I forge immortality with a pagoda.

Shen Yu was puzzled, as he had never mentioned any Yangquan Dharma Assembly.

"Aren't you heading to Star Valley, fellow Daoist?"

Shen Yu said sincerely, "That's good."

"That's it. Master Qiu of Liexing Valley is preparing to hold a Dharma assembly in six months. All sects, large and small, within a radius of ten thousand miles have been invited to attend."

"The Dharma assembly was held beside a Xin-level spiritual spring in Liexing Valley. This spiritual spring is called Yangquan, and the Dharma assembly is naturally called Yangquan Dharma Assembly."

Shen Yu frowned. He had come here to cultivate his skills and did not want to cause any trouble. If a grand event were to be held in Liexing Valley, it would be a chaotic mix of people, and that volcano would certainly not be peaceful.

He asked, "Forgive my ignorance, but does Fellow Daoist Zhu know the purpose of this Dharma assembly?"

Zhu Jian waved his hand and quickly said, "Fellow Daoist, you're too kind."

"Master Qiu invited people from various sects to participate in the Dharma assembly, firstly to make many friends and discuss the Dharma, and secondly..."

He hesitated for a moment.

Shen Yu asked, "What is 'two'?"

Zhu Jian chuckled twice. "Secondly, it's to help his own daughter, Qiu Yunzhi, the Fairy of the Qiu family, a Qi Refining cultivator, and the future Lord of the Star Valley, choose a husband."

Shen Yu said casually, "Oh, it's about choosing a son-in-law."

Seeing Shen Yu's lukewarm reaction, Zhu Jianda looked at him as if he were a mythical beast, "Fellow Daoist Shen, do you not know Qiu Yunzhi?"

Shen Yu was puzzled. How could he possibly know Qiu Yunzhi, a Qi Refining stage cultivator? Was she some kind of famous?

"I've never heard of Fairy Qiu before. Could it be that this fairy possesses some kind of extraordinary ability?"

Zhu Jianda touched his mouth; he really wanted to blurt out, "You don't even know this?"

However, he had been in the cultivation world for many years and knew what to say and what not to say. The person in front of him had a calm demeanor and a majestic bearing, and was definitely not an ordinary person.

He showed no sign of surprise and said, "Fellow Daoist Shen is engrossed in cultivation, so I suppose he doesn't care much about the affairs of the Southern Region."

That statement is accurate.

Since he began practicing Taoism, Shen Yu has either been hiding in the mountains or listening to Taoist Yunhui preach. Occasionally, he would also go to some villages to provide free medical consultations and give alms.

He had never even attended a proper gathering of cultivators.

Shen Yu then heard Zhu Jianda continue, "Fairy Qiu began cultivating Taoism at the age of eight and reached the Kaiyuan stage at the age of ten. Now, at the age of sixteen, she has already cultivated true Qi. She is truly a talented and beautiful woman, a rare gem."

Shen Yuqi asked, "While such talent is extraordinary, it's not like some once-in-a-millennium genius, yet it has such a reputation?"

Zhu Jianda continued, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but if it were only this kind of aptitude for cultivation, it would be fine. The reason why Fairy Qiu is somewhat famous in the Southern Region is entirely due to her stunningly beautiful face, which is enough to rank her among the top three in the Southern Region."

Zhu Jianda seemed to remember something, and suddenly drifted off into thought, stammering, "I met Fairy Qiu once in my younger days. At that time, she was still a Kaiyuan cultivator. We were thousands of miles apart, but we looked at each other from afar. She truly deserved the title of a celestial being descended to earth."

Shen Yu's lips twitched, though they were thousands of miles apart...

That's way too exaggerated.

No wonder he encountered more and more cultivators the closer he got to Liexing Valley. It seems that those cultivators were all hoping to catch a glimpse of her beauty and try their luck.

There aren't any restrictions on this Dharma assembly, so what if something happens? There's no harm in going.

"Even the three major sects sent envoys there, unwilling to miss such a grand Dharma assembly."

"I wonder if it would be possible to trade some items with other practitioners during this Dharma assembly?"

Shen Yu suddenly asked.

Zhu Jianda was taken aback, then said, "I'm afraid it won't work at the Dharma assembly."

"However, during the Dharma Assembly, many cultivators will spontaneously form markets, which will surely be very lively. Fellow Daoist Shen can look for opportunities in the markets."

"I understand."

Zhu Jianda glanced around and said, "Fellow Daoist Shen, I see you are also alone. Why don't we go to Liexing Valley together? It would be good to have someone to look after us on the way."

Shen Yu pondered for a moment.

He was used to being alone, able to go and stop whenever he wanted, and traveling with others was ultimately somewhat inconvenient.

However, the person in front of me is honest and kind, and knows quite a bit about the affairs of the Southern Region. Going with him would allow me to find out some information.

So he said, "I will do as Fellow Daoist Zhu says."

The two walked and talked, and Zhu Jianda told many interesting stories about the cultivation world along the way.

Shen Yu also learned that Zhu Jianda was from Xianguo, which was his neighboring country, so the two could be considered as fellow countrymen.

He has not returned home for three years since leaving.

He traveled to various places, seeking immortals and visiting Taoist masters, hoping to join a sect and go further on the path of immortality.

Unfortunately, due to his poor aptitude, although he was lucky enough to reach the first level, he has been stuck at the first level for many years without making any progress.

Neither major nor minor factions were willing to accept it into their fold.

The purpose of this trip to Liexing Valley is to find a sect to join.

As for the matter of choosing a son-in-law, he knew very well that such a good thing could not possibly fall into his lap, and he dared not have any wishful thinking.

...

Green peaks stand guard like a screen, with clouds and mist drifting around them, a blend of green and white.

Nestled amidst these majestic and beautiful mountains lies a mountain gate.

Shen Yu looked around and saw pavilions and halls scattered like stars in the sky, arranged in the middle of the mountain gate.

At the top of many buildings, each is inlaid with a bright pearl, about three inches in diameter, as white as moonlight solidified, and as warm and smooth as mutton fat containing light.

At night, it must be dazzlingly bright, like stars in the sky adorning the valley.

This was the first time Shen Yu had ever seen such a magnificent sight. He was so captivated by the beauty that he was mesmerized.

Zhu Jianda was also deeply moved, saying, "After so many years, this Star Valley is still as beautiful and magnificent as ever."

He pointed to the jewels adorning the rooftops of the buildings, "Fellow Daoist Shen, can you see the jewels that adorn those rooftops?"

Shen Yu snapped out of his daze, looked at the round, lustrous pearls, and nodded.

"Those pearls are called Spirit-Gathering Pearls. They are a type of treasure abundant in the East Sea. They have the effect of gathering spiritual energy. If an ordinary cultivator obtains one of these pearls, he can gather spiritual energy and save himself the hard work of collecting spiritual energy."

This was the first time Shen Yu had ever heard of such a strange object, and he was extremely interested. "According to Fellow Daoist Zhu, isn't this Spirit-Gathering Pearl equivalent to a walking spiritual vein?"

"What Fellow Daoist Shen said is correct. Of course, the Spirit Gathering Pearl is far inferior to the Spirit Vein in terms of its ability to gather spiritual energy."

"Many small streams make a river. Although a single Spirit-Gathering Pearl is less effective at gathering spiritual energy, the sheer number of them together..."

Zhu Jianda took a deep breath. "This concentration of spiritual energy is probably not just among the lower-grade spiritual veins."

Shen Yu pondered that there are ten levels of spiritual veins, namely Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui.

Among them, A, B, and C are the top three grades, D, E, F, and G are the middle four grades, and H, I, and G are the bottom three grades.

Even the three most powerful sects in the Southern Region each possess only one mid-level spiritual vein, and a few low-level spiritual veins.

"Master Qiu's wealth and resources are completely comparable to those of the three major sects."

Zhu Jianda wholeheartedly agreed with Shen Yu's words, "Master Qiu makes many friends, and many cultivators send him gifts to congratulate him on every happy occasion. Those Spirit-Nourishing Pearls were obtained by him from the East Sea Dragon Clan."

"Now that Master Qiu has reached the third level of Foundation Establishment, if he successfully forms his core, the Southern Region will have another behemoth."

...

Several more groups of cultivators flew over the two of them.

Just as Shen Yu was about to say goodbye to Zhu Jianda and head to the western volcano, three people suddenly fell from the sky.

As soon as the three of them stood still, Shen Yu noticed that Zhu Jianda next to him trembled and his face turned deathly pale.

...

...