Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-145

Li Xuan-Ru noticed Lu Ping’s surprised expression as if he knew something, and she quickly asked, “What’s the matter? Junior Brother, did you find something wrong?”

Lu Ping nodded and said, “When I was returning from the monster race sea, I lost my way in the vast ocean. The nearest island was Qiu Yun Island, so I stopped there first. Inadvertently, I discovered that Qiu Yuan Island’s de facto owner, Qiu Clan, has secret dealings with Ocean Overturning Gang’s Division Master.”

Li Xuan-Ru’s expression turned solemn. “Ocean Overturning Gang? That’s certainly news to me. Junior Brother, does anyone else know about this?”

Lu Ping noticed her serious tone and knew that this wasn’t a small matter. “I’ve talked to Master Immortal Liu Zi-Yuan before. He’s the one who led the group back when I was in the side hall.”

Li Xuan-Ru said, “Oh, him. He’s one of the North Ocean 18 Warriors and disciple to Junior Uncle Guo Xuan-Shan. It’s fine to tell him, I’m sure he knows how important this is. But I have to report to Teacher right now. Junior Brother, be at ease and focus on your cultivation for the next few days. Wait patiently for the cultivation forum in seven days, it will definitely be beneficial to you.”

Without waiting for Lu Ping’s response, Enlightened Master Li immediately left. Lu Ping would’ve liked to ask about the “North Ocean 18 Warriors”, but she was already gone before he could say anything.

During the next seven days, Lu Ping focused all his thoughts on studying the [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture] and integrated it with the [Flying Spirit Ocean Treading Scripture]. Sure enough, he was able to integrate the two cultivation methods into the [North Ocean Wave Listening Scripture] and extended the cultivation method to the Mid Avatar Realm.

But because Lu Ping’s cultivation and knowledge was still too shallow, he could barely integrate the cultivation methods together. He would have to advance his cultivation into the Core Forging Realm and learn more before he could further enhance and actually cultivate the method.

Seven days later, Chong Hua Palace’s Enlightened Master Liu Xuan-Ling held a cultivation forum. All her disciples had returned to Chong Hua Palace to attend.

Early in the morning, Lu Ping arrived at the front hall of Chong Hua Palace. To his surprise, he found more than thirty registered disciples patiently waiting outside of the hall, each seated in a line according to their age.

This was one of Chong Hua Palace’s customs. The disciples weren’t ranked in order of their acceptance, but rather by their age. This was why Lu Ping was ranked ahead of Jiang Zi-Xuan and became the ninth junior martial brother.

Many registered disciples showed envious eyes when they saw Lu Ping arriving at the scene. Lu Ping also noticed that about half of them were in the Late Blood Condensation Realm, and two were in the Core Forging Realm. Lu Ping was silently astonished by the strength of Chong Hua Palace’s lineage.

Lu Ping looked at the lake outside of the palace and was caught off-guard. There were hundreds of monsters in the lake swimming gracefully with the waves. About thirty of them possessed strong and powerful monstrous auras—they were clearly in the Blood Condensation Realm.

On the shore, hundreds of Zhen Ling Sect disciples sat in meditation. These were the inner disciples who had opened their cave-dwellings on Tian Ling Mountain.

Most of them had yet to enter the Mid Blood Condensation Realm and so, weren’t qualified to participate in the disciple acceptance ceremony. Hence, they were here to listen to the forum in the hope that it would help their cultivation.

This was also one of the many reasons why most inner disciples were willing to open their cave-dwellings in Tian Ling Mountain. Aside from the large spirit vein on Tian Ling Mountain, they could listen to the Core Forging Enlightened Masters’ cultivation forums from time to time.

Therefore, setting up their cave-dwellings here had many sizable benefits.

The second official disciple to arrive was Leng Qian. Lu Ping nodded to her as she arrived. The rest of the senior martial sisters soon arrived one after another. The first, fifth, sixth, and tenth putuans were left vacant.

When it was time for the cultivation forum to begin, Enlightened Master Liu, accompanied by her daughter, Jiang Zi-Xuan, arrived at the hall. Enlightened Master Liu sat in the center while Jiang Zi-Xuan occupied the tenth putuan which was situated behind Lu Ping.

Enlightened Master gave a light stroke on the jade chime beside her. Instantly, the nearly two hundred cultivators in the hall, outside of the hall, and on the shore, all fell silent at the same time.

Enlightened Master Liu started the forum with an explanation on the [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture]. It confirmed that Lu Ping was the sole reason for this forum; the rest of the cultivators were only able to listen to her teachings because of him.

In other words, all of these cultivators would have to remember this favor and repay Lu Ping in the future in one way or another.

The entire cultivation forum was more than just words and explanations, Enlightened Master Liu also demonstrated her teachings on the spot.

After all, there were many things in cultivation that could only be understood but not communicated. Hence, Enlightened Master Liu would sometimes cast her arcane energy and give practical examples through spells and images.

During her lesson, she casted a water manikin in mid-air. This water manikin was so exquisite that the blood, bones, flesh and organs were all clearly visible and many times more sophisticated than Lu Ping’s [Sea Crossing Concealment Art].

Enlightened Master Liu started off with the basics and progressed step by step. Her explanations were unadorned and natural, yet also incredibly engaging. After her demonstration with the water manikin, Lu Ping was soon fully occupied.

Lu Ping originally viewed this cultivation forum as a reference for his own cultivation. After all, his cultivation method wasn’t the sect’s [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture] anymore but the [North Ocean Wave Listening Scripture].

However, after Enlightened Master Liu began the forum, Lu Ping realized that he was very wrong. After all, the [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture] originated from the [North Ocean Wave Listening Scripture], so there were many insights that were quite useful to his cultivation.

Especially when it came from Enlightened Master Liu, a Late Core Forging Realm expert in water cultivation methods and with centuries of observations and knowledge. Lu Ping couldn’t possibly match up to her in any aspect.

On just the first day of the forum, Enlightened Master Liu had already offered many insights that Lu Ping had never heard or even thought of. As a result, many of his accumulated doubts and obstacles in his cultivation were naturally resolved. A lot of mistakes that he’d made in his daily cultivation were pointed out, and he could now correct them in time.

All of a sudden, Lu Ping felt a sense of transformation, and he vaguely regretted that he hadn’t opened his cave-dwelling on Tian Ling Mountain so that he could attend more of these cultivation forums from the Enlightened Masters.

After that, Enlightened Master Liu explained the [Wave Listening Eight Ultimates] and gave a practical demonstration in the hall. Lu Ping referenced her teachings with his [North Ocean Twelve Ultimates] and benefited a lot.

Enlightened Master Liu then returned the topic back to the [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture], but this time, she explained the cultivation method relative to the Core Forging Realm. Lu Ping memorized everything in his mind and dared not miss a single word. This would be very useful when integrating the [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture] into the [North Ocean Wave Listening Scripture].

Enlightened Master Liu proceeded to compare the strengths and weaknesses between the [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture] and other water cultivation methods. These didn’t just include those within the Zhen Ling Sect, but also every other water cultivation method that Enlightened Master Liu had come across in her cultivation life, further broadening Lu Ping’s horizons.

At a later stage of the forum, Enlightened Master Liu even talked about her experiences and knowledge gained from her travels. The topic included the cultivation world and the mortal world, the North Ocean, East Ocean, and South Ocean, and even other places which Lu Ping had never heard of such as the West Barren, North Iceland, and the Central Plain.

Everyone in the forum, including Lu Ping, were greatly impressed by Enlightened Master Liu’s extensive knowledge. Lu Ping now longed to explore the other parts of the world beyond the North Ocean.

The cultivation forum lasted for nine days. During the intervals between Enlightened Master Liu’s teachings, the cultivators would freely and casually exchange their cultivation insights. Lu Ping also took the opportunity to ask his three Core Forging senior sisters about the doubts and difficulties in his cultivation.

On the last day of the cultivation forum, Enlightened Master Liu allowed her disciples to freely ask questions and she answered all of them one by one. But of course, only the official and registered disciples were qualified to ask. The disciples on the shore didn’t have such treatment.

But the closing question and answer session allowed Lu Ping to observe many of the disciples under Chong Hua Palace’s lineage, as well as their cultivation base and methods.

After the cultivation forum was over, Lu Ping could already feel the surging arcane energy in his bloodstream when he circulated the [North Ocean Wave Listening Scripture] in his body.

He knew that the forum had contributed greatly to his cultivation progress. This accumulation would eventually lead to another leap in growth as he continued to deepen his attainments.

The day after the forum, Lu Ping requested permission from Enlightened Master Liu to return to Huang Li Island. Enlightened Master Liu didn’t reject his request and encouraged him to continue cultivating diligently.

Bidding farewell to Enlightened Master Liu, he soon left Chong Hua Palace. As he made his way outside, he encountered Enlightened Master Li Xuan-Ru, who purposely came looking for him.

Ever since Enlightened Master Liu entered the Late Core Forging Realm, she had been in regular closed-door cultivation to prepare for her advancement into the Avatar Realm. Hence, the daily affairs of Chong Hua Palace and her lineage were passed down to his second senior sister, Enlightened Master Li Xuan-Ru.

Li Xuan-Ru asked about Lu Ping’s future plans. According to Zhen Ling Sect’s rules, when the disciples reached the Mid Blood Condensation Realm, they would be promoted to the ranks of elite disciples. As elite disciples, they must then take responsibility for the welfare of the sect.

Before this, Lu Ping had been out in the monster race sea the entire time and so he naturally didn’t have to undertake this obligation. However, with his return, he naturally had to do his part and contribute.

The elite disciples’ responsibilities were varied. For example, Master Immortal Liu once took on the role of leading groups in Zhen Ling Side Hall. His responsibility was to nurture and care for the sect’s future disciples.

As an Alchemist, one of Lu Ping’s sect responsibilities would be to enter the Pavilion of Alchemy and concoct medicinal pellets for the sect. Naturally, the sect would also reward him accordingly based on his contributions.

Enlightened Master Li suggested, “Junior Brother, you’ve successfully concocted the Beauty Everlasting Pellet, meaning you’re only one step away from becoming a Quasi-Master Alchemist. If you become one of the sect’s professional alchemists, you’ll be given a larger share of resources. Even more, the juniors can get your pellets at a cheaper price in the future.”

But after Enlightened Master Li told him more about the situation at the Pavilion of Alchemy, Lu Ping politely declined the suggestion.

First of all, Zhen Ling Sect’s third-ranked Master Alchemist, Enlightened Master Xuan-Jing, was in the Pavilion of Alchemy and had considerable influence there.

Moreover, after becoming the sect’s full-time alchemist, Lu Ping would have to concoct a given quota of medicinal pellets for the sect. Lu Ping, who was relaxed and carefree in nature, naturally wouldn’t want to be bound by this.

In the end, Lu Ping decided to join Master Immortal Liu’s sea patrol squad on Huang Li Island. First of all, he could safeguard his cave-dwelling on the island; secondly, Master Immortal Liu, Yao Yong, Du Feng, and his other friends were also in the squad.

Enlightened Master Li listened to Lu Ping’s plan and she smiled. “This is a good plan as well. Junior Brother Liu Zi-Yuan is a prudent cultivator. He is also expected to be one of the sect’s future Core Forging Enlightened Masters. Moreover, he is the fourth senior brother under Junior Uncle Guo Xuan-Shan of Zhong Xuan Palace. However, the sea patrols are riskier as there are many sly and cunning cultivators in the buffer sea. Junior Brother, please be careful.”

Master Immortal Liu’s lineage was a new discovery for Lu Ping. Recalling Li Xuan-Ru had once mentioned that Master Immortal Liu was one of the “North Ocean 18 Warriors”, he asked who they were.

Enlightened Master Li Xuan-Ru laughed and said, “It seems that Junior Brother really lived an isolated life in the monster sea race, you’re not even caught up with the North Ocean’s situation. The so-called ‘North Ocean 18 Warriors’ is a collective title for the eighteen most notable Blood Condensation cultivators during the North Ocean’s battle with the monster race. Our Zhen Ling Sect has two cultivators on the list, one of which is Junior Brother Liu Zi-Yuan.”

Through Enlightened Master Li’s explanation, Lu Ping learned that Master Immortal Liu had advanced to the Ninth Layer Blood Condensation Realm two years ago. Just after his advancement, Master Immortal Liu was caught in a gory battle.

In that battle, Master Immortal Liu was ambushed by three Ninth Layer Blood Condensation monsters. The result? Master Immortal Liu killed two on the spot and chased the third monster for more than ten thousand miles before slaying it.

After that, Master Immortal Liu fought his way out from the siege of the monsters, killing and injuring a dozen Blood Condensation monsters on his way out, and finally returning to Huang Li Island safely.

This incident made Master Immortal Liu famous among the North Ocean Blood Condensation cultivators and he naturally made his name into the North Ocean 18 Warriors.

Lu Ping rubbed his chin and secretly thought to himself, it seemed that he had indeed missed a lot of interesting events these past five years.

Funnily enough, a few months ago, Xuan Ling Sect’s Han Wei-Yun overtook a North Ocean rogue cultivator position in the North Ocean 18 Warriors with the help of his sect’s propaganda.

The propaganda claimed that Han Wei-Yun and his gang were ambushed by the Primal Giant Crocodiles in the monster race sea. The monsters involved in the ambush included four Late Blood Condensation Primal Giant Crocodiles, more than a dozen Late Blood Condensation monsters as well as two hundred other monster soldiers.

Even so, Han Wei-Yun, with his leadership and tactics, led the Xuan Ling cultivators and broke out of the siege. Not only that, but he even saved the lives of dozens of North Ocean cultivators as well as killing and injuring dozens of Mid and Late Blood Refining monsters.