Chapter 807: Foreign Affairs Elder

Six months later, Wang Qingshan arrived at Taiyi Immortal Sect. Upon stating his name, a duty disciple immediately invited him in to meet Zhang Zhanfeng, the sect master of Taiyi Immortal Sect. A short while later, Wang Qingshan stood at the entrance of a magnificent golden palace. Its plaque, shaped like a flying sword, bore three large silver characters: "Ten Thousand Swords Palace."

Wang Qingshan took a deep breath and announced loudly, "Junior Wang Qingshan requests an audience with Senior Zhang."

"Nephew Wang, come in!"

Wang Qingshan assented repeatedly and stepped inside.

The main hall was spacious and brightly lit. At the front stood a colossal human-shaped statue: a white-robed elder with a giant sword on his back, gazing into the distance. Zhang Zhanfeng stood beneath the statue, while three men and one woman sat on jade chairs along the sides. The powerful auras emanating from them clearly indicated they were Nascent Soul cultivators.

Just as Wang Qingshan was about to bow, a red-robed elder with a ruddy complexion unleashed a powerful sword intent that pressed down on him.

Wang Qingshan felt an immense oppressive force. A sharp sword hum resonated from his body as a surge of sword intent burst forth from him, meeting the incoming pressure.

*Boom!* A powerful wave of air rapidly spread, causing the cultivators' robes to flutter.

With a loud whoosh, a red flying sword, about a foot long, shot forth and instantly appeared before Wang Qingshan.

Wang Qingshan's expression changed dramatically. He opened his mouth, and the Azure Glaze Sword flew out to meet it.

*Clang, clang, clang!* The Azure Glaze Sword and the red flying sword repeatedly clashed, emitting metallic sounds.

"Enough, Junior Brother Li, stop messing around."

Zhang Zhanfeng spoke, his gaze towards Wang Qingshan holding a hint of approval.

The red flying sword circled once and returned to the red-robed elder. The Azure Glaze Sword also circled and returned to Wang Qingshan, hovering around him.

"Sword intent, Sword Heart attunement! Haha, excellent! Senior Brother Ye has taken on a good disciple. Why can't I ever find such a promising talent?"

The red-robed elder laughed heartily, his tone carrying a hint of envy.

"Junior Wang Qingshan greets all seniors present. Is my master not here? I wanted to pay my respects to him."

Wang Qingshan bowed respectfully to the cultivators and spoke in a reverent tone, his expression humble.

"Senior Brother Ye has gone to the Central Plains, saying he wanted to spar with the Seven Absolutes Blade Emperor. He hasn't returned yet. Nephew Wang, I, the sect master, ask you: are you willing to formally join our Taiyi Immortal Sect? I can tell you clearly, joining our Taiyi Immortal Sect offers numerous benefits and is far superior to remaining in your family."

Zhang Zhanfeng said in a deep voice, his tone sincere.

Wang Qingshan shook his head and said, "This disciple cultivates the sword to protect his clan members; this is my Sword Heart. If I were to join a sect, my Sword Heart would be lost."

A sword cultivator without a Sword Heart cannot advance far in the Way of the Sword.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Wang Qingshan didn't believe Taiyi Immortal Sect would help him for free; there would definitely be conditions.

Zhang Zhanfeng sighed lightly, then shifted his tone and said, "It's understandable that you're unwilling to formally join our sect. But are you willing to serve as an External Affairs Elder of our sect? As an External Affairs Elder, you would enjoy most of the benefits of our sect's elders, but you would also need to serve the sect."

For various reasons, some outstanding individuals, including rogue cultivators and descendants of cultivation families, are unwilling to formally join Taiyi Immortal Sect. The sect hires them as External Affairs Elders, granting them some of the benefits of sect elders, on the condition that they perform tasks such as hunting third-order demonic beasts or refining third-order pills.

"Enjoy most of the benefits of a sect elder?"

Wang Qingshan felt a flicker of interest. He was unwilling to join Taiyi Immortal Sect because of his Sword Heart and his reluctance to be overly constrained, but Zhang Zhanfeng's offer of an External Affairs Elder position piqued his interest.

Taiyi Immortal Sect had been established for thousands of years, boasting tens of thousands of disciples and influence spanning the Eastern Barrens, South Sea, and Northern Frontier. If he could leverage the sect's power to gather materials, both Wang Qingshan himself and his entire clan would benefit. Of course, benefits from Taiyi Immortal Sect wouldn't come easily; Wang Qingshan, and even the entire Wang clan, would have to perform tasks for the sect.

This would essentially bind the Wang clan to Taiyi Immortal Sect's warship, which would be beneficial for the entire Wang clan.

"Precisely. For example, you could exchange for Core Formation spiritual items, borrow the Vast Heaven Mirror, or cultivate our Taiyi Immortal Sect's secret arts. Furthermore, if your Wang clan encounters trouble, our Taiyi Immortal Sect can help resolve it, though you would need to provide compensation. In return, you would perform duties for our Taiyi Immortal Sect, such as apprehending evil cultivators or suppressing demonic beasts."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingshan was tempted. If he became an External Affairs Elder of Taiyi Immortal Sect, it would be equivalent to the Wang clan establishing a cooperative relationship with the sect, albeit with the Wang clan as the weaker party.

"Nephew Wang, if you become an External Affairs Elder of our Taiyi Immortal Sect, out of respect for Senior Brother Ye, we can allow you to undergo tempering at our sect's Sword Peak. Our Taiyi Immortal Sect has been established for thousands of years, and Sword Peak contains tens of thousands of flying swords, which would greatly benefit your sword cultivation."

Zhang Zhanfeng's tone was full of temptation. Only disciples who had made significant contributions to the sect were permitted to undergo tempering at Sword Peak; it was a great honor.

Hearing this, Wang Qingshan no longer hesitated. He nodded and agreed, "This junior is willing to become an External Affairs Elder."

Since Zhang Zhanfeng had spoken to this extent, if Wang Qingshan didn't appreciate the offer, it would likely be difficult for him to leave Taiyi Immortal Sect. After all, the Carefree Sword Venerable was his master and had treated him well, so Wang Qingshan had no aversion to becoming an External Affairs Elder of Taiyi Immortal Sect.

Zhou Yunxiao was a member of the Great Yan Dynasty's imperial family, undoubtedly possessing abundant cultivation resources and various secret arts. If Wang Qingshan wanted to catch up to Zhou Yunxiao, leveraging the power of Taiyi Immortal Sect would significantly accelerate his progress.

"Good! Haha, Nephew Wang, please leave your name on the Taiyi Jade Book using your essence blood. You must not engage in combat with any cultivators whose names are also on the Taiyi Jade Book, or you will suffer a backlash from the restrictions."

As Zhang Zhanfeng spoke, he raised his hand, and a golden, gleaming book flew out, landing before Wang Qingshan. The book's surface was covered in profound runes, and faintly visible were the four large characters "Taiyi Jade Book." These characters twisted and turned ceaselessly, as if alive, which was quite peculiar.

Without hesitation, Wang Qingshan immediately bit his tongue. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of essence blood. With a hand seal, the essence blood transformed into the three characters "Wang Qingshan" and sank into a page of the book.

Next to Wang Qingshan's name were the three characters "Meng Tianzheng."

Zhang Zhanfeng nodded in satisfaction, put away the Taiyi Jade Book, and instructed the red-robed elder, "Junior Brother Li, please take Nephew Wang to complete the formalities, then bring him to Sword Peak. Let him enter for tempering; what he gains depends on his personal ability."

"Understood, Sect Master Senior Brother. Nephew Wang, please follow this old one."

A red sword light appeared beneath the red-robed elder's feet, carrying Wang Qingshan as they flew out of the main hall.

The red-robed elder took Wang Qingshan to complete the formalities and collect a sum of cultivation resources. Then he led him to the entrance of a valley shrouded in a thick white mist.

He took out a white token and infused it with spiritual power. A white light shot out and vanished into the valley in a flash. From within the valley, another white light emerged, forming a white cloud ladder that descended before them.

"Let's go! There are many restrictions here. Stay close to this old one. If you trigger any restrictions, even I won't be able to save you."

The red-robed elder cautioned him and led Wang Qingshan onto the white cloud ladder.

The white cloud ladder drew the two of them into the valley. Wang Qingshan felt his vision blur, and he suddenly found himself atop a ten-thousand-foot peak. The mountain was bare, with nothing on it.

The red-robed elder took out a round green token and waved it towards the mountain. A green light shot out and vanished into the peak in a flash. Soon, ripples spread through the void, and a ten-foot-tall green glowing door appeared before them. A dull clanging of metal could be heard from within.

"If you can't withstand the sword intent inside, crush this jade talisman, and you'll be transported out. Don't try to be brave; if anything goes wrong, you could die in there."

The red-robed elder handed Wang Qingshan a silver jade talisman and said with a solemn expression.

Wang Qingshan thanked him, took the jade talisman, and strode into the green glowing door.

He felt his vision blur again and appeared on a verdant peak, where countless flying swords of various shapes were stuck into the ground. Some only had hilts, some only blades, and they were all different colors. Various flying swords clashed and hacked at each other in the air, their sword qi sharp and potent.

Countless broken flying swords lay scattered on the ground, their sheer number surpassing Wang Qingshan's imagination.

With loud whooshing sounds, over a dozen flying swords rose from the nearby ground and aggressively slashed towards Wang Qingshan.

Wang Qingshan shrugged his shoulders. Five Jade Void Swords flew out, transforming into five streaks of green light to meet them.

*Clang, clang, clang!* The dozen-odd flying swords clashed with the five Jade Void Swords, yet remained perfectly intact.

Before long, over a dozen colorful flying swords flew from the distance and slashed towards Wang Qingshan. Wang Qingshan quickly summoned his Azure Glaze Sword to meet them.

Outside Sword Peak, the red-robed elder murmured to himself, "I wonder how long this young man will last. Senior Brother Ye stayed for ten years during his Core Formation stage and comprehended the Carefree Sword Intent."