Volume 5 Chapter 24

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Volume 5 Chapter 24: The Many Sides of Jiuhua

When Ting’er was forming her Core, there was a sudden, powerful, and unfamiliar aura, the unusual surge of Spirit Qi, and even the subtle demonic energy fluctuations. The elders at the front mountain of Jiuhua quickly noticed the strange happenings at the back mountain.

Suddenly, voices, both old and young, were heard from various parts of the front mountain of Jiuhua. Though not loud, they clearly spread to every corner of the front mountain, yet disciples below the Condensed Core Stage were completely unaware of these voices, as they were used as a way for the Jiuhua elders to communicate.

"Spirit Qi gathering? Celestial sensing? Could it be that someone is about to form their Core again?"

"But I haven’t heard of any disciples nearing the Condensed Core Stage recently. Since Lian Qingyu formed his Core three years ago, the highest cultivation among Jiuhua’s disciples is only at the middle stage of the Lingji Stage, right?"

"Indeed, and the back mountain is deserted. It seems only Deacon Xu has established a dwelling there, right?"

"Have you all forgotten about Deacon Xu’s disciple?"

As this voice sounded, the voices across the front mountain of Jiuhua quickly fell silent.

Xu Qingfan’s niece had been altered by a demonic pearl, harboring powerful demonic energy within her that could not be expelled. Even when practicing the purest Jiuhua cultivation method, her spells would lead to overwhelming demonic flames, resembling a demon cultivator more than a regular cultivator. Xu Qingfan had explained Ting’er’s situation to all Jiuhua elders when he brought her to Jiuhua, but it had become a well-known secret among the elders.

To be honest, for Ting’er, who is filled with demonic energy, the elders of Jiuhua, especially the more prudent and senior ones, still have their reservations. After all, the threat of demon cultivators back in the day still leaves a lingering fear.

People are like this; sometimes identity determines how others view them and the attitude they adopt in interactions. Even those who practice immortality are human and cannot escape societal norms.

In the eyes of the Jiuhua elders, Ting’er, who has been transformed by the magic pearl, is essentially no different from a half-demon cultivator. It is believed since ancient times that the magic pearl can alter a cultivator’s temperament, making the elders more wary of Ting’er.

Firstly, Ting’er is Xu Qingfan’s last blood relative in the world. Xu Qingfan holds a very high status in Jiuhua and is the leader of the younger generation of elders, possibly even the next Master of Jiuhua. He is well-liked, always humble, and polite, so out of respect for Xu Qingfan, the elders refrain from saying much.

Secondly, neither Li Xuhan nor Zhang Hualing has ever said anything about Ting’er’s presence. Li Xuhan even personally taught Ting’er for some years, which undeniably shows a belief that Ting’er will not harm Jiuhua. Although the elders do not share the same firm belief as Li Xuhan and Zhang Hualing, they have no grounds to act against Ting’er.

Thirdly, although Ting’er was transformed by the magic pearl, he has never done anything wrong and usually stays in Xu Qingfan’s residence, never venturing out. Thus, even if they think Ting’er might become a threat in the future, the elders have no reason to act now.

For these reasons, the elders have always adopted a respectful but distant attitude towards Ting’er, pretending that he does not exist.

However, the reason why the elders are so concerned yet manage to handle the situation calmly, aside from the aforementioned points, is mainly because Ting’er’s cultivation level poses no threat to them. Even if one day Ting’er endangers Jiuhua, they could easily subdue him.

But when they suddenly discovered Ting’er had begun Core Formation, reaching a level that could threaten them, one can imagine how they felt.

Thinking back on Ting’er’s journey in cultivation, it has been less than sixty years. In recent decades, many young disciples of Jiuhua have achieved Core Formation, but without exception, these young disciples have spent twenty years cultivating in the "Jiuji Cave," where one year of cultivation there equals ten years outside. Furthermore, Jiuhua has constantly supplied them with high-level elixirs before Core Formation, making it unsurprising that they can reach this stage in a short time.

However, Ting’er has never entered the "Jiuji Cave" like the other young elders for cultivation. Under Xu Qingfan’s guidance and without direct supplies from Jiuhua, he did not receive many elixirs but achieved Core Formation in even less time than others. His talent can only be described as extraordinary. In the entire Jiuhua Gate, apart from Feng Qingtian who has defected, only Jin Qinghan can compare with him.

The greater the talent, the higher the achievement, the bigger the threat.

After knowing that Ting’er was the one who achieved Core Formation, this was the thought in the minds of many elders.

At this moment, many elders were quickly thinking of various ways to limit Ting’er’s growth.

After a long pause, a gentle sigh suddenly echoed from somewhere in the front mountain, followed by Gongsun Huasa’s voice.

"No matter what, a disciple of Jiuhua has achieved Core Formation. As Jiuhua elders, we should offer our congratulations, especially since Ting’er is Deacon Xu’s disciple."

As Gongsun Huasa’s words faded, several more sighs were heard, and other elders responded in agreement. Suddenly, over twenty rays of light flashed from various locations in Jiuhua’s front mountain, swiftly flying towards Xu Qingfan’s abode in the rear mountain of Jiuhua.

For cultivators, Core Formation is a significant milestone. Out of a hundred cultivators, ninety-nine may never reach the Condensed Core Stage. Achieving this stage not only indicates exceptional talent but also unimaginable effort from the cultivator. Thus, whenever a cultivator succeeds in Core Formation, not only will fellow cultivators congratulate them, but all Core Formation cultivators sensing the event will come to offer their respects. This tradition in the cultivation world represents respect for the cultivator’s efforts and reverence for the Heavenly Way.

Back in those days, if it weren’t for Xu Qingfan living with Liu Huaxiang, and Liu Huaxiang setting up barriers on the peak of Jiuhua Mountain to hold them back, they would have been surrounded by the elders’ congratulations for an entire day.

While the elders were flying towards the back of Jiuhua Mountain, Jin Qinghan, Lv Qingshang, Li Yuhan, Dongfang Qingling, and others who were close to Xu Qingfan were already waiting outside Xu Qingfan’s cave. They were familiar with Xu Qingfan and also knew Ting’er well. As soon as the anomaly appeared, they guessed that the person achieving Core Formation was Ting’er and rushed to Xu Qingfan’s cave to congratulate once Ting’er completed the Core Formation.

Besides these friends of Xu Qingfan, there were a few younger generation elders of Jiuhua, who didn’t have as many concerns as the older and some other young elders. They viewed Xu Qingfan as their leader, as he fought for their benefits on Jiuhua Mountain and even saved their lives previously. They had strong faith in Xu Qingfan and believed that under his guidance, Ting’er would never harm Jiuhua, despite knowing about Ting’er’s background.

Moreover, when Ting’er showcased her skills in the competition within the sect years ago, it left a good impression on these young elders.

In their view, Xu Qingfan being the first among the new elders to have a disciple achieve Core Formation only solidified his position in Jiuhua.

Only Jin Qinghan, who knew the entire story of Xu Qingfan and Ting’er, stood among them with a slightly dark and worried expression. Ever since Xu Qingfan confided about Ting’er, Jin Qinghan remained cautious of her, but unlike the older generation, he was more worried that Ting’er might pose a threat to Xu Qingfan in the future.

Shortly after, over twenty rays of light surrounded Jin Qinghan and the others. As the light faded, other elders finally arrived. They exchanged nods of acknowledgment and turned their attention to Xu Qingfan’s cave, waiting for the end of the cosmic anomaly.

Among them, many elders sensed the demonic energy surging within the anomaly, showing expressions of concern on their faces.

※※※※

Meanwhile, under Xu Qingfan’s worried gaze, the swirling black mist around Ting’er’s room finally began to stabilize and slowly started to compress inward, with the multicolored radiance outside the dark magical fog gradually fading away.

After the transformation ended, everything returned to calm and serene.

Seeing these scenes, Xu Qingfan finally let out a long sigh, knowing that Ting’er’s Core Formation process was safe despite the challenges.

It was only then that Xu Qingfan realized, amidst his concerns, three days had unknowingly passed.

Sensing the presence of all the Jiuhua elders outside the cave, Xu Qingfan frowned slightly and said to Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, "You two hide in my room first, don’t let anyone find you."

After Bai Yu and Zhang Ningmei entered the room, Xu Qingfan set up a barrier outside to conceal their presence, then turned to continue watching Ting’er’s room.

After a long time, with a creak, the door to Ting’er’s room slowly opened.