“By the way, I heard that Senior Brother Liu actually came from a background as a Rogue Cultivator.”
Zhou Yang suddenly recalled something and spoke up, his words filled with considerable admiration.
Hearing this, even Fang Ping could not help but take a few extra glances. Starting as a Rogue Cultivator and managing to become one of the Three Outer Sect Heroes was quite an inspiring journey. If this were one of the webnovels from before his transmigration, such a person might well possess the aura of a protagonist.
After Liu Wuchen, another man and woman appeared side by side.
These were the remaining two of the Three Outer Sect Heroes. They appeared as a talented young man and a beautiful woman, quite a well-matched pair.
The man was named Miao Youfang, his origins unknown.
The female cultivator was named Ji Hongling. It was said she had deep connections within the inner sect; even the various outer sect deacons had to treat her with courtesy.
With the arrival of these three late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, the preaching platform was entirely packed. Nearly every outer sect disciple who intended to listen had already arrived.
Near noon, an outer sect elder flew over on a streak of light.
While still in the air, he released the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The preaching platform, which had previously held some low murmurs, instantly fell silent.
“We respectfully invite the Elder to impart the Dao!”
The disciples, adhering to the ceremonial rites of the Luoyang Sect, rose as one to bow and pay their respects.
Only after receiving the disciples’ greeting did the early Foundation Establishment elder stroke his graying beard, withdraw his pressure, and slowly descend from the air.
He brought out a seat, a woven cushion, an incense burner, spiritual tea, a Dao bell, and other items, unhurriedly setting them all up. He then used a shadow-recording stone to play the Step-Void Dao music commonly used by ancient cultivators when lecturing on the Dao. Having fully established the grandeur of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and an outer sect Elder, he finally gave a light cough under the disciples’ gaze and began this session’s lecture.
“Today, we will continue explaining the minor Five Elements spells of the Qi Condensation stage.”
“Listen carefully, all disciples. Even if there are points of confusion, you are not to clamor or ask questions at will, lest you disturb others.”
Elder Wu’s voice was not particularly loud, but with the enhancement of Foundation Establishment stage Spiritual Power, every cultivator across the entire plaza could hear him clearly.
However, though he put on a grand display, his Foundation Establishment stage strength was no illusion.
Even though he only lectured on the application and techniques of Qi Condensation stage Five Elements spells, a casual word of guidance or a simple demonstration was often enough to bring sudden enlightenment to the outer sect disciples fumbling below, making them realize things could be done this way.
Perhaps to accommodate the many weaker disciples, the initial content and spells he explained were clearly rather basic.
After about one shichen, Elder Wu paused briefly to drink a cup of spiritual tea, incidentally leaving a little time for the disciples to comprehend what he had just taught. Only then did he continue with the second session.
This time, the content and the spells involved were clearly more profound.
Early Qi Condensation cultivators quickly fell behind, understanding only half of what they heard and feeling completely bewildered.
Yet they dared not ask questions out of turn. They could only forcefully memorize the content, planning to organize it after returning and slowly comprehend it in the future.
Thus, another shichen passed.
Next came the final session.
This lecture was shorter but significantly more profound, primarily aimed at those veteran mid-to-late Qi Condensation disciples who had been in the outer sect for many years.
At this point, Zhou Yang, Zhang Feihu, and the other disciples could basically no longer understand anything.
The more sensible ones simply gave up, sitting upright in place to recall and organize the content from the first two sessions.
In contrast, Liu Wuchen, Miao Youfang, Ji Hongling, and the others who had previously seemed indifferent now listened with exceptional focus. They occasionally revealed expressions of sudden realization, clearly gaining much.
This continued until the afternoon, when Elder Wu finally finished today’s lecture.
Looking somewhat fatigued, he ignored the disciples’ questions. He waved a hand to roll up the seat, incense burner, and other items on the preaching platform, then rode a streak of light straight into the sky without leaving a single unnecessary word.
This greatly disappointed those disciples who had wanted to ask questions or show off to make a good impression.
“Worthy of a Foundation Establishment Senior—his preaching was indeed thorough!”
Zhou Yang savored the earlier content, feeling the trip had been worthwhile.
Zhang Feihu nodded in deep agreement and asked, “Earlier, when Elder Wu used the Minor Geng Metal Incantation as an example to explain the technique for rapidly casting Dao arts, I didn’t quite understand it. Did any of you note it down? Could you give me some pointers?”
“It goes like this…”
Fang Ping had a decent memory and happened to have recorded it, so he relayed it verbatim.
The four of them, much like the many other disciples on the preaching platform, exchanged insights and verified their understanding. Once they had fully grasped their gains from this lecture, they finally descended the mountain together, discussing along the way before bidding each other farewell.
⁂
Early the next morning.
Before dawn, Fang Ping set out for Luoyun Market.
This market, entirely controlled by the Luoyang Sect, was only a hundred li from Mount Cangyue. Within the market, one was under the jurisdiction and protection of the Luoyang Sect—ordinary robbing cultivators simply dared not approach.
With such safety guarantees and Luoyun Market’s excellent location, its prosperity was easy to imagine.
Early Qi Condensation cultivators had limited Spiritual Power and could not operate flying-type Magical Artifacts, so Fang Ping could only choose to travel on foot using a Light Body Technique.
Fortunately, the distance was not far. Relying on the Light Body Technique, whose effects far surpassed mundane martial arts qinggong, he arrived at Luoyun Market in less than a shichen.
Luoyun Market’s grand Formation had a flight-restricting effect. Cultivators below Foundation Establishment could only honestly climb the mountain from the entrance at the base.
Near the entrance lay a simple maze Formation, shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, keeping ordinary mortals away.
Cultivators only needed to inject a small amount of Spiritual Power to naturally open a passage and enter.
In order to prepare a reasonable excuse for his future source of refined Pills and rapid cultivation progress, Fang Ping had no intention of hiding his alchemy skills.
However, the Prime Cauldron’s effects were too powerful. He had to conceal exactly when he began researching the Dao of Alchemy.
This was to prevent anyone with ill intentions from suspecting his abnormal progress in the Dao of Alchemy when he started selling Pills in the future.
Otherwise, if an investigation merely uncovered a failed Body Seizing by a Nascent Soul old monster, that would be one thing. But if it were discovered that he was a transmigrator, what would happen next was hard to say.
Therefore, purchasing an alchemy inheritance had to be done in secret.
Fang Ping had long since thought it through. If anyone asked in the future, he would claim a Senior had left behind a copy of Basic Understanding of the Dao of Alchemy. He had begun researching it before even entering the Sect, and only recently, after a long period of accumulation, had he made some progress in the Dao of Alchemy.
This way, it would appear much more reasonable.
Moreover, everything could be blamed on a dead person—specifically, a previous-generation disciple who had sacrificed himself for the Sect’s benefit. Even if someone truly wanted to investigate, there would be no witnesses to confront!
⁂
At the mountain entrance.
Two Luoyang Sect outer sect disciples stopped Fang Ping and interrogated him, “Where are you from?”
At an unpopulated spot along the way, Fang Ping had already changed into a Daoist robe and cloak commonly worn by Rogue Cultivators. He had also applied a common disguise potion to alter his skin color, completing a simple disguise.
Such a disguise could not fool Foundation Establishment cultivators. With their Divine Sense extended, a single sweep would see right through it.
But against a few guards who were at most at the mid-stage of Qi Condensation, it was more than sufficient.
He replied in a hoarse voice, “Rogue Cultivator from the northern lands of the State of Liang, Xu Fei.”
The guards did not care at all whether the name Fang Ping gave was real or fake. Or rather, everyone tacitly understood that the questioning was merely routine. After a simple registration, collecting Spirit Stones was what mattered most.
One of them immediately put on a stern face and said, “Entering and exiting the market both require credentials. An ordinary temporary credential allows you to stay in the market for only three days.”
His original body had been to the market before and was no stranger to the rules here. He paid six Spirit Stones.
One Spirit Stone as the entry fee, and five Spirit Stones as the credential deposit, which would be refunded when descending the mountain.