Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Cao Xianji's eyes dimmed, and he whispered, "My mother has been dead for more than a hundred years."

Chen Yuan was stunned. He thought that Ren Man might die of old age. After all, Ren Man was just a pseudo-spiritual cultivator with poor aptitude, and it would be extremely difficult for him to form a pill.

But unexpectedly, Ren Man has been dead for more than a hundred years.

"Did Brother Ren encounter any accident?" Chen Yuan asked.

Cao Xianji's eyes showed a look of reminiscence, and he said slowly: "After Li Ju died, my mother and uncle separated and took my nephew away from Qi State and fled to Liang State in the south. They settled down in the market of Qi Chu Sect, one of the two major sects in Liang State."

"But later, the Demon Sect grew stronger, the six sects of Qi were defeated, and Liang was no longer safe."

"My mother took my nephew and traveled south for two years, stopping and starting many times. They finally stopped after arriving in Wei State."

At this point, his eyes showed a touch of warmth: "Weiguo has always been relatively stable. My mother and nephew rented a cave in the market opened by the Jinwu Sect."

"My mother is going to several dangerous places in Weiguo to hunt monsters in exchange for spirit stones. My nephew wanted to go with her, but my mother disagreed and told my nephew to practice with peace of mind."

"My nephew was practicing in seclusion in the cave, striving to establish his foundation as soon as possible, but I didn't expect..."

Cao Xianji paused, his eyes full of regret: "A month later, my mother returned home seriously injured. My nephew asked her who had done the deed, and she just said that she had encountered a calamity cultivator, and died on the spot."

Chen Yuan sighed, and Cao Xianji said word by word: "My nephew is extremely regretful. Why didn't he go with my mother? Maybe she wouldn't have died..."

"After my mother died, I didn't dare to leave the market. I sold my mother's spiritual tools and magic tools and exchanged them for elixirs. I raised my cultivation to the tenth level of Qi Refining. With the help of the foundation-building pills given by my uncle, I successfully established my foundation."

"After building the foundation, I went to investigate those foundation-building cultivators who had had dealings with my mother. I don't believe that my mother has always been cautious and would encounter a calamity cultivator for no reason."

"It is very likely that someone close to my mother knew that she was an outsider cultivator and had no relatives or friends in Wei State, so they dared to collude with the robber cultivators, or even did it themselves."

"After some investigation, I found some clues. It turned out that a female cultivator who was on good terms with my mother colluded with the robber cultivators and harmed my mother!"

Chen Yuan nodded. Even mortal bandits knew to scout the area before robbing. Monks were even more cautious when it came to robbing and killing. They would first find out about the opponent's background and methods, and only act when they were sure.

Cao Xianji was not blinded by hatred. He first improved his cultivation and then investigated secretly. This was very wise.

"The female cultivator who plotted to murder my mother was not very strong. Although my nephew had only established his foundation not long ago, he was not afraid. So he secretly devised a plan to lure her out of the market and capture her alive in one fell swoop."

"I used the soul-searching technique again and found out that the people who killed my mother were two cultivators in the early stage of foundation building."

"These two are quite powerful, and I am no match for them. So I will give them a taste of their own medicine. I will use the spiritual stones and spiritual tools on that female cultivator and ask a cultivator from the Jinwu Sect who is in the early stage of foundation building to help me kill these two robbery cultivators, so as to comfort my mother's spirit in heaven..."

Cao Xianji's voice was low and his tone was calm, but it revealed a deep hatred.

Chen Yuan sighed: "My dear nephew has successfully established his foundation. He has made plans before taking action to avenge Fellow Daoist Ren. She can rest in peace in her grave."

Cao Xianji shook his head gently: "My nephew only regrets that he could not die for my mother..."

Chen Yuan thought of Ren Man's gentle yet firm look, and he felt quite sad.

His friendship with Cao You and Ren Man was not actually very close, but they were among his few friends.

Now, he has one less old friend.

Chen Yuan didn't want to stir up Cao Xianji's regret, so he changed the subject: "Since my dear nephew has already established his foundation, why did he join the Jinwu Sect?"

Cao Xianji said: "My nephew is also lucky. When he entered a dangerous place in Wei State to hunt monsters, he accidentally met the seriously injured Elder Shen Shu of the Jinwu Sect, who risked his life to save him."

"Elder Shen went against all odds and made an exception to accept my nephew as his disciple. He treated him like his own son and cultivated him with great care. My nephew did not dare to slack off, and five years ago, he finally succeeded in forming a pill."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "This is a good story between a master and a disciple."

Cao Xianji said sternly, "Master has been very kind to me, so I certainly cannot let you down."

"Uncle, I will never forget your kindness. After I build my foundation, I will immediately move to Lingyun Sect to visit you."

Chen Yuan was a little surprised: "My dear nephew, you are so thoughtful."

Cao Xianji smiled bitterly and said, "After leaving Qi, my nephew has been following the news of Lingyun Sect. When I learned that the six sects of Qi were defeated and forced to move away from Qi, I was very worried about my uncle's safety."

"But my nephew hadn't established his foundation yet, and my mother had just passed away. I was powerless and could only concentrate on cultivation."

"Later, my nephew succeeded in building his foundation and avenged my mother. He immediately rushed to the new location of Lingyun Sect to visit my uncle."

"But my nephew only met Uncle Sun Congyao, who said that his uncle was missing. Fortunately, his natal lamp was intact, so my nephew had to leave."

"Twenty years later, I joined the Jinwu Sect and went to the Lingyun Sect to visit my uncle, but my uncle still did not return to the sect. I had no choice but to return to Weiguo and practice in peace until today."

Cao Xianji's words brought back memories for Chen Yuan, and he asked, "Is Senior Brother Sun okay?"

Cao Xianji shook his head: "The last time my nephew went to Lingyun Sect was more than a hundred years ago. At that time, Master Sun had not yet formed his elixir. I wonder how he is doing now."

Chen Yuan nodded, a hint of reminiscence flashing in his eyes.

He did not have much sense of belonging to Lingyun Sect, but he missed his master very much.

He was very lucky to have met a master like Jin Luoheng who treated him sincerely.

Sun Congyao and Shen Danmei took good care of him, and even Lin Hao, with whom he had only spent a very short time together, was quite attentive to him.

A hundred years have passed. I wonder how many of them I will be able to see again?

……

The next day, Chen Yuan and Cao Xianji left Wang's house and headed for the Jinwu Mountains.

The Jinwu Mountains were not far from the Wang family, only about 4,000 miles away. In less than two hours, the two of them had landed and were able to escape.

Cao Xianji led Chen Yuan to the welcoming peak of the Jinwu Sect and said apologetically, "Uncle, please wait here for a while. The head of the sect has instructed that if uncle is willing to come to the sect as a guest, he will personally greet him."

Chen Yuan nodded. He knew Master Tong’s concerns. His origins were unknown, so Master Tong would definitely not rashly let him enter the Jinwu Sect’s mountain gate.

Cao Xianji arranged the largest courtyard on Yingke Peak for Chen Yuan before returning to the mountain gate.

He passed through the protective formation of the sect without stopping and came to the place where Master Tong was meditating.

This is an inconspicuous low mountain, but it is the place with the most spiritual energy in the Jinwu Mountains.

Before Cao Xianji left the mountain gate, he was summoned by Master Tong. After he came back, he had no obstacles and met Master Tong immediately.

Cao Xianji clasped his fists and bowed: "Disciple greets the master."

Tong Zhenren was about fifty years old, with gray hair on his temples, elegant appearance, three short wisps of beard under his chin, and a gentle expression. He waved his hand and said, "Elder Cao, please don't be polite. How is the Wang family's business? Is there really a Yuanying cultivator visiting the Wang family?"

Cao Xianji stood up and said, "Master, it is true. Moreover, this Yuanying Master is an old acquaintance of mine."

Master Tong showed a look of surprise: "Is this true? Tell me in detail."

Cao Xianji said: "This Yuanying Zhenren is my disciple's uncle, named Chen Yuan. He is a cultivator of Qi State's Lingyun Sect and also an alchemist. He once practiced in Guiyuan Sect's Huanyue Market..."

He told everything he knew about Chen Yuan, much of which was told to him by Ren Man before she died. He emphasized that Chen Yuan had given him and Ren Man two Foundation Establishment Pills.

“…Uncle Chen is very powerful and loyal. It only took him two hundred years to form a Nascent Soul. He is extremely talented. It will only benefit the master and have no harm in being on good terms with him.” Cao Xianji spoke sincerely and bowed deeply.

Tong Zhenren's expression changed. He was not interested in Chen Yuan's past experiences. Every Nascent Soul cultivator had gone through bloody storms. No matter how bizarre and difficult the experiences of low-level cultivators were, they were nothing in their eyes.

But what Cao Xianji said, that Chen Yuan had formed a Nascent Soul at the age of 200, or even less time, to cultivate from the late foundation building stage to the Nascent Soul, shocked Tong Zhenren.

He looked at Cao Xianji doubtfully: "That fellow Daoist Chen cultivated from the fourth level of Qi Refining to the late stage of Foundation Establishment in just over forty years?"

Cao Xianji hesitated for a moment and said, "It should be true. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, my mother once said that when she and Uncle Chen first met, Uncle Chen was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining."

"Eighteen years later, Uncle Chen finally reached the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining and left Huanyue Market."

"Later, Uncle Chen returned to Huanyue Market. When I first saw him, he was already in the middle stage of foundation building. After a few years, he broke through the bottleneck of the late stage..."

Master Tong asked, "Is he really a fake spiritual root cultivator?"

Cao Xianji said: "Disciple can be sure that Uncle Chen is a fake spiritual root cultivator, otherwise he would have already joined Guiyuan Sect and would not have waited until the Ascension Conference to join Lingyun Sect."

Master Tong took a deep breath, and the shock in his heart grew.

It’s not like Tong Zhenren hasn’t seen people who have conceived a fetus when they were over 200 years old. Only a person with such a talent for cultivation could hope to become a great cultivator.

But such geniuses are all cultivators of natural spiritual roots, and it takes a large sect to cultivate them with all their might, and only once every few hundred years can one appear.

A cultivator with pseudo spiritual roots, who was originally a casual cultivator, took less than two hundred years to cultivate from the fourth level of Qi Refining to the early stage of Nascent Soul.

Even though he had lived for more than eight hundred years and claimed to be knowledgeable, there were still things he had never heard of or seen.

How great was the opportunity that allowed this person to make such rapid progress?
Master Tong was filled with admiration, but he did not harbor any greed.

If Chen Yuan was just a Jindan cultivator, Master Tong would definitely have to find out what secrets he had.

But he is a Nascent Soul cultivator, so no matter what opportunities he has, it is only natural.

Master Tong now only wants to make friends with Chen Yuan and must not offend this fellow who has the potential to become a great monk.

He immediately stood up and said in a deep voice: "Take me to see Fellow Daoist Chen!"

……

Chen Yuan waited on Yingke Peak for less than half an hour before Master Tong arrived here under the leadership of Cao Xianji.

After the two of them sat down, Cao Xianji poured them a cup of Chunming tea, stepped aside, and stood by with his hands hanging down.

Master Tong did not let him back down. With this relationship in place, things would be easier to negotiate.

Chen Yuan bowed and said, "Thanks to Daoist Fellow Tong's care, my nephew Cao was able to form the golden elixir. I would like to thank you on behalf of both of you old friends."

Master Tong smiled and said, "I am ashamed. I usually practice in seclusion and don't care about external affairs. It is thanks to Elder Shen's wisdom and determination that he discovered Elder Cao's unpolished gem."

Cao Xianji bowed slightly and clasped his fists, saying, "Without the approval of the Master, I would not have been able to accept you as my disciple. I am always grateful for your kindness."

Tong Zhenren stroked his short beard and said with a smile: "I am just following the flow. Elder Cao has practiced hard to achieve what he has today. You must not slack off in the future."

Cao Xianji said respectfully: "My disciple has been helped by many noble people along the way. My uncle gave me the foundation-building pill, and I have been cultivated by my master and cared for by the head of the sect. If I rely on myself alone, I am afraid that even building a foundation would be a luxury."

Master Tong smiled and said, "On the road of cultivation, talent and opportunity are equally important. Elder Cao must not let these opportunities go to waste."

Cao Xianji said sternly: "Disciple will practice diligently and will never slack off."

Master Tong encouraged him for a while, then looked at Chen Yuan and said with a smile: "I heard that the younger generation of the Wang family gave all the Chunming tea in their hands to you. I have some in my hands too. If you like it, I can give it all to you."

Chen Yuan shook his head slightly: "Chen is not a tea lover, but the Wang family master's kindness is hard to refuse. How can I take away someone's love?"

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while and drank a few cups of spiritual tea. Cao Xianji said nothing and filled the teacups promptly.

As a Jindan cultivator, he should not have been serving two people.

But he called Chen Yuan his uncle, and Master Tong had done him a favor, so doing so would not be a disgrace to his status.

Master Tong finally asked the question that interested him: "Fellow Daoist Chen has formed his Nascent Soul, why didn't Lingyun Sect hold a celebration banquet?"

Chen Yuan said: "I left the sect for some reason and have not returned yet. I think the sect doesn't know that I have already formed a fetus."

Master Tong was surprised and asked, "Did Daoist Chen practice on his own for more than a hundred years?"

Chen Yuan nodded, and Master Tong's expression changed slightly, and he paid more attention to Chen Yuan in his heart.

Cao Xianji only said that more than a hundred years ago, Chen Yuan did not return to the sect. He thought that Chen Yuan later returned to Lingyun Sect and was able to conceive a baby with the strong support of Lingyun Sect.

But he never returned to the sect, and he succeeded in forming a fetus on his own, which was completely beyond Master Tong's expectations.

Donghua Continent is short of spiritual energy. There are only nine large sects on both the righteous and evil sides, and a country generally has only three or four medium-sized spiritual veins.

The last independent cultivator to form an infant was one hundred and seventy years ago.

Which sect's spiritual vein will Chen Yuan borrow to form a fetus?

Master Tong was very confused, but he didn't ask.

The two of them just met today, so they can't have too many superficial conversations.

Anyway, Chen Yuan is from Lingyun Sect, not a cultivator of the evil sect, and with Cao Xianji as evidence, his background is clean and we can be assured of making friends with him.

Master Tong kept silent, but Chen Yuan asked, "I haven't been back to the sect for a long time, so I don't know the situation in Qi. Do you know anything about it, Taoist Tong?"

Master Tong shook his head and said, "Wei State and Qi State are far apart. I haven't left the sect for a long time, so I don't know much about Qi State's affairs."

Chen Yuan frowned and asked, "Twenty years ago, the righteous and evil sides suddenly stopped fighting, and all the sects that were driven away by the evil sect moved back to their original locations. Does Brother Tong know the inside story?" (End of this chapter)