Preparing to Depart
"The Fei Household's cousins haven't seen Ancestor Tianqin for many years. However, their status in the family is not high, and they are not allowed to participate in many important matters. Therefore, they are not sure whether Ancestor Tianqin has returned to the Ying Prefecture ancestral lands."
"Hmm, that's true," Sect Leader Kang Da nodded for a moment. The reason he was concerned about Fei Tianqin's whereabouts was that in the past year Two Instruments Sect two, the Grand Elder of the Star-Picking Pavilion and Xiang Tianxing, had been quite active, but Fei Tianqin had not shown his face for a long time. As a result, none of the Golden Core cultivators in the Office of the Duke of Qin could control him, and they were at a disadvantage in the situation, which was quite unsightly.
Even though Five Old Mothers Mountain was a major sect for Nascent Soul cultivators, it couldn't find any outstanding individuals to match it. In the end, it was the Hehuan Sect, which had only recently settled in the Mountain North Circuit, that came to its aid.
Among the disciples of True Person Crimson Snow, there was one named Exalted Cultivator Lanxin, who was Golden Core cultivator with exceptionally sharp skills. She fought Pu Honggu alone without being at a disadvantage, only slightly inferior to Xiang Tianxing.
With her at the core, the various cultivators of the Office of the Duke of Qin were still no match for the two of them working together. However, with the combined strength of Shu Zhengde and the other Golden Core cultivators, the two of them could no longer maintain their arrogance.
It is thanks to the presence of such a person among True Person Crimson Snow that Kuang Liuting, who had just become the heir to the throne, would have had to condescend to personally participate in the event.
Nowadays, rumors circulate that this Great Wei of Duke of Qin, was bestowed with the true essence of the Great Ancestor by someone from the outer sea. Although he has not truly fought against those of the same level since he became a Golden Core cultivator, and his cultivation has not made any breakthroughs, in the eyes of many important figures, Kuang Liuting is probably capable of truly competing with these top Golden Core cultivators.
However, Bai Canhong, the Master of the Star-Picking Pavilion, did not seem to have any intention of competing with the Office of the Duke of Qin. The biggest move of the Star-Picking Pavilion was to call on some of the leading figures among the "Three Administrations" to cooperate with the group of Golden Core Star-Picking Pavilion to suppress the Mountain North Circuit's mansion's generals, who had become increasingly successful and ambitious in recent years. That was enough for them.
This is because after Master Jiangxue took up residence in Shanbei Road, some people in the Duke of Qin's mansion, blinded by greed, even began to clamor for the mansion to form a large army to drive out the local tyrant Zhaixing Tower in one battle, so that the Duke of Qin could truly control both Shanbei and Shannan Roads.
Under such circumstances, some fools dared to provoke conflict on the border, intending to incite a major war between the two sides in order to gain an advantage.
This fervor was naturally suppressed by the tacit cooperation of the high-ranking officials of both sides. However, it was clear to everyone that unless reinforcements came from Great Abyss Capital, the Office of the Duke of Qin was still far from being a match for the Star-Picking Pavilion.
After all, putting aside the other strengths of both sides for the time being, just mentioning Bai Canhong, the Master of the Star-Picking Pavilion, is a first-rate figure in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, apart from a few late-stage Grand True Person.
It's already a miracle that True Person Crimson Snow and True Person Moon Hidden could protect themselves together; how dare they dream of anything more?
Star-Picking Pavilion has been stationed in Shannan Circuit for many years. With the Two Instruments Sect, Cloud Water Sect and Xianyu Household as its Three Administrations, it can be said to have a strong army. Even in a place like Capital Circuit, it is not necessarily much weaker than those powerful families, let alone the newly established Office of the Duke of Qin.
Judging from the reactions of all parties, if there are no major changes in the coming years, the two sides will either have a grand and open war, fighting to the death, or they will simply maintain the status quo and not easily resort to violence.
This is exactly what Sect Leader Kang Da has been hoping for, since Chongming Sect lacks now is simply time. Whether it's Sect Leader Kang Da or his disciples, what they need most is to cultivate diligently in peaceful times.
If everything goes smoothly, once Sect Leader Kang Da forms his Golden Core, there should be nearly twenty True Cultivator in the sect. While this is meager compared to other Golden Core sects, it's still manageable.
As for why Kang Dabao wanted Kang Changxi to return to the Fei Household to inquire about news, it was simply because he had never forgotten to be prepared for danger even in times of peace. After all, given the current situation, the whereabouts of a Golden Core cultivator who was somewhat close to him was of paramount importance to his family.
Not long after the father and son finished their conversation, the Daoist gathering was held in Kang Dabao's courtyard, the headmaster's residence.
At this time, in addition to the group of True Cultivator, there were also Sect Leader Kang Da's wives and concubines from various places, as well as many stewards from various important halls, such as Ye Yaoling, steward of the Nurturing Qilin Hall, Wei Gu of the Artifact Hall, who were all present.
These two individuals were among the most senior disciples and had long accumulated enough Merit Points to exchange for spiritual items, but due to great fear in their hearts, they hesitated to proceed.
Even the teachers and elders couldn't offer much advice on this matter; they could only leave it to the two of them to decide.
Kang Changxi had just achieved the Dao Foundation, became a particularly eye-catching presence in the arena. His high level of cultivation was the envy of many Golden Core cultivators around him.
Just considering that Chongming Sect is merely a small, insignificant sect with only about ten True Cultivators, the fact that it could have three Ice Leaf Dao Foundation is simply unbelievable.
Kang Changyi once sent a message back from Xuanwei City. The message said that his master, Madam Qi, had heard rumors that there was no clear friend or foe in Shannan Circuit, and that several cultivators were quite interested in the secrets of the Chongming Sect. Therefore, she asked the Sect Leader Kang Da to be on high alert.
The same news also came from Yan Qingwei's direction.
Because of his previous valiant efforts in the many battles on the Mountain North Circuit, Senior Cultivator Wufeng, who still had not found a suitable Law Treasure and regained his full strength, was eventually granted a favor and established the only Golden Core sect in Ding Prefecture, a not-so-fertile spiritual land.
Fearless Tower also played a significant role in the decisive battle at Three Ting Prefectures in Mountain North Circuit.
She Fu Yi, the master of Fearless Tower, along with the other Pill Master in the tower and two senior Ye Prefecture Yang Household, joined forces to kill a senior cultivator from the North Mallow Sect. This achievement was quite remarkable among the Golden Core sects under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Duke of Qin.
The Jingnan Prefecture originally intended for Fearless Tower was insufficient to reward their achievements. Fortunately, True Person Moon Hidden was quite enlightened. After killing many people in the Mountain North Circuit, a lot of immortal mountains and spiritual lands were vacated in the Mountain North Circuit. Five Old Mothers Mountain and its vassals had a hard time occupying them, so a lot of them were allocated to the Office of the Duke of Qin.
The Fearless Tower was conveniently located on the Wood Gen Mountain the Crimson Heart Cult Chu Yanran Sect in Fa Prefecture, which had been breached by the Chongming Sect. If the cultivators of the Chongming Sect were to visit again for business, it would be considered a return to their old haunts.
Even though the Fearless Tower had already moved to the Mountain North Circuit, Sect Leader Kang Da didn't believe that all the spies his family had planted in the Shannan Circuit had been withdrawn. That was the culmination of generations of Fearless Tower's efforts over a thousand years; there was no reason to give it up so easily.
When Kang Dabao heard that Tie Liuyun, the former deputy commander of the Demon Correction Office Cloud Horn Prefecture, had miraculously Core Formation somewhere several years ago, Duke Kuang Liuting of Duke of Qin, upon hearing the news, seemed inclined to disregard past grievances and continue to give him an important position.
Tie Liuyun also seemed very interested in the intelligence network that Fearless Tower had seen, and had recently had quite a few dealings with Fearless Tower. To outsiders, it seemed that the two families could easily form an alliance and each get what they needed.
Both of these matters came from Fei Granny Liu, and they are quite true. Although this old woman is not Golden Core, after Fei Tianqin disappeared for a long time and Fei Nanying went into seclusion, she took over the management of the She Mountain Hall.
However, the Ying Mountain Army, now under the command of the brothers Fei Bofeng and Fei Zhongyun, was no longer under their control. This was because the Ying Prefecture clan's territory seemed to have been prepared with the former's Core Formation spiritual items, which would soon be delivered by special personnel.
When this news came, it did make Sect Leader Kang Da a little jealous, but after thinking about it for a moment, he understood.
No matter how good a son-in-law is, he is still an outsider. Even with his current power and influence, when he made the decision to grant Shen Lingfeng a great fortune, it took a tremendous amount of determination. Not to mention the Ying Prefecture Fei Household.
Kang Dabao had already gained a lot by virtue of being Fei Household's son-in-law, so there was no reason for him to covet more. He turned his thoughts back to the Daoist gathering.
At this moment, at the Chongming Sect, Fei Shuhe sat together with Yuan Xiyue, Zhang Qingran, and Huo Ying.
Among Kang Dabao's sons, apart from Kang Changyi who was still in Xuanwei City accompanying his master in his cultivation, his eldest legitimate son Kang Changxi, eldest daughter Kang Lingyi, second illegitimate son Kang Changyan, and third illegitimate son Kang Changzhao were also present, all sitting around their stepmother.
These offspring constitute all of Sect Leader Kang Da's Spirit Root. These years have been much more peaceful than in previous years, so even though Kang Dabao, who just celebrated his 100th birthday three years ago, no longer indulges in reckless behavior, he still has plenty of leisure time to pass the time.
Thus, Zhang Qingran gave birth to a son six years ago. Unfortunately, during the Immortal Ascension Assembly last year, it was discovered that the child had neither Spirit Root nor a predestined affinity with immortality.
The woman, pitying her own child, did not want to send him down the mountain, so she kept him by her side. She told Kang Dabao that she would send him back to Chongming City after he turned sixteen and make him the head of the Kang clan.
As for the position of Chongming City, it has always been held by the Kang Household's eldest son. When Kang Dabao come of age, it will be just right to take it back and pass it on to his descendants.
Yuan Xiyue is now six months pregnant and will give birth within three months. Her expression is much softer than before, quite unlike the stunning beauty and potential imperial concubine she once was.
Huo Ying has no ambition for immortality and is currently only a Late Qi Refinement cultivator. She has neither the desire nor the ability to aspire to the Foundation Establishment realm, and being much younger than Sect Leader Kang Da, she has no chance of bearing any more children for Kang Dabao.
However, his own son, Kang Changyi, is only sixty years old and has already become Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator, which is much faster than the progress of his elders such as Yuan Jin and Ye Zhengwen.
Having such a son should be enough of a comfort to Huo Ying.
The eldest daughter Kang Lingyi, had only been practicing for a short time, and she and her two younger brothers could not understand the profound principles spoken by their two older brothers on the stage. They were only happy because of the way their older brothers were speaking so confidently.
Her obedience was clearly seen by her stepmother Fei Shuhe, who greatly increased her fondness for Kang Lingyi. She thought to herself, "My aunt has made some progress on the matter of Changxi going to the Han Lineage's land to cultivate. It's not impossible to have this girl go with me to serve them. Who knows, she might encounter some good fortune."
Thinking of this, Fei Shuhe also remembered that when her aunt mentioned this matter, she specifically mentioned Sect Leader Kang Da. The reason why this matter, which had been put aside for so long, had taken a turn for the better was precisely because the news of Kang Dabao leading his men to force back Crimson Heart Cult Gu Chengsen, at Wood Gen Mountain had spread.
It's rare for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator to last a few rounds against a fake Pill Master. For someone like Sect Leader Kang, who can kill Pill Masters and force back Upper Cultivators while only at the Foundation Establishment stage, is extremely rare, even among the prestigious Yu Kun Han family.
Therefore, many of Han Ningyue's relatives were quite interested in this "real relative," which made it much easier to push forward Kang Changxi's plan to study at the Yukun Han Household.
Kang Lingyi was unaware that her stepmother was actually scheming for her future because of the sincere expression on her face. Even if it were her second brother standing on the stage, she would not have the patience to listen to those obscure and profound principles for long. Before long, she found something of curiosity on the maid standing behind Fei Shuhe.
The maid carried an exquisite gold-threaded cage containing a small, adorable sparrow that easily caught the eye of the young girl, Kang Lingyi.
The little girl was unaware that this caged bird knew Sect Leader Kang Da even earlier than many of the Double Brightness disciples present.
This creature, which only spoke auspicious words, received an extraordinary fortune because it followed the right person. Originally just an ordinary bird that could only live for a few years, it has now not only lived for over sixty years, but also broken free of its bloodline shackles and become First-Tier Middle-Grade spirit beast.
The long lifespan of the Demon Beast is enough to make most cultivators of the same level envious. If nothing unexpected happens along the way, this sparrow may outlive most of the Double Brightness in this school, and in the future, it may even be able to protect disciples like the golden-haired old donkey.
Fei Shuhe has now named it "Wan'er," and its daily necessities are treated like those of a first-class maid, which shows how lucky this sparrow is.
Kang Lingyi had come up to the maid carrying the cage and asked for it, but the maid was hesitant to entrust the more senior "Miss Wan'er" to her. Just as she was in a dilemma, she saw Fei Shuhe, who was sitting in the main seat, nod her head slightly, which made Kang Lingyi's wish come true.
The little girl was having a great time playing with Wan'er, giggling from time to time, which brought a bit more life to the otherwise serious Daoist society.
After Kang Changxi came down, he pretended to be displeased and flicked his younger sister's nose. This did not make her stop, but it attracted the attention of several mothers, causing the young master to quickly pull his two equally innocent younger brothers away to another place.
The next person to step onto the chessboard to speak was Jin Shilun. He hadn't Foundation Establishment stage for very long, and his cultivation hadn't been going smoothly lately. However, he had picked up his long-neglected cooking skills again. So he didn't have much to say, but simply shared his Foundation Establishment insights with the cultivators present.
Compared to Kang Changxi, who faced few obstacles on his path of cultivation, Jin Shilun, who had been stagnant for a long time, was more enlightening to his disciples with his teachings.
After speaking, Jin Shilun presented Ye Zhengwen with the newly compiled Foundation Establishment Manual, asking the latter to include it in the sect's library for safekeeping. This was a tradition established by the sect Sect Leader Kang Da, that younger disciples who wished to Foundation Establishment could spend a relatively inexpensive amount of Merit Points beforehand and proceed by learning from the writings of their predecessors, making the process much smoother.
Not only did disciples like Jin Shilun, who achieved Foundation Establishment, True Cultivator their hard work free of charge, but even the lessons learned from the failures of disciples like Song Cheng and Ye Pingshui during their lifetimes would be included in the Scripture Pavilion, as long as they were preserved.
Just like when Pei Yi handed Martial Uncle Li's notes to Sect Leader Kang Da back then, the so-called foundation of a sect is accumulated bit by bit.
The Daoist gathering lasted for ten days, and all the participants gained something, more or less. Even Kang Lingyi, who had no interest in cultivation, became very familiar with Wan'er, so her trip was not in vain.
Just in time, the selected immortal seedlings were all ready. Sect Leader Kang Da had no time to spare. As long as his disciples performed their duties well, he himself would prepare to travel with Jiang Qing to Hong County to congratulate Xu Liuxian, who had obtained the False Core.
(I got caught by my boss today. I went from Ningbo to Heze for interviews. I got up at 5 a. m. and interviewed 120 young men by myself this afternoon. I just got back to Jinan by high-speed train and am now back at the hotel. I still need to organize the data. That's all for tonight. The business trip will last until Saturday. Please forgive me if there are any delays in updates. Thank you to the reader for the 688 reading coins.)