NOVEL NEXT Chapter 258: True Masters' Attention
The sect has classifications for Tier Two Spirit Veins.
For example, Cyan Dragon Bay where Shen Xuan used to live, has a low quality and scarce resources.
The Ding Family can only barely make ends meet from the beginning to the end of the year.
Even obtaining a Sect Foundation Establishment Pill requires a tremendous effort.
After the sect auction, it no longer pays attention.
And there is no affiliation with the sect.
Slightly better ones are places like Cyan Yang Prefecture and Weimu County.
After the auction, nominally, they are vassal forces of the sect.
They must contribute to the sect and obey its management and dispatch.
In reality, they maintain a certain independence.
The sect generally does not interfere in their internal matters.
The best ones are the core areas mentioned by Tie Wenda.
These Tier Two locations are close to the sect's residence and under its protection.
Family development is closely tied to the sect.
They also must contribute and obey management and dispatch.
But being close in proximity, they benefit first.
Many cultivation techniques, inheritances, and high-tier cultivation spiritual objects circulate from the sect and are first obtained by these families.
If there are outstanding young talents in the family, they are given priority to join the sect.
Therefore, the price of such core area Tier Two locations is several times higher than those like Cyan Yang Prefecture.
Also, the number auctioned to the public is small.
Generally, it is purchased by descendants of the sect's high-ranking members.
"Oh, quite ambitious!"
Shen Xuan teased.
"One must have some hope in life!"
Tie Wenda said, grinning, "I hope the Talisman Master Shen will support me."
Shen Xuan stared at Tie Wenda.
"Tie Wenda, can I trust you?"
Tie Wenda immediately stood up, swearing an oath: "I swear to the Heavenly Dao, I will never betray Talisman Master Shen. If I do, may the heavens strike me with five thunders!"
Tie Wenda has quite a reputation and status among the loose cultivators in Cyan Yang Prefecture.
His information is extremely agile, and he is well-versed in the surroundings of Cyan Yang Prefecture.
Shen Xuan originally intended to recruit him to his own use when bringing him back to the Rain Listening Pavilion.
For the next eleven years, Shen Xuan tried his best not to leave Feiyun Mountain.
The Immortal Bai Lian was busy with her cultivation.
Su Xue'Er was only suitable for being within Feiyun Mountain.
Shen Xuan lacked people around him to act as his eyes and ears and to handle miscellaneous affairs.
He needed Tie Wenda to control the information among the loose cultivators in Cyan Yang Prefecture, assist him in purchasing spirit medicines, and gather various intelligence.
In this way, Shen Xuan could focus on cultivating in the Rain Listening Pavilion of Feiyun Mountain.
As for compensation.
Being able to become a friend of Shen Xuan, Talisman Master Shen, was an extremely generous reward for Tie Wenda.
"Sit down!"
Shen Xuan handed over a list of spirit medicines to Tie Wenda.
"For the spirit medicines listed here, if the price is suitable, help me purchase them."
"Additionally..."
Shen Xuan pondered for a while.
He took out ten premium Thunder Talismans and ten premium Poison Talismans from his storage pouch.
"Keep these talismans. If you encounter danger, use them to cover your retreat."
"Also, any major news in Cyan Yang Prefecture can be written down and reported to me."
Tie Wenda agreed respectfully, swearing to assist Shen Xuan in purchasing spirit medicines and gathering intelligence, remaining absolutely loyal to him.
The two discussed some details.
Offering kindness to Tie Wenda was just a discretionary move by Shen Xuan.
He needed a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to run errands for him, gather information, and handle miscellaneous tasks,
If found useful.
In the future, transactions with Wu Yulan and other Demon Cultivators could be handled by Tie Wenda.
After all, his current identity was different.
Facing Demon Cultivators directly could be troublesome if his weaknesses were exploited.
"Alright! Pack up the demon beast meat on the table and take it with you!"
"It's getting late, you should head back!"
Tie Wenda left the Rain Listening Pavilion, filled with gratitude and reluctance.
After the encounter at Cyan Yang Market, Shen Xuan's reputation soared to a higher level.
Even though he surpassed Shen Xuan by a minor realm,
Shen Xuan's strength, status, skill, reputation, and so on, far exceeded his own.
Being able to associate with Shen Xuan under the guise of a friend, would make future endeavors much smoother compared to before.
...
After Tie Wenda left, Shen Xuan returned to his room to rest.
He was not worried at all about He Zhengming's support mission at Tiger Stream Ridge.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows.
If the Zhao Family had any sense, they wouldn't dare to act to the extreme.
The Zhao Family's elite cultivators could relocate.
But how could a large number of ordinary cultivators and mortal bloodlines be moved under the nose of the Cyan Cloud Sect!
Zhou Haoyu, Pill Master Lin, and Artifact Master Dai were not in danger.
The following day.
Pill Master Lin and Artifact Master Dai paid a joint visit.
Shen Xuan treated them with great hospitality.
Although they had lived together on Feiyun Mountain for more than a decade,
both were usually busy, and gatherings were rare.
After a few rounds of drinks.
"The Zhao Family of Tiger Stream Ridge is truly despicable!"
Pill Master Lin, fueled by alcohol, shouted curses.
In the same trade, there is always rivalry.
Pill Master Lin had long been fed up with the Zhao Family.
Everything happened as Shen Xuan anticipated.
The Zhao Family of Tiger Stream Ridge had a total of nine Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
That day, the Zhao Patriarch led four people, including He Zhengming, to Cyan Yang Market.
They lured He Zhengming into a Demon Cultivator's array and never returned to Tiger Stream Ridge.
With them, a batch of elite Qi Cultivation disciples from the Zhao Family also vanished.
Zhou Haoyu, Pill Master Lin, and Artifact Master Dai continued to drink and enjoy entertainment with the performers arranged by the Zhao Family,
completely unaware of the changes within the Zhao Family at Tiger Stream Ridge.
Upon He Zhengming's return, everyone gathered.
Upon hearing about the Zhao Patriarch's betrayal of the Cyan Cloud Sect, they were all furious.
After hearing reports from the Zhao Family, the Zhao Family Ancestor hastily emerged from seclusion.
He claimed the Zhao Patriarch and four others acted on their own, and he was completely unaware.
Admitting to poor family discipline, Zhao's betrayal endangered He Zhengming and others.
The Zhao Family Ancestor accepted punishment and confessed.
They expelled the Zhao Patriarch and accomplices from the family registry, erasing their names from the ancestral records.
The Zhao Family is a top cultivation clan in Cyan Yang Prefecture, with deep roots and considerable influence in the area.
They also have some connections within the Cyan Cloud Sect.
He Zhengming dared not act without approval.
He could only write a secret letter reporting the Zhao Patriarch's betrayal and defection to the demons, submitting it to the sect for the high authorities to decide.
To prevent mishaps, He Zhengming took over the defense of Tiger Stream Ridge completely.
The Zhao Family Ancestor cooperated obediently, handing over control of the Mountain Protection Array.
"Hypocrite!"
Shen Xuan followed with a curse.
He could guess the Zhao Family's thoughts.
The Spirit Vein at Tiger Stream Ridge was simply insufficient to support the Zhao Family's expansion.
Because of this, the Zhao Family was divided into two, betting on both sides.
The Zhao Family Patriarch, along with some elite disciples, sought allegiance with the Blood Spirit Sect to establish a Cultivation Clan in Liang Country.
Those who stayed behind were led by the Zhao Family Ancestor.
The Cyan Cloud Sect is a reputable major sect, emphasizing a justifiable cause.
Unless the crime is outrageous, they won't resort to extermination.
As for sect members defecting to the Demon Sect.
Such things are commonplace among the border Cultivation Clans.
In either Daoist Sect or Demon Sect territories across the counties, there's always a blend of influences.
Many things are understood without words.
If defecting alone warranted annihilation,
no Cultivation Clan on the borders of Song and Liang Countries would be spared.
Shen Xuan speculated.
The rod was raised high, only to fall softly.
After all, at this time, Cyan Yang Prefecture still needed the Zhao Family to cooperate with the Cyan Cloud Sect's actions.
It's far from the time when the bird is gone, and the bow is hidden away.
Shen Xuan drank with the two for a while.
He inquired about their plans.
Dan Master Lin and Artifact Master Dai told him they were about to return to the sect.
The reason was simple.
The Zhao Family Patriarch of Tiger Stream Ridge could betray the Cyan Cloud Sect, the Su Family of Feiyun Mountain might not be reliable either.
The Blood Spirit Sect sent three Core Formation Seeds to Cyan Yang Prefecture.
The sect only sent He Zhengming, one Core Formation Seed.
A single tree can't support a building.
The situation in Cyan Yang Prefecture is not optimistic.
They received news.
The sect intends to shrink the front line, considering abandoning some border counties.
Cyan Yang Prefecture is among them.
"Senior Brothers, is this true?"
"It's just rumors. It's just what I've heard."
Shen Xuan sighed heavily.
He only wanted to find a peaceful place to cultivate.
But things never go as planned.
A predecessor from a past life summarized it perfectly.
As long as there are people, there is conflict, and where there is conflict, there is the Jianghu, and people are the Jianghu.
In the Cultivation Realm, it's the same.
You think Immortal Cultivation is about meditative realization, suddenly achieving enlightenment, becoming an immortal, achieving eternal life, flying and moving freely with limitless power.
In truth, cultivators are just another type of Jianghu people.
Constantly collecting cultivation resources, enhancing their own strength, and increasing their lifespan, in a vain attempt to defy the heavens.
"Take care, Senior Brother Shen!"
Dan Master Lin and Artifact Master Dai bid farewell to Shen Xuan.
Leaving Cyan Yang Prefecture, they had long planned to return to the sect together.
Shen Xuan remained indifferent.
If the Cyan Cloud Sect were to abandon Cyan Yang Prefecture, he would surely find an excuse to return to the sect.
He wouldn't stay here and fight to the death with the Demon Cultivators.
It's not that they can't win or hold out.
It's just not necessary.
He is not a sect's Core Formation Seed.
No matter how much effort he puts in, the majority of the sect's achievements would go to the True Master's direct disciples.
If it damages his Dao Foundation, affecting his cultivation, it would not be worth the loss.
As for the cultivators and mortals in Cyan Yang Prefecture.
They can only fend for themselves.
To this, Shen Xuan sighed heavily.
He felt helpless and powerless to aid them.
...
Cyan Cloud Sect, Law Enforcement Hall Headquarters.
Master Lingxiao sat at the table, watching the Battle Report Jade Scroll sent from the frontline.
A direct disciple, with a face like jade and eyes like bright stars, stood by attentively.
The aura around him was clearly at Foundation Establishment Realm Perfection.
This person was Master Lingxiao's eldest disciple, He Jingsong.
Suddenly.
Master Lingxiao snorted coldly and tossed the Battle Report Jade Scroll onto the table.
"Master?"
"See for yourself!"
He Jingsong picked up the Battle Report Jade Scroll and scanned it with his Divine Sense.
He furrowed his brows lightly.
"Why is Junior Brother He so careless!"
"Is this carelessness?"
Master Lingxiao's gaze was like lightning, piercing He Jingsong.
"Junior Brother He indeed was negligent!"
"He is more of a hindrance than a help!"
Master Lingxiao looked out the window with his hands behind his back.
The Eighteen Peaks of the Cyan Cloud Sect stood tall and majestic, competing for glory.
Each peak had a Core Formation True Master presiding over it.
Among them, the five central peaks were the Dao arenas of the Golden Core True Masters.
"Calm yourself, Master."
"Junior Brother He has stayed too long in the sect and lacks worldly experience. The human heart is like water, unpredictable."
"After this incident, Junior Brother He will grow more experienced."
"I hope so!"
Master Lingxiao nodded slightly and immediately asked, "What is your opinion of Shen Xuan?"
"When the time is not ripe, he lays low among the common folk. Actually, he is extraordinarily intelligent, with great opportunities and the appearance of late-blooming greatness."
"Hmm. Unfortunately, time has passed, and he's somewhat older."
"Otherwise, he might have had a chance to Condense the Inner Core."
Master Lingxiao sighed.
He Jingsong was startled.
"Master, Condensing the Inner Core is no easy task!"
His voice carried a hint of bitterness.
"Among the sect's three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, only a handful can Condense the Inner Core!"
There was something he was too embarrassed to say.
As Master Lingxiao's eldest disciple, he was still seeking an opportunity for Core Formation.
Yet, in Master's eyes, there was hope for Shen Xuan, a Loose Cultivator of advanced age, whose master was merely an ordinary Core Formation True Master, to succeed in Condensing the Inner Core!
"The Heavenly Dao is fifty, its derivation is forty-nine, with one escaping, representing the variable!"
"Throughout history, many mighty figures in the Cultivation Realm, emerged from the common folk. With great perseverance and wisdom, they surged against the tide to achieve Core Formation and Infant Birth!"
"Jingsong, do not underestimate others! Hone yourself, perfect your Dao Foundation, and ensure your Dao Rhyme is flawless. When the time arrives, have a resolute Dao Heart, and take your leap of faith!"
"In this way, you might manage to Condense the Inner Core."
Master Lingxiao spoke slowly.
He Jingsong fell into silence.
After a long while, like waking from a dream, he bowed in salute, "Thank you for your teachings, Master!"
Master Lingxiao sighed.
"In your personal capacity, write to He Zhengming, advising him to gain the allegiance of the cultivators in Cyan Yang Prefecture, and to diligently hone himself."
"As for Shen Xuan..."
Master Lingxiao contemplated, and then said, "Tell him not to disturb Shen Xuan unnecessarily!"
He Jingsong was slightly startled, and quickly replied, "Yes, Master, I will write to him at once."