Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-345-30041322

As the forum progressed, the next agenda moved on to the presentation of congratulatory gifts from the disciples to Great Ancestor Liu Tian-Ling.

However, the first to step forward wasn’t Second Senior Martial Sister Li Xuan-Ru, but instead, Enlightened Master Xuan-Tian from Liberal Palace.

Those who were uninformed were puzzled to see him stepping up, wondering when Great Ancestor Liu Tian-Ling had accepted another male disciple. What more, this male disciple was in the Sixth Layer Core Forging Realm, and clearly an experienced and seasoned cultivator himself.

Enlightened Master Xuan-Tian held a jade box with both hands, bowed and said respectfully, "Congratulations to Teacher for achieving Avatar Realm! Here, this disciple presents three Gentle Jade Flowers, I wish Teacher a smooth journey to True Spirit Realm, to pluck the fruit of eternal longevity."

Gentle Jade Flowers?

Lu Ping was surprised to see their appearance, as if they had been carved out of jade stones. Similar to the Golden Nuts, the Gentle Jade Flowers were capable of enhancing a cultivator’s physical body. And Lu Ping knew for a fact that Great Ancestors valued such items very highly.

Naturally, Lu Ping wasn’t the only one who knew about the Gentle Jade Flowers. In just a short time, all the guests discussed them in awe and with tones of envy. At the same time, the senior Enlightened Masters were explaining the value of such treasures to their juniors.

Such was the benefit of the Avatar Forum for junior Core Forging Realm Enlightened Masters, because these young and less knowledgeable juniors would surely build up their own expertise during this time. Great Ancestor Liu Tian-Ling also seemed to smile a little brighter, and she asked, "I appreciate such kind intentions, Xuan-Tian. Why is Xuan-Hui not here with you today?"

This was Enlightened Master Xuan-Tian’s wife, so Xuan-Tian replied, "Teacher, forgive her. Xuan-Hui is in closed-door cultivation and hasn’t come out since last year. It’s our regret that she couldn’t attend the forum."

Great Ancestor Liu Tian-Ling nodded and said nothing more, while Xuan-Tian waited a full second, then bowed and moved back.

Throughout the conversation, Lu Ping noticed that Second, Third, and Fourth Senior Sisters, as well as the other three senior martial brothers from Liberal Palace, were taken aback and slightly anxious when they heard their teacher asking about Enlightened Master Xuan-Hui.

After Xuan-Tian, was Liberal Palace’s Second Senior Martial Brother, Enlightened Master Xuan-Guo. In comparison, his gift was not as remarkable, being just nine pieces of 3,000-year spirit herbs. Even so, they were considered an adequate congratulatory gift.

After him was Second Senior Martial Sister Li Xuan-Ru, who was actually the de facto Elder Sister of Chong Hua Palace. Naturally, her congratulatory gift was given a lot more attention than the others.

Li Xuan-Ru’s gift was a bottle of three Spiritual Wood Pellets.

This surprised Lu Ping as he didn’t expect her to possess them. Although the Spiritual Wood Pellets had never vanished entirely from the cultivation world, they were rarer than Gentle Jade Pellets nowadays. Apart from the difficulty to concoct—as they were half-step Avatar Realm pellets—the most important ingredient needed was the blood essence of a Core Forging Realm Wood Luan, which was almost impossible to come across.

Spiritual Wood Pellets were not for cultivators to consume; they were used to stimulate the growth of spirit herbs. Rumor had it that a Wood Luan’s Golden Core could stimulate up to a hundred pieces of 3,000-year spirit herbs to maturity, which as a consequence, had nearly brought the entire Wood Luan race to extinction.

In comparison, Spiritual Wood Pellets were not that heavenly in effect, but could still stimulate a few pieces of 3,000-year spirit herbs to maturity. Most importantly, one could choose which spirit herbs to stimulate!

As the Spiritual Wood Pellet was a type of peculiar pellet that many alchemists couldn’t recognize, it was highly likely only a few cultivators in the hall were aware of its value. This in turn, made them even more certain that the pellets must be extremely precious to be this rare.

Next to come forward was Third Senior Martial Sister Zhao Ji-Xuan and Fourth Senior Martial Sister Wang Xuan-Jiang, followed by Liberal Palace’s Fourth Senior Martial Brother Enlightened Master Xuan-Sheng and Fifth Senior Martial Brother Enlightened Master Xuan-Han.

One after another, the disciples of Chong Hua Palace and Liberal Palace stepped forward to present their gifts. Finally, it was Lu Ping’s turn.

All eyes were scrutinizing him closely, wondering what gifts this disciple, who’d recently made his name known in the North Ocean, would be presenting.

In fact, to the uninvited guests seated outside of the hall, they were already impressed by the gifts presented by those inside the hall. But considering the long history and strength of their sects and clans, it wasn’t a surprise that they could produce such precious items.

This was also one of Zhen Ling Sect’s goals, which was to display its influence in the North Ocean to these cultivators. The more precious the gifts received, the more influential their sect appeared. This would attract more parties, either sects or clans, to ally themselves with the Zhen Ling Sect.

Soon, the sect showcased its strength once again when the disciples were called forward to present their gifts. Unlike the guests, who were representatives of their individual forces, the disciples relied on themselves to produce their gifts. In other words, the gifts exhibited the disciples’ own competencies, which in turn would aid the sect to attract more young and bright talents to join.

Lu Ping stepped forward with a jade plate in his hands. There were three faintly glowing big peaches on the plate. "This disciple presents three spirit peaches, I wish the teacher eternal life and endless fortune!"

The guests were puzzled to see the spirit fruits. Spirit peaches of this size were rare, and the peaches also signified long life in the mortal world, but no one recalled any famous spirit peaches that were precious enough for this occasion.

As Great Ancestor Liu Tian-Ling’s ninth disciple, Lu Xuan-Ping had received a lot of attention and care from the Great Ancestor. Back when he went missing, the teacher trampled over the Yuan Clan for him, yet he was only presenting three ordinary spirit peaches as his congratulatory gift?

Many guests shook their heads in disappointment, while others smiled in mockery at Zhen Ling Sect for raising an ungrateful disciple.

"These… are Spirit Monster Peaches?"

In the midst of the inaudible discussions, Xuan Ling Sect’s Lin Xu-Qing suddenly asked.

"Senior Lin is knowledgeable!"

Lu Ping was surprised, and he smiled in reply. "By luck, I have obtained three Thousand-Year Spirit Monster Peaches."

Lin Xu-Qing pressed on, "Did you pluck them from a monster peach tree?"

Lu Ping seemed to recall something, then shook his head and said, "Monster peach tree? I’ve never come across one before. Actually, these three peaches were from a senior’s legacy. Senior Lin, it seems like you’re quite familiar with Spirit Monster Peaches, can you explain more about them to me?"

Lin Xu-Qing looked closely at Lu Ping, but couldn’t see any signs of deceit, so he cast away his suspicions. However, as much as he didn’t want to talk more about Spirit Monster Peaches, Lu Ping’s question gave him no choice. If he refused to answer, the guests and even Great Ancestor Liu Tian-Ling would think that he was insincere, which would badly affect Xuan Ling Sect’s reputation.

Hence, Lin Xu-Qing took a moment to organize his thoughts, then he said, "In the monster race, there is another variant of creatures aside from the beasts we commonly see. These are known as spirit monsters. Although they are included as part of the monster race, they are different in nature and essence than the monster beasts. They can range from non-living objects like rocks, stones, or elements, to living-objects like trees, grasses, or ferns. Usually, they are just what they appear to be, nothing special, but at times, there are a few, for various reasons, that will attain sentience and mindfulness. However, this takes a long, long time to transpire.

"In addition, legend has it that the Heaven-Cleaving Seven Primes left only a few cultivation heritages for the spirit monsters, and none of these heritages were good enough for the Avatar Realm. So, no known spirit monsters have ever made it to the Avatar Realm. Most of the time, their cultivation method is simple and crude, nothing more than just plainly absorbing spiritual energy and storing the energy in their bodies. Their cultivation journey is long and slow, ranging from hundreds to thousands of years to reach the Blood Condensation Realm. But due to this lengthy time, the large amount of spiritual energy condensed in their bodies have enhanced their qualities, making them extremely valuable and sought after. Hence, it is extremely rare to come across such creatures in the cultivation world."

Lin Xu-Qing briefly explained the spirit monsters, then paused for a second and continued, "These spirit peaches are from one such spirit monster, a spirit monster peach tree. If the peaches are concocted into pellets, they will make the finest Avatar Realm medicinal pellets. However, Junior Nephew Lu was surely fortunate, this senior you speak of must excel in preserving items. These spirit peaches are so well preserved that they feel as though they were freshly picked from the tree."

No wonder Zhen Ling Sect and Xuan Ling Sect were rivals—even at the end of his explanation, Lin Xu-Qing still managed to make a pointed remark at Lu Ping, hinting to the others that he might actually own a spirit monster peach tree.

At the same time, Lu Ping was regretting that he asked the question. But there was no one to blame other than himself; his lack of knowledge in spirit monsters led to his curiosity, which led to the set up. But he still remained calm, smiling as he said, "Thank you for the explanation, I never thought these spirit peaches would be this precious."

Lin Xu-Qing nodded softly but didn’t respond. He was clearly not fond of Lu Ping, or any of the Zhen Ling Sect disciples to be precise. Lu Ping also didn’t mind and he stepped forward to present the spirit peaches to his teacher.

Great Ancestor Liu Tian-Ling smiled and said, "You little child, how do you manage to bring out new things every time? Aren’t you afraid that people will think you’re really very wealthy?"

Although she was talking to Lu Ping, everyone knew she was actually warning them not to target Lu Ping. This was essentially a warning from a Great Ancestor to the Enlightened Masters.

In fact, when the Enlightened Masters learned about the spirit monsters and received Lin Xu-Qing’s hint, they all started to have other thoughts in their minds. The cultivation world was cruel and ruthless, where cultivators killed and died every day for cultivation resources and opportunities.

The difference here was that these Enlightened Masters in the hall were from famous sects and clans, so they would choose their targets wisely and act more carefully. For instance, a Great Ancestor’s official disciple would require a more detailed and meticulous plan. As long as the reward offsets the risk, nothing would stop them from charging forth.

After the disciples presented their gifts, the next agenda was a free session where the cultivators in the hall were allowed to express and exchange their cultivation opinions. In this session, Great Ancestor Liu Tian-Ling would share her experience and insights in her breakthrough to Avatar Realm, which was also the main purpose for the Late Core Forging Realm Enlightened Masters attendance.

However, just as the session started, a voice suddenly said, "It’s such a grand event, how can it lack any practice performances? Words are a good medium to express one’s opinions, but actions speak louder than words. Seniors, Junior Ouyang Wei-Jian from Xuan Ling Sect would like to propose a hands-on session to validate our thoughts. If you don’t mind, it can start with me. I’d like to invite Brother Lu Xuan-Ping to a sword practice match where the two of us can exchange our attainments through swordplay."

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Editor: MilkBiscuit