Immortal Refiner

For Qi Refining Realm cultivators who struggle to maintain sustained flight, the journey from Longevity Valley to the Heavenly River Sect’s market typically takes at least seven or eight days.

This is only achievable by riding spiritual steeds day and night without rest. Despite the seemingly vast distance, it’s actually quite close.

When the Liu Clan’s ancestor left the Heavenly River Sect to establish his own clan, a Second-Tier Spiritual Vein near the sect had just become vacant. This very vein is now the foundation of the Longevity Valley Liu Clan.

Some cultivation clans built upon Spiritual Veins in other regions would need over ten days of relentless travel to reach the Heavenly River Market.

”Roar!”

A tiger’s roar reverberated through the mountain forest, startling flocks of birds into flight and shaking down a shower of emerald leaves.

”Alright, you blockhead, settle down,” Li Qing said, tapping Fan Tong on the head to suppress the agitation caused by the recently ingested Beast Nurturing Pill.

It was clear that Fan Tong was now on the verge of advancing to the mid-stage of the First Tier.

After feeding Fan Tong Beast Nurturing Pills and Beast Taming Pellets for so long, Li Qing was finally starting to see some results, which filled him with immense satisfaction.

Having spent years in a spiritually abundant environment, Fan Tong had been living a life of luxury, enjoying daily doses of highly nourishing pills and pellets tailored for demon beasts. The gluttonous beast’s life was far more leisurely than Li Qing’s.

”Now this hulking brute is finally starting to look like a proper demon beast,” Li Qing mused, gazing approvingly at Fan Tong, the tiger he was riding. Its fur was sleek and lustrous, as dense and smooth as silk brocade. Its size was even more astonishing—its shoulder height now nearly matched that of an average adult man, a truly remarkable transformation. If Li Qing were to bring Fan Tong back to the mortal world in its current state, the sheer ferocity of its aura would likely terrify many into illness.

Beyond its imposing physique, Fan Tong’s strength and speed had also dramatically increased. A single swipe of its paw could likely shatter even some of the Low-Grade Magic Tools Li Qing had crafted himself.

”Awooo!” Fan Tong nudged its head against Li Qing’s leg.

Man and tiger had been traversing the dense, sea-like mountain forest for over four days. The bustling Heavenly River Market was now only about three days’ journey away.

Instead of pressing onward, Li Qing closed his eyes to rest and meditate, focusing on restoring himself to peak condition for the final leg of their journey.

Before long, a streak of azure spiritual light flashed across the sky above the dense forest.

Whoosh!

It was a cultivator soaring through the air, making no attempt to conceal his aura as he boldly flew across the sky.

Below, Li Qing, who had been meditating to regulate his breathing, immediately sensed the surge of spiritual energy. His eyes snapped open, and he warily scanned the sky.

What alarmed Li Qing even more was that the owner of the spiritual energy seemed to have sensed something as well, for he abruptly turned back.

Confirming this, Li Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He slipped his left hand into his robe, ready to activate a talisman at a moment’s notice, while his right hand gripped the storage pouch at his waist, prepared to retrieve a Magic Artifact instantly.

Beside him, Fan Tong sensed Li Qing’s tension and scrambled to his feet, assuming a combat stance.

Moments later, a young man materialized from the dense foliage, standing atop a cyan Flying Sword.

The youth possessed handsome features and piercing, spirited eyes, radiating an air of vigor and ambition.

The aura emanating from him was subtly yet unmistakably stronger than Li Qing’s own!

Of course, in the cultivation world, one could never judge a cultivator’s age by their appearance alone.

Certain special cultivation manuals, medicinal pills, or Magic Artifacts capable of altering one’s appearance existed, leading Li Qing to suspect that this young man might actually be an ancient monster who had lived for countless years.

”Fellow Daoist...”

Before Li Qing could finish speaking, the young man’s eyes lit up as he swooped down on his sword, his gaze fixed intently on Fan Tong.

”Wow! Is that Demon Tiger your pet beast? Judging by its features, it seems to be a descendant of the Black Fiend Tiger, though its bloodline appears somewhat diluted!”

”Still, it’s impressively sturdy and looks quite valiant!”

”I recall reading in a Demon Beast Manual that purebred Black Fiend Tigers, without exceptional opportunities, typically stagnate at the late First-Tier. But your pet beast’s bloodline is far too mixed!”

The young man rattled off a torrent of words the moment he landed, giving Li Qing no chance to interject.

His demeanor certainly resembled that of a novice cultivator fresh to the world, brimming with enthusiasm and knowledge about demon beasts.

However, Li Qing remained wary. He cautiously kept his hand pressed against the storage pouch at his waist as he finally spoke:

”Ahem, Fellow Daoist, I am Li Qing!”

The young man finally snapped out of his daze and turned to Li Qing, looking slightly embarrassed.

”Hahaha, my apologies! I recently left my clan, and this is my first time encountering another demon beast. I got a bit carried away!”

”My name is Shi Nantian, from Quiet South Mountain. I’m at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm.”

Hearing this, Li Qing immediately began recalling basic information about the cultivation world.

As information about Quiet South Mountain surfaced in his mind, Li Qing grew solemn with respect.

The Shi Clan of Quiet South Mountain!

This was a formidable cultivation clan, and crucially, it had been founded by rogue cultivators rather than relying on the backing of a major sect like the Liu Clan’s connection to the Heavenly River Sect.

Yet one shouldn’t underestimate the Shi Clan for this. Despite its origins, its power far surpassed that of the Liu Clan.

This was largely due to the significant contributions the Shi Clan had made during the great war that swept across much of the Azure Ridge Cultivation World fifteen years prior. During that conflict, their Foundation Establishment Realm Clan Head had even used the opportunity to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment!

In addition to their patriarch, the Shi Clan openly boasted a second Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, who had recently broken through and was considered one of the younger generation’s most promising talents.

With two Foundation Establishment cultivators in their ranks, the Shi Clan’s position had risen like the midday sun, far surpassing that of other cultivation clans founded by rogue cultivators.

”Ah, the Shi Clan’s Heavenly Prodigy! I’ve heard so much about you,” Li Qing said, cupping his fists in greeting.

This explained everything. In a clan like theirs, the emergence of a Qi Refining sixth-layer cultivator at such a young age was hardly surprising. Such individuals were practically guaranteed a spot as disciples of the Heavenly River Sect.

”Haha, it’s merely due to the clan’s reputation,” Shi Nantian said modestly. ”My own talent is rather ordinary—nothing compared to Brother Beishan.”

”Oh, by the way, Fellow Daoist Li,” Shi Nantian asked, noticing Li Qing’s direction, ”are you also heading to the Heavenly River Market?”

Li Qing didn’t deny it. Given their presence in this area, the Heavenly River Market was practically the only possible destination.

”Exactly,” he replied.

Shi Nantian’s eyes lit up when Li Qing openly admitted his destination. ”I’m also heading to the Heavenly River Market,” he said. ”Why don’t we travel together?”

Travel together?

Li Qing pondered briefly before declining the offer. ”Heh, thank you for the invitation, Fellow Daoist Shi, but I’m more accustomed to traveling alone. Besides, I plan to rest here for a while, so I wouldn’t want to delay you.”

Shi Nantian didn’t press the matter. Slightly disappointed, he nodded. ”I understand. Then I’ll be on my way.”

With that, the young man stepped back onto his flying sword and soared excitedly into the sky.

Li Qing watched him disappear into the distance. After a long silence, he shook his head and muttered to himself, ”Even though the Shi Clan started as rogue cultivators and hasn’t earned a terrible reputation, it’s best to be cautious.”

”Some cultivation clans with shallow roots in the Azure Ridge Cultivation World like to capture rogue cultivators and enslave them within their walls.”

Of course, the Shi Clan in its current state would never stoop to such practices.

Li Qing felt uneasy being alone in the wilderness with someone whose cultivation realm was clearly superior to his own. What if the other person harbored ill intentions? That would spell trouble.

Although Shi Nantian seemed like a simple, guileless young man, appearances could be deceiving. Li Qing himself often feigned a naive and harmless demeanor within the Liu Clan.

Shaking his head and resting briefly, Li Qing climbed back onto Fan Tong’s back and continued toward Heavenly River Market.

Less than a day later, a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted from the mountain range ahead!

Boom!

Cultivators were engaged in combat!

Li Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He had no desire to get involved and immediately steered Fan Tong away, determined to avoid the conflict.

He enjoyed watching dramas from afar, but this was neither the time nor the place. What if he stumbled upon Bandit Cultivators murdering and looting? To cover their tracks, they might casually eliminate him too!

Time to bolt!

(End of the Chapter)

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