Reunion

Half a year later, Little Ring Mountain Chongming Sect

The furnace room was scorched by the earth fire like a steamer. As wisps of bluish-gray smoke drifted along the dragon-patterned furnace, He Yuanyi's fingers, with his eyes tightly closed, were already filled with charred fragments.

The fire, modified by Second Tier geomancer specially invited by Double Brightness Second Yuan He Yuanyi, who used his own family connections, was quite powerful.

If the latter hadn't recently acquired and studied several manuscripts picked up by his sect leader from outside, and made considerable progress in weapon crafting and fire control, he probably wouldn't have been able to control it.

A few breaths later, after hearing some rustling sounds coming from inside the hall, the He Household opened his eyes again and peered forward.

On the heavy anvil lies a Second-Tier Middle-Grade Xuan Turtle carapace. Just by looking at the irregular cracks on it, one can tell that the processing of this spiritual material will not take much longer.

With each strike of the bronze-colored giant hammer driven by He Yuanyi, the dark red flames at the bottom of the furnace would climb up and lick the unfinished vessel as if they were living creatures.

As the last fiery pattern condensed into golden veins on the embryo, the veins on He Yuanyi's right arm suddenly taut. When the quenching spirit pliers, holding the dark red embryo, were immersed in the cold marrow liquid, a large cloud of icy mist suddenly rose up, almost swallowing him whole.

Three fingernail-sized pieces of Second Tier spirit amber settled in the jade bowl containing the cold marrow liquid. As soon as they were exposed to the sudden heat, they were naturally melted into the Xuanjia artifact embryo.

He Yuanyi it perfectly, bit his tongue, opened his mouth, and sprayed the vessel, which invigorated it and made it shine brightly. However, when it recovered, it seemed to taste some rust, which made its white teeth ache and clang.

However, the large beads of sweat on his face were not from the high temperature in the room, but from the tension in his heart.

As they rolled down his cheeks and neck, they often vaporized into smoke before even touching the ground, merging into the soot surrounding He Yuanyi.

He didn't know how much time had passed, and He Yuanyi felt that he was about to be drained of sweat, before he heard the furnace trembling and humming.

A string of dark gold runes completely overturned the half-closed lid of the cauldron, causing it to gush out. He Yuanyi probed with his Divine Sense and could clearly see another fragment of tortoise shell melting into a translucent fluid in the dark blue flames, already about to be cast into shape.

He Yuanyi not delay and immediately knelt on the ground, frantically forming incantations. He was only relieved when he saw the last two golden seals embedded in the vessel and the palm-sized tortoise-shell shield floating in mid-air, emitting a cold light, with continuous Mount Sumeru patterns appearing on its surface.

At this moment, the three drops of Essence Blood that had been deliberately left on the broken iron felt suddenly evaporated into smoke. He Yuanyi caught them and wrapped them in his burning palm, then placed them against the scorching shield, making a sizzling sound.

"Second-Tier Middle-Grade defensive Spirit Artifact is finally complete. Using this as a farewell gift for Junior Brother Kang is not too stingy."

He Yuanyi could hardly hide the joy in his eyes. At this moment, he had no time to calculate how much resources he had spent in order to obtain the higher grade of the Spirit Artifact.

After all, he is now highly regarded by his teachers and mentors because of his exceptional talent, so there is no worry that he will lack the resources needed for weapon forging in the future.

He Yuanyi changed his spell and put the still-hot Spirit Artifact into the large Storage Bag he had just obtained with his Merit Points. Perhaps it was related to the Chongming Sect's relatively well-known tradition, but this kind of mustard seed magical Law Artifact was considered one of the shortcomings of He Yuanyi, the head artifact maker.

As soon as he stepped out of the equipment room, the inner disciple on duty at the door bowed in unison.

Because Yuan Jin had changed his livelihood and become engrossed in military affairs in recent years, he had long ago handed over the position of Elder of the Artifact Hall to He Yuanyi, True Disciple.

Although he had only reached the Foundation Establishment a decade ago, he was highly respected within the Artifact Hall. He handled all matters, big and small, and over the years, he had managed to make the Artifact Hall quite prosperous.

Therefore, in terms of cultivation, He Yuanyi may not be considered outstanding among the disciples; and in terms of seniority, he is not particularly experienced.

But seriously speaking, He Yuanyi, Duan Anle of the Beast Garden, Kang Rongquan of the Spirit Plant Hall, and Jin Shilun, the garrison commander of Jia-Chou Military Stronghold, are the three senior brothers who are truly capable of managing affairs in their respective areas among the eighth generation of disciples.

After he stepped out, he gently swiped at his waist and released a tall, Cloud-Treading Colt from his spirit beast pouch.

After years of improvement and breeding by Duan Anle, these mounts have become considered excellent riding beasts in Cloud Horn Prefecture. However, the population is not large. Apart from a few breeding beasts, most of them are allocated to Wild Fox Mountain and handed over to Yuan Jin for military training.

Therefore, even within the Chongming Sect, only outstanding disciples like He Yuanyi could be granted a head of cattle for use as a means of transportation.

However, He Yuanyi felt that the spirit beast lacked a bit of ferocity and might, so he asked his nephew Tang Jiu, who was in charge of the Inspection Office at Jia-Chou Military Stronghold, to keep an eye out for any ferocious Demon Beast outside the border of the more than four hundred households in Cold Crow Mountain that he could capture, refine, and train.

This junior disciple has only been at the Foundation Establishment for three years, but he has already made a name for himself in the Jia-Chou Military Stronghold.

Unlike weapon masters like He Yuanyi, whose combat skills are not particularly outstanding, Tang Jiu, the top disciple among the ninth generation of the Chongming Sect, is skilled in swordsmanship and the art of semen manipulation.

Back when he was still in the Qi Refinement, he had already collected the heads of many people of the same level. After reaching the Foundation Establishment, with the help of his teachers who provided him with resources and carefully nurtured him, he did not fade into obscurity.

First, he helped Yang Xun, the head of the Rainbow Mountain Yang Household, to dispel the covetousness of many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the vicinity; afterwards, he and his master Jin Shilun sorted out the more than four hundred families of Cold Crow Mountain.

As the saying goes, "Among a hundred people, there are all sorts of people." Even though Chongming Sect had sent people like Sun Fu to vet these families before they moved into Ansheng, it was still inevitable that there would be a mix of good and bad.

Therefore, it was inevitable that a few treacherous factions would emerge from among them, disrespecting their superiors and secretly colluding with outsiders.

At that time, once verified, it was confirmed that Tang Jiu had killed two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He was also quite bloodthirsty, and led his disciples in carrying out a series of cruel methods, making his reputation among the various sects of Cold Crow Mountain much more renowned than that of his master, Jin Shilun.

However, Duan Anle, who was temporarily in charge of sect affairs and had inherited the kind and gentle nature of the Sect Leader Kang Da, was displeased upon hearing this.

He first ordered Tang Jiu to hand over the spoils of war, and then sent the latter to gather a team to the border to protect the more than 400 families of Cold Crow Mountain and clear away wild animals, as a gesture of appeasement.

However, none of the sect leaders expected that Tang Jiu would do this arduous task so well. Not only did he bring back a lot of Demon Beast skeletons, but he also replenished the Beast Garden with a few rare Demon Beast, which can be considered as giving them a boost of vitality.

Unlike Duan Anle, He Yuanyi greatly admired Tang Jiu's actions.

He knew that his sect leader was used to being benevolent, but there had to be villains in the sect. Otherwise, if he indulged his followers too much, trouble would surely follow.

"I wonder which of my fellow disciples will be able to come this time?"

The equipment room was not far from Kang Changxi's secluded residence. He Yuanyi had only been thinking for a short while when his Cloud-Treading Colt slowly carried him to a luxuriously decorated courtyard.

The person standing at the door was an outstanding member of the Chenjiang Kang Clan who had just been selected.

Currently, Kang Xiangyi is stationed in Guo County with the Chenjiang Kang Clan. This county can be considered one of the most prosperous places in Cloud Horn Prefecture, apart from Xuanwei and Han City, but it still cannot compare with the old territory of the Chenjiang Kang Clan.

Therefore, there have indeed been many complaints and grievances circulating in recent days.

However, unlike those shallow-minded clansmen, Kang Xiangyi was indeed a sensible person.

Not only was he able to maintain his proper status and be extremely respectful, but he also took the initiative to select elite members of his clan to work in places like the Crimson Zhang Guard, which made the Sect Leader Kang Da value him highly.

However, even cultivators like Chenjiang Kang Clan and Kang Shi, who were nominally of the same clan as Kang Dabao, harbored such resentment.

It is easy to imagine how the sons of the eight noble families who came from afar from the capital to provide dowry for Fei Shuhe would react. Cloud Horn Prefecture was, after all, barren, and even if they were settled in various counties, it would be difficult to ensure their well-being.

Not to mention the disputes between the local people and the Hakka people that used to frequently occur in the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court and were scorned by the Sect Leader Kang Da, which are now causing him the same annoyance as he is in his current situation.

Cloud Horn Prefecture, being such a poor place, simply cannot support so many False Core sects. Therefore, how to expand its territory is a matter that the leaders of the Chongming Sect need to seriously consider.

Most people wanted to expand further into Cold Crow Mountain, but Yuan Jin felt that those places were not fertile ground and would be difficult to develop in a short time. He preferred to move towards Xian Prefecture, which borders Huangpi Circuit and Cloud Horn Prefecture.

The Ghost Sword Sect, located in the direction of Xian Prefecture, is a genuine unorthodox sect. Therefore, it is very close to the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, which was recently turned upside down by Sect Leader Kang Da and his group.

However, Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall is currently facing a headache, because the news of the deaths of several Golden Core cultivators in his family has already reached the ears of the other three forces in Huangpi Circuit.

These four families were each in their own way and had never shown any affection or loyalty to each other. Seeing this, they could no longer restrain themselves and naturally began to make frequent moves.

Moreover, there has been concrete news coming from Fearless Tower recently. It is said that a Golden Core Rogue Cultivator who was once taken in by the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall has turned against them in battle, causing Preceptor Huang Mi to lose many of his elite disciples. This is a very infuriating time for him.

The old cultivator from the Ghost Sword Sect was frail and sickly; every bit of his vital energy he used was gone, and it was impossible to replenish it completely. He was far from being a match for the current Sect Leader Kang Da, who was in the prime of his life.

Therefore, if Chongming Sect acts quickly, it can not only easily take over Xian Prefecture, but may also divide and dismantle the spiritual lands under the jurisdiction of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall with the other three families of Huangpi Circuit.

This is yet another thing that no one has accomplished in the nearly three hundred years since the founding of the Chongming Sect.

His master's plan was somewhat tempting, but when He Yuanyi arrived at the meeting, he didn't sense that the Sect Leader Kang Da was interested in anything, nor did he know what he was wary of.

Chongming Sect has always sought stability in its actions, and matters such as those involving the Dao Path of all its disciples and the sect's long-term development plan cannot be easily decided.

Therefore, He Yuanyi did not think too much about it at this time. After shaking his head to dispel the idle thoughts in his mind, he handed over his mount and stepped into Kang Changxi's courtyard.

When He Yuanyi entered, the owner of the place had not yet come out for some reason.

Greeting the guests outside were Kang Changxi's two half-brothers, Kang Changyan, the second son, and Kang Changzhao, the third son, who were twins born to Yuan Xiyue. However, compared to their two elder brothers, these two brothers were somewhat less glamorous.

The talent of a pair of Four Spirit Roots is nothing special. Even with the great cultivation of their parents and the sect leader, they are now over thirty years old and have only just touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment, which is somewhat inconsistent with their status as the sons of the sect leader and descendants of the upper cultivators.

However, since they were born into certain circumstances, their chances of Foundation Establishment stage were much higher than those of ordinary people.

Kang Changyi and Kang Changxi were not mean-spirited, and they were given a considerable share of their family fortune. Even if they did not achieve great things in the future, it would still be enough to make most cultivators in the world envious.

The two were very friendly to He Yuanyi, since the latter usually stayed in the equipment room to do his cultivation and rarely showed himself.

Even though they were the sons of the sect leader, they rarely had the opportunity to get close to this Second Tier weapon master, whom even Kang Dabao valued highly.

However, guests kept arriving, and the two of them were too busy to leave. They could only exchange a few words with He Yuanyi before returning to the door.

Fortunately, He Yuanyi and Kang Changxi had been friends for many years, so he didn't feel constrained at all when he entered the courtyard. Instead, he strolled around very freely.

Now that Chongming Sect has grown larger, the fellow disciples who have supported them along the way are gradually taking on responsibilities and tasks. They will inevitably have to work together, so it would be strange if they could still abandon their selfishness and tolerate each other as they did in their youth.

Over the years, whether due to personal grudges or conflicts over official duties, it is perfectly normal for there to be some discord among the cultivators.

For example, when the same batch of spiritual charcoal arrives, the Alchemy Hall is eager to refine pills, the Artifact Hall is rushing to refine materials, and the Spirit Plant Hall also wants to start a fire to dry the old medicine. With so many disputes, some friction is bound to arise.

The sect leaders of the Chongming Sect were aware of these things, but they did not interfere much.

After all, Chongming Sect is still on the rise. There may be some hidden conflicts among the disciples, but it is far from being "without any external enemies." It is not enough to make the Sect Leader Kang Da and his fellow disciples worry.

However, this gathering was to see Kang Changxi off as he departed for Great Abyss Capital. He Yuanyi and his fellow disciples also attended, and despite their previous unpleasant expressions, they chatted happily.

Kang Rongquan seemed to have also emerged from the tragedy of Zhou Yixiu, but now he had become much more composed and steady, and even when drinking, he did not let his guard down.

This seems somewhat out of place given the current joyful atmosphere.

He walked alone to the back of the kitchen. Whenever there was an important matter, Jin Shilun would always take the time to work there for a while.

While there are certainly many chefs in the Chongming Sect who are far more skilled than him, those at the main table are still eagerly anticipating the dishes personally prepared by Jin Shilun.

Even younger generations like Jiang Tangpei and Zheng Wanbi could no longer appreciate the unique flavor of it.

"Senior brother, are you here to help?" Jin Shilun smiled when he saw him, completely unable to bear the ferocious face he had shown a month ago when he represented the Jia-Chou Military Stronghold Garrison and fought with the Spirit Plant Hall for people at the Nurturing Qilin Hall.

This time, Kang Rongquan refrained from using foul language, and simply chuckled softly, "Well, we still need Senior Brother Duan to help in the kitchen. He's good at making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and our great-aunts and uncles love them the most."

Upon hearing this, Jin Shilun shook his head as he worked and said, "Brother Xi means that he had already bid farewell to his parents and elders, so only we younger ones are gathered here today."

The Cloud Valley Zhang Household and the Wind Stone Fang Household had a dispute ten days ago over some spiritual land whose ownership was unclear, and Fang Household heads have already intervened.

Upon hearing the news, the second senior brother, to avoid trouble, decided to mediate himself and hasn't returned yet, so he can't come to see Brother Xi off this time.

Kang Rongquan knew that Jin Shilun was referring to two False Core families that had just moved from the capital region.

However, this time there was a dispute involving the Pill Master. Duan Anle, a mere True Cultivator, actually dared to go alone. He truly deserves to be a figure admired by all the eighth-generation disciples. His courage goes without saying.

After thinking for a while, he said, "The Cloud Valley Zhang Household seems to have a peak Second Tier Alchemist who can refine Foundation Establishment Pills. If his family is obedient enough, the younger generation in the sect will have a much easier time in the future."

"Senior brother knows Second Senior Brother's temperament perfectly well. Even if Brother Zhou is just about to Foundation Establishment, how could he possibly show favoritism?!" Jin Shilun's words were full of admiration. After he finished speaking, he chuckled.

"However, Junior Sister Qi and her two junior disciples, Chen Zihang Gun Fangmu, have just returned from receiving instruction from Senior Luan Mountain North Circuit. Junior Disciple Chen has made great progress this time, and they are now both Second-Tier Lower-Grade Alchemist. Before long, perhaps our Chongming Sect will also be able to refine a batch of excellent Foundation Establishment Pill."

"My junior brother's information network is indeed more advanced than mine, as always."

It was naturally a cause for great joy that one of his own disciples had become a genuine Second Tier Alchemist. Upon hearing this, Kang Rongquan immediately smiled and then said, "Later at the banquet, I must properly toast Junior Nephew Chen."

"Of course, Senior Sister Zhou can't leave the shop, but she sent her disciples to deliver some good wine. Senior Brother, please have a couple more cups."

"Oh? When did you take on your disciple, Senior Sister?"

"A few days ago, she was a clever girl named Shao. It seems she has some connection with that Madam Shao who lived in Double Brightness Trade Market back then."

At this moment, Jin Shilun finally finished his work, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.

He skillfully scooped up the dishes and naturally placed them in Kang Rongquan's hands. The latter didn't seem to notice anything amiss, and instead acted as a waiter alongside the chef, bustling around happily.

As the elaborate dishes prepared by Jin Shilun were served one after another, the atmosphere in Kang Changxi's courtyard became even more lively.

After Ye Yaoling, Liu Ya, Han Xundao, and other busy people who had just achieved Foundation Establishment made their appearances with their disciples, the host finally stepped out from the backyard, cupped his hands in thanks, and expressed his gratitude.

Unlike his gentle and refined elder brother Kang Changyi, Kang Changxi inherited his father's rough and bold nature, which made him most suitable for such drinking occasions.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became much more lively, and the latter, however, was not one to refuse a drink. By the end, he had no idea how much he had drunk. He had to be carried by his two half-brothers, and he drunkenly accepted a pile of gifts from his fellow disciples.

Towards the end of the banquet, even the eldest son of the Double Brightness Kang Household could no longer speak clearly, and could only mumble:

"Ha! Many thanks to all the brothers for their kindness this time. When Changxi returns, Momo, don't forget that Youyou must come here for a drink!"