Exposed Cultivation
"What kind of logic is this?" Yue Qianchou frowned and said, "We are all disciples of Fu Xian Island, so why is the Cultivation Pavilion in charge of such matters? It's too biased of the sect to do this!"
His voice rose a little as he spoke. It wasn't that he was excited; he simply desperately wanted this chance to leave the island. With the name of Fu Xian Island, he was confident that his encounter with the Qingguang Sect would be smooth sailing. Even if they recognized him as the same Yue Qianchou, so what? As long as he could see Qu Ping'er and fulfill his promise, he could simply deny it later. He refused to believe that the Qingguang Sect would dare to detain a Fu Xian Island disciple. Besides, could they even hold him captive?
As for what trouble might arise afterward, that's a matter for later. The time spent apart from Qu Ping'er has been too long. On the surface, I seem to be doing quite well, but who knows what's really going on? I can't eat or sleep well. I want to proceed according to my plan step by step, but this time is too agonizing. Who knows how long it will take?
"Keep your voice down. How dare you say such things?" Yang Qian dragged him to a secluded spot outside the hall. Slightly annoyed, he said, "Who said the sect is biased? The disciples sent out represent the face of Fu Xian Island. They could encounter unexpected events at any time, which is why we select the most elite disciples of the same cultivation level from the Cultivation Pavilion. How can you say the sect is biased?"
"Don't other branches have elite disciples? Why must we choose from the Cultivation Pavilion?" Yue Qianchou was a little anxious and spoke rather directly.
Yang Qian was indeed a bit angry. How dare a Foundation Establishment Realm disciple speak to him in such a tone? Then, thinking of the two senior elders standing behind him, he calmed himself down and earnestly said, "You've been on Fu Xian Island for quite some time now. You need to distinguish between primary and secondary matters. What is primary? The Cultivation Pavilion is the foundation of the entire Fu Xian Island. All the past sect leaders have been senior elders of the Cultivation Pavilion, so the Cultivation Pavilion is primary. The existence of the other branches is to cooperate with the Cultivation Pavilion, so that is secondary."
Seeing that Yue Qianchou still had a sullen face, he explained again, "This trip to the Cultivation Alliance is different from usual. It involves working with other sects for an extended period. To put it bluntly, those who go are related to the reputation of our Fu Xian Island's number one sect. Only the elite disciples of each cultivation period can go. The sect has decided that, in addition to appointing an elder of the Cultivation Pavilion to take charge, a competition will be held in the Cultivation Pavilion in three days to select five Nascent Soul Realm disciples and ten Core Formation stage disciples. Foundation Establishment Realm are not included in this trip."
His last words were undoubtedly telling Yue Qianchou, "You're still only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, so don't get your hopes up." Yue Qianchou frowned and asked, "How is the selection process conducted? Does the sect stipulate that only disciples of the Cultivation Pavilion can participate in the selection?"
"No, that's not the case. Any disciple who has reached the Nascent Soul or Core Formation stage can participate in the competition. The top five winners from the Nascent Soul Realm and the top ten winners from the Core Formation stage will be selected. However, according to tradition, other sects will not participate, and in fact, they don't need to. You can imagine the result: on one side are disciples who are burdened with miscellaneous matters and have little time to cultivate, and on the other side are disciples who put all their energy into cultivation. Among disciples of the same level, how many are a match for the Cultivation Pavilion, which is full of experts?"
Yue Qianchou asked happily, "Deacon Yang, where do I register if I want to participate?"
Seeing that this guy was still not giving up, Yang Qian said with a slightly displeased expression, "What? You just ignored what I said? Didn't you hear me say that Foundation Establishment Realm disciples can't participate?"
"Who says I'm still Foundation Establishment Realm disciple?" Yue Qianchou laughed, extending a palm. A wisp of smoke rose from his palm, instantly condensing into three twin lotus blossoms, swaying lifelike in the wind. Two lotuses were in full bloom, while the other was still a bud, yet it clearly told the other party that his cultivation had reached the early stage of Core Formation.
"Early stage of Core Formation..." Yang Qian stared in disbelief, his mouth agape. If he remembered correctly, when Yue Qianchou first came to Fu Xian Island, he was only at the Level Ten Qi Refining. Now, only six or seven years later, he had already reached the early stage of Core Formation. How could this be? But the fact was right before his eyes. Without such cultivation, it would be impossible to form three lifelike twin lotus flowers by releasing one's primordial energy.
Yang Qian's Adam's apple bobbed. It had taken him over fifty years to reach the early stage of Core Formation, which was still considered quite good. After a long silence, he said woodenly, "Core Formation stage disciples can register for the competition at the Miscellaneous Hall of the Penglai Pavilion!" Suddenly, as if remembering something, he changed the subject and said, "Wait for me here, don't go anywhere." Then he disappeared without a trace.
Yue Qianchou was taken aback, unsure of what he was up to. After waiting for a while, he saw Yang Qian leading Guan Wei Wu hurriedly towards them, and inwardly groaned in pain, "Damn it! It seems I have to bleed a little this time, otherwise I really can't fool them!"
Guan Wei Wu walked up to him and asked directly with a serious expression, "You've really reached the early stage of Core Formation? What exactly happened? You should know this is no small matter."
Yue Qianchou bowed deeply and said, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you, Master. I have something I want to say to you alone, and I'd also like to show you something in your Alchemy Chamber."
"You want to go to my Alchemy Chamber?" Guan Wei Wu glanced at his favorite disciple with a flickering gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Come with me!"
Yue Qianchou obediently followed his master to the private Alchemy Chamber of the chief elder at the bottom of the Alchemy Pavilion. Yang Qian knew that the master and disciple had something to say privately, so he wisely didn't follow. Guan Wei Wu turned around and said, "It's just the two of us here. Say what you want to say!"
Yue Qianchou said sheepishly, "This disciple deserves to die. I shouldn't have hidden it from Master. In fact, I had already developed a better method for refining 'Origin Qi Pill,' but I was blinded by greed and secretly refined a lot for myself. That's why I was able to forcibly raise my cultivation to the Core Formation stage within a few years." His voice grew softer and softer, as if he had committed a terrible mistake.
"What?" Guan Wei Wu exclaimed in surprise, "Are you telling the truth?" His face then lit up with delight, and he rubbed his hands together anxiously, lamenting, "Why didn't you say so sooner! Oh! Why didn't you say so sooner..."
"Damn it! If it weren't for this competition, and considering the limited production of spiritual herbs in Myriad Fragrance Garden, I would never have said a word." Yue Qianchou muttered to himself before explaining, "Actually, I've wanted to tell you, Master, for a long time, but I was in the wrong first and didn't dare to speak up. This time, I heard there was a competition at the Cultivation Pavilion, but not a single person from my Alchemy Pavilion participated. I really couldn't swallow this insult and wanted to compete with other disciples of the same level from the Cultivation Pavilion to prove myself, so I spoke up. I beg you, Master, to see my sincerity and help me out of this predicament. I promise I will never do it again."
"Let's put that aside for now. Do you have any spiritual herbs for refining Origin Qi Pill? Refine a batch and let me see." Guan Wei Wu pointed to a pile of spiritual herbs beside him, looking very eager.
Yue Qianchou shook his head and smiled bitterly, "This competition of the Cultivation Pavilion requires a cultivation level of Core Formation stage or above to participate, so I revealed my cultivation level. I was worried about what the consequences would be if word got out that I was refining pills for myself. At this moment, I am in a state of confusion and have no mind to refine pills."
Guan Wei Wu was taken aback, then shouted, "Who dares to say you did this on your own? Whoever dares to say that, tell them to come to me. I arranged all of this. What are you worried about?" He then chuckled and said, "Good apprentice, come, first refine a batch for your master to see. Your master will take care of everything else. You don't need to worry."
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