Under the pressure of a Core Formation Stage Great Cultivator, no one dared to move recklessly, or perhaps, no one could. A Cultivation Base of such a realm granted the ability to ride the clouds and mist.
It was rare for such individuals to board this great boat, so everyone was utterly astonished, wondering why such a powerful figure was here. Fang Xunzhuo, however, was calm and composed. He glanced at the pale-faced Zhao Zhanqian before leading his three brothers toward the upper guest rooms.
With the main actor's departure, the farce drew to a close. The remaining Cultivators, their faces full of doubt, either whispered amongst themselves or gestured animatedly, but what they spoke of remained unknown. The Fen Feather Sect Disciples were in a dreamlike state, but they still knew that a mighty figure had intervened.
Alarmed and unsettled, they looked toward their Senior Brother, Fan Shuping, hoping for some kind of response. Zhao Chun had no intention of staying any longer. She cupped her hands in a salute to the frowning and pensive Fan Shuping, then turned and walked toward the guest rooms.
Just as she entered the corridor of the middle-grade rooms, she saw Meng Han push open his door, his expression grave. The two came face to face. Seeing that Zhao Chun was unharmed, he let out a slight sigh of relief and asked, "Just now, a Core Formation Great Cultivator released his power.
Do you know why?" Zhao Chun nodded and gestured for Meng Han to follow her back into her room. As she did, she replied, "I do know a few things, and I was just about to tell you, Senior Brother.
The corridor outside is no place to talk. Let's go inside first." There were quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the boat.
The matter of the Amethyst Spirit Branch would soon be exposed. At that point, it would be a free-for-all, with all sorts of Divine Abilities being unleashed. Zhao Chun and Meng Han had no stake in it, so they only needed to watch from the sidelines.
Back inside the guest room, Meng Han vaguely understood the gravity of the situation and didn't dare to be careless. Although the room already had a small sound-insulating formation, he still cast several more Magical Arts to prevent others from eavesdropping.
The conflict between the Four-Way Wanderer of Green Aid and the disciples of the Gate of Fenyang Sect was not the main point, so Zhao Chun summarized it in a few sentences.
It was only when she mentioned that the Jade Box in Fang Xunzhuo's possession contained a flower branch, its entire body a deep purple like agate, that Meng Han's eyes shot up, and he exclaimed in shock, "Could it be that item!" He had trained outside for many years and recognized countless Rare Treasures.
He was exceptionally knowledgeable and well-read, and from the description of the flower branch's appearance alone, he could guess what it was. Seeing Zhao Chun nod, Meng Han's breathing grew heavier. He sighed, "It's a pity our Cultivation Bases are insufficient.
We have no power to touch such a treasure and can only watch as others take it." Zhao Chun consoled him, "Even if you get your hands on a treasure, you have to be able to protect it. Senior Brother and I are still far from the Profound Division Realm.
Perhaps there will be even better things waiting for us then."
"Junior Sister is quite open-minded..."
He too had only felt a momentary surge of greed, which he suppressed within a few breaths. He then smiled again, "We two may not be able to use it, but there are people in the Sect who can.
If we could offer it to the Sect, wouldn't the tens of thousands of books in the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion be free for us to browse? We could also take our pick of the various rare treasures in the Sect!"
"Someone in the Sect is about to reach the Profound Division Realm?"
Zhao Chun was surprised. Among the four elders, Wu Yunzhang and Ge Xingchao were in the Early Core Formation Stage. Only Li Su and Qiu Jianying were in the Mid Core Formation Stage.
Meng Han's words implied that one of these two had broken through to the Late Stage.
"It's Elder Li Su."
He immediately cleared up Zhao Chun's confusion, adding, "Junior Sister must have been in the Threefold Stone Forest at that time, so you wouldn't know. After Elder Li broke through, she also took over the Sect's Hundred Sects Assembly for this session. Your third Senior Brother, Du Fanzhi, is her deputy.
You could say his prestige is boundless for a time. He invited all the Inner Sect Disciples to a banquet, which was quite a pain for me and Brother Xu. We couldn't get any peace and quiet."
He leaned his dark face close to Zhao Chun and said in a low voice, "Junior Sister, don't spread these words around. Brother Xu and I can't afford to offend them..."
"Naturally," Zhao Chun agreed.
She then added, "But for those four to be willing to reveal the Amethyst Spirit Branch today, they must have a plan. I presume it was for this?" Her index finger pointed upwards, indicating the Core Formation Cultivator who had intervened.
Meng Han hesitated.
"I don't know who that person is either. But Junior Sister said the four from Green Aid are still in the Mid Qi Refining Stage. They must know they can't protect such a rare treasure on their own. They should be like us, intending to offer the treasure for benefits."
Looking at it this way, the Fen Feather Sect disciples had suffered a calamity they did not bring upon themselves, used as a stepping stone. Inside a lower-grade guest room on the great boat, the Fen Feather Sect disciples were gathered together.
They were still unaware that they had been used by someone with ulterior motives, and were anxious about something else entirely.
"What are we going to do? The Azure Mountain Waters Bottle was a gift from the Elder, and it must be returned to the Sect. Now that it's lost, we'll definitely be punished severely..."
The disciple's voice trembled as he spoke. Thinking of the Sect's methods of punishment, his face turned deathly pale with fright. Zhao Zhanqian glared back at him, not appearing particularly afraid.
The elder that disciple spoke of was her mother. It was not easy for Cultivators to bear children, so her parents doted on her immensely. When she returned this time, she might not necessarily be punished.
As for the others, however, it was hard to say. Fan Shuping let out a long sigh and promised, "I was the one using the treasure. All of you were just traveling with me.
I didn't expect to drag you into this undeserved disaster. I, Fan Shuping, will naturally take full responsibility for this matter and not let you shoulder the blame." The other disciples were deeply moved, praising his righteous character.
Zhao Zhanqian, however, asked worriedly, "Then, are we still going to the ruins?" The room fell silent. Their group had also come for the Old Sect Ruins.
However, they knew their Cultivation Bases were low and had only intended to trial themselves in the outer layer of the ruins. It was only because an elder had granted them the treasured bottle for protection that they dared to venture out with peace of mind.
Now that the treasured bottle was lost and their protection was gone, upon hearing Zhao Zhanqian's question, they all began to have second thoughts. It was Fan Shuping who persuaded them, "We will soon arrive at Fragrant Blossom Mountain. It would be too much of a pity to turn back now.
Let's proceed as planned and just take a look at the outer layer. If anything changes, we'll leave immediately. I still have a few Lightning Talismans on me, which can help us resist enemies."
He held considerable prestige among the disciples. The others hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded in agreement, preparing to explore the ruins. While Fan Shuping was dejected, Fang Xunzhuo was overjoyed.
The farce today had been single-handedly orchestrated by him, with the sole intention of offering the treasure to secure a good future for himself and his three brothers. The four of them had obtained the Amethyst Spirit Branch in Fuqing Lake.
It was also because they possessed this Spiritual Object that they were able to smoothly cultivate to the Mid Qi Refining Stage. Later, after killing a sect cultivator and finding the Hundred Spirit Herbs manual on his body, they realized just how precious the Spiritual Object in their hands was.
After learning the use of the Amethyst Spirit Branch, their initial ecstasy gave way to growing worry, fearing that others would find out and bring disaster upon them. It wasn't until a month ago that they picked up a rumor that Chi Song, a Rogue Cultivator City's enshrined protector, intended to return to the Eastern Region from the Southern Region.
Only then did the idea of offering the treasure form in their minds. Although Chi Song was at the Late Core Formation Stage, his lifespan was nearing its end. He had searched everywhere for treasures to no avail.
His trip to the Southern Region this time was also to contend for a longevity treasure, but unexpectedly, he was defeated by an elder from the Rippletone Sect. Injured, he was miserably returning to the Eastern Region by boat, which was the opportunity Fang Xunzhuo seized. How could any other longevity item be as precious as the Amethyst Spirit Branch?
Chi Song secretly rejoiced, feeling he was a chosen one. Just when things seemed bleak, a fated opportunity was waiting for him here. Fang Xunzhuo paid his respects and presented the Jade Box, which was passed to Chi Song by an attendant.
He opened it for a look. Though he already had an idea of the Amethyst Spirit Branch's authenticity, seeing the treasure before his eyes still caused his Dao Heart to waver slightly. He had been trapped in this realm for nearly a hundred years.
Finally, an opportunity had arrived, a chance to taste the power of the Profound Division.
"This item is exceedingly rare. For you to be able to offer such a treasure, you truly deserve a great reward."
Chi Song knew that Fang Xunzhuo and his group must have a request. He was at the height of his delight, so as long as it was something he could provide, he would not be stingy. Fang Xunzhuo was not greedy.
He knew that gaining a powerful backer like Chi Song was more important than anything else. He quickly led his brothers to kneel.
"We have long heard of Senior's prestigious name. If we could be accepted into Senior's tutelage, it would be an end to our wandering days. We would be eternally grateful!"
Chi Song hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the aptitude of these four was ordinary, he felt some reservations in his heart. However, proud as he was, he couldn't bring himself to say no at this moment.
He sighed, "Your sincerity is genuine, and I pity that you have been drifting for so long. The path of cultivation is not easy. I will accept the four of you as Initiate Disciples.
You may come and cultivate under me..." The disciples were not truly sincere, and the master felt no real pity. But the performance was done to perfection.
Fang Xunzhuo and his brothers, however, were moved to tears, kowtowing repeatedly and calling him Master. Although Initiate Disciples were below Personal Disciples, they were more orthodox than In-name Disciples. The four of them did not dare to hope to become Chi Song's personal disciples.
Having a quasi-Profound Division Stage master was already far better than their previous situation. Both sides got what they wanted, and both were extremely delighted.
(End of Chapter)