Chapter 205: A Hidden Talent, A Visit from the Golden Elixir

Chapter 205: A Hidden Talent, A Visit from the Golden Elixir

As everyone praised him, Chu Ning tilted his head back slightly, his expression hidden behind the mask.

Unbeknownst to them, his aloof demeanor wasn't an act; his gaze was fixed on the direction of an incoming flying figure.

The elderly Li, who had just put away the jade bottle, was about to say something when he paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Oh? Old Cheng is here too."

Hearing Elder Li's words, everyone looked up.

Chu Ning's heart stirred as he recognized the name 'Old Cheng' from Xiao Cheng's memories. It seemed to refer to someone from the Cheng family.

If he wasn't mistaken, it should be Cheng Depeng, the head of the Cheng family.

The Li and Cheng families were two of the most renowned cultivator clans near Mount Jiuhua.

It was said that their ancestors had once held high positions within the Jiuhua Sect, but their descendants' cultivation levels had failed to keep up.

Over time, their relationship with the Jiuhua Sect had become distant.

Aside from the families of the few Golden Core elders within the Jiuhua Sect, these two clans were the most powerful in the Mount Jiuhua region.

Li Yuzhong, the head of the Li family, and Cheng Depeng, the head of the Cheng family, were both late Foundation Establishment cultivators with the potential to breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.

There were also other late Foundation Establishment cultivators within their clans.

Typically, these two men were not to be trifled with, except by the few Golden Core cultivators in the Jiuhua Sect and its vicinity.

Soon, a streak of light flew towards them and landed in front of the group.

Unlike the unassuming Elder Li, this elder Cheng had a tall and imposing stature, exuding a fierce aura.

His expression carried a hint of arrogance.

Chu Ning, drawing from Xiao Cheng's memories, recognized him as Cheng Depeng.

As soon as he landed, Cheng Depeng turned his gaze towards Elder Li Yuzhong and said in a carefree manner, "Old Li, I never expected your information to be better than mine. I rushed here as soon as I heard, but you still beat me to it."

Li Yuzhong smiled but remained silent.

At this moment, Cheng Depeng turned his attention to Chu Ning.

"Brother Xiao, I heard you've successfully refined the Foundation Establishment Pill. Congratulations!

The Cheng family would like to purchase two pills. Name your price."

Seeing Cheng Depeng's slightly arrogant demeanor, the others seemed accustomed to it, while Chu Ning quietly scoffed inwardly but said nothing.

This wasn't because Chu Ning felt overly proud due to his injury of a Golden Core cultivator, but because, from Xiao Cheng's memories, he knew that Xiao Cheng didn't have a good impression of this elderly Cheng.

The reason was simple. Once, Xiao Cheng had refined a pill, but Elder Cheng had forced him to sell it at a low price.

Back then, due to his inferior strength, Xiao Cheng could only grudgingly accept, suppressing his dissatisfaction.

Given this history, it was natural for Chu Ning to show no sign of friendliness towards this elder.

Otherwise, people might find it strange.

As expected, when they saw that Chu Ning didn't even bother to acknowledge Cheng Depeng, the others showed no signs of surprise. Instead, they wore expressions as if they were watching a play unfold.

Cheng Depeng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he laughed heartily, "It seems Brother Xiao still holds a grudge over the past incident. This time, I, Cheng, am genuinely and sincerely seeking to purchase pills from you.

I've already informed my clan to send over some spirit herbs promptly, and I have nearly four thousand spirit stones here. Please take a look."

As he spoke, Cheng Depeng used a driving technique to send the bag of spirit stones flying towards Chu Ning.

However, Chu Ning merely glanced at the bag of spirit stones without any intention of catching it. In a nonchalant tone, he said, "Not for sale."

Cheng Depeng was taken aback by his words, "What did you say? Not for sale?"

As he spoke, Cheng Depeng's eyebrows furrowed, and his tone turned slightly displeased.

"How many Foundation Establishment Pills did you refine? You just sold a few, and now you're saying they're all sold out.

Are you playing games with me, Brother Xiao?

Or are you worried that I, Cheng, won't keep my word? It's fine if you wait until my clansmen arrive to sell me the pills."

Chu Ning paid no heed to the other party's displeasure and replied in a cold, indifferent tone,

"Why should I tell you these things? When I say they're sold out, they're sold out. If you want to buy, make sure to come early next time."

Cheng Depeng's expression froze, and his eyes narrowed with growing anger.

At this moment, Li Yuzhong spoke up, "Old Cheng, after selling four Foundation Establishment Pills to me, Brother Xiao should have sold a total of eight pills.

I don't think Brother Xiao is deliberately playing games with you."

As he spoke, Li Yuzhong smiled at Chu Ning.

His intention was clear—he wasn't trying to mediate for Cheng Depeng but rather to show his support for Chu Ning.

Upon hearing Li Yuzhong's words, the surrounding cultivators nodded in agreement.

They had just witnessed Chu Ning selling four Foundation Establishment Pills.

Typically, refining nine pills from a furnace of spirit herbs was considered normal, and a success rate of four out of nine was already quite impressive.

After all, "Brother Xiao" might not have refined Foundation Establishment Pills before.

A nearly 50% success rate was already remarkable.

Hearing Li Yuzhong's words and seeing the nods of agreement from the others, Cheng Depeng fixed his gaze on Chu Ning, and the anger on his face dissipated slightly.

Then, in a relatively calm tone, he asked, "May I ask when Brother Xiao will be refining Foundation Establishment Pills again?"

"I don't know," Chu Ning replied coldly without meeting his gaze. His answer was truthful, as he didn't know when he would have the complete set of spirit herbs required for refining the pills again.

As for when he would take out the remaining Foundation Establishment Pills he had in his possession, that would depend on his mood.

Upon hearing Chu Ning's response, Cheng Depeng, who was already seething with anger, erupted in fury.

"Xiao! Do you really think you're something special?"

As he roared, Cheng Depeng released his full aura, locking onto Chu Ning with his spiritual sense and pressing forward.

This realm was also known as the Perfection of Foundation Establishment or the False Elixir Realm. Although it technically still fell within the scope of the late Foundation Establishment stage, it was actually just half a step away from forming a Golden Core.

Among those present, even Li Yuzhong, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, was slightly inferior in comparison.

Everyone's gaze fell on Chu Ning, thinking that this Xiao Dan Shi might be in for some trouble.

Especially Li Yuzhong, who furrowed his brows slightly, considering whether or not he should help Chu Ning out of this predicament and gain favor with this pill concoctor.

After all, he knew that aside from Cheng Depeng's high cultivation, his true strength lay in his spiritual sense.

This was also the reason why, despite their similar cultivation levels in the past, Cheng Depeng had reached the Perfection of Foundation Establishment before him.

Now that Cheng Depeng was suddenly confronting Chu Ning, he would undoubtedly use his spiritual sense to oppress him.

However, what left Li Yuzhong and the others utterly bewildered was that in the face of Cheng Depeng's oppressive aura, Chu Ning seemed completely unaffected.

"What a mood killer. I'm not selling these pills today," Chu Ning said, waving his hand and putting away all the pills on the table, along with the table itself, into his storage bag.

Not only did Chu Ning's words and expression remain calm and unchanged, but his actions were also smooth and effortless, exuding an air of nonchalance.

The onlookers were perplexed, unsure of what was happening. They thought that Cheng Depeng had merely roared without taking any action.

But Li Yuzhong and Cheng Depeng's faces changed, and their eyes widened in surprise.

They knew very well that Cheng Depeng had indeed done something earlier.

For Chu Ning to respond so calmly and even casually use his spiritual power to store things away, it could only mean one thing—Chu Ning's spiritual sense was strong, stronger than the spiritual sense Cheng Depeng had just released.

Although Cheng Depeng hadn't used his full strength and hadn't launched a real attack, it was still enough to surprise the two of them.

After all, Chu Ning was only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, while Cheng Depeng was close to forming a Golden Core.

Cheng Depeng's initial surprise quickly turned into a cold smile.

"Well, it seems that Xiao Dan Shi has been hiding his true capabilities. I, Cheng, have misjudged you.

If Xiao Dan Shi doesn't acknowledge my superiority today, it looks like my Cheng family won't be able to obtain these Foundation Establishment Pills." Cheng Depeng's eyes gleamed as he spoke.

At this moment, Chu Ning raised his head again, glancing sideways at the sky with an indifferent expression.

At the same time, he muttered to himself, "A furnace of Foundation Establishment Pills has certainly caused quite a stir today. It seems someone from the Jiuhua Sect has arrived."

Just as Chu Ning finished his inner monologue, Cheng Depeng and Li Yuzhong turned their heads to look in the same direction.

Cheng Depeng, who had been acting arrogantly just a moment ago, now had a flickering gaze.

Seeing that Cheng Depeng had suddenly fallen silent and was looking towards the sky, the others guessed that someone else must be approaching.

So, they all turned to look.

Soon, a dazzling figure flew towards them, arriving in front of the group in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, a clear and resonant voice rang out.

"Xiao Dan Shi, Gong Yu Yuan from the Jiuhua Sect has come to visit!"

Upon hearing these words, the faces of those present turned solemn.

They were within the influence of the Jiuhua Mountain, so they naturally knew a thing or two about the powerful cultivators within the Jiuhua Sect.

Gong Yu Yuan was a great elder of the Jiuhua Sect, a late Golden Core cultivator.

Within the Jiuhua Sect, his strength was second only to the grand elder, the sect's only Nascent Soul cultivator, and the sect master.

He was one of the three most powerful figures in the Jiuhua Mountain region.

Everyone had heard his words and naturally understood his intention for coming here.

They never expected that in such a short time, these Foundation Establishment Pills would attract such a prominent figure.

Chu Ning's knowledge about the people in the Jiuhua Sect was relatively vague, as Xiao Cheng didn't seem to pay much attention to this kind of information.

In Xiao Cheng's memory, there was only some information about the Nascent Soul cultivator.

There was also a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, Jiang Yan Mao, who was an executive in the Pill Refining Pavilion and had visited once before.

However, upon sensing the change in everyone's expressions, Chu Ning could roughly guess what was going on.

As the speaker landed in front of them, Chu Ning's expression beneath the mask became more serious.

There were two people who had arrived. The one behind was Jiang Yan Mao, the Pill Refining Pavilion executive who had appeared in Xiao Cheng's memories.

He was of medium build and had a distinct black face, making him easily recognizable.

The one standing in front was a purple-robed cultivator with an appearance of about sixty years, exuding an air of authority even without showing any expression.

Standing there, his aura was astonishing.

Even compared to the Yin Demon Sect elder whom Chu Ning had encountered in Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands, or his cheap master, Xin Wuyao, from the Green Creek Sect, this person's cultivation seemed even more unfathomable.

"Late Golden Core cultivator!"

Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat as he secretly acknowledged the other party's strength.

Following the lead of the others, he cupped his hands in a slight bow.

Even if "Xiao Dan Shi" was reclusive, he wouldn't dare to be arrogant in front of a Golden Core cultivator.

The purple-robed Gong Yu Yuan had a smile on his face, and his eyes swept over the surrounding crowd before he slowly spoke, "Our sect has some matters to discuss with Xiao Dan Shi. Everyone else, please disperse."

Hearing Gong Yu Yuan's words, the many cultivators present had complex expressions as they hastily left.

Among them, Cheng Depeng's expression was the most conflicted.

He was naturally aware of the current situation within the Pill Refining Pavilion of the Jiuhua Sect.

Now, he knew that with the involvement of the Jiuhua Sect, his hopes of obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pills were completely dashed.

Master Gong, whose surname was Yu Yuan, smiled and said, "Xiao Dan Shi, I presume you've already guessed our purpose for coming here. Before we proceed, I'd like to confirm something with you. I heard that you've successfully refined the Foundation Establishment Pill. May I ask if you still have any in your possession?"

"Just one," Chu Ning replied calmly, taking out a jade bottle and placing it in front of Master Gong.

The latter didn't take the bottle but instead scanned it with his spiritual sense, his expression revealing his surprise. "What a high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill! Xiao Dan Shi, have you refined Foundation Establishment Pills before?"

Chu Ning didn't directly answer the question, instead, he vaguely replied, "I've refined it once with my master."

Master Gong nodded, "I heard that you obtained the ancient sect's pill-concocting technique. It seems the rumors are true."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I shall brief you on the situation of pill concoctors in our Jiuhua Sect, Xiao Dan Shi. Originally, we had three talented pill concoctors who were capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills. One is Ling, my junior sect brother, who is currently in seclusion, striving to break through to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm. The other was Qiu, my junior sect nephew, who passed away not long ago, and Ling's son, my junior sect nephew Ling, who met with misfortune while traveling abroad."

As he spoke, Master Gong pointed to He Yanmao, who was standing beside him. "He Yanmao has been working on refining Foundation Establishment Pills recently, but his success rate is not high. Even for our Jiuhua Sect, it's challenging to provide him with sufficient medicinal resources for practice in a short time."

He Yanmao's expression turned slightly embarrassed when he heard this.

Master Gong continued, "Previously, He Yanmao mentioned to you about joining our Jiuhua Sect. Now that I've heard that you can refine Foundation Establishment Pills, I've come here personally. I hope you will give serious consideration to joining our Jiuhua Sect."

Chu Ning looked up at Master Gong, pondering for a moment without immediately responding. This was partly to maintain the character of Xiao Cheng, but also to create an opportunity to negotiate for more favorable terms.

Master Gong continued, "Since the Grand Elder is in seclusion and the Sect Master is away on business, I am here on behalf of the Jiuhua Sect. As long as you join the Jiuhua Sect, I can promise you, on behalf of the sect, to meet your demands and provide ample resources for pill concocting and cultivation. I know that you've obtained a lot of cultivation resources by selling pills, but the resources a major sect can offer are beyond your imagination."

Master Gong paused briefly before adding, "There's one more thing you should understand, Xiao Dan Shi. Here in Jiuhua Mountain, if there are any Foundation Establishment Pills in circulation, we would prefer them to be distributed through the Jiuhua Sect."

As he spoke these words, Master Gong didn't reveal any hint of coercion, but the subtle implication sent a chill down Chu Ning's spine.

He was well aware of what Master Gong's words implied.

It seemed that this late Golden Core stage cultivator was employing both carrots and sticks.

However, the fact that a late Golden Core stage cultivator had taken the time to persuade him was already quite an honor.

Sensing that the time was right, Chu Ning slowly spoke, "Since Master Gong has come here in person to extend the invitation, it would be rude of me to decline further. I accept your offer."

Upon hearing this, a smile immediately appeared on Master Gong's face. "Wonderful! Once you join, Xiao Dan Shi, you will become an executive in our Jiuhua Sect's Pill Concocting Pavilion. I, Gong, promise that your treatment and status will be no different from that of other executives, and perhaps even better."

He Yanmao, too, heaved a sigh of relief. Only he knew the immense pressure the Pill Concocting Pavilion had been under lately.

Chu Ning maintained a calm demeanor and said, "I agree to join the Jiuhua Sect, but I have a few conditions that I hope Master Gong can agree to."

"Please, tell me your conditions, Xiao Dan Shi," Master Gong said, as if he had anticipated that Chu Ning would make such a request. However, as Chu Ning continued speaking, both Master Gong and He Yanmao's expressions turned slightly surprised.

After about half an hour of negotiation, Chu Ning and Master Gong concluded their discussion about his joining the Jiuhua Sect.

Then, in front of Master Gong, Chu Ning reached up and removed the silver mask from his face, revealing his youthful features.

This action startled the two men across from him.

...

A few days later, a rumor spread near Jiuhua Mountain.

It was said that the famous Xiao Dan Shi, renowned in the area, had successfully refined the Foundation Establishment Pill. The Great Elder of the Jiuhua Sect had personally invited him to join the sect, but Xiao Dan Shi had not given an immediate answer. He had asked for three days to consider the offer.

However, when the Great Elder returned after three days, he found that Xiao Dan Shi had disappeared, and his cave abode on the cliff had been destroyed.

Enraged, the Great Elder of the Jiuhua Sect issued a kill order, mobilizing the entire sect to hunt down this individual.

Many cultivators even went to Xiao Dan Shi's former residence out of curiosity, only to find that the cliff cave had indeed been destroyed.

For a time, countless cultivators near Jiuhua Mountain sighed with emotion. Some lamented the hardships of being a wandering cultivator, while others regretted not buying the Foundation Establishment Pills in time.

However, as Xiao Dan Shi had always been a reclusive figure with few friends, people gradually forgot about the incident after a while, and no one mentioned it again.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end