The Gathering Begins
Chu Yanqing did not come alone today; behind her were two young cultivators and one middle-aged cultivator.
Ye Jingcheng recognized all of them. The two young men were Chu Yanxuan, a famous genius from the Chu Family, and Chu Yanhao, both of whom were quite well-known in Taihang Commandery. The middle-aged cultivator was Chu Xicheng, who was also the former head of the Chu Family in Taihang Marketplace.
The group of people were also sizing up Ye Jingcheng and Ye Jingyu.
However, the most important thing is Ye Jingcheng. After all, Ye Jingcheng is not only a spiritual body, but also Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator. In terms of cultivation, he is already on par with Ye Xingliu, the head of the Ye Family.
Moreover, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Ye Jingcheng will be the next head of the Ye Family.
"Fairy Chu, you've misunderstood. I'm here today to accompany Fourth Brother." Ye Jingcheng smiled and nodded to everyone as a greeting, then looked at Chu Yanqing and gave her a helpless smile.
He knew, of course, that Chu Yanqing had been searching for him these past few days, wanting to join forces with the Ye Family to explore the secret realm.
But for Ye Jingcheng, this time he will not join forces with any Lineage; in fact, it would be better if everyone forgot about the Ye Family.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, may we go in together now?" Chu Yanqing didn't hesitate any longer and took the initiative to ask.
"Of course." Ye Jingcheng nodded. After all, the two Lineage were related by marriage and had even opened a shop together before.
Ye Jingcheng, of course, wouldn't be too ruthless.
The group of six entered Fragrant Tower together.
Inside the building, there were female cultivators specifically assigned to guide them. These female cultivators were all pretty and dressed simply, and they all seemed to be female cultivators from the Zhong Family. Their cultivation levels ranged from the mid-stage to the late-stage of Qi Refining.
Upon reaching the entrance, they were stopped by two female cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining, who asked them to show their jade invitation cards.
Each of them took out their corresponding jade invitation.
Ye Jingcheng had inquired about this jade invitation; besides needing to be Foundation Establishment cultivator, he also needed to pay three hundred Spirit Stone.
However, the Ye Family did not contribute these Spirit Stones; they were all given by his elder brother Golden Jade Hall and even Chu Yanqing.
Once inside the main hall, there is a mahogany corridor with many exquisite murals carved on it, depicting many cultivators of the Taiyi Sect. Finally, there is a large hall.
The hall was divided into four rows of seats facing each other, with nearly two hundred chairs.
On the main table, there was a large incense burner, from which burned a delicate sandalwood smoke that gave off a refreshing fragrance and even made one's mind clearer.
"What a grand gesture." As Alchemist Ye Jingcheng naturally recognized the sandalwood, which was Azure Sky Jade Sandalwood produced in Azure Sky Valley of Taiqing Commandery.
It belongs to the second-tier low-grade sandalwood, and is said to have the effects of refreshing the mind and bringing enlightenment.
Of course, the former is true and useful even for second-tier Alchemist, while the latter relies on chance.
At least Ye Jingcheng rarely hears of anyone attaining enlightenment under the Azure Sky Jade Sandalwood.
The hall was already mostly filled with cultivators. Ye Jingcheng walked directly to a seat towards the back. Chu Yanqing hesitated for a moment, but after a moment's hesitation, she walked over to Ye Jingcheng and sat down next to him.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, there's no need for you to accommodate us," Ye Jingcheng said.
He glanced at them and saw that the cultivators in charge this time were from Taiyi Purple Peak, which happened to be the peak from which the Chu Family offered tribute and pledged allegiance.
Not to mention that Chu Yanqing's aunt married the Mingyuan.
"Fellow Daoist Ye is joking. In this Taichang Market, how could it be our Chu Family's turn?" Chu Yanqing also spoke up.
Ye Jingcheng didn't reply, he just nodded, which was a simple response.
His gaze fell on a square-faced cultivator beside him, who was staring at him.
She turned her head away only after she saw him looking at her.
Ye Jingcheng was surprised; it seemed he hadn't even set his sights on the latter, yet the latter had already set its sights on him.
This cultivator looked somewhat like Mo Hongyuan, and was none other than Mo Hongwen, the current head of the Mo Family and the last Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The latter was currently very close to the Xu Family, and the group was exchanging nods and whispers, seemingly having a very lively conversation.
Ye Jingcheng wasn't surprised that Mo Hongwen would cause him trouble, but with the Xu Family's encouragement, his expression became subtle.
Moreover, he discovered that there were quite a few Foundation Establishment from the Xu Family. As an established Purple Mansion, the Xu family had a considerable number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, which was something he had anticipated.
But this time, the Xu Family sent a total of seven people.
After looking around, Ye Jingcheng also saw Golden Jade Hall and his elder brother, but the latter two were positioned slightly higher up.
Ye Jingcheng exchanged a few glances with the other party, smiled, and sent a greeting Divine Sense before closing his eyes and waiting for the conference to begin.
As time passed, the sandalwood incense on the octagonal table burned down to almost nothing, and was replaced with new Azure Sky Jade Sandalwood. The hall was now about 70% full.
This is enough to show that there are quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Taiyi Three Prefectures.
Keep in mind that most of the cultivators here are from Lineage; there aren't many from sects. If you include those who are hidden or those who have reached the Foundation Establishment, there are probably seven or eight hundred.
Ye Jingcheng couldn't help but think of the most powerful Qin Kingdom in the cultivation world, and wonder what a magnificent scene it must be.
In the Great Yu Eastern Region, there are eight cultivation kingdoms: Qin, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Qi, Yan, Han, and Jin. Each cultivation kingdom has an extremely large territory. The Yan Kingdom is considered relatively small among them, but it still stretches for tens of millions of miles.
Each cultivation kingdom is divided into prefectures and counties.
Each prefecture within the light is no smaller than the small kingdoms of the previous life. In particular, Taichang Commandery is comparable to six or seven Taihang Commandery, while Taiqing Commandery is the size of two or three Taihang Commandery.
It is said that the Yanqing Commandery of the Green River Sect is twice the size of the Taichang Commandery, and the entire territory of the Green River Sect is also twice the size of the Taiyi Sect territory.
The Yan Kingdom is the most inland, and there are rumors that the Green River of the Green River Sect can lead directly to the Eastern Sea. However, the Green River is too winding, so if you want to go to the Eastern Sea, it is better to just fly along the east side.
Ye Jingcheng couldn't help but think of the Azure Cloud Sea Region. His Uncle Xingyu had gone to the Azure Cloud Sea Region, and judging by the timeline, he estimated that they had completely taken control of the Mo Family's territory.
"Alright, everyone's almost here. I am Yu Tianhe, the seventh disciple of Miaofa True Person. I am honored by the sect's favor, and I thank you all for gracing us with your presence. I will be hosting today's Foundation Establishment Ceremony." Just then, a young man in brocade robes sitting at the head of the table spoke up.
Upon hearing this, everyone became much more serious.
Being accepted as a disciple by True Person means that one has at least a 90% chance of breaking through to the Purple Mansion. Such a cultivator either has a unique Spirit Root or a dual Spirit Root of extremely high quality, and must also be proficient in a certain aspect.
Therefore, even members of Golden Core Lineage are unwilling to offend Yu Tianhe.
"This conference is divided into two parts. The first part is the auction of Law Artifact from the Yongan Zhang Family, which can be considered as contributing a treasure to everyone's future expansion. The second part is your transactions. We Foundation Establishment cultivators usually cultivate more than we have free time, so it's a rare opportunity for us to gather here and each get what we need!"