Early that morning, after gathering purple qi, Wang Quan took advantage of the time before the banquet began to consolidate the furnaces over his kidneys.
He cast [Parting Chaos], and furnaces invisible to the naked eye descended one after another, merging into his two kidneys.
The furnaces over his own kidneys began expanding little by little.
The process was slow, but steady.
After a thousand [Yang Qi Furnaces] merged into him, his own furnaces completely enveloped his abdomen.
After three thousand [Yang Qi Furnaces] merged into him, they enveloped all his internal organs.
After seven thousand [Yang Qi Furnaces] merged into him, the spell's power enveloped his entire chest and thighs.
When the ten-thousandth [Yang Qi Furnace] merged into him, the furnaces enveloped Wang Quan from head to toe, covering every limb and even every strand of hair.
At that moment:
Every inch of his flesh, every strand of his hair, began slowly improving.
He used his own kidneys to empower the spell and found that the improvement was slow-so slight it could be called imperceptible.
When he tried connecting an additional hundred pairs of kidneys, he could clearly sense the improvement.
As far as he could sense, his flesh, internal organs, and even his muscles and bones were undergoing subtle changes as they grew stronger.
These changes brought him ever closer to perfection.
"It seems the Great Tomb General's greatest reliance in mastering [Yang Qi Furnace] back then was still that strange fruit!"
"What he called a strange fruit was probably what we now call a spirit herb."
"But even the cheapest spirit herb that increases yang qi costs a hundred thousand Green Beetles, and it only permanently increases the yang qi produced by one pair of kidneys."
"Not worth it!"
"External kidneys are still the most cost-effective option!"
"But renting kidneys long-term really means spending money like running water. That isn't worth it either."
Fortunately, he did not yet have a second-rank dao seal, much less a third-rank dao seal.
He would not be able to assemble the [Three Heads and Six Arms] spell anytime soon.
There was therefore no hurry to rent large numbers of kidneys to improve himself.
He decided to slowly sell some cheap kidneys first, gradually increasing the changes [Yang Qi Furnace] wrought on his body.
The kidneys used for [Yang Qi Furnace] required no maintenance. As long as no one deliberately damaged them, they could be used indefinitely, allowing small amounts to accumulate into something substantial.
Buying kidneys was therefore the best option.
As he pondered, he contacted the Round-Faced Daoist Nun. "Senior Sister, I've got the spell sorted out!"
"I won't be renting the kidneys anymore!"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun quickly replied, "All right!"
"I'll arrange for a spirit monster to collect them!"
"By the way, is your Seven Maidens Mountain holding a big banquet?"
Wang Quan frowned and nodded. "It's Qian Xiuyue and the others' Seven Maidens Mountain that's holding the banquet. It has nothing to do with me!"
"I only came to help!"
"Oh!" said the Round-Faced Daoist Nun.
"Never mind, then!"
"I was going to ask you to help see whether you could arrange for some people to join the Seven Maidens Mountain Manor!"
An idea stirred in Wang Quan's mind. "Arrange for people to join the Manor?"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun said, "I come from an immortality-seeking Lineage in the Land of Seeking Immortality. A lot of the younger generation in my household have nothing to do these days, so they've come begging me to arrange positions for them."
"But... where am I supposed to find that many positions around here?"
Wang Quan immediately understood what the Round-Faced Daoist Nun meant, then smiled. "When I see Qian Xiuyue, I'll ask for you."
"Whether it works out will depend on her decision!"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun was delighted. "My dear little brother, you really do care about your big sister!"
"Whether this works out or not, I'll take you to have some fun with Fairy Qin's true body. Mm... when the time comes, I'll give you a push and lend you a helping hand!"
Wang Quan...
Before long, the Red-Crowned Crane arrived, then left again, waving its wings and taking ten thousand pairs of kidneys with it.
By then, Seven Maidens Mountain was beginning to bustle:
Some cultivators arrived on clouds, while others descended on hurricanes, flames, great ships, broomsticks, and even gourds, washbasins, banana leaves, flower baskets, and the like.
As soon as these cultivators landed, Qian Xiuyue and the others hurried forward to welcome them and arrange seats in the highest tier.
Many spirit monsters arrived scrubbed clean, carrying fine wines and sumptuous dishes.
A little later, more cultivators arrived riding red-crowned cranes, parrots, butterflies, crows, and other flying creatures.
Among the many cultivators, Wang Quan spotted Zhao Hongyi riding a red-crowned crane, along with Wu Yong and some other familiar faces.
He did not go over to greet them.
There was no need.
Especially Wu Yong-he had grown quite displeased with the man.
After Zhao Hongyi and the others landed, spirit monsters led their spirit-monster mounts away to the banquet tables outside the Manor.
Qian Xiuyue and the others were generous, having prepared fine wines and sumptuous dishes for these spirit-monster mounts as well.
This treatment delighted the mounts so much that they shook their heads and wagged their tails, repeatedly praising their hosts' generosity.
A little later, Qian Xiuyue and the others seated Zhao Hongyi's group in the middle tier.
Wang Quan noticed that those riding spirit-monster mounts were afforded less prestige than the cultivators who had arrived riding clouds and mist.
As noon approached, more and more cultivators arrived.
Those who arrived late, however, were given somewhat inferior seats.
Even so, these cultivators were delighted.
After all, they were weak, and their relationship with the Star Alliance was nothing special.
Being invited at all was enough to satisfy them. They dared not ask for more.
Wang Quan watched silently from a corner:
He saw cultivators pluck down blazing suns and turn them into muscular men, smear their bodies with rose oil, honey, and similar substances, then set them singing and dancing.
Some cultivators cast off all restraint, laughing and playing with these men.
Some cultivators pointed at wine jars, turning them into potbellied men and women who poured wine for the guests.
Others wielded their brushes and splashed ink, painting beauties, peacocks, and strange flying creatures that soared through the sky.
Still others scattered wine, transforming it into palace maidens who danced gracefully, their fragrance enchanting.
Some cultivators plucked pipas, their musical notes turning into tiny sprites that chirped and chattered, making quite a lively scene.
There were fine wines brewed from spirit fruits, sumptuous dishes simmered from spirit herbs, and cattle and sheep spirit monsters roasted golden brown; dog, donkey, and other spirit monsters cut off their own penises to make virility soup.
Bee spirit monsters also cooked honey on the spot and mixed honey water, either smearing it over guests or pouring it into certain spirit monsters to make them smoother.
Softshell turtle and rooster spirit monsters, having bathed, changed, and fasted for several days, now sliced open their chests and shed their feathers, performed three and a half rotations in midair, and leaped straight into a great pot, presenting the cultivators with Farewell My Concubine.
A cultivator clapped in praise. "Such a smooth entry into the water! What a fine Farewell My Concubine!"
Beautiful young men and women who practiced martial arts moved among the tables, doing everything they could to please every cultivator.
Even Wang Quan, standing in a corner, found himself surrounded by two beautiful youths, a boy and a girl, who spoke softly and begged him to enslave them.
The sight left Wang Quan dazed.
In his daze, he recalled the banquet scenes Zhao Hongyi, Qian Xiuyue, Wu Yong, and the others had described back then.
"This is far more interesting than the weddings and funerals the Officiant Daoist Nun and the others arrange!"
"But how much must all this cost?"
"The Star Alliance behind Qian Xiuyue really does seem rich!"
Just then, a cultivator approached. "Wang Quan? What are you doing here?"
Wang Quan looked closely and saw that it was Wu Yong.
He nodded calmly. "Mm. Qian Xiuyue invited me!"
Wu Yong paused, then chuckled. "Xiuyue hasn't handled this properly. Since she invited you, why didn't she arrange a seat for you? Could she disdain your meager dharma power and expect you to eat outside the courtyard?"
Outside the courtyard was where the spirit-monster mounts were dining.
Wang Quan did not grow angry at these words. Instead, he gave Wu Yong a long look. "She arranged a seat for me long ago. I just want some peace and quiet right now."
Wu Yong glanced at the noisy lower-tier seating nearby and laughed heartily. "That's good, then. Otherwise, I'd have to give her a talking-to."
"Come on, let's go to our table first."
"Although our seats aren't in the upper tier, they're in the very front row of the middle tier. They're certainly better than the lower-tier seats."
"As it happens, I have something to discuss with you. We can talk while we eat!"
Wang Quan shook his head. "No, thanks!"
"Whatever it is, we can discuss it after the banquet."
"This is my first time attending a banquet like this."
"I want to enjoy it properly!"
Before you continue