Patriarch Yu was not at all surprised that Patriarch Zhang Kai visited Li Shiming again, because he knew that Patriarch Zhang Kai owed Li Shiming payment for alchemy.
However, he was still a little surprised when he saw the Nascent Soul cultivator who came with Ancestor Zhang Kai.
It couldn't be his fault that he didn't know Master Jiang Hong. Not to mention a Nascent Soul cultivator like him, even a Nascent Soul cultivator from a medium-sized sect would find it extremely difficult to meet Master Jiang Hong.
As one of the top three alchemy masters in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, his status is extremely honorable and not someone that the Nascent Soul ancestors outside of the four major sects can see casually.
Patriarch Yu thought that Master Jiang Hong also came to Li Shiming to make elixirs. Although he was a little reluctant, he thought that this was stealing his business.
He regarded introducing alchemy to Li Shiming as a business, and planned to make good use of it to bring fame to Wuqing Mountain.
Otherwise, why would he spend so much money to give away the fourth-grade Fire Phoenix Cauldron?
Patriarch Zhang Kai did not introduce Master Jiang Hong. If any cultivator knew that Master Jiang Hong came to visit Li Shiming, the impact would be quite large. Concealing Master Jiang Hong's identity was the best option.
With the idea of out of sight, out of mind, Patriarch Yu led Patriarch Zhang Kai and Master Jiang Hong to the outside of Li Shiming's cave and then left. Of course, it was also very important that Patriarch Zhang Kai revealed his desire to meet with Li Shiming alone.
"Ancestor Zhang, and this ancestor, please come in!" Li Shiming greeted Ancestor Zhang Kai warmly when he saw him.
Of course he was enthusiastic, because this person was offering him resources for advancement to the Nascent Soul stage, and what he lacked were resources for advancement to the Nascent Soul stage.
"Haha, sorry to bother you Master Li!" Elder Zhang Kai said with a smile. He made a gesture to Master Jiang Hong to come in first and let Master Jiang Hong walk in front.
When Li Shiming saw this scene, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Who is Patriarch Zhang Kai? He is the Nascent Soul Patriarch of the Wanshou Sect.
Master Jiang Hong is obviously also a cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage, at the same level as Patriarch Zhang Kai. Judging from Patriarch Zhang Kai's attitude, Master Jiang Hong's identity must be very unusual.
While thinking about this, he returned to the hall of the cave, and Li Shiming and the two Nascent Soul ancestors sat down as host and guest.
"Master Li, this is the reward for refining the elixir last time. I'm very sorry that it's late!" Elder Zhang Kai took out a jade bottle and handed it over.
Li Shiming took the jade bottle with a smile, glanced inside and found a fourth-grade elixir.
This should be the resource for the advancement to the Nascent Soul stage that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect prepared for the Great Elder. The name of this fourth-grade elixir is unknown, but its quality has reached the intermediate level.
He didn't feel that way when he was in the Northern Shu Continent. At that time, all the fourth-grade elixirs he refined were of high quality, and he didn't have much of a feeling for the quality of fourth-grade elixirs.
But after arriving in the Dongqi Continent and truly understanding the level of a normal alchemy master in refining a fourth-grade elixir, he discovered that it was extremely difficult to refine a fourth-grade elixir to the intermediate level.
Therefore, when he refined the fourth-grade detoxifying elixir for Patriarch Zhang Kai last time, he intentionally upgraded the quality to the intermediate level in order to increase its own value.
"Please forgive my poor eyesight. I don't know what this elixir is called? What is its effect?" Li Shiming did not pretend to know, he asked.
"This is the 'Eight Directions Sublimation Pill'. If you take it when you are promoted to the initial stage of Nascent Soul, it can gather spiritual energy to a greater extent!" The one who answered him was Master Jiang Hong. This 'Eight Directions Sublimation Pill' was refined by him.
Li Shiming's eyes showed joy, he had five golden pills, this 'Eight Directions Sublimation Pill' could just make up for the problem of his other resources for advancing to Nascent Soul stage in gathering spiritual power in the early stage.
"Master Li, you don't know the 'Eight Directions Sublimation Pill', so you are probably not the master of alchemy in this continent!" Master Jiang Hong continued.
Li Shiming was stunned, but he was not worried about anything. After being in Dongqi Continent for such a long time, he also knew that Dongqi Continent was open to other continents.
The Dongqi Continent also had to open up, because there were many cross-continental forces on the continent, and it was impossible to blockade the continent.
"Yes, I encountered some troubles, so I came here!" Li Shiming didn't explain much.
"I have seen the elixir refined by Master Li. You have intentionally suppressed your own alchemy ability. I wonder why?" Master Jiang Hong asked further.
"Ancestor, are you also a master of alchemy?" Li Shiming looked up at Master Jiang Hong. He found some traces and asked back.
Although Master Jiang Hong's robe had a built-in cleaning function and there was no trace of elixir smell on his body, the long-term alchemy had left some special characteristics on his body that only an alchemy master could sense.
"Master Jiang Hong, the alchemy master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, greets Master Li!" Master Jiang Hong smiled, bowed, and introduced himself again.
"The casual cultivator Li Shizhen greets Master Jiang Hong!" Li Shiming also returned the greeting solemnly.
This was the first time he met an alchemy master in the Nascent Soul stage.
It is said that an alchemy master in the early Nascent Soul stage can already refine all four grades of elixirs. If such an alchemy master appears in the Northern Shu Continent, it would almost be the ceiling for alchemy masters.
"Master Li, I heard that you use a third-grade alchemy furnace to brew fourth-grade spiritual tea. I wonder if I can have the honor to taste it?" Master Jiang Hong asked Li Shiming with a smile.
Li Shiming also smiled. This was a test for him, so of course he had to take it.
The reason why he refined the fourth-grade intermediate elixir was to gain the attention of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
In this world of cultivating immortals, if you don't have a strong background and reveal too much of your abilities, you will die.
He is no longer in the Northern Shu Continent, he has a big sect backing him up.
Since he had no one to back him up, he thought about finding one.
This had been his plan for a long time. He even planned to wait until he reached the Nascent Soul stage and then find a powerful force to join and serve as a guest official.
Guest officials are just a stopgap measure. Although guest officials sound good, they are not the real people of the force.
The opportunity before him is extremely rare. If he could really join the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, he would have much less trouble.
"How dare I disobey your order!" Li Shiming responded with a smile.
He took out a third-grade Five Elements Nine-Turn Furnace, and the Red Sun Spiritual Fire inside ignited. He put the fourth-grade spiritual tea leaves and fourth-grade spiritual spring water into the furnace, and mobilized the spiritual fire to heat the spiritual spring water and spiritual tea.
Master Jiang Hong stared at the Five Elements Nine Revolutions Furnace. Although he did not use his spirit to enter the furnace, he could see a lot of things with his experience in alchemy.
In his heart, he marveled at Li Shiming's control over temperature. He could not know the details inside the furnace, but he could see the temperature changes of the Red Sun Spirit Fire based on the changes on the surface of the furnace.
This control over the temperature of the Red Sun Spirit Fire made him feel amazed.
"Please enjoy!" Li Shiming tapped the Five Elements Nine-Turn Furnace lightly, and the fourth-grade spiritual tea inside flew out and landed in three third-grade tea cups. He sent them to Master Jiang Hong and Patriarch Zhang Kai, and said with a gesture.
It was not the first time that Patriarch Zhang Kai drank this fourth-grade spiritual tea, but he still started tasting it with great joy.
Master Jiang Hong lifted up the third-grade teacup with his spirit. He didn't want the temperature of his hands to affect the fourth-grade spiritual tea.
When he took a sip of the fourth-grade spiritual tea, his eyes lit up.
"Good!" he praised.
Li Shiming smiled reservedly, he was already used to the compliments. He took a sip of the spiritual tea and secretly sighed in his heart that the fourth grade spiritual tea and fourth grade spiritual spring water were consumed too quickly.
The fourth-grade spiritual tea in his hand could not withstand several consumptions, and he needed to consider where to get more fourth-grade spiritual tea.
Drinking the fourth-grade spiritual tea now does not improve his strength, but the effect of the fourth-grade spiritual tea is hidden, and it slowly improves his soul and spirit.
He had a feeling that drinking the fourth-grade spiritual tea regularly would be beneficial to his advancement to the Nascent Soul stage.
In fact, it is no secret in Dongqi Continent that drinking fourth-grade spiritual tea regularly is beneficial for advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, but there are few Jindan cultivators who have the conditions to drink fourth-grade spiritual tea regularly.
"Master Li, do you still have a sect?" Master Jiang Hong drank up the spiritual tea in the cup, put the cup down, and asked Li Shiming.
This question was so abrupt that Li Shiming didn't know how to answer it.
You should know that asking a monk about his origins, especially when you know that the monk has hidden his previous identity, is extremely rude.
"I'm not trying to find out about your past. I just want to know if you belong to a certain sect?" Master Jiang Hong saw through Li Shiming's misunderstanding and explained with a smile.
"No more!" Li Shiming replied with a wry smile and shook his head.
He thought of Shushan Sect. Shushan Sect wanted to capture him for the inheritance of Dongtian. He and Shushan Sect were no longer related. As for the training of Shushan Sect, he had repaid it in his own way.
He believed that he had done his duty to the Shushan Sect, and after he left the Shushan Sect, he no longer intended to acknowledge the identity of a Shushan Sect cultivator.
The only person he felt a little sorry for was his master, Elder Su.
I think Elder Su would understand his choice. If he stayed in Shushan Sect, not to mention whether Shushan Sect could protect him, even the Nascent Soul Patriarch of Shushan Sect would first torture him to find out the Cave Heaven inheritance before deciding his fate.
Who said that the benefits of the cave heaven inheritance on him are greater than the benefits brought by him as a master alchemist?
The world of cultivating immortals is a realistic world, and one cannot say that what the Shushan Sect's Nascent Soul Patriarch did was wrong. The Shushan Sect has been passed down for more than ten thousand years, and has long formed a set of principles for doing things that put the sect first.
But when this principle of doing things comes into play for Li Shiming as an individual, Li Shiming does not want to sacrifice himself for the sake of the sect.
"Master Li, this matter is very important. Are you sure that you no longer have a sect and are now a true independent cultivator?" Master Jiang Hong asked with a stronger tone.
"Yes, I am a casual cultivator now!" Li Shiming nodded affirmatively.
All the cultivators present at this time understood that Li Shiming was indeed a master alchemist of a certain sect in the past, but for some unknown reason he left the sect, left his original continent, and came to the Dongqi Continent.
"Master Li, on behalf of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, I would like to invite you to join the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. I will be your recommender. What do you think?" Master Jiang Hong stood up and said in a deep voice.
Patriarch Zhang Kai was surprised. He did not expect that Master Jiang Hong would invite Li Shiming to join the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
A sect like the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect would rarely accept cultivators who were not trained by their own sect, especially since Li Shiming had reached the level of a grand elder.
It is almost impossible for a great elder of Li Shiming's level to establish loyalty to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
The elders all have strong independent opinions, and it is difficult to make changes.
It's not like the Wan Beast Sect is without enemies, whether they are from this continent or from other continents. The principle of the Wan Beast Sect is to be extremely cautious in recruiting disciples to prevent infiltration by foreign spies.
"Is there anything I need to pay attention to when joining the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect?" Li Shiming did not respond immediately. There were some things he needed to ask in advance.
"When joining the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, you just need to take the sect oath!" Master Jiang Hong answered without thinking.
When he wanted to invite Li Shiming to join the Wanshou Sect, he took many things into consideration.
Li Shiming was a little surprised that it was so simple.
The oath of joining a sect is two-way. In addition to the disciple being loyal to the sect, the sect must also protect the disciple.
In the past, when Li Shiming and his clone Li Yuanba joined Shushan Sect and Senluo Sect, they had sworn an oath, but they were still able to betray the sects. The reason was that the sects betrayed them first.
The sect betrayed the oath, so the oath naturally could not restrain Li Shiming and Li Yuanba.
Li Shiming joined the Wanshou Sect. As long as the Wanshou Sect did not betray him, he would not take the initiative to betray the Wanshou Sect.
"Wu Qingshan has been good to me. If I join the Wanshou Sect, I will need to give Wu Qingshan some compensation!" Li Shiming said after thinking for a while.
"You don't have to worry about the compensation for Wuqing Mountain. I will ask the sect to take better care of Wuqing Mountain!" Master Jiang Hong smiled and waved his hand.
He heard from Li Shiming's words that Li Shiming agreed to join the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
In addition, Li Shiming's emphasis on emotions also made him feel gratified. Perhaps only young monks like him could have such emotions.
"Thank you!" Li Shiming said with relief.
Wu Qingshan gave him a chance and presented him with a fourth-grade Fire Phoenix Cauldron, helping him when he needed help the most. He was the person who least wanted to owe favors to others, and with Master Jiang Hong's words, this favor had been repaid.
"Master Li, one last thing. Please try your best to refine a furnace of elixirs!" Master Jiang Hong looked at Li Shiming with burning eyes and made his last request.
As he spoke, he took out a storage bag and placed it in front of Li Shiming. Li Shiming's spiritual consciousness entered the storage bag, which contained a fourth-grade spiritual medicine, some second- and third-grade spiritual medicines, and a pill recipe.
This elixir recipe is for the fourth-grade cultivation-assisting elixir, 'Great Sun He Qi Pill', which is considered a medium-difficulty elixir among the fourth-grade elixirs.
"Then please wait here for seven days!" Li Shiming said with a smile.
Since Master Jiang Hong made this request only after the invitation, it means that no matter how good Li Shiming's alchemy ability is, the invitation is certain.
However, the treatment after being invited to join will depend on Li Shiming's alchemy level.
Li Shiming did not feel any aversion to this. Isn't it the alchemy that is used to judge the level of the alchemy master?
He was quite confident in this aspect. The only thing he needed to consider was how much of his alchemy skills he wanted to demonstrate.