Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Yunding Prefecture, Fengyuan Mountains.

Two beams of light came from the horizon. As they approached the mountains, their speed slowed down a lot, and two figures appeared. They were Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan from Haoran Sect.

The two flew for five days and five nights, day and night, and finally arrived at the Fengyuan Mountains.

The Yuan family has been passed down here for more than two thousand years and occupies most of the Fengyuan Mountains. Outsiders are not allowed to enter without permission.

But the two of them naturally would not abide by such rules and flew directly into the mountains.

After going more than ten miles deep, a foundation-building cultivator came up and shouted, "Who is ahead? Why are you trespassing into the Yuan family's territory?"

Chen Yuan's aura spread out, and he said calmly: "I am here to visit the Yuan family on the orders of Elder Qingliu of Haoran Sect."

The Foundation Establishment cultivator was frightened by the pressure from the late Jindan stage cultivator. His face turned pale and his expression immediately became respectful.

"Senior, please follow me!" He clasped his fists and bowed, then turned and flew forward.

Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan followed and went deep into the Fengyuan Mountains.

The area is picturesque with green mountains and clear waters, the highest mountain being only over 600 feet high. Palaces and pavilions are scattered in the valleys between the mountains, shrouded in a light blue curtain. Monks are walking back and forth on the stone steps and roads, and from time to time there are rays of light flying across the sky. It is quiet and peaceful.

The three of them descended their light of escape and landed in the mountains. The foundation-building cultivator said respectfully, "Senior, please take out the token so that I can report to you."

Without a token, he wouldn't dare let a late Jindan cultivator enter the Yuan family's territory.

Chen Yuan took out a jade token from the mustard seed ring and handed it to the foundation-building cultivator.

Before leaving Chongde Mountains, he and Zhang Wushan went to Liude Hall of Haoran Sect, which was specifically responsible for issuing sect missions, and received the jade tablet containing the mission information.

The foundation-building monk took the jade token and bowed: "Thank you for waiting for a moment, seniors. I will be back soon."

He turned and flew into the formation, turned around a low hill, and his figure disappeared.

Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan waited quietly. About a quarter of an hour later, the foundation-building cultivator flew back, and his speed was much faster than before.

He stopped in front of the two people, presented the jade token with both hands, and said with a smile: "Two seniors, please follow me. The great elder is waiting in the reception hall."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, put away the jade token, and followed.

Zhang Wushan's face sank. He himself didn't care about the pomp and circumstance, but Chen Yuanming said that he came on the orders of Mr. Qingliu, but the chief elder of the Yuan family did not come out to greet him in person. His attitude was disrespectful, which made him very dissatisfied.

However, Mr. Qingliu only let him follow Chen Yuan, so he didn't want to steal the spotlight, so he could only suppress his displeasure.

The foundation-building monk flicked the token on his waist, which emitted a faint light and a passage slowly emerged on the formation curtain.

The three of them passed through the formation, flew over two mountains, came to the top of a mountain hundreds of feet high, and descended the light of escape.

The top of the mountain is only a few acres in size, planted with flowers and plants, with a faint fragrance. There is a three-story pavilion with the words "Yingbin Pavilion" inscribed on a plaque, and a stone staircase leading down the mountain.

The foundation-building monk raised his hand and invited them in: "Seniors, please come in."

Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan followed him into the small building. There were two Qi-refining monks on the first floor. After seeing the three people, they bowed respectfully.

Going up to the third floor, there are windows on all sides, with a clear view of the surrounding scenery. There are screens, incense burners, pearl curtains and green curtains, and the furnishings are elegant.

An old man in brocade clothes sat in the main seat, with spiritual energy surging in his body, and his cultivation in the late Jindan stage was clearly visible. He was sipping tea from a cup, as if no one was around.

Only when the three people came up to him did he put down the teacup and look over.

Zhang Wushan was furious at the rudeness of the old man in brocade clothes, and his expression was gloomy. However, Chen Yuan looked calm and didn't care at all.

The old man in brocade clothes waved to the foundation-building cultivator. The foundation-building cultivator clasped his fists and bowed, then saluted Chen Yuan and the other man, then turned and left.

The old man in brocade clothes glanced at Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and asked: "Which one is Chen Yuan, fellow Taoist?"

Chen Yuan bowed and said, "I am Chen Yuan, nice to meet you, Elder Yuan."

The old man in brocade clothes looked at Zhang Wushan and frowned slightly: "This Taoist friend is..."

Zhang Wushan said calmly: "I am Zhang Wushan."

The old man in brocade clothes heard this, his pupils shrank, and he immediately stood up to greet him: "Are you Zhang Wushan, a disciple of Haoran Sect?"

"That's right." Zhang Wushan said.

The old man in brocade clothes immediately put on a smiling face and bowed, "I didn't know it was Fellow Daoist Zhang who was here. I'm really sorry. I'm Yuan Shiying. Fellow Daoists, please take a seat."

Zhang Wushan sneered, lifted his collar and sat down.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly and sat down on the other side.

Yuan Shiying raised his hand and waved. The teapot beside him flew up and filled the two of them with spiritual tea.

"Yuan was just welcoming a distinguished guest. I am sorry for not coming to meet you in person. Please forgive me, fellow Taoists." He looked apologetic and sincere.

"Oh? How could there be such a coincidence?" Zhang Wushan sneered, "I wonder which distinguished guest is visiting. Elder Yuan, could you introduce him to me?"

"This..." An embarrassed look appeared on Yuan Shiying's face.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Brother Zhang was just joking. Elder Yuan is very busy, and it is not easy for him to personally receive the two of us. How dare I blame you."

Yuan Shiying breathed a sigh of relief: "Fellow Daoist Chen, what are you talking about? You have come from afar to help our Yuan family. The head of the family should have come out to receive you, but the head of the family is in seclusion, so I am here to receive you two first." "Please rest for a day. I will report to the head of the family. He will come to Yingbin Peak tomorrow to pay a visit to you two."

Zhang Wushan's expression finally relaxed. The head of the Yuan family was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and he had met him personally, showing all the courtesy.

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Elder Yuan."

Yuan Shiying's lips moved silently for a few times, and he looked at Zhang Wushan again: "Fellow Daoist Zhang, are you here to help my Yuan family?"

Zhang Wushan said calmly, "Elder Yuan, you are joking. I am a disciple of Haoran Sect. How can I participate in the battle? I came here just to follow my master's order and accompany Brother Chen."

Yuan Shiying nodded, and when he looked at Chen Yuan again, there was a bit more seriousness in his eyes.

After a while, a Qi-refining cultivator came up to the third floor, and Yuan Shiying asked him to lead the two people to settle down.

Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan followed the Qi-refining monk out of the reception pavilion, walked along the stone steps, came to two courtyards halfway up the mountain, and settled down.

The two of them flew all the way and consumed a lot of their energy, so they each meditated and practiced to restore their energy.

At the same time, after the two left, Yuan Shiying came to a quiet valley and disappeared.

There is a cave on the mountain wall in the valley, with a closed stone door.

"Yuan Shiying pays respect to the head of the family."

After a while, the stone door slowly opened, and Yuan Shiying stepped into the cave. He walked along a passage inlaid with luminous pearls and came to a large stone chamber.

This is the source of the spiritual vein in the Fengyuan Mountains. It has the richest spiritual energy and is also the place where successive patriarchs of the Yuan family have practiced in seclusion.

The stone room was very empty, with only a jade bed on which sat a middle-aged monk wearing a loose and comfortable white robe, with a long beard hanging down to his chest. He asked calmly, "What's the matter, Great Elder?"

He is Yuan Xiang, the head of the Yuan family and a cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage.

Yuan Shiying clasped his fists and bowed, his expression solemn: "Reporting to the Patriarch, I just saw Chen Yuan who was going to participate in the battle, and he was accompanied by Zhang Wushan, the disciple of Qingliu Jushi."

"Zhang Wushan? The true disciple of Haoran Sect? Why is he here?" Yuan Xiang frowned slightly.

All the major sects and families in Renzhou know the name of every true disciple of the Haoran Sect.

Yuan Shiying said: "He said that he was ordered by Qingliu to go with Chen Yuan."

Yuan Xiang's face darkened: "Did he really say that?"

Yuan Shiying nodded: "It is absolutely true, Patriarch, Master Qingliu must have attached great importance to Chen Yuan, which is why he allowed his personal disciple to accompany him."

"But Gu Shaowen sent someone to tell us that Chen Yuan had offended Master Qingliu, and the two of them had become enemies, so he came to participate in this battle. This is to sow discord between us and Master Qingliu!"

Yuan Xiang's face turned cold: "Everyone in Renzhou knows that Gu Shaowen and Qingliu Jushi are not on good terms. It is reasonable for him to do this."

"But if Master Qingliu really values ​​Chen Yuan, why would he let him participate in this battle?"

"The Hidden Sword Palace has sent two true disciples. Our Yuan family will definitely lose this battle. If Chen Yuan can't take back the spiritual mine, how can he use the Haoran Sect's spiritual veins to form a baby?"

Yuan Shiying frowned and thought for a while before saying, "Gu Shaowen is in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul, while Qingliu is only in the early stage of the Nascent Soul. He may not be able to defeat Gu Shaowen, so Chen Yuan was forced to participate in the battle to prevent him from using Haoran Sect's spiritual veins to form a Nascent Soul."

Yuan Xiang nodded slightly: "Almost exactly."

"Master, how should we deal with this?" Yuan Shiying asked.

Yuan Xiang said: "Whether it is Gu Shaowen or Qingliu Jushi, neither of them can be offended by the Yuan family."

“Gu Shaowen’s cultivation is certainly higher, but Xinzhai Sanren and Mr. Chengli, who are on good terms with Qingliu Jushi, have achieved Nascent Soul Formation one after another. Their influence has greatly increased and they should not be underestimated.”

"If Chen Yuan comes alone, he is just a discarded pawn and can be dismissed at will."

"But now that he is with Zhang Wushan, we cannot treat him lightly... How did you tell them?"

"I didn't greet them in person because I was worried that Zhang Wushan might be unhappy. I have already apologized and explained that the head of the family will go to meet them in person tomorrow." Yuan Shiying said.

Yuan Xiang nodded: "You handled this matter well, but it's still a little inadequate."

"Since Chen Yuan wants to participate in the battle, he must join the Yuan family and serve as a guest elder."

"Go to the clan's treasury, select a top-grade spiritual material and three hundred top-grade spiritual stones, and give them to Chen Yuan as an offering."

Yuan Shiying was stunned: "Then Chen Yuan is only a temporary guest elder, and he can't win this fight. Isn't it a bit too much for us to give such a valuable gift?"

Yuan Xiang said: "These offerings are a bit too much, but we were disrespectful to begin with, so we can only make up for it with a heavy gift."

"With two more Nascent Soul cultivators around Mr. Qingliu, his influence in Haoran Sect is bound to increase a lot. We cannot offend him."

Yuan Shiying sighed, "It's a pity that my Yuan family is so weak. We could have gotten a share of the spiritual stone mine, but the Haoran Sect took a fancy to it, so we can only determine its ownership through fighting."

"However, Haoran Sect sent two independent cultivators to fight against the true disciples of Hidden Sword Palace. How could they have a chance of winning?"

Yuan Xiang said calmly: "For such a rich mine, Haoran Sect must of course get involved. Even if we fail to get it, we won't lose anything."

"In this battle for the spiritual stone mine, our Yuan family is the one that suffered the most, but we cannot get involved in the internal struggle of Haoran Sect again. Let's just consider it as a loss to avoid disaster."

Yuan Shiying said: "Well, I will go and select the best spiritual materials and send them to the master of the family." (End of this chapter)