There were rules in the Market.
No cultivator was allowed to fight in the Market, and flying on a sword was strictly forbidden.
Of course, there were exceptions to every rule.
The sword's ringing stopped abruptly.
Lu Zhengying, dressed in the purple Dao Robe of a Qingyun Sect Inner Disciple, put away his flying sword and sauntered in.
After offering incense, he glanced at the four people kneeling beside the mourning spirit and nodded in greeting.
"You're all here!"
Then he turned to Wang Fugui.
"Did you send a message to the County Princess?"
"I did."
"After the County Princess established her Dao Foundation seven years ago, she went into seclusion to cultivate and stabilize her realm. I wonder if she'll have time to come!"
Lu Zhengying swept his gaze over the four of them once more.
His eyes settled on Shen Xuan.
"Huh, Shen Xuan, you've reached Qi Refining Level 4?"
Shen Xuan replied respectfully, "To answer the Young Marquis, Shen was fortunate enough to break through after taking a Spirit Burst Pill four years ago."
"Not bad!" Lu Zhengying suddenly smiled.
"We've all embarked on the Cultivation Path, so let's stop using worldly forms of address. We can call each other fellow Daoists."
"Fellow Daoist Lü is right." Shen Xuan readily agreed.
Yet he couldn't help feeling that Lu Zhengying was deliberately distancing himself from them.
He hadn't even changed out of his Sackcloth Clothes; he was still dressed in fine silks.
Thinking about it, that made sense.
In Lu Zhengying's eyes, Master Yan was no more than a cultivator who had been asked by the marquis to introduce them to the Cultivation Path.
Without Master Yan, Lu Zhengying, with his Mid-grade Spirit Root, could still have embarked on the Cultivation Path.
Unlike Shen Xuan and the others.
They had all come from commoner backgrounds.
Without Master Yan discovering them, they might have spent their whole lives muddling through in the mortal world.
He had probably come to pay his respects to Master Yan only for Princess Xinyue's sake.
If Princess Xinyue came and he didn't, he would miss the chance to curry favor with her.
She was a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator!
Lu Zhengying, at Qi Refining Perfection, was over sixty, and his vitality was in decline.
If he hoped to establish his Dao Foundation, he would need Princess Xinyue's help and support.
Lu Zhengying sat down nearby and closed his eyes to rest.
At the hour of the rabbit, dawn began to break.
A ray of sunlight slipped gently into the Mourning Hall from outside.
Lu Zhengying opened his eyes, his face full of irritation.
Just then—
"Fellow classmates, Qin Yuehan is late. I'm sorry!"
A clear, lilting voice rang out, like a silver bell.
Her voice was cool, yet carried an air of nobility that commanded respect.
Everyone looked toward her instinctively.
A female cultivator, as radiant as a peony in full bloom, stepped through the air on a glow of spiritual light, drifting toward them as lightly as water.
"Princess Xinyue, you're here! You arrived at just the right time. I only just got here myself!" Lu Zhengying hurried forward to greet her.
Qin Yuehan gave a slight nod.
After offering incense, she asked Wang Fugui, "When will the funeral procession set out?"
"At the hour of the dragon."
"Good. We'll escort our teacher on his final journey together."
No one objected to Qin Yuehan's words.
When Qin Yuehan changed into mourning clothes, Lu Zhengying hurriedly donned sackcloth and a mourning band.
At noon.
At Juxian Tower in Dragon Gate Market Town.
In the finest Heavenly Room.
Qin Yuehan, Lu Zhengying, Wang Fugui, Zhao Sujin, Shen Xuan, and Li Changan sat around the same table.
There was no seating arrangement, so Qin Yuehan naturally took the seat of honor.
Lu Zhengying and Wang Fugui sat beside her.
"Wang Fugui, switch seats with Shen Xuan."
"Ah! All right!"
Wang Fugui came to his senses and quickly traded places with Shen Xuan.
The other four couldn't help sweeping Shen Xuan with their Spiritual Senses.
Qin Yuehan was a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator.
They were all classmates; she wouldn't have switched Shen Xuan's seat for no reason.
The Cultivation World had always respected strength above all.
Unless...
Lu Zhengying scrutinized Shen Xuan again and again.
As a cultivator at Qi Refining Perfection, he soon noticed what was wrong.
Under the Spiritual Pressure of his Qi Refining Perfection cultivation, Shen Xuan remained perfectly at ease, showing not the slightest discomfort.
Hiss!
Lu Zhengying drew in a sharp breath!
That meant Shen Xuan's Cultivation Realm was definitely not Qi Refining Level 4.
Moreover, his spiritual power had to be exceptionally pure for him to withstand Lu Zhengying's Spiritual Pressure without so much as blinking.
The others realized it too.
Qin Yuehan had moved Shen Xuan beside her because his strength surpassed that of the other three.
Li Changan was one thing.
With an Inferior Spirit Root, Qi Refining Level 3 was his limit.
Wang Fugui and Zhao Sujin exchanged stunned looks.
They both had Low-grade Spiritual Roots and had reached Qi Refining Level 5.
Yet Shen Xuan could actually outmatch them both!
How was that possible?
Wang Fugui was a clever man.
He didn't ask questions. Instead, he cracked jokes and reminisced about funny incidents from their school days, poking fun at himself to liven up the atmosphere.
When they had parted ways, Qin Yuehan had been a fifteen-year-old beauty in the making.
Now she was a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator who had achieved success in her cultivation—and a Sect Elder, with a status far above theirs.
Even Lu Zhengying, arrogant as he was, watched Qin Yuehan's expression and spoke to her with a smile.
Of the six, Shen Xuan had changed the least.
Perhaps because he cultivated the Divine Treasure Canghai Technique, Shen Xuan looked no older than thirty by mortal standards. His appearance had barely changed, apart from seeming a little more mature.
Wang Fugui had grown an entire circle fatter.
Zhao Sujin had gone from a young maiden to a middle-aged woman.
Li Changan had shot up in height and grown much more sturdily built.
Lu Zhengying seemed as dashing as ever, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the white at his temples stood out.
He carefully served Qin Yuehan food and wine, keeping his own status low.
Although they had both joined the Qingyun Sect, one was an Inner Disciple and the other a Foundation Establishment Elder. The difference between them was like heaven and earth.
It was only at this banquet that he could call her "Princess Xinyue."
Once they were outside, he would have to respectfully address her as "Elder Qin."
With Wang Fugui carefully guiding the conversation, the atmosphere gradually warmed.
They traded cultivation insights and talked about the sect, the strange tales of Cultivation Families, and more...
An hour later, the banquet was drawing to a close.
Qin Yuehan suddenly took out a letter.
"This is a letter our teacher wrote to me not long ago."
At her gesture, Lu Zhengying picked it up and read aloud.
"I am now one hundred and twenty-three years old. I am old..."
In his letter, Master Yan had specifically mentioned that his proudest achievement was taking the seven of them as disciples and leading them into the Cultivation World.
Ling Zhenfeng's death had weighed heavily on his mind.
So when he learned that Qin Yuehan had established her Dao Foundation, he had written to ask her to look after her former classmates.
After Lu Zhengying finished reading, everyone fell silent.
After a long while, Qin Yuehan finally said softly, "We were all disciples under our teacher and classmates for three years. Now we're all cultivators. If you run into trouble, don't hesitate to ask. If there's anything I can do, I'll help."
"Princess Xinyue is right! Shen Xuan, Wang Fugui, Zhao Sujin, Li Changan, if you need anything, send a letter to the Qingyun Sect. If Princess Xinyue is busy, I can run errands for her!" Lu Zhengying chimed in eagerly.
Of everyone at the table, Qin Yuehan held the most esteemed status.
She had offered to look after her classmates. For the others, that was a tremendous blessing.
The favor of a Qingyun Sect Foundation Establishment Elder could fetch several spirit stones, even if pawned at a shop.
"Then should we meet here once every ten years?" Wang Fugui suggested.
Everyone looked to Qin Yuehan.
"Agreed."
Hearing Qin Yuehan accept, the other five were overjoyed.
Even Lu Zhengying felt that his trip had not been in vain.
It seems Princess Xinyue really values the bonds between classmates. Maybe she can help me gather some Foundation Establishment Spirit Materials through the sect.
At sixty-four, he had reached Qi Refining Perfection and was preparing for Foundation Establishment.
Looking after his former classmates was a small favor for him to do.
Wang Fugui and the others were equally delighted.
Now that Qin Yuehan had made her position clear, they could all bask in her reflected glory.
After the banquet ended, everyone said their goodbyes, offering wishes for each other's Dao Paths to go smoothly.
"Shen Xuan, wait a moment. I have something to ask you."
Just before they parted, Qin Yuehan suddenly called him to stay.
Before you continue