By this time, a large crowd had already gathered in front of the Foreign Affairs Hall. When Shi Lan arrived, a man dressed in a moon-white robe with light blue water ripple patterns embroidered on the sleeves and hem stepped out from the crowd. "May I ask if Junior Sister's surname is Shi?"
Shi Lan nodded.
The man introduced himself: "I am Jian Shu, and I am the leader of this group entering the ancient site."
Shi Lan politely bowed and said, "Senior Brother Jian."
Jian Shu nodded and said, "No one has been inside this ancient site yet, so we don't know what's inside. Junior Sister, you'd better prepare some pills to replenish your true energy and detoxify, just in case."
Shi Lan nodded, touched the token, and suddenly remembered the contribution points she had accumulated while doing spirit beast missions. She was about to enter a dangerous place, and she would use this thing whenever she wanted.
Thinking of the magical artifacts, magic weapons, robes, and dazzling array of elixirs displayed in the Foreign Affairs Hall, Shi Lan felt a surge of excitement.
After giving his instructions, Jian Shu turned and went elsewhere. After all, as the leader in charge of entering the ancient site, he still had a lot to do.
Inside the Foreign Affairs Hall, Shi Lan used her last bit of contribution points to buy an antidote pill, and then changed all her clothes in a separate room before walking out of the main hall amidst the envious glances of the disciples in charge of receiving her.
In a short while, some more people arrived outside. Shi Lan roughly counted them; there were about fifty people.
Shi Lan slowly walked down the steps and quietly stood behind the crowd.
As dawn approached, a black dot appeared on the horizon. Less than half a breath later, the dot drew near, and Shi Lan could finally see clearly that it was a woman dressed in colorful robes and wearing a hairpin.
The woman put away the large red flowerpot at her feet, landed gracefully, and her beautiful eyes swept around before finally landing on Shi Lan, who was standing at the back. A faint sense of pressure gradually spread over her. "You are Shi Lan?"
Shi Lan quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "This disciple is indeed Shi Lan."
The woman looked Shi Lan up and down, and seeing that she remained poised and elegant even under her deliberate pressure, she nodded inwardly, thinking that she was indeed a talented person who had shown extraordinary abilities. She wanted to say some words of encouragement, but when she remembered the words that the sect leader had quietly told her earlier, the woman's face darkened.
With a gentle flick of her sleeve, the woman helped Shi Lan up. She then turned to Jian Shu and asked, "Is everyone here?"
Jian Shu hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Senior Uncle Qi, all the disciples of our sect have arrived. As for the others who went with us, they have not yet come."
Qi Xin snorted coldly and said with a contemptuous expression, "No need to pay attention to them. If those small and insignificant families dare to keep quiet, the sect leader will deal with them."
Jianshu bowed, said "Yes," and withdrew.
Qi Xin looked around, then with a flick of her wrist, a small boat flew out from her palm, growing longer in the wind until it became a boat two zhang long.
Everyone boarded the boat, and Shi Lan followed them to the boat's spacious deck, where she found a place to sit cross-legged as before.
Jian Shu glanced at the number of people and was about to sit down to meditate when Qi Xin quietly called him aside and whispered something to him.
Jian Shu glanced at Shi Lan, who seemed oblivious and in a meditative state, with a complicated expression. After a long while, he nodded as if he had made up his mind.
Qi Xin's brows relaxed, and her previously gloomy face finally showed some signs of improvement.
The boat traveled extremely fast, but even so, it still took two hours for it to slowly descend.
Qi Xin, who had been standing at the bow of the boat, was the first to leap off.
A middle-aged man in a black and white checkered robe walked over with a smile in his eyes. His eyes, which were gleaming with a hidden glint, glanced at Qi Xin's back. "Peak Master Qi, it's been a long time since I last saw you. Your cultivation has improved quite a bit."
Qi Xin adjusted her radiant skirt and said, "I had some insights a while ago and accidentally entered the later stages."
The man hesitated for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed. "You've progressed to the later stages?"
Qi Xin glanced at him with a charming smile, her beautiful eyes darting around. "What? Fellow Daoist Ruan, aren't you happy for me?"
Ruan Bohong gave a dry laugh, realizing that he had lost his composure due to surprise, and quickly made amends, saying, "Happy, of course I'm happy. Fellow Daoist Ruan is a genius. You've only just entered the mid-stage and have already entered the late stage in ten years. I am truly far behind you."
Qi Xin covered her mouth and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Ruan, you're too kind. I was just lucky."
Ruan Bohong shook his head. Good luck is also a kind of strength. Cultivating immortality is all about opportunities, which others can only envy.
A few steps away, someone strode up to Qi Xin. Upon seeing the newcomer, Ruan Bohong greeted him with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Ming, what brings you here? Where is Sect Leader Li?"
Mingxuan shook his head with a wry smile, "Senior Brother Li has already passed away. I'm just rushing to get this book on the shelves; I had no choice but to come."
Qi Xin looked slightly displeased upon hearing his words. "If Fellow Daoist Ming is unwilling, he is free not to come."
Mingxuan's face fell, and he quickly said, "Fellow Daoist Qi, please don't be offended. I haven't been able to adjust my mood since Senior Brother Li left so suddenly. I misspoke, I misspoke."
Qi Xin snorted coldly, flicked her sleeve, and turned away without saying a word.
Mingxuan used to be a cultivation fanatic who only knew how to cultivate. Now that his senior brother, who was in charge of the sect, had fallen, he, the only one who had reached the Core Formation stage, was forced into the position and had no idea how to deal with it. Helpless, he looked to Ruan Bohong for help.
One is in the early stage of Core Formation and has already passed the majority of his lifespan, while the other is in the late stage of Core Formation and is in his prime. It is obvious which one is more important.
Ruan Bohong was a man who never did anything for nothing, so he was unwilling to do something that was thankless. When he saw Mingxuan about to speak, he smiled lightly, cupped his hands in greeting, and left without getting involved.
Mingxuan opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Qi Xin turned her head to look at his dazed expression and refused to look at him again.
A bald monk in a robe, holding a staff, walked step by step from about ten feet away.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Qi Xin's already unhappy expression suddenly turned icy and cold.
The monk stepped forward, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and said, "Fellow Daoist Qi, I've heard that your sect has produced a talented individual who manifested extraordinary phenomena in the heavens. I wonder if he accompanied you this time?"
Qi Xin's pretty face was frosty, and her rosy lips were pursed into a thin line. After a while, she suddenly smiled and said, "Zen Master Huiming is quite concerned about our sect."
Master Huiming slightly raised his eyelids, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and his lips moved silently.
Qi Xin's face suddenly turned pale and then red. After a long while, she said reluctantly, "Shi Lan, come here."
Shi Lan stepped through the crowd and approached Qi Xin, bowing respectfully, "Peak Master Qi."
Qi Xin stared coldly at Huiming, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth, "Why haven't you paid your respects to the Buddhist Zen Master Huiming yet?"
Shi Lan obediently bowed to Hui Ming.
Huiming carefully examined Shi Lan for a moment before returning to the Buddhist sect's residence with satisfaction, smoothing out the beaded string.
Shi Lan was puzzled by Hui Ming's gaze, so she turned to look at Qi Xin.
Qi Xin's expression was still a bit off. When she saw Shi Lan's gaze, she said irritably, "Why are you looking at me? Hurry up and go back to meditate and regulate your breathing."
Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Shi Lan didn't dare to say anything more and quickly retreated to the back. However, out of the corner of her eye, she inadvertently spotted a figure that she didn't expect to be there.
The figure seemed to sense Shi Lan's gaze and quickly shrank back. Shi Lan smiled coldly and returned to her previous position. (To be continued.)
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