"A guest has arrived?"
The old doctor was taken aback at first.
Still immersed in the joy of his breakthrough, he did not notice the commotion outside the village.
Upon hearing this, he released his mental energy, sensed the situation, and smiled as well: "Indeed, we have distinguished guests at our door."
At the entrance of Jiuli Village, a young man was looking at the scene in front of him in surprise.
He could hardly believe that this was the village he had visited twice before.
The area is shrouded in mist and rich in spiritual energy, exuding vitality.
Even the big tree at the village entrance has changed drastically, and seems to have something extraordinary about it.
He even sensed an invisible force protecting the village.
If he weren't certain he hadn't gone to the wrong place, he would have wondered if he had stumbled upon some kind of blessed land.
Sensing that the village was protected by an invisible force, the young man did not enter the village directly as before, but waited quietly at the village entrance.
Because he knew that, given their abilities, those two should be able to detect his arrival very quickly.
Sure enough, before the young man could finish admiring the strange tree, he heard a loud laugh.
"Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar? Your Excellency Zhi Rui, I never expected you would have time to come to our remote little village."
As the cloud of profanities dissipated, Lu Qing and the old doctor emerged from inside.
Indeed, the young man at the village entrance is Lin Zhirui, a disciple of Tianji Tower.
"Young Master Lu, Senior Chen, it's been a long time. I've come again to ask for a couple of cups of plum tea."
Lin Zhirui smiled when he saw Lu Qing and the old doctor.
"Hehe, it's not difficult for Zhi Rui to have some tea. Please come in quickly," the old doctor chuckled.
Soon, the three returned to the small courtyard halfway up the mountain.
"Brother Zhirui".
When Xiaoyan saw Lin Zhirui, she obediently came up to greet him.
"Long time no see, Xiaoyan, you've gotten more and more beautiful, wow!"
Lin Zhirui was also very happy to see Xiaoyan.
But when he sensed the aura emanating from Xiaoyan, his eyes immediately became filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
"Young Master Lu, could it be my imagination? I have a feeling that Xiao Yan seems to be..."
Meeting Lin Zhirui's gaze, Lu Qing smiled and nodded: "Xiao Yan recently made progress in her Qi cultivation and was fortunate enough to break through to the Innate Realm."
"hiss!"
Lin Zhirui couldn't help but gasp, staring at Xiaoyan in shock.
The Innate Realm!
This is a level that countless martial artists strive for day and night, but can hardly reach.
How could it be broken through by some little girls like that?
He remembered that Xiaoyan was only seven or eight years old.
He was not even ten years old when he reached the Innate Realm...
Lin Zhirui found it hard to describe just how shocked he was.
"Your Excellency Zhi Rui, please don't misunderstand. Xiao Yan's cultivation method is just a bit special, which makes it easier for her to break through to the Innate Realm."
She currently possesses the realm of cultivation, but her actual strength is far inferior to that of other cultivators at the Innate Realm.
Seeing the shock on Lin Zhirui's face, Lu Qing explained.
"But this is still only the Innate Realm!"
Lin Zhirui took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Lu Qing said that Xiao Yan wasn't very strong, but he didn't think much of it.
Do you really expect a little girl to fight to the death?
The most important aspect of the Innate Realm is that it can bring about qualitative changes in both the physical body and the soul, greatly increasing lifespan.
As for strength, they've already reached the Innate Realm; they can just gradually increase it.
Having innate true energy, even the worst person can't be too bad.
Not to mention, there's also the guidance of two great masters, Lu Qing and the old doctor.
It is foreseeable that Xiaoyan's future cultivation achievements will be limitless.
Thinking of this, Lin Zhirui turned his attention back to Lu Qing and the old doctor.
However, just like in Zhongzhou, he still couldn't discern the true strength of Lu Qing and the old doctor.
He knew that although his cultivation had improved during this period, he was still far from being able to compete with these two.
He recalled what he had heard a month ago about what had happened in Xizhou.
A strange feeling welled up inside me.
I don't know if his guess is true or not.
After this little incident, the group finally sat down in the courtyard.
The old doctor began brewing plum tea.
"Your Excellency Zhi Rui, what brings you to Cangzhou?" Lu Qing asked.
He found it strange. Zhongzhou was the center of this world, and now the Dao Sound of Heaven and Earth had resounded for the fourth time. Logically speaking, the spiritual energy there should be even more abundant, making it a sacred place for cultivation that many cultivators would flock to.
Why did Lin Zhirui go out at this time?
Unexpectedly, Lin Zhirui sighed upon hearing this.
"To be honest, I've come here to seek refuge."
Lu Qing was startled: "Seeking refuge? Could it be that your sect..."
"Young Master Lu, please don't misunderstand. Nothing has happened at Tianji Tower. It's just that Zhongzhou is in complete chaos right now, and I went out to travel in order to avoid the limelight," Lin Zhirui quickly explained.
"I see."
Lu Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He still had a good impression of Tianji Tower and didn't want anything to happen to this sect.
but......
"Your Excellency Zhi Rui, is the situation in Zhongzhou currently in a state of chaos?"
“It’s a complete mess.” Lin Zhirui sighed. “You two may not know this, but since you left, the spiritual energy in Zhongzhou has been steadily increasing.”
One after another, some powerful cultivators at the Innate Realm with profound experience began to understand the mystery, comprehend the secrets of refining spiritual energy, and successfully cultivate spiritual power.
Even so, the Central Plains would not actually descend into chaos.
After all, those at the Innate Realm have just grasped the mysteries of refining spiritual energy and are currently focused on cultivation, striving for further advancement. They have no time to do anything else.
But not long ago, the voice of Heaven and Earth resounded again.
Not only did it further enhance the spiritual energy of Zhongzhou, but strange changes also occurred in some famous mountains and rivers, and in remote and secluded places.
Among them, rare and precious materials were born, and some people even discovered traces of ancient cave dwellings.
The moment this news broke, the entire Central Plains was thrown into chaos.
The story of the ancient era of cultivation is no longer a secret.
Most of the sects and factions in Zhongzhou were aware of this.
We learned that the path to immortality existed in ancient times.
The discovery of the ancient cave dwellings today further proves this point.
The thought that there might be cultivation methods and magical treasures of immortals inside the cave is quite puzzling.
How could the major sects and forces in Zhongzhou possibly remain calm?
Immediately, they all dispatched their disciples to compete for it. Even those innate realm experts who had comprehended the secrets of spiritual energy and cultivated spiritual power could not sit still.
They all left the pass, eager to search for and seize opportunities.
In the Central Plains, several major sect wars have already broken out in order to seize the opportunity to enter a cave.
Some sects even formed alliances and factions to divide up the cave dwelling opportunities within their own sphere of influence, preventing other forces from invading.
Our Tianji Tower has been courted by many sects, and even our master has been troubled by this.
In the end, they simply sent us away to travel and avoid the trouble for a while.
Lin Zhirui slowly and deliberately recounted the recent events that had occurred in Zhongzhou.
