Chapter 152: The Benefit of Having a Sect

"Did you remember it?"

Hua Yaoyue glanced at Ji Yuan and asked.

Only then did Ji Yuan withdraw his divine sense from the jade slip and nodded firmly. "Disciple has remembered it."

He had just carefully savored it and found this 《Breath Concealment Art》 to be extremely profound.

Not only could it perfectly conceal cultivation level, but it also consumed very little energy. This meant that when traveling, he could completely pose as a Peak Qi Refining cultivator. With the addition of his Shapeshifting Talisman, it was as if he had entirely become another person, even his aura would change accordingly.

Acting would be much safer. If he truly encountered danger, revealing his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation could catch the enemy off guard.

The only downside was that after using the 《Breath Concealment Art》, he could no longer fight with full power.

Concealing to the Peak Qi Refining level meant he was indeed only at the Peak Qi Refining level.

Once he used his Foundation Establishment Stage power, his true cultivation would naturally be exposed. But that didn’t matter either—if it came to that point, exposure was irrelevant.

Moreover, even if his cultivation was revealed, he still had the Shapeshifting Talisman as a second layer of disguise, so there was no need to worry about others discovering his true identity.

Hua Yaoyue casually put away the jade slip and then asked:

"The Li family has always kept things private. Why would they pass their ancestral sword manual to an outsider like you?"

"What?!"

Yun Qianzai, who had originally been standing at the edge of the pavilion with his back to the others, immediately turned around upon hearing this and looked at Ji Yuan in shock. "Little Junior Brother, you actually learned the Li family’s 《Nine Tribulations Sword Manual》?"

"Indeed."

Since Hua Yaoyue had already mentioned it, there was no point in hiding it anymore.

"You———·grhh."

Yun Qianzai couldn’t help but sigh deeply after hearing this. He lowered his head, looking rather dispirited.

"Second Senior Brother, you—"

Ji Yuan didn’t know what to say, but Feng Zhi Tao explained from the side, "Hmph, Second Senior Brother practices the 《Tide-Origin Myriad Manifestations Scripture》, but he’s always thought it wasn’t as cool as the 《Canglan Nine Tribulations Sword Manual》. To put it plainly, he regretted it because he couldn’t show off."

"Now that he heard you’ve learned the sword manual, he’s feeling even worse."

So this Second Senior Brother even cultivated just to show off?

For a moment, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but wonder if his learning formations was also for showing off.

"That’s right, Little Junior Brother, how did you manage to learn the Li family’s sword manual? Although this technique is stored in the Scripture Repository, ordinary people need the Li family’s approval to learn it. Without their consent, even the sect cannot pass it on."

Feng Zhi Tao asked with some curiosity.

The three of them looked over. Ji Yuan had no choice but to recount the time he had saved Li Changhe.

Yun Qianzai listened intently but soon lost interest.

He had originally wanted to hear whether what Little Junior Brother did could be repeated. If it could, he’d go and learn it too, switching over to the sword manual.

But after listening, it was of no use.

Saving someone like Li Changhe was purely luck.

So after Ji Yuan finished speaking, he humbly smiled. "A stroke of luck, just luck."

"Little Junior Brother really is fortunate."

Yun Qianzai said somewhat sourly.

"As for the Li family’s sword manual, your master also understands a thing or two. If there’s anything you don’t understand in the future, feel free to ask."

"Yes, disciple thanks Master."

Ji Yuan hurriedly stood and bowed to Hua Yaoyue.

"Thanks? Is this how you thank me?"

Lying on the recliner, Hua Yaoyue looked at him with a half-smile.

Ji Yuan was struck with inspiration. He quickly stepped back a few paces and extended both hands forward. Instantly, three jars of spiritual wine appeared in the pavilion. "These three jars of spiritual wine have been improved by this disciple. I ask Master to taste and judge them."

"Oh?"

Previously motionless on the recliner, Hua Yaoyue sat up upon seeing the three jars of wine.

Feng Zhi Tao and Yun Qianzai looked on in surprise at this scene.

"These three jars of spiritual wine, they were with you, Little Junior Brother?"

"Mm, Master had me improve it earlier."

Upon hearing this, Yun Qianzai quietly sized up Ji Yuan. Judging from this, it seemed this Little Junior Brother indeed had a commendable temperament.

The name of these three jars of spiritual wine was naturally well known to Yun Qianzai.

First, they were inherently precious.

That Hua Yaoyue entrusted them to Ji Yuan even before he had officially become her disciple was proof of her trust.

Second—... Little Junior Brother was indeed trustworthy.

Because these three jars of spiritual wine—Profound Ice Cold Marrow Wine, if a Qi Refining stage Ji Yuan drank even a sip, he would immediately turn into an ice sculpture.

Blazing Sun Heartburn Wine, if Ji Yuan drank it, he would be burned alive by fiery torment.

As for the Nine Heavens Cloud-Patterned Wine, that death might be the most pleasant—one would drink and get drunk to death.

It wasn’t that these three spiritual wines were poisonous, but rather that the spiritual energy within them was far too overpowering for a Qi Refining stage cultivator to withstand.

Now that Ji Yuan was safe and sound, it clearly showed he had not tried to sneak a taste.

If he had secretly kept any, Hua Yaoyue would naturally have noticed.

"Not bad, quite capable indeed."

Hua Yaoyue first gave a sniff, then with a gentle lift of her jade hand, a jade cup appeared in her grasp.

From within that wine jar, forged like Crimson Crystal Lava, a stream of fiery red liquor flew out and poured into the jade cup in Hua Yaoyue’s hand.

She raised it and downed it in one gulp.

Her originally fair and delicate face flushed slightly. She kept her mouth shut to savor the taste, and only then exhaled a long breath of wine vapor.

"Good!"

Her voice rang out unusually bright. Her usually languid eyes turned somewhat hazy and bold with drunkenness.

But as she blinked slightly, the sensation quickly faded away.

Then, she went on to taste the remaining Profound Ice Cold Marrow Wine and Nine Heavens Cloud-Patterned Wine. Clearly, all three jars were greatly to her satisfaction.

With that, her gaze toward Ji Yuan became even more approving.

"Not bad. In the future, if you have any wine, remember to deliver it to your master here."

"Yes."

Ji Yuan quickly nodded in agreement.

"This is my Messaging Talisman. If you have any urgent matter, you can contact me. If not, don’t disturb my cultivation." As Hua Yaoyue spoke, she tossed over a golden talisman.

It was slightly different from the one she gave previously.

"Keep this well. If you encounter danger while out, it can help protect you. But remember, it can only be used once, and can block a full-power attack from a Mid-Golden Core Stage cultivator for half a stick of incense."

As Hua Yaoyue’s voice fell, a wine cup filled with twinkling starlight appeared before Ji Yuan.

Its appearance wasn’t much different from the jade cup Hua Yaoyue had used earlier, but the cup now in his hand shimmered with continuous starlight.

To block an attack from a Mid-Golden Core Stage cultivator—such a powerful treasure!

Ji Yuan quickly put it away and silently vowed in his heart that he must properly repay his master in the future.

Mm—when he returned, he would check if the 【Wine Cellar】 could be upgraded. At that time, he would see what kind of wine the Level 2 【Wine Cellar】 would produce.

If it was good, he would present it to his master!

"Mm, that’s all for now."

"Oh right, in a few days, your Sect Master Martial Uncle will summon you to discuss the matter of opening an island. Just pick the place you like when the time comes. If he refuses, tell him to come to me."

Hua Yaoyue spoke casually, as if ordering Real Person Xuan Shui was nothing at all to her.

"Yes."

Ji Yuan responded again.

Yun Qianzai followed up with a smile: "Little Junior Brother, once you open your island, let me know. I’ll handle the island’s formations myself, whether they’re killing arrays or illusion arrays, I guarantee they’ll all be Second-Tier Formations."

Ji Yuan’s eyes lit up at this.

Ordinarily, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator opened an island, just buying formation disks and hiring a formation master to set them up would already be hugely expensive.

For example, the First-Tier Mist Array Ji Yuan had previously bought cost 10 pieces of Middle-Grade Spirit Stone. If replaced with a Second-Tier Illusion Array, the price would be at least eighty or ninety Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.

The better ones could easily go for over a hundred.

Now Yun Qianzai was offering to help with all that—such a generous gesture made Ji Yuan feel a bit embarrassed to accept.

"Little Junior Brother, don’t be polite with him. When it comes to formations, he’s quite reliable."

Feng Zhi Tao advised.

"Then—I shall trouble you, Second Senior Brother."

Ji Yuan bowed once more to Yun Qianzai, while thinking he must quickly upgrade the 【Cave Dwelling】 to Level 2. At that point, he would obtain the built-in Stellar Whirl Cloud Barrier Formation.

Then, he could layer that Stellar Whirl Cloud Barrier Formation into Yun Qianzai’s formation as a second line of defense.

Otherwise, having formations set up by someone else—Ji Yuan always felt uneasy about it.

"No need to be polite, Little Junior Brother. Just have a formation exchange with me when you have time."

Yun Qianzai seemed eager to exchange ideas, but Ji Yuan still felt—something seemed off.

As someone with such extensive formation experience, would he really be so eager to exchange with a mere First-Tier formation master like him?

"Since Second Senior Brother is gifting you formations as a meeting gift, then as your Senior Sister, I can’t be stingy either."

Feng Zhi Tao spoke as if frowning in contemplation, then suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Got it!"

She snapped her fingers. "Then I’ll gift a string of beads to Little Junior Brother."

"Beads?"

Ji Yuan instinctively wondered—what kind of beads?

If Feng Zhi Tao was offering it as a meeting gift, then it had to be valuable, but the specifics were unknown.

Just as he was thinking, he saw Feng Zhi Tao point a finger.

A string of “beads” flew out from her sleeve and finally landed on Ji Yuan’s neck, forming a “bead necklace” around it.

A bead necklace composed of demon cores!

Ten in total—all mid-grade Second-Tier demon cores!

"This—"

Ji Yuan lowered his head, staring at the demon cores spinning around his neck. It was impossible not to be shocked—just one mid-grade Second-Tier demon core was worth at least 40 pieces of Middle-Grade Spirit Stone.

Now that Feng Zhi Tao had given away ten in one go, wasn’t that a bit too extravagant?

Even Yun Qianzai, upon seeing this scene, couldn’t help but have his eyelids twitch.

"It seems that for the formation I’m setting up for Little Junior Brother, I’ll really have to bleed a bit."

Before Ji Yuan could even speak to decline, Yun Qianzai quickly stepped in to help:

"Little Junior Brother, no need to be polite with your Third Senior Sister. She’s either killing monsters every day or on her way to kill monsters. Besides, she’s got that Demon Trading Shop raking in wealth—demon cores—she’s got plenty."

"These demon cores are for Little Junior Brother to use in alchemy! And what do you mean raking in wealth? Hmph! You’re just jealous!"

Feng Zhi Tao glared angrily at Yun Qianzai.

Ji Yuan expressed his thanks repeatedly before finally accepting Feng Zhi Tao’s gift.

At the same time, he was thinking about what kind of gift he should return. Although he was the Little Junior Brother, he couldn’t just accept without giving back. Once or twice was fine, but too many times and anyone would feel uncomfortable.

Yun Qianzai was probably only interested in formations.

That made it a bit difficult.

As for Feng Zhi Tao, giving her some “Runjade Fat” from the 【Pigsty】 would be perfect. She was always out fighting, so her spiritual artifacts were bound to take damage. Giving her something to repair artifacts like “Runjade Fat” would definitely be useful.

"Alright, if there’s nothing else, you all can leave now."

Hua Yaoyue waved her hand, seeming quite displeased with the ruckus they were making.

Since Master had given the order, the three of them naturally hurried to take their leave.

Moreover, Ji Yuan had spent a whole year in seclusion this time, and now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, there were naturally many matters to attend to.

After the three of them left Forget Worry Island, Ji Yuan glanced back at the island.

He figured he would be coming here often from now on, so he’d better memorize the location well. If he ever couldn’t find the island where his Master resided, that would be truly awkward.

"Little Junior Brother, how about coming to my Heaven Pivot Island for a visit?"

Yun Qianzai invited again.

Ji Yuan smiled. "I just had a breakthrough. I haven’t even gone home yet and came straight to Master. I’d better return to Hatchling Dragon Island first. Maybe after I open my island, I’ll come and discuss formations with Second Senior Brother."

"That works too. Then, Little Junior Brother, take care of your matters. If anything comes up, just let me know."

As he spoke, Yun Qianzai handed over his own Messaging Talisman.

As for Feng Zhi Tao’s Messaging Talisman, Ji Yuan had already received it previously.

The three of them continued chatting casually for quite a while. Feng Zhi Tao and Yun Qianzai both gave Ji Yuan many tips regarding the Foundation Establishment Stage and also told him the locations of their respective islands.

Both of them asked Ji Yuan to choose a location close to theirs when opening his own island.

The three talked for over an hour before Yun Qianzai finally took his leave.

After he left, Feng Zhi Tao secretly transmitted a message: "Little Junior Brother, knowing Second Senior Brother’s personality, the formation discussion is just a pretext. I bet he mostly just wants to show off his formations. When you visit, make sure to stay alert."

That made sense—it was just as Ji Yuan had suspected———he nodded slightly. "Alright, thank you, Third Senior Sister, for the advice."

"Mm——Second Senior Brother actually has a good temperament. Aside from loving to show off, he doesn’t have many flaws."

Feng Zhi Tao nodded. "He shows off his looks, shows off his strength—he just likes to flaunt."

So it was just a matter of loving to impress others—understandable.

Ji Yuan didn’t know how to respond and just smiled, then took his leave.

Having just broken through, he naturally continued riding the Scarlet Flying Boat distributed by the sect. In a little while, he would be able to store it away and start using the Thunder-Gather Boat instead.

At least within the sect, that was the expectation.

If one had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage but was still flying around on a top-grade magical artifact-level flying boat like the Scarlet Flying Boat—well, no need to say anything, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators would see you as an old schemer. Simply put, you were too flashy.

But if you switched to a supreme-grade magical artifact-level flying boat, then you’d just be one of the crowd.

Considering all this, it was time to replace his escape flying boat. The previous lower-grade spiritual artifact-level Sky-Slicer was fine for regular use, but for escape—Ji Yuan planned to purchase a mid-grade or even upper-grade spiritual artifact-level flying boat.

After all, flying boats could be powered by spirit stones and didn’t rely solely on one’s own spiritual energy.

Even upper-grade spiritual artifacts could be easily activated.

Thinking this over, Ji Yuan traveled westward, heading straight for Hatchling Dragon Island.

First, he indeed had to return and pack some things. After that, he needed to return the residency certificate to Hatchling Dragon Hall.

Now that he had become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could open his own island from now on.

Second, Ji Yuan was thinking about the message left in the backyard. Since previous tenants had all left something behind, he too had to leave a little something, along with a bit of fortune within the house.

When he had moved into that house, he had benefited from what his predecessor had left. Naturally, he should leave some fortune for those who came after him.

He figured that after he finished all his errands at home, he would have to go to the main island and formally meet with Sect Master Real Person Xuan Shui. At that time, he would need to choose the location for his island and begin preparations for opening it.

Once the island was opened——... the tasks would multiply.

He would have to cultivate the 《Breath Concealment Art》, along with the Second-Tier movement technique 《Shadow-Following》 he had obtained from Misty Island, and there were also many buildings that needed upgrading.

Lost in thought along the way, by the time Ji Yuan returned to Hatchling Dragon Island, the moon was already hanging atop the willow branches.

Fortunately, he wasn’t in any hurry.

On the way, when he passed by Du Wanyi’s courtyard, he gave it a second glance. The main gate was still tightly shut.

The one who went to the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven hadn’t returned yet—or perhaps—might not return at all.

Ji Yuan paused slightly but didn’t stop.

Such was the path of cultivation. Like Du Wanyi going to the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven—he had already done all he could.

If she really died in there—

Ji Yuan could do nothing more, but at least he could face his conscience with no regrets.

After returning to his new residence, Ji Yuan released his divine sense and swept through inside and out, finally confirming there were no more issues this time.

The two peach trees in the front yard remained. This year, due to his year-long seclusion, Ji Yuan hadn’t eaten a single peach. All of them had fallen and rotted on the ground, sprouting seedlings everywhere.

As he walked from the front yard to the back, Ji Yuan collected all the props he had left around to make the place look lived-in.

There wasn’t much to begin with.

Next came the part where he had to leave behind a bit of fortune. Ji Yuan had already thought this through on the way back. Things like spirit stones and pills weren’t suitable to leave behind.

Who knew whether it would be a new resident or someone from Hatchling Dragon Hall who picked them up.

So if he were to leave something——Ji Yuan planned to leave the pill recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The next person to move in would surely be a newcomer. Letting them learn this recipe early would help them prepare for Foundation Establishment in advance.

At the very least, it would secure an early advantage.

Otherwise, after joining the sect, he would still need to expend considerable effort just to obtain the pill recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Ji Yuan arrived beneath the rear courtyard wall. Looking at the inscriptions left behind by his predecessors, it was impossible not to feel a sense of emotion—whether it was the impoverished Daoist who spent his entire life yet never succeeded in Foundation Establishment,

or that once high-spirited senior who ultimately returned to dust,

or the third owner of this house, Feng Zhi Tao, who had successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

Ji Yuan stared for a long while, and he also thought of the hardships he had endured along the way.

From the time he first transmigrated, when he couldn’t even afford the Immortal Residence Fee at Zengtou Market, to later events—like when he encountered Liu the Leper—even though he had already been extremely cautious, he still fell into danger multiple times within the Yunyu Marshlands.

But such was often the path of cultivation. Compared to others, he had the Building Upgrade Panel, which already gave him a significant advantage.

Since that was the case, what kind of words should he leave behind?

This was a question Ji Yuan had pondered the entire journey.

Thinking to this point, he summoned the Purple Lightning Flying Sword with a thought and carved two lines of text into the stone wall.

Once he finished, he placed the pill recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill on the stone wall and used a restriction to fix and conceal it.

When a future resident read those words and lingered for more than three breaths, the pill recipe would naturally reveal itself.

Since it was left as a piece of fortune, it should at least resemble one.

Consider it a little easter egg he left behind.

By the next day, Ji Yuan, who had been waiting on Hatchling Dragon Island, suddenly received a summons from Real Person Xuan Shui.

As the sect master, he was formally calling Ji Yuan, now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to meet.

At that thought, Ji Yuan gave the courtyard one last glance, then shut the door and departed.

He first went to Hatchling Dragon Hall to return the residency certificate, then rode his flying boat straight for the main island.

After he left, Yard No. 18 on Hatchling Dragon Island was quiet and deserted. Only the two lines of words he left behind remained, along with a few scattered stone chips.

The first line read:"Burn away the mortal body to temper this form, ultimately a Foundation Establishment soul upon the mountain. Say not the immortal path lacks return, this life often buries the not-yet-departed."

Following it was another line in smaller script:

"This Cave Dwelling was once destroyed by my hand. It was only after its reconstruction that I achieved Foundation Establishment. Therefore, the words you now see were left behind by me as a recreation."

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