"Well, well, what a fine sword, a fine sword indeed. A pity I was a step too late—to think the young hero got to it first. What a shame, what a shame."

Song Qingxi turned to look and saw that the speaker was a tall, sturdy young Cultivator. He was dressed in a long purple robe, and hanging from his waist were seven Jade Pendants of different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet. They swayed and clinked together, making a crisp sound.

The weather had already turned cool, yet he was still flamboyantly holding a folding fan embroidered with a bamboo forest and fanning himself leisurely.

The man had a plain appearance, but when his face lit up with a smile, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of goodwill toward him.

But the most peculiar thing was the black-and-white Exotic Beast crouching behind him. It resembled both a cat and a bear—round and plump, and was utterly adorable. It instantly captured Song Qingxi’s heart, making her want to run up and give it a good rub.

Chi Huo Old Ghost’s gaze hardened. He took a subtle step forward, positioning himself in front of Song Qingxi and Song Qingxing. Both the smiling young Cultivator before them and the strange Spirit Beast behind him exuded an exceptionally powerful aura.

Perhaps noticing Chi Huo Old Ghost’s movement, the man quickly cupped his hands and said, "My name is Pi Xiu, a wandering Loose Cultivator. I mean you no harm, please don’t misunderstand. I only spoke impulsively upon seeing the special sword in this young hero’s hand.

Ah, right. This is my contracted Spirit Beast, Abao. It’s very docile. I hope it didn’t frighten you."

Seeing the man’s proactive show of goodwill, Chi Huo Old Ghost relaxed slightly. He nodded at him, then turned to Song Qingxi and said, "Little Miss, we’ve been out long enough. The Young Master is probably looking for us everywhere by now. We should head back."

"Ah? Okay." Song Qingxi glanced reluctantly at Abao, then followed behind Chi Huo, heading downstairs to leave.

Pi Xiu watched them go, shook his head, and sighed, "Alas, the heavens gave me such sharp eyes, yet I’m always a step behind everyone else. What bitterness, what misery, what sorrow.

I should probably go check out the Black Market. I hear you can find a lot of good stuff there. But before that, I should find a place to have a good couple of drinks to soothe my wounded heart."

As soon as he said this, Abao, who had been lying motionless behind him, suddenly lifted its head. Its pair of black, jewel-like eyes were filled with a human-like yearning, and it nodded its head in a charmingly naive way.

"You think so too? You really are my good brother. Come on, let’s go see how the wine in Xuu Province compares to the wine in Quan Province."

——————

Song Changsheng had indeed returned to the inn before Song Qingxi and the others. Looking at the Jade Scroll on the table, his heart was filled with conflict.

He had already read its contents and learned the identity of the behemoth behind the Black Market.

Let alone the tiny Song Clan, even the Golden Crow Sect would be considered nothing before it.

For such a behemoth to go to such lengths—scouring for Cultivators who could see through gambling stones, all to find something in the so-called Ancient Immortal Demon Battlefield—and to even give him the freedom to choose...

It all felt so unreal to him.

Moreover, with the resources of such a power, he refused to believe they didn’t have their own Pupil Techniques for seeing through gambling stones. So why not send their own disciples? It would be safer and less likely to leak information.

After thinking it over, there were only a few possible reasons.

Either their disciples couldn’t enter due to some special restrictions.

Or, their own sect lacked the manpower to meet the demand, so they had to recruit talent from the outside.

This wasn’t impossible. After all, cultivating a Pupil Technique was highly dependent on talent and often involved considerable risks—blindness at best, death at worst.

Even for a behemoth like that, only a small fraction of them had likely succeeded in cultivating one.

That possibility wasn’t small, but Song Changsheng leaned toward another one: the Ancient Immortal Demon Battlefield was simply too dangerous. They couldn’t bear to send their own elite disciples to their deaths, so they needed to recruit cannon fodder from the outside.

This was what worried him the most.

If it was just a matter of taking some risks for a chance to break through to the Purple Mansion realm, he wouldn’t be against taking a gamble.

But taking a risk and being sent to die were two different things. He had no desire to die an obscure death in the Yellow Springs.

"’I hope I truly have the right to refuse,’ Song Changsheng sighed quietly. He was just afraid they were only being polite."

Just then, the door was pushed open. Song Qingxi said joyfully, "Uncle, are you done with your business? Was the Black Market fun?"

Song Changsheng pushed aside his worries and smiled. "The trip was very fruitful. You should go take a look someday if you get the chance. How was your day?"

"Xi’Er bought a lot of things today! But Lingyun has been sleeping the whole time. Uncle, there’s not going to be a problem with him, is there?" Song Qingxi asked with some concern.

Ever since Song Changsheng brought Song Lingyun back, the baby had been either drinking milk or sleeping. On some days, he would sleep for more than twenty hours.

Song Changsheng had once suspected he had some strange illness, but no matter how he checked, he found nothing.

What put him slightly at ease was that, aside from sleeping a lot, Little Lingyun was no different from any other child.

"We’ll find a highly skilled master to take a look at him when the time comes. Don’t worry too much."

Song Changsheng offered her a comforting smile, but then his gaze was drawn to the jet-black Long Sword cradled in Song Qingxing’s arms.

His brow furrowed slightly. "May I have a look at this sword?"

Taking the Long Sword from Song Qingxing’s hands, he examined it from top to bottom, his frown deepening.

From the perspective of an Artifact Refiner, this sword was perfect in both its materials and refining technique—simply flawless. Among Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts, it could be considered top-class.

Although it was only Tier Two Low Grade, it was already leaking Spiritual Light. Given time, it would surely transform into a Spiritual Artifact. It was an incredibly suitable weapon for Song Qingxing, who was already at Qi Refining Great Perfection.

And yet, for some reason, Song Changsheng felt his heart clench with a sense of dread whenever he faced it.

"Where did this sword come from?" Song Changsheng’s tone was uncharacteristically solemn.

Song Qingxi quickly explained the whole story from beginning to end.

"’It can’t be refined?’ Song Changsheng was startled. ’It’s the same again. My Tai Chi Diagram also can’t be refined. Could there be some connection between the two?’"

Just then, Song Qingxing stated indifferently, "I can refine it."

"Are you sure?"

The sword was strange. Honestly, he didn’t want Song Qingxing to use it, but he also knew how fatal it was for a Swordsman to be without a suitable blade.

"Yes!" Song Qingxing replied decisively.

"Alright." Song Changsheng gave him a deep look and ultimately chose to trust him.

"For the next two days, I’m going to attempt a breakthrough. It’s best if you all don’t wander off. If you must go out, you have to go with Chi Huo. Understood?" Song Changsheng put away the Jade Scroll on the table and looked around at everyone as he spoke.

"Uncle, you’re breaking through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment?" A look of pleasant surprise appeared in Song Qingxi’s eyes.

"That’s right. I had a great haul at the Black Market this time," Song Changsheng said with a smile. Originally, he would have needed at least another half a year to break through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

But this time, he had found a bottle of Thousand-Year Stalactite Spiritual Liquid at the Black Market, which could move that timeline up significantly. In any case, his Mental Realm had already reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, so he wasn’t afraid that breaking through too quickly would affect his foundations.

"In that case, we won’t disturb you."

After Song Qingxi and the others left, Song Changsheng took out the Array Banners and set up a Tier Two Middle Grade Isolation Array. Although this breakthrough wouldn’t take much time, it was always better to be cautious when away from home.

He took out the Tai Chi Diagram and spread it on the bed. Song Changsheng sat cross-legged on top of it and immediately felt his mind become exceptionally clear, and the trace of restlessness in his heart was quietly smoothed away.

This was a wonderful use he had discovered for it recently. Cultivating while seated on this Tai Chi Diagram could calm his spirit, suppress his Heart Demon, and provide an extra layer of security for his breakthrough.

Taking out the Jade Bottle, Song Changsheng took only a small sip, then centered himself and focused his Qi. He began circulating his Heart Method to refine the Medicinal Power, preparing to break through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment in one go!

...