Chapter 581: Chapter 581

Ye Yunshan is a loose cultivator.

She is a native loose cultivator from An Country. When she was born, An Country had just rejoined the "Six Paths Alliance"; of course, that was none of her concern.

As a loose cultivator, as long as you don’t get involved in the war games of those powerful factions, as long as you stay away from places that could bring great danger to yourself, life can be quite free and safe.

However, that’s only true for male cultivators.

Being a female cultivator, especially one with quite a bit of charm, Ye Yunshan has encountered quite a few troubles because of this over the years.

Back when she was young, her body hadn’t matured yet, and back then her old master who brought her into the cultivation realm took care of her, so there weren’t many people after her.

But when she was sixteen, the old master who brought her into the cultivation realm inexplicably died outside and never returned, leaving her without a protector. That’s when she truly began to encounter the perils of the cultivation realm.

This situation improved only when she met her current elder brother Wang Yanzhang.

Her elder brother Wang Yanzhang is a reputable hero known for his martial prowess in the loose cultivator community in the southern part of An Country.

The reason they met was because some loose cultivators coveted Ye Yunshan’s beauty and followed her when she left the marketplace, intending to capture her for dishonorable motives.

Ye Yunshan, though outwardly gentle, has a strong and fierce nature. She would rather die in battle than suffer humiliation, and fought desperately against those villains.

However, the difference in power was too great, and her struggle was futile, as she was soon injured and lost the power to resist.

Just as she was in despair, considering reversing her magical power to destroy her dantian and meridians in a suicide attempt, the tall and mighty Wang Yanzhang suddenly appeared and rescued her, killing those villains with dishonorable intentions.

Since then, Ye Yunshan has considered him her elder brother, refusing to leave his side no matter what.

Later, Wang Yanzhang couldn’t shake her off, so he accepted her as his sworn younger sister, and the two have roamed the cultivation realm together ever since.

On this day, Wang Yanzhang was testing a newly mastered Tier Two High-grade Technique in a mountain valley when Ye Yunshan suddenly ran in from outside, her face full of excitement and joy, shouting as she ran: "Brother, stop what you’re doing! I have amazingly good news to tell you."

Wang Yanzhang hadn’t seen his sister so happy in a long time, and he immediately sensed something significant must have happened. Yet, he showed no change in expression and instead joked with a smile: "What amazing good news could make you so happy? Could it be that you’ve finally come around and decided to get married?"

"Humph, I’ve told you countless times, I won’t marry anyone but you, brother. Forget about shaking me off in this lifetime!"

Ye Yunshan pouted and lightly snorted, openly expressing her feelings as she looked at Wang Yanzhang and repeated words she had said countless times before.

As usual, after hearing her words, Wang Yanzhang awkwardly turned away, not daring to meet her fiery gaze.

He could only change the subject by saying: "Come on, what’s the good news that’s making you so happy?"

Ye Yunshan muttered softly before her face lit up with delight again as she said: "Today, I heard amazingly good news from Immortal Yu Zhi! It is said that in a month, the Honored Guest Elder [Qingyun Wanderer] of Yuqing Daoist Sect on Chongxuan Mountain will open the mountain gate to recruit a batch of registered disciples. Apparently, those who succeed have a high chance of receiving a Foundation Establishment Pill, and those who perform remarkably could even be accepted as official disciples!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yanzhang’s expression immediately changed, as if he was also tempted.

But soon, as if remembering something, he frowned and said: "But currently, An Country belongs to the [Six Paths Alliance], and Chongxuan Mountain is a detached territory under the jurisdiction of Yuqing Daoist Sect. If a conflict arises between the two parties in the future, the other side likely won’t defend this place till the end."

"If we are selected as registered disciples, once Chongxuan Mountain can’t be defended, then that [Qingyun Wanderer] can naturally leave. We might not be able to escape the reckoning by the [Six Paths Alliance]!"

Ye Yunshan was slightly stunned upon hearing this, having not considered such things.

When she received the news, her only thought was about the benefits of becoming a registered disciple under a Golden Core Stage cultivator, without considering the possibility of being caught up in a war between two superpowers.

However, she seemed to have a more optimistic view on this matter than Wang Yanzhang.

She shook her head slightly and said: "These are just your speculations, brother. Wars between major powers like the [Six Paths Alliance] and Yuqing Daoist Sect aren’t common. They might not happen even once in hundreds of years; we might not see such a thing in our lifetime."

After speaking, she looked worriedly at Wang Yanzhang and said: "Brother, you had bad luck last time and failed at Foundation Establishment, ruining years of savings. Now, in another four or five years, you’ll be sixty. If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to attempt Foundation Establishment again!"

Indeed, Wang Yanzhang is currently a rare Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer Great Perfection cultivator. Five years ago, he spent his life’s savings on a Foundation Establishment Pill, but unfortunately, he had terrible luck and failed to reach Foundation Establishment.

As a loose cultivator, being able to gather enough spirit stones to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill before turning sixty is extremely difficult. Wanting to buy a second one in a short time is almost impossible.

Wang Yanzhang had originally planned that once he mastered a few more Tier Two high-grade techniques, he would set off to become a demon beast hunter in areas where demon beasts gather, striving to gather enough spirit stones to purchase another Foundation Establishment Pill before turning eighty.

However, being a demon beast hunter is a high-risk profession. Of those Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators who manage to survive twenty years in the profession, only one in a hundred do so. Despite being at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer Great Perfection cultivation, Wang Yanzhang did not have much confidence.

Especially since if he became a demon beast hunter, Ye Yunshan would surely follow him. At that time, Wang Yanzhang would not be sure he could ensure his sworn sister’s safety during the perilous demon hunting actions.

Thus, upon hearing Ye Yunshan’s words, his furrowed brow slowly softened. He nodded slowly and said, "It seems I was thinking too much. Everything has its pros and cons, and we can’t just want the benefits without wanting to bear the risks!"

"So, big brother, you agree to go to Chongxuan Mountain for the selection?"

Ye Yunshan looked at Wang Yanzhang in surprise, her eyes full of joy.

"I agree. Let’s prepare and set out in a few days."

Wang Yanzhang nodded, decisively setting a departure date.

This same scene played out in the loose cultivator circles of both An Country and Chang Country.

More than a month later, when the day of the "Qingyun Wanderer" selection for registered disciples arrived, more than a thousand people had already gathered on a temporary selection ground outside Chongxuan Mountain.

Among them were loose cultivators like Wang Yanzhang and Ye Yunshan, who came to participate in the selection, and clan cultivators and sect cultivators who came to watch the excitement after hearing the news. Among them were even some Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Of course, cultivators above the Purple Mansion Stage certainly would not come here.

To Zhouyang, who took the alias "Qingyun Wanderer," the recruitment of registered disciples was not of much importance, as he was essentially looking to recruit a batch of free labor.

Therefore, he set very lenient conditions for recruiting registered disciples. As long as the cultivators had a clean background, were under sixty years old, and had a pure and reliable character, they could participate in the selection regardless of gender or aptitude. In the end, twenty people would be selected based on merit.

The selection process was quite simple. Those skilled in spirit plant techniques and who had advanced their spirit planting skill to Tier Two Top Grade could be admitted without examination.

Those who reached Tier Two in spirit planting skill could be given priority for admission, followed by the commonly used magical combat method in the cultivation realm for disciple selections.

Zhouyang did not personally oversee the selection of these registered disciples. The task was entrusted to Zhou Ronghua and Zhou Rongxiang, who had successfully established their foundations.

At that time, thirteen years had passed since Zhouyang moved to Chongxuan Mountain. Of the five Zhou family juniors who followed him to the cultivation realm of Liuyun Continent, three had reached the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation Stage and attempted to break into the Foundation Establishment Stage by taking Foundation Establishment Pills. However, only Zhou Ronghua and Zhou Rongxiang succeeded.

Now, the two who had successfully established their foundation naturally became the leaders among the cultivators on Chongxuan Mountain below Zhouyang and his wife, managing the other three and this new batch of disciples.

The selection ended in one day, and Wang Yanzhang and Ye Yunshan were both fortunate to become one of the twenty selected.

Wang Yanzhang relied on his Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer Great Perfection cultivation to muscle through, while Ye Yunshan was admitted with her identity as a Tier Two Middle Grade spirit plant cultivator. The source of this content ɪs novel•fire.net

There was no choice; among the loose cultivators, those skilled in a trade were indeed few, especially the spirit planting skill, which required spirit fields and medicinal gardens to improve—skills not commonly chosen by loose cultivators.

Ye Yunshan did have talent in this area, and coupled with some encounters, she met the requirement at the age of thirty-two.

After the selection, Wang Yanzhang, Ye Yunshan, and the other eighteen selected cultivators were taken up Chongxuan Mountain by Zhou Ronghua and Zhou Rongxiang, where they finally met Zhouyang, who was disguised as "Qingyun Wanderer," and Xiao Ying, who wore a veil.

The reason Xiao Ying wore a veil was naturally to prevent these registered disciples from spreading her true appearance and potentially exposing Zhouyang’s identity.

It wasn’t the first time Wang Yanzhang and Ye Yunshan had seen a Golden Core Stage cultivator, yet it was their first time being so close to one, and knowing the person would soon become their master, controlling their lives and deaths.

Both were a bit nervous.

"You have all passed the selection and come here, which shows you have some talent and opportunities. Today, I accept you as registered disciples and allow you to cultivate with me here on Chongxuan Mountain. You should cherish this opportunity and work hard."

"I’ve already instructed your senior brothers and sisters who selected you to record your information. Three years from now, I will personally test you. The winners of the test can receive a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward, but there are only three slots.

"Alright, that’s all I have to say. Your senior brothers and sisters will explain the rules here to you shortly. If you have any cultivation-related questions in the future, you can also consult these two senior brothers and sisters."

On Chongxuan Mountain, after Zhouyang gave a speech to these registered disciples, he and his dao companion Xiao Ying returned to their respective caves to cultivate, leaving Zhao Ronghua, Zhou Rongxiang, and three other Zhou family junior cultivators to explain the rules to these new disciples.

The rules on Chongxuan Mountain are actually not many, you could even say they are very few. Aside from not easily descending the mountain and not ascending to the area above one thousand five hundred zhang without permission, there are no major rules.

This made Wang Yanzhang and Ye Yunshan, who were used to the free and unrestrained life of loose cultivators, breathe a sigh of relief. As for the so-called master who had only met with them once and said a few words, they developed a favorable impression.

At least in this regard, it looks like the other party won’t be the kind of person who is capricious and hard to please.

Moreover, through inquiring, they also learned what the assessment mentioned by that master entailed.

The assessment actually consists of two parts: cultivation progress and spirit plant techniques.

The cultivation part is assessed based on the progress in cultivation of twenty people over the three years. Since each person’s cultivation level at entry differs, the criteria for assessing cultivation progress are actually determined by their master, Zhouyang’s opinion.

And the spirit plant techniques part is mainly targeted at cultivators like Ye Yunshan who were admitted based on their spirit plant cultivator skills. If they can significantly improve their spirit plant cultivator techniques by one small realm, or even two, within three years, they also have a great opportunity to win the Foundation Establishment Pill reward.

This gave Wang Yanzhang a headache because his cultivation level is already at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer Great Perfection, with no room for improvement. Even in thirty years, let alone three, unless he succeeds in Foundation Establishment, his cultivation level cannot change.

So, it seems his only remaining chance is to study spirit plant cultivator techniques.

From the two senior brothers and sisters, they have learned that the Scripture Pavilion on the mountain has complete spirit plant cultivator heritages and other Hundred Skills of Cultivation, all the way up to Tier Three. This is much superior to the common goods they could buy outside.

Additionally, it’s said that the always silent master-wife is also a high-tier spirit plant cultivator. She often gives lectures and imparts spirit plant techniques to the disciples on the mountain and even answers cultivation questions.

"Big brother, don’t worry. Even if you can’t, aren’t I still here? I have quite a talent for spirit plant cultivation. Now that there is a systematic heritage and large experimental spirit fields and spiritual objects on the mountain, I can certainly elevate my spirit plant cultivator skills to Tier Two Top Grade within three years. By then, once I get the Foundation Establishment Pill, you can use it to attack the Foundation Establishment Stage again!"

Having been together for many years, seeing each other every day, Ye Yunshan quickly noticed the source of Wang Yanzhang’s worries. Then, seeking an opportunity to be alone with him, she gently comforted him.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing her words, Wang Yanzhang’s expression changed drastically, and he said angrily, "How can I do that! I, Wang Yanzhang, am not someone who would seize my sister’s opportunities!"

"These words must not be mentioned again!"

After speaking, Wang Yanzhang left abruptly without waiting for Ye Yunshan to say anything more.

Seeing this, Ye Yunshan became both angry and annoyed, and couldn’t help but curse at his departing figure, "Wang Yanzhang, you big fool, big idiot, who wants to be this big idiot’s sister? You’re unbelievably stupid!"

But Wang Yanzhang acted as if he didn’t hear and soon disappeared from her sight.

Seeing this, she stomped her foot in frustration and secretly gritted her teeth, saying, "You just wait. Once I get the Foundation Establishment Pill, I’ll have a way to make you obedient!"

After saying this, she revealed a smug expression, letting out a proud hum, "Hmph, hmph, hmph, once you use my Foundation Establishment Pill to establish a foundation, let’s see if you’ll still have the face to refuse my proposal!"

However, Ye Yunshan and Wang Yanzhang never imagined that the conversation they had in private was entirely observed by Zhouyang, who happened to extend his Divine Sense to observe the situation of the registered disciples on the mountain.

"Interesting, I didn’t expect among these disciples, there would be such an interesting pair of siblings. In the future, if there’s a chance, I should listen to their story!"

In the cave, Zhouyang retracted his Divine Sense, with a playful expression, he chuckled softly while speaking of the scene he just witnessed.

He wasn’t intentionally trying to eavesdrop on young lovers whispering. It was just that his cultivation wasn’t going smoothly, and feeling upset, he wanted to see what the newly recruited registered disciples were up to.

Speaking of which, he has been in seclusion on Chongxuan Mountain for thirteen years. Over these thirteen years, he has been focused on the arduous cultivation of the "Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique," a body refining divine technique.

With sufficient Tier Six Flood Dragon Spirit Blood for assistance, coupled with his own compatible conditions with this divine technique, his progress was actually swift. It only took him eight years to cultivate this divine technique to the Third Layer.

However, in the following five years, he clearly felt the cultivation speed of this divine technique slowing down.

What frustrated him the most was that he did not know why this was happening.

The role of the Tier Six Flood Dragon Spirit Blood hadn’t faded. Every time he practiced, he could feel the increase in the body’s strength. However, after five years, he discovered that his progress was barely one-tenth.

According to this calculation, he would need at least another forty-five years to cultivate this divine technique to the Fourth Layer.

Yet the remaining Flood Dragon Spirit Blood in his hands could only support his cultivation for another ten years at the current pace before it runs out!

The situation shouldn’t be !

Zhouyang knew that something must have gone wrong somewhere; he suspected that his cultivation method might be incorrect.

To cultivate the "Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique" to the fourth layer, the method should be different from the previous ones.

And this information has obviously been concealed and not recorded in the cultivation technique of this divine technique.

Thinking about this, Zhouyang couldn’t help but wrinkle his brow and mutter to himself, "It seems I have to temporarily stop cultivating this ’Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique.’ I can ask Elder Qingyang about this matter the next time I see him and see if he can help me find the reason."

In cultivation, blindly rushing forward is most taboo, as it not only drains time and effort but is also likely to result in nothing.

When a problem is discovered, one must temporarily stop, and continue only after finding a solution—that is the correct way to cultivate.

Zhouyang has come through the path of cultivation independently, except for when he was a Foundation Establishment junior cultivator with frequent guidance from family elders.

Therefore, he has a deep understanding of this aspect of cultivation and won’t easily wander into a dead-end.

There is a saying: East doesn’t shine, but West does.

Although the fourth layer of the "Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique" was not as easy to cultivate as expected, in these thirteen years of cultivation, Zhouyang has another great achievement: he has nurtured and elevated his life-bound magical artifact, the "Qianyang Golden Tower," to Tier Five Middle Grade.

At this moment, it’s been over a hundred years since he successfully formed the golden core, and to nurture the life-bound magical artifact to this degree in such a short time, the primary reason is that the materials used to refine this life-bound magical artifact are very high-grade.

Typically, a piece of "Nine Heavens Profound Gold" in the hands of a Tier Six Refining Grandmaster can easily be refined into a Tier Six spiritual artifact, and a high-quality one at that.

Thus, with the "Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique" cultivated to the third layer and the life-bound magical artifact elevated to Tier Five Middle Grade, although Zhouyang’s cultivation hasn’t increased, his strength has indeed grown substantially.

At this moment, he even faintly anticipates his first mission arriving soon, so he can also see how strong he truly is now.

However, in the following three years, everything was peaceful and uneventful; Zhouyang did not receive any task assignments from either the Profound Sun Immortal Sect or the Yuqing Daoist Sect. On the contrary, his cultivation partner Xiao Ying, after nearly twenty years of recuperation, finally entered closed-door cultivation to attempt a breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage.

Closed-door cultivation to attempt a breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage is a major event. For this reason, Zhouyang fully activated the mountain protection array of Chongxuan Mountain, disregarding the continual consumption of a large amount of spirit vein Spiritual Qi.

After all, besides them, two high-tier cultivators, there were no other high-tier cultivators on Chongxuan Mountain, and the consumption of Spiritual Qi by those low-tier cultivators during their cultivation was almost negligible.

In this way, even if the mountain protection array is kept activated year-round, as long as there is no attack, the consumption of spirit vein Spiritual Qi is completely within bearable limits, and it wouldn’t be a problem to sustain for ten or even twenty years.

And with the mountain protection array fully active, Zhouyang wouldn’t have to worry about Xiao Ying being disturbed during her closed-door cultivation, nor would he need to purposely guard outside her seclusion chamber.

When the mountain protection array was fully activated, the registered disciples on the mountain, including Wang Yanzhang and Ye Yunshan, were initially panicked, fearing some powerful enemy had arrived.

After learning that it was due to the kind-hearted teacher attempting a breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage, leading Master "Qingyun Wanderer" to activate the mountain protection array to safeguard her, these disciples quickly calmed down, and with loyalty and devotion, they knelt towards the direction of Xiao Ying’s closed-door cultivation cave, silently praying and wishing for the teacher to successfully form her golden core.

Though they’ve been part of the sect for a mere three years, these registered disciples have deeply remembered the kindness of the teacher during this time.

She frequently came out to teach them skills related to spirit plants and even alchemy knowledge, and she was patient in answering the disciples’ cultivation-related questions.

Even if some disciples demonstrated extreme clumsiness in learning spirit plant techniques, she wouldn’t scold them but instead encouraged them to try cultivating other skills among the hundred skills of cultivation, and promised to intercede and explain to their master on this matter.

Most importantly, the teacher often granted some precious elixirs to those particularly outstanding disciples, even though these elixirs were Tier Two Spirit Pills and were easily obtainable for her, this gesture greatly moved and gratified the registered disciples.

It must be known that in the cultivation realm, a registered disciple is merely a flattering title; in reality, for high-tier cultivators, such so-called registered disciples are akin to servant laborers, subject to arbitrary punishment and control over life—a humble existence.

The registered disciples on Chongxuan Mountain were all former loose cultivators; thus, they had a profound understanding of the cold and detached human interactions in the cultivation realm, which made them aware of how fortunate it was to encounter a good teacher like Xiao Ying, representing a chance and favorable luck.

Hence, despite being together for only three years, these individuals have already come to appreciate the kind-hearted teacher from their hearts, hoping dearly for the good fortune to befall the teacher and for her to successfully form her golden core and extend her lifespan for a millennium!

"These little ones had some conscience after all, it seems Ying’Er hasn’t cared for them in vain!"

On Chongxuan Mountain, Zhouyang looked at the disciples kneeling on the ground praying earnestly for his partner to form her core and nodded with great relief.

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