Chapter 172: Chapter 61: The Gathering’s New and Old Friends

A thirty percent success rate was, at best, a form of consolation.

Regarding the advancement of Artifact Cultivators from the Second to the Third Realm, Wang Ping had once read an ancient text that described it like this: Their advancement is like a joke played by the Celestial Dao, with success or failure being entirely a matter of luck.

Wang Ping felt this was the most direct description of an Artifact Cultivator’s advancement. The sentence sounded lighthearted, almost as if it were a joke from the book’s author, but in practice, it represented the cruel reality that Artifact Cultivators had to face.

Zuo Xuan had come to Qianmu Temple to find Wang Ping for two reasons. One was to ask him to act as her Guardian during her advancement, and the other was to pledge her allegiance to him—but that would have to wait until after she succeeded.

As such, Wang Ping would certainly treat the matter with the utmost seriousness.

"When will you begin your advancement?" Wang Ping asked.

"I’ll need at least twenty years of Pure Cultivation."

"I see. The mountain peak you’ve taken a liking to actually has a large Array on it. It’s part of our sect’s overall Spirit Gathering Array. What’s more, it can be improved. When you’re ready to advance, I can temporarily reconfigure the Array on that peak to serve as the core of the entire formation."

"How can it be improved?" Zuo Xuan was, as expected, very interested.

"The core of the Array needs to be replaced with Celestial and Earthly Treasures of the Taiyin Attribute. There are five spots that need replacing, but I’ve only ever changed one, since a Taiyin Formation isn’t very useful for Qianmu Temple."

"Is that all? Alright. Make a list of the Celestial and Earthly Treasures you need. A single Taiyin-Attribute Celestial and Earthly Treasure costs no more than five or six hundred thousand taels of silver." Zuo Xuan let out a sigh of relief. Her workshops in Jinhuai Prefecture raked in money hand over fist, so for her, wealth was the simplest requirement to fulfill.

She settled in just like that, even planning to spend over three million taels of silver to reconstruct the mountain. For this reason, Wang Ping specially gave the unnamed peak a name: Dongshui Mountain. He chose it because just as he was thinking of a name, he happened to see Yu Lian playing in the water again, and it was currently winter.

...

「Sanhe Prefecture.」

After bidding farewell to Yu Lian, Wang Ping and Yu Cheng Taoist arrived high above the crisscrossing waterways of Sanhe Prefecture. Passing through a damp, subterranean cavern, they once again saw the cavern square, illuminated by a single ray of sunlight.

Guangxuan, dressed in a simple blue Daoist Robe, had been waiting for some time. After the three exchanged greetings, Wenyang Taoist flew out from another cavern. He wore a shabby, gray Daoist Robe and the plain cap of a traveling Taoist on his head.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on your advancement to the Second Realm." Wenyang first looked at Wang Ping and said, "The world has been at peace for the last century, so it will likely be some time before I can deliver the Fire Spirit Vein I promised you."

"I’m not in a hurry."

Wang Ping replied politely.

As the three were greeting each other, Yuan Zheng Taoist flew in, riding a massive Pill Furnace. After landing, he had intended to greet Yu Cheng Taoist first, but his gaze inadvertently swept over Wang Ping, and he remarked with some surprise, "You’ve progressed quite quickly."

Before Wang Ping could answer, Wenyang looked at Yuan Zheng and asked, "I heard there was an accident with your advancement?"

"I failed to nurture the Celestial Fire, but it’s no big deal. I can take my time," Yuan Zheng said nonchalantly. "You all have made quite a bit of money these past few decades. I’ll have to borrow some from you later."

"You’re short on money?" Yu Cheng Taoist asked, confused.

"I nearly bankrupted myself trying to nurture this Celestial Fire, and I still failed in the end." Yuan Zheng Taoist sighed. "I was too hasty. I consumed too many Spirit Pills, causing too much pill poison to accumulate in my body. I couldn’t muster that final mouthful of Spiritual Qi."

"I’ve told you before, you need to change your temperament," Wenyang said, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Wang Ping recalled Yuan Zheng’s impetuous way of doing things. Then, some long-buried memories surfaced involuntarily, causing him to fall silent.

Shortly after, Li Xingwen and Elder Wu arrived together. Wang Ping quickly bowed in respect to Elder Wu and said, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist."

"Haha, speaking of which, I have you to thank. If not for that favor from Xuanhe last time, my advancement would have been a close call. Oh, right, I haven’t had a chance to tell you, Xuanhe isn’t coming back. He’s established a new Dao Field overseas." Elder Wu chuckled and clasped his hands toward Wang Ping. "His apprentice is back, though. I hear he was expelled from the sect by Xuanhe."

"I’ve already met Wenhai. He’s working under Zi Luan now."

"Daoist Zi Luan... a deeply calculating man. Be extra careful when you work with him," Li Xingwen warned. "He schemes about everything. It’s become a twisted habit of his, a subconscious one."

Elder Wu wanted to retort to Li Xingwen, but remembering he had already advanced to the Second Realm, he softened his tone and said, "It might be a way for him to hold on to his humanity. An old monster who was active even during the previous dynasty is bound to be a little twisted in the head."

"What old monster? Are we going to hunt down some great demon?"

Le Yuan, clad in a Daoist Robe, landed in the square. His hair was tied up in a Taoist topknot. After landing, he looked at everyone present and said, "The Saint is merciful. Who are you all planning to send to their final rest?"

"We’re not sending anyone to their final rest!" Yuan Zheng looked Le Yuan up and down. "Dressed like that, are you planning to convert to our Taoist Sect?"

"Is there any difference between the Buddhist Sect and the Taoist Sect?"

Le Yuan smiled and retorted, "During the previous dynasty, most cultivators from the Buddhist Sect dressed like this as well. In this dynasty, the True Yang Sect simply got a head start, so we have no choice but to shave our heads and take vows. However, after shaving our heads and taking vows, our cultivation speed has actually increased quite a bit. For that, we have the True Yang Sect to thank."

With that, he bowed to Wenyang. Then he looked at Guangxuan and said, "Fellow Daoist Shangliang has fallen into a deep slumber. There’s no telling when he’ll wake, and he left no successor behind."

Hearing this, Guangxuan gravely took out a green bamboo slip and recorded the matter. From now on, their small gathering was short one more member.

Wang Ping recalled Yu Cheng Taoist telling him about Shangliang Daoist. He was a Cultivator from the Taiyin Pure Cultivation Sect who had reached the Second Realm long ago. This slumber was likely because he had reached the end of his lifespan and was making a final, desperate attempt.

"That old codger still owes me one hundred thousand taels of silver!"

A boisterous voice echoed from a nearby cavern. A moment later, a man with a foot-long, handsome beard and dressed in the gray-blue robes of a Scholar landed in the square. He exuded the strong air of a Jianghu Traveler, yet also possessed a heroic and magnanimous bearing.

As Wang Ping sized him up, he recalled the man’s profile from his memory: Yang Tian, of the Zhongyong Marquis Mansion in Shangjing. The Zhongyong Marquis was a founding hero of the Xia Dynasty, and his title was hereditary. Although the house had declined, it was still incredibly easy for them to secure a position as a Court Official, and if necessary, they could even gain a direct audience with the emperor.

A few days ago, when Yu Cheng Taoist had introduced the other members of the gathering to Wang Ping, Wang Ping had marveled at the grand scale of the Qianmu Temple’s founder’s vision. The network he had assembled had roped in most of the major powers in Zhongzhou. It was just a shame that after several hundred years, it had somewhat declined.

"Yang Tian, you old rogue, you’re not dead yet?"

It was Yuan Zheng’s voice. He walked up, looking Yang Tian up and down before laughing, "You’re not dead now, but you will be soon. Are you here to see us one last time?"

Yang Tian let out a loud laugh and looked at Yuan Zheng. "You brat. Last time I heard from Ziyu that you were trying to advance to the Third Realm, I said you were overreaching. Looks like you got pushed back out before you even touched the threshold, huh?"

With that, he scanned the crowd again. His gaze finally landed on Guangxuan with a hint of confusion. "You must be Fellow Daoist Guangxuan. Ziyu couldn’t make it to the gathering this time. Da Zhi and Tianyue are still in Death Seclusion, so they most likely won’t be coming either."