I forge immortality with a pagoda.

Quan Wu followed closely behind, returning to the capital of Yu Kingdom with Shen Yu. The two remained silent the entire way until they arrived at the blue stone beside the spiritual spring.

The spring gurgles, and the spiritual energy is as misty as it permeates the surroundings.

Quan Wu hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help feeling uneasy. "Does the Lord really not need that Dust Heart Sand? Such a treasure is truly a rare gem."

Shen Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the gurgling spiritual spring. "No matter how good the Dust Heart Sand is, in its essence, it is nothing more than a low-grade Dao Seed. With a bit of luck, one might be able to use it to build a mid-to-low-grade Dao Foundation, which is quite a rare and excellent item for ordinary cultivators."

Quan Wu nodded silently, knowing that what Shen Yu said was true.

"Although I, Shen Yu, dare not claim to have the most outstanding talent, my desire to pursue the Dao is not to be confined to mediocrity."

Shen Yu's tone remained calm, but the arrogance revealed in his words made Quan Wu's heart tremble, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of respect.

"Your Majesty is a genius. At such a young age, you have already reached the middle stage of Qi Refining. It will be a natural thing for you to build a superior foundation in the future."

Quan Wu's words came from the bottom of his heart and were not intended as flattery.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu simply smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

Foundation building is another major hurdle after Qi cultivation.

To enter this realm, cultivators must find a rare and precious natural treasure that suits them as a seed of their Dao, thereby establishing a profound connection with the Great Dao of the Heavens.

The higher the grade of the Dao seed, the more solid the foundation for foundation building, and the broader the path of cultivation in the future.

Roughly speaking, the Daoist foundation ranks can be divided into three grades: upper, middle, and lower. Each grade is further subdivided into three categories: upper, middle, and lower, totaling three grades and nine ranks.

If a cultivator cannot find a suitable spiritual object from heaven and earth to serve as a seed for their Dao, they can only build the lowest grade "lowest-grade" Dao foundation.

Although such cultivators can step into the Foundation Establishment stage, their desire to advance further and condense the Golden Core is truly as unattainable as a mirage.

Shen Yu had his own pride, and he really looked down on this inferior Dao Seed. Therefore, he was happy to do Quanwu a favor and leave it for Quanwu to use.

This conversation finally dispelled the last trace of doubt in Quan Wu's heart.

He grinned, abandoning all pretense and politeness, and immediately chose a spot beside the spiritual spring with the most abundant spiritual energy. He sat down cross-legged and began to concentrate on his cultivation.

Shen Yu then quietly left Liufang Garden and strolled through the palace.

Before one's eyes, carved beams and painted rafters, resplendent in gold and jade, it is no exaggeration to describe this palace as "extremely luxurious".

Its magnificence was comparable to any ancient architectural ruins he had ever seen in his previous life.

However, such mundane luxury is like chicken ribs in the eyes of cultivators, tasteless and unappetizing.

After a short while, Shen Yu lost interest and turned to walk towards Taihua Palace.

Outside the hall stood a forest of guards, their armor imposing. Upon seeing Shen Yu approach, they all bowed respectfully.

Shen Yu nodded slightly in response, then stepped into the hall, sat calmly on the dragon throne, and ordered, "Summon He Chen to see me."

The guards below the stage received the order and immediately hurried out of the hall.

Before long, He Chen Sanren hurried over and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Has the territory of Yu Kingdom remained peaceful during this period?"

"My Lord, all is well. The weather is favorable, and the people live in peace and prosperity. As you commanded, all the exorbitant taxes and levies in the country have been reduced by half."

He Chen Sanren respectfully replied.

"Well done." Shen Yu nodded. "You've managed things well and deserve a reward."

As he spoke, he took out a high-grade spirit stone brimming with spiritual energy from his storage bag and casually tossed it to He Chen Sanren.

"From this day forward, the land of Xian will also fall under our control. From now on, I will need you all to put in your best efforts to govern these two lands for me."

Upon hearing this, He Chen Sanren was startled: "Does the Lord intend to take action against the Xian Kingdom?"

"My lord, you must not act rashly!" He Chen Sanren hurriedly advised, "That Xianxiang Dao has the Zhan Yue Sect backing him! If we anger the sect's cultivators, our foundation may be in jeopardy!"

Shen Yu shook his head and briefly recounted the events leading up to his encounter with You Che and Quan Wu deep underground, as well as the circumstances surrounding his killing of You Che and subjugation of Quan Wu.

He Chen Sanren was dumbfounded. He never expected that his master, with his mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation, would not only defeat a powerful enemy but also subdue a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

My awe and admiration for Shen Yu deepened even further.

After Shen Yu gave some further instructions, He Chensan bowed and left the main hall.

Shen Yu has always acted decisively and without hesitation.

He immediately summoned the Flowing Cloud Flying Boat, and in a flash, he stood at the bow of the boat.

The next moment, the flying boat transformed into a magnificent rainbow, breaking through the clouds and speeding straight towards the direction of the Kingdom of Xian.

......

Inside the Jeongjeol Hall of the King's Palace of the Wise Kingdom.

An old man and a young man sat facing each other, sipping tea and chatting.

The wise minister took a sip of tea and said with some worry, "According to what the Supreme One said, Senior Youche should be able to successfully obtain that underground treasure soon?"

The young man sitting opposite him was Xun Nianzhen, a disciple of the Zhan Yue Sect.

Despite his cultivation level being only at the third level of the Kaiyuan realm, he readily accepted the title of "Supreme True One" from the Xianxiang Dao.

He picked up his teacup and said indifferently, "That's natural."

The wise minister frowned deeply: "Does that mean that the two of you will be leaving the wise kingdom soon?"

Xun Nianzhen took a sip of tea and nodded.

"I dare to ask you two gentlemen for another small favor," the wise minister said, adopting an extremely humble posture. "If you can accomplish this, I am willing to dedicate the entire nation's resources to repay you both!"

Xun Nianzhen naturally knew that the wise minister wanted to use them to get rid of Yu Yihu and help him unify the two countries.

He chuckled softly, "Wise ruler, there's no need for that."

"We have already paid our dues for our temporary stay at your royal palace. Once Senior Brother Che obtains the treasure, we will return to our sect to report back. As for the affairs of your two kingdoms, our sect has no intention of getting involved."

"this..."

The wise minister was unwilling, but seeing the other party's resolute attitude, he had no choice but to swallow his words and sigh inwardly.

He absolutely could not afford to offend people from sects.

Just as the wise minister was about to express his concern, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the sky.

The once cloudless sky seemed to be suddenly shrouded in a huge, dark cloud, which instantly blocked out the sunlight, making the hall darker.

"Um?"

Both of them were taken aback, and doubt arose in their hearts.

They then put down their teacups, moved swiftly, and flew out of the hall, rising into the air.

A floating cloud boat hovered above the clouds, and a young Taoist priest dressed in blue robes with a dragon-like and phoenix-like appearance slowly descended from it.

The wise minister looked closely and felt that the man looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Fellow Daoist, I am the wise minister of the virtuous kingdom. May I ask what brings you to my humble country?"

Shen Yu laughed heartily, "Your Majesty, it's been many years, and you're still as vigorous as ever. It's just that your memory seems a bit lacking. Take a closer look; do you still recognize me?"

Upon hearing this, the wise minister glanced at Xun Nianzhen beside him. Seeing that the other party made no comment, he then focused his attention and examined him carefully.

After a long while, he suddenly slapped his forehead. "I remember now! You are Shen Yu, the personal disciple of Senior Yunhui!"

Shen Yu bowed and said with a smile, "That is indeed my humble opinion."

.......