Nine Transformations of the True Spirit

More than a thousand miles south of Yunrui County, there is a low mountain range less than fifty miles long, with a main peak of only three hundred feet, which can barely be called a beautiful mountain.

But at the foot of the mountain, there is a vast city, which is the seat of Weichuan Prefecture, Jiyang County, to which Yunrui County belongs.

The city is crowded with people, the streets are prosperous, and the streets are full of young Confucian scholars, who are humble and polite.

More than ten academies are scattered in all directions of the city, and bursts of reading sounds are heard, lingering over the city for a long time.

The literary style of Weichuan Prefecture is flourishing because of this inconspicuous low mountain range.

This mountain range is called Weiming Mountain Range, and the main peak of more than three hundred feet is called Yulu Peak. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, a academy is built.

There are many pavilions and towers, but there is no trace of luxury and vulgarity. They are all white walls and black tiles, blue bricks and white walls, simple and elegant. The archway at the foot of the mountain is inscribed with the four characters "Bailu Academy".

On the nearby peaks, there are ancient courtyards among the bamboo forests and pine seas. The sound of reading can be heard everywhere, mixed with the sound of birds in the mountains, adding a bit of tranquility.

This is the gate of Bailu Academy. According to legend, more than 1,200 years ago, a Jindan cultivator was trapped in the bottleneck of the late stage. He traveled around the world, looking for an opportunity to break through. He met a white deer on the main peak of Weiming Mountain Range, which could speak human language.

The Jindan cultivator was very surprised. One person and one deer sat and talked about Taoism for seven days and seven nights, and the white deer left.

Inspired by the white deer, the Jindan cultivator had some insights into the Confucian and Taoist classics. He practiced in seclusion on this mountain and broke through the bottleneck of the late stage in just one year.

Since then, the Jindan cultivator stayed in the Weiming Mountains, founded the Bailu Academy, renamed the main peak to Yulu Peak, recruited many disciples, and taught Confucianism and Taoism.

This Jindan cultivator also opened a branch at the foot of the mountain to recruit mortal disciples. Confucian and Taoist cultivators from the Bailu Academy often came to preach and teach books, attracting many scholars from Weichuan Prefecture to come and study.

Over time, the small town under the Weiming Mountains gradually developed into a prosperous city, and finally even the Weichuan Prefecture government moved here, and the literary style flourished.

Bailu Academy also gradually grew, with a constant number of Jindan cultivators, but no one succeeded in forming a baby, and it has always been a small sect.

But two months ago, the head of the Bailu Academy, Shi Pingshan, succeeded in forming a baby and returned from the Chongde Mountains, which made a stir in the Bailu Academy.

The academy was full of smiles, and the head became a Yuanying cultivator. From then on, Bailu Academy was a medium-sized sect, which could expand its sphere of influence, occupy more spiritual mines and veins, and obtain more cultivation resources.

Even the Confucian and Taoist monks who chanted the classics of the ancients all day long could not resist the temptation of elixirs and spirit stones.

In this atmosphere, even the air around Yulu Peak was much happier than before, and every disciple of the academy was smiling.

But in the evening of this day, two beams of light flew into the Weiming Mountains, arrived in front of Yulu Peak, and stopped outside the protective formation, revealing two gloomy and resentful faces.

The one with a gloomy face was Cheng Zaiming, and the one with a sad face was Feng Yongyan.

After the two handed the storage bag to Li Qingshan, they hurriedly left Qingshan Village and rushed back to the Weiming Mountains at the fastest speed.

The two flew non-stop along the way. Cheng Zaiming was deceived by Feng Yongyan and almost died in the hands of the late Jindan cultivator. He hated him very much, but he was worried about Feng Tiande and couldn't get angry. He didn't say a word throughout the whole process, and his face was terrible.

Feng Yongyan didn't take Cheng Zaiming to heart at all, but what he thought in his heart was how to ask Feng Tiande for forgiveness.

What he lost was not only a storage bag, but also an extremely precious treasure.

He did not think of revenge. Although he was a playboy, he was also self-aware. He knew that everything he had depended on his father. No matter how spoiled his father was, he would not offend a late Jindan cultivator for him.

The two took out their identity jade cards, passed through the sect protection formation, and then parted ways.

Cheng Zaiming glared at Feng Yongyan fiercely and flew to a mountain next to Yulu Peak.

He was a lecturer at Bailu Academy. His master was also a Jindan cultivator, but his cultivation was one level lower than Feng Tiande. He could not attack Feng Yongyan directly. He had to report the matter to his master first and then make a fuss.

He was not a playboy like Feng Yongyan. Everything in the storage bag was accumulated with great effort. When he handed it to Li Qingshan, his heart was broken and he had to get it back!

Feng Yongyan didn't care about Cheng Zaiming's hatred. He was originally a playboy. He relied on Feng Tiande's power to rob countless resources from his fellow disciples. There were many people who hated him.

He flew to another 200-foot-high mountain and fell into the light of escape.

The top of the mountain was cut off, flat and wide, with an exquisite three-entry house built, which was the location of Feng Tiande's cave.

Confucian and Taoist monks pay attention to entering the world, and the cave is like a house in the mortal world, not directly opened in the mountain.

Feng Yongyan knocked on the door knocker gently, and after a while, the two doors made of century-old spiritual wood slowly opened.

He took a deep breath, stepped in, came to the main hall, and stood with his hands hanging down.

There was no one in the main hall. Feng Yongyan waited for about a quarter of an hour, and a monk just walked in and sat in the main seat.

This was a middle-aged man with a mustache and a plump figure. He was Feng Yongyan's father, Feng Tiande, the dean of Bailu Academy.

Feng Yongyan bowed deeply: "Father, I'm back."

He looked Feng Yongyan up and down, smiling and gentle, and suddenly his eyes stopped at Feng Yongyan's waist, frowning: "Where is your storage bag?"

Feng Yongyan's face was very embarrassed: "Father, I... my storage bag was taken away by someone."

Feng Tiande's face changed: "What? Who did it? How dare you!"

Feng Yongyan immediately told him about the conflict between him and Li Qingshan, and Chen Yuan's story about his storage bag being left behind, and he did not even dare to hide the fact that he forced to buy the demon pill.

After hearing this, Feng Tiande's face sank and he scolded: "Evil creature! It's just a third-level demon pill, why don't you buy it? Why force it?"

Feng Yongyan did not argue, tears streaming down his face, whispered: "Father, it's my fault, I was greedy for a while, I shouldn't have done this, I beg you to punish me!"

As he said that, he bowed deeply again, looking at Feng Tiande, his eyes red, his face full of self-blame.

Feng Tiande looked at Feng Yongyan and said angrily: "Why can't you grow up, kid? You are a foundation-building cultivator, not a mortal. There are many talented people in the world of immortal cultivation. Even as a father, you must act cautiously. How can you be like that dandy young man in the mortal world and cause trouble at will?"

Feng Yongyan's tears flowed more happily, and he bowed deeply: "Father, I was wrong, please punish me!"

But the more he did so, the more Feng Tiande couldn't bear to punish him.

One hundred and twenty years ago, his beloved wife gave birth to Feng Yongyan, and died unexpectedly the next year. Feng Yongyan was raised by him alone.

At that time, he was facing the bottleneck of Dan formation, so he went out to travel and look for Dan formation spiritual objects, and sent Feng Yongyan to a county town and handed him over to a distant mortal relative of the same clan to take care of him.

But Feng Yongyan was the son of a cultivator, how could that distant mortal relative dare to discipline him strictly?

Feng Tiande would naturally not let his only son suffer. This distant mortal relative was a wealthy businessman. Under his pampering, Feng Yongyan was lawless. At a young age, he caused trouble everywhere and only knew how to spend money and have fun.

Sixteen years later, Feng Tiande formed a golden elixir and found Feng Yongyan again. He was already seventeen years old and had become a playboy.

But Feng Tiande loved Feng Yongyan very much because of his longing for his wife. He always responded to his requests, and Feng Yongyan became more and more unscrupulous.

As a Confucian and Taoist monk, Feng Tiande was well-read and knew that drowning a child was like killing a child, so he intended to discipline him strictly.

But every time Feng Yongyan made a mistake, he always took the initiative to admit his mistakes with a sincere attitude.

That pleading look on his face always reminded Feng Tiande of his wife's request to take good care of Feng Yongyan before her death. He could not bear to punish him, but instead indulged Feng Yongyan's actions more and more.

Today, he heard that Feng Yongyan had provoked a late Jindan cultivator, and naturally he was furious. But when he saw Feng Yongyan took the initiative to admit his mistake, even with tears streaming down his face, he softened his heart and could not bear to punish him.

"Alas..." Feng Tiande sighed and waved his hand, "Forget it, it's good that you know your mistake. A storage bag is nothing. I will give you another one."

Feng Yongyan raised his hand to wipe away his tears silently, and whispered: "Father, the storage bag contains the Huanzhen Pill you gave me..."

Feng Tiande's eyes flashed with a trace of regret: "It's a pity to lose the Huanzhen Pill, but you and Cheng Zaiming killed that young sword cultivator, and acted cruelly."

"But that Taoist friend only took your storage bags. A small punishment and a big warning are already for the sake of the headmaster's face."

"I can't ask for it anymore. If there is a chance in the future, I will find you another one."

The Huanzhen Pill can increase the chance of forming a pill by 30%, and is known as the "Sacred Relic of Forming a Pill". The main medicine for refining this pill is Suzhen Flower, which is as valuable as a thousand-year-old spiritual herb.

He also spent a lot of effort to get a pill, and gave it to Feng Yongyan in advance to encourage him to practice diligently, break through the bottleneck of the late stage as soon as possible, and strive for the Jindan stage.

Feng Tiande was also very painful about the loss of the pill, but he could not ask the Jindan late stage cultivator for it. Instead, he had to consider how to resolve the hatred with him.

Feng Tiande knew very well that the Jindan late stage cultivator spared Feng Yongyan's life because of Shipingshanren, but it did not mean that the matter was over.

Sword cultivators are so rare. The Jindan late stage cultivator accepted a sword cultivator as his disciple, but almost died in Feng Yongyan's hands. How could he let it go easily?

Feng Tiande's mind turned, and suddenly raised his hand. A jade slip appeared out of thin air in his palm and flew towards Feng Yongyan.

He said: "Where did you meet the young sword cultivator and his master? Mark it on the map."

Feng Yongyan took the jade slip, probed into it with his spiritual consciousness, and closed his eyes slightly.

After a while, he withdrew his spiritual consciousness, presented the jade slip with both hands, and said respectfully: "Father, I have marked it."

Feng Tiande raised his hand and took the jade slip in his hand. He looked inside with his spiritual consciousness and murmured: "Qingfeng County Yunrui County..."

Suddenly, his face changed slightly, and he remembered something in the past and said: "Do you still remember Liao Yanlun?"

Feng Yongyan was startled, and then replied: "I remember, he is the headmaster of Zhouyang Academy, and he comes to visit father every year."

Feng Tiande put away the jade slip and said in a deep voice: "Then Liao Yanlun came to visit my father seventeen years ago. ”

“He was a Qi Refining Level 7 disciple who had been back home for too long and had not returned to Zhouyang Academy. Liao Yanlun went to investigate in person, only to find out that the person who killed his disciple was actually a Jindan mid-stage cultivator.”

“Fortunately, Liao Yanlun saw that the situation was not good and took the initiative to beg for mercy. The Jindan mid-stage cultivator did not hurt his life, and his disciple’s hometown was Yunrui County!”

Feng Yongyan was surprised and said, “Father, are you saying that the Jindan late-stage cultivator I met is the same person as the Jindan mid-stage cultivator who killed Liao Yanlun’s disciple that year?”

Feng Tiande nodded: "It's almost certain. It's impossible for a small Yunrui County to have two Jindan cultivators."

"This person was in the middle stage of Jindan seventeen years ago. In less than twelve years, he broke through the bottleneck of the late stage. His cultivation progress is so fast, which is really amazing. He also accepted a sword cultivator disciple. His origin is mysterious and he must not be offended."

"So, you will take your father's visiting card and go back to Yunrui County tomorrow. Invite that Taoist friend to attend the Shanzhang's Nascent Soul celebration banquet and tell him that your father wants to apologize to him. Remember, be respectful and never anger that Taoist friend!"

Feng Yongyan was stunned when he heard this. The late stage Jindan cultivator took his storage bag, and Feng Tiande actually apologized to him. It was really unbelievable.

He really wanted to say, Shanzhang had just formed a Nascent Soul, what was there to be afraid of?

But Feng Yongyan was smart and never disobeyed Feng Tiande in person. Even though he was very dissatisfied, he immediately agreed: "Yes, I will send the visiting card tomorrow!" (End of this chapter)