Half an hour later, the Qiankun Bag that had just been sent out not long ago was back in her hands. Mo Tiange pointed at the Qiankun Bag Dao Lord Hua Yan had placed on the table. "Senior Brother Hua Yan, why did you bring it back?"
Dao Lord Hua Yan asked, "Qingwei, are you truly giving these things to the sect?"
Mo Tiange nodded. "How could it be false?"
Dao Lord Hua Yan said, "Do you know the value of these items?"
"Naturally I know. The pills inside were all personally refined by Senior Brother Shoujing and myself."
"I understand what you mean by that." Dao Lord Hua Yan collected the Qiankun Bag again. "These things are too important for the sect. I must make another trip to Kunzhong City."
Mo Tiange understood. "Senior Brother, go ahead. With us here, the sect will be fine." She then retrieved a wooden box from a hidden compartment in the desk. "Senior Brother Hua Yan, here are some more valuable pills and spiritual herbs. It wouldn't be appropriate to give them directly to Fengxue. Take them with you and ask Senior Brother Zhenyang how to handle them, or you can just divide them among yourselves."
The Supreme Purity Golden Elixir and the Nine Revolutions Return to Yang Pill were already in that Qiankun Bag. Dao Lord Hua Yan truly couldn't imagine what pills could be more valuable. Seeing Mo Tiange push the wooden box over and gesture for him to open it, he didn't refuse. The box still contained jade bottles and jade cases, with more cases this time—about twenty or so—and only four or five jade bottles.
Dao Lord Hua Yan's gaze immediately fell upon the words "Hundred-Fruit Fruit, Ten-Thousand Year" written on the topmost jade case, and his expression instantly turned solemn.
"The earlier ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs were all common varieties. These are the rare ones," he heard Mo Tiange explain.
Dao Lord Hua Yan nodded slightly. Instead of opening it for a detailed look, he focused on the jade bottles. Picking one up, he pulled out the stopper. A faint, lingering fragrance slowly wafted out.
"This is..." Upon smelling this fragrance, Dao Lord Hua Yan was stunned for a moment, then grew excited. "Could it be... the Longevity Pill?"
The Longevity Pill was extremely precious because it contained one incredibly rare spiritual herb that often appeared only once every hundred years. Once it appeared, it would cause a frenzy of competition. And those who managed to obtain the herb wouldn't necessarily go on to refine the Longevity Pill. Thus, the Longevity Pill rarely appeared in the world; it was something one could only encounter by chance, not seek out.
Mo Tiange was surprised. "Senior Brother knows of it? Have you taken a Longevity Pill before?"
Dao Lord Hua Yan shook his head. "When I was forming my Core, I was fortunate enough to witness an auction for a Longevity Pill. Unfortunately, my financial resources weren't sufficient at the time, and I watched helplessly as it fell into someone else's hands. Later, after I luckily formed my Nascent Soul, I never saw one again." He looked at Mo Tiange. "Qingwei, to be honest with you, I urgently need this pill, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. When I return from Kunzhong City, I will ensure you don't suffer a loss."
Mo Tiange waved her hand. "Senior Brother Hua Yan, now is the time for the sect to face difficulties together. What does personal gain matter? Senior Brother should be able to see that we lack nothing. As for repayment, even if you brought mountains of treasures, we wouldn't have much use for them. It would be more practical for you to advance to the mid-stage."
Advancing to the mid-stage would enhance the sect's strength and increase their chances of surviving this tribulation. Dao Lord Hua Yan understood her meaning. After thinking it over, he found it reasonable and said, "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony." He stored the wooden box, said no more, returned to the main peak to give some instructions, and then set off once more for Kunzhong City.
Watching Dao Lord Hua Yan leave, Mo Tiange thought to herself that it seemed they needed to quickly establish a teleportation formation between Taikang Mountain and Kunzhong City. Running back and forth like this was too troublesome.
Thinking of it, she acted. She returned to her cave abode, summoned Shui Linbo, and instructed her to find suitable candidates to learn the teleportation formation.
Shui Linbo had always been efficient. She immediately went to the main peak's Sect Leader's Hall, informed Luo Fengxue of the matter, and then, accompanied by Luo Fengxue, gathered all the formation masters remaining in the sect. In the end, two were selected.
Upon learning they were going to study formations under Dao Lord Qingwei, the two were extremely excited. Everyone in the Xuanqing Sect knew that among the several Dao Lords, Zhenyang excelled at artifact forging, Shoujing at alchemy, Hua Yan at talisman making, and Qingwei at formations. Compared to the other three auxiliary arts, formations had the fewest learners, and true formation masters were even rarer. This was largely because the other three arts were closely related to cultivation and combat, while formations had no direct connection. Usually, buying one or two sets was enough; there was no need to learn it oneself. This situation resulted in most formation masters being self-taught and more reliant on talent. Now, having this opportunity to seek guidance on formations from Dao Lord Qingwei, how could they not be excited?
Shui Linbo brought these two disciples back to the Jiyuan Valley cave abode that very day.
Descending from the mechanical eagle, seeing the strangely beautiful scenery of Jiyuan Valley with no visible restrictions, the two disciples found it odd. Had Dao Lord Qingwei not set up any defensive formations around her cave abode? Just as they were thinking this, they suddenly felt a slight fluctuation of spiritual energy. A fierce bird in the sky cawed "ya ya" but was ultimately unable to fly down. Only then did they realize formations did exist; it was just that their cultivation level prevented them from perceiving them.
Discovering this, they felt both respect and awe. So Dao Lord Qingwei's mastery of formations had already reached a realm where they seemed to exist and yet not exist.
Led by Shui Linbo, the two disciples passed through winding stone paths and arrived at the cave abode's main hall.
"Aunt, Master, I've brought them."
Mo Tiange was exchanging insights on cultivation techniques with Qin Xi. Hearing the voice, she looked up.
The two disciples brought by Shui Linbo were both at the Foundation Establishment realm—one male, one female. The male had a middle-aged appearance and a steady demeanor. The female looked to be in her late teens, and her actual age probably wasn't much greater.
Seeing them, the two disciples hurriedly paid their respects. "Disciple Yi Wen (Xi Su) pays respects to Ancestor Shoujing, Ancestor Qingwei."
"Yi Wen, Xi Su..." Mo Tiange repeated their names and smiled. "Your names are quite fitting for numerology. Interesting."
Faced with the teasing of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord, neither knew how to respond. Just then, Qin Xi stood up. "I'm going to cultivate. If there's anything, you can instruct Linbo to handle it. There's already a lot going on; don't always do everything yourself."
"They're just minor matters. If I ask Linbo to handle everything, she's only one person. How could she manage it all?"
"Then find a few more people." Qin Xi turned and instructed, "Linbo, later go to Fengxue and ask for a few people to come help."
Shui Linbo acknowledged, "Yes."
After a moment's thought, he added, "Where is Zhenji? Have him come see me as well."
"Zhenji went to the Martial Arts Hall. This disciple will go call him back immediately."
Qin Xi gave an "Mm" and waved his hand, entering the cultivation chamber.
"Follow me," Mo Tiange said to them, rising and walking towards another stone path. Yi Wen and Xi Su hurriedly followed.
The stone path was broad and ordinary, but the two disciples grew more and more apprehensive as they walked. There were clearly extremely profound restrictions here. Although they could sense the presence of the restrictions, they couldn't discern what type they were, let alone perceive the changes of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements within.
Reaching the end of one stone path, Mo Tiange stopped, formed hand seals with both hands, opened a stone door, and walked in. The two disciples quickly followed.
This stone chamber was small and simple. It contained no tables, chairs, beds, or cabinets. Instead, rows of niches were carved into the stone walls, holding various books, jade slips, formation plates, and formation flags. The floor was haphazardly piled with all sorts of materials, leaving almost no place to stand.
Mo Tiange sat down on a slightly higher stone slab in the center. "Sit."
The two disciples carefully moved the items at their feet aside and knelt to sit on a lower spot.
"First, tell me about your situations." She reached out, summoned a book, and began flipping through it as she asked.
Yi Wen replied first. "Reporting to Ancestor Qingwei, this disciple belongs to Lingyin Peak. I entered the sect as a child, but my aptitude was ordinary, so I switched to studying formations very early on."
Xi Su reported, "This disciple belongs to Liuyun Peak. I also entered the sect as a child and specialized in formations from the start."
Mo Tiange nodded. "I'll ask you a few questions. Answer according to your own understanding."
"Yes." The two knew this was to test their knowledge of formations.
Mo Tiange posed three questions. The two disciples pondered for a long time and answered them one by one. After finishing, they looked at her nervously.
"Your foundations are fairly solid," Mo Tiange said, handing them the book in her hand. "There's a Sea-Burning Sun-Shattering Formation here. I'll give you three days to devise a method to break it. If you pass, I will accept you as nominal disciples and teach you all my insights on formations. If you don't pass, you can still learn formations from me, but only the teleportation formation."
The two were both shocked and delighted. Xi Su hurriedly said, "Ancestor, methods for breaking formations... relying solely on imagination isn't very accurate..."
"You may freely use anything here," she said, standing up and walking out. "I'll come check in three days."
The two stood up to see her off. "Yes, disciples obey."
Returning to the main hall, she heard Qin Xi lecturing Ye Zhenji. "It's been some time since you reached Foundation Establishment perfection. Instead of thinking about Core Formation, you spend every day hanging around the Martial Arts Hall. You need to understand that while combat techniques are important, cultivation level is the foundation. No matter how powerful a Foundation Establishment cultivator is, they can't match a casual strike from a Core Formation cultivator. Starting today, don't go out anymore. Stay in the valley and properly contemplate your cultivation techniques. When the time is ripe, go into seclusion for Core Formation. At your age, your aunt was already in seclusion for Nascent Soul formation. Although your master was somewhat lacking, I had reached Core Formation perfection. As our disciple, how can you be so lax?"
Ye Zhenji said aggrievedly, "Master, you and Aunt are geniuses rarely seen in Tianji in a thousand years. How can I compare?"
"Just because you can't compare, does that mean you won't cultivate anymore? Hua Ling is probably preparing for Core Formation too, right? Do you want to lose to him?"
"I... I understand."
The stone door opened. Ye Zhenji came out and, seeing her there, showed a pleased expression. "Aunt, you're here."
Mo Tiange looked at him without speaking.
Ye Zhenji was puzzled. "Aunt?"
After watching him for a moment, Mo Tiange said, "Zhenji, I know you lack confidence in yourself, which is why you want to accumulate more before forming your Core. But we don't have time now. You must form your Core as soon as possible."
"Aunt, has something happened?"
Mo Tiange shook her head. "You'll find out sooner or later. Go cultivate."
"Oh." Ye Zhenji obediently didn't ask further and left alone.
Not long after, Shui Linbo returned. Seeing her sitting there, she came over to report. "Aunt, the Sect Leader said she will send people over tomorrow or the day after."
Mo Tiange nodded. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "Linbo, you've gone through so much trouble. Are you satisfied with a life like this?"
Shui Linbo froze, staring at her blankly.