Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-142

Just as Lu Ping was feeling pressured from the adoring and jealous gazes of the crowd, a cold voice spoke.

"Legend has it that Xuan Ling Sect’s Master Alchemist, Wei Xu-Ren, went out on a trip in his youth and found a Beauty Everlasting Pellet recipe in the East Ocean. With that, he became the only one in the North Ocean who could concoct such pellets. Wei Xu-Ren regarded the pellet recipe as his life and never passed it onto others. With the Beauty Everlasting Pellets he concocted, he earned a lot of spirit herbs and spirit stones from female cultivators and male cultivators who wanted to please females.

"Boy, who gave you the pellet recipe? Did you concoct these Beauty Everlasting Pellets on your own or did someone else give them to you? If you concocted them yourself, which heritage do you come from?"

At first, the speaker’s tone was slow and calm, as if telling a story, attracting the attention of the crowd. But the speaker’s tone then became stern, as if he had confirmed that Lu Ping's identity was suspicious.

At the same time, a dominating aura descended upon Lu Ping and made him short of breath.

Lu Ping turned around and looked at the speaker who was none other than Tao Zi-Fang's teacher, a Zhen Ling Sect’s Master Alchemist and Mid Core Forging Realm cultivator, Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing.

The crowd was waiting for the middle-aged scholar to announce the end of the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony and were surprised to see an abrupt incident.

After Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing finished speaking, the cultivators were also influenced by his words and looked at Lu Ping with a hint of suspicion.

Lu Ping’s face turned red under Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing's aura’s pressure. There was a fire that burst in his heart as he thought, This old bastard! When have I offended you making you now come out to falsely accuse me?!

Lu Ping gritted his teeth, "This junior's affairs will be handled by the junior's teacher. This junior will also only answer to my teacher. What qualifications do you have to question me? If I don't tell you, what can you do? Charge me with a false claim?"

Lu Ping's words could be said to be extremely disrespectful. He started off by addressing himself humbly as ‘the junior’ but later simply changed his tone and spoke as if the two of them were on the same level. In other words, Lu Ping didn’t think that Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing was qualified to be superior to him!

After Lu Ping finished speaking, the crowd was in an uproar.

The Enlightened Masters had a surprised expression. They thought that Lu Ping's words were sarcastic, which was a blatant provocation to the Enlightened Masters’ authority.

Even Enlightened Master Xuan-Yin also opened his eyes and looked at Lu Ping while thinking, This little guy actually managed to overcome the suppression from Xuan-Jing’s Mid Core Forging Realm divine revelation. Not only did he speak fluently, he even retorted back and criticized him. Interesting, really interesting.

However, Enlightened Master Liu hadn’t responded yet, and Xuan-Jing's provocation was also a bit sudden. Hence, the Enlightened Masters all looked on indifferently.

At this time, Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing was infuriated. He hadn’t expected Lu Ping to be able to speak fluently even under the suppression of his divine revelation, let alone for Lu Ping to say something that would challenge his authority.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing wanted to slap Lu Ping into oblivion as a warning to others, but since Lu Ping was Enlightened Master Liu’s disciple, Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing couldn’t overstep the boundary and punish him at will.

Moreover, Enlightened Master Liu was there at the scene as well. She was looking at Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing with a pair of cold eyes which gave him cold shivers. Her frosty eyes also reminded him of the influence of the "Three True Four Spirits", who were Zhen Ling Sect’s seven prominent experts.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing suddenly found himself stuck in a difficult position as he didn’t expect things to develop in this way.

His authority as an Enlightened Master should’ve been absolute, but things took a turn dramatically when Lu Ping overcame his pressure and talked back. This made him become the Enlightened Master who lost the most face at the Discipleship Ceremony.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing pressed his entire aura on Lu Ping. The suppression grew to such a point where it could even beat a Late Blood Condensation Realm cultivator to the ground.

However, even though Lu Ping was struggling to hold his ground, he remained standing upright.

Enlightened Master Liu Xuan-Ling who was behind Lu Ping finally spoke up with a faint voice, "Thank you Senior Brother Xuan-Jing for disciplining my impolite and inferior student. Senior Brother, please don’t let anger hurt your body!"

Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng who was sitting to the side, twitched at the corner of his eyes. He knew a little more than the rest about what type of person his teacher’s wife was.

Although typically gentle and ladylike, speaking few harsh words even when offended, that didn’t mean she was an easy target to pick on, it was just that she didn’t like to win arguments with words. Instead, the real suffering came from her following means of revenge.

Back then, even an illustrious talent like Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing’s teacher, also didn’t dare to displease her.

As Enlightened Master Liu spoke, the pressuring aura on Lu Ping was instantly alleviated.

Lu Ping turned to Enlightened Master Liu and whispered, "I dare not deceive teacher. My Beauty Everlasting Pellet recipe was obtained from an Ocean Overturning Gang cultivator that I killed. As for my alchemy, I can prove it by concocting the pellets."

Lu Ping's voice was so low that the surrounding cultivators didn’t know what Lu Ping said to Enlightened Master Liu, but the other Enlightened Masters on stage could hear it all.

After the Enlightened Masters heard that the pellet recipe came from the Ocean Overturning Gang, the Enlightened Masters didn’t pursue the truth anymore, even Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing didn’t question it.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Miao got up and said to the audience, "The Disciple Acceptance Ceremony has been completed, you are all dismissed!"

Although the cultivators were reluctant, they dared not disobey Enlightened Master Xuan-Miao's order, and left the square.

After everyone left, Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing said to Enlightened Master Liu, "Even so, it is not certain that he didn’t get the pellet recipe from Wei Xu-Ren. After all, the Beauty Everlasting Pellet is a Quasi-Master-level pellet. How could he get it from a Blood Condensation Realm cultivator?

"I think it is better we run a detailed check on this kid’s background, as well as the one who recommended him to study under Enlightened Master Liu. This is so that we can avoid taking in those who have malicious intentions! This will also convince the others of our fairness, right?"

Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing had already lowered his tone to that of a consultative one, he was obviously trying to save a little face for himself.

However, just as Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing finished speaking, a loud bang was heard.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng slapped his chair and stood up angrily, shouting loudly at Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing, "Malicious intentions? Haha, the one with malicious intentions who recommended this kid is my teacher. Junior Uncle Xuan-Jing, do you want to run a background check on my teacher? You will have to go through me first!"

Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing was quivering with anger, and his heart was mourning with remorse. He didn't expect that his words, which were originally intended to save some face for himself, would once again involve another figure with influence in Zhen Ling Sect and cause his disciple to become furious on the spot.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng, who was dressed like a common man, spoke with a caustic tone, "I respect you as my Junior Uncle, but that is on the basis of seniority. Don’t think I don’t know your purpose. You asked for a medicinal pellet that my teacher gave to his wife, since you said it could be used to study and enhance your alchemy. So, teacher’s wife gave you one, but you unscrupulously asked for two instead. After being rejected, you’ve become angry out of jealousy. So today you want to give my teacher’s wife a hard time through this little junior martial brother, right?"

The Enlightened Masters were astute and immediately understood that such medicinal pellets were surely unusual. Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing said angrily, "It's nonsense. Nonsense!"

Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng laughed coldly and didn’t argue with him. He said, "Your alchemy is only ranked third in the sect. That kind of medicinal pellet is simply out of your league to concoct. If you really wanted to study it, one is more than enough. Don't you think it’s a waste for you to have two?"

Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing laughed coldly and refuted, "Alchemy is so profound, someone like you wouldn’t be able to understand"

Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng nodded, "Sure, I don’t. But I’ve heard that Junior Uncle has been stuck in the Sixth Layer Core Forging Realm for a long time without a single bit of progress. You have an Earth-class heaven-and-earth spirit item, but because your cultivation foundation is built on the consumption of medicinal pellets, it is simply not firm enough for you to fully absorb the Earth-class heaven-and-earth spirit item. If you can have such a medicinal pellet in your hands, I think it’ll surely help you advance to the Late Core Forging Realm."

Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing was just about to refute when Enlightened Master Liu suddenly said, "Xuan-Sheng, Senior Brother Xuan-Jing is your Junior Uncle. Even if he had done so, how is it your turn to question him first?"

Although it would seem like Enlightened Master Liu Xuan-Ling had openly reprimanded Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng, she was actually secretly hinting to the others that Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing’s purpose was really to get revenge for not being given a second medicinal pellet.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing was so angry that his body was shaking. Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng immediately bowed, "It is this disciple who has been rude, thank you teacher’s wife for teaching this disciple a lesson."

After saying that, he ignored Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing and sat down.

This pair of teacher and disciple cooperated tacitly. The Enlightened Masters’ expressions were all odd.

Enlightened Master Liu thought for a moment before saying, "After Lu Ping's trip to Fei Ling Island, I already intended to take him as my disciple. Your teacher’s recommendation was redundant."

It is obvious that Enlightened Master Liu was trying to say that she didn’t take Lu Ping as her disciple due to the recommendation from Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng's teacher.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng, who was behaving like an obedient child at this point, said, "Yes, this disciple understands."

Enlightened Master Xuan-Yin suddenly stood up, glanced over at Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing, and said, "Boring!"

After saying that, he only used his gaze to gesture slightly at Enlightened Master Liu Xuan-Ling, and didn’t even greet the other Enlightened Masters, as if they were non-existent.

He led his newly accepted disciple, Yin Zi-Chu, and left. After walking three feet, the teacher and disciple suddenly disappeared as if they had never existed.

Lu Ping was astonished as he watched the duo disappear like phantoms.

Enlightened Master Liu also got up, "There are a lot of chores in Chong Hua Palace, so I'll go first."

After saying that, Lu Ping felt that he was suddenly lifted up by an object. It was the red silk that Enlightened Master Liu used when she arrived.

When Lu Ping looked down, he was already in the air, with Enlightened Master Liu standing not far in front of him.

Lu Ping felt the scenery on both sides flashing past him. Before he could even make the scenery out clearly, he had already landed in a flowery green grassy area next to a small lake.

As an alchemist, Lu Ping naturally recognized that the flowers and willows planted by the lake were spirit herbs and spirit materials.

Perhaps, only Late Core Forging Realm Enlightened Masters like Enlightened Master Liu would use these spirit herbs and spirit materials to make their living environment beautiful.

In the center of the lake was a nine-foot-high stone hill, which had been carved into a palace for human habitation. It was giving off large waves of arcane energy.

Above the main gate of the palace was a wooden plaque made of a thousand-year willow. The plaque was engraved with three big elegant words, “Chong Hua Palace”!

Lu Ping, along with Enlightened Master Liu, stepped on the lake water and walked towards the stone palace in the center of the lake.

Lu Ping's divine sense swept across the lake and found that there were many fish and other creatures in the lake that had a Blood Refining Realm cultivation. He could even vaguely notice Blood Condensation Realm monsters in the lake.

Lu Ping followed closely behind Enlightened Master Liu to the palace.

Although the periphery of Chong Hua Palace was decorated with flowers, the stone hall in the palace was simple, and all the furniture was also carved out of stone.

Lu Ping's heart was full of questions, but he knew it wasn’t time to ask them yet.

At this moment, a young girl in a palace dress was hurrying towards the outside of the palace.

Lu Ping recognized that this girl was the same palace maiden that he saw in the side hall a few days ago.

The young palace girl was obviously a bit anxious. As she looked in front of her, she saw the returning Enlightened Master Liu, as well as Lu Ping following behind.

As she saw them, the anxious look on her face eased. Then, as if she remembered something, she quickly turned around and was about to return to the back of the palace.

"Girl, where are you going?" Enlightened Master Liu called out to stop the young girl who was in a hurry to leave.