Mysterious mirror hanging high

[Year 586 of the Changsheng calendar]

Winter comes and summer goes, and ten years have passed in a flash.

A huge ship was docked at the port of Xiaoyao Xiancheng, and many low-level cultivators who came to the Xiancheng from various major markets to make a living got off it one after another.

A male cultivator wearing an ebony gear mask walked out of the VIP room of the ship, with his hands behind his back, and slowly looked at the group of cultivators crowded below deck.

Many of the Qigong cultivators looked at the masked monk with admiration and envy, simply because...

The spiritual pressure of the masked monk at this moment revealed his noble status.

Foundation-building monk!

"This is Xiaoyao Immortal City!"

The masked monk gazed at the towering [Tower in the Clouds] in the distance and couldn't help but sigh, "It really can't compare to Wushan Market. It's truly magnificent!"

Just as he was feeling emotional, a water-blue light suddenly approached from afar. As the light approached the masked monk, the light gradually dissipated, and a heroic young man in a Xuanshui Taoist robe walked out of it.

"Uncle Zhao!" The masked monk took off the ebony mask on his face and laughed, "No, I should call you Fellow Daoist Xuan Jing!"

"Buchun! Did you have a smooth journey?"

The cultivator who came riding the light of escape was naturally Jing Yu. He walked forward and patted Wu Buchun on the shoulder: "I haven't congratulated you on building your immortal foundation yet!"

Wu Buchun, who originally looked like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, had become much younger than when he was practicing Qi due to building his immortal foundation and refining his Dharma body. Now he looked only in his early thirties. He smiled when he heard this and said, "It's good that the gift has arrived."

"Please accept my condolences for your father's misfortune." Jing Yu said in a low voice.

"That's all right." Wu Buchun waved his hand. "The old man passed away just after his ninety-ninth birthday banquet. He lived a long life, a rare achievement among Qigong cultivators. It can be considered a happy funeral. Why should we mourn?"

"Besides, the old man was able to see me build my immortal foundation before he died. I guess he must have fulfilled a wish."

Wu Buchun sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Mu is already ninety-seven years old now. I guess it's only been two years..."

Jing Yu fell silent. In fact, most of his old acquaintances in Wushan Market were entering the final stage of their lives. Mu Shan was ninety-seven, Zhao Chenghuan was eighty, and Zhao Chengyan was seventy-five...

"These are the letters your relatives and friends asked me to bring. Some are addressed to Yuan Chen and Yuan Xi." Wu Buchun took out a wooden box and handed it to Jing Yu. After Jing Yu put it in the storage bag, he took out another letter:

"This letter was written specifically for you by Mu Shan."

Jing Yu took the letter, read it carefully, and then remained silent for a long time.

"What did Brother Mu write?" Wu Buchun asked curiously.

"Old Mu said in the letter that he and Cheng Huan are doing well and told me not to worry."

Jing Yu paused and continued, "He also said that Cheng Yan's health has been deteriorating recently and he may not have much time left. He asked Yuan Xi to take Yuan Chen back to Wushan Market to see his father for the last time."

"The letter ended by saying that Old Mu is now ninety-seven years old and should be nearing the end of his life, but he told me there was no need for me to go back specifically for this. He and I had known each other since childhood, and now that he sees that I have built a foundation for immortality and have a promising future on the path to immortality, he is very happy for me..."

Jing Yu subconsciously tightened his grip on the letter, and Wu Buchun saw the last few lines of words on the letter through the gap:

"Uncle, once a cultivator builds his immortal foundation and transforms from the mortal world into an immortal, he can enjoy three hundred years of freedom. However, if he still wants to pursue the path of the Golden Elixir, he must not slack off and indulge in pleasure..."

"The path of the Dao is long, and fellow Daoists are hard to find. If I could have one or two fellow Daoists in my lifetime, I would be satisfied."

"Now that my path has been cut off and my time is up, I only wish my uncle eternal immortality."

"Three hundred years of cold and heat, separation and death are commonplace, there is no need to stop and look back..."

"And look forward!"

"Let's look forward..." Wu Buchun murmured to himself, seeming to feel sympathetic.

Jing Yu exhaled lightly, folded the letter in his hand, and carefully put it into the storage bag, with a smile on his face again:

"Buchun, you're lucky to have arrived today. There's a great show I want to take you to see!"

"What a good show?" Wu Bushun said in a daze.

Jing Yu did not answer him, but took out a flying boat and pulled Wu Buchun up. The two of them rode on the flying boat and quickly flew towards the Yunzhong Tower in Xiaoyao Fairy City.

By the time the two of them arrived near the [Tower in the Clouds], there were already thousands of people surrounding the towering tower, all riding on flying boats, floating in the air.

Wu Buchun was shocked by the scene, because he found that these thousands of people all exuded the spiritual pressure of the foundation-building realm, and there were even cultivators in the middle and late stages of the foundation-building stage!

Thousands of foundation-building monks!

Wu Buchun's heart was pounding. He had never seen so many foundation-building practitioners present at the same time in his life!

"What's happening here?"

Jing Yu looked at the nearby Cloud Tower and sighed, "It's [Fairy Yueqiu] Hu Yueqiu, the eldest disciple of True Man Yuehua. She has perfected her foundation-building skills and began attempting to form a pill a month ago. Now, a full month has passed, and the pill formation has reached the most critical moment. Soon, a strange phenomenon in heaven and earth should appear!"

"Whether it can be done or not depends on today!"

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Jing, you're here!"

Three beams of light flew over from a distance and stopped in front of Jing Yu and the others.

Jing Yu smiled upon seeing the newcomers and bowed, "Brother Han, Brother Xiao Jin, Brother Xiao Yan... I just had to pick up a friend and was delayed for a while, but luckily I still made it in time for Fairy Yue Qiu to complete her final stage of forming her elixir!"

The people who came were Han Ping, Yuwen Xiaojin and Yuwen Xiaoyan.

Now, ten years have passed, and Yuwen Xiaojin has also entered the late stage of foundation building, just like Han Ping and Yuwen Xiaoyan. The three people in front of him are actually three great masters of the late stage of foundation building. Wu Buchun felt uneasy and hurriedly saluted, wondering:

"Although Uncle Zhao's cultivation aptitude is average, his ability to make friends is truly remarkable. Only ten years have passed, and he has already reached the level of a Foundation Establishment cultivator in Xiaoyao Immortal City!"

Then he thought of something: "No, Uncle Zhao drew Qi into his body in his middle age. Calculating the time he spent in the Qi training stage is even shorter than mine. His cultivation aptitude is actually not bad!"

Ten years later, Jing Yu, Han Ping, and the two young masters of the Yuwen family have indeed become very good friends.

Not only do they often get together on weekdays, but they also exchange favors with each other during festivals and holidays. Today you give me a furnace of pills, tomorrow I give you a puppet, and the day after tomorrow we lend each other some spirit stones... This is how friendship is cultivated.

In fact, many people in the world of cultivating immortals take it for granted that the relationship between cultivators can only be solid if they have experienced life and death together in dangerous places.

This is not entirely true.

After all, in today's [Yunchuan Territory], peace and development are the main themes of the entire territory. Several major sects, families, and loose cultivator alliances have not had a large-scale war for one or two hundred years. Ordinary cultivators do not go to explore some dangerous secret caves every day, so how can they have so many opportunities to share life and death with other cultivators?