A thousand years ago, the Ziyang Secret Realm emerged.
To seize control of this realm, a massive war broke out across the Northern Domain, with almost every prominent sect joining the fray.
This nearly caused a generational gap among the domain’s powerful cultivators.
In the end, the ancestors of the major sects stepped out, held discussions, and agreed that the Ziyang Secret Realm would be jointly managed by all the great sects.
Thus, the Sect Assembly was born.
According to the resolution, the Ziyang Secret Realm would open once every three years, releasing a total of five hundred spots, exclusively for cultivators below Nascent Soul stage and under fifty years of age.
Initially, the Sect Assembly existed merely to collectively manage the secret realm and allocate the entry spots.
But over time, it evolved into the venue where the great sects of the Northern Domain would gather to discuss important matters, its significance and authority growing day by day.
A stable Northern Domain, where disputes could be resolved through consultation rather than force, was a blessing for all sects.
In recent centuries, a large market was added alongside the Sect Assembly.
Any cultivator could set up a stall there to buy or sell what they needed.
The large sects even had fixed spaces or storefronts.
Through this, the great sects exchanged resources and gradually formed a relationship of mutual interdependence and cooperation.
The Sect Assembly would begin in three days.
Tai Lingxuan was piloting a fourth-grade spirit artifact called the “Xuan Kong Flying Boat,” carrying Chen Yuyang and the others, arriving at the foot of Ziyang Peak where the assembly was held after three days of travel.
A city had spontaneously formed here, named Ziyang after the peak.
Flying was prohibited within the city, so Tai Lingxuan settled the group outside before entering on foot.
Following the cold and composed Tai Lingxuan, the three disciples each wore different expressions.
Gu Qiushui had visited Ziyang City twice with Tai Lingxuan before, and had stopped here during solo training journeys, so her expression was calm.
Ling Xi, however, had never seen a city composed almost entirely of cultivators and was greatly amazed, constantly looking around in wonder.
“Senior Sister, the spiritual energy here is so dense!”
“Senior Sister, are those people wearing clothes from Sword Gate Mountain’s disciples?”
“Senior Sister… that shop sells pills! So many—dozens of kinds!”
The little girl chattered excitedly, and Gu Qiushui didn’t mind the noise, patiently answering her questions one by one.
Seeing Ling Xi’s excitement, Gu Qiushui couldn’t help but recall her own first visit here, when her excitement was no less than Ling Xi’s.
However, Gu Qiushui quickly noticed that one person was missing from the lively chatter.
Yuyang Junior Brother was also a newcomer.
Shouldn’t he be a bit surprised as well?
She turned her head and glanced curiously at the youth.
But on his face, there was no expression.
Only calmness.
Just like the calm on their master’s face at this moment.
Oh dear~ Junior Brother is putting on an act.
Well, boys have to save face; naturally, he wouldn’t be like Ling Xi, asking endless questions.
Even if he was seeing everything for the first time, he wouldn’t show ignorance on his face.
Still… once they reached the square, Junior Brother would be surprised.
Let’s see if he can keep pretending then.
Tai Lingxuan’s arrival drew much attention.
Dressed in plain robes, Tai Lingxuan looked like a fairy descended to the mortal world—ethereal and stunning.
Her cold, proud eyes swept lightly across the ordinary cultivators, who could only hang their heads in shame.
Besides her striking appearance, what attracted even more attention was her strength.
Though Tai Lingxuan didn’t intentionally release her aura, the pressure brought by her Combined Body stage was invisible yet tangible.
Tai Lingxuan strode directly down the main avenue of Ziyang City, heading for the city square.
There, Ling Xi’s eyes instantly widened, and her small mouth stayed open for a long time.
“This is a sword scar left by a former Sect Master of Sword Gate Mountain; the remaining sword intent is priceless to any sword cultivator.”
“That stone tablet bears a fist shadow left by the Wu Shen Sect’s Sect Leader, invaluable to martial cultivators…”
“That is a pill furnace once used by a fifth-grade alchemist from the Pill Sect…”
“That’s Qiankun Sect…”
“Luoshen Cliff…”
Gu Qiushui patiently explained to the astonished Ling Xi.
By each stele and relic, countless cultivators were observing and trying to comprehend the residual profound meanings.
For ordinary cultivators, these were rare opportunities.
Yet these treasures were placed openly here in the center of Ziyang City’s square, accessible to all cultivators for observation and enlightenment.
Every time Gu Qiushui came here, she couldn’t help but sigh.
This was the depth of a great sect’s legacy.
Lost in thought, Gu Qiushui shifted her gaze to Chen Yuyang behind her.
She figured that seeing this scene, even if Junior Brother tried to stay calm, he wouldn’t manage it.
Sure enough, on Chen Yuyang’s face she saw surprise and astonishment.
His pupils dilated as he looked at the relics in the square, his heart unable to settle for a long time.
Finally, he couldn’t help himself and tugged at Tai Lingxuan’s sleeve, asking,
“Master, who put these here?”
Tai Lingxuan: “???”
Gu Qiushui: “???”
Ling Xi: “???”
Not understanding Chen Yuyang’s question, Tai Lingxuan frowned slightly and asked,
“What’s wrong, Yuyang? Have you gained some insight?”
“Uh… never mind, it’s nothing.”
Chen Yuyang waved his hand, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, ultimately not voicing what he wanted to say.
Speaking it aloud might be somewhat disrespectful.
Tai Lingxuan didn’t press further, for at this moment she spotted a storefront on the edge of the square.
It belonged to a second-rate sect.
This sect was called Tianyang Sect.
They had a relatively long and stable trading relationship with the Hehuan Sect.
Since Tianyang Sect owned a red crystal mine that produced stable quantities of second-grade spirit minerals with Fire and Earth attributes—Orange Sun Red Crystals.
“You all stay here and look around, but don’t wander far. I’ll be back shortly,” Tai Lingxuan said, then strode toward the Tianyang Sect’s store.
Normally, she would first convert the items for trade into spirit stones, then exchange them with Tianyang Sect for the Orange Sun Red Crystals they needed.
But this time she brought Foundation Establishment Pills for trade.
For most sects, these pills were essential, so Tai Lingxuan thought that if she could skip converting them into spirit stones, it would save some trouble and might secure a slightly better price.
Tai Lingxuan was no stranger here, so the shopkeeper, who was busy calculating accounts, immediately recognized her identity and warmly greeted her.
“Welcome, welcome! Sect Leader Tai, you’ve come early this time.”
“The road to the mountain gate is long, so it’s natural to set off early,” Tai Lingxuan smiled and nodded at the shopkeeper.
“Sect Leader Tai, are you here to exchange for Orange Sun Red Crystals again?”
The shopkeeper asked cheerfully.
Tai Lingxuan nodded and took out a jade bottle, placing it on the counter before him.
The shopkeeper took it, opened the lid, and sniffed gently, his eyes lighting up instantly.
“Foundation Establishment Pills!”
“Top-tier quality, too.”
“I’m hoping to trade with these pills. Is that possible?” Tai Lingxuan’s face carried a gentle smile.
“Of course, Sect Leader Tai. We’ll take as many as you have of that quality,” the shopkeeper said with a smile. “Our sect has many disciples, and these pills are always in short supply.”
Hearing this, Tai Lingxuan thought of her own sect’s sparse population and secretly envied them.
But it was only a fleeting envy before she continued with her request.
“How much for one Foundation Establishment Pill?”
“I’ve run this shop for over a hundred years and have never seen better quality Foundation Establishment Pills. Sect Leader Tai is a frequent customer, so I’ll offer a price of 30,000 low-grade spirit stones each. How does that sound?”
Thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones…
Tai Lingxuan felt a thrill inside.
This price was even higher than the maximum she had in mind.
She originally thought the pills could only fetch about twenty-five or twenty-six thousand each.
Sure enough, high-quality pills never lack buyers.
“Naturally, no problem,” Tai Lingxuan said, lightly pushing forward all twenty-nine jade bottles neatly arranged on the table.
The shopkeeper’s eyes widened instantly.
“Incredible! Sect Leader Tai, where did you get so many pills of such quality? Even fifth to sixth-grade alchemists have difficulty producing these.”
He examined each bottle and couldn’t help but exclaim.
This revelation surprised Tai Lingxuan as well.
It turned out the quality of these Foundation Establishment Pills was that extraordinary.
For Qi Refinement cultivators, there was only one chance to use these pills, so the better the quality and effect, the higher the chance of successfully establishing the foundation.
There were never shortages of cultivators with spirit stones or willing to spend them, but rare high-quality pills like these were scarce and precious.
No wonder the shopkeeper was willing to pay such a high price.
But with the price settled, Tai Lingxuan was not greedy and merely showed surprise before continuing to state her requirements.
“A total price of 870,000 spirit stones—470,000 in Orange Sun Red Crystals, another 200,000 in Purple Profound Red Crystals, and the final 200,000 spirit stones exchanged for twenty ready-made top-grade spirit stones.”
Purple Profound Red Crystals also come from the same red crystal mine, but they are third-grade minerals, rarer and more valuable.
Before setting out, Tai Lingxuan had already decided to exchange for higher-quality Purple Profound Red Crystals to help Gu Qiushui break through her cultivation realm.
She hadn’t mentioned this because she knew Gu Qiushui would definitely refuse.
When she presented the Purple Profound Red Crystals, Gu Qiushui wouldn’t be able to reject them.
As for the remaining twenty top-grade spirit stones… those would be kept for now, as the sect’s reconstruction still required substantial funds.
“This… everything else is fine, but the Purple Profound Red Crystals might not be possible, Sect Leader Tai.”
However, hearing Tai Lingxuan’s request, the shopkeeper’s expression turned difficult.
“Why?”
“The Purple Profound Red Crystals that Tianyang Sect has accumulated over the years—aside from internal use—have all been bought by the Vice Sect Leader of Sword Gate Mountain.”
“Why?”
Tai Lingxuan was momentarily stunned and asked instinctively.
“The Sword Gate Mountain’s Vice Sect Leader took on a disciple rumored to possess a rare Pure Yang Body… That Vice Sect Leader bought these Purple Profound Red Crystals to assist that disciple’s cultivation.”
Upon hearing this, Tai Lingxuan paused for a long moment before softly nodding.
“I see, then… never mind the Purple Profound Red Crystals for now. Just give me 470,000 Orange Sun Red Crystals and twenty top-grade spirit stones.”