Chapter 121: The Visit of Xiao Qingtian

Liu Junhuai’s speech thoroughly won over the hearts of the disciples of the Wanxiang Sect and ignited their passionate yearning for the future. His final words dispelled the last doubts among them: “Some may wonder why I assigned certain positions to disciples whose cultivation levels aren’t very high. This is because, at the founding of the sect, I had to place people I trust in key roles. There is nothing to hide about this. Their abilities far exceed the positions I have given them.

“I don’t need you to conquer the world for me immediately. What I need is your dedicated cultivation, so that when the Wanxiang Sect faces battle, you will be capable of standing up at once. Stability is the primary goal right now. This is a crucial period for organizing, deploying, managing, and expanding the sect. Therefore, I need their loyalty and unreserved efforts. They have devoted their cultivation time for my early struggles, and I cannot neglect them now. The same applies to you all. In a few years, you will also be elders of the Wanxiang Sect, and I will reciprocate each of your contributions. It’s that simple!

“Alright, that’s all I have to say. I believe that in the future, you will feel proud to be disciples of the Wanxiang Sect!” No sooner had he finished speaking than the cultivators erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. Among these sounds, Liu Junhuai could hear a rising tide of hopeful excitement.

From there, Wu Yaohan took over the proceedings, while Liu Junhuai personally arranged accommodations for the guests.

As night fell, Liu Junhuai gave a few instructions to Wu Yaohan before entering the Chaotic Space with his family.

The astonishment of Palace Master Fang, who was visiting for the first time, was evident. Mo Sitong guided and explained everything, her eyes full of admiration for the wonders within the Chaotic Space.

Liu Junhuai then went to the Spiritual Herb Field, where he took out a bamboo slip of the Interdimensional Bamboo and handed it to Shen Yihuan, carefully explaining the relevant matters. Only after confirming Shen Yihuan’s thorough understanding did he feel at ease to proceed to Qingyun Lake.

Having not cultivated at Qingyun Lake for a long time, Liu Junhuai planned to spend the entire night honing his Heavenly Perception. After upgrading his Celestial Eye Technique, it was necessary to solidify the foundation.

The nearly viscous spiritual energy surrounding Qingyun Lake was far richer than that inside the Wanxiang Tower. After several days, his true vital force was already fully replenished.

He spent the following time nurturing his Golden Perception. Similar to his Heavenly Perception, the Golden Perception had thickened considerably, now almost visible to the naked eye.

The golden sphere within his sea of consciousness had expanded its volume by nearly forty percent, doubling the amount of Golden Perception it could store.

The most significant change, however, was in the Heavenly Perception, now tinged with a trace of ancient desolation energy. Before the upgrade, he needed to activate the convergence of both eyes to probe inside mountains. Now, his Heavenly Perception could easily penetrate any solid obstruction.

The aura concealment range of his Heavenly Perception had expanded from two zhang to five or six zhang in diameter, and it could now mask the auras of a dozen or twenty people.

Most importantly, the power of his cutting technique had increased substantially, and its speed had improved greatly, though it consumed more Heavenly Perception energy.

***

A whole night passed in cultivation before Liu Junhuai received a message from Wu Yaohan, summoning him and his team back to the Wanxiang Sect.

The arrival of Sect Master Xiao of the Tianji Sect was unexpected—he had evidently rushed there overnight. According to Wu Yaohan, he arrived just as dawn broke.

Upon seeing Liu Junhuai, Xiao Qingtian immediately approached, his face beaming with a broad smile: “Junhuai, congratulations on having your own sect! Are you satisfied with the people Wu Shu brought over?”

Liu Junhuai quickly expressed his gratitude: “Thanks to Uncle Xiao’s arrangements, you solved a huge problem for me!”

Xiao Qingtian replied, “If you need anything, just say the word. Uncle Xiao will do his best. I heard about what happened at the Wanxiang Sect. That great elder from the Meteor Star Mansion, Uncle Yong, also came to the Tianji Sect shamelessly demanding to join the sect alliance. I asked Sect Master Ren of the Haitian Pavilion to stall him and rushed here to get your opinion. Sect Master Ren advised secretly approaching the Meteor Star Mansion’s leader for their handling advice, but I feared it might conflict with your plans, so I came to discuss with you.”

Liu Junhuai was genuinely appreciative of Xiao Qingtian’s thorough consideration. He lowered his head in thought before saying, “I think we should proceed on two fronts simultaneously, because there’s a certain risk involved. Uncle Xiao, think about it. We don’t know who in the Meteor Star Mansion might already be bribed by Uncle Yong. Though the leader likely isn’t involved, if news leaks, all the Bloodshed Alliance’s spies in the Western Region will hide themselves, which would be bad for us. We’d lose the chance to trace them out.

“If we take measures against Uncle Yong at the Tianji Sect, the Meteor Star Mansion’s joining the sect alliance could be jeopardized. My approach seems safer: I’ll confront Uncle Yong directly. If the Meteor Star Mansion reacts hostilely, having the sect alliance involved will help ease tensions. We already have two cultivators from the Meteor Star Mansion in my custody, and I possess direct evidence of their provocations against the Wanxiang Sect. Uncle Xiao, please discuss with Sect Master Ren at the Tianji Sect. Agree to let the Meteor Star Mansion join the alliance first, and then find a way to provoke Uncle Yong to come to Wanxiang to demand his men. I will then seize the opportunity to capture him.

“At the same time, the sect alliance can quickly send a delegation to present an alliance contract to the Meteor Star Mansion while Uncle Yong is en route to Wanxiang. This will dispel any suspicion of secret collusion between the alliance and us, allowing the sect alliance to maintain the initiative in future dealings with the Meteor Star Mansion. What do you think of my suggestion, Uncle Xiao?”

Xiao Qingtian pondered before replying, “Wouldn’t that push the Wanxiang Sect to the forefront? That would create a significant rift between Wanxiang and the Meteor Star Mansion, making future reconciliation difficult!”

Liu Junhuai smiled and said, “Let me show you something first.” He beckoned Mo Sitong over, who produced a crystal ball.

After viewing the recording within the crystal ball, Xiao Qingtian laughed, “I understand your point now. The origin of this conflict does not lie with your Wanxiang Sect. My goodness! This Bao Yunxian really is foolish, daring to attack the leader of a sect—what audacity! It wouldn’t have been wrong to execute him on the spot.”

Liu Junhuai said, “My confrontation with the Meteor Star Mansion is justified, and it involves the Bloodshed Alliance’s Uncle Yong. They shouldn’t be able to do anything to the Wanxiang Sect; instead, they should be grateful to me for rooting out traitors. I also believe Uncle Yong still has people he’s trying to recruit in the Meteor Star Mansion. If a widespread problem like the Yanfu Palace incident occurs, I imagine the sect alliance would step in to eradicate his faction within the Meteor Star Mansion.”

Xiao Qingtian nodded, “The Bloodshed Alliance must be eradicated completely; no loose ends can be left! I heard from Wan Ren that you plan to hold a grand ceremony with the sect alliance? Can you tell me more about your thoughts?”

Liu Junhuai explained, “Uncle Xiao, here’s the plan. I want to hold the Wanxiang Sect’s founding ceremony with grandeur, so our sect quickly gains prominence in the cultivation world. The reason for involving the sect alliance is twofold: firstly, the alliance also needs to hold a grand founding assembly to expand its influence; secondly, many sects attending the Wanxiang ceremony are interested in joining the alliance.”

“Oh?” Xiao Qingtian’s interest peaked. “Which sects are we talking about?”

Liu Junhuai smiled, “I don’t know the details yet, but Palace Master Fang of the Absolute Dust Palace is here at Wanxiang Sect. She promised to bring several sects from Mojue Kingdom. The number isn’t the key point; what matters is that this signifies the sect alliance’s expansion into the outer regions.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Xiao Qingtian enthusiastically affirmed Liu Junhuai’s idea. “Junhuai, how did you make contact with Absolute Dust Palace? Is your relationship close?”

Liu Junhuai smiled, “I’d say it’s close. Palace Master Fang’s daughter is my future wife.”

Xiao Qingtian sprang to his feet, eyes wide with surprise. “Is she the Golden Core-stage female cultivator who accompanied you to Pingdu City?”

Seeing Liu Junhuai nod, Xiao Qingtian relaxed. “No wonder. When I first met her, I sensed a noble bearing, definitely from a prominent family. I didn’t expect it to be Absolute Dust Palace! It’s the top sect in Mojue Kingdom and a major sect in the Eastern Region, much stronger than the Tianji Sect. Junhuai, I think your suggestion is excellent. I was originally intending for the Tianji Sect to make a big splash, but in the long run, combining the sect alliance’s founding assembly with Wanxiang’s grand ceremony will be far more sensational. With dozens of sects involved, it will be a major event in the Western Region!”

Liu Junhuai took out a jar of Sanggan fruit wine, poured a cup, and handed it to Xiao Qingtian. The latter sniffed the wine at the rim for a long time, eyes closed, his expression revealing a trace of excitement.

As if steeling himself, Xiao Qingtian finally tilted his head back and drank the first cup. A gleam flashed in his eyes as he stood and poured a second cup, swallowing it in one go.

Liu Junhuai laughed, “How does it taste, Uncle Xiao? This is homemade. If you like it, I can send you two jars when you leave.”

Xiao Qingtian looked at Liu Junhuai in astonishment. “You made this yourself? Wonderful! Come, come, bring some for Uncle Xiao—I might forget to take it with me later. Give me two more jars. Many old friends have come to the Tianji Sect recently; they’ve helped me a lot. I’ll bring some back for them to try!”

Liu Junhuai smiled wryly and waved, producing five jars of Sanggan fruit wine. “Uncle Xiao, you’d better drink sparingly. This wine is called Sanggan fruit wine, celestial wine from the Immortal Realm. The ingredients are very hard to gather!”

Xiao Qingtian quickly stowed the wine and laughed heartily. “This trip wasn’t in vain. Haha, Uncle Xiao has two great loves in life: power and this wine. I can’t say I’ve tasted all the famous wines in the world, but if I’ve heard of it, I must try it. This Sanggan fruit wine is the best I’ve ever tasted!”

Liu Junhuai smiled, “I also have a secret recipe for another celestial wine, even better than this one, but unfortunately, I lack the ingredients!”

Xiao Qingtian was already refilling his cup and downed two more cups before saying, “When you have time, write down the missing ingredients for me. I’ll see what I can do. If this wine can be brewed successfully, Uncle Xiao will be the first to taste it.”