"Junior Brother Ying," Lou Huaijing looked at Ying Muqing with intense gaze, "do you think Chi Changye also came along? You must have heard about the appearance of the Clear Dust Pill, and it goes without saying that it was brought out by Pill Master Gu Yao. They are definitely not going to separate."
Ying Muqing suddenly felt both amused and helpless. He invited Senior Lou to sit in his cave. If this were in the past, Senior Lou probably wouldn't have come to his cave personally. The thought made Ying Muqing feel pleasantly surprised.
He brewed spirit tea and served spirit fruit to Senior Lou, but Lou Huaijing seemed indifferent to these offerings. He kept staring at Ying Muqing. He just wanted to talk to someone about Chi Changye's situation, but it was difficult to find someone in Changxian Sect who shared his perspective. Senior Brother Yan had been locked in the forbidden area. Otherwise, Senior Brother Yan would have been a better choice.
"Senior Lou, are you considering leaving the sect to search for Senior Chi? Have you forgotten that the sect is actively searching for him? If the Sect Master finds out, do you know the consequences? Senior Brother Yan hasn't come out yet. If Senior Lou intends to seek a challenge with Senior Chi, I suggest you first have a match with Senior Brother Yan."
Although the sect hadn't made it public, Ying Muqing had been paying attention to Chi Changye and the others, so he had deduced the general situation.
Senior Brother Yan had fought against Chi Changye and lost by a small margin. He had then agreed to the ten-year promise and voluntarily withdrew from the Tianlin Continent, even though he knew it would harm the sect's major plans. Ying Muqing couldn't help but admire Senior Brother Yan for his actions. If given another chance, Senior Brother Yan would probably do the same.
Senior Lou had been dissatisfied since his defeat against Chi Changye and wanted to find an opportunity for another battle. However, Ying Muqing believed that Senior Lou didn't stand a chance. Back when they didn't leave the Tianlin Continent, Senior Brother Yan was able to earn Senior Lou's respect and admiration. It would be even more difficult now. Ying Muqing genuinely had no confidence in Senior Lou's chances.
"Hmph!" Lou Huaijing coldly snorted, displeased. "I really don't understand what the sect is doing. Who does Li Qi think he is? Continuing like this will only bring chaos to the sect. What did Senior Brother Yan do wrong? Besides, I think Senior Brother Yan might be quite happy now, able to focus on cultivation in the forbidden area without dealing with trivial matters."
Then, feeling a bit embarrassed, Lou Huaijing continued, "I just wanted to have a friendly exchange with Senior Chi. Who said I wanted to defeat him?"
Have a match with Senior Brother Yan? Maybe it's better to forget that idea. Lou Huaijing felt a bit intimidated by the relentless gaze in Senior Brother Yan's eyes.
Ying Muqing didn't know what to say anymore. Lou Huaijing was the young master, with the backing of a Nascent Soul stage elder. Lou Huaijing had outstanding talent and was highly regarded by that elder, so his position in the sect was not something Ying Muqing could compare to.
Seeing Ying Muqing remain silent while looking at him, Lou Huaijing felt as if his inner thoughts had been exposed. This made him even more annoyed. He stood up, raised his chin, and said, "I think I should go on a sect-external experience. Since reaching the Golden Core stage, my cultivation progress has stagnated recently. So, I need to go out and explore. What about you?"
Ying Muqing pointed at himself in surprise and asked, "Senior Brother, are you asking me to go on the experience with you?"
Lou Huaijing impatiently replied, "Just come if you want, I won't wait for you."
With that, he turned around and quickly walked out of Ying Muqing's cave. His figure soon disappeared into the distance. Ying Muqing stood dumbfounded for a moment, then jumped up to swiftly gather his belongings. He was not foolish enough to go along.
It should be noted that despite his efforts to become a Golden Core cultivator, he had no background within the sect. If there were any disputes or conflicts outside the sect, cultivators like him would be the first to be sent to the front lines. Now, he didn't know why Senior Lou suddenly showed favor towards him and even extended a helping hand. Why wouldn't he accept it?
After replenishing his supplies at the sect's market, Ying Muqing hurriedly made his way to Senior Lou's cave, afraid that Senior Lou would lose patience and leave without waiting for him. Fortunately, he arrived in time.
Lou Huaijing took Ying Muqing out for an experience, without bringing anyone else. After the incident with the Clear Dust Pill, he had seen the true nature of many people and found Ying Muqing barely passable. However, they encountered an obstacle on the way, or rather, a repulsive creature—an disgusting insect.
"Get out of the way, Huo Ming! Good dogs don't block the road!" Lou Huaijing expressed strong disgust toward the person in front of him.
"And where do you think you're going? Instead of wasting your time, why don't you help the sect track down the people on the wanted list? You've enjoyed so many resources from the sect. Shouldn't you be helping the sect in return? Don't forget, you've had contact with those two individuals. Do you dare to defy what my father said?" Huo Ming said with malicious intent.
Lou Huaijing sneered, while Ying Muqing pretended not to hear anything, focused on his own thoughts.
Any discerning person would know that Huo Ming received far more resources from the sect than Lou Huaijing did. If it weren't for his father being the Sect Master, this guy would have died in some corner long ago. And now he's acting so arrogant and domineering?
"Naturally, I am leaving the sect to search for clues. But who do you think you are to order me around? Wait until the day you sit in the position of Sect Master, then you can command me. Ying Junior Brother, let's go."
Lou Huaijing had always looked down on this person surnamed Huo within the sect. He forcefully pushed the person blocking their way with a surge of spiritual power, then left in front of Huo Ming, provoking him. This infuriated Huo Ming.
One was the junior disciple of a Nascent Soul stage elder, and the other was the beloved son of the Sect Master who obtained that status during the Nascent Soul stage. They both held high positions. However, one had outstanding talent while the other had only three spiritual roots. They were often compared, with Huo Ming being the one who was looked down upon.
As a result, Huo Ming grew to hate Lou Huaijing more and more. He frequently caused trouble for him over the years, big or small. As a result, Huo Ming's reputation became increasingly negative, making a name for himself on the Thousand Vast Continent in a different way.
"Young Sect Master," even though Huo Ming had no qualification to inherit the position of Sect Master, he liked it when his subordinates addressed him that way, as if one day he would be able to stand in that high position and trample over all those who had looked down on him in the past. "Does this Lou guy really want to leave the sect? If Young Sect Master truly finds him displeasing, why not take this opportunity to deal with him decisively!"
As Huo Ming spoke, he made a fierce gesture, indicating that either Lou Huaijing should be crippled or eliminated altogether. Of course, they wouldn't dare to act themselves, but it didn't matter for Huo Ming. Even if someone caught them in the act, they would be protected by the Sect Master.
Huo Ming's face twisted into a wicked smile. "That's right, find someone to keep an eye on this kid's whereabouts. It would be best if he goes far away, so I can easily deal with him. Let's see how proud he remains when he's facing death."
Back in his cave, Huo Ming grew angrier as he thought about the gossip he had heard outside. He had set his sights on a woman surnamed Liu in Baihe City. The more he couldn't have her, the more he desired her. But what were they saying outside now? They were actually saying that he couldn't reach her level. How dare they! With his father as the Sect Master of Changxian Sect, was there any woman he couldn't have?
Several months passed, and the reputation of the Clear Dust Pill grew louder outside. Whenever a Clear Dust Pill was brought out, it would be immediately snatched up, but this time, the pill formula was no longer being auctioned.
The disciples within Changxian Sect had initially expected the pill to be supplied internally, as they would be able to purchase it at a relatively low price as disciples of the sect. However, they waited and waited, but the Clear Dust Pill didn't appear. Even Li Qi, who used to frequently appear in front of people, had disappeared. As a result, different voices started to emerge within the sect, although these remarks were not made in public.
"Have you heard of the rumor that the previous Spirit Refining Pill wasn't actually researched by Master Li Qi himself? He took someone else's creation and passed it off as his own."
"No way! Our Changxian Sect, as a major sect, would never do such a thing. Who is trying to tarnish our Changxian Sect's reputation?"
"Well, then explain why the Clear Dust Pill is available outside but not within our sect? Look at how long it's been since Li Qi last showed up. Besides feeling guilty, what other reason could he have?" In such a large sect, there were naturally people who disliked Li Qi's actions.
"That doesn't prove that the Spirit Refining Pill wasn't researched by Master Li Qi. So many alchemists outside already know the pill formula for the Spirit Refining Pill. It could be that some unscrupulous alchemist made some modifications based on the formula. Ultimately, it is still the achievement of Master Li Qi." There were still loyal supporters who argued based on reason.
"Why don't you try making modifications yourself? Do you think it's so easy to modify? If it's easy to modify, why doesn't our sect release an upgraded version?"
The more Li Qi stayed hidden and couldn't bring out the Clear Dust Pill, the more people became suspicious. Some cultivators within Changxian Sect even found ways to purchase Clear Dust Pills from outside. Those who had taken Clear Dust Pills found it hard to adapt to the Spirit Refining Pill.
In this situation, even the Sect Master of Changxian Sect was greatly troubled. If it weren't for Yan Yuanjing's decision to set some ten-year agreement, Changxian Sect wouldn't have found themselves in such a passive position. The people they sent were also useless. If they had known about this talent in alchemy, they should have recommended him to the sect earlier. What could be more obedient than having control in one's own hands?
At the same time, his son was causing trouble. He insisted on bringing that little girl from Baihe City. He couldn't understand his own son. There were women around him who were more outstanding than that girl from Baihe City. Why was he fixated on her?
Now that Zhang Qianfeng had successfully formed his Nascent Soul, the threat of using the Extremity Regeneration Pill against Baihe City had lost its effect. Although they still didn't pay much attention to the two Nascent Soul cultivators from Changxian Sect, they had to admit that the City Lord of Baihe City had capable individuals behind him. He had integrated many commercial forces into Baihe City, so it wouldn't be easy to take a strong stance against the city without the indifferent response from those commercial forces.
Now there were clues indicating that the Clear Dust Pill was produced by Qianfeng Pavilion in Baihe City. So those two cultivators had long established a connection with the City Lord's Mansion of Baihe City. Sect Master Huo had strong suspicions. If Qianfeng could recover his strength, it was very likely that he had a connection with those two individuals. And Di Feng's death had occurred near Baihe City. So those two guys must be hiding in the territory of Baihe City. Damn it! The couple with the surname Liu dared to confront Changxian Sect so brazenly. Did they really think that with Qianfeng's Nascent Soul cultivation, Changxian Sect couldn't do anything to them?