Chapter 2103: Song Yiming's Illusions and the Opportunity to Establish the Family

Half a month quickly passed.

There was a blue lake spanning over a thousand mu, with colorful spiritual fish chasing each other. In the center of the lake stood a thousand-zhang blue stone platform. A ruddy-faced old man in a blue robe sat beside the platform, holding a green fishing rod. The lake water was crystal clear, revealing that the fishhook was straight and had no barb.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stood respectfully to one side. The blue-robed elder was Liu Che, a cultivator in the Mid-Void Refinement stage, who had previously entered the Xuanling Cave Abode. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had come specifically to visit Liu Che. Liu Che had them watch him fish, and after seven days, he still hadn't caught a single spiritual fish. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan did not ask any questions, waiting silently.

A sound transmission talisman flew in and hovered in mid-air. Liu Che acted as if he hadn't heard it, and Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan also ignored it.

A golden spiritual fish lingered around the hook, seemingly curious. A gentle breeze blew, rippling the lake's surface and causing the fishing line and hook to sway. The golden spiritual fish slowly swam over and bit at the hook. Of course, a straight hook couldn't catch the spiritual fish's mouth, but its action attracted many other spiritual fish. They all began pecking at the hook, which wriggled continuously in the water like a live worm.

Liu Che flicked his wrist slightly, and the fishing line twisted incessantly. More than a dozen spiritual fish were sliced into countless pieces by the fishing line, and their blood stained a patch of the lake. After a while, the lake water returned to its original state, indistinguishable from before. A quarter of an hour later, more spiritual fish swam over again, circling near the hook.

"Nephew Wang, Niece Wang, what did you learn from this?" Liu Che asked, his voice a little hoarse.

Wang Changsheng pondered for a moment before saying, "If there's no bait, you can create the bait. Don't be misled by illusions."

"Don't just follow the crowd; have your own convictions," Wang Ruyan added.

"I managed to leave the Xuanling Cave Abode alive thanks to three things: First, I don't trust others. No matter how strong you are, a foolish companion can still be your undoing. Second, don't believe what you see, especially when it's highly tempting. Third, always plan your escape routes, and the more options, the better," Liu Che stated slowly, his voice stern.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan simultaneously bowed and said in unison, "Thank you for your guidance, Martial Uncle Liu. Your disciples will remember it."

Liu Che flicked two fingers, and a blue light shot out, striking the sound transmission talisman. Song Yiming's voice abruptly rang out: "Nephew Liu, bring Nephew Wang and Niece Wang to the Ancestral Hall."

"Let's go! Martial Uncle Sect Master has called for us." Liu Che, Wang Changsheng, and Wang Ruyan transformed into three streaks of light and shot through the air, vanishing into the sky.

A magnificent blue palace stood with upturned eaves and intricate dougong brackets. On its massive stone pillars were carved lifelike patterns of mythical beasts such as qilin, flood dragons, and phoenixes. The main gate was wide open, and above it hung a plaque glowing with shifting blue light, bearing the prominent golden characters "Ancestral Hall."

Inside the grand hall, over thirty cultivators had gathered, most of them in the Divine Transformation stage. Dozens of portraits adorned the walls, depicting the Integration stage cultivators of Zhenhai Palace throughout its history. Beneath each portrait was a separate altar table, upon which sat a gleaming blue spiritual tablet inscribed with golden characters.

The Divine Transformation cultivators were arranged into two groups. Standing at the forefront were a dashing young man in a blue shirt and a slender girl in a red dress. The blue-shirted youth had a robust build, with large, powerful hands and feet. The red-dressed girl had picturesque features and skin like snow, giving the impression of being delicate and fragile.

The blue-shirted youth was named Zhao Hong, and the red-dressed girl was Ma Qianqian. Both possessed cultivation at the Grand Perfection stage of Divine Transformation and were among the Thirty-Six Geniuses of Zhenhai Palace, belonging to the Ascension Faction and the Native Faction, respectively.

Three streaks of light flew in, revealing Liu Che and the two. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan quickly walked towards the group where Zhao Hong stood, taking their place at the very back, while Liu Che stood to one side.

"Are these the Nephew Wang and Niece Wang who ascended from the lower realms? Junior Brother Liu, aren't you afraid something might happen to them?" A voluptuous young woman in a golden dress chuckled, her chest subtly rising and falling, her cleavage apparent.

"Since they could ascend from the lower realms, they naturally have some ability. Senior Sister Li, you sent out Niece Ma and Nephew Feng; aren't you afraid something might happen to them?" Liu Che retorted with a sneer. The young woman in the golden dress was Li Qian. Like Liu Che, Li Qian had also entered the Xuanling Cave Abode and returned alive.

"The great waves sift through the sand. It's their destiny to enter the Xuanling Cave Abode to seek treasures. If their strength isn't enough and they die at the hands of others, it simply means their skills are insufficient, and there's nothing more to say about it," Li Qian said indifferently.

A soft rustle of footsteps sounded, and Liu Che and Li Qian quickly fell silent. Song Yiming emerged from a side hall and appeared before the crowd. He had naturally heard Liu Che and Li Qian's remarks but chose not to expose them.

The disciples bowed in unison, saying, "Greetings, Martial Uncle Sect Master (Martial Grandmaster Sect Master)."

Song Yiming nodded, his majestic gaze sweeping over Zhao Hong and the other Divine Transformation cultivators. When his eyes fell upon Wang Changsheng, a look of approval appeared on his face. He said, "Excellent, Nephew Wang, you've already advanced to the late Divine Transformation stage."

"Martial Grandmaster Sect Master exaggerates. It is thanks to Martial Grandmaster Chen's diligent guidance that this disciple's cultivation progressed so quickly," Wang Changsheng replied modestly. In truth, his cultivation speed was considered slow compared to Zhenhai Palace's elite disciples.

Song Yiming nodded, feeling a hint of disappointment in his heart. He had originally hoped to win over Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, but it now appeared they had already joined the Ascension Faction.

"Soon, the Xuanling Cave Abode will open. Our Zhenhai Palace intends to send thirty of you inside to seek treasures. Nephew Zhao will lead one team, and Niece Ma will lead another. Before your departure, Nephew Liu and Niece Li will train you for a period, and may even spar with you personally. Before you leave, each of you will receive a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, a Grade Six talisman, and a bottle of healing elixirs. Each team will also receive two sets of Grade Six formations, which you can choose freely."

"If you achieve great merit, high-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures, immortal caves, Azure Moon Jade Ginseng Pills, territories, spiritual beasts, and other cultivation resources will be no problem," Song Yiming spoke slowly. Zhenhai Palace was truly investing heavily this time. The value of just the talismans, elixirs, and Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures distributed to them amounted to nearly five hundred million spiritual stones on the black market—this was the true foundation of Zhenhai Palace.

"Martial Grandmaster Sect Master, what do you mean by 'territory'?" A ruddy-faced old man in a green robe, standing in front of Wang Changsheng, cautiously asked. He had joined Zhenhai Palace during the Foundation Establishment stage and had cultivated for many years. Knowing he wouldn't be able to advance to the Void Refinement stage, he hoped to seize this opportunity to obtain a territory and establish his own family.

"Nephew Ning, if you wish to establish a family, collect more treasures. The greater your merit, the larger the territory you'll be granted for your family. Our Zhenhai Palace will not mistreat those who have rendered service, but any wrongdoing will be severely punished. Let me remind you all: under no circumstances, for any reason, is harming fellow disciples permissible. All disciples who return alive from the Xuanling Cave Abode will undergo scrutiny. If any are found to have harmed fellow disciples, their family members, mentors, martial uncles, and senior martial brothers and sisters will all be punished."

As he finished speaking, Song Yiming's tone became stern. Disciples from the two factions could quarrel and argue, but they absolutely could not resort to lethal force against each other. This was his ultimate red line.

"Yes, Martial Grandmaster Sect Master!" The disciples answered in unison.

Wang Changsheng narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "A territory, establishing a family... I hope I can obtain a territory!"

Song Yiming gave a few more instructions before having Liu Che and Li Qian lead their respective teams away.