The Qingmiao Sect

Chapter 37

The Qingmiao Sect was located among the mountains hundreds of miles to the east of the marketplace.

Spiritual energy lingered in the air, and flying cranes circled overhead.

Li Changmeng landed outside the mountain gate of the Qingmiao Sect. Two disciples guarding the gate looked respectful.

"It's you again?"

They were old acquaintances, the same two who had collected the entrance fee at the marketplace gate that day.

"Senior, we're just trying to earn some spirit stones. May I ask what brings you to our sect?"

The cultivator gave a shy smile and then asked seriously.

"The Qingmiao Sect is so powerful that everyone around knows it. As the saying goes, it's good to shelter under a big tree. I'm here to see if I can get a position as a guest elder in your sect."

Since he wanted to join the Qingmiao Sect, the more compliments he gave, the better.

Sure enough, the gate - guarding disciples looked a bit smug and immediately said that they would wait a moment and go to ask the sect elders right away.

Before long, a female cultivator in a red dress flew over on a magical tool and landed in front of Li Changmeng.

She sized him up and showed a bit of surprise on her face. "I'm Yu Yanxue, the elder of the External Affairs Hall of the Qingmiao Sect. Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Li Changmeng returned the greeting. "So it's Elder Yu. I'm Li Changmeng, a lone cultivator. I've long admired your sect and came here specifically to pay a visit."

"Then please follow me, Fellow Daoist Li. Let's go into the mountain and discuss the matter of you joining the sect in detail."

"Of course."

After saying that, Li Changmeng followed Yu Yanxue into the Qingmiao Sect.

After crossing several mountain peaks, Li Changmeng finally saw the main hall of the Qingmiao Sect's mountain gate. Inside the hall, three cultivators were already waiting.

Yu Yanxue stepped forward and introduced Li Changmeng. Then the man sitting on the main seat in the hall stood up, walked over, and shook Li Changmeng's hand.

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's a great honor for our Qingmiao Sect to have you join us. I'm Feng Qi, the sect master of the Qingmiao Sect. This is Elder Duan Yanshu of the Internal Affairs Hall, and this is Elder Qi Shu of the Treasure - Pill Pavilion."

This kind of warm welcome made Li Changmeng a bit flattered. Foundation - Establishment cultivators were considered high - end combat power in the Qingmiao Sect, but such a grand welcome seemed a bit excessive.

However, on the surface, Li Changmeng nodded with a smile and suppressed his doubts for later investigation. The most urgent thing was to ask about the salary.

"Sect Master Feng, I'm just a lone cultivator with no special skills. But I do have some combat abilities. I'm just wondering about the salary..."

"No problem, Fellow Daoist Li. As a guest elder, you'll receive a monthly salary of one hundred spirit stones, five second - grade Qi - Condensing Pills, and a second - grade middle - level cave dwelling. There will also be additional rewards for any tasks. You just need to stay in the sect for more than twenty days every month."

"One hundred spirit stones? That's good. No problem."

This condition was quite generous for a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation - Establishment.

"That's great. Let Elder Duan take you to your cave dwelling."

After a pleasant discussion, Duan Yanshu led Li Changmeng to his cave dwelling.

The second - grade middle - level cave dwelling was filled with abundant spiritual energy and could nurture five second - grade spiritual fields. Ordinary lone cultivators didn't have such good conditions.

"Elder Li, this is your cave dwelling. A disciple will bring this month's salary to you specifically.

Not far over there is the cave dwelling of Elder Wang Xuan. He's also a guest elder of our sect and is at the middle stage of Foundation - Establishment. You can communicate with him."

"Then thank you, Elder Duan, for showing me the way."

After bowing in thanks, Li Changmeng entered the cave dwelling. The spiritual fields were in good condition, obviously well - maintained, but there were no spiritual herbs planted in them.

The process of becoming a guest elder was surprisingly smooth, and the prepared speeches Li Changmeng had brought with him were all in vain.

He had underestimated the attractiveness of a Foundation - Establishment cultivator to a force.

In the entire Qingmiao Sect, there were only four Foundation - Establishment cultivators on the surface, and only six including the guest elders.

Foundation - Establishment cultivators were highly regarded everywhere. Rejecting one rashly would only offend them, which was not worth it.

Lying in the cave dwelling, his spiritual fetus silently absorbed the continuous power of incense wishes in his body and converted it into cultivation.

Near the Qingmiao Sect, there was an area occupied by monsters --

It was said that there was a fourth - order deer demon inside. The fourth - order meant a Golden - Core - level great demon.

However, the Heavenly Star Domain was the territory of the human race. Even a fourth - order great demon could only occupy a small mountain range and couldn't casually attack human cultivators.

On the contrary, human cultivators could enter the mountain range to hunt monsters.

Every year, many cultivators died in the Black Deer Mountain. As long as the fourth - order monsters didn't take action, the powerful human cultivators would just turn a blind eye.

There were countless places like the Black Deer Mountain in the Heavenly Star Domain, which were important sources for human cultivators to obtain monster materials and spiritual objects from heaven and earth.

Li Changmeng's next goal was to enter the Black Deer Mountain, hunt monsters, and earn spirit stones.

Relying solely on the monthly salary of one hundred spirit stones, it would take him several years to buy the most needed storage magical tool. Li Changmeng couldn't wait that long.

Although there was a fourth - order great demon in the Black Deer Mountain, it was mainly populated by first - and second - order monsters. Third - order monsters were restricted by the fourth - order demon king and couldn't act casually to avoid death.

So, it was just right for a cultivator like Li Changmeng to go there.

As he was thinking, a voice came from outside the cave dwelling.

"Fellow Daoist? I'm Wang Xuan from the neighboring cave dwelling. I saw you arrive today and came to pay you a visit."

"Come in, Fellow Daoist Wang."

Hearing the identity of the visitor, Li Changmeng didn't refuse, but he wondered what this person wanted from him.

According to etiquette, as a newcomer in the early stage of Foundation - Establishment, he should have been the one to visit Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan entered the cave dwelling. He looked very ordinary, the kind that would blend into the crowd without a trace.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I'm Li Changmeng. It's my fault for neglecting the etiquette and not visiting you first."

"It's me who is being rude by visiting suddenly. I just couldn't wait any longer and wanted to discuss something with you."

Wang Xuan looked around as if guarding against something. Then he circulated his magical power, and a blue - wave water shield covered the two of them.

Li Changmeng was curious about his behavior and simultaneously activated his Hundred - Eyes Supernatural Power.

[Wang Xuan] [Having Evil Intentions] [Seducing People]

Interesting. It seemed that this person wanted to persuade him to do something.

Li Changmeng secretly prepared his spells and was ready to take action at any time if the situation went wrong.

Wang Xuan let out a sigh of relief, looking relieved.

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's a good thing that you joined the Qingmiao Sect, but at this moment, it might not be such a good thing. Are you also here for that?"

"That? Fellow Daoist Wang, just say what you want to say. I joined the Qingmiao Sect just to have a place to stay. Being a lone cultivator and drifting around is not as comfortable as relying on a sect."

Wang Xuan squinted his eyes, obviously not believing Li Changmeng's words. "Fellow Daoist Li, the Qingmiao Sect is not a good place to stay right now.

Now, if you just make a little inquiry outside, you'll know that the sect master of the Qingmiao Sect has obtained the Purple Yang Tree Heart. You can't tell me that you're not here to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Purple Yang Tree Heart and make a profit in the confusion?"

Li Changmeng remained calm on the surface, but his heart was already in turmoil.

The Purple Yang Tree Heart was a third - grade spiritual object, but its value was definitely higher than that of an ordinary fourth - grade spiritual object.

The reason was simple: it could increase the probability of breaking through from the Foundation - Establishment stage to the Core - Formation stage by 30%.

It could drive almost all cultivators at the peak of the Foundation - Establishment stage crazy.

If Taoist Baiyun had had the Purple Yang Tree Heart back then, he wouldn't have needed Li Changmeng's advice. He could have broken through the bottleneck with the help of the spiritual object.

If there was such a spiritual object, the Qingmiao Sect would probably have become the center of a whirlpool among the nearby forces.

He had chosen the Qingmiao Sect simply because it was the closest. He had no idea about this matter at all.

Seeing that Li Changmeng didn't say a word for a long time, Wang Xuan thought he had tacitly admitted that he knew about the Purple Yang Tree Heart.

"Fellow Daoist, Feng Qi's cultivation has reached the peak of the Foundation - Establishment stage, and he has been stuck at this bottleneck for more than a decade. Even though he has obtained the Purple Yang Tree Heart, he didn't take it immediately. Instead, he wants to wait for the best state.

However, this waiting has given us a chance. When Feng Qi tries to break through, other forces will definitely come to cause trouble. Then we can take advantage of the chaos and make a fortune.

I've been in the Qingmiao Sect for a long time. Although they don't let us guest elders know many things, I still know the locations of several treasure vaults. At that time, taking advantage of the chaos, we can just ransack them.

All the pills, magical tools, and various cultivation techniques and skills will be ours!"

Wang Xuan laughed wickedly, painting a picture of the future for Li Changmeng.

To be honest, Li Changmeng was really tempted after hearing this. If things were really as Wang Xuan said, he could amass a fortune during the chaos.

In particular, his actual strength was not just that of an early - stage Foundation - Establishment cultivator. With the blessing of the fourth realm of comprehending the Dao, Li Changmeng could unleash the strength of a late - stage Foundation - Establishment cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, if you can understand this, don't you think the people in the Qingmiao Sect know it? Where do you get the confidence that we can get the benefits?"

"Good question, Fellow Daoist Li. In fact, at this point, the Qingmiao Sect has only one choice, which is to ensure Feng Qi's breakthrough to the Core - Formation stage. As long as Feng Qi reaches the Core - Formation stage, everything will be fine.

So, we must act at the last moment. Otherwise, once Feng Qi breaks through to the Core - Formation stage, he'll be the first to deal with us. Before that, we even have to help the Qingmiao Sect."

Li Changmeng nodded. He understood what Wang Xuan was saying. Their role was actually that of fence - sitters.

If Feng Qi successfully formed a core, they would become guest elders of a Core - Formation - level force, and their status and treatment would improve.

If his breakthrough failed, they would turn into robbers and plunder the wealth of the Qingmiao Sect.

It seemed that they could benefit either way.

However, there were also risks. Protecting Feng Qi's breakthrough would inevitably put them up against other forces, and the act of switching sides at the last moment... And did the Qingmiao Sect really have no other preparations?

Li Changmeng didn't believe it. This was just Wang Xuan's one - sided story.

However, it was okay to agree to Wang Xuan. The advantage of being a fence - sitter was that before switching sides, they were still considered good guys.

"Since that's the case, I'll agree to you. We'll act together when the time comes."

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Li is so straightforward. I've recorded everything just now. If you have any strange moves, the Qingmiao Sect will know.

But don't be nervous. Now we're in a cooperative relationship. We'll rise and fall together, and I won't harm you. Then I'll take my leave."

Having achieved his goal, Wang Xuan left the cave dwelling without the slightest hesitation.

Looking at Wang Xuan's back, Li Changmeng showed a faint smile. This person had chosen to lay his cards on the table directly. If Li Changmeng hadn't agreed, he probably would have resorted to some means.

On the surface, he was just a lone cultivator in the early stage of Foundation - Establishment, easily at the mercy of others.

Li Changmeng's decision to agree with him was the right choice, and Wang Xuan didn't suspect a thing.

However, a spell had already been cast on Wang Xuan.

The Incense - Transforming Spirit Spell had two uses.

One was to instantly pour a large amount of the power of incense wishes into the target, causing it to change rapidly.

The other was to slowly apply the power of incense wishes, gradually changing the target over time.

Wang Xuan was still complacent about pulling Li Changmeng into the scheme, not knowing that Li Changmeng had already struck first.