Someone Betrayed the First-Clear Spirit?!

The young man was still dazed when a sharp clap rang out, like a blow to the head, jolting several of them back to their senses.

Yi Yi smiled. "Let's stop here for today. Don't get too immersed in it. Go back and digest what you've learned, get some rest, and come find us if you have any questions later. All right, dismissed!"

With that, he was actually the first to slip away, leading his four fellow disciples straight toward an inn in town!

Liu Sanlang sighed. He wanted to say something, but a sudden headache struck, leaving him barely able to stand... Zhang Miao hurriedly reached out to support him, but her legs also went weak, and she nearly fell along with him.

Wu Ming, on the other hand, though his face showed fatigue, clearly still had strength to spare. He stepped forward and caught both Zhang Miao and Liu Sanlang, then said, "You two go back first. I still have some things to ask those people."

"...Wait." Liu Sanlang stopped Wu Ming and stuffed a bronze token into his hand. "This is the Liu Family's token for inviting several envoys. They recognize this object, not the person."

"...All right. Thank you."

Afterward, Wu Ming put away the token and followed the backs of Yi Yi and the others into the town. Yet after he had passed only a few streets and alleys, the five people ahead of him vanished in the blink of an eye.

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The next moment, Han Gang's helpless voice came from behind him.

"You brat. You knew we weren't convenient to approach, yet you still chased after us."

Wu Ming smiled. "That's precisely why I came—to see if there was anything I could help with."

"...Hah, you're only a third-stage Qi Refining little fellow. Having the thought is enough."

But Yi Yi's voice came again from not far away.

"It's fine. He's already here, so stop chasing him away. There are things we'll have to tell him sooner or later anyway. Let him in."

"Hah, now you're generous." Han Gang sneered, then reached out and placed a hand on Wu Ming's shoulder. In the next moment, Wu Ming's vision blurred, and he found himself in a gloomy underground passage.

"Follow me." After saying this, Han Gang walked ahead to lead the way. Before long, after proceeding through the winding passage, the view before them suddenly opened up. It was none other than the small courtyard at the White Jade Pavilion where Luohuang Mountain's people lived!

So Yi Yi and the others had merely not wanted anyone to notice that their condition was actually worse than the little fellows'? Was that why they had deliberately taken the long way around and returned home through the secret passage?

And this secret passage...

"We've been working on the Moli Immortal Mansion for nearly ten years. This little town is like our home, and it's only reasonable for a home to have a few secret passages, right?"

Yi Yi waited outside the passage with that familiar, amiable smile.

"Don't worry. We haven't deteriorated to the point of needing help from a little fellow like you. We've merely expended some True Essence... Don't pry into the rest. You followed us here because you had other questions, right?"

Wu Ming nodded and got straight to the point. "Today, you suddenly acted very urgently, as if you couldn't wait to accelerate the pace of our trials. Although, as the beneficiary, I should thank you first, this is completely different from what happened on the first day... Did something happen?"

Hearing this, Yi Yi clapped his hands again. "Hahaha, what a perceptive brat! You guessed right. We are deliberately accelerating the pace, because otherwise... it would be too unfortunate for you."

"All right, let's not stand here and talk. I'm also a little tired. Let's go rest in the Spirit Pool first, and talk while I regulate my breathing."

Afterward, Yi Yi led Wu Ming to an inconspicuous little tile-roofed house in the courtyard. The space inside was far more expansive than it appeared from outside. Hundreds of precious spirit jades were scattered throughout every corner of the room, woven together with golden threads, spirit vines, and other materials into an array that continuously drew extremely pure spiritual energy from the earth.

Though it was far inferior to Qingjing Lake in the Immortal Mansion, this place could likewise be considered a blessed paradise.

After they each took their seats, Yi Yi went straight to the point and raised a question.

"Wu Ming, how long do you think the cooperative relationship between us can last?"

Wu Ming pondered for a moment before answering, "If there must be a fixed term, I hope it will be three years."

"Oh?" Yi Yi was stunned. "Why three years?"

"With your long-term protection, I should be able to complete Foundation Establishment after three years."

"Hahahaha!" Yi Yi burst into laughter. "So that's the kind of three years you meant. I never expected that despite your remote origins, your aspirations would be so lofty! Completing Foundation Establishment in three years—that's an achievement comparable to the little princess's!"

The next moment, his smile faded, and Yi Yi's tone became extremely solemn.

"But clearly, you can't possibly have three years. The reasoning is simple: if relying solely on the Immortal Guiding Envoys' protection could allow someone with a seventh-grade Spirit Root to complete Foundation Establishment within three years, then why would the little princess, who possesses all the resources of Luohuang Mountain, need three years to do so?"

Wu Ming smiled. "Not necessarily. Although there are many Immortal Mansions on the Nine Provinces Continent, there are very few Qi Refining Immortal Mansions like the Moli Immortal Mansion, where people can come and go freely without restrictions. Besides, not every Immortal Mansion has something as marvelous as the Li Yao Echo, which focuses on improving cultivation. And furthermore, precisely because Fairy Si possesses the enormous resources of a first-grade immortal sect, she has plenty of more comfortable and reliable ways to complete Foundation Establishment in three years. She has no need to come to an Immortal Mansion and fight for her life."

Yi Yi was silent for a while before saying, "Everything except the last point is correct. The Moli Immortal Mansion is indeed an exceptionally special Immortal Mansion even across the entire Nine Provinces. Especially after the Li Yao Echo was discovered, cultivators could pass through the Qi Refining Stage at several times the speed... But doing so is meaningless. Do you understand?"

Wu Ming nodded. "Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment make no difference at all to a first-grade immortal sect."

Yi Yi said, "Exactly. The reason the little princess's completion of Foundation Establishment in three years became famous was that it made people certain she would eventually achieve Nascent Soul, or even Spirit Transformation. As for how many years it takes to go from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, that has never mattered to those with sufficient talent. There have been precedents of people spending half a sixty-year cycle in Qi Refining, yet ultimately achieving Spirit Transformation. So Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment are not only insignificant to immortal sects, but equally insignificant to those who truly possess a Dao Seed."

His words carried a sincere intent to persuade. Though Wu Ming did not fully agree in his heart, he did not argue.

Yet Yi Yi saw that he had other ideas and shook his head with a laugh. "Forget it, we've strayed off topic. In any case, you need to understand that an Immortal Mansion was never a place for people to cultivate. Whether it's the Li Yao Echo or Qingjing Lake, when immortals designed these things, they had other uses at their core. They were not made for later Qi Refiners to use in rushing toward Foundation Establishment. Now, people harvest Li Chen and refine the echoes, continuously benefiting from them, but they are also violating the Immortal Mansion's original purpose."

Wu Ming gradually came to understand.

To put it bluntly: turning on the accelerator meant inviting Heaven's retribution!

Sure enough, Yi Yi went on to explain. "There is a Tribulation of Lost Li in the Moli Immortal Mansion. Simply put, the longer you remain in the outer region of the Immortal Mansion, the closer the tribulation comes. Once the Tribulation of Lost Li arrives, no matter how high your cultivation or how many treasures you possess, you will lose yourself on the spot and become a Li Yao."

Hearing this, Wu Ming was instead puzzled.

"If there is such a Tribulation of Lost Li, how have the Immortal Guiding Envoys cultivated the outer region for so many years and survived the tribulation?"

Yi Yi shook his head. "We can't tell you our method, and you couldn't learn it anyway. But the normal way to deal with it is to rest. As long as you leave the Immortal Mansion and wait a year or two, the tribulation will slowly dissipate on its own. But do you remember our original agreement? We can't wait for you for a year or two. You must explore the Immortal Mansion once every three days. That is the iron law of the immortal sect, and we cannot violate it either."

Wu Ming naturally understood. Ultimately, this batch of veteran Qi Refiners sent down by Luohuang Mountain was a general technical aid program aimed at the local people of Qiongzhou, not something directed at a single household or sect. What the Liu Family had secured was priority, not a monopoly.

So although there was theoretically a way to exploit a bug—for example, passing the Liu Family token from person to person and finding a hundred passersby to take turns holding it, with each person lasting three days, allowing nearly a year of rotations and enough time for any tribulation to dissipate...

Clearly, Luohuang Mountain was not stupid. It was impossible for them to let people exploit the system so casually, and Wu Ming had no intention of slowly waiting for the cooldown either. So there was no point mentioning this method.

He could find some stupid Aristocratic Clan later and sell it to them at a high price.

"So, are you several bidding us farewell?"

Yi Yi was stunned, then laughed. "It won't be that soon. At today's pace, we can protect you for at least another ten days to half a month. Only after that will the Tribulation of Lost Li arrive."

Ten days to half a month... At today's harvesting efficiency, that could probably be converted into three or four months, perhaps even half a year, of cultivation progress. As a benefit that had fallen from the sky, it was already terrifyingly impressive!

Yet as he looked at the several Luohuang cultivators before him, their faces full of sincerity, Wu Ming naturally would not be satisfied with a mere half-year's worth of cultivation.

Besides, that was certainly not the Luohuang cultivators' true intention!

"Is there another option?"

At this, Yi Yi looked toward Han Gang, and both their eyes revealed pleased approval.

"There is one more choice: before the Tribulation of Lost Li erupts, follow the will of the Immortal Mansion and take the initiative to enter the second level. As long as you continue deeper, the Tribulation of Lost Li will not erupt. Of course, with your current cultivation, entering the second level would only broaden your horizons. You might not gain anything substantial, and the second level is perilous—a situation where survival is only one chance in nine... But our promise to save your lives three times would not become void."

At this point, Yi Yi lightly blinked, clearly hinting that if truly necessary, saving their lives might happen more than three times. Three times was the guarantee; anything beyond that was a benefit.

Yet after hearing this, Wu Ming could not help frowning. He lowered his head and sank into thought.

After quite some time, he raised his head and said decisively, "I choose the first option!"

"?"

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