Taking the Spirit Dew Again (3)

----Six months later

Ten days have passed since Jiang Qing and Yuan Jin returned to Pingrong County with the Azure Jue and Crimson Zhang Guards. Sect Leader Kang Da is still in seclusion, and the inventory of the treasury, which is being overseen by Ye Zhengwen, has not yet been completed.

However, the distribution of benefits among the various Double Brightness Alliance had already been arranged long ago. Families like the Cold Mountain Sect and Stone Mountain Sect, which held significant influence within the alliance, naturally reaped huge profits, while smaller Qi Refinement clans like the He and Lu clans also ate their fill.

The profits from the Stone Mountain Sect are enough for Bian Hu to exchange for some Foundation Establishment resources, while Xu Liuxian of the Cold Mountain Sect can also consider hiring a few reliable Rogue Cultivator to serve as retainers in the sect.

As for smaller clans like the He and Lu, their most pressing task right now is to transform their resources into a solid foundation.

However, He Degong had no need to worry. Because of his relationship with his Chongming Sect, many Foundation Establishment True Cultivator would come up to him and treat him as an equal when he traveled with his caravan.

Although the merchants from the mountains and rivers who made no capital were ruthless, after receiving the invitations from the local tyrants, they had no choice but to put on a fake smile and greet them politely.

After all, while the Ming Sect may seem like a mere Foundation Establishment sect, it has already claimed the lives of more than one fake Core Formation cultivator. Furthermore, the family heads, led by Kang Dabao, are notoriously protective of their own. Just look at the incident at Xue Lin Mountain—it's impossible to count how many lives were lost on both sides. What ordinary villain would dare provoke them?

Thus, thanks to the Six-Leaf Azure Lotus Dao Flag hanging on the lead wagon of the caravan, He Degong had become a far more imposing figure than He Household Dalang, who had traveled all over the world and made friends everywhere back then.

As a result, after several years, the identity of the head of the He Household family was once again linked with the words "a person of extravagance and prestige".

In addition, He Yuanyi, who came from the same lineage as He Degong, also became a disciple of Elder Yuan Jin of the Chongming Sect as a True Disciple.

In the past year or two, the latter has devoted himself to military strategy, and his skill in weapon crafting has been subtly surpassed by his disciple He Yuanyi, making him a true successor.

After a few years of settling in, He Yuanyi might just be promoted to the unprecedented Second Tier weapon master of the Chongming Sect.

Because of his connection with the Chongming Sect, He Yuanhe's future in the Stone Mountain Sect is becoming increasingly bright. Even the position of peak leader of Flying Snow Peak has been relinquished to him by his master Huang Ming, who has received instructions from Bian Hu.

Therefore, although the He Lineage of Hong County He Household is not very powerful, due to the above-mentioned relationships, their position in the Double Brightness Alliance is very stable, and they should not be regarded as an ordinary Qi Refinement Lineage.

In contrast, the Caishi Lu Household was far inferior.

Lu Yunniang, this old woman, did not have a deep relationship with the cultivators of the Chongming Sect. At most, she only gained some favor because the Lu Household had never chosen the wrong side in the past.

This relationship, while rare compared to the later-emerging Ma Household and Shan Household, is far less significant than the almost inseparable bond between the He Household and Chongming Sect.

The Lu family of Caishi has not produced a single Foundation Establishment cultivator to date. They have only found a rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator to be their son-in-law to embellish their reputation. Although there are a handful of elite members in the clan who have joined the Chongming Sect, none of them have been able to achieve true mastery like He Yuanyi.

She couldn't offer even a single noteworthy achievement, yet she secured a place in the increasingly powerful Double Brightness Alliance. How could Lu Yunniang not feel uneasy?

The old woman had recently received reliable information that since the battle to open up the land, many families had been extremely coveting the Caishi Lu Household. Kang Dabao had been in seclusion for a long time and could not be disturbed, but Yuan Jin, who was temporarily in charge of various affairs, had received a lot of slanderous remarks, which could be described as aggressive.

The most outrageous behavior among them was that of the Rainbow Mountain Yang Household, who performed exceptionally well in this battle. Although the family head, Yang Xun, was only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, he always bravely took the lead in every battle.

In just two or three years, his personal merit records alone contained twelve Second Tier -tier Demon Beast, which was more than the entire Lu Household combined.

Objectively speaking, if he wants to squeeze out the Lu Household and gain a place in the Double Brightness Alliance, the resistance will certainly be considerable. However, as long as he is willing to offer enough benefits to persuade the various families, it is not impossible to make this happen.

Fortunately, Yuan Jin was a man of old friendships. He knew that the Lu Household was an old family that had grown alongside the Chongming Sect. In other words, like the Hemu Dao, the Lu family was Chongming Sect the Chongming Sect was putting on display for the outside world.

If the Lu Household are incompetent and fall apart due to internal strife, that's one thing. But if Lu Household are truly abandoned, then it would be akin to discarding a used tool after it has served its purpose.

When that time comes, the reputation of Sect Leader Kang Da, which had only slightly improved in recent years due to his victory over Funeng, will likely be restored along with the added label of "treating meritorious officials poorly," and his reputation for "bullying women" will also make a comeback.

Even though Yuan Jin did not agree to the marriage, Lu Yunniang was still relieved and started thinking about the marriage alliance again.

Back then, she couldn't even get close to an elder like Zhou Yixiu, so she's even less likely to have such thoughts now.

The True Cultivator of the Chongming Sect are very protective of their disciples' True Disciple. Not only are they all Yixin to help them achieve True Cultivator, but even if they were to agree to a marriage alliance, it would be difficult to choose a family like the Lu Household.

Since there were many inner disciple and the old woman didn't consider them valuable, she could only target the senior disciples of the Chongming Sect.

---- Chongming Sect, Council Hall

"You mean, Lu Yunniang is going to marry Lu Household girl to Junior Brother Niu and Junior Brother Sun?" Yuan Jin was slightly surprised when Kang Rongquan came to deliver this news, because although Niu Kuang and Sun Fu were his junior brothers, they were much older than Sect Leader Kang Da. Sun Fu was slightly older, was probably already over a hundred years old. Lu Yunniang...

Kang Rongquan, as a junior, also showed a hint of embarrassment. However, since Pei Yi's passing and Ye Yaoling's injuries had not yet healed, he was the only one in Martial Uncle Li's lineage who could truly stand on the pedestal within the Chongming Sect.

Hearing Yuan Jin's question with a doubt, Kang Rongquan respectfully replied, "Although the two senior uncles have concubines, the position of principal wife is still vacant. Moreover, the Lu Household's sincerity is quite evident, so it is settled."

"Oh," Yuan Jin thought. Although he couldn't match the worldly wisdom of Sect Leader Kang Da, he could still easily understand the unspoken meaning. He thought to himself, "What sincerity? They must have prepared a lot of dowry. Oh well, it's a good thing. These two junior brothers are truly blessed. The blood they shed for the sect back then wasn't shed in vain. Their hardships have finally paid off."

After considering the matter, Yuan Jin was quite decisive, nodding and saying, "Such a good match, how could we refuse? Have your two junior brothers told you whether they intend to enter the Lu Household for cultivation from now on, or simply welcome their new bride and remain in the sect?"

Kang Rongquan stated directly, "Your two senior uncles originally intended to find a spiritual land in Cold Crow Mountain in three to five years to live out their remaining years in peace. However, due to the Lu Household, they wish to make the trip sooner."

Yuan Jin thought for a while and agreed. With the Lu Household's dowry as a safety net, his two junior brothers would have a much easier time starting their own families. He then discussed with Ye Zhengwen, who was standing beside him, "What does Senior Brother Ye mean?"

The latter, having already prepared his speech in his mind after hearing Kang Rongquan's words, spoke without hesitation, "Then allocate another hundred Spirit Stone, one hundred shi of spirit grain, and one hundred spirit trees from the treasury, and relocate ten thousand nameless strong men and women from Chongming City, so that my two junior brothers can take them with them."

"Yes, Senior Brother Ye is indeed very thoughtful." Yuan Jin readily agreed. After Kang Rongquan bowed in thanks and left the hall, he spoke to Ye Zhengwen:

"Not to mention the Lu Household's former disciples, quite a few of our disciples have now formed marriage alliances with families in Cold Crow Mountain and Pingjin Jin County. Some of the less fortunate families are looking for long-established outer disciples, while others of slightly better-off families are looking for young inner disciples."

If we hadn't always been so careful in protecting our True Disciple skills, we probably wouldn't have been able to save them all. I've already had the Internal Affairs Hall send back many people's marriage proposals. But, Senior Brother Ye, won't this lead to trouble if this continues?"

"What you say, junior brother, is certainly not unfounded worry, but this matter is not necessarily all bad." Ye Zhengwen pondered for a while before continuing, "In the future, there will certainly be factionalism within the sect, but the sect leader seeks purity, and most of the disciples in the sect come from poor families, so their Lineage can hardly provide them with any assistance."

Therefore, it is understandable that they thought of using the power of their wives' families to obtain some resources so that they could advance further in their sect.

Furthermore, while it is true that our Chongming Sect treats all families with a combination of kindness and severity, adding a layer of "closeness" on top of that might make them even closer to our sect.

Yuan Jin carefully considered Ye Zhengwen's words, and after a short while, he sincerely said, "Senior Brother Ye is indeed farsighted and insightful. I almost couldn't understand this principle. However, everything in excess is as bad as deficiency. Even if this matter is not entirely a bad thing, we cannot just let it go like this."

In my junior brother's opinion, it seems necessary to establish a rule that only disciples who have made meritorious contributions or retired due to injury, and who wish to form marriage alliances with the various families of Cold Crow Mountain, can do so.

Ye Zhengwen's eyes lit up, feeling that this idea was truly excellent. He was also amazed by Yuan Jin's growth, considering that just a few years ago, the latter probably wouldn't have been able to grasp the profound meaning behind it.

Thinking of this, Ye Zhengwen smiled slightly, "Rules must be established, but they shouldn't be rigidly set in stone."

Yuan Jin nodded in agreement, "Of course. Junior Brother, go back and make some arrangements first, and then we'll examine it with him after Senior Brother comes out of seclusion."

---- Jade Toad cave abode

The Sect Leader Kang Da, who had only recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage by taking elixirs, has spent most of the past few years in seclusion.

Logically speaking, he had taken a step that forced growth, but the spiritual power within his body was far from being weak compared to others of the same level; on the contrary, it was extremely solid.

Besides his solid foundation, the reason for this was that the Core Fire that Lord Yin Shan had passed on to him before his death and which he had nurtured in the Jade Leaf Lotus Platform in his Dantian had been intermittently tempering the spiritual power of the Sect Leader Kang Da, and it had indeed made a great contribution.

Without the power of this wisp of Core Fire, even if Sect Leader Kang Da were to break through his cultivation in a single day, it would still take him several years and a great deal of resources to rebuild his foundation.

Although he didn't need to solidify his cultivation, it wasn't easy for him to gather Qi and make progress in the short term. Therefore, Kang Dabao spent most of the past few years cultivating various Daoist techniques.

Although Sect Leader Kang Da is not considered old among his peers, his skills are certainly not lacking.

Needless to say, Kang Dabao's ability to use the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes was seventy percent due to his skill in defeating Funeng, the ancestral Kang Dabao of Esoteric Buddhism.

Furthermore, Kang Dabao's ability to cultivate a Zhou Grade pupil technique to perfection while only at the Foundation Establishment stage is not much inferior to Jiang Qing's cultivation of Sword Essence at a lower level.

The former may be limited by the grade of the Dao technique, unlike Jiang Qing who could further improve his swordsmanship. However, even after reaching the Golden Core, the eye technique of the Zhou Grade is still quite powerful. Sect Leader Kang Da will not need to worry about this matter for a long time to come.

Kang Dabao has already mastered the two techniques from the Northern Night Palace: the Primordial Ancient Body and the Full Moon Visualization.

It wasn't that he had hit a bottleneck in his practice of these two methods, but rather that further progress would require a great deal of time. Since it was not something that could be accomplished overnight and was not urgent, he naturally didn't spend too much energy on it.

Furthermore, the size of the Lion Insect swarm is now difficult to increase. Although that piece of Star Frost Soil has been gnawed on by thousands of Lion Insect with their mouthparts for decades, its size has only shrunk slightly.

However, the number of Lion Insect remained stagnant, and the Sect Leader Kang Da did not see any new mutations in the swarm, unlike when the silver-shelled insects appeared years ago. Therefore, the matter of taming the swarm was temporarily put on hold.

As he said before, the insect swarm was divided equally among the three fathers and sons. Although the two sons' Divine Sense was currently weak, they could still provide some assistance. If the two sons were to become enlightened in the future and learn the "Full Moon Visualization Method," perhaps even the Sect Leader Kang Da would be willing to entrust the entire Lion Insect Swarm to his sons.

This fortune is not insignificant. Even for the current Sect Leader Kang Da, the Lion Insect Swarm is not entirely useless. When he uses it at full power, even without resorting to other methods, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Peak like Xu Liuxian would still suffer quite a bit.

As for Little Qi, it was placed on Kang Changxi for protection in order to appease Fei Shuhe.

Kang Dabao came from a minor branch of the family and lost his father at a young age. Because of this background, he did not receive much care from the Kang Household clan.

He was raised as a son by Old Sect Leader He since childhood, so Sect Leader Kang Da had a rather indifferent attitude towards the so-called legitimate and illegitimate children.

After all, the eldest son is of excellent quality, gentle and honest, while the second son is also quick-witted, studious, and heroic. Therefore, if we follow the original intention of Sect Leader Kang Da, he will not show any favoritism.

However, this reasoning seems completely illogical to outsiders. If that were the case, even if Fei Shuhe possessed virtue and was not jealous, the Fei Household would still have to intervene, and Huo Ying and her son might even suffer some consequences because of her actions.

After all, the Fei Household also holds the argument for the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and judging from the current situation, the Fei Household's argument is still stronger.

Since there was no need to worry about spirit insects and spirit beasts for the time being, Kang Dabao naturally focused most of his energy on "The Art of War Taught by the Star Lord of the Wood Palace".

When Yuan Buwen taught him the technique, he held almost nothing back, and the effects of the three jade pendants should not be underestimated. In recent years Sect Leader Kang Da has made great progress in this area.

However, the halberd technique in "The Halberd Master of the Wood Palace Teaches Military Tactics" is of unknown rank, and its progress is much slower than the Immortal Seal Script on the Black Bone back then.

Even though Kang Dabao had only gleaned a sliver of its essence over the years, he vaguely felt that his halberd skills were now comparable to Yuan Buwen's.

It should be noted that Sect Leader Kang Da has never been an arrogant person, but the fact that he has such thoughts today shows that his progress is so great that it probably far exceeds what others think.

However, he was in no hurry to go out and show off his skills in front of others. After all, his abilities might be considered in Cloud Horn Prefecture at present, but they would be somewhat pale and powerless in front of Golden Core.

Moreover, his flamboyant actions are inconsistent with the low-key and unassuming behavior that he, the Sect Leader Kang Da, has maintained over the years.

And right now, there is another important matter that needs to be done immediately.

Another cycle has passed, and the spiritual dew in the Primordial Gourd is full once more. Sect Leader Kang Da doesn't rush to pour it out, but ponders for a moment:

"After consuming the spiritual dew upon recovering from a severe injury, my Mixed Spirit Root aptitude immediately improved my cultivation speed to be comparable to that of a person with Triple Spirit Root;

Before I reached the Foundation Establishment, I used this spiritual dew to achieve the Jade Leaf Foundation Establishment and extend my lifespan by sixty years. Upon achieving the Foundation Establishment, I lived as long as a False Core cultivator.

By taking three doses of spiritual dew at the moment of Funeng in battle, my Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes perfected, making even the direct disciples of the Great Temple unable to match me;

So what good things will happen this time?!

Thinking of this, Kang Dabao suddenly looked at the somewhat unsightly black glazed gourd in his hand, his eyes filled with gratitude.

After all, without this treasure, he would have perished under the White Bone Sword of the Eldest of the Liu Household, and might even have gone to the Yellow Springs with that harlot, Second Sister Song, let alone having a harem of wives and concubines and children around his knees.

After all, without this treasure, Yuan Jin would have been forced to spend his life learning skills in Xuanwei City with his wife and children, enduring the repeated upheavals in the Xuanwei City, and perhaps even losing his life in one of the chaos.

After all, without this treasure, Jiang Qing might have long since become accustomed to the dangerous life of He Dezong, or he might have achieved Foundation Establishment and married a woman from the He Household, but he would have had almost no chance of receiving the teachings of the Golden Core stage, let alone cultivating Sword Essence.

After all, without this treasure, it's questionable whether the Chongming Sect would even exist now, let alone its current situation with thousands of members and millions of people.

Based on the experience of the previous three times, will consuming the spiritual dew this time make up for another weakness, or will it lay a solid foundation for cultivating the Golden Core?

The answer was so enticing that Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't resist for long and gulped down the spiritual liquid from the gourd.

The moment the spiritual dew entered his mouth, it instantly cleansed away the hidden injuries from the previous fierce battles in the shimmering blue light. Kang Dabao felt a line of icy spring flow through his throat, which instantly transformed into a warm current that spread like wildfire. The blocked meridians deep within the Twelve-Story Tower emitted a series of faint popping sounds, like a frozen river breaking in the cold winter. The three hundred and sixty-five major acupoints lit up with spiritual light one after another.

He was startled to find that his internal organs seemed to be imbued with a spiritual light. The charred and dead skin of his organs, which had been corroded by blood evil, shed in a steady stream, and golden cloud patterns appeared on the surface of the newly formed organs.

Kang Dabao's spine suddenly cracked like popping beans, each vertebra seemingly being tempered in nectar, gradually solidifying into a texture like chalcedony.

The pores of his body exuded a foul, filthy stench, but the moment he left his body, a burst of pure energy transformed them into a purple mist.

The four illusory images of the Four Symbols appeared in the mist, circled the crown of the head nine times, and then suddenly entered the Baihui acupoint.

Suddenly, a resounding bell rang in Kang Dabao's ears, and the visualization diagram that had been silent in his Niwan Palace for some time unfolded on its own—the full moon Dharma image shone like a silver plate, and as spiritual dew poured into it, the sound of waves and the surging of blood gradually synchronized.

The strange phenomena in the Jade Toad cave abode gradually dissipated after half a day. Kang Dabao murmured, "The Primordial Ancient Body has advanced to the Great Completion stage, and the Full Moon Dharma Form has also advanced to the Great Core Formation."

Logically, Kang Dabao should be extremely satisfied that he could so easily avoid years of wasted time.

However, he could vaguely sense that as his cultivation continued to advance, the effects of this spiritual dew would likely diminish, and it might become largely useless after he reached the Nascent Soul stage. He felt a mix of emotions that were hard to describe.

However, just a few breaths later, he let out a long laugh.

He secretly thought that the ancient saying "having gained Long, one desires Shu" was indeed true. Even if things were as he imagined, by the time he could lament, he would already be a True Person, so why should he feel sorrow?

After staying in the cave abode for three more days, when Kang Dabao came out of seclusion, he noticed something unusual in the air.

Tang Jiu, the disciple on duty outside the cave abode, saw him come out and immediately bowed, saying, "Grandmaster, Second Grandmaster Uncle wishes you to come to the council hall as soon as you emerge from seclusion to discuss matters."

Kang Dabao responded calmly, tossed a high-grade magic Law Artifact to his grand-disciple, and then headed straight for the council hall.

He Swift Movement along, only to find that the disciples in the sect also looked unwell, their steps hurried.

His surprise grew even greater. When he entered the council hall, he saw all the cultivators from Ye Zhengwen down, each with a solemn expression.

He didn't say much more, nor did he return the greetings to the other monks in the hall. He went straight to the point and asked, "What has happened this time?!"

Yuan Jin replied in a deep voice, "News came from overseas yesterday that the Marquis of Nan'an has returned from Lanmeng Palace."

Kang Dabao was taken aback. This was something he hadn't expected. He had thought that Kuang Liuting wouldn't return until at least the year of Jiazi after going to the outer seas. How much time had passed?

However, now is not the time to dwell on this matter. Kang Dabao continued, "It doesn't need to be such a fuss."

On the other end, Ye Zhengwen, holding a token, responded, "There are rumors circulating outside that the true form of the Prince of the South will also arrive in Mountain South with ten battalions of imperial guards. There are also reports that the Three Administrations under the jurisdiction of the Star-Picking Pavilion are preparing for war, Yue Household and the Tie Household have already engaged the enemy in front of Jingnan Prefecture, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats."

There are also reports that the remnants of the Hongyi Sect in Ding Prefecture have made a comeback. Only after Senior Cultivator Wufeng and Yuan Buwen joined forces did they gain a slight advantage. However, Ding Prefecture is already in chaos, and several more counties have fallen back into the hands of the Hongyi Sect.

The troops of Five Old Mothers Mountain in Mountain North Circuit have joined forces with those under Shu Zhengde, a general of the Imperial Guard, and are ready to be dispatched once the situation becomes uncontrollable.

Sect Leader Kang Da frowned, his tone displeased. "How come it's all just rumors? Don't you know to send letters to different families to inquire? Haven't the Fei Household or the state court sent any news?!"

Yuan Jin handed over the letter and explained, "Things have happened too quickly. There's still no reply to the letters sent from various places. There's no news from the state court. Sima Fei's news came even earlier than the rumors. The letter only says that it's true that the Earl has returned, but if there are any unusual movements, don't worry. However, we are really worried, so we have urgently summoned men to mobilize in preparation for any eventuality."

Kang Dabao carefully read the letter Yuan Jin handed him and found that what Fei Nanying said in his letter was indeed true. Instead of feeling relieved, he frowned even more.

"We've only had a few years of peace, so why is the Earl of Nan'an back?"