The oceans of Blue Water Star continued to churn with towering waves, fierce winds whipping across the waters, and even the bright sunlight couldn't penetrate the thick fog. Cheng Xu stood in the main hall of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, bored and idly observing the empty space around him. It had been a while since the winds calmed, and it would still be half a year before things settled down. With so few visiting cultivators, the cultivation market lacked any real energy. Aside from counting the small flying insects buzzing around, Cheng Xu had little to occupy his time.
As he counted the ninety-ninth flying insect, the entrance to the Pavilion darkened, and a handsome young man in white stepped inside. Cheng Xu's heart leapt: finally, a customer! He hurried to greet the newcomer, "What can I do for you, esteemed guest? While we can't claim to have everything, we do have a rich variety of items. Please, come inside!"
The visitor chuckled, looking at Cheng Xu. "Friend Cheng, you truly have a short memory! It's only been a few decades since I last visited, yet you've forgotten me completely."
Cheng Xu scrutinized the newcomer, suddenly realizing, "Ah, it's Senior Guo! My apologies, I didn't recognize you right away. Please forgive me!" He quickly turned to another attendant standing nearby. "Hurry and notify the Sect Master that Senior Guo has arrived."
The newcomer was none other than Guo Xingyue. Since recovering his health and witnessing his disciple Ye Kai successfully transcend his Yuan Ying tribulation, Guo Xingyue recalled the reincarnation of Bai Fan and the other four loose immortals. Calculating the time, he figured they must have been reborn for some time now, and he still had belongings left by those four immortals to return to them. He originally intended to take his disciple Ye Kai along, but knowing Ye Kai had decided to travel with his brother and sister, Guo Xingyue thought it might be for the best. Staying under the wings of elders, a fledgling eagle would never learn to soar high. Ye Xing was stable and responsible, so with him leading his younger siblings on their travels, they should face minimal danger. However, to be safe, Guo Xingyue refined the Mixed Element Seven Killing Formation one last time, providing it along with its incantation to Ye Xing as a final safeguard. (While Ye Kai was incredibly talented in martial arts, his skills in formations and artifact refining were average, and he knew nothing about alchemy, which left Guo Xingyue feeling helpless.)
Seeing Cheng Xu busy preparing to serve him, Guo Xingyue smiled and said, "There's no need to be so formal, my friend. I'm just here to take a look around and see if there's anything worth trading before heading to your sect."
Cheng Xu knew that Guo Xingyue had a discerning eye, and only a few things would pique his interest, so he laughed and replied, "The cultivation market hasn't opened yet, so there's really nothing worth seeing right now. How about I accompany you to our sect instead?" Guo Xingyue smiled slightly, "No need, I can go by myself. You should continue with your work." With that, he stepped onto his flying sword and took off. Cheng Xu watched Guo Xingyue's swift departure, thinking to himself, This Senior Guo is truly frighteningly powerful! Now, what should I do? I guess I'll go back to counting flying insects!
The cultivation market wasn't far from the Yangming Sect's mountain gate. After flying for a moment, Guo Xingyue arrived and, just as he descended from his flying sword, he saw the Sect Master Cheng Yiming waiting for him at the gate with his disciples.
Cheng Yiming had reached the mid-stage of the Spirit Separation realm, a level above Guo Xingyue's current cultivation. However, since he had received many benefits from Guo Xingyue, and due to the circumstances surrounding the four loose immortals, he didn't consider himself superior. When he saw Guo Xingyue land, he quickly approached with a smile, "What a rare visit, Daoist Guo! What brings you to our Yangming Sect?"
Guo Xingyue returned the smile, "I've come to disturb you, Sect Master Cheng. I didn't inform you beforehand, so please excuse me." "Haha, guests are always welcome! Please, come in and we can chat."
After everyone had settled down, Guo Xingyue spoke, "Sect Master Cheng, I'm here to return the belongings of Bai Fan and the other four seniors. I wonder if you've located their reincarnations yet."
Cheng Yiming sighed, "Since learning of the four seniors' reincarnation, I've been on the lookout for spiritual children suitable for cultivation on Blue Water Star. Over the past few decades, I've gathered a dozen or so with spiritual veins, but I can't tell who among them are the reincarnated seniors. My abilities are limited, so I really can't discern."
Guo Xingyue laughed heartily, "No need to rush, I specifically came to address this matter." When the four loose immortals reincarnated, Guo Xingyue had previously asked Li Yanfeng how to identify them afterward. Li Yanfeng explained that regardless of whether it was Yuan Ying, loose immortals, or celestial beings, initially, they wouldn't remember who they were or what they had done in their past lives. However, they retained a faint imprint of their former life, buried deep within their consciousness and unable to surface without strong stimuli. The only way to unlock the mysteries of their reincarnation was to have them record their life experiences in a jade token beforehand, leaving a spiritual imprint. This imprint would serve as the key to uncovering the identity of the reincarnated individuals.
Looking at the dozen or so cultivators in front of him, all below the separation stage, Guo Xingyue felt a pang of anxiety. These individuals hadn't even reached the Brightening Light stage; their spiritual consciousness was so weak it was almost nonexistent. How could they possibly probe their consciousness into the jade token? He let out a self-deprecating laugh: he had indeed arrived a bit too early; he might have to spend a little extra.
Guo Xingyue flipped his hand and took out a jade bottle from his storage ring, distributing a pill to each cultivator. "These pills are Foundation Establishment Pills; they can elevate your cultivation to the Brightening Light stage. After taking the pills, start cultivating immediately." (The Foundation Establishment Pill allows those with spiritual veins to rapidly reach the Foundation Establishment stage in a short time. For cultivators below the Brightening Light stage, this pill enables them to quickly reach that stage. However, it is ineffective for those in the Golden Core stage and above, as the minimum threshold for having spiritual consciousness is the Brightening Light stage.)
While the Foundation Establishment Pills were effective, they wouldn't show results immediately, and since the cultivators had varying levels of ability, they wouldn't all reach the Brightening Light stage at once. Guo Xingyue would have to wait a bit at the Yangming Sect. Fortunately, he was well-acquainted with the sect, and its members respected him for the benefits they had received. Staying at the Yangming Sect was not inconvenient at all.
Time passed quickly, and in the following six months, several individuals emerged from seclusion, but none were the reincarnated loose immortals. The remaining seven or eight cultivators with lower abilities were still in the midst of their cultivation. Guo Xingyue estimated that the fastest among them would still require another three months to emerge. With the annual calm period approaching for Blue Water Star, many cultivators from nearby planets were beginning to arrive, so he decided to take a stroll around the cultivation market to see if he could find anything valuable.