"Thank you, Alliance Master Tan."
Wei Tu responded promptly with a touch of emotion on his face, then stood up and expressed his gratitude.
He stretched out his right hand and took the light-gold token that had been floating before him, placing it into his palm.
But the mont he held it, he couldn’t help but let out a soft “huh.”
The token seed to have a spirit of its own. As soon as it touched his hand, it sent him a ssage—asking him to input his codena for use within the Flying Immortal Alliance.
'The spirit in this token isn’t any weaker than the Golden Rock Spirit Sword that Yao Chongshan refined. This is already the rough prototype of a spiritual treasure,' Wei Tu thought to himself.
At this mont, he had an even clearer understanding of how incredibly wealthy the Flying Immortal Alliance was.
After all, even in powerful immortal sects, spiritual treasure prototypes were rare and precious—usually no more than what could fit in two hands.
For example, Golden Rock Spirit Swords like Yao Chongshan’s had never exceeded six in total, even at their peak in Earth Sword Mountain.
Yet now, just by joining the alliance, he was given one for free.
It was easy to imagine how terrifying the foundation of the Flying Immortal Alliance truly was.
'Still, my codena within the alliance?'
Wei Tu paused to think, finding it hard to decide.
Though a codena wasn’t the sa as a Daoist title that might follow a cultivator for life and influence their destiny, it was still sothing he'd be using within the alliance for a long ti. He couldn’t pick it carelessly.
The na had to suit his preferences, but it also couldn’t be so obvious that others might guess his identity or background.
"Let’s go with Xuanshe." Wei Tu pondered for a mont, then brought his fingers together and used his spiritual power to inscribe the two characters for “Xuanshe” on the back of the token.
This wasn’t a random choice. There was aning behind it.
According to ancient legends, the heavens once gave rise to four great spiritual beasts, each guarding a direction. The guardian of the north was called Xuanwu—a black turtle with a snake tail, said to be immortal and indestructible.
Thus, he chose “Xuanshe,” or “Black Snake.” It held the aning of long-lasting Dao cultivation. And because the snake was part of the tail, it also carried a sense of humility—choosing not to stand at the forefront, but to follow behind.
In the path of cultivation, survival depended on avoiding unnecessary conflict and maintaining a humble heart.
After all, even the best warriors perish in endless battles.
However, to the cultivators inside the pavilion, the codena "Xuanshe" didn’t co across as profound at all. To them, it just sounded plain and unremarkable.
"Xuan" ant a dark red-black hue. "Xuanshe" was just a red-black snake.
But since it was just a codena, nobody paid much attention to it. Once they saw Wei Tu register it, they simply took ntal note and moved on.
...
After recomnding Wei Tu into the alliance, Ancestor Yu, Old Ghost Cai, Hu Yantu, and Wei Tu had no desire to linger. One after another, they rose and bid farewell to the white-robed male cultivator—Alliance Master Tan.
Still, once they exited the pavilion, the four didn’t imdiately leave Abyssal Marsh Immortal City. Instead, they found temporary residences within the city.
The reason they stayed was simple.
The Flying Immortal Alliance would soon be holding a secret trade gathering right here in Abyssal Marsh Immortal City.
This event was said to be the largest such gathering the alliance had held in the past hundred years. For early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators like them, it was nothing short of a golden opportunity.
If not for that, Ancestor Yu wouldn’t have hinted back at the Guangyuan Yu Clan about giving Wei Tu a chance to advance—this was exactly the opportunity she ant.
Half a day later, Wei Tu had rented a cave dwelling within Abyssal Marsh Immortal City and moved in.
But he had barely been cultivating there for even two months when he began spotting so familiar faces in the streets just outside his residence.
Gong Shulan and the Old Corpse Demon!
Of course, the two didn’t appear together. They showed up separately on the street, spaced apart by so ti.
The Old Corpse Demon was alone.
But walking beside Gong Shulan were a hunchbacked old man and a young woman in white with delicate features.
That white-clothed woman had a distinct aura. With just a brief look, Wei Tu recognized her—it was the sa powerful Golden Core cultivator he’d t over a hundred years ago: Fairy Hu Shan.
Now, just like him, Hu Shan had shed mortality and stepped into the Nascent Soul realm.
'Judging by how respectful Gong Shulan and Hu Shan are toward that hunchbacked old man… could he be the Ancestor of the Spirit-Binding Sect, Ancestor Tianxie?'
Golden light flashed in Wei Tu’s eyes. He couldn’t see through the old man’s cultivation level, which made him all the more certain.
Back when he’d been dragged into the Great Void Realm by Qi Chengchu and Hu Shan, he’d learned from Che Gongwei and others that Gong Shulan and Hu Shan were fellow disciples under the sa master—Ancestor Tianxie.
And now, this hunchbacked old man was being treated with such deference by the two of them. Aside from being their master, Ancestor Tianxie, what other explanation could there be?
'But why would soone like Ancestor Tianxie, a notorious demonic cultivator, show up in Abyssal Marsh Immortal City? Could he also be here for the Flying Immortal Alliance’s private trade gathering?'
Wei Tu raised a brow, confused.
As far as he knew, the rules of the Flying Immortal Alliance wouldn’t allow soone like Ancestor Tianxie—infamous in the demonic path—to beco a formal mber.
Then again, rules were made by people.
For soone like Ancestor Tianxie, a well-known veteran Nascent Soul cultivator, being invited to a trade gathering by the alliance wasn’t all that hard to imagine.
In the end, these kinds of alliances were just tools used by powerful Nascent Soul cultivators to gather rare treasures and valuable resources they lacked.
And without a steady stream of visitors, how could there be anything worth gathering?
Low-level cultivators might fuss over whether soone was righteous or demonic, but high-level ones didn’t care about such things.
'Whatever. Just focus on the trade gathering.'
Wei Tu shook his head and pushed those thoughts aside. He closed his eyes again and resud breathing and cultivation inside his rented cave dwelling.
Ti passed quickly.
Two years later, the day of the Flying Immortal Alliance’s secret trade gathering finally arrived.
"I’ve finally reached peak Tier Three of body refinent."
Inside the secluded chamber of his rented dwelling, Wei Tu clenched his fist, feeling the surge of power within his body.
Across his whole form, dense jade-like scales rippled with his tightening muscles, gradually hardening into a layer of jade-colored armor that shimred with a tallic luster.
This ti, using the Scarlet Blood Stone and the Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng he obtained during the Nascent Soul ceremony, he didn’t need to put in much extra effort. He pushed his body cultivation from late-stage Tier Three—Minor Accomplishnt—all the way to the peak stage.
"Next step… breaking through Tier Three to enter Tier Four."
His eyes sparkled with anticipation as he glanced toward the busy street outside his dwelling.
If this trade gathering offered treasures useful for body refinent—like true spirit flesh—or vital intel, then breaking into Tier Four would no longer be just a dream.
At that point, his path of dual cultivation in both body and Dao would finally grant him a true place in the Nascent Soul realm.
Not just the hollow title of "newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator."
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