Yuxian

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The six inner sect Foundation Establishment disciples maintained order among the crowd, directing the outer sect disciples to register for the selection without causing chaos.

Yu Xian stood far away, glanced once, and shook his head, turning to leave. He had no intention of joining the selection.

But just as he turned, his body suddenly trembled. He abruptly turned back around and even rushed forward dozens of steps to see more clearly.

Among the six inner sect Foundation Establishment disciples, one middle-aged man had caught his eye. At first glance, Yu Xian hadn’t paid him much mind. But now that he looked closely, the more he stared, the more familiar the man appeared.

After a few moments of focused observation, a blaze of uncontrollable fury and killing intent erupted in Yu Xian’s eyes.

That middle-aged man… He looked exactly like the old officer who had commanded soldiers to chop down the great elm tree in Yu Xian’s home village—and who had personally delivered the final blow to fell it.

That old man’s face was branded into Yu Xian’s memory, etched deep into his heart with hatred and grief.

Could this middle-aged man be related to that officer? Or… had that old man disguised himself as this person?

Unbelievable—his mortal enemy was in Baiyun Sect.

And he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Yu Xian’s face twitched. For the first time in his life, he felt an overwhelming desire to kill someone.

Zhao Mulin, Zhang Laosan, Huang Hanxiao, Liu Xue, Sun Bing—those were people he had killed only out of necessity, because they threatened his life.

But this man… Yu Xian truly wanted to grab him right now, interrogate him, and uncover everything.

Yet after a moment, Yu Xian forced himself to calm down.

To learn that his enemy was within Baiyun Sect—this was a valuable piece of information. But he himself was still too weak. If he rushed in now, it would be suicide.

He had to get into the inner sect… no matter what!

Yu Xian took a deep breath and turned to leave.

Ten days passed in a blur. Out of more than twenty-five thousand outer sect disciples, over twenty-one thousand six hundred registered for the selection.

From early Qi Condensation to peak Qi Condensation—everyone with even a shred of confidence was there.

During this time, Yu Xian entered full-on seclusion.

He spent fixed hours mining to earn spirit stones. The rest of the time was split between cultivating, studying spells, and refining pills.

Due to his poor spiritual roots, advancing to the next stage was slow. Most of his focus was on expanding his Qi Sea. After ten days, it had grown to sixteen feet wide.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM…!

A thunderous bell resounded throughout the sect. The grand selection had officially begun.

The sect took this very seriously—dispatching a Golden Core elder and over a dozen Foundation Establishment disciples to oversee the proceedings.

The twenty-one thousand competitors were divided into six groups. On the massive outer sect plaza, elimination battles commenced.

That’s right—no gimmicks or complicated rules. Just two words: Fight. Win.

If you win, you move on. If you lose, you’re out.

Yu Xian opened his eyes briefly, then shut them again.

The excitement was lost on him. He wasn’t interested in watching.

Three days passed. Yu Xian ran out of spirit stones, Bloodburst Pills, and Recovery Elixirs. Only then did he leave his quarters and head toward the outer sect.

The entire place was a frenzy of activity. Law spells flew across the plaza. Shocked cries rose like crashing waves.

Yu Xian ignored it all. He headed directly to the Artifact Forging Hall.

He had already heard that Xu Haoming had joined the selection. As for Li Youmao—like himself—he hadn’t participated. But the guy loved watching fights and was probably lost in the crowd.

Sure enough, at the front desk stood the same middle-aged man who had once mentioned the value of Lieyang Spirit Stones—whom Yu Xian had long suspected was the Hall Master.

Seeing him again, Yu Xian paused for a moment but then walked over.

The middle-aged man, bored out of his mind, yawned lazily—until he caught sight of Yu Xian.

“Oh? It’s you?”

He sat up, finally energized. “Didn’t join the selection? Or were you eliminated in the first round?”

Yu Xian shook his head. “I didn’t participate at all.”

“Really? Why not?” The man looked him up and down, chuckling. “You’re mid-stage Qi Condensation, nearly at the peak. That’s not bad. Don’t you want to get into the inner sect?”

“Of course I do,” Yu Xian replied calmly. “But I know I’m still weak. If I went up there now, I’d just get beaten and humiliated. That would damage my Dao Heart.”

The middle-aged man raised his brows, then gave an approving nod. “You’re surprisingly mature for your age. I like that. What’s your name again—Yu Xian, right?”

“I didn’t expect Senior to remember my name. I’m honored.”

The man chuckled again and said, “Ever thought about joining the Artifact Forging Hall? It’s tough work, but compared to mining in the Hundred Mines Hall, it’s far more rewarding—and forging is a skill you can build a future on.”

Yu Xian blinked in surprise. “You… you’re the Hall Master of the Forging Hall?”

The man laughed. “Yeah. I’m Yue Zhenfeng, the hall master here.”

Yu Xian’s suspicion was confirmed. His heart tightened slightly as he quickly stepped back, bowed deeply, and said, “Outer sect disciple Yu Xian greets Master Yue!”

“Hahaha, no need to be so formal.”

Yue Zhenfeng waved his hand. “I like respectful kids like you.”

Yu Xian rose and asked curiously, “Senior, why are you sitting here at the front desk instead of cultivating?”

“Cultivate what? Gets boring sometimes.” Yue Zhenfeng sighed. “That brat Li Youmao was slacking off again, so I came out to keep watch.”

Then he grew serious again. “Back to the point—are you interested in joining the Artifact Forging Hall?”

It was an attractive offer. As the hall master, Yue Zhenfeng could easily transfer Yu Xian from the mines. All Yu Xian had to do was say yes.

But… once he left the mines, his mysterious jade pendant would become useless. He would lose his primary method for acquiring large amounts of spirit stones. That would severely impact his future cultivation.

So Yu Xian forced a smile and replied, “This junior has grown used to mining and even developed some methods for it. If I joined the Artifact Forging Hall, I’d be starting from scratch… I fear I wouldn’t learn quickly.”

Yue Zhenfeng raised a brow and grinned. “Oh? You have some kind of ore-detecting method, don’t you?”

Yu Xian’s heart skipped a beat—but his expression remained unchanged. “Just some personal techniques.”

“Hah! Mining won’t get you far.” Yue Zhenfeng scoffed. “Even if you’ve got a rare detection skill, once you reach Foundation Establishment, the spirit stone requirements will skyrocket. At that point, only opportunities and rare treasures will matter. Your little tricks will be useless.”

He waved a hand and continued, “But if you learn forging now, even simple tier-3 or tier-4 artifacts will earn you far more than you’d get digging in the dirt. Tier-5, tier-6, even tier-7 artifacts? The sect will throw spirit stones at you! Don’t trade a grand future for a short-term gain.”

Yu Xian paused. What Yue Zhenfeng said made sense. Even if the jade pendant let him mine spirit stones fast, once he reached Foundation Establishment, his needs would drastically outpace what mining could provide. Could he really keep digging forever?

But if he mastered artifact forging… his future wealth would be virtually limitless.

After a moment, Yu Xian’s eyes lit up with inspiration. “Senior, may I make a bold request?”

“Oh?” Yue Zhenfeng raised an eyebrow.

“I hope to continue mining in the Hundred Mines Hall for now—but in my spare time, I would be honored to receive your instruction in artifact forging. I’ll treat you as my master.”

“Huh?”

Yue Zhenfeng was stunned.

He stared at Yu Xian, then suddenly burst into laughter. “You greedy little rascal. You want to eat from both bowls, huh?”

“Junior wouldn’t dare…”

“Oh, you dare plenty.” Yue Zhenfeng chuckled. “You want to keep making money from mining while also learning forging from me?”

Yu Xian quickly bowed again. “I truly do not dare.”

“Hahaha!”

Yue Zhenfeng shook his head with a laugh. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But no. You either belong to my Artifact Forging Hall—or to Su Mofeng over at the Hundred Mines. You can’t straddle both sides.”

Yu Xian knew that would be the answer. He sighed and said helplessly, “Then I suppose I must remain in the mines…”

“You’re a piece of work.” Yue Zhenfeng pointed at him, still chuckling. “Alright, alright. What did you come here for, then?”

Finally back to the original purpose of the visit.

Yu Xian quickly replied, “This junior wishes to sell Lieyang Spirit Stones.”

“I knew it! You really do have a special method for mining.”

Yue Zhenfeng laughed. “Relax, I won’t spread it around. Plenty of disciples have had tricks for mining over the years. But after reaching Foundation Establishment, it’s all useless. So—tell me, how many do you want to sell?”