Recruitment! A Moonlit Summoning!

Two days later, Deng Yuanqing sat cross-legged in a quiet room, with a reply transmission talisman floating in front of him.

The talisman only bears the ancestor's handwriting, the characters faint.

"Deng Chen did a good job. Let him continue. There's no need to be afraid."

Deng Yuanqing read the sentence three times to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Deng Chen's investigation of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's portrait was a major taboo. He originally thought that the ancestor would order the matter to be suppressed and then have Deng Chen come to apologize.

The patriarch then said, "Well done? Continue?"

He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly understood.

Chen'er has been chosen this time, fortunately she has many sons.

After sitting for a while, he got up and left the quiet room, going to the next room where Deng Chen was being held.

Deng Chen had been hanging for two days and was in low spirits. When he saw his father come in, he instinctively shrank his neck.

"Get down."

Deng Chen was released.

He rubbed his wrist, which was red from being bound, and carefully observed his father's expression.

"Return to the Immortal Hall and continue targeting Lu Yun." Deng Chen was stunned.

He thought he had misheard.

For the past two days, he has been hanging from the beam, reflecting on his lack of caution and the fact that he offended the wrong person.

He had even thought of the wording he would use to apologize when he got back.

The father then asked, "Continue?"

"It would be best to squeeze him out of the Earth Fire Chamber. If there's an opportunity, let him leave the Immortal Hall, or even..."

Deng Chen opened his mouth, his voice hoarse: "Father... is the person behind Lu Yun the Moon Reflection Immortal?"

"I know."

"Then why...?"

"What the ancestor meant."

Deng Chen shut his mouth.

These four words were more effective than any explanation. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly gave a bitter laugh: "Father, can we not do it?"

Deng Yuanqing looked at him, his gaze holding something indescribable.

It's not heartache, but more like a calm acceptance after weighing the pros and cons.

"This matter has caught the ancestor's eye. If you handle it well, it might be your opportunity; if you botch it..."

He didn't finish speaking.

Deng Chen took a deep breath and lowered his head: "Son understands."

He understood more than just this job.

He realized something even more: if something really happened, he would be the one pushed out as a pawn.

The Deng family doesn't need another Qi-cultivating disciple from a collateral branch.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Fairy Pavilion.

Wang Yue sat cross-legged in his spiritual abode, with a row of jade bottles placed in front of him.

The pills included Peiyuan Pill, Yunling Pill, Xingshen Pill, and a Qi-breaking Pill that he had only seen in the list before.

The family could afford these pills before, but they wouldn't have provided him with so many, as cultivation is a gradual process.

Now they're piled up in front of him like they're free.

Along with it came a message: Before the competition, do only one thing.

Focus on improving your cultivation level and mastering your combat techniques; otherwise, don't worry about anything else.

Wang Yue unscrewed the stopper of the Spirit Nourishing Pill bottle, poured out a pill, and threw it into his mouth.

As the medicinal effects dissipated and spiritual energy washed over his meridians, he narrowed his eyes, a barely suppressed smile playing on his lips.

Lu Yun.

He repeated the name in his mind. He had been looking forward to it for a long time and was not as timid as Deng Chen.

A few Foundation Establishment elders merely uttered a few words or made a spur-of-the-moment idea, yet countless people ran themselves ragged.

.......

Inside the underground fire chamber, the surging flames at the furnace opening subsided.

Lu Yun sat cross-legged in front of the table, with a person sitting opposite him.

The man was dressed in a gray robe with flame patterns on his body, had a thin face, and a polite smile.

"Junior Brother Lu, what do you still need to think about when you join the sect?"

Lu Yun looked troubled and did not respond.

The man was slightly taken aback, then his tone became more serious: "If you agree, before the competition, the association will provide you with a bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills, twenty hours of access to the cultivation room, and three spirit stones per month thereafter."

He paused, his gaze falling on Lu Yun's face.

"Junior brother, this is the Hermit's Association's sincere gift to the top-tier disciples. With this, given your talent, it's not impossible for you to fight for a spot in the top thirty of the competition."

Countless independent cultivators outside yearn to join but are denied; you should understand the weight of this invitation.

The last syllable of his voice rose slightly, carrying an undisguised sense of superiority.

Lu Yun lowered his head, as if he was carefully weighing the options.

A moment later, he looked up and smiled apologetically.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior brother. This matter is of great importance. Please allow me to consider it for a few more days."

The man was silent for a moment, then stood up, his tone becoming indifferent.

"Junior brother may not know, but the Hermit Society group of the Sixteen Halls ranks among the top thirty in the entire Dongxian Hall."

The association has over thirty members at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, with two at the threshold of the Thousand Refinements realm. Two years ago, the association sent a senior brother to the Immortal Academy; such qualifications are rare in the independent cultivation circle.

He took two steps toward the door, then stopped.

"One month. If you change your mind within this month, the conditions will remain the same."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left the underground fire chamber.

Lu Yun stared at the closed stone door, the polite smile on his lips slowly fading away.

The terms offered by the other party did sound quite good.

The Qi-Nourishing Pill, the cultivation room, and the monthly distribution of profits—ordinary rogue cultivators would probably agree on the spot.

However, he did not agree on the spot because the senior brother said that "30% of the mission rewards will be deducted within three years" and "half of the usage rights of the Earth Fire Chamber will be managed by the guild". These benefits will go to the guild's public cultivation pool.

Three years, three-tenths of the time, plus half the time spent in the underground fire chamber is allocated to the central scheduling.

He silently calculated the cost.

Based on his current daily output of 400 catties of refined spiritual materials, 30% of that would amount to two spirit crystals per day, which would amount to six spirit stones per month.

The total benefits promised by the other party amounted to no more than a dozen spirit stones.

Using a dozen or so spirit stones as bait to fish for him for three years—the hermit is a better strategist than him at this kind of deal.

As for the statement, "If you perform well, you might be able to get into the public training pool," he didn't believe a word of it.

I've seen too many empty promises in my past life; the more perfectly round the pie is drawn, the less you actually get to eat.

He wasn't used to handing over his own spirit stones to others.

Moreover, during these four days, apart from the time he spent closing his eyes to rest, he devoted all his remaining time to the fire platform.

The progress of the Hundred Refinements Technique is increasing at a rate of forty points per day, and after four days it has approached six hundred.

A ten-times refined purple gold ingot can yield sixty catties in an hour, which is more than one spirit crystal.

Time is money, and his time is now more valuable than gold.

At this rate, we should be able to make up the shortfall of five and a half spirit stones by tomorrow.

With sixty spirit stones in hand, I attempted to inherit the "Innate Five Qi Transformation Sword Technique".

The Grand Competition of the Immortal Hall is a comprehensive evaluation combining literary and martial arts skills.

He was confident in his ability to engage in intellectual battles, but he lacked the skill and tactics to fight physically.

Even if you can't break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining before the competition, you should at least push your true Qi to over a thousand strands.

The "Heavenly Marriage" matches you with either a spiritual genius or a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if you want to keep a low profile, the "Heavenly Marriage" won't allow it.

Instead of hiding it, we should take advantage of the competition and build up our strength as soon as possible.

If one day my cultivation surpasses those matched Daoist partners, I can capture them and slowly cultivate their favorability. Wouldn't it be easy for my Heavenly Favor level to rise?

He suppressed the unrealistic daydreams in his heart, reignited the earth fire, and sent a ten-pound gold ingot into the furnace.

Flames surged, metal melted, and impurities and turbidity were removed one by one.

The molten ore cooled and solidified in the mold, with runes flowing across its surface. The refined gold ingot, having undergone ten refinements, gleamed with a deep, dark gold color under the firelight.

After quenching another two hundred jin, a sudden tremor ran through his sleeve.

Lu Yun paused, then flipped his hand and took out a palm-sized jade tablet.

That was the message board Yingyue gave him before she left that day, saying it would be convenient for communication.

A spiritual light shimmered on the jade plaque, revealing a line of small characters: "No. 6 Zhengyuan Lane. Come quickly."

Zhengyuan Lane.

Lu Yun frowned; the name sounded like a small alley in a fairy tale town.

Yingyue suddenly called him, but he didn't know why. Surely it wasn't to take him to the Fairy Couple Pavilion to register again.

He put the communication board into his sleeve, extinguished the fire, and pushed open the door to go out.

I dare not refuse.