CHAPTER 1154: CHAPTER 623: SECRETS_2

Initially, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect was an affiliated force of Luanyang Palace, and joining the Ten Thousand Beast Sect was gender-neutral for cultivators.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect, over ten thousand years ago, seized an opportunity to come to the Dongqi Continent and became a major sect there, occupying a large area of the continent, with substantial support from Luanyang Palace.

Today, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect is no longer an affiliated force of Luanyang Palace, yet the relationship between the two remains very close, having originated from the same source. The sect occasionally needs care from Luanyang Palace, while the palace requires the sect to recruit highly gifted female cultivators from the Dongqi Continent for the palace.

"Your disciple here, with the aura of the ’Yuqing Thunder Scripture’ all over, is likely going to find it difficult to venture out in the future!" Master Li shifted the topic back to Li Shiming.

Li Shiming did not know that his master, Grandmaster Hu, had a guest, so he displayed the aura of a Thunder Cultivator.

This was also the aura he normally displayed; the cultivation technique ’Sky-Surging Sword Intent Technique’, was unknown even to his master Grandmaster Hu.

"Shizhen has some personal fortunes, having acquired the inheritance of the ’Yuqing Thunder Scripture,’ and practiced it before joining under my tutelage. Before, the Yuqing Sect rarely acted on the Dongqi Continent, so it was fine. I’ve already warned him about it, advising him to stay within the sect from now on!" Grandmaster Hu explained with a smile.

"As his master, you don’t even try to think of some way to help your disciple!" Master Li shook her head and said, casually pulling out a Jade Talisman and handing it to Li Shiming: "This is the ’Hidden Phoenix Jade Talisman,’ carry it with you to hide specific auras!"

"Thank you, Junior Master Li!" Li Shiming was rather surprised at Master Li’s generosity.

He had already received a meeting gift before, although it was given to Little Feng, Little Feng was his spiritual pet, so it was essentially given to him.

Now, Master Li took out this ’Hidden Phoenix Jade Talisman,’ which was truly for him.

The ’Hidden Phoenix Jade Talisman’ was carved from top-grade fourth-grade jade, and Li Shiming couldn’t discern the craftsmanship, suspecting it was made using some secret technique.

This almost qualifies as a top-grade fourth-grade spiritual object, though not a magical treasure, it possesses a unique effect.

"Senior Sister Li, it seems Shizhen will need to prepare more fourth-grade spiritual tea for you!" Grandmaster Hu glanced at the ’Hidden Phoenix Jade Talisman’ and joked.

"I do like Shizhen, this kid!" Master Li laughed lightly.

Since Master Li resides in the Four Symbols Cave Heaven, the most secretive place of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, the majority of the sect’s cultivators are unaware that the sect has gained an additional great cultivator.

Even though Li Shiming had the ’Hidden Phoenix Jade Talisman,’ he did not leave the sect to venture out.

Speaking of the ’Hidden Phoenix Jade Talisman,’ its effect of concealing auras is very formidable; not only can it hide auras, but it can also conceal any one or several specific auras on him.

This allows him to use five Nascent Souls simultaneously without worrying about exposing too many auras for other cultivators to notice the existence of five Nascent Souls.

His days of peace didn’t last long before the Four Major Sects finally clashed with the Yuqing Sect.

The conflict stemmed from the Yuqing Sect’s expansion from the Da Yue Mountain Range, infringing on the interests of the Four Major Sects.

It’s important to know that after more than ten thousand years of development, the resource allocation on the Dongqi Continent has long been fixed; even controversial resources are matters among the Four Major Sects.

The Four Major Sects used controversial resources as a reason to mobilize cultivators to fight, thus honing their disciples.

By seizing controversial resources, the Yuqing Sect touched the core interests of the Four Major Sects.

With the Four Major Sects united, they launched battles against the Yuqing Sect across various locations.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect also issued mandatory battle assignments to all Nascent Soul cultivators, with no exceptions for any Nascent Soul cultivator. This was a battle for survival, not a common conflict.

Li Shiming, an Alchemy Master, also received a mandatory battle assignment.

His assignment took into account his identity as an Alchemy Master, requiring him to go to a resource point and guard it.

He checked the location of the resource point, far from the Da Yue Mountain Range, seemingly expecting that battles wouldn’t easily reach there.

After saying goodbye to Grandmaster Hu, he flew towards his assigned target.

Upon leaving the mountain gate, he could feel the tense atmosphere there; the sect formation was fully activated, and the cultivators within the mountain gate appeared quite hurried.

Xuanxi Mountain Range, where the Ten Thousand Beast Sect has a resource point for cultivating third and fourth-grade resources.

Here, not only are there multiple Nascent Soul Level spirit veins, but the unique natural environment also possesses lots of land with innate spirit soil.

When Li Shiming arrived there, he took out his identity jade disc and activated the formation to enter the resource point.

"Master Li, I’ve been waiting for you!" A slightly chubby Nascent Soul Early Stage practitioner welcomed him with a smile.

"Brother Kang, sorry for the trouble!" Li Shiming replied with a smile.

He hadn’t interacted with Brother Kang Yuan before, mainly because Brother Kang Yuan had been stationed in the Xuanxi Mountain Range for a long time and rarely returned to the sect.

Moreover, his joining the Ten Thousand Beast Sect was relatively recent, for Nascent Soul cultivators accustomed to counting time by years, his joining time was merely the duration of one closed-door cultivation session.

It was not surprising that Kang Yuan knew Li Shiming, though Li Shiming had joined the Ten Thousand Beast Sect recently, his reputation was truly immense, being hailed as the Dongqi Continent’s top Alchemy Master, which was reason enough for any Nascent Soul cultivator to pay attention to him.

Upon hearing that Li Shiming, the Alchemy Master, was coming, Kang Yuan had been waiting; he knew very well the benefits of getting acquainted with Li Shiming, the Alchemy Master.

Beforehand, he wanted to make connections but had no way to do so; now, Li Shiming was stationed with him, and if he missed the chance, he’d be a fool.

"Master Li, please don’t call me Brother Kang, just use my name, Kang Yuan. Calling me Senior Brother is undeserved!" Kang Yuan hastily said upon hearing Li Shiming call him Senior Brother.

By time spent in the sect, Kang Yuan was naturally a Senior Brother.

However, when has the cultivation world ever ranked based on time spent in a sect? The cultivation world always respects strength as the hierarchy.

Kang Yuan has cultivated for hundreds of years, barely reaching half the Nascent Soul Early Stage, while Li Shiming’s level was nearing the Nascent Soul Early Stage Peak, making it hard for him to bear.

"Then I won’t stand on ceremony, and you shouldn’t call me Master, just call me Shizhen!" Li Shiming responded with a smile.

As they executed the mission together, unaware of how long they’d be working together, there was indeed no need to be overly formal with one another.

"Haha, then I’ll call you Shizhen!" Kang Yuan agreed with a laugh.

"Are you stationed here alone?" Li Shiming asked curiously, having not sensed the auras of other cultivators.

According to the information from the sect, the Xuanxi Mountain Range was a resource point for cultivating third and fourth-grade resources, an important location, how come only Kang Yuan was stationed here.

He didn’t underestimate Kang Yuan, but Kang Yuan was merely a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator, typically, such a resource point requires at least a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator to guard it.

If there wasn’t a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator, there should have been several Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivators stationed together.

"The resources from this point only mature once every few hundred years, so it doesn’t need much overseeing. Additionally, it is close to two other resource points where stationed cultivators can support us at any time, so only one person is stationed here." Kang Yuan explained with a smile.

He welcomed Li Shiming into the formation, and Li Shiming saw the cultivated spiritual medicine, indeed all long-term planted spiritual medicine, and in such a special environment, it didn’t require special care.

Kang Yuan led Li Shiming to the dwelling in the center of the stationed area, where Li Shiming noticed it was perfectly positioned at the core of multiple Nascent Soul Level spirit veins, having pulled spiritual energy through the formation into that central dwelling, making the spiritual energy there quite dense.

Of course, the density of spiritual energy is relative; compared to the Nascent Soul Cave Mansions within the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, it falls short, but for a dwelling in the wild, it is considered quite superior.