Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 513 A new beginning

Inside the room, as Song Xian was studying the gourd, a disciple came to the outer room and reported to him through the stone door.

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, Huo Youming has arrived at the mountain gate, accompanied by two Foundation Establishment cultivators, who are waiting outside to request an audience."

When Hua Yuanzong's men arrived, Song Xian did not put on airs and got up to go to them.

Huo Youming stood solemnly a hundred feet away from the mountain gate array, accompanied by two men, and dozens of Qi Refining disciples.

Inside the great formation, Yu Lian led dozens of disciples in a standoff with them.

After Song Xian's escape light landed, the members of the Hunyuan Sect hurriedly stepped forward to greet him and pay their respects.

His gaze swept over Huo Youming and the group of Huayuan Sect cultivators, and he was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought that these people who came to seek refuge were all old, weak, sick and disabled, but he did not expect that this was not the case.

The people Huo Youming brought were almost all elites, as could be seen from their cultivation level and age.

Song Xian recognized the two Foundation Establishment cultivators behind him.

One of them was named Liu Yu, with a Foundation Establishment level 5 cultivation.
One of them was named Xu Yuanshun, and he had reached the fourth level of Foundation Establishment cultivation.

The two not only looked young, but Liu Yu, in particular, possessed dual spiritual roots.

Many of those Qi Refining disciples had already reached the late stage of Qi Refining, and they were still quite young.

"Fellow Daoist Huo, you've arrived." Song Xian glanced around and walked forward with a smile.

"Thank you for your trouble, Master Song." Huo Youming bowed respectfully.

"Please don't be shy, come in quickly."

Huo Youming ordered Hua Yuanzong's disciples to wait outside, and led Liu Yu and Xu Yuanshun into the inner room with him.

The group arrived at the main hall and took their seats.

"Fellow Daoist Huo, you said before that more than 500 people followed you when you left Yongning City. I wonder where the others are now?"

Huo Youming's eyes dimmed considerably, and his voice became heavy: "We were pursued by the Bright Moon Sect and scattered. We agreed to meet at the market in Xijiang County, but in the end, less than three hundred people arrived at the meeting point. Junior Brother Liu led some disciples with flying magic artifacts ahead of us, and the rest will arrive in a few days."

"The spiritual vein has been cleared for you, and you can go there now. It has a residence, cultivation room, and food, everything you need. I will send someone to take you there later. If you need anything else, just tell Elder Lin Zixiang of our sect."

"Thank you, Master Song."

"We are allies, and it is only natural for us to help each other. Now that you have come to Bianxi City, we are all one family. If you need anything, just say the word and don't be shy. In the future, our sect may need your help, and we hope that you fellow Daoists will lend a hand when that time comes."

Huo Youming responded, "Our sect will always remember your kindness. If there is any need for our sect in the future, we and our disciples will do our utmost to help you."

Liu Yu, standing to the side, frowned almost imperceptibly.

"That's good." Song Xian smiled. "Actually, there is something I'd like to trouble you with."

Huo Youming was slightly taken aback. He thought Song Xian was just being polite, but he didn't expect him to make a request so quickly.

A sense of unease suddenly welled up in his heart. Logically speaking, since they had just arrived in Bianxi City, there shouldn't be anything that the Hunyuan Sect needed them to solve.

But before he could even settle in, Song Xian made a request. Clearly, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something he had planned long ago. This immediately gave Song Xian the feeling that he had been tricked, and he felt a vague unease in his heart.

But given the current situation, he had no bargaining power and could only agree.

"We don't know what instructions Sect Leader Song has. We will do our best to fulfill them."

“It’s just a small matter.” Song Xian looked at Xu Tianshun: “I have long heard that Fellow Daoist Xu has superb weapon-refining skills and is the number one weapon-refining master in Yongning City. I happen to have something that needs a highly skilled weapon refiner. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Xu would be willing to help me.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Youming breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not directly agree on Xu Yuanshun's behalf. Instead, he looked at him with a questioning gaze.

“No problem.” Xu Yuanshun agreed without hesitation: “I wonder what kind of treasure Sect Leader Song needs to refine? As long as it is within my capabilities, I will do my best.”

"Does Fellow Daoist Xu know about the Yin Soul Pearl? Do you know how to refine it?"

Song Xian revealed his purpose: there is only one Foundation Establishment level weapon refiner, Xia Yu, in the sect. Apart from him, no one else can refine Yin Soul Pearls.

Even though he spends two months each year specifically refining this item, he can only refine a few dozen pieces a year.

Since the Soul-Severing Stones on the island in the Boundless Sea had long been exhausted, the only way to obtain them now was by refining Yin Soul Pearls in exchange for Ghost Cores. However, since only Foundation Establishment cultivators could refine these, he hadn't acquired many Ghost Cores in recent years. He had originally planned to recruit one or two more Foundation Establishment cultivators skilled in weapon crafting, but that wasn't so easy. There weren't many independent cultivators who knew weapon crafting, let alone Foundation Establishment level practitioners.

Even if they did, they wouldn't join the Hunyuan Sect. These people are mostly used to being free and independent, possess a skill, don't have to worry about making a living, and are all respectable. Why would they join such a small sect as the Hunyuan Sect and wait to be ordered around?

"Yin Soul Pearl?" Xu Yuanshun frowned slightly: "I have never refined this before, nor do I know how to refine it. I'm afraid I can't help Sect Leader Song."

"That's alright. We have a junior brother in our sect who knows how to refine this item. He can teach you how to refine it."

"May I ask Sect Leader Song, since your sect already has someone capable of refining it, why do you still need me?"

"Because our sect needs a large quantity of this item, and Junior Brother Xia alone is not enough, we would like to ask Fellow Daoist Xu to help refine it."

Although Xu Yuanshun found it strange that Hunyuan Sect needed so many Yin Soul Pearls, he did not ask further. They were currently dependent on others and needed their help, so it was not appropriate for them to pry into other people's secrets.

He nodded and agreed: "Very well, since Sect Leader Song thinks so highly of me, I am willing to refine this item for your sect. I just don't know how many your sect needs?"

"Junior Brother Xia will tell you then. Fellow Daoist Xu, rest assured, our sect will not let you work for nothing. You will receive all the due compensation."

Xu Yuanshun didn't take it to heart: "Sect Leader Song, there's no need to be so polite. It's just a small matter, nothing to mention. Your sect is kind enough to take us in, and we haven't even had a chance to repay that kindness yet. Refining some Yin Soul Pearls is just a small favor, so there's no need to talk about payment."

"Fellow Daoist Xu, please don't refuse. It's only right. Even Junior Brother Xia of our sect receives extra payment for each one he refines. Fellow Daoist Xu's willingness to help refine them is already a great help to me. This matter is settled. After you've settled in, I'll send someone to find Fellow Daoist Xu." Song Xian ended the topic with an unassailable tone.

After a friendly conversation, the Hua Yuan Sect members followed Jiang Zichen and left the mountain gate.

.........

As night fell, the starlight dimmed.

Inside the brightly lit hall, Huo Youming, Liu Yu, and Xu Yuanshun gathered together.

"Now we finally have a stable place to stay. The next step is to settle down. We can't just sit around and do nothing. We need to find some businesses to at least cover the sect's expenses." Huo Youming looked exhausted.

Xu Yuanshun continued, "Now that we're in Bianxi City, if we want to acquire some property and make a living, we have to rely on the Hunyuan Sect. I think Song Xian is a good person, quite amiable, and willing to lend us this spiritual vein. The Hunyuan Sect's business has been developing well in recent years, so they should have quite a few profitable jobs."

Huo Youming nodded: "After everyone arrives, I'll talk to Song Xian. Looking at it now, Junior Brother Liu was right; coming to Bianxi City was indeed better than joining the Beast Taming Sect."

After his first meeting with Song Xian, he went to Xijiang County to meet with the others, and it was there that he visited the Beast Taming Sect.

However, it took a whole day before they finally met the Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge of external affairs from the Beast Taming Sect.

After he explained the whole story, the Foundation Establishment cultivator only replied with a few indifferent words, his attitude extremely cold.

They didn't even offer a simple greeting, let alone a promise to lend them a place to live.

Basically, he would say one sentence or a few sentences, and the other party would give a curt reply.

Huo Youming originally thought that if the Beast Taming Sect was friendly and agreed to let them stay in the spiritual vein, he would then pledge allegiance to the Beast Taming Sect.

The Hunyuan Sect was just a backup option, but seeing the attitude of the Beast Taming Sect, he immediately understood. So without any hesitation, he led his elite disciples straight to Bianxi City.

“Although Song Xian appears kind, we still need to be more cautious and not trust him too much.” Liu Yu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: “Because of the threat from the Bright Moon Sect, they need us now. The day they no longer need us, they won’t act like this anymore.”

“On our very first day here, Song Xian already said that he would need our help in the future.”

"I suspect that his words were not unfounded, and that he probably had some kind of plan."

Huo Youming frowned slightly and remained silent for a while: "We are currently under someone else's roof, so we can only proceed with caution. At least in the short term, the Hunyuan Sect will certainly not make things difficult for us. Thinking about other things now is useless. The most urgent task is to gain a foothold in Bianxi City."

"Only after things have stabilized can we consider what comes next."

"How about this? In a few days, I'll go see Song Xian and see if I can get something done from the Hunyuan Sect."

"The best thing they've done is the Tianshan Market, through which they've handled many resource transactions between the eastern Muhe Grassland and the western Xinjiang counties. If we can get some of the benefits from these transactions, that will be enough for us to gain a foothold."

The three discussed matters in conversation until dawn broke. Under the glow of the rosy clouds, the towering palaces seemed to be gilded with gold, and all things flourished, with insects chirping and birds singing in the mountains and forests.

A new day begins.

(End of this chapter)