That afternoon.
Inside the cave on the unnamed peak.
All the cultivators who were on good terms with Zhao Ziyi came here.
Dan cultivator Gu Yuyao, sword cultivator Zhang Lan, and Golden Core stage sword cultivator Huang Li.
The wine distributor has a lot of money.
There's also Li Yang, the fourth alchemist who was defeated by Song Chen in the Danfeng Grand Competition.
Li Yang is a major customer of Lingjiu and they have known each other for a long time, but his attendance at the gathering today was still somewhat unexpected.
This gathering was mainly a farewell party for Song Chen and his companion.
Song Chen brought out his finest spirit wine to entertain everyone.
Everyone drank quite a bit.
Fortunately, the wine wasn't very strong; after drinking it, everyone only experienced a surge of spiritual energy within their bodies.
After finishing their drinks, the crowd gradually dispersed.
Gu Yuyao wants to return to Danfeng.
Zhang Lan and Huang Li also had to go back to prepare for the Immortal Realm Grand Competition.
However, Li Yang and Qian Duoduo stayed until the very end, showing no intention of leaving.
Qian Duoduo looked at Li Yang with a puzzled expression:
"Brother Li, why are you still here?"
Li Yang also looked at him suspiciously.
"What are you planning to do here? Why are you the last one to leave?"
Qian Duoduo raised her chin. "I need to ask President Zhao about the sales of Lingjiu."
"General Manager Zhao" is the title that Lingjiu distributors have adopted at Zhao Ziyi's request.
Li Yang pursed his lips, "I want to ask Song Chen some questions about pills."
Looking at the two of them, Song Chen had a guess in his mind.
He threw out a set of array flags, and a soundproof array instantly enveloped the cave.
Song Chen clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two of them.
"I think the reason you two stayed here is to leave a message for Ziyi and me. I just set up a soundproof array, so you can speak without worry."
Qian Duoduo looked at Li Yang, unsure whether she should bring this up.
But Li Yang didn't have any concerns.
Li Yang said in a deep voice:
"I do want to tell you something."
Song Chen looked at him seriously, "What is it?"
“I have a twin brother named Li Yan. He is a true genius. Fifty years ago, he won fourth place among Foundation Establishment stage sword cultivators in the Immortal Realm Grand Competition.”
Song Chen frowned, somewhat puzzled:
"The academy has been around for 450 years, and no one has ever made it to the finals, Li Yan..."
Li Yang took a swig of his drink. "Li Yan was a student at Langya Academy, but not with me. Fifty years ago, he represented Langya Academy in the competition."
"But after the Immortal Realm Grand Competition, Li Yan disappeared."
The group exchanged bewildered glances. "Missing?"
"Yes, Li Yan and I agreed to meet at home every five years."
He is a sword cultivator, and I am a pill cultivator. As his elder brother, I cannot bear to see him, a poor sword cultivator, starve to death in the academy.
Every five years, I go home and give him a batch of elixirs to help him cultivate.
However, after the Immortal Realm Grand Competition, Li Yan only returned home once, and then disappeared.
Zhao Ziyi frowned. "The Tianyan Continent is vast. Perhaps Li Yan has gone out to train or is in seclusion."
Qian Duoduo also said:
"That's right, Li Yan must have advanced to the Golden Core stage. It's not easy for cultivators to advance after reaching the Golden Core stage. They have to go to small secret realms for training and also go into seclusion. Each time it takes decades."
Li Yang shook his head, smiling bitterly:
“He and I are brothers. You may not have heard of telepathy, but it does exist. I have been calling out to Li Yan in my sea of consciousness for fifty years, but I have never received a response.”
Song Chen and Zhao Ziyi exchanged a glance, and they also communicated through their minds.
If there is no response to the telepathic message, there are only two possible reasons.
The first is that one of them died.
Secondly, the two sides are too far apart.
Li Yang recalled the efforts he had made over the past fifty years.
"For decades, I have been refining pills to enhance the strength of my sea of consciousness, and I have consumed a lot of pill poisoning."
"If it weren't for your spiritual wine, Song Chen, perhaps my life would have ended at the Foundation Establishment stage."
Everyone was astonished. It turned out that Li Yang had consumed so many pills, yet his strength had not increased because he had been consuming pills that enhanced his spiritual sense.
Song Chen couldn't help but ask:
"Li Yang, how far can your divine sense currently cover?"
The number Li Yang mentioned startled everyone.
"My divine sense can extend from Xianhe Garden to Langya Academy."
Only a Nascent Soul stage cultivator can cover such a long distance with their divine sense.
Li Yang said:
"I'm still taking these Sense Pills, which might increase my Sense Coverage. But I still can't get a response from Li Yan."
Zhao Ziyi couldn't help but ask in a low voice:
"You mean there's a problem with the Immortal Realm Grand Competition?"
Li Yang nodded:
"That's right. I had this suspicion ten years ago, so I visited many people. The top five winners of those immortal competitions have all disappeared without a trace."
"People leave their names behind, geese leave their calls behind, but these once-famous prodigies have never left their mark on the Tianyan Continent."
"It seems that they have accomplished nothing other than the Immortal Realm Grand Competition."
"What are these prodigies doing? Are they in seclusion?"
Li Yang's words plunged the cave into silence.
"In the more than four hundred years since Xianhe Garden last appeared, no one has made it to the finals of the Immortal Realm Grand Competition. Cultivators probably don't pay much attention to this topic."
"But some clues can still be found among other major powers."
"The cultivators who performed exceptionally well in the Immortal Realm Grand Competition have all disappeared."
Song Chen frowned.
"Sorry, I took the spot in the Immortal Realm Competition that should have belonged to you."
Song Chen entered all five peak competitions and won first place each time, pushing the original third-place winner down.
Li Yang ranked fourth in the Danfeng competition and failed to qualify for the Immortal Realm Grand Competition.
In the next competition, Li Yang will be over 100 years old, exceeding the age limit for participation.
This is his only chance to participate in the Celestial Realm Grand Competition and seek the truth.
Li Yang smiled and waved his hand:
"It's fate and destiny that have defeated me. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. Even if I were to participate in the Immortal Realm Grand Competition, I would not be able to place a winner."
"I'm telling you all this just to warn you to be careful in everything you do. If there's really something fishy going on in the Immortal Realm Competition, perhaps hiding your strength is the only way to survive."
"Yes, thank you."
Song Chen and Zhao Ziyi looked at Li Yang with gratitude.
Qian Duoduo shuddered, feeling a chill run down his spine. He said in a trembling voice:
"What I'm about to say may be related to this matter."
"A few days ago, I watched the Beast Taming Peak competition and found beast taming very interesting, so I bought a spirit pet named Spirit Armor Eye."
Spirit Armor Eye?
Song Chen explained to Zhao Ziyi:
"The Spirit Armor Eye is a type of beetle. After signing a contract, a cultivator's divine sense can enter the beetle and share its five senses."
Beetles themselves have weak intelligence and will not rebel against their masters; therefore, they can be used to explore the environment in place of cultivators.
Qian Duoduo made a hand seal, and a silver beetle lay in the palm of her left hand.
He waved his right hand and released a water mirror.
After the water ripples on the surface of the water mirror disappeared, a clear image appeared.
In the picture, you can see a pair of gold-patterned cloud-stepping boots and a purple robe.
A somewhat distorted sound emanated from the abdomen of the spirit armor.
"What a genius... He helped me advance to... the sixth floor!"
The Spirit Armor Eye's simulation of visuals was very strong, but its simulation of sound was not very good. Song Chen could only hear very faint sounds and recognize a few words.
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