Chapter 8: Lingji Pavilion and the Arrogant Wu Chi

In the Hermit's Valley, not only do tens of thousands of self-cultivating practitioners reside, but there are also numerous Taoist sects stationed here. After all, with so many self-cultivating practitioners, many possess unfathomable cultivation levels and might be extraordinary figures beyond the world, prompting various Taoist sects to try to recruit them.

Lingji Pavilion is a mid-level Taoist sect that has set up a branch in the Hermit's Valley. The cultivators of Lingji Pavilion are not proficient in offensive warfare and killing but specialize in the creation of formations. They seek to understand the principles of heaven and earth for their own use.

Practitioners in the Hermit's Valley can exchange their desired formations here using spirit stones or can directly join the sect to leave the valley and become disciples, enjoying the resources for cultivation at Lingji Pavilion.

Although he did not have any spirit stones on hand, Leo planned to inquire about the situation before making any arrangements. Since he was worried about Reyna being home alone, Leo brought her to a courtyard in the secluded area of the Hermit's Valley.

"Junior Leo wishes to meet the elder stationed at Lingji Pavilion." Leo stood outside, respectfully announcing himself.

"Come in..." An elderly voice, deep and resonant, came from inside the courtyard. It lacked imposing strength, but the soul power contained within was extraordinarily powerful.

Leo felt a jolt in his heart, realizing there was a top-notch expert residing in this small courtyard.

"Thank you, senior." Leo bowed again in gratitude and led Reyna through the courtyard door.

"The back yard..." The old voice prompted again.

Leo headed straight in, passing through many halls, discovering that the courtyard was quite expansive. He picked up Reyna and reached the back yard.

Under a giant phoenix tree, a black-robed elder lay on a wicker chair, while a young cultivator dressed in white, with an elegant demeanor, sat on a nearby stone bench.

As Leo approached, before he could pay his respects, the young cultivator mockingly said, "Qi Refining? What's a low-level cultivator like you doing at Lingji Pavilion? You brought along a little tag-along too." He glanced at Reyna beside Leo, clearly displeased by the interruption.

Reyna's face grew slightly cold, and she gave Leo's hand a little squeeze, looking at him with a confrontational gaze. Leo wasn't surprised by the young man's inexplicable malice.

In the Hermit's Valley, all were self-cultivating practitioners; they didn't know each other, and with no prior relationships, they were on guard against each other, much like in the martial world.

In a typical Taoist sect, even if someone was a low-level cultivator, they would still be comrades, and there would be some consideration for face. However, here, the strong oppressing the weak was the norm.

Ignoring the young man, Leo performed a bow towards the elderly figure on the wicker chair, saying, "Junior Leo pays respects to Elder Xuanji."

The elder nodded, and Leo straightened up, no longer speaking.

"You, a Qi Refining cultivator, why don't you pay your respects to me?!" The young cultivator, surnamed Wu, awaited a response but was instead met with silence from Leo!

His eyebrows shot up, and he glared angrily.

"I just don't want to pay you any respect," Leo said blandly.

"?!" The young cultivator was taken aback.

"I don't think you have any quality."

"Bullshit!" The white-clad youth jumped to his feet. "You clearly don't know my name, Wu Chi!"

"Don't care and don't want to know."

Leo displayed a hint of impatience, treating the person before him as a nameless minion.

"You!" Wu Chi's face turned red, his body trembling with indignation. How dare a mere Qi Refining cultivator show such disrespect toward him! The day before, he had just broken through to the Golden Core stage and had hurried over to seek Elder Xuanji to acquire the precious sword formation of Lingji Pavilion. However, after a long wait filled with expectations, Elder Xuanji refused to grant his request, leaving him extremely frustrated.

Now that a Qi Refining cultivator had appeared, he was eager to vent all his anger on him. But this Qi Refining cultivator, surprisingly, had such a tough temper and dared to confront him!

"Alright, alright, Wu Chi, don't make it hard for the junior. You can go back now." The elder on the wicker chair stepped in to mediate.

Earlier, when Wu Chi had pressed Leo, the elder had shown a hint of displeasure, but when he saw Leo's calm demeanor and how little regard he had for Wu Chi, he couldn't help but feel amused.

This youth was quite interesting.

But on the surface, the elder maintained an air of calm, not revealing his own thoughts. Hearing him, Wu Chi was momentarily taken aback, then quickly adopted a respectful demeanor.

"Well then, Elder Xuanji, about the Yin Yang Sword Formation."The Yin Yang Sword Formation is precious and cannot be decided on immediately. Your spirit stones may be enough, but your cultivation is still too weak; you cannot exert its full potential. It would be a waste to have it with you." Elder Xuanji directly and somewhat gently turned down Wu Chi's request.

Hearing this, Wu Chi's face showed a hint of resentment, revealing his reluctance, but ultimately he dared not say anything before Elder Xuanji, who was a formidable figure in the Nascent Soul realm!

"Regarding this young friend named Leo, why have you come here?"

Seeing Wu Chi silent, Elder Xuanji turned to Leo.

With rage and irritation building inside him, Wu Chi snapped his head up, glaring angrily at Leo upon hearing his name!

"Junior wishes to obtain a formation that can conceal aura," Leo replied.

"Conceal aura? As a Qi Refining cultivator, why would you need a formation that conceals aura? Do you have any treasures on you that you're afraid of being targeted?"

Leo chuckled lightly, gently patting Reyna's head as he spoke.

"The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulty, inherently opposing the heavens. Additionally, there are evil people in the mortal world; it's better to be cautious."

"Hahaha, quite mysterious." Elder Xuanji laughed, appreciating Leo's way of speaking. Despite being young, he didn't come across as a typical youth filled with complaints.

However, Wu Chi, listening on the side, was increasingly annoyed, glaring at Leo with scorn and resentment.

"So Leo, what level of formation do you want to exchange for? I have several mundane formations that can conceal aura, along with a few spiritual and Taoist-grade ones. It just depends on whether you have enough spirit stones."

Spirit stones are gemstones containing spiritual power mined from nature, serving as hard currency among cultivators.

"I would like to inquire, Elder, if you have the highest level formation here," Leo said.

The awakening of celestial spiritual talent is no trivial matter. In human history, there have only been a handful of records of such talented individuals. These individuals were all exceptional, some dominating their eras and others leading trends for thousands of years. In the end, they transcended the realms and ascended to newer, greater worlds.

Thus, the secrets of celestial spiritual talent have never been fully explored. However, when Leo saw the profound laws of the Great Path surrounding Reyna, he immediately understood that the mystery and power of celestial spiritual talent surpassed his previous imagination!

Therefore, as he said, it was never too careful to utilize the highest level formations; otherwise, it would be challenging to hide the phenomena and aura when Reyna's awakening occurred!

Upon hearing Leo's words, both Elder Xuanji and Wu Chi were taken aback.

"You?! You, a low-level Qi Refining cultivator, want a high-level formation?! How can you afford it?"

"You're not just here to jest with Elder Xuanji, are you?"

Wu Chi blurted out, his contempt unmistakable.

Elder Xuanji furrowed his brows, saying, "Wu Chi, didn't I tell you to step back?"

Wu Chi's arrogance immediately faded from his face.

"Uh... I was merely worried that this unknown low-level cultivator might be trying to deceive you…"

"You just said he's a low-level cultivator. If he can't deceive you, how could he deceive me?!"

Elder Xuanji's expression grew increasingly displeased upon hearing this.

"No, no, no, I had no such intention…"

Wu Chi lowered his head, practically burying it in the ground, his face filled with anxiety and fear.

Elder Xuanji initially planned to reprimand him further and send him away, but after considering the forces behind him, he merely let out a cold snort.

After calming his expression, he turned to Leo. "Brother, I don't wish to discourage you, but the truth is, as Wu Chi said, it will be difficult for you to make this exchange."

"I do have a celestial-grade formation that can isolate all auras within it, making it difficult for even top experts to probe. The price is eighty thousand spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, even Leo was taken aback.

Eighty thousand? That's way too expensive.

Leo knew that a true celestial-grade formation would cost far more than this, often reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands. The Price-altering Illusion Array was relatively cheap only because it was merely a basic formation, low in costs and scope with no combat abilities.

Even so, eighty thousand was still an astronomical amount for Leo at present.

"I understand. I hope you can hold it for me; I will come to exchange within half a month."

"Haha, that is certainly no problem. Such a precious formation would be rare for anyone to afford." Elder Xuanji waved his hand with a smile.

With this assurance, Leo felt relieved. His next task was to find a way to make money.

Various missions were frequently posted within the Hermit's Valley, originating from Taoist sects, other self-cultivators, or even from the official Hermit's Valley, involving tasks such as retrieving items, hunting monsters, gathering herbs, and other practices of cultivation.

For Leo, the easiest task would certainly be hunting monsters.

However, even with his current monster-like cultivation speed and the Seven-Colored True Essence he had refined with Reyna's help, accumulating eighty thousand spirit stones within half a month would still be a bit of a stretch.

Leo thought that if it really didn't work out, he would have to take up a more dangerous job, stealing some money.

He took Reyna's hand, intending to bow and leave.

But just then, Wu Chi, who had been silent since being reprimanded, suddenly spoke up.

"Elder Xuanji, I just remembered that my senior sister is also in urgent need of a formation to conceal aura. Why don't you sell me that celestial formation?"