Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The next morning, Chen Yuan was meditating with his eyes closed when the gate of the courtyard was knocked by the Qi-refining cultivator from yesterday, who said that the head of the Yuan family was in the reception pavilion, waiting for him and Zhang Wushan.

The two followed the Qi-refining monk, walked along the stone steps to the top of the mountain, and went straight up to the third floor of the Reception Pavilion.

A middle-aged monk was sitting on the main seat, and Yuan Shiying was sitting next to him. When he saw the two people coming up, he immediately stood up to greet them.

He smiled and said, "My two Taoist friends, this is the head of our Yuan family. He has come out of retreat today to pay a special visit to you two."

"I am Chen Yuan, the junior, nice to meet you, senior." Chen Yuan clasped his fists and bowed.

"Greetings, Master Yuan." Zhang Wushan followed suit, but his attitude was much more casual.

Yuan Xiang smiled and said, "Please take a seat, my two young friends. I was unable to come and greet you in person yesterday. I hope you will forgive me for my impoliteness."

Chen Yuan sat below Yuan Shiying and said with a smile, "No problem. I am here to participate in the battle. I am flattered to have you personally welcome me."

Zhang Wushan sat opposite Yuan Shiying and said calmly, "I am here on the orders of my master, following Brother Chen. I cannot participate in the fight, so I dare not trouble you, Senior."

"Haha, both of you young friends are distinguished guests..." Yuan Xiang stroked his beard and smiled, saying lightly.

He turned to look at Chen Yuan: "Young friend Chen, do you know that according to the agreement between the Yuan family, Cangjian Palace and Shifeng Mountain, if you want to help our Yuan family, you must join the Yuan family and serve as a guest elder?"

Chen Yuan nodded: "Of course."

"That's good. Please accept this guest token." A jade token appeared out of thin air in Yuan Xiang's hand and flew over slowly.

Chen Yuan took the jade token, and Yuan Xiang raised his sleeves and flicked them again. A small pile of colorful spirit stones and a white iron block the size of a human head appeared out of thin air in front of him, flashing dazzling white light. When he looked at them, he felt a slight stinging sensation.

Yuan Xiang said: "This is a piece of evil gold iron and three hundred high-grade spirit stones. It is an offering for you to serve as a guest elder of the Yuan family. Please accept them."

Yuan Shiying echoed, "The head of the family neglected Fellow Daoist Chen because he was in seclusion yesterday, so he specially ordered me to go to the clan's treasure house and select this piece of evil gold iron to give to Fellow Daoist Chen as a small compensation. I hope Fellow Daoist Chen will not blame me."

When Zhang Wushan saw this scene, his expression finally looked better.

Chen Yuan used the Haoran Sect's spiritual vein to conceive a fetus, and it was Qingliu Jushi who guaranteed it. The Yuan family valued Chen Yuan, which meant they valued Qingliu Jushi.

Until this moment, Zhang Wushan's unhappiness caused by the Yuan family's impoliteness yesterday finally dissipated.

Chen Yuan looked at the evil gold iron and spirit stone flying in front of him, smiled slightly, and said with a cupped hand: "Thank you for your generous gift, senior. I will be honored to refuse it."

After saying this, he raised his sleeve and put all the evil gold iron and three hundred high-quality spirit stones into the mustard seed ring.

Yuan Xiang was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "From today on, Chen Xiaoyou is the guest elder of the Yuan family."

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Yuan Shiying and said, "Thank you, Great Elder, for asking Taoist Priest Liu and the Third Elder to come and meet with Young Friend Chen."

"I'll go right away." Yuan Shiying agreed, but his eyes never left Chen Yuan, and a hint of annoyance flashed in the depths of his eyes.

The offering that Yuan Xiang brought out was a huge gift. As the great elder of the Yuan family and in charge of the clan's treasury, he was somewhat unhappy about this.

There was no doubt that he would lose this fight. Chen Yuan was just here to make up the numbers, but he did not refuse at all and accepted it directly, which made him even more dissatisfied.

If Zhang Wushan had not been around, there would be no reason for the Yuan family to give such a valuable gift to a rootless and independent cultivator.

What's more, it will be impossible for this casual cultivator to form a fetus within at least thirty years. Even if he can borrow a spiritual vein in the future, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven to form a fetus.

But this was Yuan Xiang's decision, and Yuan Shiying could not disobey it. He could only suppress his dissatisfaction in his heart, and just think of it as spending money to befriend Mr. Qingliu and avoid disaster.

After Yuan Shiying left, Yuan Xiang took the initiative to ask whether the two were satisfied with their residence. He also introduced the scenery in Fengyuan Mountains without any airs of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

But nine out of ten of his sentences were about conversations with Zhang Wushan. He was very respectful to Mr. Qingliu, but was quite perfunctory towards Chen Yuan, a casual cultivator.

Chen Yuan was also very tactful. He just listened quietly, smiling without saying a word, and occasionally picked up the teacup and took a sip.

About quarter of an hour later, Yuan Shiying led the two monks back to the third floor.

One of them was a burly man in his thirties, with a look that bore some resemblance to Yuan Shiying.

The other man was wearing a Taoist robe, his hair and beard were all white, he had two drooping white eyebrows, and his face was kind, looking like an immortal.

Yuan Shiying said: "Master, I have invited Taoist Master Liu and the Second Elder to come."

Yuan Xiang smiled and said, "Sit down and talk."

The two men clasped their fists and bowed, then sat down on the left and right, their eyes constantly looking at Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan.

Yuan Xiang glanced at Yuan Shiying, who understood and raised his hand to guide the two people, saying with a smile: "This is Taoist Master Liu Ruyuan. He once fought one against two and defeated two Jindan deacons of Yuezhou Zhongyue Sect. He has profound cultivation and a far-reaching reputation. I'm sure you two Taoist friends have heard of him."

Taoist Liu smiled slightly and bowed, "Old Taoist Liu Ruyuan, I am honored to meet you two Taoist friends."

Chen Yuan raised his hand to return the greeting and said calmly: "I have heard a lot about you. I am Chen Yuan, a casual cultivator."

Zhang Wushan also bowed and said, "I am Zhang Wushan. I have long heard of your great name."

The two said they had long admired each other, but their expressions were very calm, and it was obvious that they were just being polite.

Taoist Liu kept smiling, but his eyes were slightly narrowed, with a hint of displeasure flashing across them.

On the way here, Yuan Shiying had already told him the identities of Zhang Wushan and Chen Yuan: one was a true disciple of the Haoran Sect, and the other was a false infant cultivator with a high level of cultivation.

But Taoist Liu was originally invited by the Haoran Sect to help the Yuan family.

Although he is a casual cultivator, he is also well-known in Renzhou and has defeated countless enemies.

The Zhongyue Sect was one of the ten great sects, and even if two Jindan cultivators joined forces, they were no match for him. It was fine if he was a true disciple of the Haoran Sect, but he couldn't afford to offend them.

Chen Yuan was just a casual cultivator, but with a deeper level of cultivation. His reaction was so indifferent, as if he didn't take him seriously at all. This made Taoist Liu, who was used to being flattered, very dissatisfied.

But in front of Yuan Xiang and Zhang Wushan, Taoist Liu couldn't get angry. He just looked at Chen Yuan deeply, then picked up the teacup and sipped it.

"This is the third elder of my Yuan family, Yuan Shixiong, participating in the battle with Taoist Priest Liu and Taoist Fellow Chen." Yuan Shiying said again.

Yuan Shixiong, a burly man in his thirties, clasped his fists and bowed, saying in a muffled voice, "Yuan is honored."

Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan returned the greetings.

After Yuan Shiying finished his introduction, Yuan Xiang smiled and said, "Young friend Chen is here today, so it's a good opportunity to invite Taoist Master Liu and the Third Elder to discuss the battle."

"According to the agreement among the three families, my Yuan family will send three people to this fight, and Shifeng Mountain and Cangjian Palace will send three people in total. We will set up an arena, and both sides will take turns to enter the arena."

"The loser leaves the ring, the winner stays, and whoever holds out to the end will own the spiritual vein."

"Have you three decided who will lead the charge, who will be in the middle, and who will be at the rear?"

Yuan Shixiong said in a deep voice: "Everything is up to the master's orders."

Taoist Liu glanced at Chen Yuan and said with a smile: "I will follow the arrangements of Patriarch Yuan."

"The same goes for Chen." Chen Yuan said calmly.

Yuan Xiang casually said, "If that's the case, then the Third Elder will be the first, Taoist Liu will be the second, and Chen Xiaoyou will be the leader. How do you think that is?"

Yuan Shixiong and Taoist Liu agreed immediately, and Cangjian Palace sent out two true disciples. They were bound to lose this fight, so it was just a formality and the order of their appearance was meaningless.

Chen Yuan also nodded in agreement, his expression calm.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Wushan knew that Chen Yuan had no hope and had given up struggling.

He failed to borrow the spiritual vein this time, and had to waste thirty years of his life, and also lost a thousand-year-old thunder dragon, which was a heavy loss.

Zhang Wushan felt very sorry and sighed inwardly.

Yuan Xiang chatted with them for a while and said with a smile, "The battle is imminent, so I won't disturb you guys from resting. If Taoist Master Liu and Little Friend Chen need anything, just let me know. The Yuan family will do their best to satisfy you."

Taoist Liu bowed his head and said, "The Yuan family has treated me very well. I am not afraid at all. I just hope to fight you as soon as possible."

He had already received benefits from the Haoran Sect, and was not sure he could really win the fight, so he was extremely polite in his words.

Chen Yuan clasped his fists and bowed: "Chen just needs to meditate in silence."

Yuan Xiang was just being polite, and seeing that the two were so considerate, he felt very satisfied. He encouraged them a few more times, then stood up and left.

Yuan Shixiong and Taoist Liu walked down the stairs one after another. Yuan Shiying led Chen Yuan and Zhang Wushan out of the reception pavilion, walked along the stone steps to their residence, and entered the courtyard where Zhang Wushan lived.

Chen Yuan returned to the house, activated the formation, and meditated to practice.

After about half an hour, the formation was triggered and Zhang Wushan's voice came in.

He stood up and walked into the yard, opened the door, and welcomed Zhang Wushan in.

The two men came to the main hall and sat down as host and guest. Zhang Wushan asked, "Brother Chen, do you know what Yuan Shiying told me?"

Chen Yuan shook his head, and Zhang Wushan sneered: "He gave me three hundred high-grade spirit stones and said that he had no intention of looking down on Master. He neglected Brother Chen because he believed what the Jindan Deacon sent by Elder Gu said, thinking that you and Master were not on good terms."

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "This elder is quite clever."

Zhang Wushan sighed, "Now I know why Master asked me to stay with Brother Chen. If Brother Chen came here alone and Elder Gu sent someone to instigate him, Brother Chen would definitely be harassed by the Yuan family."

Chen Yuan said sternly: "Senior Qingliu has a far-sighted vision. You and I are naturally far behind him."

Zhang Wushan sighed again: "It's a pity that this fight is too difficult. Even if I follow Chen Yuan, it will not help. Even if I go on stage myself, I don't know what my chances of winning are."

"Is the true disciple of Cangjian Palace really that powerful?" Chen Yuan asked.

Zhang Wushan said: "I have never fought with the monks of the Hidden Sword Palace, but my master has traveled to Ningzhou several times and seems to have a friendship with an elder of the Hidden Sword Palace."

"Since he said that the true disciples of Cangjian Palace are very powerful, what he said must be true."

"Moreover, sword cultivators are inherently stronger than cultivators of the same level. Even if I can participate in the battle, I will probably end up defeated."

“Although Brother Chen is a physical cultivator, Cangjian Palace sent two true disciples, so it is normal for him to lose. Don’t take it to heart.”

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, do you also think that we will definitely lose this fight?"

Zhang Wushan and Chen Yuan were still able to laugh at this time. Knowing that he was still hoping for a lucky break and could not accept the result of mission failure, he could not help but sigh inwardly.

He consoled her, "Winning and losing are common in the military. When fighting with others, how can you always win? When I fight with my fellow disciples, we always win and lose."

"Of course, Brother Chen has extraordinary skills. We can't say that he is bound to lose this battle, but the chances of winning are really not high."

"Sword cultivators have great magical powers, so Brother Chen should focus on protecting himself first and avoid a life-and-death fight with the true disciples of the Hidden Sword Palace."

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your reminder, Brother Zhang. It's just that I am different from Brother Zhang. Every battle between casual cultivators is a battle of life and death. You can only win, not lose. If you lose, you will have nothing."

Zhang Wushan listened and remained silent. After a long while, he clasped his fists, bowed, stood up and left. (End of this chapter)