A couple secret jade slips had been sent to cultivation clans in all parts of China. China’s cultivator realm was an incomparably marvelous world amidst silence. All of the first-rate clans and quasi-top clans consequently began to stir into action.

The seclusions of numerous clans’ geniuses were forcibly interrupted. It was a mystery as to the number of clans beginning to grind their spears for their descendants’ journey to Mingshui Province, all just to win over a fraction more of the Xingtian Legion’s recognition.

“Clan Elder, why aren’t we assigning Foundation Establishment cultivators to join the Xingtian Legion?” In a top clan, a cultivator asked, “If they do a mission, we’ll just find a goon for them. Why should we allow our clan’s best successors to go?”

The clan elder glanced at him like he was an idiot. His second brother… If said he was truly mentally handicapped, it was an insult to those who actually had problems!

“He’s a middle Qi Condensation cultivator… What’s he going to use a Foundation Establishment cultivator squadron for? In the legion, who has the final say in the end? He’s definitely only recruiting within Qi Condensation… even late Qi Condensation is a danger!” A woman coolly brushed an eye over the idiot. She looked at the clan elder and said respectfully, “The way I see it, the Xingtian Legion isn’t necessarily able to accept late-stage cultivators. After all, Commander Xu just recently achieved the middle stage according to the data.”

“Recently?” The clan elder laughed coldly, “How old is he this year? Twenty-five? Twenty-six?”

“Not recently the middle stage… It’s ‘already’ the middle stage!!!” He gritted his teeth and said, “It’s not to mention the number of geniuses the Xingtian Legion will recruit; their commander himself is a genius!”

“So! We have to pick people with enough talent to go! Not those half-baked charlatans! This chance is too precious!”

Perhaps among 90% of Qi Condensation cultivators, the Xingtian Legion’s reputation still wasn’t anything. They hadn’t done a single mission, and the Signing Ceremony of three years ago was long ago in the past. However, among the cultivators in the remaining 10%, they had long since memorized this name in their hearts!

The pill master’s agent… The legion’s resources were incomparably generous… A single auction had earned a bill of over 200,000 middle-grade spirit stones—and this was on the basis of the agent taking a calculated traditional sum.

Was there even a reason not to join such a legion? The conditions of the quasi-top clans, declining first-rate clans, and powers were even equally matched to the Xingtian Legion, in both banners and drums! Most importantly, though, Xu Yangyi was also the disciple of Ancestor Ancientpine!

This reputation didn’t bring any practical benefit, but an invisible one, one that couldn’t be estimated! And in case a line was connected to the pill master… Life would truly be incapable of 

not

 being splendidly beautiful!

Time passed on by minutes and seconds. In the evening of the next day, a cultivator who logged in on Chinacultivation.com discovered to his shock… 

That the Pill-Elixir Ranking was gone!

“What’s this all about?” The cultivator sat before his computer in amazement. He was an ordinary mid-level pill-elixir distributor for southern China. Each time, he would get the latest information here, yet the Pill-Elixir Ranking had actually been removed?!

And replaced with a mysterious ‘Pill Dao Ranking’?

If the names had been changed, then it was whatever, but why was first place vacant? Grandmaster Fivetastes’s and Grandmaster Knowledge’s—grand masters of awesome reputation—newly produced pill-elixirs were all ranked second and third? 

No, not at all… These things still weren’t the main point. Why had Grandmaster Fivetastes, Grandmaster Knowledge, and a third grand master joined hands to post: 

‘Starting in the next few days, the development of all new pill-elixirs will be ceased!’

Why? WHY?

“What the heck is this?!” 

This joint statement of three grand masters had suddenly flipped the heavens of the pill-elixir market, stable for close to two centuries, with a bang. A cultivator doing graduate studies on pill-elixirs saw this statement and almost cursed. “Pill-elixir is presently the most profitable craft! After such a long time, how can they just say no research, and that’s it?!” 

“Three grand masters even made a joint statement…” At this moment, inside a company room of what appeared to be a pharmaceutical corporation, the CEO was glaring at his computer with reddened eyes. “There’s money to be made! What are they doing?! There are still so many clans and powers waiting on us to provide supplies! Isn’t this forcing a company transformation?” 

Thousandedge was calmly sitting in front of his computer, reading the long and numerous threads on the cultivation net. Both his hands deeply penetrated his white hair, and his cheeks were softly trembling because of his grinding teeth.

In merely two days, everything was different… After the auction, he actually had a Core Formation disciple under his administration!

Soon… Xu Yangyi would be on the verge of executing his mission since he’d already left seclusion. Thousandedge had waited for a full two years! Ancestor Floatingcloud’s position of disciple was beckoning towards him, but who would’ve expected… that the outcome would actually have Xu Yangyi become Daomaster Ancientpine’s disciple! 

Right now… it was unknown how many people remembered Thousandedge’s name and how many eyes were impatiently trained on him. He didn’t even have the time to act… but his chance had already been lost.

“Fellow Daoist…” Nameless’s voice was faintly heard from the air. “This business can no longer be done. All that we envisioned in the past has been beaten into a pulp by this hand… Even if he drafts his own mission now, we don’t have another opportunity to handicap him. It would be better to slowly plan…” 

“Slowly plan?” Thousandedge’s eyes flushed somewhat red as if he heard the most hilarious thing. He lifted his head, faced upward, and laughed sarcastically, “Slowly plan?”

“How many more years do I have to slowly plan?!” His aged hand was faintly trembling, seemingly using his full strength to constrain the demon in his heart. “I… am already over a hundred years old. I’m no longer the Qi Condensation cultivator of back then! But I’m at the middle stage! Middle Foundation Establishment!”

He bolted up to his feet and gazed unwaveringly at the other place in the air, like he was where the never-seen Nameless was. “If I don’t achieve Core Formation, I’ll end up as yellow dust… When I reach the Core Formation realm, I’ll live for another several hundred years! Yet you want me to slowly plan?!” 

“Ancestor Floatingcloud can wait, but I can’t!” He inhaled deeply. The instant of hesitation in his eyes transformed into threads of solid killing intent. “Only by paying respects under an ancestor’s sect is there a ghost of a chance at Core Formation.” 

Silence reigned. After a long spell of time, Nameless’s voice faintly sighed, “To tell the truth.”

“Even now, Ancestor Floatingcloud isn’t planning on making a move in the near future and is preparing to revoke the Black Kill Order,” he deliberated. “Among them is yours, Fellow Daoist Thousandedge… After all, you’re in the Featherwood Guard…”

“No!” Before Nameless’s voice even fell, Thousandedge rudely interrupted him and tightly pursed his lips. “I have a chance… Tell Ancestor Floatingcloud… I have a chance! Everyone else’s isn’t as great as mine!”

He looked towards the air, somewhat deranged. Taking a step forward, he said with reddened eyes. “Isn’t… he going to be recruiting immediately?”

“With his current status, how many genuine talents will join? Perhaps those top noble lineages will be alarmed! If he’s recruiting, he’ll go on missions to get experience and temper his cultivation…” Thousandedge seemed to firm his resolution and shut his eyes. “I… only need to act once. Make a move myself!”

“Fellow Daoist?” Nameless’s voice was surprised.

“How is there still time for us to hesitate?!” Thousandedge cut him off decisively, his voice chopping nails and slicing iron. “Right now, he’s… similar to a spider spinning a web… If we don’t take advantage of this initial period to completely erase him, don’t tell me that we’re going to watch as this web of benefits and relations continues to be spun greater and greater!”

“Fellow Daoist…” 

Nameless still wanted to keep at persuading Thousandedge, but the branch master raised his hand. His aged face revealed a smidgen of ruthlessness. “I have already decided. No need for further words.”

At this moment, the ground faintly trembled without warning, similar to the aftershock of a minor earthquake. Simultaneously, a map of the entire nation automatically jumped out on the computer. Next, from the west side of the map, an intense red halo was emitted. It was followed by an ear-piercing screech resonating throughout the whole room.

“This is…” The conversation grinding to a stop, Thousandedge flickered back to his computer with great speed. Shocked, he looked at the flashes of expanding red circles on the computer. “The Featherwood Guard’s exorcism system…” 

What happened?

His expression turned cautious. The Featherwood Guard’s exorcism system was personally selected and purchased by Ancestor Ancientpine. Once activated, all branch masters had to go online at the same time! As for this system… it was impossible to activate unless it was an important matter!

“This… is Longsu Province?” His gaze swept over the circle, and he immediately chose to connect.

“Beijing’s branch master is already online.”

“Shanghai’s branch master is already online.”

“Xichuan Province’s branch master is already online.”

“Nanhe Province’s branch master is already online…”

Countless beeps rang out, almost agreeing to take the same action. Once the exorcism system sounded the alarm, it was tantamount to making a personal summons on Guildmaster Ancientpine’s behalf. No one dared not to come!

Within a minute, twenty-six branch masters were all online. Simultaneously, the computer flashed, and Daomaster Ancientpine’s undisturbed face appeared on the computer.

There were no wasted words. Daomaster Ancientpine faintly ran his eyes over the number of people online. He nodded and said, 

“All Branch Masters, inform the A-rank legions under command to stop accepting missions. All personnel are in stand-by phase.”

“Yes!”

 Twenty-six voices answered with the same reply.

“In addition…”

 Daomaster Ancientpine mumbled to himself for a brief moment. 

“All present Branch Masters, inform your Featherwood Guard to enter precautionary state.”

Everyone felt these two mysterious lines to be a tad different from the usual.

Meanwhile, in the Xingtian Legion’s office, Peony looked at Xu Yangyi in confusion. “Commander? Is there something wrong?”

Everyone watched Xu Yangyi with puzzled gazes. Just now, he had suddenly raised his head and furrowed his brows as he looked towards the sky for a full ten-plus seconds. He didn’t speak, but a wisp of doubtful surprise flickered through his eyes. Nonetheless, he quickly concealed it, serene like water.

“Nothing.” He stowed his gaze and looked towards everyone. “Probably a mistake. Peony, continue.”

“Okay… presently, we’ve received a total of seventy-eight congratulatory gifts, a sum of a thousand middle-grade spirit stones.” Peony scanned a computer with flying speed. “Every clan has stated that they wish to collaborate with the Xingtian Legion. Commander, is a one-time refusal of so many clans…”

Her voice yet to fall, Xu Yangyi raised his hand and looked gravely at everyone present.

The second time...

He was sitting at the head seat. On both sides were Zhou Tingting, Cheng Jianfeng, Li Zongyuan… and Mao Ba’er who was wearing a suit and seemed to deadpan. 

“Did you all feel that?” Xu Yangyi looked at each person. “Just now.”

“You hit menopause,” Mao Ba’er glibbed without quarter. “Every woman that hits menopause will feel anxiety and other conditions… You can still get your period even now?”

“...” Everyone was dead silent. Peony spread open her lips a fair bit and glared at the lowly canine, coldly snorting.

“You guys didn’t hear anything?” Xu Yangyi was accustomed to this and simply paid Mao Ba’er no heed. Instead, he seriously looked at everyone. “You didn’t hear anything?”

“Nothing.” The husky looked at him in confusion. “What’s up with you?”

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