Chapter 2047: Qilin Moves

Upon returning to Luohua Temple, Qin Sang did not immediately emerge from his seclusion after recovering. Instead, he meticulously reviewed the details of the treasure refinement process, organizing his thoughts and comparing them with his existing understanding of artifact forging. He felt he had gained significant insights.

Only after consolidating his insights did Qin Sang finally leave seclusion, finding True Master Yuhong waiting outside.

"Have the other fellow Daoists departed?" Qin Sang inquired.

True Master Yuhong replied, "True Master Tonghu is still in seclusion. The other seniors, at the Temple Master's invitation, are still our guests on the mountain."

Qin Sang nodded, understanding that Lady Shuanghua and the others had likely stayed for the same reasons as he.

"Elder Qin," True Master Yuhong continued, "I have already selected several promising individuals from the Jufu tribe for you to choose from."

"You and the Temple Master have gone to great trouble," Qin Sang acknowledged. "Where are they now?"

True Master Yuhong gestured towards the base of the mountain. "They are waiting in the lodges there. If Elder Qin wishes, I can bring them up now."

"Very well." A thought struck Qin Sang, and he stopped True Master Yuhong from descending. "Let them make their own way up."

With a sweep of his right arm, Qin Sang released a wisp of spiritual energy that transformed into a fine mist, scattering to envelop the entire mountain. He then settled himself cross-legged on a nearby rock.

Activating his spirit eyes, True Master Yuhong perceived several simple checkpoints within the white mist. Knowing Qin Sang intended to test them, he remained in place and transmitted a message to the mountain's base.

At the foot of the mountain, nestled among bamboo groves, stood several rows of lodges. Inside, over a dozen Jufu clan members, both male and female, were practicing breathing and meditation. Qin Sang, concerned about the Jufu tribe's deep attachment to Luohua Temple, had set a cultivation requirement for them: they should generally be at the Core Formation stage, indicating they still had potential for growth.

From birth, they had been taught that Luohua Temple was their supreme sect, and being chosen by one of its True Masters to serve them was the highest honor.

The entire tribe regarded the sect elders who followed the Temple Master as their role models.

Now, with an opportunity to follow an expert whose cultivation level was comparable to the Temple Master's, all these Jufu clan members regarded it as the greatest fortune of their lives. They were determined to seize it with all their might, not daring to show the slightest slack.

While they were diligently cultivating, True Master Yuhong's message echoed in their ears. Their spirits lifted, and they pushed open the doors of their lodges, only to be astonished by a vast expanse of white mist that obscured all vision.

Although their lodges were clustered together and their companions were mere feet away, they could not sense each other's presence.

Recalling the message, they suppressed their unease and began ascending the mountain alone. As they moved, they noticed an anomaly: an invisible pressure descended from the void, pressing them firmly to the ground. Not only were they unable to fly, but their qi and blood circulation were also impeded. Attempting to use their divine abilities felt as though an additional barrier existed, and the energy consumption surged severalfold. All their usual reliance proved useless, making every step of the climb exceedingly arduous.

Unaware of what awaited them, some grew anxious and unsettled, while others quickly calmed their minds and steadily climbed upward, one step at a time.

Within the white mist, over a dozen figures slowly ascended towards the peak, gradually spacing themselves out.

True Master Yuhong observed, inwardly noting that while these Jufu clan members were all outstanding within their tribe and possessed varying talents, the checkpoints Qin Sang had set clearly prioritized their character and resilience.

Even for attendants, Qin Sang preferred not to have flawed or mediocre individuals by his side.

The test continued for most of the day before the first Jufu clan member finally emerged from the mist and reached the summit.

He was on the verge of collapse, his face slick with sweat, yearning only to lie down and sleep soundly. As he saw Qin Sang and True Master Yuhong and prepared to bow, he suddenly heard a shout from behind him: "Big brother!"

Qin Sang's gaze flickered. With another wave of his hand, the mist instantly dissipated. The remaining individuals still struggling within the mist were gently transported to the foot of the mountain, immediately realizing they had been eliminated. Their disappointment was palpable.

It turned out that the first to reach the summit were two brothers. They stepped forward together and bowed, exclaiming, "Greetings, True Masters!"

Both brothers felt apprehensive, fearing the True Master would accept only one, thus separating them.

"What are your names?" Qin Sang asked calmly.

"My name is Qingjia!" "And mine is Qingyi!"

Qin Sang turned to True Master Yuhong. "These two will suffice. Would your temple be willing to part with them?"

True Master Yuhong readily agreed, immediately telling the brothers, "Quickly, pay your respects to Elder Qin!"

"I have several spirit beasts, and they all address me as 'Grand Lord,' which you shall also do from now on," Qin Sang instructed. "Your cultivation is still too low; you must train diligently, or you won't even be qualified to guard my cave dwelling."

The brothers, filled with trepidation, knelt and exclaimed, "We respectfully obey your teachings, Grand Lord!"

Qin Sang nodded with satisfaction. He was about to inquire about the differences between the cultivation methods of the alien race and humans when he suddenly felt a sensation, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. Rising, he told True Master Yuhong, "There are still aspects of my recent gains that I haven't fully grasped. Please don't disturb Lady Shuanghua and the other Daoists for now. When True Master Tonghu emerges from seclusion, please come and fetch me."

After instructing brothers Qingjia and Qingyi to stand guard outside, Qin Sang quickly entered the quiet room and sat cross-legged.

Just moments ago, he had suddenly felt an unusual fluctuation emanating from the Fire Lotus within his Purple Mansion. The Qilin Origin Seed seemed to be stirring!

It had been approximately eight hundred years since he integrated the Qilin Origin Seed into the heart of the Fire Lotus for incubation, following the method taught by the Vermilion Bird. This was the first time the Qilin Origin Seed had shown any fluctuation, other than when Qin Sang deliberately activated it.

When he first began refining the Qilin Origin Seed, Qin Sang had not anticipated it would take this long, spanning his entire Soul Transformation stage.

Now, he finally saw a glimmer of hope!

Qin Sang sealed his cave dwelling and set up a formation flag before eagerly summoning the Fire Lotus.

A fiery glow flashed between his eyebrows, and the Fire Lotus slowly emerged, looking largely unchanged.

"Something's happening?" Sensing Qin Sang had summoned the Fire Lotus, the Vermilion Bird also flew out, gazing at the lotus heart with immense anticipation.

Qin Sang remained silent. With a subtle thought, the lotus petals unfolded layer by layer, revealing the 'lotus seed'—the Qilin Origin Seed.

For centuries, the Qilin Origin Seed had been continuously drained of its vital essence by Qin Sang. Later, under the Vermilion Bird's guidance, he changed his strategy to incubate the true Qilin spirit. Now, a profound bond had formed between them.

While it still retained the appearance of a lotus seed, its internal essence had nearly been depleted. The current 'lotus seed' was, in fact, almost entirely a construct woven by Qin Sang's spiritual consciousness, gradually replacing the original.

In truth, Qin Sang's spiritual consciousness had been continuously growing during the process of extracting essence from the Qilin Origin Seed. However, most of this growth was tethered to the Origin Seed itself, preventing him from directly benefiting. Any external growth in his spiritual consciousness was merely a result of his cultivation advancements, granting him no particular advantage over cultivators of the same rank.

Fearing the Qilin might have left hidden contingencies or that directly destroying the Qilin true spirit's consciousness would be risky, Qin Sang acted with extreme caution. The portion of his spiritual consciousness that had grown by consuming the essence could mimic a similar aura, thus deceiving the Qilin true spirit.

The Qilin Origin Seed was akin to a cocoon: the creature within remained, but its outer shell had been imperceptibly replaced.

Despite achieving this, Qin Sang remained extremely cautious, hesitant to rashly disturb the Qilin true spirit. Periodically, he would carefully transfer a small amount of essence, prioritizing quality over quantity. The Qilin true spirit gradually grew stronger through this subtle influence, yet showed no signs of awakening.

Comparatively, the Qilin true spirit was much like True Master Luohua's jade ruler: still a chaotic mass of spirituality, slow to develop true consciousness, or perhaps its consciousness remained in a state of slumber.

Qin Sang could not devise a better approach, so he could only allow it to evolve naturally.

At last, the Qilin true spirit showed a reaction!

Qin Sang fixed his gaze on the Fire Lotus, observing the fluctuating fiery glow in its core, influenced by the Qilin Origin Seed's pulsations.

This fluctuation was quite faint, and Qin Sang did not detect a true consciousness from it. However, after a thorough examination, he vaguely understood that the Qilin Origin Seed was closely related to the "Fire Seed Golden Lotus" technique. He realized that if he fully activated this technique, it might trigger a significant transformation.

Just as he was about to activate the secret technique, Qin Sang suddenly recalled something and paused.

"Why did you stop?" the Vermilion Bird cried out, highly displeased.

It had long coveted the Qilin, knowing that finding its origin was crucial for its swift recovery of cultivation.

It also harbored a secret ambition: how delightful it would be to one day call Qin Sang "Little Qin"!

At this critical juncture, Qin Sang's halt left the Vermilion Bird fuming with annoyance.

Qin Sang's concern was that they were within another sect's grounds. Causing any disturbance, or worse, directly drawing a heavenly tribulation and sparking an uproar, was something he wished to avoid.

This was not an impossible scenario. He did not know how long the Qilin had been dormant or by what means it evaded heavenly tribulations, so proper arrangements were essential before proceeding.

Ignoring the Vermilion Bird's discontent, Qin Sang waited a while longer. Seeing that the fluctuation had not ceased, he retracted the Fire Lotus into his Purple Mansion.

Examining the Qilin Origin Seed took several days. Shortly thereafter, True Master Yuhong arrived to report that True Master Tonghu had emerged from seclusion.

Qin Sang exited the quiet room, observing brothers Qingjia and Qingyi diligently standing guard outside. "We will be departing in a few days," he informed them. "You two should go say goodbye to your relatives first. These medicinal pills can temper the body and strengthen health; your Jufu tribe should also be able to refine and absorb them. Consider them my gifts to your kin."

"Thank you for the pills, Grand Lord!" the brothers exclaimed, their faces filled with gratitude. Knowing they had chosen the right master, their joy overshadowed the sadness of parting with their relatives.

Qin Sang dismissed the two brothers and then flew with True Master Yuhong towards Lady Shuanghua's quiet chamber.

"Elder Qin has arrived!" everyone exclaimed, rising to greet him.

After their joint treasure refinement, everyone had grown familiar with one another. Dispensing with formalities, they settled down, and Lady Shuanghua began, "Elder Qin, we have all greatly benefited from the Temple Master's invitation. Several fellow Daoists and I have discussed holding a small Daoist discussion to exchange insights on artifact forging. What are your thoughts, Elder Qin?"

Qin Sang's thoughts aligned perfectly with hers, and he immediately agreed, "I couldn't ask for anything more!"

Lady Shuanghua nodded with pleasure. "It's a pity the spiritual treasure's transformation failed. Luohua Temple seems to have important arrangements, and both the Temple Master and True Master Quan have successively entered seclusion, making it inconvenient to disturb them. In my humble opinion, we have already imposed on Luohua Temple for a considerable time. Perhaps we could choose a location outside for our discussion, what do you think?"

Everyone agreed. They left the quiet room and flew together towards the main peak.

The one currently presiding over Luohua Temple was a female Daoist priestess named Qiluo. True Master Qiluo invited them to stay a few more days, but her invitation was politely declined.

"We should have waited for the Temple Master and True Master Quan to emerge from seclusion to bid them farewell in person," they explained, "but we have many matters to attend to ourselves and cannot linger too long. Please convey our apologies on your behalf, True Master Qiluo. We shall take our leave now!"

True Master Qiluo opened the mountain gate wide and escorted the True Masters outside. After waiting a moment, brothers Qingjia and Qingyi rushed over. Qin Sang conjured clouds beneath his feet, enveloped the two, and then flew off with Lady Shuanghua and the others.

As the group flew towards Yanling City, True Master Tonghu recalled an uninhabited island along the way with excellent scenery and suggested they go there.

Upon reaching the location, they found the island indeed featured unusual peaks and beautiful waters. Had the spiritual energy not been so sparse, it would have long since been occupied by cultivators.

The group landed on a mountain peak and settled by a flowing spring. They each produced immortal fruits and fine wine, setting them afloat on the spring for a traditional 'flowing cups' gathering. Brothers Qingjia and Qingyi, along with Lady Shuanghua's daughter, attended to them.

"Fellow Daoists, you must still recall the secret technique the Temple Master performed through your hands, yes?" This was the true purpose of their Daoist discussion. No sooner had they settled than True Master Tonghu, unable to contain himself, brought it up.

Everyone exchanged glances and nodded subtly.

Their aim was to integrate the portions of the secret technique each had learned. Even if they couldn't reconstruct the entire art, they hoped that by combining the expertise of several artifact forging grandmasters, they might be able to comprehend a unique new secret technique.

Lady Shuanghua, possessing the highest cultivation, presided over the gathering. She gracefully began to recount her insights gained during the treasure refinement process.

Everyone listened intently. After a moment, realizing Lady Shuanghua was holding back almost nothing, they were deeply moved and listened with undivided attention.

Lady Shuanghua's voice was like celestial music. Everyone forgot to partake of the spiritual fruits and immortal wine before them. Even after she finished speaking, her words lingered like a gentle echo, and they remained deeply immersed, unable to extricate themselves. For a long time, only the sound of the clear spring flowing could be heard.

They were not in a hurry to exchange ideas. Next, it was the turn of the eccentric to speak. The male and female heads alternated, each contributing a sentence, yet their thoughts remained remarkably clear and cohesive, presenting a peculiar dynamic.

With Lady Shuanghua setting the example, others found it hard to conceal their insights. Qin Sang, too, shared his understanding.

It is worth noting that their discussions included not only the secret techniques of Luohua Temple but also their unique insights derived from their own lineages, which proved highly inspiring to the others.

After each had presented their insights, they took turns clarifying doubts, and then each continued to elaborate on their individual understandings.

Days and nights passed. Engaged in profound Daoist discussions, they lost all sense of time, completely oblivious as the wildflowers by the spring bloomed and withered, yielding to autumn's yellow, and then to deep winter, their stems dying back as their roots preserved vitality beneath the thick snow, awaiting spring.

They lost count of how many days had passed.

Finally, True Master Tonghu let out a long sigh and stretched with a great yawn.

As if waking from a dream, everyone finally noticed the coldness of the stones beneath them.

The cultivator surnamed Yu swept his hand across the surface, melting the ice. He picked up the jade cup before him, drained its contents, and declared with satisfaction, "Now this truly feels like a worthwhile journey!"

Everyone heartily agreed and looked towards Lady Shuanghua.

Lady Shuanghua used her finger as a brush, channeling her true essence to draw in the air. Luminous spiritual characters emerged from her fingertips, ultimately forming a profound chapter.

"We came here for Luohua, and this chapter is derived from Luohua's techniques. When cultivating it, it feels as though one is in a dream, so I propose we name it 'Luohua Dream Interpretation.' What are your thoughts, fellow Daoists?"

Lady Shuanghua's beautiful eyes scanned the group, and seeing everyone nod in agreement, she inscribed the four characters at the top. She then produced five blank jade slips, engraved the text into them, and distributed one to each person.