Chapter 876: Closed Cultivation

A few months later, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan returned to Silver Serpent Island, where Fairy Ziyue and Wang Qingshan had also returned.

Seeing Wang Qingshan return safely, Wang Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely worried that Wang Qingshan might have perished in the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Fairy Ziyue got down to business. "Senior Brother Wang," she said, "I've acquired a bottle of fourth-tier spiritual water, which you might find useful."

With a flip of her delicate hand, a white porcelain bottle appeared in her palm.

Wang Changsheng took the bottle. As he pulled out the stopper, a bone-chilling cold surged out. The temperature in the room plummeted instantly, making Wang Changsheng feel as if he were in an ice cellar.

He quickly re-sealed the bottle and thanked her, saying, "Thank you very much, Junior Sister Tian. Here's a piece of three-thousand-year-old Azure Spirit Wood for you. Your artifact forging skills are excellent; you can use it to craft a flying artifact!"

Wang Changsheng took out a piece of emerald-green spirit wood and handed it to Fairy Ziyue. This Azure Spirit Wood had been acquired from the cultivation cave of a Nascent Soul barbarian. Wang Changsheng kept half for himself and gave the other half to Fairy Ziyue; it was more than enough to craft a flying artifact.

The items they obtained in the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda were all suitable for their needs. They had a family to consider, not just themselves.

Fairy Ziyue accepted the Azure Spirit Wood without ceremony. After a few more casual remarks, she took her leave.

She intended to enter secluded cultivation to attempt breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. All matters concerning the Cloud Sea Sect would be handled by Wang Qingjing, as Fairy Ziyue was determined to focus solely on her Nascent Soul breakthrough.

"Ninth Uncle, I obtained a drop of heavy water, which you might find useful."

Wang Qingshan took out a black gourd that felt as heavy as ten thousand catties and handed it to Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng nodded with satisfaction. This showed that Wang Qingshan understood gratitude.

"Qingshan, we acquired a set of second-tier flying sword artifacts. With your current cultivation level, they would be difficult to wield. It will be better once you advance to the seventh layer of the Core Formation stage."

Wang Ruyan took out the set of second-tier flying swords and pushed them towards Wang Qingshan.

"A complete set of second-tier flying swords!"

Wang Qingshan's gaze swept over them, and his eyes grew fervent. With this set of artifacts, he would have a much greater chance in his sparring match with Zhou Yunxiao. The only slight issue was that his divine sense might not be strong enough.

"Thank you, Ninth Uncle and Ninth Aunt. Oh, and I ran into Zhou Yunxiao from the Great Yan Dynasty and arranged to spar with him in ten years."

Wang Qingshan briefly recounted his encounter with Zhou Yunxiao, as it wasn't a secret.

Wang Changsheng pondered for a moment, then said, "Qingshan, wait here for a moment. I'll go get something."

He stood up and left, returning shortly after carrying a cyan jade box. Inside was a True Soul Fruit.

During their trip to the ruins of Zhenhai Sect, Wang Changsheng had obtained five True Soul Fruits. He and Wang Ruyan had consumed one, leaving three. These were originally intended for alchemy, as refining them into pills would yield better effects. However, since Wang Qingshan was going to spar with Zhou Yunxiao, and his divine sense might not be sufficient to wield a set of second-tier flying swords, consuming a True Soul Fruit should enable him to do so.

"Qingshan, take this True Soul Fruit and consume it. If you advance to the seventh layer of the Core Formation stage, you should be able to wield that set of second-tier flying swords."

"A True Soul Fruit! Thank you, Ninth Uncle."

A flicker of surprise crossed Wang Qingshan's eyes, and he spoke with some excitement.

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and said, "We're family, there's no need to be polite. Since you're going to spar, cultivate diligently! Strive to raise your cultivation to the seventh layer of the Core Formation stage."

"Qingshan, while victory and defeat are important, your own safety is even more crucial. We don't know when we'll emerge from our seclusion, so you must be careful."

Wang Ruyan earnestly exhorted him, as they themselves didn't know how long their seclusion would last.

Wang Qingshan agreed repeatedly. After a few more casual remarks, he took his leave.

Nangong Miao had given them two sets of Nascent Soul-forming spiritual materials. Previously, they had obtained the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus along with a Creation Pill. There were many lotus seeds from the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus, which both of them could consume. All in all, Wang Changsheng had three sets of Nascent Soul-forming spiritual materials, and Wang Ruyan had two. With the addition of the Jade Buddha Pendant, a spiritual treasure, Wang Changsheng had a relatively high chance of forming a Nascent Soul. Unfortunately, the Jade Buddha Pendant could only be used by one person.

With so many Nascent Soul-forming spiritual materials on hand, they no longer planned to wander about. They decided to cultivate in peace.

Wang Changsheng took out his communication disk, gave Wang Qiuhong a few instructions, then entered secluded cultivation with Wang Ruyan.

Eastern Barrens, Profound Water Palace.

In the Divine Water Hall, Chen Tianhe sat on the main seat. Wang Rongmiao stood to the side, looking nervous, within a silver formation whose runes flickered unsteadily. This was a Spirit Sensing Formation, specifically designed for lie detection; unless a specific treasure was present, the formation could detect lies.

In the secret realm, Wang Ruyan had given Wang Rongmiao a batch of Fire Crow corpses. Wang Rongmiao sold these corpses, gaining a substantial amount of spirit stones, which he used to purchase cultivation resources. He had now cultivated to the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage and could attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage.

Wang Rongmiao had joined the Profound Water Palace using a Profound Water Token. He was already at the Foundation Establishment stage upon entry, and his sense of belonging to the Profound Water Palace was not strong.

To be honest, had the Profound Water Palace not lost four Core Formation cultivators and a large number of elite disciples, Chen Tianhe would not have intended to help Wang Rongmiao form his Core.

In terms of cultivation, Wang Rongmiao was qualified. In terms of contributions, he had diligently performed tasks over the years. In terms of character, he had no discernible flaws. The biggest issue was his origins.

According to sect regulations, anyone holding a Profound Water Token could join the Profound Water Palace. It was precisely because of this rule that high-tier cultivators had been willing to assist the Profound Water Palace during several crises. Chen Tianhe would not violate this regulation. However, he also couldn't simply ignore the situation, as Wang Rongmiao had joined the Profound Water Palace midway through his cultivation journey.

He had sent people to investigate Wang Rongmiao. Wang Rongmiao was a reclusive person with few friends, a diligent cultivator, and a "task fanatic."

Chen Tianhe asked in a deep voice, "Junior Nephew Wang, you are not a native of our Xi Kingdom. Furthermore, you joined our Profound Water Palace midway through your cultivation. This old man must inquire: Are you not a spy from another sect? Or have you done something unsavory and come to our Profound Water Palace for refuge?"

"Replying to Senior Uncle Chen," Wang Rongmiao said without servility or arrogance, "this disciple is not a spy, nor have I done anything unsavory."

The Spirit Sensing Formation showed no anomalies, indicating that Wang Rongmiao was not lying.

"After forming your Core, will you stay in our Profound Water Palace for life?"

Wang Rongmiao showed hesitation on his face, unsure how to answer this question. The Profound Water Palace was the foremost sect in Xi Kingdom, but he had met Wang Ruyan in the secret realm and learned that his family's development in the South Sea was also quite good. With Wang Ruyan and other ancestors alive, Wang Rongmiao dared not, nor would he, leave his family.

"Never mind, this old man understands," Chen Tianhe waved his hand and instructed, "Go to the General Affairs Hall, collect a sum of cultivation resources, and leave the Profound Water Palace! Let's part ways amicably." He had discerned that Wang Rongmiao intended to use the Profound Water Palace's resources to advance to the Core Formation stage, and after forming his Core, he might leave. In that case, there was no need for the Profound Water Palace to nurture him.

Wang Rongmiao sighed deeply. He knelt down, kowtowed three times to Chen Tianhe, and turned to leave.

An hour later, Wang Rongmiao flew out of the Profound Water Palace's mountain gate and disappeared into the horizon.