Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-429

“Hehe.” A coquettish giggle could be heard all of a sudden. A curvaceous female cultivator walked out from the crowd and looked around with her beautiful eyes. She slowly fixed her gaze from one cultivator to another, and was stunned after noticing Lu Ping. She laughed again, “Oh? It’s the reputed Water Sword Immortal. I wondered how Qiao Wei-Jie, a Xuan Ling Sect disciple known for his short temper, managed to control his anger.”

Qiao Wei-Jie grunted in response. A flush crept up on his face, but he did not respond. Lu Ping looked at the lady with an ice-cold stare and ignored her attempts to stir chaos.

The crowd was shocked. After all, amongst the rising stars of the younger generation, the most well-known were the Zhen Ling Sect’s Water Sword Immortal, Lu Ping, and the Xuan Ling Sect’s Wind Sword Immortal, Ouyang Wei-Jian.

Be it their cultivation level, achievements, or strength, they outperformed those at their level and had even managed to bring down foes stronger than them. If it weren’t for their recent advancement into the Core Forging Realm, they would have a higher rank in the North Ocean Prodigies.

Previously, Qiao Wei-Jie didn’t recognize Lu Ping. Just as he was about to taunt Lu Ping and challenge him to a fight, Qiao Wei-Jie was halted by his fellow cultivator. Afterwards, he learned that he had tried to challenge a cultivator as famous as Ouyang Wei-Jian in his sect.

Qiao Wei-Jie was no stranger to Ouyang Wei-Jian’s strength. Despite being an experienced Core Forging Realm cultivator, Qiao Wei-Jie was recently effortlessly defeated by Ouyang Wei-Jian after he had just advanced into the mid-Core Forging Realm. Knowing that Lu Ping was far more impressive than Ouyang Wei-Jian, Qiao Wei-Jiao lost the courage to proceed with his challenge. He wasn’t a fool who would recklessly seek death.

The female cultivator from the Water Mist Sect didn’t feel the slightest sign of awkwardness after being ignored. Her pupils flared as she thought of something, “I’m Shui Xiu from the Water Mist Sect. This is not the place to talk. Can I suggest that we switch the venue? We can have a delicious meal as we hold our discussion. How about it?”

The crowd, mainly composed of Blood Refining and Blood Condensation Realm cultivators, were all very dissatisfied. However, while they were eager to see how the situation would develop, they didn’t dare to voice their frustration and merely watched as they left.

Zeng Wu and his companions also didn’t dare say anything, especially since they had caused this situation. They kept their heads down and followed the cultivators into a tavern. Perhaps because of Zeng Wu’s reminder, they all stayed close to Lu Ping. Lu Ping entered the tavern and immediately got comfortable in his seat.

The owner of the tavern was observant and intelligent. The moment he saw six Core Forging Realm cultivators entering his tavern, he realized that they were going to hold a discussion among themselves. The owner hurriedly arranged them a quiet and private room without even needing to be told. After seating the guests, he immediately had the drinks served before he and his servers left the room.

Only Lu Ping, Qiao Wei-Jie, Shui Xiu, a cultivator from the Swift Plume Sect, Zeng Wu and his companions, and two other Core Forging Realm cultivators were left in the room.

Lu Ping and the others sipped on their tea from time to time, indulging themselves in the high-grade tea’s alluring aroma and taste. No one said a word, causing Zeng Wu and his companions to feel anxious. After drinking around two-thirds of their tea, Shui Xiu giggled and made hand signs, forming a vision-hindering bubble around her. Seeing that, Lu Ping unleashed his divine revelation, instantly allowing him to detect a layer of vague mist that shrouded their room. The layer of mist functioned as a barrier that disrupted divine revelation and prevented eavesdropping.

“Hehe, let us begin. But before that, I think we should introduce ourselves. As the person who started this meeting, please allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Shui Xiu, the fourth disciple of the Water Mist Sect’s Shui Qing-Rou.”

“Qiao Wei-Jie of the Xuan Ling Sect. Disciple of Lu Xu-Heng.”

Lu Ping was stunned because he had met Lu Xu-Heng before on Ice Frost Island. He was a very famous late-Core Forging Realm cultivator in the Xuan Ling Sect that had the highest chances of advancing to the Law Avatar Realm.

“Swift Plume Sect’s Han Fei, a disciple of Zhao Wu-Ji.”

When it was Lu Ping’s turn, in a calm and emotionless tone, he said, “The Xuan Ling Sect. Lu Xuan-Ping.”

His short introduction caused Qiao Wei-Jie to be annoyed. The man scowled and chimed in, “How arrogant. You didn’t even introduce your master. Are you thinking of leaving your master and starting your own faction?”

Lu Ping shot a glance at Qiao Wei-Jie. He wore a smile without saying a word and lifted his chin up. There was nothing but mockery and derision in Lu Ping’s eyes as he fixed his gaze on Qiao Wei-Jie. The more Qiao Wei-Jie looked at Lu Ping, the angrier he got, but he was too afraid to make a move. Everyone present was not oblivious to the tension, but they ignored it. The conflict between the two sects had been around for a very long time, and these two sects possessed a unique position in the region. Hence, the other sects usually maintained a neutral attitude toward their conflict.

In the end, Qiao Wei-Jie dispersed the ferocious aura shrouding him and continued staring at Lu Ping with murderous intentions. Lu Ping had been calm the entire time and calmly filled up his empty cup with boiling spiritual water.

Realizing the conflict wouldn’t escalate, Shui Xiu smiled and turned to the other two Core Forging Realm cultivators. “I assume you’re both from the Tidal Ocean Sect. Greetings. May I know your names?”

The two cultivators sprang to their feet and greeted her back. Their sect was quite outstanding, but it was still far away from reaching the level of the ten greatest sects. As a result, the Core Forging Realm cultivator was very polite, and replied, “Yes, Ms. Shui Xian. We’re both from the Tidal Ocean Sect. I’m Qian Shu, and this is my junior brother, Yang San-Yang. Greetings, ladies and gentlemen.”

Lu Ping and the others returned an equal amount of respect. The Tidal Ocean Sect was not a major sect in the North Ocean, but they did possess a Law Avatar Realm cultivator. Lu Ping’s arrogance was only reserved for the Xuan Ling Sect, not other sects. When it came to a reputed sect like the Tidal Ocean Sect, Lu Ping and the others would show nothing but respect and politeness. They wouldn’t easily get on bad terms with such a sect, even if they couldn’t recruit these individuals.

After some ice-breakers, Shui Xiu clapped her hands, and said, “Fate has brought us together. Now that we have a basic understanding of one another and we’ve gotten rid of the unnecessary individuals, we can speak clearly. Our young and talented Blood Condensation Realm friends here have obviously discovered a cave that once belonged to an ancient cultivator, and it’s a wealthy one judging by the items they retrieved.”

Apart from Lu Ping, the cultivators locked their eyes on Zeng Wu and his companions. Their gazes caused Zeng Wu and his companions to become drenched in cold sweat. They felt like a hand weighing millions of pounds was pressing down on their shoulders.

Zeng Wu bit his lower lip and remained silent. His expression twisted several times at the thought of the cultivators’ intentions while his companions stood beside him uneasily. Lu Ping waved his hand, unshackling the pressure on the Blood Condensation Realm cultivators, earning their gratitude.

Lu Ping maintained a stoic expression and said nothing. Suddenly, Zeng Wu whipped out some items from his inter-spacial pouch and put them on the table. “These are the items that we found in the cave. They serve no purpose in our hands other than to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves, so I’d like to present them to you. They’ll only have value in your hands.”

Before his voice even faded, the expression of his five companions standing behind him twisted. One of the female cultivators even exclaimed, “Zeng Wu! No! We shed blood and tears for these!

“That’s enough! I’ll give you an explanation later!”

The female cultivator choked on her words. His other companions shared her thoughts, but they didn’t have the courage to argue back in the presence of the many cultivators.

Qiao Wei-Jie smugly looked at Lu Ping, who was glancing at Zeng Wu with a look of praise, something that Qiao Wei-Jie found strange. However, he did not bat an eye at this, and continued, “It seems like Brother Lu’s feelings are one-sided. Our young friend here obviously has made his own decision.”

Lu Ping disregarded Qiao Wei-Jie’s mocking, causing Qiao Wei-Jie to choke on his words. Shui Xiu feared that the two would argue again, so she hurriedly chimed in, “How about this? Hand over the items, and we’ll only select a couple that is useful to us. We won’t take advantage of you, and we will pay you handsomely with resources.”

Zeng Wu’s face paled because he knew that these so-called masters and seniors in the cultivation world had set their eyes on the items they had found in the cave. Zeng Wu wanted to separate his group from the items they had acquired in the cave in order to save their lives. For the first time, these solitary cultivators acquired a deeper understanding of the cultivation world that operated by the law of the jungle. However, the ones that held true power were not powerful cultivators. Instead, the top ten sects were the apex predators at the top of the food chain.

Lu Ping’s brows scrunched together. He was not against this and knew more than anyone that this was the way things worked. After all, something similar had happened on Ice Frost Island. The massive spirit vein on the island was acquired by the top ten sects, but their portion was forcibly distributed to the other sects after they combined their power. However, conflict between the major sects was beyond most cultivators' level, rendering them oblivious to the situation.

In fact, Lu Ping had anticipated this situation and he did not plan on doing anything. Yet, when it happened, he realized that he did not want these solitary cultivators to lose their lives in such a humiliating way.

As soon as Shui Xiu’s voice faded, a male cultivator behind Zeng Wu sprang to his feet and roared, “How dare you! This isn’t fair! I’ll die before I surrender our items to you all!”

Instantly, the smiles on Shui Xiu and the other cultivators froze. Before Shui Xiu, Qiao Wei-Jie, and Yang San-Yang could act, a condensed azure energy emerged and shrouded Zeng Wu and his companions.

Shrieks and cries sounded out from the azure energy, and when it dissipated, Zeng Wu’s companions were no longer in sight. Zeng Wu could only stare at the emotionless Lu Ping with shock and fear.