263Chapter 262 An Ancestral Vein Advances Inner Sect Competition to Begin

The little phoenix cat was still anxiously pacing around, constantly trying to feed the three-striped tiger demon pill to the heron in the clouds.

Unfortunately, Yun Zhonglu has now entered a state of confusion and fallen into a coma.

No matter how anxious the little cat was, circling around it, it couldn’t do anything and could only raise its head and meow incessantly, calling for its owner.

At that moment, Yu Xian had a sudden thought and arrived beside Yun Zhonglu. While carefully observing it, outside, he ran back to his own courtyard!

“Little egret!”

Yu Xian’s thoughts coalesced into a human form, and he looked at Yun Zhonglu and said in a low voice, “Listen to me, guard your true self! Don’t be greedy! Just choose the easiest lineage to inherit! Don’t get caught up in it, don’t be confused!”

The egret in the clouds seemed to sense its master’s words, and its aura stabilized slightly.

However, Yu Xian’s simple thoughts could not utilize spiritual energy, so apart from speaking, he was of little help to Yun Zhonglu at this moment.

Therefore, he had to return to the courtyard immediately, release the heron in the clouds, and use his spiritual energy to help it move and connect with its mind!

The little phoenix cat kept meowing, knowing that the heron in the clouds was undergoing a life-or-death advancement. If it failed, it wouldn’t just be a matter of failing to advance, but would mean death!

It was too greedy. Among so many ancestral bloodlines, it actually wanted the oldest, most primitive, and most powerful bloodline!

But that ancestral bloodline has become so thin that it is almost non-existent, so the more it wants it, the deeper it has to go, until it can no longer extricate itself!

It was originally a fairly simple advancement process; it could simply choose a similar bloodline to advance to.

But it was greedy, which led to the current situation.

Perhaps it’s too stupid to make a choice.

Or perhaps, it was too eager to become stronger…

Yu Xian ran wildly, returning to his courtyard like a whirlwind under the astonished gazes of many. He casually activated the formation and rushed into the main room, releasing Yun Zhonglu and the anxious little phoenix cat with a wave of his hand.

Yun Zhonglu lay on the ground, still breathing erratically and gradually losing control!

Without a word, Yu Xian reached out and placed his hand on its head, slowly channeling his spiritual energy to help it suppress the gradually boiling bloodline. At the same time, he conveyed his thoughts: “Little egret, listen to me, guard your true self, retreat, retreat, retreat…”

The sound was transmitted, and spiritual energy covered the area. Yu Xian helped Yun Zhonglu suppress her bloodline. With their minds connected, Yun Zhonglu also fully felt Yu Xian’s words.

This is not the sound of thoughts, but the real touch of a hand, the help of spiritual energy, and words that reach the heart.

Of course it obeys its owner.

Just as it was bewildered and at a loss, chasing after that distant and unattainable ancestral vein at the cost of its life, it heard Yu Xian’s words.

Little egret… come back… come back…

My owner is calling me!

I have to go back now!

What powerful ancestral lineage? Never mind that!

There is nothing more important than the master!

Yu Xian’s heart can hold this, that, all sorts of people and things, each occupying a certain proportion in his heart.

But in the heart of the heron in the clouds, its master is its everything, its whole world!

Its consciousness began to return, and it retreated rapidly, encountering various other ancestral veins along the way. It seemed that it could enter and merge into them at any time, but it did not stop at all.

Because my master is calling me!

Outside, Yun Zhonglu’s aura quickly stabilized, but it was clearly degenerating towards the upper level of the third rank.

It seems it’s going to fail to advance.

Yu Xian’s expression shifted, and he stroked Yun Zhonglu’s head, saying softly, “Little Lu’er, go choose a simple bloodline to advance. You have to take things one step at a time, and you’ll have many more opportunities in the future…”

Simple bloodline…

Hearing its master’s words, the egret in the clouds scanned its surroundings. Its eyes were filled with countless tiny, shimmering blood vessels.

Those are the countless bloodlines of its ancestors who have merged with each other since the beginning of time, and who have been born since the creation of the world. They have become the lowest-level birds like the Cloud Heron!

The more mixed the bloodline of a monster, the weaker it is; the purer its bloodline, the stronger it is.

Simple bloodline…

Using its meager intelligence, Yun Zhonglu didn’t think much or consider it much. Based on its intuition, it directly chose a bloodline light that was neither too bright nor too dim, and quickly flew towards it.

This time it didn’t have to fly for so long, but no matter how hard it flew, it could never reach the bottom. It was right in front of it, but it could never touch it.

It seemed that in the instant it flew towards that bloodline light, it had already arrived in front of that bloodline light.

Only then did it realize that this was a heron with beautiful wings and a fiery red glow all over its body.

This is one of its ancestral lineages, and it sensed the call of the fiery red heron.

The next moment, it plunged inside…

Outside, Yu Xian waited for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his brows gradually furrowing. He was about to call out again when he suddenly saw Yun Zhonglu’s aura surge and intensify, quickly enveloping him in a faint crimson light.

Bloodline activated!

Yu Xian was overjoyed. He raised his hand and took out three excellent spirit beast pills, pried open the long beak of the Cloud Heron, and fed them to it.

Activating the blood vessels requires a large amount of vital energy. Three pills can help Yun Zhonglu quickly restore his vital energy and prevent him from overdrawing it.

It has begun its true advancement; it will succeed in three to five days at the slowest, or in a few hours at the fastest!

Yu Xian breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Yun Zhonglu, who was wrapped up like a red cocoon, and said with a faint smile, “It’s good. If you had stubbornly insisted on pursuing the ancestral veins of ancient innate beings, then I wouldn’t have been able to save you.”

Meow.

Seeing this, the little phoenix cat also let out a happy meow, overjoyed that the heron in the clouds had successfully advanced.

However, after the initial joy, a thoughtful look appeared in the little phoenix’s eyes.

When I break through to the fifth rank, what ancestral vein will I seek out?

After all, its growth from the third to the fourth tier was simply a natural process, not a breakthrough in bloodline.

The Little Phoenix Cat’s growth limit is the fourth rank. If it wants to break through to the fifth rank, it must activate its ancestral bloodline.

Similarly, the growth limit of the Cloud Heron is the third rank. To break through to the fourth rank, it must also activate its ancestral bloodline.

Yu Xian looked at it and said with a faint smile, “You are smarter than it. When it comes time to advance and find the ancestral vein, you should be able to choose quickly. Don’t overthink it. Go into the spirit beast bag and cultivate properly. Eat the inner core of the three-striped tiger, as well as the entire three-striped tiger.”

The little phoenix meowed to indicate that it understood, and then swallowed the three-striped tiger demon pill from the ground.

Over the past few days, it has fully adapted to the demonic power of the demon core, eating the core first and then the meat!

Upon seeing this, Yu Xian raised his hand and beckoned, and the little phoenix cat returned to the spirit beast pouch.

As for the Cloud Heron, Yu Xian was still a little worried, so he decided to leave it indoors until it successfully advanced to the next level.

Let out a breath, Yu Xian sat cross-legged, slowly circulating his cultivation, waiting for the inner sect competition of the Alchemy Sect in about twenty days.

Time flew by, and two days passed quickly.

On the third day, Yu Xian’s calm face suddenly twitched, and he opened his eyes to look at where Yun Zhonglu was.

The light emanating from Yun Zhonglu began to fade, gradually revealing its form.

Yu Xian’s eyes flickered slightly.

The crimson light completely disappeared, and the form of the heron in the clouds appeared, having changed a lot from before.

First, most of its feathers turned fiery red, its body size became slightly smaller, its long beak became shorter but sharper, and two more fiery red feathers appeared on its tail, shorter than the longest feather that resembled an eye. The three feathers swayed slowly.

Its wings had grown longer, and its claws had changed from black to reddish-black, making them appear even more muscular and sharp.

“Gah…”

Yun Zhonglu rolled its eyelids, revealing fiery red eyes. With a slight blink, it sprang into the air.

quack!

The heron flapped its wings, feeling the power it had inherited from the Fire Heron’s ancestral lineage, and was filled with excitement.

It now feels that its thoughts are much clearer, and it suddenly understands many things and comprehends many words.

Its intelligence has reached that of a six or seven-year-old, and it is not much different from that of a little phoenix cat.

“Gah!”

The next moment it saw Yu Xian, and excitedly barked as it rushed over.

Although it was a little smaller, it was still over ten feet tall, much taller than Yu Xian. As it charged forward, it seemed determined to crush Yu Xian to death.

Yu Xian raised his hand and pressed down, then laughed, “Slow down, slow down.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhonglu immediately stopped and obediently stood in front of Yu Xian, stretching out her head to affectionately rub against Yu Xian’s chest.

Yu Xian reached out and stroked the head of the Cloud Heron, looking at its feathers which were different from before, and said with a smile, “Which ancestral lineage did you inherit? There are so many red-feathered flying beasts…”

The egret in the clouds didn’t know what its master was muttering; it simply closed its eyes slightly and enjoyed its master’s caresses.

“Yes, we’ll investigate further. But even if a certain ancestral vein has been activated, it’s only at the fifth level, and the bloodline is still mixed. We need to continue tracing back. You can’t slack off, understand?”

The egret in the clouds nodded, its gaze clear and no longer clouded; it fully understood its master’s meaning.

It now has a brain and intelligence.

“Hmm, go to the spirit beast pouch. I wonder if the little phoenix cat has finished eating the three-striped tiger’s corpse. Judging by its little belly, there’s probably still quite a bit left. You can eat with it too.”

Yu Xian nodded, muttered something to himself, and then put Yun Zhonglu into his storage bag.

Now that Yunzhonglu has reached the fourth tier and become a lower-tier fourth-tier flying spirit beast, its speed has naturally increased significantly. Its burst speed in a short period of time is estimated to be much faster than its own full-speed flight, equivalent to its state when it was frantically burning blood.

Furthermore, judging from its sharp beak and claws, it must also possess some offensive capabilities.

However, the purpose of flying spirit beasts is to be ridden and used to attack enemies; no one would do this unless they were desperate.

Thinking to himself, Yu Xian closed his eyes again and continued his cultivation.

Two more days passed, and Yu Xian opened his eyes again, stood up, and went outside.

Someone knocked on the door.

With a wave of his hand, he opened the array and the door. Zhang Yanhui was standing at the door. When he saw Yu Xian come out, he immediately showed his joy and said, “Well, Brother Yu, I’m sorry to have bothered you. Are you not busy?”

“not busy.”

Yu Xian smiled faintly and said, “Fellow Daoist, you want me to refine pills? No problem, just say so. What kind of pills do you need?”

“Haha, Brother Yu is truly straightforward. I won’t waste any more words.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanhui laughed heartily, reached into his robes, and pulled out a storage bag, saying, “Here are the materials for a mid-grade fourth-tier Jade Bone Pill. I would appreciate it if Brother Yu could help me refine one or two.”

The fourth-grade medium-level Jade Bone Pill is available for sale at alchemy sects.

The difference in value between buying medicinal herbs and buying a finished pill is more than double. In the past, Zhang Yanhui had no choice but to buy the finished pill.

But now that we have Yu Xian, a ready-made alchemist, why not use him? So we’ll buy the materials and have him refine them.

“oh?”

Yu Xian smiled and accepted the storage item, saying, “Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I will come to collect the pill tomorrow. However, please do not spread this matter.”

“I understand, I understand.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanhui’s eyes lit up with even more joy. He nodded repeatedly and then said with a smile, “Then I won’t bother Brother Yu any longer. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“Then I won’t see you off, fellow Daoist.”

Yu Xian smiled and nodded.

“No need to send it, no need to send it, hahaha.”

Zhang Yanhui smiled, waved, and quickly turned and left.

Seeing him walk away, Yu Xian put away the storage bag, turned around, closed the door, set off, and returned to the main room.

Refining a mid-level fourth-grade Jade Bone Pill was naturally easy for Yu Xian.

After entering the house, he took out the alchemy furnace, heated it, and began refining. In just half an hour, two mid-grade, fourth-rank Jade Bone Pills flew out.

Two pills were placed into two jade bottles, and one bottle was put into the storage bag.

He casually put one bottle into his storage bag.

Yu Xian sat cross-legged and closed his eyes again to begin his cultivation.

The next day, Zhang Yanhui arrived right on time. Yu Xian handed him the storage bag with a smile. After glancing at it, he said with a big smile, “Brother Dao is truly amazing. Not only is your cultivation profound, but your alchemy skills are also so deep. You truly deserve to be called the alchemy master of the original Medicine King Valley! In the future, if you complete any tasks, just come to me!”

Yu Xian smiled faintly and nodded: “Okay.”

Zhang Yanhui put away the storage bag, bowed slightly, and said, “Then I won’t disturb your cultivation any longer, brother. Farewell.”

Yu Xian returned the greeting slightly and said, “Fellow Daoist, please take care.”

Zhang Yanhui smiled, turned around, and quickly left.

Yu Xian turned around, closed the door, and went back to cultivate. As for the Jade Bone Pill, he could consign it when he went to the Alchemy Sect again; it was useless to him.

Time passed, and this time no one bothered them again. Twenty days later, Yu Xian walked out of the main hall, left the courtyard, and headed straight for the alchemy gate.

Today is the day for the inner sect of the Alchemy Sect to hold a selection competition.

Hong Shao was worried that many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Alchemy Sect were not strong enough, but they were too brave to participate in the sect’s Foundation Establishment Grand Competition and would ultimately harm themselves. That’s why she organized an inner sect competition in advance to discourage the losers and make them continue to cultivate honestly.

The alchemy sect remains bustling, and there are always plenty of people buying pills.

However, Foundation Establishment cultivators were almost nowhere to be seen. Only a few early Foundation Establishment cultivators were still in charge, and none of them had registered.

The sixteen people who signed up have already gone to the sect leader’s main hall.

Yu Xian went up the mountain to the sect master’s hall. He found the hall empty, with half of the registered participants already there. There were also many early and mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators who had come to watch the battle.

You Xiaohua sat calmly in the distance, the throne directly above her empty, Hong Shao had not yet arrived.

Su Xiaoduo still didn’t appear. How could she be absent from such a lively event?

Having not seen Su Xiaoduo twice, Yu Xian was a little worried. She couldn’t help but take a few steps forward to You Xiaohua’s side and whisper, “Senior Sister, where’s Xiaoduo? Hasn’t she arrived yet?”

You Xiaohua looked up at Yu Xian and said, “Xiao Duo is in seclusion trying to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. You’re only asking about her now? You haven’t come to see her at all during this time, have you?”

“Um…I’m cultivating…”

Yu Xian looked embarrassed and offered a weak explanation.

Seclusion… Breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, it seems Su Xiaoduo has made rapid progress in the past four or five years.

Seclusion is good, yes, seclusion is good.

Yu Xian nodded to himself.

You Xiaohua rolled her eyes and said, “How can you be like this… sigh…”

“I…cough cough…”

Upon hearing this, Yu Xian felt even more embarrassed. He could only cough twice before finding a seat to sit down.

After a while, all sixteen Foundation Establishment cultivators who had signed up arrived and took their seats.

Suddenly, two powerful auras swept over, startling everyone who looked up.

But then, sitting on the throne directly above, sat the stunningly beautiful Hong Shao, dressed in a red gauze palace gown.

On the other side, Chen Manman, dressed in a white gauze dress, was already sitting in the lower left.