A Great Sect's True-Disciple Talent

Just as Qin Xuan was about to take his leave, Old Man Gu called out to him again. "Young Master, wait a moment..." Qin Xuan turned back to see the old man saying to Mei'er, "Little fox, go fetch that treasure from the Heavenly Demon Mansion of the Beiming Great Marsh." Mei'er had no choice but to bring the treasure over. Old Man Gu picked up his planer once more, not even raising his head. "This old man promised to give you the Ten Thousand Demons Emperor Crown from the ancient Demon Court, and I never go back on my word." Mei'er handed the treasure to Qin Xuan, offering him a consoling look. Qin Xuan smiled, taking the treasure with him as he went on his way. Passing by Lianyun Manor on his way through the commandery seat, he was spotted by Zhu Youqi, who called out warmly from afar, "Uncle Qin! Uncle Qin!" Zhu Youqi respectfully ushered him inside with his attendants, prompting Qin Xuan to correct him on the form of address once again. Yet young Zhu insisted, "You saved my father's life," and adamantly refused to change it. Qin Xuan let the matter slide. Meeting with Zhu Jinting, Qin Xuan spent spirit stones to purchase a large quantity of spirit herbs needed to refine Solidifying Origin Pills. Although Seniors Zheng and Mao had given him enough Solidifying Origin Pills to supposedly sustain several years of cultivation, that assumed an ordinary pace. It could not withstand his consumption rate, which far exceeded that of an ordinary qi refiner. For the two principal ingredients, Origin Tiger Hazel and Spirit White Deutzia, Old Zhu sold them to him at the lowest price in the city, while half-selling and half-gifting the rest of the supplementary herbs. Qin Xuan's massive consumption of materials had already left him a bit stretched thin, so he did not stand on ceremony with Old Zhu. The only thing that utterly baffled the Zhu father and son was what followed... While petting the cat, Qin Xuan set a straw hat full of ragged holes onto its head, muttering something about the "Ten Thousand Demons Emperor Crown." "Father, what kind of treasure is the Ten Thousand Demons Emperor Crown?" Once Qin Xuan had walked far off, Zhu Youqi turned to look at the cat perched atop the roof. At that moment, the cat was standing on its hind legs, wearing the straw hat and clutching a salted fish in its forepaws. The sight made young Zhu want to laugh. Zhu Jinting shook his head repeatedly. "You must never imitate that." Old Zhu was somewhat impressed himself. That cat was notoriously willful and unruly, yet Qin Xuan had it completely tamed. Still, such a matter was tricky to manage; if the cat's master took offense, trouble would follow. Young Zhu lacked that capability, which was why Old Zhu warned him early on. Father and son looked toward the sky in unison. The dark clouds were growing thicker and heavier. An occasional gust of wind blew by, carrying a harsh, biting chill utterly unlike the crisp autumn breezes of years past. Rumble! Muffled thunder echoed through the commandery city. High above Jinghu Manor, a dark cloud of mist had already been drifting about for some time. The moment Qin Xuan entered the manor, that black mist darted straight toward him. A fiery light flashed like a bright thread, arriving before Qin Xuan at an imperceptible speed and holding the black mist in place. As the fiery glow dissipated, Mao Yan's figure emerged. He looked at Qin Xuan, a distinctly proud expression on his face. "Brat Qin, your True Water Mist is finished." Though Qin Xuan had anticipated it, he was still overjoyed. "Thank you, Senior Mao!" He looked at the black mist. It was as dark as lacquer and thick as blood, radiating a piercing, bone-chilling cold. Even without being driven, it could be seen squirming and shifting. Within the Guiyin Corpse-Refining Divine Evil, corpse deities tumbled and crawled, coalescing into terrifying faces bearing uncanny resemblances to human visages. Any ordinary qi refiner who caught sight of this mist approaching from afar would surely mistake it for some demonic cultivator's arrival. "Those drafts of Soul-Eroding Cold Evil and Guiyin Corpse-Refining Divine Evil you provided weren't wasted in the slightest. I refined every bit into this True Water Mist. Aside from its sinister appearance, there isn't a single flaw to be found." Qin Xuan thanked him again and remarked, "Appearances don't matter. Senior's mist-refining skill is truly an eye-opener; this mist far exceeds my expectations." "Enough, no need for flattery." Mao Yan handed over a wind-catching bottle carved from jade. "Store it away first. Once you master the art of riding clouds and mist, you can try driving it." Before his words had fully faded, Mao Yan suddenly let out a startled sound. Qin Xuan reached out a hand, and the tumbling black mist drifted right over. He plunged his hand into the mist, grasping the true water within and imprinting his mark upon it. The mist's core remained the True Water Mist given to him by Master Bear. What Qin Xuan used was the Heaven One True Water method he had comprehended from the Scripture of Rinsing Jade and the Cinnabar Dew Flying Transformation Scripture. Grasping the true water within the mist was as easy as turning over his hand. Whoosh! In the next instant, the black mist, churning with corpse deities, carried Qin Xuan right past Mao Yan and shot straight into the clouds! A look of shock crossed Mao Yan's face. As a Golden Core grand cultivator, he saw at a glance that this was no cloud-riding technique. He thought to himself in astonishment: *This kid refined a magical mist in an instant using a water method!* *And his aura and magic power have both stepped into the Foundation Building realm.* To Mao Yan, a Foundation Building cultivation was hardly exalted. Yet he remembered vividly that it was at this very manor that Qin Xuan had opened his Flowery Pool. Counting the days on his fingers, it had been barely a month. In that single moment, Mao Yan's assessment of Qin Xuan was completely upended. *This...* *Could this tiny Pingyuan Commandery, a remote corner east of Yunzhou Prefecture, have produced a talent on the level of a great sect's true disciple?* *And he takes to the esoteric methods of Chongjin Pass with remarkable ease.* Mao Yan looked up at the black mist darting back and forth across the distant sky, convinced that his eyes were not deceiving him. One had to realize that the entire Guanjiang Mountain had only six true disciples. Even their Dao Seed had gone missing. Now Yuansong Temple had one right here, so where were the people from the Upper Court? Ah, right. According to Zheng Xiuyuan, the dispute over the leadership lineage in the Upper Court seemed to have spilled over onto this kid. A mischievous grin tugged at the corner of Mao Yan's stern face. Then he grew solemn again: *I must report this to Madam Wei first. Letting Madam Wei know beforehand will allow her to send notices to several of the Perfected Ones' lineages in advance and secure his status. Especially with Perfected Xuangling's lineage, she can say she has taken a liking to a junior disciple who runs errands for her.* *That way, a bond of incense will be established for the future, and everyone can save face.* Mao Yan nodded to himself. If the notices were sent under his and Zheng Xiuyuan's names, unforeseen complications might arise. However, Madam Wei's word carried undeniable weight. As he pondered, a gust of yin wind descended from the heavens. Qin Xuan, having relished the liberating sensation of soaring through the skies, gathered the black mist back into the wind-catching bottle. Just as he was about to express his thanks once more, Mao Yan stopped him. "No need for pleasantries. When you have spare time, you can look over these books." With that, he handed Qin Xuan a stack of ancient tomes. Qin Xuan flipped open one at random. It was an exceptionally ancient book titled *Gleanings of the East Sea*. According to the introductory notes, it had been left behind by a loose immortal predecessor who had failed his tribulation. This predecessor had possessed eclectic interests; the opening pages recorded numerous curious minor arts, such as boiling sea salt with moonlight, understanding the speech of seagulls, angling for giant sea turtles, and more. For Senior Mao Yan to keep it in his collection proved the book was far from ordinary. In just a few pages, a magnificent and boundless panorama of the East Sea unfolded before him, leaving a profound impression on someone from the rural reaches of Pingyuan Commandery. Beneath it lay *Origin Notes on the Eastern Extremity Great Wilderness*, *Cangming Illustrated Gazetteer*, *Races of the Great Wilderness*, *Past Events of the Four Seas Dragon Palaces*... These were books that no ordinary bookstore in the mortal world could ever offer for sale. Seeing how engrossed Qin Xuan was, Mao Yan cautioned, "Not everything recorded in them is entirely accurate; they merely offer a rough understanding of the lands across the East Sea." "Understood." Qin Xuan grasped Senior Mao Yan's intentions and felt no resistance toward them. After all, both factions belonged to the Lingbao lineage. As for which path to choose, he did not wish to dwell on it for now. His immediate priority was to press forward with cultivation. He could not leave Songsong on his own. With that said, Mao Yan turned and headed into the inner courtyard of Jinghu Manor. Qin Xuan stowed the books away and went to the precious furnace in the boiler room. First, he tossed the five elements spirit metal ore into the furnace to cultivate his Metal Spirit Origin Qi.