Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 214 The Grand Gathering of the Heavenly River
The true disciples of any sect are the future and foundation of that sect.

Not to mention the true disciples who have already been cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The sect has devoted a great deal of resources and effort to it.

Not to mention that Jiang Yunzhou is a descendant of a deceased sect elder and possesses a nascent magical artifact.

"Little Li, most of the sect's disciples have been dispatched to await orders from the Holy Palace. The sect's demand for cultivation pills has been temporarily suspended. If you have any difficulties, you can bring them up," said Jade Pill True Person, pouring Li Ji'an a cup of spiritual tea sincerely.

Since the incident involving the Liu family broke out, the disciples of the Biyun Sect who were originally in seclusion for cultivation have all become busy.

To date, many disciples, including some elders, have not returned to the sect, resulting in a significant decrease in the demand for exchanges.

According to Master Yudan, after Li Ji'an settled in Gufeng, he did not take on a large number of external alchemy business; his main income came from the sect's contributions to alchemy.

Now, three years later, the number of alchemy tasks within the sect has plummeted, and the contribution points Li Ji'an can earn have decreased significantly.

Previously, Li Ji'an had expressed his aspiration to reach the Core Formation stage, but resources would inevitably be scarce, and he was worried that Li Ji'an would have difficulties in this regard.

"I will always remember your kindness, teacher. I can manage for now, but I will definitely let you know if I encounter any difficulties later," Li Ji'an said with a smile, his demeanor very casual.

Over the years, he had sought guidance from Master Yudan many times and had developed a master-disciple relationship with him. Although Master Yudan could not accept Li Ji'an as a disciple due to sect rules, and he asked himself honestly, apart from being better than Li Ji'an in terms of alchemical fire and alchemical lineage, he was far inferior in terms of actual alchemical skills and comprehension. Therefore, he did not shamelessly accept him as a disciple, but he did not mind Li Ji'an calling him his teacher.

"Furthermore, when you help others refine pills in the future, it's best to leave a copy talisman behind. Otherwise, human nature is prone to greed, comparison, and jealousy, which can easily arouse suspicion," Jade Pill Master reminded him again.

Li Ji'an was stunned for a moment, his heart skipped a beat.

He had previously helped some people in the sect refine private pills, and he did retain some medicinal materials, but he believed that he had met their expectations.

Unexpectedly, gossip still arose.

Otherwise, someone as indifferent as Master Yudan wouldn't have specifically given him such instructions.

"Thank you for reminding me, teacher."

Master Yu Dan waved his hand: "Hmph! They're all heartless fools, judging others by their own petty standards. From now on, just keep increasing their pay. Whether they practice or not is up to them."

Li Ji'an nodded. In fact, most alchemists have bad tempers because they have been hurt before.

Even if you've tried your best to help someone refine pills, if the quality of the pills doesn't meet your expectations, the other party will suspect that you didn't try hard enough or that you stole the materials.

Master Yu Dan hasn't helped anyone refine pills for a long time.

"So, any thoughts on that pill formula from last time?"

“Teacher, this is just a humble idea of ​​mine, but my spiritual energy and inner fire are insufficient to verify it. You can try it yourself.” Li Ji’an handed him the jade talisman he had prepared in advance.

This is a pill formula that Master Yudan studied with Li Ji'an a year ago when he returned to the sect from Wanfa Palace. According to him, it was a pill that the third-level pill king of Wanfa Palace and the chief pill masters of various sects tried to deduce from the fragmented information thrown out by the mysterious person, which was a pill that could help form a core.

That group of people represented the pinnacle of alchemy in the entire Tiancang Domain, and they were all Core Formation Realm cultivators who had personally experienced Core Formation.

However, after two years, this conjecture still could not be put into practice, and the actual refining results were quite different from what was expected.

Li Ji'an compared it with the real Ningjing Dan formula and found that the medicinal materials were much inferior, and the medicinal properties were also deviated from the intended purpose.

Based on his own experience with the third-order alchemy inheritance, he deduced that it was too biased and would definitely not succeed.

This jade talisman contains some of his refining techniques, experience, and suggestions, which can help them take a few more steps on the path of refining. It does not raise any questions about this pill formula developed by an authoritative source.

"Hmm, not bad! Little Li, your refining approach is quite novel." Master Yu Dan examined it directly and quickly showed delight, praising it generously.

"Good, good, I seem to see hope of success. Young Li, if this method succeeds, even the alchemists of the Holy Palace will probably personally receive you."

Li Ji'an nodded expectantly.

"Oh, by the way, be more careful when you go out in the future. Cangyun Prefecture is no longer solely dominated by our sect, and there are quite a few outsiders coming in." Before parting, Master Yudan gave him another reminder.

However, it was not explicitly stated.

Previously, the matter of the demonic cultivators in Biluo Market had not caused much of a stir. It is said that after the law enforcement cultivators of Wanfa Palace went to inquire, there was no further follow-up, which was clearly different from their previous attitude of exterminating demonic cultivators.

After reporting his arrival, he left the sect and went to the Qishilin Dojo again.

This time, he deliberately slowed down, arriving only one day early, and also refused Qin Henian's idea of ​​having him make an appearance.

When he arrived, the Qishilin Taoist temple, which had been deserted due to the destruction of the Liu family, was now bustling with activity.

Qin Henian ordered a banquet to be held throughout the entire temple grounds, and cultivators could be seen sitting and exchanging ideas in almost every corner.

It is clear that they intend to use this banquet to advance their plan to recruit cultivators to reside here.

"Master Li Dan".

"I have met Master Li Dan."

"Please, Master Li Dan."

Following the message, Li Ji'an arrived at the place where Yan Qingwan was sitting.

A lake surrounds the area, with a pavilion in the middle, where seven people are seated.

The four Foundation Establishment families of the Wasteland, led by Yan Qingwan, had one Foundation Establishment cultivator from each of the other three families. The Yan family had two members: Yan Qingwan and Yan Xiao.

"aunt."

"Please make yourselves at home, fellow Daoists." Li Ji'an first greeted Yan Qingwan, and then returned the greeting to the others.

Yan Qingwan stood up and personally pulled Li Ji'an to sit down next to her.

"Wow, Fan'er, you've reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!" Yan Qingwan exclaimed in surprise as soon as she sat down.

When Li Ji'an returned to the Yan family for Yan Qingwan's 100th birthday banquet last time, he deliberately concealed his mid-Foundation Establishment aura. This time, however, with a fake Core Formation cultivator present, he didn't bother with such a thing.

"Mid-Foundation Establishment stage!" The others in the wasteland were all shocked.

For cultivators in the wasteland, Foundation Establishment is almost the pinnacle. Only a very few with extraordinary talent, exceptional luck, and the strong support of their families have the possibility of advancing further.

Li Ji'an, a rogue cultivator, was appreciated by the sect and became a guest elder halfway through his life. He actually advanced further, which really shocked them.

Of all those present, Yan Xiao was the most unbelievable. He was exceptionally talented and had experienced few hardships. He always had lofty ambitions and was not satisfied with his Foundation Establishment achievement. Therefore, he looked down on the other cultivators in the wasteland, including Li Ji'an who had left the Yan family, and thought they were all unambitious.

At this moment, he looked at Li Ji'an with a hint of awe.

"Thanks to the support of the sect, it was a stroke of luck, a stroke of luck." Li Ji'an humbly cupped his hands and did not continue the topic, instead turning to chat privately with Yan Qingwan.

During his conversation with Yan Qingwan, Li Ji'an learned that the reason why their Wilderness Family was able to be placed in such a relatively favorable position was because several families had members who participated in Qin He's Willow-Cutting Alliance back then.

The Qin family of Cangyun Prefecture was already at the top of the five major families, and now, thanks to the personal commendation from the Holy Palace, their status has risen even higher.

Even some small families in remote areas have spread rumors that the Qin family might be able to rival the Biyun Sect in the future.

Almost all Foundation Establishment families sent representatives to attend the ceremony.

Logically speaking, the Foundation Establishment families in the wasteland would rank in the middle to lower range among the hundreds of Foundation Establishment forces in the entire Cangyun Prefecture, and their positions could not possibly be so close to the core lineage.

"I wonder which young man is so fortunate to be accepted as a god-grandson by Master Qin?"

"He probably has exceptional talent, but he's conservatively starting with a low-level spiritual root."

"Such a grand display of force may indicate that its origins are not simple."

While Li Ji'an and Yan Qingwan were chatting, the others made guesses about the main characters of this grand celebration.

"The Liu family has arrived too! Hiss, the Liu family's fake Core Formation cultivator has also arrived." Before long, the group approached from afar, and someone recognized the people in the group.

When the other party passed by, the group stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master Liu."

The fake alchemist nodded slightly, without looking at them.

The younger generation behind him turned to look at them. "Greetings, Fairy Liu," Yan Xiao suddenly spoke again.

"Huh?" Liu Jiuchan followed behind the clan elder and looked in the direction Yan Xiao called out, and was surprised to find Li Ji'an's figure.

He then told the ancestor, broke away from the group, and flew down.

Yan Xiao's expression stirred with excitement.

He met Liu Jiuchan by chance when he joined the Willow-Cutting Alliance. After finally seeing her true face, he was amazed by her beauty and regarded her as the standard for a Daoist partner.

However, after Liu Jiuchan learned of his background as a member of the Wasteland Family, she was not very close to him.

He understood, after all, the other party was the daughter of one of the five great families, whose family background was incomparable to his own Foundation Establishment family in the wilderness.

Therefore, he didn't think Liu Jiuchan was wrong; he just worked harder to improve himself.

However, at this moment, he never expected that Liu Jiuchan would actually condescend to do so just for him.

The other three patriarchs of the wasteland simultaneously showed a hint of surprise in their eyes, and looked at Yan Xiao with disbelief.

"Fairy Liu." Yan Xiao took a deep breath and hurriedly went out to greet her.

"Fellow Daoist Yan." After landing, Liu Jiuchan smiled politely at Yan Xiao, who came to greet him, and then walked straight inside.

As they walked, she smiled and cupped her hands in greeting: "Brother Li, it seems that Jiu Chan and you are destined to meet."

"..." Yan Xiao stood there, stunned, his smile freezing on his face.

The others in the wasteland breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions revealing that it was only natural.

As a guest alchemist of the upper sect, it was normal for Li Ji'an to be treated with courtesy by the scions of the five major families.

It would be truly strange if Liu Jiuchan and Yan Xiao could treat each other with courtesy.

"Fellow Daoist Liu is joking. We've been apart for sixteen years. How could we be destined to meet?" Li Ji'an replied with a smile.

Sixteen years ago, Li Ji'an was invited by Liu Jiuchan to refine the Sacred Beast Pill. As a result, several members of the Liu family were killed or injured, and the Sacred Beast Pill, which had been prepared for many years, was lost. In the end, it benefited Guagua.

After that, Li Ji'an almost never had any contact with them again.

From that time onward, the Liu family also began to contend with the Spirit Beast Mountain of Tianyuan Prefecture. It is said that they fought several battles in private in the Daze Mountains, ultimately resulting in both sides suffering heavy losses.

"That's why Jiu Chan cherishes every encounter with Brother Li even more," Liu Jiu Chan said with a smile.

"..." Seeing Liu Jiuchan's completely unfamiliar demeanor, Yan Xiao felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

What Liu Jiuchan left the deepest impression on him was her commanding, queen-like aura.

And at this moment, he actually showed such goodwill towards Li Ji'an.

The way he kept calling him "Brother Li" made his blood boil.

"Fairy Liu, please have a seat." Yan Qingwan was overjoyed to see Liu Jiuchan's attitude toward Li Ji'an.

In her opinion, if Li Ji'an could become a Daoist couple with Liu Jiuchan, it would be a good match.

"Thank you, Fairy Yan." Liu Jiuchan knew Li Ji'an's background well and was particularly close to Yan Qingwan.

"Hmm?" Just as she sat down, Liu Jiuchan had a moment to sense things and suddenly realized that Li Ji'an was already in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and his aura even seemed to be approaching the late-Foundation Establishment stage.

This gave her a jolt.

Back then, she had reached the Foundation Establishment stage a few years earlier than Li Ji'an. When Li Ji'an came to ask for the Blood Pill, she even considered renege on the debt. She didn't care about Li Ji'an's status as a rogue cultivator, thinking that even if Li Ji'an was able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, she would probably already be in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage by then.

As a result, he is now injured and his foundation is damaged and his potential is greatly reduced due to the calamity sixteen years ago. Moreover, his family's resources have been depleted due to the struggle with the Spirit Beast Mountain.

Now she is no longer qualified to be a core member of the family to cultivate future generations. With resources cut by half, she has only barely advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Whether she can advance further in this life is almost impossible to rely on the family; she will have to fight for it herself.

Her family even considered arranging a marriage for her, or finding a male concubine to marry into the family to make up for the loss of family wealth over the years.

"Brother Li, you don't dislike Jiu Chan because of what happened back then, do you?" Liu Jiu Chan's attitude immediately became more friendly.

Li Ji'an waved his hand. Guagua had gained a lot from that incident, including late-stage second-tier demon beast hide talismans and two superior wood-type cultivation techniques, which enhanced his protective abilities.

The only regret is that we did not obtain the recipe for the Sacred Beast Pill.

Otherwise, he wanted to see where Guagua's limits were.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, you're too kind. That incident wasn't your fault; we were all victims."

"It's good that Brother Li doesn't blame Jiu Chan. It's all that damned Wu Weixiong's fault!" Liu Jiu Chan gritted her teeth.

Speaking of Wu Weixiong, Li Ji'an became slightly interested: "Has that thief not been caught yet?"

Liu Jiuchan shook his head in frustration: "Last time, he actually dared to infiltrate the Willow-Cutting Alliance, and was discovered by the Holy Palace. I thought the Holy Palace would execute him, but I never expected that the Holy Palace would give him a chance to redeem himself."

"A chance to redeem oneself through meritorious service?" Li Ji'an raised an eyebrow.

Could it be that it was also sent to the Demon Realm?
Deep into the Demon Realm to track down the Liu family patriarch is very risky. In addition, with the restrictions on cultivation level, the sects would probably be reluctant to send their true disciples. If someone like Wu Weixiong could take a spot, it would be a win-win situation.

Moreover, it also possesses a near-Tier 3 beast pet, whose combat power within the same tier is considerable.

“Oh, by the way, Brother Li, the large-scale chamber of commerce that Tianyuan Prefecture holds every thirty years will be held at the end of the year. Are you interested?” Liu Jiuchan suddenly asked.

"The Heavenly River Gathering?" Li Ji'an looked up.

The Heavenly River Grand Gathering is the highest-level large-scale trade fair in the entire Tiancang Domain. Following the principle of giving the world a chance, the Wanfa Palace allows trade to take place once every thirty years, a practice that has continued for over a thousand years.

During this period, the traded items are not subject to restrictions on strategic items.

Tier 3 resources are common and there are no restrictions on the identity of the participants.

Li Ji'an learned about it from Tong Yaoyao, but at that time, the Daze Mountain Range was an insurmountable barrier, so he never had such expectations.

Nowadays, the Daze Mountain Range, a natural barrier separating Cangyun Prefecture and Tianyuan Prefecture, has been almost completely flattened by cultivators, making it a smooth road with no threat from high-level demonic beasts.

“Li is indeed preparing to broaden his horizons,” Li Ji’an nodded.

He is about to reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment, but he only needs three kinds of ingredients for the Crystal Condensation Pill, so he really needs to prepare in advance.

Although there was no threat from demonic beasts along the way, the threat from human cultivators should not be underestimated, and the risk of being targeted was high if he went alone.

"Excellent! With Brother Li by my side, Jiu Chan has nothing to fear!" Liu Jiu Chan said with a beaming smile.

"..." Li Ji'an paused slightly. He had originally thought that the Liu family had a large group of people with them, and he would follow them.

As it turns out, Liu Jiuchan seems to be going alone?
"Fairy Yan, why don't you come with us? The more people there are, the safer we'll feel." Seeing the change in Li Ji'an's expression, Liu Jiuchan quickly pulled Yan Qingwan along.

Yan Qingwan's beautiful eyes lit up. She was indeed looking forward to it and had long wanted to broaden her horizons, but unfortunately, her own strength was too weak to go alone or with other cultivators she didn't know well.

"it is good!"

“I’m going too!” Yan Xiao couldn’t help but interject.

Yan Qingwan glared at him: "The clan needs you to stay and oversee things. Focus on your cultivation and don't have any unrealistic ideas."

She had just discerned Yan Xiao's attitude towards Liu Jiuchan, so her words were a double entendre.

“Aunt, this matter needs to be considered carefully, after all, the journey is long and there are many tribulations involved.”

"I'll decide after I consult with my fellow sect members." Li Ji'an did not follow Liu Jiuchan's wishes simply because Yan Qingwan had joined the sect.

It's better for him to go alone than to travel with Yan Qingwan and Liu Jiuchan.

After all, both their looks and abilities have a double negative effect.

(End of this chapter)