relying on her own advantages in alchemy, has also consumed a lot of pills and spiritual items over the years.
Her situation is not much different from Li Xuanyi's, and it is still hard to say who will advance to the half-step deity realm first.
After explaining something to Huang Siyuan, Song Qingming continued:
"Speaking of which, the cultivation levels of you are all close to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. It's time for you to start thinking about breaking through to the next level."
Senior Sister Bai just told me that they found a top-grade spirit stone at the East Sea mine.
In addition, I have two portions of Jade Purity Elixir on me, which Qingyu should be able to use.
After the conference ends, I plan to take some time to go to the outer heavens and see if I can find one or two pieces of Purple Heaven Jade.
Apart from Bai Yuxian, who has successfully broken through to the half-step Nascent Soul stage, Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi, and Huang Siyuan are all close to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.
Next, they also need to make some preparations for this matter in advance.
However, Huang Siyuan raised her hand to stop Song Qingming from speaking.
"My husband, you have done more than enough over the years."
To be honest, after so many years of cultivation, I wouldn't have gotten this far without your help along the way.
Siyuan was already content.
My husband's cultivation has now reached the Nascent Soul stage; he should still prioritize his own path and not let us delay his affairs.
"Don't worry, I still have plenty of lifespan left, so I'm not in a hurry to leave Huayang Realm."
Although I, as a Nascent Soul Ancestor, cannot take care of everyone around me, I can still look after you few.
It is said that the further one goes on the path of spiritual practice, the lonelier one becomes.
Siyuan, but I still hope that I can accompany you all a little longer.
"Yes! My husband has spoken, and I dare not disobey."
Hearing Song Qingming's earnest words, Huang Siyuan smiled slightly, and a hint of happiness appeared in her eyes.
".
Sunset and moonrise!
The "auction" venue located below the arena immediately became lively.
Compared to previous "Qingyun Mountain" conferences, the number of cultivators attending this "auction" was far greater than ever before.
Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, and others then rebuilt a large palace on the mountain peak north of the arena to serve as the auction venue.
This palace was built by Bai Yuxian based on part of the palace in the "Ziyang Heavenly Palace".
It was more than ten stories high, with the auction stage placed in mid-air on the top floor.
Each floor has a giant bronze mirror in each of the four cardinal directions (east, west, south, and north) to monitor the activities on the "auction stage" in real time.
Many cultivators could easily see what was happening on stage simply by sitting in their respective private rooms.
Bidding and quoting are handled by dedicated staff who can promptly relay the information to the monks hosting the "auction".
As soon as Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan arrived at the scene, Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi, Bai Yuxian and others were already ready.
The two elders of the sect, Xu Ziyan and Song Yuanhao, were in charge of hosting this "auction".
As in the past, this "auction" was jointly organized by the four major Nascent Soul cultivator forces of Donghuang Immortal Continent.
As the host, the "Xiaoyao Sect" holds 50% of the shares, while the "Tianyu Sect", "Xianyuan Sect", and "Dangmo Palace" each share the remaining half.
As this was the first time such a large-scale "auction" had been held, the Xiaoyao Sect attached great importance to it.
As early as twenty years ago, Bai Yuxian and Song Qingyu had already begun searching for high-level magical treasures and spiritual items suitable for auction.
In addition to emptying its own sect's treasury, the "Xiaoyao Sect" also cooperated with business alliances such as the "Four Seas Business Alliance" and the "Heavenly Pill Alliance".
They amassed a large number of high-level spiritual items from them.
In addition, Song Qingming himself also contributed a lot of good things.
Although this was the first time the "Free and Unfettered Sect" had held such a grand event, the scale of this auction was no less than in the past, and many rare and precious spiritual items appeared.
Numerous magical treasures and spiritual objects of level four and above, including "Cold Jade Spiritual Water," "Nurture Pill," and "Mysterious Spirit Pill."
The sheer number of magical objects is dazzling.
In particular, the two high-level magic arrays and the fourth-grade high-quality demon core that Song Qingming took out attracted many cultivators present to fight for them.
Many cultivators who initially came to Qingyun Mountain were worried that the Xiaoyao Sect lacked sufficient resources and wouldn't be able to offer many good items.
When the "auction" came to an end, the cultivators present were somewhat reluctant to leave.
Xu Ziyan, who was in charge of hosting the auction, took this opportunity to organize a free barter conference for everyone.
This once again brought the atmosphere to a climax.
As a high-ranking Nascent Soul Ancestor, Song Qingming naturally did not participate in the competition for any spiritual items. Instead, he accompanied Huang Siyuan and Li Xuanyi to the side, enjoying tea and observing the atmosphere.
When it came time to barter, seeing that the auction was over, Song Qingming led the two women away from the luxurious rooftop private room.
Just as he was about to return to his mountain cave, Huang Siyuan suddenly stopped him.
"Husband, please wait a moment before going back. I want to take you to see my mother!"
"You mean, Senior Jin Yue?"
Upon hearing what Huang Siyuan said, Song Qingming was surprised, only to see her nod at him earnestly.
"Actually, my mother-in-law had already come to Qingyun Mountain half a month ago, but my husband happened to be away at the time, so I didn't mention it to anyone else."
My mother-in-law happens to be downstairs today; why don't you come with me to meet her?
The only person who could command such respect from Huang Siyuan, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, to address her as "Grandma" was none other than Grandma Jin Yue, who had granted her the opportunity to form her Nascent Soul.
Back then, when "Granny Jin Yue" went to Donghuang Kingdom to pay her respects, she happened to meet Huang Siyuan, who possessed the "Ling Xuzi" token.
Later, he took her to "Lei Yuan Hai" and not only taught Huang Siyuan the cultivation techniques, but also helped her successfully condense her nascent soul.
Song Qingming held "Grandma Jin Yue," who was considered half of Huang Siyuan's mentor, in high esteem and wanted to express his gratitude in person.
However, he went to "Lei Yuanhai" several times back then, but unfortunately he never met him, and he has never had any dealings with him since.
Upon hearing Huang Siyuan's confirmation, it was clear that "Grandma Jin Yue" had arrived at Qingyun Mountain and was currently in the auction room below.
Song Qingming immediately nodded and replied, "If it weren't for Senior Jin Yue's help back then, I don't know if I would have been able to meet you."
It's a rare treat that she graced us with her presence today; it's a perfect opportunity to express my gratitude in person.
"Please wait a moment. I'll have Qingyu prepare some gifts so we can go together, just in case we're impolite."
“Husband, Mother-in-law doesn’t like crowds, so you can go with me. Don’t bother Qingyu and the others.”
Faced with Song Qingming's suggestion, Huang Siyuan looked around but shook her head and rejected it outright.
Then Huang Siyuan raised her hand and took out several exquisitely designed gift boxes from her person.
"Look, I've already prepared all of these for you."
"Hehe! I didn't expect that you would understand me best."
The two smiled at each other, and Song Qingming followed Huang Siyuan to an ordinary private room on the third floor.
Before Huang Siyuan could knock on the door, a figure opened the door and came out.
This person was none other than Tao Yu, the young woman who returned to "Qingyun Mountain" with Huang Siyuan back then.
At that time, she was only a Golden Core cultivator.
Now, Tao Yu has already condensed his Nascent Soul, and his appearance and temperament have improved considerably.
"Senior Sister Huang, Senior Song, you've finally arrived."
My mother-in-law just urged us to leave; if you had been any later, you might never have seen her again.
"Because I was entangled in worldly affairs, it was difficult to leave, which is why it was a little late."
"Yes! Come in with me quickly!"
Upon hearing Huang Siyuan's explanation, Tao Yu smiled and nodded, then led them into the private room.
Upon entering, one sees an elderly man with white hair sitting in the center of the hall, smiling as he looks towards the entrance. (End of Chapter)