Regarding Qin Xi's Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony, Dao Lord Zhenyang originally intended to make a grand spectacle of it, just like the ceremony for Dao Lord Xuanyin last time, but Qin Xi refused. He believed that since the Xuanqing Sect's prestige was growing daily while the Tiandao Sect was declining, if they still made a big show of it like before, it would seem somewhat overbearing and provoke resentment. It would be better to keep a lower profile.
After consideration, Dao Lord Zhenyang accepted. The Xuanqing Sect had never been a faction that flaunted its strength; it was better to remain modest and harmonious.
When Mo Tiange learned of his reasoning, she secretly found it amusing. What overbearing and provoking resentment—in the end, it was simply that he found it troublesome and didn't want to entertain others! However, this was for the best. When the time came, she would also have to go out and meet people, and she too dreaded the hassle.
Upon learning of her safe return, friends within the sect sent message talismans with their regards, among them Luo Fengxue, who paid a personal visit.
Having not returned for ten years, she heard much gossip from Luo Fengxue.
First was that Junior Brother Bai Yanfei. After marrying Senior Sister Wu, he discovered that although this Senior Sister Wu was gentle and honest, she had a stubborn temper and was always trying to control him, which annoyed him endlessly. To make matters worse, his master, Dao Lord Zhenyang, always took Senior Sister Wu's side, leaving him helpless.
Speaking of this matter, Luo Fengxue took great delight in his misfortune, mercilessly mocking this Junior Brother Bai for getting what he deserved.
As for that heartbroken Junior Sister Jiang, she had been doing extremely well these past few decades. Her aptitude wasn't bad to begin with, and after decades of dedicated cultivation, she actually managed to advance from the early Foundation Establishment stage all the way to the late stage in one go! Such speed was rare throughout the entire Tianji Region. If her cultivation continued smoothly, she might be able to form her Golden Core around the age of one hundred and fifty.
As for that Junior Brother Bai, he still hadn't reached Foundation Establishment perfection. Seeing the Junior Sister Jiang he once looked down upon catch up to him, one wondered if he regretted it now.
Regarding this matter, Luo Fengxue said, "In my opinion, it's fortunate Junior Sister Jiang didn't marry him; otherwise, she wouldn't have achieved what she has today. Senior Sister Wu is also a pity—now she spends every day managing his miscellaneous affairs, with hardly any time for cultivation. Sigh!"
Luo Fengxue was very popular among the female disciples. Since Senior Sister Wu had a gentle personality, it seemed she got along well with her too.
Setting this matter aside, several old friends were currently doing quite well.
During these ten years, Senior Brother Kuang Zhu from Lingyin Peak had already formed his Golden Core. Roughly calculating, it had been nearly seventy years since Mo Tiange first met him. Back then, he was already at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and his cultivation had always progressed smoothly. Forming his Core was only a matter of time.
Ye Jingwen, however, was more unfortunate, having attempted once but failing to form his Core. Still, he was still young, just over a hundred years old, so there was no need to rush at all.
Having not seen each other for ten years, Luo Fengxue talked for a long time before leaving, finally teasing her with congratulations: "Tian Ge, I haven't congratulated you yet. How does Dual Cultivation feel?"
Mo Tiange, embarrassed by her teasing, pretended to be angry: "I haven't settled accounts with you yet! What 'Senior Brother Qin'—you were in on deceiving me too!"
Hearing this, Luo Fengxue laughed heartily: "You assumed that yourself. At most, I just didn't clarify. It wasn't me who deceived you."
"Right! Knowing I was being deceived, you still kept it from me!" Mo Tiange huffed.
"Alright, alright!" Luo Fengxue laughed enough and came over to put an arm around her shoulder. "When Uncle-Master Shoujing brought you back, I knew your relationship must be special. But when it actually happened, I still found it unbelievable. You're really a lucky one!"
Mo Tiange also smiled: "Likewise, he's a lucky one too!"
Luo Fengxue was taken aback, then burst into laughter again, patting her shoulder. "Alright, since you're moving your cave abode, I won't trouble you further. I'll head back now. Remember to find me to chat when you have time."
"Mm." Mo Tiange stood up and saw her out.
After leaving her cave abode, Luo Fengxue flew into the air. Looking down, she happened to see Mo Tiange welcoming Qin Xi inside and couldn't help but sigh. It seemed Second Senior Sister would surely be heartbroken. However, recalling Tian Ge's words, "he's a lucky one too," she felt that, regardless of aptitude or status, this might be where Second Senior Sister fell short compared to Tian Ge.
As soon as Luo Fengxue left, Qin Xi arrived and immediately asked, "When are you moving?"
Hearing his eager tone, Mo Tiange laughed: "What's the rush? It's not like I'm not moving."
Qin Xi said without reservation, "I miss you."
Although they had long been intimate, hearing these words still made Mo Tiange blush slightly. "Alright, the Administration Hall has already taken care of things. I can leave right now."
Overjoyed, Qin Xi took her hand and started to leave. "Then let's go!"
"Hey!" Mo Tiange had no choice but to say, "There are other matters too!"
Qin Xi widened his eyes. "Didn't you say everything was settled? How can there still be matters?"
His suspicious expression clearly indicated he thought this was her excuse. Mo Tiange felt both exasperated and amused. "What's the rush to go back? Those matters will be handled by the Administration Hall. It's not dark yet, so it's a good time for us to go see Master!"
"Oh." Mentioning Daojun Jinghe, Qin Xi dropped his suspicious look and asked her, "What pills should we bring for Master?"
Mo Tiange thought for a moment. "Nine Revolutions Spirit-Heart Pill, Great Purity Golden Pill, Great Unity Meridian-Moistening Pill—these will do. Also, let's bring two Flowerless Golden Fruits."
"Flowerless Golden Fruits wither soon after being picked. Wouldn't that be hard to explain?"
Mo Tiange smiled. "What's hard to explain? You're already a Nascent Soul cultivator. Using some means to preserve them for half a year or a year shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Qin Xi thought about it and nodded. "That's true. If we envelop the Flowerless Golden Fruits with a large amount of Spiritual Qi and then seal them with special talismans, although they can't be preserved for long, half a year to a year is possible."
Once decided, the two entered the Void Heaven Realm to prepare. Inside the Void Heaven Realm were two Flowerless Golden Trees, one of which was currently fruiting. This item was only useful for cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage or above. Mo Tiange was still at the Core Formation stage, and Qin Xi had just reached the Nascent Soul stage, so they hadn't harvested any yet.
These two Flowerless Golden Trees were tens of thousands of years old. This was a type of spirit tree with a relatively long lifespan, fruiting once every hundred years, with only a few fruits each time. They carefully picked them, placed them in jade boxes, and Qin Xi spent some effort to seal in the Spiritual Qi.
Afterward, the two left the Void Heaven Realm and went together to Shangqing Palace.
Daojun Jinghe was still in the seclusion chamber, and this time, Dao Lord Zhenyang was also present.
Seeing them arrive, Dao Lord Zhenyang wore a kindly smile. "Shoujing, Qingwei, what brings you here?"
As the Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony hadn't been held yet, Qin Xi, like Tian Ge, still addressed him: "Uncle-Master Zhenyang."
"Good, good, no need for formalities." Their bows were only half-completed when Dao Lord Zhenyang raised them up. Qin Xi forming his Nascent Soul had brought the most joy to this Dao Lord Zhenyang.
Mo Tiange and Qin Xi stood up and also paid their respects to Daojun Jinghe. "Master."
Daojun Jinghe was in good spirits today and smiled. "Rise. I don't usually see the two of you so formal. Getting married really makes a difference."
Hearing his teasing, Mo Tiange felt reassured. It seemed Master was doing well today, even cracking jokes.
Before they arrived, the two Nascent Soul Dao Lords had been discussing something. After Mo Tiange and Qin Xi took their seats, it was Dao Lord Zhenyang who asked first: "Shoujing, Qingwei, do you two have business here?"
Qin Xi replied, "We came to see how Master is doing and to ask if there's anything we can help with."
"Oh, I see." Dao Lord Zhenyang nodded, quite pleased. "You are thoughtful. Your master's injuries won't endanger his life, so there's no need to worry about that."
"Yes." Qin Xi glanced at Daojun Jinghe and asked, "Uncle-Master Zhenyang, are there any pills that can treat Master's injuries?"
"There are a few types of pills, but the required spirit herbs are truly hard to find. Alas, these days, the mortal world has few heavenly treasures. We cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage and above can hardly get any pills. Over the past ten years, we've only managed to prepare a few healing pills."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a look.
Qin Xi took out two jade boxes from his Qiankun Bag and said to the two, "Master, Uncle-Master Zhenyang, during our trip to the Demon Mountain, Tian Ge and I can be said to have turned misfortune into blessing. We obtained some treasures there. Please see if they are useful for Master's injuries."
"Oh?" The two Dao Lords looked pleasantly surprised. They knew Qin Xi's judgment; if he called them treasures, they must be precious.
Dao Lord Zhenyang took them. Qin Xi explained beside him, "These are some pills. What we obtained were spirit herbs; those unsuitable for long storage were refined into pills. Here are three Flowerless Golden Fruits. Fortunately, I've already formed my Nascent Soul; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to bring them back."
"Flowerless Golden Fruits!" Both Dao Lords were startled and looked at each other. Dao Lord Zhenyang set the box of pills aside. Seeing the Spiritual Qi swirling over this jade box, he carefully peeled off the complex talisman on it.
When the box was opened, the two Dao Lords immediately drew a sharp breath.
Inside the jade box lay three golden fruits. Their skin was a flawless, pure gold. As soon as the lid was lifted, a sweet, grassy fragrance wafted out.
"Flowerless Golden Fruits..." Daojun Jinghe took a deep breath and murmured, "Indeed, these are Flowerless Golden Fruits. Judging by their quality, that Flowerless Golden Tree must be at least ten thousand years old, right?"
After all, Nascent Soul cultivators were Nascent Soul cultivators. With just one glance, he could estimate the age of these Flowerless Golden Fruits.
Dao Lord Zhenyang, however, stared for a long time before letting out a breath. He turned to ask Qin Xi, "Where is the Flowerless Golden Tree you discovered? Do you remember the location?"
Qin Xi shook his head. "After the anomaly at the Demon Mountain, everything changed. Tian Ge and I encountered it by chance while lost. The terrain was very peculiar. We went back to look for it afterward but couldn't find it no matter what."
A place like the Demon Mountain couldn't be judged by common sense. Qin Xi's casual lie wouldn't be exposed.
Dao Lord Zhenyang indeed didn't suspect, only sighing regretfully a couple of times.
Qin Xi asked again, "Uncle-Master Zhenyang, is this thing useful for Master's injuries?"
It was Daojun Jinghe who answered, smiling. "Of course it's useful. Flowerless Golden Fruits—cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage can't withstand their Spiritual Qi, but for Nascent Soul cultivators, one fruit is equivalent to several years of recuperation."
"That's right." Dao Lord Zhenyang looked at the three fruits, his gaze filled with reluctance. He too rarely saw such spirit objects. "With these three, your master's recovery time can be reduced by at least thirty years."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a glance, overjoyed.
"Uncle-Master Zhenyang, please also take a look at these pills. Are they useful for Master?"