Chapter 29 029 The Immortal Palace's Abundant Harvest
Song Chi and Qi Zhenmo went to the left corridor and soon saw a small hall.
The moment they entered, the chilling aura of the killing formation hit them. Moreover, each of them was caught in a killing formation. Qi Zhenmo observed the formation with interest and then chuckled.
"These are all killing formations that have been lost for at least 50,000 years. Hmm, that's interesting."
Then, with the array flag in hand, he swiftly broke through the true array.
"What about you over there, my dear deskmate?" he asked, glancing over with a grin.
That gloating look in his eyes was truly something else. He probably expects her to beg him properly before he, the young master, will even agree to help.
This kid has a truly wicked temper. Song Chi wasn't about to let him get away with it. He turned and squatted down, quietly performing divination. Then, a pentagram appeared, leading all the way to the entrance of the rear hall.
Song Chi laughed, then casually strode forward with his hands behind his back, and began to mock him.
"Your array formation skills aren't that great, so I'll go first and you can break the array slowly."
Qi Zhenmo watched as she scattered pentagrams with each kick, his eyes narrowing in surprise. Then, he blinked his thick eyelashes, smiled without getting angry, and simply sped up the process of breaking the formation.
In the end, they actually stepped through the door right after Song Chi. As they squeezed through the small doorway, they even tripped over each other. Of course, neither of them gained an advantage.
However, as they exited the hall, they suddenly saw the walls of the inner hall reveal the other side of the magnificent main hall, its magical array radiating murderous intent, depicting the disciples being slaughtered, their flesh and blood flying everywhere. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight were dead, and Ye Qingyu and his group of geniuses were all pale-faced, each bearing injuries.
"That's an ancient demon-slaying formation."
"It seems they were well received by the immortals."
"Hey, Song Chi, don't you really want to ascend to immortality? With your spell techniques, maybe you can try your luck in that hall and perhaps get a flying immortal token."
"Of course, we'll have to use some seduction, like giving Ye Qingyu a flirtatious wink. If I'm not mistaken, he's the one who got the Flying Immortal Token this time."
As expected, Ye Qingyu was the first to rush towards the red lacquered offering table in the main hall. A white jade token surrounded by auspicious clouds flew into his hand, and with a flash of spiritual light, it seemed to have already bound him.
The book states that whoever obtains the Ascension Token owns it. Even murder and robbery are useless unless Ye Qingyu willingly gives the Ascension Token to whoever he wants, in which case he can ascend to immortality with the token.
This setup is honestly very merciful. Otherwise, the moment Ye Qingyu received the Flying Immortal Token, he would have become the enemy of everyone in that hall except for the Ye family.
That will inevitably lead to a bloody battle.
"Look, all you need to do is connect with this kid emotionally, and you can get the Ascension Token and ascend to immortality."
Qi Zhenmo looked at Song Chi and said this.
Song Chi gave him a disdainful look. "You might not believe it, but I really have no interest in ascending to immortality."
To her, this cultivation world was no different from the immortal realm. She was already content to be able to experience such a novel world in her second life.
Becoming an immortal, if one has to relinquish all emotions and desires, then ascending to heaven would truly make one a pristine, untouched immortal, free from the shackles of reincarnation. While this might seem like a carefree escape, she actually found it somewhat boring. Therefore, she had no interest in it at all.
Of course, nobody would believe it if I told them.
The laughter that escaped Qi Zhenmo's throat was as disgusting as a rotten tomato.
The two then stepped out of the hall and went directly to the center of the corridor. Behind them, they encountered Mo Feiyun and his group of geniuses again, but this time there were clearly more disciples from the Northwest Xuantian Sword Sect and the Southern Li Taixuan Immortal Dynasty.
Before Mo Feiyun could speak, Song Chi followed Qi Zhenmo and turned to the left.
Just then, Ye Qingyu and his group, covered in blood, rushed out of the palace gate. Upon seeing this scene, they all twitched in shock.
It was only because Song Chi and the other person were completely unharmed, and she even turned to the left corridor with her hands behind her back, looking completely at ease.
Mo Feiyun and his group had clearly planned to go right. Mo Feiyun hesitated only for a moment in the corridor before heading to the right.
Ye Qingyu responded with a mocking smile. But he also chose to go right!
Cui Xueruo and the others laughed again upon seeing this. Ye Qingyu had no right to mock Mo Feiyun; he himself hadn't given up on the chance to obtain the Flying Immortal Token.
This time, after Song Chi and Qi Zhenmo crossed the palace gate, they found themselves not in the main hall, but in a floating bridge that split the hall in two. On the left was a small herb garden, and on the right were various stone pillars covered with array flags or array scrolls.
In front of Song Chi was a small herb garden, while Qi Zhenmo faced an opportunity from the Heavenly Mystery Sect.
When Qi Zhenmo saw the scrolls floating on the stone pillars, his eyes immediately turned very deep, and his chest couldn't help but swell.
Although he wanted to keep it a secret, he probably couldn't hide his deep longing once he met the love of his life.
Song Chi laughed at that moment. "I see you really want to ascend to immortality. You've finally shown your true colors."
Qi Zhenmo sniffed in anger, then glanced sideways at the person coming over. When he saw it was Yao Yuanzi, he showed an incredulous expression.
"Don't tell me you want to pursue the path of alchemy."
"You don't even have a fire elemental root, so how exactly do you plan to pursue the path of alchemy?"
This kind of opportunity is probably set up based on the individual's inner desires. Song Chi certainly had no intention of pursuing the path of alchemy; sound cultivation was enough for her.
Qi Zhenmo walked over and took a look, becoming even more speechless.
"It's still the elixir of poison, half of which contains a lost and highly poisonous substance."
"With your abilities, you'd probably lose your life by the time you've picked half of them."
Song Chi: "..." She knew that Song Yun had obtained a scroll of alchemy knowledge. When the two were running away, Song Yun would occasionally blush, unable to contain her excitement. Xi Ya had almost the same expression; after running for a while, she would blush and tremble. They had probably both obtained remarkable alchemy inheritances.
But given Song Yun's gentle and tender nature, and her deep love for all life, it's impossible for her to have obtained any poisonous pills or alchemical techniques.
He must be a practitioner of alchemy.
However, it was clear that this opportunity did not originally belong to the original owner; it was only by this cunning outsider flapping her wings that she stumbled upon it.
Therefore, it's normal to give the wrong configuration.
However, Song Chi did not recognize these clusters of spiritual flowers and herbs that were surrounded by small magic arrays and scattered within the huge killing array.
They looked lush and delicate, with vibrant flowers; they didn't seem like anything poisonous at all.
"Are they all really poisonous?" she couldn't help but ask.
Qi Zhenmo rolled his eyes at her. "Believe it or not, try picking it yourself if you dare."
Song Chi: "..." Now, she has obtained everything she wanted in this secret realm and is completely satisfied.
Therefore, she was originally too lazy to take any risks. But she had to thank the great immortal who escaped for his life once again. As expected, his divination method could break all formations except for those terrifying ancient demon-subduing formations.
For example, the murderous array surrounding the herb garden was quickly broken by her divination of the life gate.
Then, Song Chi tried to divine the clumps of flowers and plants that were enveloped by those small magic arrays, but the divination failed.
Then, on a sudden inspiration, she used divination to predict the fate of these poisonous plants. The result was that she could always find a safe aura indicating the location of the roots, stems, and leaves to be harvested.
Qi Zhenmo initially stopped to watch her suicidal attempt to pick the spirit flower, but after seeing that she succeeded and wasn't poisoned, his lips twitched violently.
After succeeding seven or eight times, he took a deep breath.
"You'd better not reveal this method to anyone other than me. Otherwise, you'll die a horrible death."
"Although I don't covet it, just looking at it makes my teeth ache. Use it sparingly in front of me, or I might just snatch it from you."
Qi Zhenmo seemed genuinely furious this time, his brows furrowed and his face contorted in anger.
Song Chi couldn't help but laugh in response. However, she hadn't intended to use this method in public. Qi Zhenmo, on the other hand, simply couldn't avoid it; there was no other way.
So, very quickly, Song Chi, relying on divination, easily picked all the poisonous weeds and flowers in the yard. Lacking a jade box to hold the herbs, he borrowed over a hundred from Qi Zhenmo. Of course, the kid just threw them at him in a huff.
Qi Zhenmo was in a bit of a predicament this time. He couldn't get past the last stone carving of the jumping scroll, but he clearly really wanted it.
Song Chi performed a divination for him, pointing in a direction. "Believe it or not, that's the gate of life."
Qi Zhenmo, his face dark, sniffed and looked up at the sky. He finally followed her directions and used the array flags to break through. Sure enough, with a hum, the array broke.
When Qi Zhenmo obtained the scroll, he tumbled between a sneer and a distorted expression for several seconds before regaining his composure.
"Fine, maybe I should just take you by force."
He said this, but then walked into the main hall with his hands behind his back!
Song Chi smiled. She had a strange feeling about Qi Zhenmo, and inexplicably trusted that he wouldn't really harm her.
This time, when the two entered the hall, there were no array formations surrounding them. Instead, they witnessed a grand spectacle of a struggle for the Flying Immortal Token in the other main hall.
Many more people died over there. This time, it was Mo Feiyun who obtained the Flying Immortal Token, but only with the help of Hua Shalan, the sect leader of the Southeast Jade Ruins Immortal Sect.
At the last moment, Hua Shalan shielded Mo Feiyun from the attacks of the other talented disciples. This allowed Mo Feiyun to obtain this sliver of heavenly secret, reach the offering table, and receive the Pure White Immortal Token.
Hua Shalan was pale-faced and had a strikingly beautiful appearance. His face looked sickly, and his weapon was a fan; the green fan likely possessed the bewitching properties of wood elemental power. In short, whenever he smiled maliciously and waved his fan, Cui Xueruo and the others would cower in fear.
It's estimated that he was also poisoned. The book doesn't describe him much, only that although he was very strong, he was chronically ill and died after reaching the Nascent Soul stage. It seems that his illness could only be cured by finding his destined partner and cultivating a dual-relationship technique together.
However, it is clear that Hua Shalan did not meet his destined woman before his death, and so he died.
Looking at his obviously distorted appearance after a long illness, Song Chi thought to himself, "Whoever is this man's destined daughter will probably be locked up like a caged bird by him. He seems like the kind of person who would do such a thing."
Fortunately, the original owner had no connection with this person. And naturally, she wouldn't either!
Qi Zhenmo stared at Hua Shalan and chuckled a few times, his laughter carrying a profound meaning. Song Chi even suspected that Qi Zhenmo, like her, might be someone who had a script in hand. However, Qi Zhenmo didn't exhibit any characteristics of a transmigrator whatsoever, so she could only guess that this person was extremely skilled in divination, perhaps even a legendary genius of the Heavenly Mystery Sect who had opened his Heavenly Eye.
When they reached the next level, Song Chi and his group didn't encounter that group of people again.
She and Qi Zhenmo were still facing the opportunities presented by the herb garden and the Tianji Sect. And they were all filled with poisonous herbs.
So they reaped another harvest. And this time, the most difficult hurdle for Qi Zhenmo was once again divined by Song Chi.
Qi Zhenmo's face was ashen as he viciously snatched the black array flag.
This time, it was Jiang Linyue who obtained the Flying Immortal Token in the main hall. However, it was only because Xie Lanqing did her best to stop the other geniuses that Jiang Linyue got this opportunity.
Jiang Linyue's Jiang family, and Mo Shubai's Mo family, are both located in the central part of the Eastern Continent, under the jurisdiction of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace. Therefore, these two families are naturally aligned with the Purple Evolution Divine Palace and participate in the competition for the Flying Immortal Token.
Xie Lanqing looked at the handsome man in the background, surrounded by sunshine and flowers, but he was actually a sword cultivator. His large golden sword, as exquisite as he was, gleamed brilliantly, and his swordsmanship was extremely powerful, with incredibly ornate moves. However, it was very effective; with a single strike delivered with all his might, the other geniuses could only avoid its edge.
At the next checkpoint, the two sides encountered each other again in the corridor.
However, even the most elegant of the genius disciples, like Xie Lanqing, had bloodstains on their clothes and were quite injured.
Song Chi and Qi Zhenmo glanced at everyone, couldn't help but smile, and turned to the left.
After a moment of silence, the geniuses turned to the right. They now realized that their divination of the great calamity at the left gate might not be true. However, since the right hall possessed the Flying Immortal Token, it was only natural that it would be more dangerous.
At this point, even Ye Qingyu no longer wanted to call Song Chi to come along, because he couldn't guarantee that he could protect Song Chi under the heavy threat of killing intent.
Besides, he had always felt that Qi Zhenmo had a very powerful background. He was very likely a genius disciple from a reclusive family of the Heavenly Mystery Sect who had come out to train. Moreover, this kid had always had a good relationship with Song Chi, and Ye Qingyu believed that Qi Zhenmo would not harm Song Chi. Therefore, he didn't even bother to call out to Song Chi, since she wouldn't listen anyway.
This time, Song Chi encountered something different: beauty and health-enhancing herbs and elixirs. The medicine book passed down from his great-grandfather was something he had obtained in an ancient secret realm. Many of the beauty and health-enhancing herbs listed in it had been lost, but the Song family had passed it down through generations and could recite it from memory.
When Song Chi saw these beauty herbs that had been lost for at least 50,000 years, he almost drooled.
How much money is this? The Song family is rich now! My parents no longer need to get up early and work late to plant beauty-enhancing flowers and herbs and make perfumes to sell.
Most importantly, these beauty and health-enhancing elixirs often have the effect of prolonging life. With my parents' constitution, without longevity-enhancing pills, they wouldn't have lived past 120.
Therefore, Song Chi slapped her ten fingers together repeatedly, determined not to make a mistake in any of her divinations this time.
"How pathetic!" Qi Zhenmo glanced at her herb garden and rolled his eyes. "You female cultivators are all like this, caring only about whether your face is still beautiful, tsk."
Song Chi thought to himself, "You're so chauvinistic, you'll never have a wife."
She didn't bother arguing with him and quickly broke through various formations to reap the rewards. This time, with the help of her ancestral medicine manual, her harvesting techniques were meticulous, and she didn't dare to waste a single bit of the medicinal properties.
They also borrowed about a hundred high-quality jade boxes from Qi Zhenmo to store the herbs.
Of course, she eventually helped Qi Zhenmo pass the final test. This time, the boy was completely numb, with a straight face. This time, he took a huge Dharma banner, looking quite impressive.
Qi Zhenmo immediately handed it to her. "Here, take it." He looked like he didn't want the banner at all, as if it were some kind of task he wanted to avoid at all costs. Song Chi, of course, ignored it. She didn't cultivate the Heavenly Mystery Sect's Taoist arts, nor did she need to.
With the divination method of the immortal who escaped death, she could roam freely in the cultivation world.
Upon entering the hall, they saw Su Qiwu, who had obtained the Flying Immortal Token. He was also the first to arrive at the offering table, thanks to the help of Wen Yujiu, the chief disciple of the Xuantian Sword Sect.
Wen Yujiu was the most exquisitely dressed person besides Xie Lanqing. However, perhaps due to his innate gentleness, his light green robe with deep floral patterns made him appear more understated than others.
This scholar's elegant and graceful demeanor is similar to Jiang Linyue's. However, Jiang Linyue is the kind of person who is intoxicated by her own beauty, and she would take a few extra glances whenever she passed by the water, showing a bit of narcissistic youthful arrogance.
Wen Yujiu is different. He changed his name himself after he came of age; the name itself contains the character for "poison," implying he'd give someone poisonous wine. In the book, he is indeed portrayed as a gentle yet cunning, even perverse, character.
In the book, Cui Xue Ruo is very afraid of Wen Yu Jiu, but she is also inexplicably attracted to him.
Now, Cui Xueruo, who contributed the least to this battle, is already somewhat afraid of Wen Yujiu.
Song Chi's impression of this person was actually quite similar to that of Hua Shalan. He also seemed to be suffering from a serious illness.
The female protagonist's idea is correct. She would also avoid such people; if she got close, she probably wouldn't even know how she died.
Su Qiwu comes from the Northwest, so naturally he is part of the Xuantian Sword Sect.
Thus, by this time, they had obtained the Flying Immortal Token from the Eastern Great Sect. Su Yu, Cui Xue Ruo, and Ji Ming Huang's expressions became somewhat solemn.
But they don't need to panic. As the male and female protagonists and Ji Minghuang, a key figure in unlocking the secrets of the Flying Immortal Platform, and a possessor of the phoenix bloodline, they will naturally receive the favor of the Flying Immortal Token.
Soon after, the three of them passed the next three challenges and, as expected, obtained the Flying Immortal Token.
Meanwhile, Song Chi harvested herbs from two more beauty and health herb gardens, essentially completing the list of lost elixirs in the herbal medicine book passed down from his great-grandfather.
The last one was a bit strange; it was just ordinary spiritual herbs for refining Foundation Establishment Pills. Although their age was astonishing, all of them were over ten thousand years old.
But to be honest, this is really quite ordinary.
Qi Zhenmo glanced at it and scoffed. "A pill refiner capable of crafting Immortal-grade Foundation Establishment Pills hasn't been born yet, what's the point of giving me this?"
Indeed, the secrets to refining all immortal-grade pills have been lost in the cultivation world today.
Upon hearing this, Song Chi immediately squatted down and carefully harvested the herbs. In fact, even Qi Zhenmo, who was somewhat dismissive of the spiritual herbs, still carefully harvested them when they arrived.
At this point, Song Chi had truly reaped a rich harvest. He had mentally joined the ranks of the wealthy, and perhaps he could even live a life of leisure from now on. Of course, whether he could protect these precious spiritual herbs was another question. In any case, he needed to discuss leaving the secret realm with his brother first. He hoped that Song Yun could keep up with Xi Ya and the others and ensure a safe departure from the secret realm.
Having reached this point, Song Chi felt that the matter was basically over.
At this point in the book, the female protagonist and her companions will enter the final stage, the true Flying Immortal Palace.
Then, after being tested on their musical pitch in front of a bronze cauldron, each person receives various opportunities and benefits emanating from the cauldron. The female protagonist naturally obtained a secret method to unlock the seal of the Ascension Platform.
Song Chi felt that this had nothing to do with someone as insignificant as her.
She was already prepared to stay in this last little hall for half a month, taking advantage of the rich spiritual energy to improve her cultivation.
Who knew that the last palace gate was actually passable?
Moreover, as soon as you step across, a magnificent golden palace appears before you, with ancient characters engraved on it.
Song Chi didn't recognize the characters, so he asked Qi Zhenmo, "What characters are on that plaque?"
Qi Zhenmo rolled his eyes at him. "The Flying Immortal Palace!"
How could someone as insignificant as her actually confront the Flying Immortal Palace? Her little wings vibrated quite a bit during her journey, but she's probably just a passerby.
Then it wouldn't be bad to see how these talented disciples are tested by Heaven.
Soon, all the other talented disciples arrived, including all the main characters in the story, such as the top geniuses with Heavenly Spiritual Roots, the chief disciples of the four major sects, and so on.
Only Yan Lianzhou, the patriarch of the Lingxu Immortal Sect, remained missing. Perhaps the southwest's feng shui is just that kind of feng shui, specifically producing arrogant madmen like Ye Qingyu. Despite his gentle and intoxicating name, Yan Lianzhou is actually the type who sits lazily, always with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, propping his chin up with his hand, half-leaning out from the crowd, his lips curling into a sharp, mocking smile like a fox's, his eyes lowered as he scrutinizes people.
They look like they have a very strong opinion and will never listen to advice.
This person probably went off to pursue their own opportunities once they entered the secret realm, and didn't even come to this celestial palace.
Fortunately, Ye Qingyu was the second male lead, and the Flying Immortal Token was still obtained in the southwest region.
In short, with the arrival of these talented disciples, the gates of the Flying Immortal Palace, brimming with celestial energy, slowly opened before everyone.
Suddenly, a gust of air rushed out, sucking everyone in. Then, the palace doors slammed shut behind them.
Then a flash of golden light appeared. The entire hall was completely seamless, the golden walls smooth as a mirror.
Sure enough, a large cauldron, two or three people tall and cyan-gold in height, appeared in front of the main hall.
A plaque surrounded by auspicious clouds was revealed in the center of the large cauldron, displaying a line of ancient characters.
Song Chi still didn't recognize him, so he went over and asked Qi Zhenmo.
"The immortals will present a piece of music they created themselves. Only those who can pass the test will be granted a chance to enter the immortal realm. Otherwise, the Golden Palace will be closed forever."
Qi Zhenmo leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, speaking lazily.
The two were hiding in the shadows to the side and behind, with no intention of getting any closer.
Song Chi thought to himself, "It's just like in the book." Naturally, in the end, Cui Xue Ruo, burdened with a mission, passed the test with a pipa performance.
However, the bronze cauldron soon stopped exposing the problem. On its large belly, images of phoenixes singing in unison appeared, and a celestial palace appeared and disappeared among the mountains. Below the mountains, the streets were bustling with activity, and tourists thronged the streets, creating a magnificent scene of human life.
Song Chi thought to herself. The book didn't mention this, but the book was still in her mind, so she quickly flipped through it. Sure enough, it didn't mention it. The book simply had everyone create their own beautiful music, and then the heroine's music would eventually be praised by the immortals, who would then bestow upon her a divine gift.
However, the limited topics weren't too bad. They were nothing more than praise for a prosperous world, and this kind of music was the most common in the cultivation world.
It wouldn't be difficult for these geniuses to copy even one. Even if they don't copy, it's easy for them to create something similar.
Seeing this, Song Chi simply sat cross-legged and meditated. The spiritual energy inside this immortal palace was so dense that one's cultivation level would increase with every breath; how could he not make good use of it?
Seeing her like this, Qi Zhenmo chuckled softly and sat down as well. However, he didn't meditate; instead, he watched the talented scholars in front of him displaying their musical skills, enjoying the spectacle.
As a result, despite several rounds of attempts by the talented disciples, not a single one of them passed.
Every single person's evaluation was vicious.
Words like outdated, pedantic, vulgar, and unpleasant to hear have appeared.
The word "old" appeared most frequently.
As for Cui Xue Ruo's second new song, the bronze cauldron stirred up a brief surge of spiritual energy, but eventually calmed down.
"Almost there!" That was the assessment I received.
This development has made it impossible for Song Chi to meditate. Could it be that her little wings are so powerful that they've even triggered the most crucial ascension quest in the entire book?
Ahead, Cui Xue Ruo held her zither, her starry eyes slightly lowered. After careful consideration, she smiled.
"I came up with this piece after listening to Junior Sister Song's new song."
"If we're talking about the originality of the melody, I'm afraid no one can compare to Junior Sister Song. What do you all think?"
She turned to look at Song Chi, then glanced at Ye Qingyu and the others.
Su Yu was the first to nod. "Junior Sister Song's music is original and naturally inspired. Its novelty and uniqueness are truly the best I have ever seen."
Ji Minghuang smiled and praised, "Indeed, I love the song 'Hehuan' the most!"
She was probably worried that Xie Lanqing and the others hadn't heard of it, so she handed over the jade mirror.
Song Chi: "..." Couldn't they just leave out the melody of Hehuan? She was speechless.
While the others were listening to the story of the Hehuan, Cui Xueruo said to Song Chi, "Junior Sister Song, please give it a try. Otherwise, we won't be able to leave this Golden Hall."
She got straight to the point, knowing that Song Chi couldn't wait to leave.
Since everyone has tried their best but failed to obtain that immortal opportunity, it's likely that it's really related to the flapping of her transmigrating wings.
Song Chi then got up and went over to look at the bronze cauldron.
The auspicious phoenix and the dragon symbolizing prosperity—she certainly had a melody in her head. Of course, it came from a later master of traditional Chinese music; someone as insignificant as herself—how could she possibly possess such creative talent? Absolutely not!
But copying is fine too. These immortals are really interesting; our grandmaster loves new songs, and this celestial being also loves new songs.
The cultural development of the cultivation world is actually quite good; Song Chi was quite captivated by the beauty of many musical pieces when he came to this world. However, their musical style is indeed quite different from the seven-tone scale and the rhythmic, energetic music of later generations. Different cultures and historical developments naturally lead to different musical styles.
However, the piece of music to be copied involves quite a few instruments.
Song Chi felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it and decided to change to an easier song. But then, a spiritual whip lashed out.
The pain made her crouch down, clutching her head and gasping for breath. If there hadn't been so many people around, she would definitely have cried out in pain, showing some self-respect.
"Let this tune be played!" This time, the characters were not in ancient script; instead, a sentence appeared on the belly of the large cauldron.
"Junior Sister Song, you have a new piece of music!" Cui Xue Ruo exclaimed with delight, her beautiful eyes sparkling. It seemed that her joy at hearing the new piece even surpassed her desire to solve the Celestial Palace's mystery of destiny.
Perhaps it was this pure love for music that led Heaven to choose her as the Chosen One.
In conclusion, the immortal's decree must be obeyed!
"We do have them, but we use a bit too many musical instruments."
Song Chi, his forehead furrowed in a deep V-shape, looked at the crowd. "Who among you knows how to play the 'Xianhu'?" It's the erhu, called the "Xianhu" in the cultivation world. It's an ancient instrument revived by a musical genius in the last hundred years, but few people know how to play it because no masterpieces have yet been composed for it.
As expected of Song Chi's definition of a Libra, Xie Lanqing immediately smiled and said, "I have some knowledge of the immortals."
Someone like him, if he says he has a smattering of knowledge, he's practically an expert. People in the cultivation world are incredibly good at being modest.
He even took out his erhu, and Song Chi also took out his own. They harmonized for a while, and then it became clear that the man was being modest. He was already quite skilled, and his voice was beautiful.
If we're talking about truly beautiful melodies, Song Chi only felt that Mo Shubai, Cui Xueruo, Ye Qingyu, and Xie Lanqing were the ones she truly loved.
So Cui Xue Ruo had her play the guzheng part, and the melody began with her. Ye Qing Yu's pipa, with its clear, warm, and beautiful tone, was chosen to play the pipa part. Together with Xie Lan Qing's erhu, the three main instruments were complete.
She didn't care about the other instruments or any other details. The main thing was that they added electronic music, but these days, where do you even find electronic music?
Therefore, during the court ceremony, Song Chi had all his disciples participate, giving everyone a chance to shine before the immortal. They were all given opportunities to play instruments like the zither and pipa. Even Qi Zhenmo was given a turn playing the cymbals.
Then, when he taught the music, they were all very interested, their eyes shining. The music was certainly very beautiful, though people in ancient times might not have been able to appreciate it. But it didn't matter; it was new and exciting.
Soon everyone began to play along, with Song Chi directing from the front.
These people are all quite skilled in music, and even Mo Feiyun's zither playing is beautiful.
Therefore, the piece was quickly composed, though it lacked a bit of electronic rhythm. Who knew that during the second attempt at playing it together, the bronze cauldron suddenly throbbed, and good heavens, electronic music accompanied the piano music, violently reverberating within the hall.
Song Chi couldn't help but find it amusing, and also a little nostalgic. Although the future world was the mortal realm, it was actually much more interesting than the cultivation world. She longed to look at her phone for a while, but couldn't.
However, Ye Qingyu and his group of ancient people were initially not quite used to it, frowning slightly for a moment. But they quickly adapted, and some even started shaking their legs slightly.
They quickly mastered it. Song Chi then directed everyone to perform a magnificent and stirring masterpiece, "The Phoenix Cries in a Prosperous Age." Even the title of the piece met the immortal's requirements; it was impossible for it not to pass.
As the bronze cauldron listened, it stirred the spiritual mist with great emotion, bobbing and swaying to the rhythm.
And they weren't satisfied after listening to it once, so they made everyone listen a second time.
The second time, Song Chi was also inspired, and he took out his pipa from his sleeve, joining Ye Qingyu in playing. During the process, they inevitably leaned in together, the two of them holding the pipa and plucking the strings.
She was having a great time.
However, the music ended and everyone passed the immortal's test. A golden light shone above everyone's heads, and they were all bestowed with some kind of immortal destiny.
Everyone looked slightly surprised yet thoughtful.
Song Chi's actions, though seemingly swift and decisive, yielded no real benefit. Only when the final notes faded did she feel a slight chill on the back of her head. She attributed this to the spiritual energy emanating from the bronze cauldron, which was inherently cold. Then, the clanging of celestial music echoed from the high ceiling of the main hall, as thick mist swirled and billowed towards the rear hall.
The perfectly sealed golden palace suddenly opened a door without a sound.
Then a damp mist rushed in, indicating that we were outside the secret realm.
As Song Chi left the main hall with the others, Qi Zhenmo walked beside her and chuckled twice.
"It's a pity that someone worked so hard but got nothing in return."
"Perhaps it has something to do with your aptitude. Surely you don't have any spiritual roots that are over ninety? Did you eat that spiritual fruit for nothing?"
Those whose spiritual roots are below ninety are indeed not favored by the immortals.
Everyone else couldn't help but look at Song Chi, and several of them twitched their faces, giving him an expression that said, "It's not that serious!"
However, Song Chi had a bad feeling about it. After all, her spiritual root had always had its own ideas, and on average, no one could compare.
This time, they won't all score below 90, and they'll just average it out to the end, right?
She thought that from then on, she would have a chance to reach the Nascent Soul stage, and that she wouldn't have to struggle so much on the path of cultivation anymore, and could proceed smoothly. Damn it!
As they stepped out of the golden gate, they felt a violent storm sweeping in, and it was already late at night.
Shouts of surprise and cheers echoed from Jade Bamboo Lake behind them. "We're out of the secret realm!" Many disciples cheered, probably because some had been hunted down within the secret realm and had nowhere to escape.
After all, these celestial realms are incredibly generous, with spiritual herbs and cultivation techniques everywhere. However, the sheer number of people makes them vulnerable to being hunted down.
However, once outside the secret realm, the rules of the cultivation world forbid killing and robbing treasures in this way.
Therefore, as long as you escape the secret realm, you will be free.
Song Chi immediately suppressed the speculation in his spiritual root and kept his eyes fixed on everything around him.
Song Jun, you absolutely must come out unharmed.
Then, very quickly, Cheng Yao called out, "Song Chi, look this way!"
Song Chi glanced at it, then laughed and rushed over.
"Chi'er!" A figure in blue rushed over through the rain and mist.
"elder brother."
The two quickly met in mid-air, looked at each other, and breathed a sigh of relief. At least neither of them was injured!
Next, Song Chi quickly pulled Song Yun towards the sect's location and rushed into his small tent.
She was worried that the sect was setting off in a hurry, so she had to hurry and check with Song Yun to see what spiritual herbs and plants she had picked.
Song Jun will definitely go back with Changyun Sect. With a large group around, and carrying so many precious spiritual herbs and plants, it will be safer.
The two of them simultaneously activated a layer of defense, as the matter was confidential and could not be overheard.
Unexpectedly, Song Yun also possessed a powerful defensive magic weapon—a white jade gourd-shaped treasure. It looked extremely exquisite!
Song Chi casually picked one up, and it just so happened to be Ye Qingyu's Plum Blossom Reflecting the Moon.
"Chi'er, what is this treasure of yours..." Song Yun, with her keen observation, immediately asked.
"It was bestowed by the immortal master," Song Chi immediately lied.
Song Yun didn't say anything, but instead took out another white jade gourd, the same style as the one in his hand, and gave it to Song Chi.
“I was bestowed this upon me by the Great Immortal of Alchemy in the secret realm, and it was a perfect pair. From now on, Chi’er, you can use this defensive treasure of mine.”
His later words clearly implied a sense of being wary of other people, like fire, theft, or other threats.
Song Chi smiled and nodded.
"Brother, time is of the essence, let's not talk about that now. Come and see these beauty and health-preserving herbs that I picked in the secret realm later."
Song Chi displayed over a hundred boxes of elixirs.
Song Yun lifted one and glanced at it, and his chest heaved. His usually gentle, jade-faced gentleman's face instantly flushed red.
After looking at about ten boxes, he twitched his nose slightly and took a deep breath.
"They are all beauty and health-preserving herbs that were lost from my great-grandfather's medicine scroll!"
“That’s right. And I harvested almost everything, just like the medicinal garden described in that book. Look!”
She simply showed Song Yun the storage ring on her sleeve.
Song Yun said with a blush, "You have many personal items in your storage ring. Even your brother can't just look at them, Chi'er."
This old fogey. Song Chi was speechless!
"Fine, anyway, you have to take all these medicinal herbs back with you. Our family has made a fortune this time, brother."
Song Chi simply took out all those beauty and health elixirs, and also showed Song Yun some of those poisonous herbs.
"My brother has inherited the Dao of Alchemy, and these might be useful when refining pills. But they are all highly poisonous substances, only suitable for making poison pills. I doubt my brother will find them of any use..."
"How could it be useless!" Song Yun exclaimed, almost breaking her voice.
Then, with a sudden movement, he unfurled a scroll. On the scroll were clearly written the words—"Hundred Flower Poison Pill Technique!"
Song Chi felt that this was perhaps a misapplication of the imperial edict.
Song Yun smiled faintly. "I prefer the art of poison pills, but I haven't been able to say it openly before. Otherwise, Chi'er would know what kind of person Grandfather is."
My grandfather was a man of upright and unyielding character. He taught them that they must do things properly and that cultivation should only be on the right path. Anyone who dared to stray from the right path would have their legs broken.
"Don't rush to talk about that, come and take a look at this pill formula!" Song Yun flipped the scroll halfway through. The scroll seemed to be infinitely long, probably some kind of artifact crafting product.
The prescription that Song Yun had turned over was a kind of Hundred Flowers Cleansing Dust Pill.
After reading half of the pill's effects, Song Chi couldn't help but gasp. This pill formula could actually cleanse one's spiritual root! It was completely incomparable to the Cleansing Pill taken by Qi Refining disciples. Of course, it couldn't compare to the effects of the Ruyi Treasure Fruit from the secret realm.
Leaving those aside for now, it just so happens that some of the herbs used in this prescription were poisonous plants she had picked, while the majority of the rest were beauty and skin-nourishing herbs.
It states that this pill is only effective for disciples with spiritual roots exceeding fifty, and they must be disciples below the Foundation Establishment stage. Furthermore, it is ineffective for disciples who have already consumed Heavenly Spirit Fruits to improve their aptitude.
Moreover, disciples who receive the Hundred Flowers Cleansing Pill to cleanse their spiritual roots can expect to attain the Golden Core stage.
This was exactly what Song Chi wanted. Previously, he had been chased relentlessly by the disciples of the Tai Xuan Immortal Dynasty, leaving him with nowhere to run or escape. He had no choice but to try and steal from other barriers.
Otherwise, she hadn't been unaware of the possibility of trying to snatch one or two for her parents.
"In other words, there's hope that Grandfather and the others can cleanse their spiritual roots," Song Chi asked excitedly.
Song Yun nodded vigorously. "Especially my grandfather, he's getting old, and last year he refused to take pills to cultivate, saying that his old bones have nothing to cultivate with."
In reality, ever since Song Chi entered the inner sect of the Azure Sword Sect, the family's expenses have been drastically reduced. They then consistently send her spirit stones. Given her grandfather's actions, he's probably trying to save on the cost of medicinal pills.
Song Chi sighed. "Then you must work hard to improve your cultivation, and you can't neglect your alchemy." This is because the alchemy requires the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage to be refined.
"However, with the spiritual fruits you consumed improving your aptitude, you should have at least one spiritual root reaching eighty, right?" Thinking about this, Song Chi still felt a pang of regret. She had a gut feeling that none of her spiritual roots had reached ninety. It was probably a serious case of averaging out!
Song Yun smiled. "I feel a different kind of pure energy swirling around my dantian, which means one of my spiritual roots should have reached level eighty."
That proves that achieving the Golden Core stage is still possible. However, the cultivation process will likely be difficult. Genius disciples only need twenty years after Foundation Establishment to reach the Golden Core stage. Ordinary disciples, on the other hand, need anywhere from several decades to a hundred years... How could their parents possibly wait that long?
"It's all about human effort. Even someone with my kind of spiritual talent was able to be cleansed by the spiritual fruits of heaven and earth. I believe there will be other opportunities to help us in the future."
Song Yun, on the other hand, seemed hopeful. "If all else fails, we can always ask another alchemist to refine this pill!"
Song Chi had a bad feeling. If this were to be exposed, cultivators in the cultivation world could wipe out the Song family, especially those with less than ideal aptitude and spiritual roots. She couldn't help but shake her head.
"We can only rely on ourselves. We still have ways; who knows, maybe in twenty years, another secret realm will appear, and then there will be spiritual herbs to improve our spiritual roots." The book really did mention a Golden Core realm paving the way for geniuses in twenty years…
"Yes, of course I know. You don't need to worry!" Song Jun looked at her with a gentle smile, as if to say, "Your brother isn't stupid."
Then, when collecting the poisonous herbs and beauty-enhancing elixirs, he only took half. "These medicinal herbs must be stored in the sect's spirit treasury to preserve their medicinal properties. It's safer if we each store half!"
That makes sense. You can't put all your eggs in one basket.
However, the two still gathered all the existing medicinal herbs and flowers for beauty and skincare medicine, with Song Yun taking most of them back. They planned to dilute the medicinal properties and make some beauty and skincare medicine to sell.
How could my grandfather not take pills to maintain his cultivation? Moreover, I'm afraid my parents, uncles, and aunts are also withholding their own cultivation resources.
Of course, the dilution of the drug's potency also needs to be done discreetly, otherwise people will still try to profit from it.
Song Yun intended to select a few beauty and skin-nourishing herbs to present to Elder Pan of the Changyun Sect. The perfume shop originally belonged to her, and Elder Pan was said to be quite vain and very particular about skincare; she would naturally be delighted to receive the medicinal herbs. Therefore, the shop would certainly need extra protection.
However, there are only about twenty of these beauty-enhancing herbs still existing in the cultivation world.
Song Chi also took out a few more plants. "I'm taking these to repay their kindness. I was able to obtain the spiritual fruit to cleanse my aptitude thanks to their help."
Song Yun nodded. "Of course, but that jade pendant... looks very valuable to me, so it would be better if Chi'er returned it."
He spoke haltingly, but his eyes were resolute. His doting brotherly nature was clearly starting to surface; in fact, he had always been very protective of her.
Song Chi smiled. "Don't worry, brother, I will return it."
As they spoke, the ground began to tremble, and both of them almost lost their footing. This meant the secret realm was about to completely close and disappear!
The sect elders were also reminding all disciples to quickly regroup on the flying boat, as the disappearance of the secret realm would cause a massive amount of spiritual energy to recede. Ordinary Qi Refining disciples could easily be sucked back in, leaving no trace.
Song Chi and the others quickly packed up. However, before leaving, Song Chi still mentioned something.
"Brother, hurry up and establish your foundation on the Righteous Path, and refine the first type of Heart-Clearing Pill for me."
"Though that elixir can beautify and nourish the skin, it is ultimately a poisonous pill. What do you need it for!"
Song Chi had only glanced at the first technique in the alchemy scroll when he knew there was a way. This was because the pill could suppress the desires generated by the wood-elemental treasure, a wonderful application of fighting poison with poison.
Although the triangular cone given to him by Immortal Master Mo Shubai could suppress Green Leaf Treasure, every time Song Chi used it, a strong desire would still surge in his heart. His desire was insatiable, and he even found demonic beasts to be handsome and charming.
“I need it. I have a treasure that my brother should be able to sense. It has an extremely fast teleportation speed, but it will… generate desire.”
"That kind of treasure is probably ominous; it's best not to use it."
"But it's useful; it can save your life in a critical moment."
Upon hearing Song Chi's words, Song Yun sighed. "Alright! I'll complete the Foundation Establishment as soon as possible, and then I'll refine the pills and send them to you."
Next, the brother and sister emerged from the tent and swiftly entered their respective sects.
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Author's Note: [Cat Head] is here~
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