Chapter 764

Chapter 764: Frequent Communication

On a plain by the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake,

two powerful beings in golden forms were exchanging blows.

From their sizes, it was clear that one was male and the other was female.

Xiong Li used all his strength to smash Zhuang Ling ten miles away with a mighty hammer.

At the same time, Zhuang Ling’s iron fist sent him crashing into the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake.

They continued this back-and-forth for over three hours, until neither could gain the upper hand, and they finally stopped.

The two of them exchanged glances, feeling a mutual respect and admiration.

In all the years within the same realm, no one had ever provided them such a thrilling fight.

The area where they fought looked like it had been trampled by thousands of tons of giant beasts, with potholes scattered everywhere.

"I’ve visited other body refinement powerful beings at the same level during my travels, but you are the strongest I’ve ever encountered," Zhuang Ling said.

"Never have I faced a body refinement powerful being at my level who could withstand my hammer for so long," Xiong Li replied with a smile.

At that moment, a medium-sized spiritual boat flew in from the sky.

From the boat emerged a hundred maintenance puppets, specifically used for cleaning up the fighting environment afterward, covering only the area surrounding the Hidden Spirit Sect.

"I am here at the command of the Holy Master to invite your sect’s outstanding disciples to the Joyful Union Sacred Land for exchange," Zhuang Ling remembered the important business after their fight.

"This matter is not under my authority. I will call Qiu Ziyuan over; he is the current head of our Hidden Spirit Sect," Xiong Li said as he returned the artifact hammer to its original form.

He then used a communication artifact to notify Qiu Ziyuan.

"Thank you, friend Xiong Li," Zhuang Ling said gracefully.

"All body refinement practitioners are one family; no need to be polite with me," Xiong Li replied generously.

Before long, Qiu Ziyuan arrived flying on a small spiritual boat.

"Senior Brother, what’s the matter?" Qiu Ziyuan asked.

"This is Zhuang Ling from the Joyful Union Sacred Land; she wants our sect’s outstanding disciples to exchange ideas with them," Xiong Li explained.

Hearing Xiong Li’s words, Qiu Ziyuan turned to Zhuang Ling.

"Greetings, Daoist Zhuang," Qiu Ziyuan bowed courteously.

"Greetings, Daoist Qiu."

"If our sect’s disciples are to exchange, our Third-generation Disciples are the most suitable."

"I wonder what level of disciple exchange your sacred land wishes to hold," Qiu Ziyuan inquired.

"From Nascent Soul to Core Formation stage is acceptable," Zhuang Ling replied thoughtfully.

"It seems we can only hold an exchange at the Core Formation stage level. Most of our sect’s third generation disciples have already advanced to this level, with only a few exceptions," Qiu Ziyuan stated.

"Core Formation stage exchanges are fine as well," Zhuang Ling nodded; her task was to facilitate the exchange between the two sects, and she wouldn’t concern herself with anything else.

At that moment, Qiu Ziyuan cautiously asked, "May I know which branches of your sacred land will be interacting with our disciples?"

With the spatial seal restored, the intelligence network of the entire cultivation world was back to normal.

Qiu Ziyuan had a decent understanding of the top-tier sects and sacred lands in the cultivation world through the information he had gathered.

Places like the Joyful Union Sacred Land, which had a dual nature, were often hard to read when it came to their true intentions.

"The General’s Tomb, Fragrant Chamber, Virtuous Pavilion, and Sacred Heart Orchid," Zhuang Ling answered.

She then glanced at Qiu Ziyuan and added, "Of course, the ones who will be interacting with your sect are my close sisters. As for those shameless women, if they dare show up, I’ll slap them away."

"Don’t worry, I won’t let them tarnish your disciples’ reputations," Zhuang Ling assured him confidently.

"That’s good to hear."

Hearing the names of the four branches, Qiu Ziyuan felt relieved.

These branches were known to be relatively upright and wouldn’t engage in any forced misconduct toward male cultivators.

The two behind him discussed the details further and finalized a schedule before leaving.

Xiong Li and Qiu Ziyuan boarded a small spiritual boat to return to their sect.

"Senior Brother, you’re not getting any younger. Isn’t it about time you found a cultivation partner?"

"Our sect values the balance of yin and yang, following the natural order, and even encourages finding partners by offering subsidies."

"As the Senior Brother, shouldn’t you set an example?" Qiu Ziyuan’s mind drifted to Zhuang Ling, who seemed like a good match for his Senior Brother.

He thought there wouldn’t be any harm in them being together.

Xiong Li gave Qiu Ziyuan a strange look.

"You think Zhuang Ling and I are a good match?"

"You’re both body cultivators, and I can see mutual respect in your eyes. Even if there’s no romance yet, being together wouldn’t be a bad idea," Qiu Ziyuan said, stroking his chin.

As the sect leader of the Hidden Spirit Sect, it was also his responsibility to increase the number of disciples.

However, the Grand Elder had made it clear that no new disciples would be accepted.

To grow the sect’s numbers, they could only rely on the efforts of their third-generation disciples.

He hoped to create a fourth generation of disciples through relationships.

The Hidden Spirit Sect already had over a thousand fourth-generation disciples, and he planned to request the official title for them from the Grand Elder once their numbers grew a bit more.

Xiong Li shook his head.

"As a fellow body cultivator, Zhuang Ling is indeed a good match."

"But as a cultivation partner, no thanks."

"My life is dedicated to protecting the sect; matters of the heart are no longer part of my plans," Xiong Li said firmly.

"Alright, if Senior Brother isn’t interested, I won’t push it," Qiu Ziyuan replied.

On Xu Fan’s small island, where he often lounged around, Qiu Ziyuan was updating him on the exchange between the two sects.

"You handle it. As long as they send decent women, it’s fine," Xu Fan said, rolling over to sunbathe on his other side.

"Grand Elder, the natural passage between the two realms has been cleared of beast race activity within an 80-million-mile radius. Should we lift the restrictions on the passage and allow wandering cultivators to enter?" Qiu Ziyuan brought up another matter.

"Go ahead. It used to be too dangerous—going there was practically suicide. Now it’s fine," Xu Fan replied casually.

"How many disciples does the Joyful Union Sacred Land have?" Xu Fan suddenly asked.

"About 800,000 inner sect disciples and over 6 million outer disciples, with male disciples making up only about 10%," Qiu Ziyuan answered without hesitation. He had previously researched several sects with a high number of female disciples to help his fellow brothers with their single status.

"The Moonlit Sect, Falling Sunset Gate, Saint Radiance Sect—send more disciples to interact with these kinds of sects," Xu Fan suggested.

Currently, the single rate in the Hidden Spirit Sect was as high as 86%, and Xu Fan hoped to reduce that number by at least half before they ascended to the Immortal Realm in a thousand years.

After all, once they reached the Immortal Realm, they’d lose any advantages, so it was best to resolve these issues now.

"I understand, Grand Elder," Qiu Ziyuan nodded.

"Don’t force it—if they’re willing, great; if not, that’s fine too," Xu Fan said.

Whether they’re on the receiving or giving end of love, he trusted that most disciples would make the right choice.

"Understood, Grand Elder."