Xie Linlang was somewhat dazed.
His Mustard Seed Realm was about to open?
Back then, when Xie Linlang sensed that the heavenly tribulation was imminent, his condition had been very poor. Because of Pei Ji, his mind had been filled with thoughts of giving up, and he couldn’t muster the will to fight against the heavenly tribulation at all.
He had faced the heavenly tribulation with the mindset of treating a win as a bonus and a loss as a chance to go to the underworld to find Pei Ji. Naturally, the heavenly tribulation had taught him a harsh lesson, striking him down until he perished body and soul.
Of course, before the heavenly tribulation struck him, Xie Linlang had known that his mentality was off, and his chances of surviving it were very low.
Thus, he had handed a portion of his pills to Jiuxia Mountain early on, repaying the sect for years of nurturing kindness. He had also placed a portion of his core, personal, and important possessions into the Mustard Seed Realm.
As a pill master, Xie Linlang sometimes refined pills that surpassed his current cultivation level, requiring rare heavenly treasures and exotic materials.
An ordinary Mustard Seed Realm couldn’t preserve the hidden properties and powerful forces within these spirit items, so Jiuxia Mountain had stepped in. They had given up significant benefits to exchange with major Immortal Sect Orthodox schools for an immortal-grade Mustard Seed Realm specifically for Xie Linlang.
And so, this Mustard Seed Realm was half Xie Linlang’s and half Jiuxia Mountain’s.
Thus, Xie Linlang had left behind a great deal of pill refining techniques and methods in the Mustard Seed Realm, repaying Jiuxia Mountain with a lineage of pill master inheritance.
But the immortal-grade Mustard Seed Realm had other wonderful uses: its creation core could automatically generate Creation Qi.
Comprehending Creation Qi could not only help a pill master grasp the path of endless creation, leading to more insights and progress in pill refining, but it could also assist Xie Linlang in cultivating the Treasure Tree Scripture.
Most importantly, Xie Linlang had left something extremely important in the Mustard Seed Realm.
At the time, he had felt he wouldn’t make it, so he had stuffed it in there as an opportunity for his juniors. But now that he was alive again, he naturally was determined to get his hands on that item.
“So that’s how it is. I want to participate.”
Xie Linlang immediately changed his mind, completely disregarding his earlier solemn vow not to join. He feigned confusion and asked, “Linlang Dao Lord fell only about a year ago. How did his Mustard Seed Realm come to light so quickly? For many mighty figures, after they perish body and soul, their Mustard Seed Realms turn into half-planes or small spaces that only those fated can enter. Why is Linlang Dao Lord’s Mustard Seed Realm…”
Le Qingping shook her head. “I’m not sure either. It’s news from Immortal Sect Orthodox’s Jiuxia Mountain anyway, and the Palace Lord confirmed it too, so it should be genuine.”
Xie Linlang asked, “Do you know the procedures and precautions for the Grand Pill Competition in the palace?”
Le Qingping perked up. “Since what Linlang Dao Lord left behind is a pill master inheritance, the cultivators participating in the selection emphasize talent and future potential. So this selection doesn’t consider cultivation level. It’s probably all stages of cultivators refining pills together, with high-rank cultivators judging comprehensively to select the disciples with the best skills, talent, and potential to go to the True Realm for the final selection.”
Xie Linlang said, “So I just need to compete with Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators?”
“That’s right.”
“Won’t that take someone else’s spot?”
Le Qingping: “…”
Heavens, the competition hadn’t even started, and Senior Xie here was already openly saying he could win? So confident!
But considering this senior was undergoing Reincarnation Recultivation, he really was a bit bullying.
Le Qingping pondered briefly before saying, “You compete first. If there are too many Foundation Establishment talents, I’ll find a way to speak to the martial uncles above and get them to increase the spots.”
Xie Linlang eyed Le Qingping meaningfully. “Senior Sister Le may lack cultivation, but she has considerable influence in the sect.”
Le Qingping was confident about this. “Exactly. My shizun is the Palace Lord’s confidante. Most palace cultivators give my shizun face.”
Xie Linlang paused, then immediately followed up. “Really? May I know your esteemed shizun’s name?”
Le Qingping hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “My shizun’s surname is Huang, known as Huang Zhenren. It’s said she brought her skills when joining Silent Night Palace, but with her high cultivation and close ties to the Palace Lord, she quickly became a palace higher-up. I don’t know her specific name.”
Xie Linlang frowned slightly. He racked his brains in recollection, and after a long while, he suddenly remembered a piece of gossip from long ago.
Back then, Silent Night Palace had destroyed Nine Spirits Sect, which was also an Immortal Sect Orthodox. Silent Night Palace’s arrogance naturally drew the ire of many True Realm cultivators, who organized a pursuit team led by them to hunt down the Silent Night Demon Lord.
In the end, the Silent Night Demon Lord had killed many of those cultivators instead, making his name resound and turning him into the demonic cultivator most hated by Immortal Sect cultivators.
Among that, someone had mentioned in passing that Dream Flower Immortal Sect’s Yao Huang Fairy had been abducted by the Silent Night Demon Lord and later seemed to have turned to the demonic path.
Dream Flower Immortal Sect had been furious and enlisted Tian Mei Ge’s Ruyue Venerable to assassinate the Silent Night Demon Lord.
Yet no one expected that after Ruyue Venerable toured the True Realm without taking down the Silent Night Demon Lord, he had instead exposed Tian Ling Sect’s direct lineage disciple for secretly imprisoning young men and women as Human Cauldrons.
Since the Immortal Sects’ pursuit of the Silent Night Demon Lord stemmed from Nine Spirits Sect’s destruction, Xie Linlang had paid some attention for a while.
After Nine Spirits Sect fell, he had visited the ruins. He found nothing, let alone any traces of Pei Ji, so he had stayed silently for a day before turning back to Jiuxia Mountain to continue secluded pill refining.
Of course, now Xie Linlang knew that Nine Spirits Sect’s sect grounds had been blasted into chaotic void by the Silent Night Demon Lord’s great magic, so it was naturally impossible to find any clues at the original site.
Le Qingping probed, “Did Senior think of something?”
