Chapter 457 - 415: The Guest Arrives

Chapter 457: Chapter 415: The Guest Arrives

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jiang Qingfeng, blushing with embarrassment and anger, pinched her cheek, causing Baitao to tear up and let out a series of loud cries.

"Bah, out of sight, out of mind." Baitao shouted, using a peculiar phrase she learned from Lu Qian, "Being helpful gets you no gratitude, I won’t keep you company, I’m off to cultivate."

Despite saying so, a group of elders and true inheritors from the Yunshan Sect still waited silently at the door for a long time, until they confirmed that there were no signs of Lu Qian coming out of seclusion; only then did they sigh softly and prepare to disperse.

Just as they were about to move, Wang Yu suddenly paused and looked up, "The Sect Leader’s aura is changing."

He was extremely sensitive to the breath of living beings, and Lu Qian, in the quiet room, did not intentionally shield it; a slight fluctuation was enough for him to detect.

The others were taken aback and were just about to inquire when, all of a sudden, their faces lit up with joy.

It felt as if the spiritual energy in Lingsha City was continuously gathering here!

Although this flow of spiritual energy wasn’t dramatic, just like a light fog drifting or a gentle breeze touching the face, it moved methodically and not chaotically, indicating that Lu Qian in the quiet room was steadily breathing and keeping the essence of heaven and earth within himself.

This also meant that although Lu Qian showed no signs of ending his seclusion, the seclusion was going smoothly, and there was no need for excessive worry.

The anxious wait continued for more than ten days, and when the Sect Leader would succeed and emerge from seclusion became the most concerning matter for both the Yunshan Sect and the Shuangye Alliance. From dawn to dusk, disciples would watch the tower where Lu Qian was in seclusion from a distance, hoping for the luck of witnessing the Sect Leader’s emergence.

The first person to inquire about Lu Qian’s emergence from seclusion was Tao Boliang.

"Elder Jiang, has Sect Leader Lu come out of seclusion yet?" The bald, muscular man asked anxiously, sweat glistening on his bronze skin, "I can’t wait any longer."

Jiang Qingfeng was taken aback by his words; she knew that the Artifact Refining Team led by Tao Boliang was working day and night to master the Flying Snake Daoist Soldier techniques, and they were at a crucial stage. Tao Boliang’s anxious appearance undoubtedly indicated an important matter.

She quickly got up, "Honored Guest Tao, what’s the matter?"

Tao Boliang wiped the sweat from his forehead, "The experimental prototype of the Flying Snake Daoist Soldier is down to the last step, the Spiritual Infusion. I mentioned to Sect Leader Lu before that it requires a cultivator with exceptional divine sense to complete it, and he agreed to assist when needed. But now...why is he still in seclusion?"

Jiang Qingfeng asked quickly, "Exceptional divine sense? What level of divine sense is needed exactly?"

"Only late-stage Foundation Establishment level divine sense can do it!"

Jiang Qingfeng’s heart tightened. Currently, apart from her junior brother, the sect has five Foundation Establishment Feather Scholars, but none specialize in divine sense, and not one has a divine sense at the late-stage Foundation Establishment level.

Furthermore, the Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers are one of the sect’s secrets, so external assistance is out of the question.

"Honored Guest Tao, your skills are remarkable, is there truly no other way for this step? Regardless of how many materials are consumed, I’ll open the treasury to assist."

Tao Boliang shook his head, "This cannot be achieved with just materials. Originally, we relied on the Spirit Vein Earth Fire and the superior external tools to barely forge Foundation Establishment level Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers with Qi Cultivation. But other processes are manageable; the Spiritual Infusion requires genuine late-stage Foundation Establishment level divine sense. There’s no shortcut for this."

Spiritual Infusion involves refining and merging various beast essences, enveloping and organizing them with the power of divine sense, then infusing them into special material components. These components will serve as one of the cores of the Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers, providing them akin to beasts’ combat instincts and basic spiritual wisdom.

Only with successful Spiritual Infusion can the Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers operate automatically and guard the mountain gate.

"Can we delay for a bit, or leave this step for last, waiting for the Sect Leader Junior Brother to handle it immediately after coming out of seclusion?"

Tao Boliang still shook his head, "After the Sect Leader went into seclusion, I adjusted everything that could be adjusted. You don’t know, but the forging process of the Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers is extremely precise, with no room for error. This step must be completed, or the experimental prototype will be for naught."

But currently, where could Jiang Qingfeng find someone? No matter how precious the Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers are, they’re no match for Lu Qian’s Taoist path. As long as he hasn’t come out of seclusion, he absolutely cannot be disturbed.

Seeing that Jiang Qingfeng had no solution, Tao Boliang stomped anxiously, "Forget it! Forget it! There’s no other way; let’s see what this brat’s crazy idea might do!"

Before Jiang Qingfeng could ask, he dashed off in a hurry.

A few days later, the second person to inquire was Tan Yunxing, who had grown a year older.

With his pale little face wrapped in a golden silk coat, he cautiously asked, "Junior Martial Uncle Jiang, my...my mother asked me again, has the Sect Leader emerged from seclusion?"

Jiang Qingfeng understood the implicit message from Zhang Lemei, which was about when Lu Qian intended to take Tan Yunxing as his disciple. Would he still honor his promise?

Over the past year, Zhang Lemei’s punishment had been executed thoroughly. At first, Zhang Lemei naturally made a huge fuss, causing chaos, and even attempted to resist. However, Wang Yu, not treating her like a hero’s widow, suppressed her with no nonsense, directly sealing her Dantian Qi Sea.

Since then, the three elders have strictly followed the visitation rules, allowing Zhang Lemei to meet Tan Yunxing only once every ten days, with an elder supervising each time. If Zhang Lemei expressed any dissatisfaction with the Yunshan Sect or Lu Qian in her words, the visitation would be immediately terminated, and the opportunity to meet would be canceled for the next time.

Rebellion proved useless, and speaking on her behalf no longer worked. Now, Zhang Lemei’s entire heart was on Tan Yunxing; denying her the chance to see her son was more unbearable than killing her. After several instances of this, Zhang Lemei finally learned to be obedient, suppressing all her grievances in her heart, not daring to show them.

Wang Yu didn’t care about her true thoughts; as long as she refrained from instilling bad ideas in Xiaoyunxing, it was acceptable.

But as the saying goes, the character of a child can be seen by age three. Growing up with his mother, even though Lu Qian and others had intervened, Tan Yunxing was still heavily influenced by her, and it was uncertain whether he harbored any incorrect views.

This child was exceedingly soft; after being placed under Jiang Qingfeng’s education, he became meek and compliant. While such "obedience" was less worrisome, Qingfeng felt that Tan Yunxing never truly opened up, keeping everything bottled inside.

Now Zhang Lemei no longer brings up other issues, except urging Xiaoyunxing at every visitation to inquire about when Lu Qian would come out of seclusion, fearing that after more than a year, Lu Qian wouldn’t fulfill his promise.

"Soon, next time tell your mother not to worry. The Sect Leader, having promised you in front of so many, will certainly accept you as his disciple."

Tan Yunxing blushed and nodded, cautiously retreating.

A few more days passed, and it was already early November. The third to inquire was a new special guest in Lingsha City.

A Foundation Establishment Feather Scholar.

Wang Yu, Yang Jiye, and Jiang Qingfeng received him. The visitor’s gaze was fervent, eagerly asking, "I am Fang Hui, and has your Sect Leader not come out of seclusion yet?"