Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 322: Weighing the Pros and Cons
The setting sun was scorching hot. In the Fangshi Inn in Xijiang County, George Lam and Zhong Wenyuan sat opposite each other, drinking wine.

"Thanks to Senior Brother Zhong's efforts, the Beastmaster Sect finally agreed to allow me to go to their mountain gate to build my foundation." Lin Zixiang was in a good mood and kept toasting with Zhong Wenyuan. Originally, the coalition monks were not allowed to go out, but because the Beastmaster Sect approved his application to build his foundation, he was able to buy the foundation-building pill and leave the coalition base.

"I am also acting according to the Sect Master's wishes. For this matter, the Sect Master sought out Jiang Feng several times and finally convinced him. He even ordered me to bring 100,000 spirit stones to Xijiang County to help you establish connections. Only then did the Beastmaster Sect make an exception and allow you to go to their mountain gate to build your foundation."

"I know that. I will slowly return the sect's spirit stones after I successfully build my foundation."

"That's not what I meant." Zhong Wenyuan drank a glass with him. "Junior Brother Lin, I know you've always had objections to the Sect Leader transferring you to Shitouling Casino. But..."

Before he could finish, George Lam waved his hand and said, "I've already forgotten this matter. I've experienced so many life-and-death battles over the past few years that I don't care about such trivial matters anymore. I'm only concerned with the foundation-building issue now. That's why I came to see Senior Brother Zhong today. Although the Beastmaster Sect has allowed me to go to their mountain gate to build my foundation, they haven't confirmed the specific time. I'd like to trouble Senior Brother Zhong to run some more errands for me so that I can go there as soon as possible to build my foundation."

"Okay, I'll go talk to the Beastmaster Sect tomorrow."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Brother Zhong." Lin Zixiang flipped his hands and took out a bag and handed it to him: "I don't know if Senior Brother Zhong has used up all the spirit stones. This is what I have accumulated over the years. Senior Brother Zhong, take it. I know these guys in the Beastmaster Sect. They are all cannibals. They won't do anything without benefits."

"Okay." Zhong Wenyuan took the bag he handed over and said, "I will definitely get this done as soon as possible."

.........

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

On that day, the sky was clear and the air was bright. At the gate of the Beast Taming Sect, on Yuyue Peak, George Lam was sitting cross-legged. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth turned into tangible smoke and swirled around him.

Around noon, he opened his eyes from his meditation, his eyes were extremely determined, and then he flipped his hand, took out the foundation-building pill and swallowed it.

Soon, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was attracted and swarmed towards him. In the air, visible spiritual energy vortexes formed one after another.

Outside Yuyue Peak, only Zhong Wenyuan was watching from afar with a complicated expression.

Ever since he failed in his attempt to establish his foundation and injured his Linghai acupoint, he had lost hope in the path of cultivation. Now, watching George Lam establish his foundation again, he felt mixed emotions.

As time went by, high above Yuyue Peak, those spiritual energy vortexes merged with each other to form a huge spiritual energy vortex. The rolling spiritual energy visible to the naked eye pounced on Alan Tam like a tiger.

Seeing this scene, Zhong Wenyuan also became nervous. He knew that this was the final stage of foundation building. If he could withstand the invasion of this wave of spiritual energy, he would succeed. If he could not, the consequences would be very serious.

The further along in the foundation-building process, the more severe the injuries suffered. In other words, the sooner it ends, the lighter the consequences will be.

When he was about to reach this stage, he failed to build his foundation and ended up injuring his Linghai acupoint.

If George Lam fails, he will most likely end up like him, cutting off his path to cultivation.

He understood George Lam's determination and knew that he would never give up. This time, he was trying to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage with the determination to die, and if he failed, he would die.

Both publicly and privately, he hoped that George Lam would succeed, so he became nervous.

Time passes little by little, from noon to sunset, and then to the rising of the moon.

The spiritual energy vortex in the air gradually became smaller and smaller, and finally dissipated completely.

Soon, a spiritual pressure unique to a foundation-building cultivator rose into the sky.

Feeling this fluctuation of spiritual power, Zhong Wenyuan's frown finally relaxed and he smiled.

On the Yuyue Peak, George Lam opened his eyes, and the spiritual power in his body rushed out like a flooded river, rushing out of his body without his control.

Lin Zixiang raised the corners of his mouth, letting the spiritual energy in his body wander, enjoying the wonderful feeling of this moment, and the arc of his mouth became bigger and bigger.

Years of obsession were completely released at this moment, and he finally couldn't help laughing.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, congratulations. You have made a breakthrough to the foundation building this time, and there is hope for a great future." In the distance, a beam of light shot down, revealing the figure of a man from the Beast Taming Sect.

Looking at Lin Zixiang who was laughing heartily in joy and excitement, a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes. The cultivators from small sects were indeed short-sighted. Breaking through the foundation-building stage was like becoming an immortal. However, he did not show any contempt, but congratulated him with a smile.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist He." When Lin Zixiang saw him coming, he stopped laughing, but he could not hide the smug look on his face.

"I am only following the rules. What you should really thank is our sect. We have broken the precedent by allowing you to come to our sect to build your foundation."

"Yes, I am deeply grateful for your kindness."

"Now that Fellow Daoist Lin has broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, please follow me to the Government Affairs Hall to report. You are a cultivator from the Allied Forces, and we will arrange for you to return to the Allied Forces to serve in the future."

While the two were talking, Zhong Wenyuan also came to him on a flying magic weapon.

"Senior Brother Zhong, I'll go to the Beastmaster Sect to report first." Before he could speak, George Lam spoke first.

Zhong Wenyuan could only nod and say yes.

The two of them rose up and arrived at the government hall of Xingzi Peak. They walked into a brightly lit room. Not long after, an old man with white hair and beard walked in.

"Brother Zhou, this is Fellow Daoist Lin Zixiang, the one who previously served in the coalition forces." The Foundation Establishment cultivator named He who brought him here stood up and bowed.

George Lam also followed suit and saluted.

"Oh! I see. Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Lin. Please take a seat!" The old man surnamed Zhou looked him up and down and invited the two of them to take a seat.

"This is Senior Brother Zhou Huan, who works in our sect's cabinet." The man surnamed He continued to introduce.

"I have learned about Fellow Daoist Lin's situation. Our sect has broken a precedent to meet Fellow Daoist's foundation-building needs. Fortunately, Fellow Daoist succeeded in building his foundation, otherwise, our sect's efforts would have been in vain." Zhou Huan said with a smile.

"I will remember your great kindness in my heart. If you need me to do anything in the future, I will never refuse even if it means death."

"That's not necessary. You are originally a cultivator from the coalition forces. If not, our sect wouldn't have broken this precedent for you. In the future, when you fight with the enemy, kill a few more enemy cultivators. That will be your way of repaying our sect. Fellow Daoist Lin, now that you have successfully established your foundation, what are your plans for the future?"

"I will naturally return to the coalition forces and serve your clan."

"I'm not referring to this. Have you ever thought about leaving Hunyuan Sect? If you are willing, our sect welcomes you to join at any time." "This... I haven't considered it yet." Lin Zixiang replied after hesitating for a while.

"Then think about it carefully. I've read your information. You're from the Hunyuan Sect in Bianxi City. I heard your sect is short on resources, with only one low-grade, second-order spiritual vein. Besides you, the head of the Hunyuan Sect is also at the Foundation Establishment stage. Now that you've broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, you need a low-grade, second-order training room. Can your sect provide one?"

"Even if you can afford it, what will happen when your cultivation level increases and you break through to the middle stage of foundation building? Will you still use a second-level low-grade training room?"

Upon hearing this, George Lam's expression suddenly changed slightly, revealing a thoughtful look. Before, he was fully focused on building his foundation and had not thought about these issues. Now that the problem was in front of him, he had no choice but to consider it.

The Tianshan Sect originally had only one second-grade, lower-quality training room, and the rest were first-grade training rooms.

In other words, if he returned to Tianshan, he would have to compete with Song Xian for the right to use the training room.

Seeing his expression, Zhou Huan continued, "If you join our sect, you won't have to worry about a training room, let alone a low-grade second-level training room. If you have the ability, we can provide you with a low-grade third-level training room. You've already broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so are you willing to stop here? Staying at the initial stage of the Foundation Establishment stage for the rest of your life?"

"Although you are an elder of the Hunyuan Sect, there are still masters above you who have reached the foundation-building stage. It is not your turn to make decisions about the Hunyuan Sect. Although it is said that it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix, since you are not the head of a chicken, why bother staying in that small sect, wasting your years and your talent for cultivation?"

"Fellow Daoist has dual spiritual roots and had the hope of reaching the Golden Core Realm. However, if he stayed in the Hunyuan Sect, he would never reach the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm at best."

"What is the purpose of us cultivators toiling away for decades, day after day, to cultivate? Isn't it to achieve immortality? So that we can once again roam the world and avenge our enemies."

"Although you and I, Foundation Establishment cultivators, may have a certain reputation, in the end, we only live a few more years than ordinary people. What's the point?"

"If you give up joining our sect, you will give up the opportunity to form a pill and choose to spend the rest of your life in a small sect like Hunyuan Sect. I really feel sorry for you."

"Our sect is currently in need of personnel. Fellow Daoist, there is no need to worry about being treated differently after joining us. This is not the case now. Many people have joined our sect mid-way before, and they were all treated equally. We have also had cases of disciples joining mid-way eventually becoming sect elders."

"With your talent, you will definitely be valued by our sect if you join our sect. Moreover, you are currently serving in the coalition forces and working for our sect, so it is only natural for you to join our sect."

These words made Lin Zixiang's heart move. He had been somewhat dissatisfied and resentful of Song Xian's behavior over the years. Now that he had broken through the foundation, considering the future cultivation, joining the Beastmaster Sect was indeed a good choice.

"Let me think about this carefully." Although he was tempted, it was a big deal after all, so George Lam did not agree immediately.

"No problem. On behalf of our sect, I can promise you that whenever you are willing, we will welcome you."

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Zhou. I will consider it carefully."

After leaving the Government Affairs Hall, George Lam found Zhong Wenyuan and the two returned to the Fangshi Inn.

"Junior Brother Lin, have the people from the Beast Taming Sect invited you to join their sect?" When Song Xian successfully established his foundation before, he was also invited to join. After leaving the Government Affairs Hall, Lin Zixiang looked worried, which was very different from the ecstatic look before he left. Zhong Wenyuan guessed something from this.

Hearing this, Lin Zixiang looked a bit embarrassed. For independent cultivators, seeking refuge in a large sect for the purpose of cultivation was a natural thing to do, but for cultivators with their own sects, it was not a glorious thing to do.

What's more, he is also an elder of the sect. In addition, he was able to go to the mountain gate of the Beast Taming Sect to build his foundation this time thanks to the help of the people in the sect.

"The Beastmaster Sect did bring up this matter, but I didn't agree." Faced with Zhong Wenyuan's questioning, George Lam did not deny it, but he was too embarrassed to say that he was considering it.

"Junior Brother Lin, are you worried about your future practice?" Seeing his expression, Zhong Wenyuan knew that he was hesitating, but did not point it out.

"To be honest, I've been thinking about this. Tianshan only has one low-grade, second-level training room, and that's reserved for the headmaster. Without a second-level training room, how am I supposed to practice?"

"Junior Brother Lin, do you still remember what happened when we first arrived in Bianxia Town?"

"Of course, I'll never forget it."

Zhong Wenyuan remained calm: "At that time, Solitary Peak only had three first-grade low-grade training rooms. We have come all the way through such difficult times, let alone now."

"Although our sect cannot compare to those big sects now, it is thriving and is incomparable to the past."

"There's always a way to solve the problem of a training room. If that doesn't work, you can borrow a training room from Jiang Feng. It'll just cost you a few more spirit stones. You don't need to worry."

"Xijiang County is currently in chaos. The Beastmaster Sect has lost control of the various cities. Wars could break out between the cities at any time. This is an opportunity for our sect to advance, just like our pursuit of Tianshan. One day, we will be able to obtain a higher-level spiritual vein."

"You are a sect elder, and now you have broken through to the foundation-building stage. You are second only to the first person in the sect and are much stronger than the foundation-building disciples of those large sects."

"This is the sect we founded ourselves. It's the product of our hard work. We've watched it develop day by day until it's today."

"Back then, we all chose to stick together. Now is the time to reap the rewards. Jumping ship at this moment would not only be a betrayal of our original selves, but also extremely foolish."

Lin Zixiang nodded: "I understand what Senior Brother Zhong means. If nothing else, just for your sake, I can't leave the sect."

……

The sun was shining brightly and there were no clouds in the sky.

In the distance, in Tianshan Mountain, a beam of light shot down. The person coming was none other than the returning Song Xian.

When the sect disciples on duty saw him coming back, they immediately came forward to greet him.

Soon, the news spread throughout the sect, and a group of core members came to pay their respects.

His trip to the northwest of Muhe Grassland took him more than half a year. During this period, he knew nothing about the sect's situation, so the first thing he did when he came back was to meet with Lu Yuan to understand the situation.

During the time he was away, nothing major happened in Hunyuan Sect and everything was in order.

After the two of them chatted, he talked with other core members of the sect and did not return to the mansion until evening.

At night, everything was quiet. In the inner courtyard room, the couple hugged each other tightly. Song Xian told her everything that happened in the ruins truthfully. When Su Zhirou learned that this trip was so dangerous and that he was almost possessed by another person, she immediately started muttering again, saying things like "don't let him go."

While the two were whispering, a secret conversation was also taking place in Bianxi City, thousands of miles away.

(End of this chapter)