At the beginning, I cleaned the Sutra Library and completed the incomplete skills.

Chapter 211: Blessings and Calamities Intertwined

Nine years is an exceptionally long time for Mortals, almost one-sixth of their Lifespan.

But for Cultivators with long Lifespans, it is merely a flick of a finger.

Although Li Lan had been Cultivating in seclusion,

with the Spirit Bean Soldiers, he wasn't completely out of touch with the outside world.

Every time he sent out Spirit Bean Soldiers to purchase Materials for refining Gathering Qi Pills,

he would intentionally gather some minor news.

In nine years,

many things, big and small, had happened in the Cultivation World.

The most significant among them was the Human Emperor Hall's full-scale encirclement and suppression of the White Lotus Sect, on the grounds of harboring Devil Cultivators.

In the past, although the White Lotus Sect caused a lot of trouble, it didn't shake the Foundation of the Human Emperor Hall,

so the latter always turned a blind eye.

But this time was different; the Human Emperor Hall seemed to be serious,

adopting an attitude of not giving up until the opponent was completely eliminated.

It personally took action, commanding all Righteous Path sects to simultaneously launch a brutal cleansing of the White Lotus Sect in the seventy-two counties of Yu Prefecture.

The world only focused on the process of this event, and most did not understand why the Human Emperor Hall suddenly made such a big move.

Only a few Cultivators who knew the inside story were clear,

the Human Emperor Hall was not truly concerned about the White Lotus Sect, but rather the Devil Head named Li Jiangchuan, whom the latter might have harbored.

Although this person was only at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he seemed to possess some kind of treasure that even the Yu Prefecture branch master of the Human Emperor Hall greatly valued.

When the Jiuhua County governor privately issued a Demon Hunting Token to capture him, and the matter came to light,

the branch master, instead of blaming him after learning the truth, actually gave his support.

It is said that he even personally sought out the White Lotus Sect branch leader for negotiations, ordering him to hand over Li Jiangchuan,

and later, for unknown reasons, this led to the situation escalating to such a degree.

While the Human Emperor Hall was extensively suppressing the White Lotus Sect,

it also offered a higher bounty for the Devil Head Li Jiangchuan.

Anyone who discovered his whereabouts and confirmed their authenticity could unconditionally receive a pseudo-treasure as a reward.

If one could capture him alive, they could even obtain a Magic Treasure custom-made by the Yu Prefecture branch master.

Under the temptation of such heavy rewards,

not only Jiuhua County, but almost all high-level Cultivators in Yu Prefecture were mobilized, flocking to try their luck.

This directly caused Jiuhua County, a previously obscure small place, to become a hot commodity overnight.

High-level Cultivators increased daily.

Nine years ago,

as long as one reached Early-stage Foundation Establishment, they could practically walk unhindered throughout Jiuhua County.

But now,

Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators are not exactly everywhere, but they are certainly not uncommon.

Li Lan originally thought that

the celestial phenomenon at Lin'an Stronghold attracting the attention of Golden Core Stage Cultivators was already the limit.

He had not expected that

it would even draw the attention of a big shot like the branch master.

For Li Lan, this was a mixed blessing.

From the reactions of these big shots, it could be inferred that

he had indeed found a treasure this time.

Besides being able to produce tangible Spiritual Qi, this Eternal Life Coffin

definitely had other values that he was unaware of.

After all,

while the tangible Spiritual Qi was wonderful, it was ultimately only equivalent to a Medium-Grade Spiritual Vein,

which was not worth such attention from those old monsters at the Golden Core Stage and above.

As for its true value,

besides directly asking the other party, perhaps it could only be known after opening the Eternal Life Coffin.

What troubled Li Lan was that

now, high-level Cultivators from all corners of the world had gathered in Jiuhua County, making him feel somewhat uncertain.

No one could say for sure if there were any individuals among them with great Divine Abilities who could directly see through others' disguises.

With Li Lan's current cultivation Realm, he was not yet strong enough to protect himself in the Cultivation World,

and once his identity was exposed, it would be quite dangerous.

Therefore,

he dared not be careless; though his face remained calm and composed, he secretly raised his guard.

Of course, blessings and calamities are intertwined,

and the increase in high-level Cultivators in Jiuhua County was not entirely a bad thing.

In the past,

if he wanted to purchase some essential Medicinal Pills for breaking through to Foundation Establishment Late Stage,

he would certainly find nothing in this small border town adjacent to the Great Wilderness.

At the very least, he would have to go to the most prosperous Jiuhua County City and wait for several years to have a slight chance.

But now,

with all the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Cultivators from Yu Prefecture coming upon hearing the news, the difficulty of purchasing such Medicinal Pills in this border area between the Great Wilderness and Jiuhua County has been greatly reduced.

Dragon Gate Pass, a small teahouse.

A Cultivator wrapped in a black robe pushed open the door and entered.

“So it’s Fellow Daoist Zhang, I haven’t seen you in a long time. What are you planning to buy this time, what year’s Spiritual Plants?”

Although this person's face was concealed, his aura could not be faked.

A yellow-faced man in the teahouse, who seemed to trade with him often, immediately greeted him with a smile upon seeing him.

“Fellow Daoist Zhou, it’s been a while. I, Zhang, am not here to trade Spiritual Plants this time.

A year ago, I heard that Fellow Daoist often organizes gatherings for visiting Foundation Establishment Seniors?

An elder from my clan is also quite interested in this,

so I specially came here to witness it.

I wonder if this Foundation Establishment mini-gathering is still being held recently? Can Fellow Daoist Zhou connect us?”

The black-robed Cultivator politely cupped his hands, revealing an old man behind him.

This person wore a light blue long robe, with a fair complexion, and at first glance, he looked like a Young Master who had just come of age,

but the streaks of white at his temples undoubtedly revealed his true age.

By his side, there was also a dull-witted, short-haired yellow dog.

The yellow-faced man probed slightly and couldn't help but be secretly astonished.

With his own cultivation at Qi Refining Great Perfection, he was completely unable to discern the depth of this person.

If it weren't for the black-robed Cultivator's respectful attitude towards him, he might even have taken the other party for an ordinary person with no magical power whatsoever.

From this, it could be seen that

this blue-robed Young Master either possessed a treasure with Qi-concealing effects, or his Realm was far too much higher than his own.

From the black-robed Cultivator's address,

the yellow-faced man clearly leaned towards the latter.

He dared not neglect, and quickly rose to bow.

“Junior Zhou Kun greets Senior Zhang.”

The blue-robed Young Master seemed quite amiable, smiling and waving his hand, signaling the other party not to be overly formal.

A gentle breeze swept past, slowly lifting Zhou Kun.

This subtle control over magical power further convinced the latter of his conjecture.

Zhou Kun composed himself and quickly and respectfully answered the other party's question.

“Indeed, there will be a Foundation Establishment mini-gathering held at Red Plum Pavilion in three days. If Senior Zhang is interested, you can simply mention this Junior's name upon arrival to participate.”

The blue-robed Young Master heard this, but did not commit,

only giving a look to the black-robed Cultivator.

The latter immediately understood,

and asked:

“Fellow Daoist Zhou, may I ask what cultivation Realms the Seniors attending this meeting possess?”

“This—”

Zhou Kun's face showed a difficult expression.

These Foundation Establishment powerhouses each had their own tempers, and most were quite wary of others inquiring about their personal situations.

Thus, he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

The black-robed Cultivator saw this,

and very thoughtfully stepped forward, placing a Storage Pouch into the other's hand.

He said with a smile:

“I naturally know the rules. These Low-Grade Spirit Stones will serve as the participation fee that I, Zhang, am paying on behalf of my elder.

Fellow Daoist Zhou, please rest assured, my clan uncle has no intention of offending anyone's taboos.

He simply wants to judge whether this mini-gathering is worth participating in based on the Realms of the attendees.

As you know, the time of Foundation Establishment powerhouses is very precious, and they naturally do not wish to waste it on things that are not worthwhile.”

Zhou Kun heard this and finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If it was just about cultivation Realm, there was nothing to hide.

Basically, all Foundation Establishment Cultivators thought this way, so they rarely participated in mini-gatherings where Qi Refining Cultivators were present.

After all,

the treasures that Qi Refining Cultivators couldn't use were mostly looked down upon by Foundation Establishment Cultivators,

and the treasures in the latter's hands were mostly unaffordable for the former.

For both to participate in the same private transaction, it was a rare opportunity for Qi Refining Cultivators,

but for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, it was purely a waste of time.

Many high-level Cultivators would also, like the blue-robed Young Master,

inquire about the cultivation Realms of the attendees before the meeting, and then decide whether to participate.

After several thoughts,

Zhou Kun frankly accepted the bag of Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Although serving these Foundation Establishment powerhouses was very dangerous, if he could satisfy them, they would often not be stingy with their rewards.

This was also one of the reasons why he went around organizing and preparing mini-gatherings for Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

“Senior Zhang, please rest assured, all the attendees this time are Foundation Establishment powerhouses. The Realms of many Cultivators, like yours, are beyond this Junior's ability to discern.

I believe this mini-gathering should not disappoint Senior.”

The blue-robed Young Master nodded with satisfaction, then floated away.

He found an inn to stay in, set up several simple Restrictions, and then

with a gentle wave of his hand,

a dazzling burst of magical power instantly bloomed from the black-robed Cultivator's body,

and then,

this large living person seemed to shrink, suddenly transforming into a fist-sized bean.

The blue-robed Young Master was naturally Li Lan in disguise.

After returning to Jiuhua County from the Great Wilderness,

Li Lan dispersed all the Spirit Bean Soldiers, whose appearances were indistinguishable from humans, and searched for several days.

Now, he finally had some收获, having found a mini-gathering where only Foundation Establishment Cultivators participated.

Li Lan knew very well that the Medicinal Pills he wanted were absolutely impossible for ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators to get involved with,

and even ordinary Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators might not have them.

That's why he adopted this wide-net approach to find the Cultivation Resources he needed.

Li Lan didn't expect to directly trade for finished Medicinal Pills at this Red Plum Pavilion mini-gathering,

even if those Cultivators only had partial Pill Formulas, it would still be good,

at least it wouldn't be a wasted effort for him.

Although it wasn't the first time it had seen this scene,

the little yellow dog, having only recently been born, still couldn't understand why a Spirit Bean Soldier could suddenly transform from a round sphere into a human who could talk and jump.

It tilted its head, observing this scene,

its black eyes filled with confusion.

Li Lan had explained it to it many times,

but because the little yellow dog's intelligence had not yet fully opened, and it only had a superficial understanding of Cultivation, it naturally couldn't comprehend the profoundness of this ancient mystical Dao.

Li Lan was now too lazy to explain,

after rubbing the dog's head, he sat cross-legged and entered a state of Cultivation on his own.