Xia Shanyang's visit

[In the tenth year, the earth suddenly shook and the heavens trembled in the distance. You went to ask Xia Shanyang what had happened.

His face ashen, he told you that the Ancestor of the Yin Corpse Sect had awakened and overrun the Setting Sun Sect.

The fate of the sect master and the elders remained unknown.

You suddenly realized that Red Glow Town was no longer safe and prepared to flee with your family.]

[In the fifteenth year, the Yin Corpse Sect had overrun several righteous sects in just five short years.

You moved from place to place with your family, but could not find anywhere to cultivate in peace.

Fortunately, you had already completed Foundation Establishment by then and had some ability to protect yourself.]

[In the eighteenth year, a demonic cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm ambushed you while you were out gathering medicinal herbs.

Dragging your gravely wounded body through the fight, you battled him for an entire day, but ultimately proved no match for him and died.]

Xu Changxing looked at the words in his sea of consciousness and murmured:

"I lived quite a long time this round, but why didn't I manage to get Xia Shanyang's recommendation?

"Where exactly did things go wrong? Could it be..."

Before he had much time to think, the results of this simulation appeared in his sea of consciousness.

[Simulation ended]

[Evaluation: You completed Foundation Establishment again, proving that it is no longer much of an obstacle for you.]

[Based on the simulation results, you may choose one of the following rewards]

[1. Watch footage of your simulated life from a first-person perspective]

[2. Cultivation at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement]

[3. The mortal martial art "Shadowless Spear"]

"What do you mean, Foundation Establishment again? I'm still at the Seventh Qi Refining Level, you know!"

Xu Changxing still found it hard to let go of the fact that he could not fully inherit his cultivation from the simulation.

After grumbling about it, he began considering the rewards.

He dismissed the third reward outright.

Mortal martial arts were of negligible use to him and were not worth buying for sixty-four low-grade spirit stones.

Only the first two options were of any value to him.

He could not quite understand why he had failed to obtain Xia Shanyang's recommendation this time.

If he chose the first option, he might discover a few telltale clues in Xia Shanyang's expression.

But after hesitating for a moment, he ultimately abandoned the idea.

He had already more or less guessed the reason from the written account.

The only difference between this simulation and the previous ones was that he had sold the Spirit-Gathering Pills for spirit stones.

Aside from that, he had made no choices that differed from those in the simulations.

Assuming the simulation results were all accurate, the problem most likely lay with that bottle of Spirit-Gathering Pills.

Xu Changxing had already begun to suspect that the shopkeeper of the Spirit Pill Pavilion in Red Sparrow Town had discovered something about that bottle of Spirit-Gathering Pills.

Since that was the case, there was no need to watch the replay.

That part had not been included in the replay anyway.

Having reached this conclusion, Xu Changxing said in a low voice, "I choose 2."

As his words fell, the familiar warm current appeared in his dantian once more.

Circulating again and again, the warm current rapidly expanded his dantian to its limit.

The Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement!

Xu Changxing could clearly feel that the spiritual energy in his dantian had become considerably more condensed.

Every movement he made seemed to stir the flow of spiritual energy.

At this stage, he could already begin preparing for Foundation Establishment.

For Xu Changxing, however, the most urgent matter was not Foundation Establishment, but obtaining Xia Shanyang's recommendation.

In the last simulation, he had once again experienced the hardships of being a rogue cultivator.

Without a sect's support, it had actually taken him over a decade to cultivate from the Seventh Qi Refining Level all the way to Foundation Establishment.

And that was despite already possessing a third-grade wood spiritual root.

Although the Setting Sun Sect would most likely be destroyed ten years later, it could still provide him with protection and ample cultivation resources before then.

Thus, this did not change his desire to join the sect.

The only question now was how to obtain a recommendation letter from Xia Shanyang.

Over the next few days, Xu Changxing rehearsed how to explain his origins to Xia Shanyang every day.

While planning how to deal with Xia Shanyang, he also continued familiarizing himself with his dramatically increased cultivation.

In addition, he drew several talismans.

Although Xu Changxing was already a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, he still could not conjure spells at will like a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

If a fight broke out, talismans remained a vital means of both attack and defense for him.

Amid his tense preparations, several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Early on the ninth morning, someone knocked on his courtyard gate, just as he had expected.

Xu Changxing opened the gate and found that the visitor was indeed a young man with a jade-like complexion.

In his previous simulations, he had crossed paths with Xia Shanyang almost every time.

But this was their first actual meeting.

Xia Shanyang did not look particularly old, yet he gave off a remarkably steady air.

With a suitably curious expression, Xu Changxing asked, "Who might you be looking for, brother?"

Xia Shanyang cupped his hands. "I am Xia Shanyang, an Outer Sect disciple of the Setting Sun Sect. The sect has assigned me to maintain peace in Red Sun Town.

"I recently heard that a cultivator of distinguished bearing had arrived here, so I took the liberty of paying a visit."

Xu Changxing smiled. "So you're Deacon Xia. Please come in!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he invited Xia Shanyang into the room.

Rather than immediately asking why he had come, he took out the tea set he had prepared earlier and brewed Xia Shanyang a cup of plain tea, following the proper tea-serving procedure.

Although Xu Changxing had only just begun learning the art of tea, the strength of his Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement cultivation lent a certain distinction to his every movement.

Xia Shanyang took only a token sip before setting the cup on the table and saying:

"You seem to know quite a bit about the art of tea, brother."

Xu Changxing smiled and shook his head. "To be honest, Brother Xia, I only began learning the art of tea a few days ago.

"For the past dozen or so years, I've been busy cultivating and have never had the leisure to study it."

His purpose in offering Xia Shanyang tea was not to display his paltry tea-making skills, but merely to show him his calm, unhurried attitude.

Sure enough, Xia Shanyang slowed his pace as well.

He exchanged a few more pleasantries with Xu Changxing before asking:

"Brother Xu, have you come here to stay temporarily, or do you intend to settle here?"

Xu Changxing pondered briefly. "Since you're a disciple of the Setting Sun Sect, Brother Xia, I won't hide it from you.

"Over the years, I've felt the hardships of being a rogue cultivator keenly, and I wish to join the Setting Sun Sect.

"But I've heard that joining the Setting Sun Sect requires a clean background.

"I don't know how to prove my background just yet, so I could only settle here temporarily."

Xia Shanyang continued, "Is there something about your background that you find inconvenient to tell others?"

Xu Changxing sighed softly. "To be honest, Brother Xia, I grew up in Kettle Bell Town.

"As you know, that place is within the Yin Corpse Sect's territory.

"With a background like mine, how could I pass the Setting Sun Sect's scrutiny?"

Xu Changxing had already guessed that his origins had most likely been exposed because of that bottle of Spirit-Gathering Pills.

Since he could no longer conceal them, he simply chose to reveal them himself and leave Xia Shanyang with the impression that he was an honest man.

He believed that growing up in Kettle Bell Town alone would not be enough to get him rejected outright.