Chapter 160: Chapter 160: A Broken Engagement

It was New Year’s Eve.

The Friends Association held a long-overdue reunion, with all six of its Foundation Establishment Cultivators gathered on Immortal Peach Mountain.

At that moment, everyone present felt as if a lifetime had passed.

They all clearly remembered that the Friends Association’s first member to reach Foundation Establishment, Li Ping, had done so about twenty-four years ago.

In other words, twenty-four years ago, when the Friends Association gathered, it had been a meeting of seven Qi Refining Cultivators.

These seven Qi Refining Cultivators had sworn an oath of brotherhood, vowing to pool their resources to help their "big brother," Li Ping, reach Foundation Establishment. Then, Li Ping, having broken through first, would help the others do the same.

Back then, their plan had seemed like a fool’s dream.

If they had told anyone else, they would have been met with nothing but ridicule and mockery.

But who could have predicted that in just twenty-four short years, starting with their big brother Li Ping, the remaining five would also reach Foundation Establishment one by one?

Now, apart from Teng Feng, who had tragically died during a beast tide, every member of the Friends Association was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Even they themselves found it hard to believe.

"A pity about Sixth Brother..." Zhang Tie’s heart ached as he thought of how six of the seven sworn siblings had reached Foundation Establishment, while only Teng Feng had met an unfortunate end. The others felt the same wave of sadness.

Fortunately, the mood came and went quickly.

Soon, the group shook off the somber memories of Teng Feng’s death and began chatting about recent events.

As the "second brother," next in age only to Li Ping, Zhang Tie mentioned his eldest descendant was already seventeen. Unfortunately, the boy had not been found to possess a Spiritual Root.

Among mortals, not even one in ten thousand possessed a Spiritual Root.

Even the descendants of Cultivators were not guaranteed to have one, though their chances were significantly higher.

It wasn’t until last year that Zhang Tie finally had his first child with a Spiritual Root.

Speaking of that child, he was as overjoyed as a modern-day parent whose kid had just gotten into college.

Gumu Sheng was in a similar boat, though his luck had been slightly better than Zhang Tie’s; his very first child possessed a Spiritual Root.

Under his careful guidance, the child had already reached the Qi Refining Second Level.

Seeing this, however, Cheng Yao’s spirits couldn’t help but fall.

As a Cultivator’s cultivation progressed, they gradually shed their mortal coil, and their life’s Origin would transform and strengthen.

Both Cheng Yao and Wang Xingwei were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, meaning their children would have an extremely high chance of possessing a Spiritual Root, and a talented one at that.

But by the same token, the stronger one’s life Origin, the more difficult it was to conceive a child.

To this day, even Bai Qing had married and had children, but they still had none of their own.

...

Li Ping smiled as he watched them chat. Lost in their animated conversation, they didn’t notice the sky brightening until it was already dawn.

Just as everyone was preparing to take their leave, Qi Hanmo suddenly spoke up. "By the way, I sent a message back last time asking for everyone’s help in finding a Physician named Yan Buping. Any leads?"

"Hm?" Li Ping frowned.

The others shook their heads, saying they had never heard the name Yan Buping.

Cheng Yao even mentioned that Wang Xingwei had spent several months searching for information in the Yue Kingdom, but had come up empty.

A look of disappointment crossed Qi Hanmo’s face.

Noticing his change in expression, Li Ping smiled and asked, "Hanmo, why is that senior sister of yours looking for Yan Buping?"

After Yu Menghan had come to him seeking treatment for her Seven-Color Illusory Light Butterfly, he had assumed Qi Hanmo was looking for Yan Buping at her request. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Then, from Qi Hanmo’s explanation,

Li Ping learned that the person trying to find Yan Buping through him wasn’t Yu Menghan, but Xiao Yunzhi.

As for Xiao Yunzhi’s specific reason for seeking Yan Buping, Qi Hanmo didn’t know.

However, during the great war in the Yuan Kingdom, he had carelessly fallen into a perilous situation and nearly died. It was Xiao Yunzhi who had saved his life, which was why he was so desperate to find Yan Buping for her.

’Xiao Yunzhi is looking for me?’ Li Ping fell into deep thought.

He couldn’t help but wonder if she had remembered his "wandering hand" on the last day of her treatment and was now seeking an explanation.

If that was truly the reason, Li Ping felt he was being wronged.

He hadn’t done it on purpose. It was an unconscious movement she made while comatose that had caused him to "passively" take liberties with her.

’Forget it. I’ll deal with it if and when she shows up.’ Li Ping shook his head.

If the woman was truly going to be unreasonable, he wasn’t afraid.

...

After staying for more than half a year, Qi Hanmo hurried back to Jixia.

For him, Jixia was where his life was now. His Sect, master, senior sister, senior brothers... they were all in Jixia. Fenglan Immortal City was, at best, his old hometown, not a place he could live in for the long term.

Li Ping saw him off but, as before, didn’t provide him with any resources.

He had long since made up his mind: once those around him reached Foundation Establishment, they were on their own.

He would only invest in them if they showed real promise of reaching Core Formation; otherwise, he would no longer interfere with their growth.

...

After Qi Hanmo left, Li Ping returned to his regular routine.

Aside from his fixed monthly session treating the Seven-Color Illusory Light Butterfly—and getting "fed" by the rich lady in the process—he rarely left his home, focusing single-mindedly on his arduous cultivation.

Another year passed. Bai Lin successfully broke through to the Qi Refining Ninth Level. She was forty-three years old.

To be honest, Li Ping thought reaching the Qi Refining Ninth Level at this age was a bit slow.

But as long as she could reach the Peak of Qi Refining before she turned forty-seven and earn the right to attempt Foundation Establishment, it was still acceptable.

At the same time, he began to use his Nourishing Life Skill Power during his daily cultivation to repair her Origin, restoring her physical condition to its absolute peak.

Four years would be enough time for him to complete this task.

He hoped Bai Lin would successfully reach Foundation Establishment.

...

After leaving Jixia City, Dai Sangyu had taken Xu Guikai and Ah Yun to the Liang Kingdom to search for spiritual materials. Five years later, she had finally found what she needed and returned to the Immortal City.

Since she made no effort to hide her presence upon her return, many people learned the news of her arrival.

Among them, naturally, was Huang Yan, who had been waiting bitterly in the Immortal City for over a decade.

His ancestor had sent him to the Immortal City to marry Dai Sangyu. However, because she had been out traveling and left no trace of her whereabouts, he hadn’t even been able to meet her.

So as not to miss her return and make his prospective Core Formation Stage Dao companion feel slighted, and also because returning empty-handed might lead his ancestor to deem him useless, he had been forced to wait in the Immortal City for over a decade.

Fortunately, he had managed to befriend a high-tier Alchemist and obtain a Heart Calming Pill he had refined. Otherwise, he feared his own cultivation would have been delayed.

’She’s finally back!’ The thought of becoming Dao companions with a Core Formation Stage female cultivator made Huang Yan secretly tremble with excitement. ’I’ll go request an audience with Fairy Dai right now!’

...

「The palace at the peak of Cyan Dragon Mountain.」

Dai Sangyu was recounting the highs and lows of her journey to her master.

From taking the reincarnation of Elder Xu as her disciple, to refining a treasure in Jixia City, to accidentally discovering Madam Qi’s Nascent Soul hidden within a Soul Nourishing Wood ring and striking a deal with her, and finally, to traveling to the Liang Kingdom in search of spiritual materials.

She recounted each event in detail.

Fenglan Master nodded repeatedly as she listened. When she finally heard that her disciple had obtained a secret technique to transform her ’Heaven-Repairing Body’ into a ’Creation Dao Body,’ she was utterly astonished.

Dai Sangyu smiled. "Master, although Elder Xu’s reincarnation only has a five-element Spiritual Root, his unique constitution allows him to practice the Intercepting Heaven Sword Dao with incredible speed. In just twelve years of cultivation, he has already reached the Qi Refining Fifth Level. His progress is comparable to someone with a Dual Spirit Root."

Of course, someone with a Dual Spirit Root wouldn’t normally take twelve years to reach the Qi Refining Fifth Level.

The main reason was that she had spent a great deal of time teaching Xu Guikai to read and building his foundation. Furthermore, while traveling with her, Xu Guikai didn’t always have suitable conditions for cultivation.

Now that they were back on Cyan Dragon Mountain, with a stable spiritual land where he could cultivate in peace, he would soon be able to demonstrate the true speed of the Intercepting Heaven Sword Body.

"Oh? Is that Senior Brother Xu’s reincarnation?" Fenglan Master extended her Divine Sense and quickly located the young man with sharp brows and bright eyes sitting cross-legged outside the hall.

In a daze, Fenglan Master seemed to see the peerless, high-spirited Sword Cultivator from over two hundred years ago.

"Master, would you like to meet Elder Xu’s reincarnation?" Dai Sangyu asked cautiously, noticing her master’s strange state.

Fenglan Master shook her head. "There’s no need. To see Senior Brother’s reincarnation again is enough for me to pass on with no regrets. I have less than eighty years of life left. In the future, the legacy of the Celestial Profound Sect will have to be carried on by you and Senior Brother’s reincarnation. From now on, you will teach him well in my stead."

"Yes, Master," Dai Sangyu replied with a respectful nod.

’She understood her master’s concerns. Elder Xu’s reincarnation is in the prime of his youth, while Master is already an old woman of over four hundred years.’

’Master isn’t one to rob the cradle.’

’Besides, although Xu Guikai is Elder Xu’s reincarnation, he has no memories of his past life, and his personality is completely different.’

’The one Master can’t forget is the peerless Xu Pingsheng, not the Xu Guikai of today.’

"By the way, you remember Huang Yunzi, don’t you?" Fenglan Master brought up another matter. "One of his descendants has been waiting in the Immortal City for over a decade, likely for the matter of becoming your Dao companion."

Hearing this, a flash of disgust crossed Dai Sangyu’s eyes. "Hmph. He only covets the ’Heaven-Repairing Jade Liquid’ inside my body."

Fenglan Master nodded. "Since you have obtained a secret technique to transform your Heaven-Repairing Body into a Creation Dao Body, there is naturally no reason to become his Dao companion. Explain it to him properly and give him some compensation."

"Yes, Master!" Dai Sangyu nodded in agreement.

...

Huang Yan submitted a formal request for an audience and soon received a reply from Meng Qingyi: Senior Sister Dai would see him. He was asked to wait.

Nodding with a smile, Huang Yan waited in the hall.

Soon, a figure in a grey robe walked into the hall, her gaze falling upon Huang Yan.

Huang Yan was just about to speak when Dai Sangyu cut him off. "You’re Huang Yan? I know why you’re here. It is impossible for me to become your Dao companion. This bottle of ’Vital Essence Pills’ will help you break through the bottleneck to the late-stage Foundation Establishment. Consider it compensation."

At her words, the smile on Huang Yan’s face froze.

The next moment, a jade bottle landed on the floor in front of him. Having said her piece, Dai Sangyu turned and left without another glance.

Standing rooted to the spot, Huang Yan trembled with rage.

He had never imagined that after waiting bitterly for more than a decade, this would be the outcome.

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