The competitors in the Alchemy Conference had a residence specially prepared for them. But the governors who had chosen them as representatives had prepared their own lodgings. And most of them were living with them until the start of the Alchemy Conference. The Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute had a building specifically designed for that purpose. After all they were the biggest alchemy institute in the Hongchen Kingdom. This was also why they had three spots while all the other provinces only had one. In fact, their spots didn't even count for the Daye Province they were in. So there was a representative of the Daye Province.
No province had failed to find a representative in fact. This had happened some year but it was still very rare. So there twenty-four contestants in total, one for each of the twenty-one provinces, and three for the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute.
Cao Yun headed toward Xiao Xuefeng's residence. She was waiting for him. There, he met back with Kang Hai and Kang Cai who were still serving Xiao Xuefeng. Of course, they had gotten stronger. When he had first met them, they had been mere mortals but now they had finally begun their cultivation.
"Young Master Chen, our master is ready to receive you. Unfortunately, Miss Mei and Miss Feng are not here at the moment. They had some business to take care of with Spirit Master Hua."
"Brother!"
Interrupting the composed Kang Hai, a fat man walked down some stairs that were leading further in. Opening his arms in full, he welcomed Cao Yun. This was Song Guixiang, Hua Fenfei's disciple. Cao Yun remembered meeting him in Yinmen City. He was living life to the fullest, with food, wind and women. Right now, Song Guixiang even had a cup of wine in hand.
"What a pleasure to see you again! Sister Feng will be quite happy too, I imagine. Just try not to make too much noise. Ha ha ha!"
Song Guixiang was only a 1st-grade Mortal Warrior. He was not even in his thirties yet so it wasn't that bad but couldn't hold a candle to Cao Yun's current cultivation. The young man remembered that that disciple had also been teasing him and Feng Yingyue when they were in Yinmen City. But he also remembered that his master didn't like it.
"Brother Song, should I report your words to Spirit Master Hua? It would be such a shame if you couldn't enjoy neither food nor wine during your stay in the Imperial City..."
"Brother, brother! I was just kidding. Come on, don't be so uptight! I'll tell you where the best restaurants are in the city. And I can guarantee you that my advice is gold. However, I'm also right about Sister Feng. She was very nervous to meet you again. And from the fact that you first visited Huang Liyue, I imagine that you are nervous too. Such a joyous occasion shouldn't be filled with so much tension. Relax a little. I know what you're both thinking, but just stop! Stop trying to think things through too much. First meet and then you'll see what happens."
"And you're such an expert in those matters...?"
Kang Cai who was usually as composed as her sister glared at Song Guixiang. Clearly, there was some history between the two.
"Hey, I already told you that I was sorry. I didn't know that she... I mean, we should talk about that in private... or not at all..."
"Please, Young Master Chen, our mistress is expecting you."
While Kang Cai and Song Guixiang were bickering, Kang Hai lead Cao Yun toward Xiao Xuefeng's chambers. The 8th-grade Spirit Warrior was meditating. Her current cultivation stage required her to try and open her Third Eye. This point would later allow her Soul Embryo to communicate directly with the world and to see through the Dao. As such it was a very important step if one wanted to one day become a Sage. Even though no one had been able to do so for millenniums, there was still hope, especially with Matriarch Huang's recent attempt and the refinement of a Spirit pill.
When Cao Yun entered the room, he felt her soul all over the place. Now, he was very sensitive to those energies. In fact, he was almost able to see her Soul Embryo. Although she wasn't trying to conceal it, only a Spirit Warrior should have been able to see her soul. As Cao Yun was impressed by her cultivation, Xiao Xuefeng was also impressed by the young man. He had become even more mysterious than before.
"This humble one presents his greetings."
"You've obtained some form of spiritual senses?!"
"Indeed. I've completed the first part of 'Subdue the Seven Demons' and was able to subdue my Po of Jing. Thanks to some fortuitous encounter, I've been able to trap another's Flying Poison in my sea of consciousness. And I can use it as a form of spiritual senses."
"I see. Your friend has already subdued three out of her seven Po aspects. It seems like her mind cultivation is even more advanced than yours."
Cao Yun was quite surprised. Feng Yingyue had almost reached the halfway point of 'Sealing the Seven Demons in the Nine Peaks''s third layer. But she had mostly focused on her mind cultivation, alchemy and her Qi cultivation. Unlike Cao Yun, she had spent very little time on martial arts and she had not been faced with the same problems he had had to deal with. In fact, she was also helped by the advice he sent her through his letters. Still, that speed was impressive indeed.
"I've read what you wrote about the Subei Province. But I would like to hear things directly from you."
As she spoke, her Soul Embryo completely confined the room. The use of spiritual senses outside of one's residence was monitored in the Imperial City. It wasn't as forbidden as flying. But one couldn't simply use their spiritual senses to spy on others. And with many Spirit Warriors, one could easily be detected. Within one's residence though, it was obviously permitted. Despite the interdiction on others to spy, Xiao Xuefeng was feeling better with a layer of protection around them.
"In fact, this could be a nice opportunity to teach you some things. Can you get your Flying Poison out?"
Xiao Xuefeng knew that there was more to Cao Yun's story that just capturing someone else's Flying Poison, but she didn't press him on the matter. After all, she knew he had obtained some great treasure at some point. Maybe it was related to it or maybe to another treasure he had found. In fact, it might also be some terrible thing created by demonic cultivators he was now using. No matter the origin of something, what mattered was what was done with it. This was the orthodox way in the Hongchen Kingdom. Actions were always the most important means to judge someone or something.
Since he trusted her and could feel that this room was isolated from the outside world, Cao Yun took out part of the Flying Poison. There was always a tiny part of it that remained anchored into his Nine Soul Peaks. And with it, he also took out the Black Heart Flame.
"That flame is interesting for your alchemy... But first I would like to focus on your spiritual senses. With them you can sense things around you but also interact with souls and minds. They are still quite weak and you can't send them very far. You can't fly either. Only when your Soul Embryo gets birthed will you be able to do so. But for now, you might still be able to improve your spiritual senses if you learn how to better control this Flying Poison. In fact, you could be able to send directed telepathic messages to a single person who's not too far from you. Imagine that this Flying Poison becomes a needle, a very thin needle, almost invisible. This needle should stick out from your forehead and aim directly at mine, focus on my Yintang, the Third Eye. You should barely see a fluctuation of the air between our two Yintang."
Without hesitation, Cao Yun imagined exactly what Xiao Xuefeng told him. Before long, he had indeed formed a thin needle between his glabella and hers. Although his eyes were closed, he could vaguely see a form of vibration in the air between them. He was seeing with his Qi and his soul at that point.
"Good. Now, focus on a single thought, a phrase or an idea that you want to send directly into my mind. Let it fill your mind and your soul. But do not get too tense. Focus on this thought but then let it have its own momentum. Don't try to control it, let it flow in your mind as you watch it. When you feel that it's become strong enough and that your entire mind and soul are filled with it, imagine that the needle pierces through your glabella. It enters into your sea of consciousness and touches upon this idea. At the same moment, picture this needle piercing through my own forehead and into a vast empty sea. Then let the idea flow through the needle as a river into an ocean."
Cao Yun tried to do exactly as Xiao Xuefeng told him to do. To be honest, despite his mind cultivation, it was extremely strenuous on him. Maintaining his Flying Poison in this state while focusing on a single thought was incredibly difficult, much more than he had imagined. But he still endured and persevered until he succeeded. And he did succeed. Before long, he was able to send a single thought into Xiao Xuefeng's mind. To be fair, she was opening her mind to him to make things easier. If he tried to send a message to someone who wasn't actively trying to listen to him, it would be much more difficult. His spiritual senses were just too weak for now. But at the very least, he knew how telepathy worked now.
Through the use of spiritual senses, which are simply the use of one's soul outside of their body, it was indeed possible to send messages into someone else's mind. However, reading someone's thoughts was much more complicated. Even a late Spirit Warrior would not attempt it frivolously. Any technique to see through someone's mind or memories was dangerous for that person and the success rate was not necessarily very high. As one's cultivation would develop, seeing through the mind of weaker cultivators would become easier and easier though.
"Good! I've heard your message. It was still a bit weak and vague, but I certainly got your intention. With a bit more practice, you should be able to send your voice not through wind but through soul. However, you're not quite there yet. And to be honest, you should focus on your Qi cultivation foremost. As long as you form your Soul Embryo, you'll be able to do so. Do not let yourself focus too much on improving those meager spiritual senses. They'll naturally grow with your Soul Embryo."
"I understand, Spirit Master."
Then, Cao Yun and Xiao Xuefeng talked about what he had discovered within Gu Song's mind. While Xiao Xuefeng talked through her soul, Cao Yun was using his Qi to control the flow of his voice so it only reached her ears. With her spiritual senses protecting the room, it was almost impossible for anyone else to eavesdrop on their conversation. Considering the nature of it, it was vital. Indeed, Cao Yun talked about Emperor Weide, his affiliation with the demonic cultivators and his plans to kill his family in order to get his mother's Soul Embryo.
"You say you've met his daughter?! I've never heard anything about Emperor Weide having a lover, let alone a daughter. It's not impossible of course, but this is quite surprising. Yong Ke...? We'll have to look into that a bit more. If what you say is true, our Emperor used the demonic cultivators for centuries in an attempt to increase his own power. Because of that they've grown stronger and stronger while we were blind to them. That would indeed explain why there are so many Spirit Warriors among them. In all recorded history, the demonic cultivators had never been able to reach this cultivation realm as they were found out and executed before that.
"That is a very serious crime. In itself, if proven true, it could justify to depose our Emperor... However, this is a very delicate matter. Even if we do believe you, and I do, we can't act upon it just yet. First of all, we need absolute proof to bring before everyone. But even then, some will protect the Emperor anyway. No matter what happens, if we go down that road, there will be a fight. After all, Emperor Weide won't go down without fighting. A battle between 9th-grade Spirit Warriors is something that could devastate the Wang Province and even more. With the threat of the demons and the Demon King still planning against us, this is not something that we can afford. For the time being, we can't pursue the matter.
"Cao Yun, I understand that you want to take him down. But we simply cannot do so right now. However, now that Matriarch Huang knows about that, you can be sure that Emperor Weide will eventually fall. That woman wants power for her family more than anything else. There is absolutely no way she will let go of such an opportunity. But it could take us decades if not centuries."
A political struggle between late Spirit Warriors could indeed last extremely long. However, there was also an urgency in Xiao Xuefeng's voice. Indeed, they both knew that Emperor Weide was at least five centuries younger than Sect Leader Xuan and Matriarch Huang. The two of them were sadly close to the end of their lifespan. In other words, they didn't have that long.
That being said, Cao Yun was aware that the situation was delicate. However, he had something else in mind. He absolutely wanted to know who Yong Ke truly was. He had to see her face at least once to confirm his worries. She might be someone who shared his blood. Or she might have been saved by using the deaths of his family members.