Chapter 168 - 168 166 Return to Mountain Gate
Chapter 168: Chapter 166: Return to Mountain Gate Chapter 168: Chapter 166: Return to Mountain Gate “The disciple named Qin Feng, he’s from your Spiritual Snake Peak, correct?”
Luo Zhancheng looked at Liu Xuanling and asked casually.
“That’s right.”
Liu Xuanling felt somewhat puzzled, unsure why Elder Luo would ask about Qin Feng, though it was indeed Qin Feng that had led to her fight with Jiang Yinghong earlier, but that incident shouldn’t be significant enough for Luo Zhancheng to be concerned about.
“Ha ha ha…
Your disciple from Spiritual Snake Peak has indeed made great contributions this time.”
Luo Zhancheng chuckled and waved his hand, signaling Li Miao Zhen to recount the events that had occurred in the Secret Realm to Liu Xuanling.
After hearing the details, Liu Xuanling finally knew the magnitude of what they had done in the Secret Realm and couldn’t help but feel astounded.
“This person is your Spiritual Snake Peak’s disciple, you should know him well.
Tell me, what is Qin Feng like?
…
If there are no problems, the Sect might consider focusing on developing him further.”
Luo Zhancheng said.
“His family background is clean; his ancestors were all Inner Sect disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, each generation having disciples join our sect, and his father, Qin Long, had also practiced in the Outer for many years.”
Liu Xuanling replied evenly, “Qin Feng’s talent and qualifications are above average, but he has had fortunate encounters.
Despite facing dangerous situations, he not only survived but also acquired the Ruyi Golden Snake, an exotic species, as his Lifebound Spiritual Beast, and his cultivation has progressed rapidly.
Moreover, I know about that matter with Zhuo Feifan.
The daughter of Jiang Dongliu wasn’t actually killed by Qin Feng, but rather by Zhuo Feifan himself, who killed his own junior sister.
It was merely a coincidence that Qin Feng stumbled upon the scene, and so Zhuo Feifan framed him and even pursued him into the Ancient Battlefield.
It was in the Ancient Battlefield that he obtained his Ruyi Golden Snake.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Li Miao Zhen suddenly realized, “I’ve always been wondering what leverage Qin Junior Brother had over Zhuo Feifan, he just never revealed it.
So that was it.
No wonder Zhuo Feifan so easily agreed to cooperate with us.
It seems this guy was not a good person from the start.”
She then curiously asked, “It’s been such a long time, why hasn’t Qin Junior Brother spoken out about that incident, needlessly bearing this blame?”
“It was I who told him not to spread the word.”
Liu Xuanling stated, “Originally, I wanted to expose this matter after Zhuo Feifan became the Taiyi True Inheritor.
Then, it would have been a good time for Taiyi Mountain to be shamed, and it might even stir up internal conflicts within the Sword Punishment Hall and the Heart Sword Lineage.
Yet unexpectedly, Qin Feng performed even better than I anticipated and made such great contributions.”
“Since this child is innocent and has made such great contributions for the Sect, he is indeed a candidate worthy of cultivation.
Your Spiritual Snake Peak should focus on nurturing him upon return.
Regarding the Heavenly Pool Cave Heaven, it’s premature to speak about it now; we also need to consider the possibility that those old fellows from the Taiyi Mountain Golden Light Cave might be plotting against our Beast Taming Sect.
If they have intentionally created such an array to trap our Supreme Elder, that would be unfortunate.
We must proceed with caution, so no rewards will be given for now.
If there are no traps, and we truly can reclaim the Heavenly Pool Cave Heaven for our Sect, he and Miao Zhen will both be credited with a great achievement, and the Sect will naturally reward them.”
Liu Xuanling had no objections; after all, the Heavenly Pool Cave Heaven hadn’t been secured yet.
It truly wasn’t appropriate to give rewards now, although her Spiritual Snake Peak and even the entire Spiritual Snake Lineage could first take care, offering some benefits before giving proper rewards once everything concerning the Heavenly Pool Cave Heaven was concluded.
The other elders also nodded in agreement: “Those old men from Taiyi Mountain are crafty and must be guarded against.
Caution is never an error; it’s prudent to take extra preparations, even if they prove unnecessary later.
If we indeed capture a Grotto Heaven, all the preparations will have been worthwhile.”
“Alright, let’s settle the matter here for now and remember the Heavenly Pool Cave Heaven affair must be kept strictly confidential.
Until everything is finalized, not a word should be leaked.”
Luo Zhancheng glanced around sternly and declared, “Otherwise, if something goes wrong, the Sect will undoubtedly investigate thoroughly and the Punishment Sword Hall’s execution blade won’t show any mercy.
I hope none of you make a grave mistake.”
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts and hurriedly agreed.
Li Miao Zhen also mused to herself, wondering if she should drink less in the coming years to avoid being tricked into talking while intoxicated.
After some thought, she decided against it.
It wasn’t worth compromising herself for others.
If someone tries to trick her into talking, she could simply knock them out with a punch and drag them to the Law Enforcement Hall for the Law Enforcement Elders to help with a soul search.
Given the fearsome extent of the Law Enforcement Elders, if they indeed became suspicious, they could dig out details from three generations of your family; there was nothing to worry about.
The tower ship flew smoothly towards the Mountain Gate.
With Elder Luo presiding over their security, they encountered no troubles along the way and arrived back at the Sect peacefully, unlike some smaller factions that needed to be extremely cautious to avoid being ambushed and robbed along their journey.
In fact, incidents like these were quite common, with some people envious of their gains from the Secret Realm, and each time such a realm opened, there were those who couldn’t enter and would bully others.
However, these issues were inconsequential for the Beast Taming Sect; with their strength, it was fortunate that they did not rob others.
Who would dare rob them?
In front of the great hall of the Mountain Gate, the tower ship gradually came to a stop.
After Elder Luo and the other Inner Sect Elders disembarked, the disciples also got off and departed with the Peak Masters who had come to welcome them.
Of course, some elders had not received anyone because the disciples they had sent to the Heavenly Pool Secret Realm had perished within and could not return.
The Secret Realm offered many benefits, but it was also fraught with dangers, including the inherent perils of the realm itself and the greed of other cultivators.
In fact, the number of cultivators who truly died at the hands of prohibitions or Demon Beasts in the realm was not very high, as they could flee from Demon Beasts and avoid powerful prohibitions and arrays.
Only those who harbored greed posed the greatest threat to them.
After bidding farewell to Elder Mo Li, Liu Xuanling summoned her Riding Tool and flew back to Spiritual Snake Peak with Qin Feng.
Upon returning to her Cave Mansion, Liu Xuanling resumed her usual seat, comfortably stretched, perfectly displaying her beautiful figure, and then turned to Qin Feng, saying, “I’ve heard about what you did in the Secret Realm.
You did very well, bringing honor to our Spiritual Snake Peak.”
Qin Feng quickly heaped praise, “It’s all thanks to the Peak Master’s excellent guidance, otherwise I couldn’t have achieved such success.”
“Mm.”
Liu Xuanling nodded in satisfaction, finding the words comforting, but still cautioned, “Remember, until the results are out, you must not reveal a word about that matter.”
“Rest assured, Peak Master.
I know the importance, and I certainly won’t mention it to anyone.”
Such an important matter would naturally not be discussed carelessly.
“That’s good, otherwise if the disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall had to take you away, I wouldn’t be able to retrieve you from those stern faces.”
Liu Xuanling looked at him a few more times and said, “Normally, according to the rules, half of the items that disciples like you obtain from the Secret Realm must be handed over to the Sect.
Without the Sect giving you the opportunity, you wouldn’t have been able to enter the Secret Realm at all.
However, this time we’ll make an exception.
You have achieved so much, and though it’s not yet confirmed if it’s true and whether it will be successful eventually, it doesn’t mean you should go unrewarded.
Besides what you have found yourself, Spiritual Snake Peak will also ensure you are rewarded in the future.
Go back and cultivate well.
Try to get a good ranking in the year-end competition to avoid having others say that our Spiritual Snake Peak has declined.”
“Yes, I will do my utmost.”
Qin Feng agreed verbally, but he was extremely pleased in his heart.
His trip to the secret realm had been hugely rewarding, not only advancing his cultivation to Foundation Establishment but also obtaining many treasures from those Storage Bags.
With a casual word, Peak Master Liu had just exempted him from handing in more than a hundred thousand Spirit Stones’ worth of resources—it was not a small amount at all.
In fact, it was appropriate for disciples from each sect to contribute some of what they found in the Secret Realm back to the Sect because without the Sect, they would have no chance to go in and scavenge for treasures.
The Beast Taming Sect only asking for half was already very considerate towards its disciples.
He heard that some smaller Sects would demand up to eighty or ninety percent of the resources, and even some poverty-stricken Sects would take everything the disciples obtained and redistribute them.
Therefore, many cultivators would try to consume some Spiritual Medicines and Spiritual Objects while in the Secret Realm to enhance their cultivation as much as possible.
After finishing her instructions, Liu Xuanling lazily waved her hand, “You can go back now.
I still need to visit the Inner Sect and in a couple of days when I’m free, I’ll explain the details of the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation to you.”
“Disciple, taking leave.”
Qin Feng bowed, left Liu Xuanling’s Cave Mansion, and headed down the mountain.
Upon returning to the living quarters and seeing those Qi Refining Disciples around, he remembered he had now reached Foundation Establishment and could apply for a residence suitable for Foundation Establishment Disciples at the Deacon Room.
Foundation Establishment Disciples were considered the backbone in the Outer Sect, and various assigned Deacon Disciples in the Peaks and the Foreign Affairs Hall were all Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
The Sect’s external holdings also required Foundation Establishment Disciples to be stationed, so the benefits and treatment for Foundation Establishment Disciples were quite good, much stronger than those of Qi Refining Outer Disciples.
They could earn substantial income from any position.
However, the most resource-earning was still from undertaking various danger-filled tasks, and even the disciples sent out earned more resources than the Deacon Disciples within the Sect.
After all, working within the Sect equated to safety and couldn’t be compared with those who ventured into risks.
Contemplating this, Qin Feng went straight to his room to gather his frequently used items, then locked the door and left for the Deacon Room halfway up the mountain to apply for a residence for Foundation Establishment Disciples.
The Mid-mountain courtyard was all single-entry homes, and they were built on top of Spirit Veins, providing richer Spiritual Energy beneficial for his cultivation.
His real motive for wanting to move to the courtyard quickly was because his Clan Uncle, Qin Ying, had mentioned returning to the family when he had reached the late stage of Qi Refining.
It was just that he was still somewhat worried about the two of them, which was why he had stayed in the Sect and hadn’t left immediately.
Now that he had advanced to Foundation Establishment, there was no need for Qin Ying to look after them anymore.
He wanted Qin Ying to return to the family in peace, and in the Foundation Establishment Disciples’ courtyard, he planned to properly honor Qin Ying.
At the same time, he wanted Qin Ying to go back and inform the family, especially his father, telling them that he had successfully advanced to Foundation Establishment, which could stabilize the family situation.
Thinking of how his father would be overjoyed upon hearing the news of his Foundation Establishment, he felt a surge of warmth.