The Eldest Son Returns to the Sect

---- Chongming Sect, Little Ring Mountain

The nascent mist quickly flowed into a milky white stream on the bluestone steps. The tender leaves of the ferns on both sides of the mountain path were covered with dew, and the mountain breeze carried a trace of moisture, making the Nurturing Qilin Hall disciples who were sweeping outside the Zhihu Hall at the foot of the mountain feel cool.

Because of their laxity in cultivation, they were given the arduous task of sweeping the mountain by their master. Their cultivation was not up to par, and they were not allowed to eat breakfast when they came out, so it was both bitter and tiring. The mountain wind came at just the right time.

After another half hour, the disciples, enduring the strange looks from their fellow disciples, reached the mountainside. The clouds above their heads were fading in color under the scorching sun.

The dense pine needles on the canopies of the large trees clung together tightly, as if in perfect harmony, cutting the sunlight into fragments of gold and scattering them wantonly upon the soon-to-be-ripened Red Spirit Grain.

The spirit grain seemed perfectly cooked, and the aroma it emitted made them suddenly feel hungry, finally realizing the "good intentions" behind their teachers' admonition.

These disciples of the Nurturing Qilin Hall were only eight or nine years old, and their comical little faces, etched with sorrow, brought smiles to the faces of many outer disciples living nearby at the foot of the mountain.

A kind-hearted female Daoist priest wanted to give some food to him, but was persuaded not to by her fellow disciples. After whispering among themselves, they could only laugh and brush past him.

The children were incredibly disappointed when they saw their prize of steamed buns slip away. But there was nothing they could do; they could only swallow their saliva, pick up their brooms again, and hope to finish sweeping quickly so they could hand in their task.

"Give,"

The leading disciple of the Nurturing Qilin Hall looked up at the sound and saw a handsome young man in a cloak riding a tall beast. The young man was already half a step in front of him, which should have made a lot of noise, but he and his fellow disciples did not react at all.

The younger disciples were immediately stunned, forgetting even to accept the bag of pastries the young man offered. However, the outer disciples who had been laughing nearby instantly changed color, rushing over to bow respectfully.

"Greetings, Young Master."

Kang Changyi nodded for a moment, then laughed and said, "Seeing how hungry these children are, why are you just watching?"

"Young Master, you may not know this, but Master Ye has been in seclusion recently, so Senior Sister Jiang has temporarily taken over her role as instructor. No one else does this."

The disciple who spoke sounded strained, but Kang Changyi merely chuckled, "Haha, Senior Sister Ye has always been quiet and refined, it's interesting that this disciple hasn't followed her in the same vein."

At this moment, the disciple of the Nurturing Qilin Hall recognized who was before him and immediately adopted the tone of an elder, respectfully bowing. "Disciple Zheng Yuntong greets the eldest young master."

"Oh, Zheng Yuntong?"

Upon hearing this, Kang Changyi's eyes suddenly became more serious. After all, the person in front of him was the first Single Spirit Root immortal seedling since the founding of the Chongming Sect, and he also seemed to possess some kind of spiritual bone. For a small sect that had only been established for three hundred years, this was an unprecedented existence.

Although his father didn't use many words to describe it in his letter, the excitement in his writing was unmistakable. In Kang Changyi's memory, this was indeed a very rare occurrence.

The child was indeed honest; his throat bobbed incessantly, yet he managed to pull his gaze away from the pastries and said softly, "Young Master, Master Jiang is right. We disciples cannot..."

"It's alright. If Junior Nephew Jiang asks, I'll handle things for you. There's no need to worry."

Kang Changyi smiled faintly, forcefully stuffed the pastries into Zheng Yuntong's arms, and then, without saying another word to the latter, he swayed his cloak, spurred his mount, and embarked on the journey up the mountain again.

At this moment, he was wearing a cloak Lower Vehicle a Second-Tier Supreme-Grade Azure Thunder Crimson Ox. In front of the Chongming Sect disciples, he truly felt like a god, and they sighed repeatedly.

Zheng Yuntong first carefully distributed the pastries in his hand, then swallowed his own portion whole before finally taking the time to examine the rare giant beast beneath Kang Changyi's seat.

Some inner disciples and True Disciple who worked in the Beast Garden also gave lectures in the Nurturing Qilin Hall. Zheng Yuntong was quite interested in this subject and was never distracted by it like he was with his other studies.

In Zheng Yuntong's memory, when the lecturers talked about how great Double Brightness Beast Garden was, they never mentioned that Kang Changyi had this Second-Tier Supreme-Grade spirit beast.

Even though he was exceptionally talented, he had only Drawing Spirit into the Body for a short time, so he was unaware that this Second-Tier Supreme-Grade Azure Thunder Crimson Ox was specially purchased by Chu Yanran from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect of Mountain North Circuit for Kang Changyi.

They had no idea that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was the only sect in the Mountain North Circuit, besides the Five Old Mothers Mountain and the Hehuan Sect, that could hold a commanding position.

It is said that the leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect is quite senior. In his early years, he also joined the Imperial Guard to cultivate and made many contributions. He can be considered one of the top figures below the Nascent Soul.

Many people believe this, because even the rather eccentric old patriarch of the Fei Household, when he met the leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, did not seem to scold or ridicule the latter much.

It should be understood that even though the Office of the Duke of Qin is now full of talented people, there are not many Golden Core cultivators who have received this honor.

However, such secrets can only be discussed casually over tea and after meals by those below in the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment, and their truth is hard to discern.

However, one thing outsiders can be certain of is that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect is the most skilled in beast taming among the Three Southwest Circuits. And the Azure Thunder Crimson Ox under Kang Changxi's command is a product of their careful breeding.

If it weren't for the fact that the cultivator from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect who came to trade with Chu Yanran was in dire need of cash to obtain resources for his descendants to Core Formation, this spirit beast with the potential to advance in rank might not have been sold off so easily.

According to Chu Yanran and Kang Changyi, this spirit beast seems to have some Demon Officer Essence Blood mixed in with it. If it fights desperately, it might be able to defeat False Core, which would be enough to give Kang Changyi some support on his future cultivation path.

This spirit beast possessed extraordinary spiritual energy, attracting many Double Brightness disciples to come and see it along the way. After seeing it, they all praised it repeatedly.

Kang Changyi was a humble man, and his disciples were all happy to associate with this unpretentious great man. So when they arrived at Ye Zhengwen's place of cultivation, they had already agreed to attend five or six banquets in the following days.

The bell on the desk of the Chongming Sect's Foreign Affairs Elder in the courtyard rang again, causing him to raise an eyebrow, push open the door with his halberd-like finger, and just as he was about to call someone in, he saw Kang Changyi standing outside the door. Immediately, his eyebrows curved into a smile, and he said:

"Why is Brother Yi back?"

After speaking, Ye Zhengwen went out to greet the latter without waiting for a reply.

Upon seeing the Second-Tier Supreme-Grade Azure Thunder Crimson Ox in front of Kang Changyi, he couldn't help but stop and ask, "Is this the spirit beast that Madam Qi bought for you, as you mentioned in your letter?"

It's no wonder Ye Zhengwen was so surprised, because spirit beasts comparable to those with False Core are not so easy to find, and they certainly wouldn't be cheap. It's unlikely that some stingy person, even if they collected several Golden Core Storage Bag, wouldn't have bought one for their own son.

Ye Zhengwen knew his own situation. He had made some progress due to the sect's support and preferential treatment after being fortunate enough to reach the Foundation Establishment. However, due to his limited talent, he could only be considered an average person among those at the same Foundation Establishment level.

Therefore, even with several top-grade Spirit Artifact had been nurtured for many years by his side, Ye Zhengwen felt it would be difficult to hold out against this beast for too long. He might only have time to make a brief encounter before he had to flee in panic.

As he was pondering this, Kang Changyi, sitting opposite him, asked first, "Uncle Ye, are Second Uncle and Third Uncle here?"

Ye Zhengwen shook his head and chuckled, "There has been some turmoil at Jia-Chou Military Stronghold recently. Shilun and Tang Jiu felt that they might be in trouble and unable to suppress it, so Junior Brother Yuan went back to Wild Fox Mountain."

The sect leader still has business at the Office of the Duke of Qin and can't leave. Originally, Brother Qing was going to return to the sect from Phoenix Cry Prefecture first, but halfway there he heard that Xu Liuxian of the Cold Mountain Sect had obtained a jar of aged wine that had been stored for five hundred years and sent an invitation to us to go together. But how could I possibly get away? So only Junior Brother Jiang, this leisurely sword immortal, can go to the banquet."

Kang Changyi seemed to frown before speaking and asking Ye Zhengwen, "I wonder if things are still going well with Second Uncle?"

The latter replied casually, "It's nothing. It's just that a few brainless fools were provoked into becoming the ringleaders. How could they possibly accomplish anything? Yesterday, Junior Brother Yuan sent me a message saying that Yan is safe and sound, so he's probably already on his way back."

"That's good then," Kang Changyi nodded, then took out an elegant invitation and explained the purpose of his visit, "My master is overjoyed to have a son and cordially invites my family to attend."

"Lin'er?" Ye Zhengwen raised an eyebrow, his mind racing. He thought to himself, "No wonder Chu Yanran has refused to see any of my family members who have come to ask for help lately."

I initially thought that the man surnamed Kang had truly no shame and had tried to seduce them, which was why he had offended this good-natured senior so badly. I never imagined that this beautiful woman had taken Master Qi into seclusion to give birth.

Ye Zhengwen quickly snapped out of his jumbled thoughts and looked at Kang Changyi tentatively, asking, "Is it the Spirit Offspring Radiant Color Pill?"

Seeing that Kang Changyi nodded in agreement, Ye Zhengwen's face immediately showed a hint of joy.

After all, the cultivators of the Chongming Sect had a long-standing relationship with the Qi Household family.

Regardless of whether Chu Yanran had any ulterior motives, the Sect Leader Kang Da and the Chongming Sect had received considerable help from the former along their journey.

Therefore, Ye Zhengwen was naturally happy to see the relationship between the two families reach a new level. After all, although Chu Yanran had not been in the Core Formation stage for long, she was not considered weak among the upper cultivators, and she was a great help to the current Sect Leader Kang Da.

After Ye Zhengwen thought he had passed through, he glanced almost imperceptibly at the Azure Thunder Crimson Ox on the other side, immediately understanding what was going on. He didn't say anything, but just sighed again, "It's a pity that the timing is inconvenient this time, and even the sect leader can't say when he will be back."

Ye Zhengwen, who had just sent nine Three Origin Fruits to the Fei Household, naturally knew that Sect Leader Kang Da was currently enjoying drinks with that Attendant Luan.

After all, this is a serious matter, how could we easily give it up?!

Kang Changyi understood this as well, and could only say softly, "If all else fails, then only Second Uncle will be able to go."

Hearing this, Ye Zhengwen nodded, then shook his head. He said softly, his tone indifferent, "Junior Brother Yuan is Master Qi's disciple, so it's appropriate for him to come and offer his congratulations. However, he's somewhat lacking in stature."

"What does Uncle mean?"

"It's fine for my sister-in-law to go. Besides the sect leader, who could be more suitable than her?"

"Oh dear, Changyi deserves to die! How could he forget that his mother is still in the imperial clan?!" Kang Changyi was immediately jolted awake. After all, in the Chongming Sect now, who could be more honorable and noble Fei Shuhe, the wife of the Marquis of Martial Peace?

He immediately bowed to Ye Zhengwen and was about to head to find Fei Shuhe. But just as he was leaving, he heard a voice reminding him. "Your aunt from the Fei Household has arrived. I heard she's preparing for her Core Formation, so she came to pay her respects to you first. Don't be impolite."

---- Phoenix Cry Prefecture, Fei Household

Whether it was because he was in a particularly good mood, or because the fine wine was truly intoxicating, Attendant Luan Gongfeng's eyes became somewhat blurred.

If it weren't for Attendant Luan not losing his senses midway and forcefully channeling his spiritual power into his eyes, he might have mistaken the head of the girl on his lap for two.

But seeing his appearance, the host across the table became even more attentive, urging him to drink. "Come, come, today is indeed an auspicious day! I, Kang, offer this wine in advance to congratulate you, my friend!"

As soon as Sect Leader Kang Da finished speaking, all the cultivators present echoed his words. Even Fei Enwen had taken the place of the dead and joined the Ying Mountain Army as a deputy general, lost his usual arrogant demeanor and joined the other cultivators in raising their wine cups to Attendant Luan Gong.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the assembled cultivators bid farewell to Attendant Luan. Luan then tossed the beauties he held onto the ground one by one, before addressing Sect Leader Kang Da:

"Sect Leader Kang, rest assured, I will refine the Three Origin Fruit you sent into a superior elixir before I go into seclusion this time."

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me," Sect Leader Kang Da shook his head indifferently. He didn't ask where Attendant Luan Fei Nanying had allocated the Core Formation resources to Luan Gongfeng, but instead asked, "In that case, I'll trouble you with this matter!"

"That's not true at all. My lord already told me about it before. Your brothers were indeed of noble character and integrity at that time, worthy of our utmost respect!"

What Attendant Luan said is true. It was about Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing giving up that Golden Core Formation Pill at the barter meeting convened by the High Person Three Words.

Although he didn't get the Golden Core Formation Pill, Attendant Luan still owed Sect Leader Kang Da a huge favor.

You should know that it's very difficult for others to gain favors from such a person.

As the latter retreated from the wine pool filled with the scent of debauchery, Sect Leader Kang Da still held a remarkably optimistic attitude towards Attendant Luan of the Three Origin Fruit to refine elixirs.

After all, he is a Third Tier Alchemist, so refining cultivation pills suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators is not a problem.

After returning to his quiet room, he pieced together the two pieces of tattered silk he had just put together and stared at the words "Jade-Gaining Tower" at the top for a long time without saying a word. These days he had been browsing through the books in the Duke's library and found the three words "Jade-Gaining Tower" among them.

The inscription above suggests that the Jade-Gaining Tower may contain a spiritual object capable of producing Upper-Grade Golden Core.

The Sect Leader Kang Da was unaware that such a brilliant and talented person as the Daoist Black Shoes had not yet Core Formation, but he felt that if he went to the Jade-Gaining Tower, he might be able to find out the latter's whereabouts.

The Daoist Black Shoes has been gone for many years, and not a single word has been sent back, which has made Kang Dabao, who has always had great faith in him, somewhat worried.

"Just offshore"

After muttering a few words, Sect Leader Kang Da sighed again. He wasn't a carefree Rogue Person; the Office of the Duke of Qin was currently in turmoil, so how could he possibly make a move?

He could only hope that the Daoist Black Shoes was alright, put away the spiritual silk, and went to visit Kuang Liuting again.