The Confucian and Taoist Sages of Mortal Cultivation

After leaving Leiyin Cave, Yang Qingyuan looked at Nie Ying beside him.

Nie Ying looked at Yang Qingyuan with a complicated expression, and said softly, "Congratulations, Junior Brother, on breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

"Junior brother truly lives up to his reputation as a lightning spiritual root; his cultivation speed is something I, his senior sister, can only dream of."

Yang Qingyuan smiled and replied, "Senior Sister, you flatter me. I'm only in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

A glint flashed in Nie Yingmei's eyes as she pondered, "Junior Brother Yang seems to be very resistant to this marriage arranged by the Master."

"Could it be that you feel I'm not a good match for you, senior sister?"

"No, no," Yang Qingyuan waved his hands repeatedly in response, "Junior brother didn't mean to look down on senior sister in the slightest."

"On the contrary, I often hear my fellow disciples mention that Senior Sister Nie is the most beautiful woman in our Yellow Maple Valley."

Hearing such flattering words, Nie Ying smiled charmingly and said, "Junior Brother Yang, do you really think so?"

"Of course." Yang Qingyuan didn't want to continue discussing this matter, so he changed the subject and urged, "Senior Sister, let's set off. Judging from the date on the invitation, the Treasure Hunt Conference is about to begin."

After saying that, he patted the spirit pet pouch at his waist and released the black dragon.

Nie Ying was slightly surprised to see that the black dragon had broken through to the third level, and said, "I didn't expect that Junior Brother Yang would also have such attainments in beast taming."

"This black dragon's aura is much stronger than that of the last group from Jiang Kingdom. It's probably not far from breaking through to the fourth level."

"This black dragon alone is not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator can withstand."

Yang Qingyuan smiled knowingly. In order to cultivate the black dragon, he had fed it over a hundred beast-breeding pills.

The two then rode the black dragon to the council hall to get a detailed map from Sect Leader Zhong, before heading to Yan Family Fortress to participate in the Ascension Ceremony.

According to the map drawn by Huangfeng Valley, there is only one spirit stone vein near Yanjiabao, which is most likely the vein where the ancient teleportation array is located.

Unfortunately, this mine is jointly managed by the seven major factions, and the management position at the mine only changes once every ten years.

Yang Qingyuan is currently unable to enter the mine and can only wait until the six demonic sects invade later to see what happens...

Two days later, at dawn, in Qingliang City, Linzhou, the most inconspicuous of the thirteen prefectures and counties of Yue.

Qingliang City is just an ordinary city in Linzhou, with nothing noteworthy except for the nearby scenic Yanliang Mountain.

The Yan family, the foremost family of cultivators in the Yue Kingdom, is located in Yanliang Mountain.

At this moment, a snow-white dragon, seven or eight zhang long, rode on a jet-black cloud and flew over Qingliang City, heading towards Yanliang Mountain.

Yang Qingyuan stood atop the Mo Jiao's head, gazing down at Qingliang City. He remembered that when he parted ways with the Mo family mother and daughter, the place they mentioned for their refuge, "Fengming Academy," was located right here in Qingliang City.

However, with the treasure hunt imminent, Yang Qingyuan had no choice but to head to Yanliang Mountain first.

Once he arrived above Yanliang Mountain, he released his divine sense and swept it across the dense forest below, then revealed a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" Nie Ying noticed the change in Yang Qingyuan's expression and asked.

Yang Qingyuan pointed to the dense forest below and explained, "It's alright. There are two Foundation Establishment cultivators in the forest below. They should also be here to participate in the treasure hunt. One of them is an acquaintance of mine."

Upon hearing this, Nie Ying gazed into the distance towards the dense forest.

However, the dense forest was filled with towering trees that blocked out the sky, and she could not see the situation in the forest with her naked eyes. She then released her divine sense, but found that her divine sense could not cover such a long distance.

Seeing this, Nie Ying was also secretly surprised by the strength of Yang Qingyuan's divine sense.

At the same time, the black dragon descended from the sky and burrowed into the dense forest.

In the dense forest, a young cultivator dressed in a yellow silk robe from the Yellow Maple Valley stood on the grass with a girl in a red dress. They looked slightly impatient, and it was unclear how long they had been waiting in the forest.

The girl appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. She was dressed in red and had a fairly pretty face, but there was a hint of allure in her eyes that was captivating. Her cultivation level was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

The girl in red was startled when she saw the ferocious black dragon. Her face paled, and she retreated repeatedly.

The young cultivator beside him remained relatively calm and greeted him, "Oh? Senior Brother Yang is here too, what a coincidence."

This young man was none other than Han Li.

Yang Qingyuan and Nie Ying stepped off the head of the black dragon and replied to Han Li, "It's been three years since we last met. Junior Brother Han's cultivation has improved again. It seems that you are not far from breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

Han Li glanced at Nie Ying beside him. Seeing that she was beautiful and refined, he couldn't help but look at her a few more times before he came back to his senses and replied, "How could my little progress catch Senior Brother Yang's eye? Judging from your appearance, it probably won't be long before you break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment."

"Could it be that Senior Brother Yang came to participate in the treasure hunt on the orders of Senior Uncle Lei?"

Yang Qingyuan nodded slightly and replied, "That's right. I suppose Junior Brother Han is also here to participate in the treasure hunt on the orders of Martial Uncle Li."

Han Li forced a smile and said, "I am aware of my own limitations. With my meager skills, I am no match for the arena."

"On the contrary, Senior Brother Yang's thunder technique is incredibly powerful; he might just come out on top."

"By the way, who is this senior sister next to you?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Qingyuan turned to introduce Nie Ying, saying, "This is Senior Sister Nie Ying. She comes from Yangtianling and is a descendant of my master's friend."

"My master instructed me to bring her here for a tour."

The girl in red beside her, feeling slighted by being ignored, pouted and said, "Senior Brother Han!"

"Why don't you introduce her to Xuan'er?"

Upon hearing this, Han Li was both amused and exasperated. He quickly introduced her to Yang Qingyuan, saying, "By the way, Senior Brother Yang, this is Junior Sister Dong Xuan'er, a descendant of Senior Aunt Hong Fu."

"Oh?" Yang Qingyuan looked at the girl in red, while recalling her background in his mind.

This Dong Xuan'er is no ordinary person. She is suspected to be the daughter of Hong Fu, a Core Formation cultivator from Huangfeng Valley, and Yunlu, the old demon of the Hehuan Sect. She is arrogant and willful, and often enjoys teasing male cultivators. She was assigned by Hong Fu to go to the Yan Family Fortress Treasure Hunting Conference with Han Li. On the way, she was kidnapped by Tian Buque of the Hehuan Sect, and her bloodline identity was verified. Afterwards, she left Huangfeng Valley and officially joined the Hehuan Sect, cultivating all the way to the Core Formation stage.

Thinking of this, Yang Qingyuan cupped his hands in greeting and introduced, "So you are Junior Sister Dong. I have long admired your name."

"My name is Yang Qingyuan, a disciple of Master Lei Wanhe. I greet you, junior sister."

Nie Ying, standing beside her, glanced at Dong Xuan'er and couldn't help but frown, revealing a look of disgust. She had obviously heard the rumors that Dong Xuan'er often flirted with male cultivators in Huangfeng Valley.

"Ah! So you are Senior Brother Yang Qingyuan, who possesses the Thunder Spirit Root!" Dong Xuan'er's eyes immediately lit up, and her voice became extremely melodious, causing Han Li, who was standing next to her, to turn his head in surprise.

Dong Xuan'er smiled, her beautiful eyes full of charm, and said softly, "Xuan'er has long heard of Senior Brother Yang's deeds, especially his overpowering of the other six major sects in the Blood Trial."

"Xuan'er has long admired Senior Brother Yang, but unfortunately she has never had the chance to meet him."

"I've finally met you today; seeing is believing."

"I never expected that Senior Brother Yang could subdue even a level three dragon monster. Xuan'er is truly in awe of him."

Dong Xuan'er's voice is soft, but full of deep magnetism, which can arouse a man's imagination and make adult men have wild thoughts.

However, these methods were ineffective against Yang Qingyuan.

The "External Kingship and Inner Sainthood Technique" operated on its own, keeping Yang Qingyuan's mind clear at all times...