The Confucian and Taoist Sages of Mortal Cultivation

Lei Wanhe smiled slightly, his eyes narrowing into slits, and said, "I have summoned you here today to discuss two matters with you."

"The first thing I've done is to arrange a marriage for you."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qingyuan was stunned and completely bewildered.

Lei Wanhe sat upright in the main hall and said, "Now that you have established your foundation, it is time for you to choose a Daoist partner."

"Since I am your master, I should take care of you. So I have chosen a Daoist partner for you who is excellent in terms of aptitude, appearance, and character."

"It's that girl, Nie Ying."

What do you think?

Yang Qingyuan was stunned when he heard this. He had never expected Lei Wanhe to say this. He turned to look at Nie Ying beside him.

Nie Ying was standing quietly to the side with her eyes down, but after hearing Lei Wanhe's words, a blush quickly rose from her fair neck to her earlobe and then spread all the way to her cheeks.

Seeing this, Yang Qingyuan was caught in a dilemma.

He definitely couldn't agree to the marriage, because if Nangong Wan heard even a whisper of it, who knew what kind of trouble she would cause.

Thinking of this, he braced himself and replied, "I would like to inform my master that I do not intend to consider the matter of a Daoist partner before I reach the Core Formation stage."

As soon as she finished speaking, Nie Ying's face turned deathly pale, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"Oh?" Lei Wanhe was slightly surprised upon hearing this, and said to Yang Qingyuan, "You are born with a thunder spirit root, so it is only natural that you have lofty ambitions."

"However, since you have already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, marrying a Daoist partner will not affect your cultivation."

"Moreover, the path of Yin-Yang dual cultivation is also a significant help to you."

"After all, the higher a cultivator's cultivation level, the slower their cultivation speed."

"And the natural treasures of Yue Kingdom are becoming increasingly scarce, making it virtually impossible for cultivators to cultivate entirely with the help of elixirs."

"This dual cultivation method has become the choice of many Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"Nie Ying's cultivation level is similar to yours, and her aptitude is also quite good. She's a perfect match for you."

"Why are you hesitating when such a great opportunity is falling from the sky?"

"Alright, I know you might find this too abrupt, and you're not very familiar with Nie Ying yet."

"I will not force you to hold the dual cultivation ceremony now."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qingyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Nie Ying, who was standing next to her, kept her head down, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Lei Wanhe continued, "I plan to send you two on a trip to strengthen your relationship, which will also allow me to take care of the second task."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qingyuan could no longer refuse and replied, "May I ask, Master, what is this second task?"

Lei Wanhe replied with a solemn expression, "That's how it is."

"Recently, the Yan family, the number one family in the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom, sent invitations to Core Formation cultivators from several nearby countries, saying that they would be holding a treasure-hunting competition and asking us Core Formation cultivators to send our disciples to participate in this grand event."

"The Yan family's move is intended to cultivate good relations with many Core Formation stage cultivators, which will benefit the Yan family's future development."

"Therefore, the Yan family has brought out the legendary talisman 'Qiankun Tower' as the top prize, along with some rare treasures, magical artifacts, and elixirs."

"Some of these treasures are so tempting that even a Core Formation cultivator like myself would be tempted by them."

"Especially one of the spiritual herbs called 'Thunder Fruit,' which I urgently need."

"Therefore, your master is preparing to send you to participate in the treasure hunt and retrieve that 'Thunder Fruit'."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qingyuan's lips twitched slightly, and he inwardly grumbled, feeling that his cheap master loved to order him around too much.

After all, he almost lost his life during his last trip to Jiang Guo.

Moreover, this trip to Yanjiabao will not be peaceful.

Yang Qingyuan vaguely remembered that before the Ascension Ceremony even began, the Core Formation Ancestor of Yan Family Fortress had already defected to the Ghost Spirit Sect and married Yan Ruyan, the darling daughter of the Yan family, to Wang Chan, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Chan, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, in order to completely sever ties between the Yan Family Fortress and the Yue Kingdom, set up the Yin Fire Array, wiping out more than forty Foundation Establishment cultivators from the seven major sects of the Yue Kingdom in one fell swoop.

To make matters worse, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect had two Core Formation stage protectors by his side, plus the Core Formation stage patriarch of the Yan family, making a total of three Core Formation stage cultivators.

Yang Qingyuan had no desire to venture into such a dangerous place, so he could only say, "Reporting to Master, I have heard that Yan Family Fortress seems to have a close relationship with the Ghost Spirit Sect. Previously, when I was in Jiang Kingdom, I killed several disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect, and we have already formed a grudge."

"And one of the core disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect even boasted that he would invade the Yue Kingdom."

"This disciple is worried that the Yan family patriarch will take this opportunity to defect to the Ghost Spirit Sect, and may even be willing to sacrifice the lives of our Yue Kingdom Foundation Establishment cultivators as a pledge of allegiance."

Lei Wanhe, however, did not take it to heart. He waved his hand and replied, "You don't need to worry about the Jiang Kingdom."

"Over the years, Jiang Kingdom has been peaceful and calm. It seems that the Wulong Sect incident was just a coincidence."

"As for the relationship between Yan Family Fortress and Ghost Spirit Sect, I have heard about it. The first patriarch of the Yan family did indeed come from Ghost Spirit Sect."

"It is said that the first ancestor of the Yan family had a conflict with his fellow disciples, which led him to come to the Yue Kingdom, establish the Yan Family Fortress, and vow never to return to the Ghost Spirit Sect."

"Over the past few hundred years, the people of Yanjiabao have probably forgotten their connection with the Ghost Spirit Sect."

"You don't need to worry about this at all."

Seeing that Lei Wanhe refused to believe him, Yang Qingyuan racked his brains, trying to figure out how to persuade him.

But just then, Lei Wanhe spoke up, saying, "Haven't you always wanted the second half of the 'Outer King, Inner Saint Technique'?"

"This time, the top three finishers in the Yan Family Fortress are allowed to enter the Yan Family's Scripture Pavilion and choose a cultivation technique."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qingyuan was stunned for a moment before remembering that after Yan Family Fort joined the Ghost Spirit Sect, it would have to move away from Yue Kingdom and head to Tianluo Kingdom.

Who knows when we'll be able to get the complete "External King and Inner Saint Manual" again?

Thinking about this, Yang Qingyuan was also very conflicted.

Lei Wanhe continued, "You are my only disciple, so naturally I won't let you take any risks for nothing."

"Whether this matter succeeds or not, you can first choose a Foundation Establishment stage pill formula from me."

After saying that, Lei Wanhe stared at Yang Qingyuan with a stern face.

Yang Qingyuan inwardly grumbled, knowing he couldn't refuse, so he could only agree for now and plan carefully later. He then cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Since that's the case, this disciple is willing to make the trip."

Upon hearing this, Lei Wanhe finally smiled, took out a jade slip from his storage bag, handed it to Yang Qingyuan, and said, "This is a catalog of pill formulas. Please choose one first."

Yang Qingyuan had seen this jade slip before, so he quickly flipped through it and replied, "Reporting to Master, this disciple requests the formula for the Returning Spirit Pill."

Lei Wanhe nodded slightly, then took out a blue jade slip and a gold-embossed invitation from his storage bag, handed them to Yang Qingyuan, and urged, "Alright, you should set off immediately."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qingyuan and Nie Ying bowed respectfully and withdrew from the main hall...