Chapter 9: Xu Laozu

Xu Yang recalled that there were fewer than ten Lingxu Pills in the Skyblaze Sect's treasury.

"Old Ancestor, since Lingxu Grass is so precious, why has it ended up like this?" Ling Qingshu couldn't help but ask.

Xu Yang shook his head, indicating he didn't know either; in fact, he also wanted to understand what had happened. Had the Lingxu Pill formula been lost? Did no one realize the value of Lingxu Grass anymore? Or, for some other reason, had its properties become unknown after Lingxu Grass proliferated again?

While he was chatting with Ling Qingshu, a fragrant aroma began to waft from the alchemy furnace.

Xu Yang's divine sense had long since been active, giving him complete knowledge of the situation inside the furnace.

Therefore, he wasn't particularly surprised at this moment; he merely circulated the true qi within his body and formed a series of hand seals.

As soon as Xu Yang's last hand seal landed, the alchemy furnace automatically opened, and he conjured out several perfectly round pills.

Xu Yang casually handed the pills to Ling Qingshu, muttering.

"These pills are for you. I'll refine another batch soon. This batch will accelerate your cultivation speed, and the next will increase your chances of forming a Golden Core."

Forming a Golden Core in three months was already the latest deadline Xu Yang had set for Ling Qingshu.

Although the cultivation world had a saying about taking three years for Qi Refinement, ten for Foundation Establishment, and a hundred for forming a Golden Core, for geniuses supported by sect resources and guided by powerful experts, Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment were minor steps. Most would achieve Golden Core cultivation in just three to five years.

And now, Ling Qingshu had the support of sect resources and the guidance of an old monster like Xu Yang.

Three months still felt quite a long time.

Ling Qingshu went into seclusion. After receiving the cultivation techniques and pills from Xu Yang, she resolutely entered a stone chamber for seclusion.

With Xu Yang present, she had no worries about any problems befalling the Skyblaze Sect.

Furthermore, if it was something Xu Yang couldn't handle, her presence wouldn't make a difference.

Moreover, with Xu Yang currently overseeing the Skyblaze Sect, she felt completely at ease in her seclusion.

Xu Yang sat on the main seat in the grand hall, looking at the few remaining Skyblaze Sect disciples before him.

Although their numbers were few and their talents ordinary, Xu Yang was still quite satisfied.

At the very least, these Skyblaze Sect disciples and elders had all remained with the sect through its recent crises.

How did that saying go? "Although this generation of disciples isn't the best I've ever taught, they are the ones I am most satisfied with."

Xu Yang was very generous to these Skyblaze Sect disciples, personally refining many pills to aid their cultivation.

Among them, Foundation Establishment Pills, which were like candies to Xu Yang, were refined in greater quantities.

For disciples stuck in the Qi Refinement realm, unable to break through to Foundation Establishment, Xu Yang generously distributed two pills to each.

Two pills—was that a lot?

For the Skyblaze Sect disciples, these two pills were their lifeline and their hope for cultivation.

But for Xu Yang, two pills were insignificant.

Over the past one hundred thousand years, the Foundation Establishment Pills Xu Yang had consumed were enough to form a small mountain.

If one were to insist on an exact number, it would undoubtedly be an astronomical figure.

Xu Yang spared no effort for these Skyblaze Sect disciples and elders.

For those lacking offensive methods, Xu Yang passed down some offensive spell techniques that Skyblaze Sect disciples had practiced ten thousand years ago.

For those lacking defensive methods, Xu Yang went to slay spirit beasts and drew talismans with their blood.

Each person received five or six defensive talismans.

In short, he provided whatever they lacked.

Although the Skyblaze Sect was no longer the greatest sect in the world, for these few remaining disciples, Xu Yang felt he absolutely could not be stingy. He recalled how, in the past, every Skyblaze Sect disciple traveling outside was an object of envy.

The days of the mighty being bullied by the weak would be no more.

Xu Yang also wanted people to know that even if the Skyblaze Sect had declined, it was not a place they could casually insult or bully.

The skeleton of that Golden Core expert, hanging on the flagpole at the Skyblaze Sect's main gate, served as the best deterrent.

After some time, the Skyblaze Sect disciples also made a discovery.

Old Ancestor Xu, whose cultivation was unfathomable and whose age was unknown, was truly approachable and gave the utmost support to their cultivation.

Moreover, Old Ancestor Xu was truly omnipotent, skilled in everything from alchemy and artifact refining to setting up formations and drawing talismans.

Coupled with Old Ancestor Xu's previous feats of annihilating the Cloud Mountain Sect and slaughtering Golden Core experts, now these Skyblaze Sect disciples, when traveling within Qizhou, received the exact same treatment as the former Cloud Mountain Sect disciples.

Wherever they went, they were the most dazzling and attention-grabbing presence.

As the Skyblaze Sect disciples moved about, the title "Old Ancestor Xu" gradually became etched into the hearts of Qizhou's cultivators.

Some said Old Ancestor Xu was a white-haired Daoist with half-step Nascent Soul cultivation, whose attacks caused world-shattering phenomena.

Others claimed Old Ancestor Xu was the sect master from a previous generation of the Skyblaze Sect, with their arguments being so logical that people were convinced.

However, those who had truly met Xu Yang remained tight-lipped about everything concerning him.

They feared that speaking even a single word more would attract Xu Yang, summoning that figure who made them break out in cold sweats even in their dreams.

As the saying goes, a tall tree catches the wind; Xu Yang's actions naturally attracted the attention of some people.

Tianwu Commandery, Commandery City, Lord's Mansion.

Twelve cultivators sat gathered together, a powerful aura emanating from each of them.

An outsider present would surely have been startled, for every one of these twelve individuals was a Golden Core cultivator.

They were all late-stage Golden Core cultivators, not far from the Nascent Soul realm.

The person leading them spoke directly.

"Have you all heard? Recently, a cultivator named Old Ancestor Xu appeared in Qizhou. They say he's an old ancestor of the Skyblaze Sect."

"The Skyblaze Sect? That fallen sect?" someone chuckled eerily.

"I can't imagine there was once such a glorious sect in our Tianwu Commandery. I wonder how the flesh and blood of this sect's successor tastes."

As this person spoke, their eyes were filled with a bloodthirsty glint.

The reactions among the twelve differed; some remained relatively calm.

"Do we have any detailed information about this person?"

"Our subordinates reported that three Golden Core cultivators have died by his hand so far: two from the Cloud Mountain Sect, and one a rogue cultivator."

As the leader spoke, he took out a scroll on which Xu Yang's portrait was drawn.

The only woman among the twelve looked at Xu Yang's portrait, her eyes surprisingly filled with lewdness.

"That face looks good."

"Just a pretty boy, Yu Sanniang. You should try the 'great spear' between my legs."

A burly man looked at the woman, spouting some lewd nonsense.

"Try me," she scoffed, "you'd only be tickling me!"

Provoked by the woman called Yu Sanniang, the burly man immediately showed signs of wanting to strike. "You..."