CH 104

After the woman in blue spoke, the system sent Ren Shuhan a map, roughly indicating the territories of the major powers in the immortal realm.

On the vast land, the largest sects included the Law Cultivation Mansion, the Symbol Cultivation Soul Tower, the Sword Cultivation First Pass, the Buddhist Cultivation Heavenly Sound Monastery, the Demon Cultivation Spirit Communication Immortal Mansion, the Pill Cultivation Night Market of Sand Island, the Monster Cultivation Myriad Blossom Cave, and the Music Cultivation Five Cities and Twelve Towers…

There were hundreds of smaller sects, too numerous to mention.

Ren Shuhan was puzzled.

With the immortal realm being so vast, the system only pointed out a route for him to come here?

He Huan Sect was located on a very small island. Looking at the entire immortal realm, this kind of sect, whose name indicated its purpose, was unheard of by most people!

The system hastily remedied: “In the original route, the nearest destination designated for you was the Tianwai Tian, located tens of thousands of feet above the ground. It has been a prosperous family tradition for thousands of years, peaceful and prosperous, suitable for cultivation. However, since the host changed the route, it automatically chose the closest He Huan Sect.”

“The island where the He Huan Sect is located, named Wuxiang Orchid Boat, appears and disappears on the sea, with a mysterious track. There are also techniques in the sect that are useful to Jiang Qingyue. Since it’s a rare opportunity, why not take the opportunity to search for it?”

It sounded like he was coming to rob someone.

Ren Shuhan fell silent.

The woman in blue circled him once and tentatively said, “This maiden’s name is Yun Xiangrong. Young master can call me Lady Yun. May I know how to address the young master?”

Ren Shuhan stepped back two steps, creating some distance between them, and briefly introduced himself and what he was looking for.

Since Jian Ci had already been found, all that was left was to find a way for ordinary people to form their golden cores.

“Um,” Yun Xiangrong smiled and lifted her skirt slightly, “Are you here for your lover? She’s really lucky. Just a mortal, yet she has caught the eye of such a powerful and handsome little Immortal Lord like you, and made you so affectionate. Regardless of whether she can form her golden core, you should ask yourself, is she really that beautiful? Is she…”

Yun Xiangrong leaned close to his ear and exhaled, using a charm technique.

But as a great demon, Ren Shuhan was immune to such spells. It only gave him goosebumps, and he stepped back several steps, frowning sternly. “If the He Huan Sect can’t help, then I’ll take my leave.”

“Heh,” Yun Xiangrong sneered, “Wuxiang Orchid Boat, do you think you can come and go as you please? You might as well give up!”

With that, she actually took off the hairpin on her head, broke it into two pieces, and held them in her delicate hands, transforming them into two giant wolf-tooth hammers, swinging them at him vigorously!

Ren Shuhan was stunned for a moment. Without drawing his sword, he leaped lightly, stepping on her right wrist, and kicked her left wrist with his foot.

He didn’t even use half of his strength, but Yun Xiangrong was already surprised. Her weapons fell from her hands, and she fell to the ground, begging for mercy.

“Young master, spare me, it’s Lady Yun who is ignorant!”

She wiped away tears, trying to cling to Ren Shuhan’s leg.

However, after just exchanging a move, neither side had inflicted serious harm, and they turned hostile faster than flipping a book, but in a blink of an eye, they knelt down. This person was really good at adapting to situations…

Ren Shuhan shook her off with a black face and turned to leave.

“Young master, wait!”

Yun Xiangrong bounced up and chased after him, fawning, “I feel a connection with the young master. Seeing your extraordinary aptitude and your deep affection and righteousness, I’m willing to represent my sect and befriend the young master. Let me tell you: our He Huan Sect is a famous and upright sect, with a distinguished reputation. We absolutely don’t practice any crooked ways that can help ordinary people form their golden cores, but it’s not a problem to help them build their foundations.”

Ren Shuhan stopped and turned around, puzzled. “Crooked ways?”

Yun Xiangrong quickly tidied up her appearance, swiftly combing her hair with her hands, while throwing flirtatious glances, she said, “This is no secret. Young master is probably visiting the immortal realm for the first time, right? When you arrive at the largest territory, just casually inquire around, and you’ll know that if mortals want to form their golden cores, they must practice demonic cultivation!”

Ren Shuhan asked further, “Is demonic cultivation harmful to the human body?”

Yun Xiangrong was taken aback by his question. “I haven’t heard of that, but it’s only harmful to others’ bodies—it’s demonic cultivation, young master, full of resentment, all cultivated by devouring others’ cores!”

Ren Shuhan pondered for a moment and asked again, “Then, if one finds a cultivator who has committed heinous crimes and uses their core for oneself, wouldn’t that work?”

When he asked this question, his expression was calm, and his voice, although already modulated, was very low, clear, and pleasant. Wearing plain blue clothes not only didn’t detract from his appearance, but also made him appear even more straightforward and handsome. Yun Xiangrong, who had seen countless beautiful men, was stunned for a moment before continuing to answer.

“You’re not wrong to say that, but as for demonic cultivation…” Yun Xiangrong looked very regretful, “If it’s just herself, it’s fine. But if you become partners with a demonic cultivator, the road ahead will be narrow.”

Ren Shuhan smiled, thinking to himself, your He Huan Sect is even worse than demonic cultivators, truly the worst of the worst, and you still discriminate against demonic cultivators?

“What’s wrong with that? If I can’t go to some prestigious orthodox sect just because he’s a demonic cultivator, then I might as well try my luck with him in the demonic cultivation realm.”

He was truly a romantic.

It seems like this gesture makes him even more attractive, doesn’t it? Yun Xiangrong beckoned to him and smiled, “Well then, let me teach you the foundation-building techniques of our sect. Once she learns them, and then practices demonic cultivation, she will suffer much less.”

Ren Shuhan didn’t hesitate and followed her through a forest.

“Just so you know,” Yun Xiangrong said as they walked, “I’m only willing to teach you because I genuinely want to be friends with you. Those so-called prestigious sects, like the Soul Tower, the Twelve Towers, and even the bustling Night Market of Sand Island, all claim to be orthodox, but they’re the most shameless of all! Once they lack successors, they force ordinary people to build their foundations, all just to fulfill their own ambitions or to collect debts, or even to force people to sell their sons and daughters as servants. It’s all counterproductive. Even if they form their cores, they won’t make any further progress. There’s no good method.”

Ren Shuhan initially thought to himself that Yun Xiangrong seemed to know that her sect couldn’t even be named, and then he asked the system if it was true.

The system confirmed, “Indeed.”

“Only the techniques of our He Huan Sect emphasize the natural way of Daoism, distinguishing between truth and falsehood. You coming here today is also fate!” Yun Xiangrong warmly welcomed him, attempting to pat his arm several times, but he dodged each time, though she didn’t seem to mind.

“When I was young, I traveled to famous mountains and rivers in both the human and immortal realms, and I’ve encountered countless demon dens and monster lairs. I’ve seen more than you can imagine. After all that, I’ve come to the conclusion that those stinky men just don’t measure up. That’s why I eventually secluded myself here on the Wuxiang Orchid Boat. We don’t usually open to visitors.”

Ren Shuhan was surprised, “Open?”

In the forest, they encountered many illusion formations set up with extraordinary skills. After only a few steps, they arrived at the sword path. After flying thousands of meters on their swords, they saw a vast open space, with buildings constructed along the mountains and rivers. It was adorned luxuriously and gorgeously, but it looked like…

A large brothel!

Moreover, the people coming and going all bowed and scraped to Yun Xiangrong, behaving extremely flirtatiously. Downstairs, there was a lot of pushing and pulling, and upstairs, there were people waving handkerchiefs and throwing embroidered balls. They were all dressed in revealing clothes, adorned with jewelry, and painted with makeup… men!

“Don’t worry,” Yun Xiangrong reassured him, “All the men here are eunuchs. Just because there are many men doesn’t mean there’s any danger of being seduced.”

Ren Shuhan was shocked and took a step back, feeling a bit apprehensive.

But thinking of Qingyue, he persevered because he had a demon core himself and was already in the late foundation stage. To form his golden core, he just needed an opportunity. But Qingyue was different; he needed to build his foundation as soon as possible.

“Lady Yun,” a handsome man passing by pretended to ask casually, “Another newcomer?”

Ren Shuhan: “…”

I’m not, I didn’t!

Another handsome man ran over, his eyes teary. “Lady Yun, I’ve only been here for a few days. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t recruit new people? How could you!”

There was another man standing at the back, gentle and virtuous, with eyebrows and eyes that looked a bit like Jiang Qingyue’s. He spoke softly, “Lady Yun, your hairpin fell off. Are you okay? I brought you another one.”

This man was obviously Yun Xiangrong’s favorite, as she took the hairpin from him and even gave him an approving look.

The other two men immediately looked at him with jealousy.

Following that, a woman in blue also came over, accompanied by several men. She bowed to Yun Xiangrong and said, “Master, this person is a new…”

“Ah,” Yun Xiangrong hurriedly waved her hand, gesturing for her not to speak nonsense, “This person is a guest from the mortal realm.”

Did you think I wouldn’t figure out what’s going on here if you didn’t say anything?

Ren Shuhan reported his name with a speechless expression, and also…

“You’re actually the master?” He looked at Yun Xiangrong, at a loss for words.

As the master of a sect, she should at least be in the Golden Core stage. How could she be at the early Golden Core stage with such a position?

“I’m letting you off simply because you are you. Do you think…” Yun Xiangrong said halfway, then quickly stopped him from drawing his sword, “Don’t be hasty, don’t be hasty. I admit that among cultivators in the early Golden Core stage, I’m relatively weak, but it’s also because you’re too strong. I can’t match you.”

The three closest handsome men all turned their heads simultaneously, looking at Ren Shuhan with resentment and jealousy.

Ren Shuhan felt a chill. “Speak normally.”

“You’re refining your body,” Yun Xiangrong said, shaking her hand, “Of course I can’t beat you! Cultivating the body is indeed powerful; it’s not uncommon to slay demons across realms!”

The surrounding handsome men’s expressions instantly changed, showing surprise and fear.

But Ren Shuhan wasn’t cultivating his body!

To form a golden core, one must comprehend the Dao. But he hadn’t yet decided what he wanted to cultivate. He was only guessing that he would probably choose sword cultivation in the future because he often used a long sword. He also didn’t refine his body. However, his physical strength was indeed unusually strong. Could it be that he really had the Three Spiritual Roots?

Or was it the unique effect of having both the Water and Fire Spiritual Roots?

Ren Shuhan didn’t say much. He didn’t want to reveal too much. Instead, he asked, “Is there any way to test spiritual roots in the immortal realm?”

Yun Xiangrong shook her head and took out a wooden plaque with the character “Yun” carved on it from her chest, handing it to him.

“In the Law Cultivation Mansion, ruled by the Grand Master of Alchemy, there’s a young master named Duan Shu who has a spiritual root-testing artifact. However, he never lends it out. If you go there, just give him my name card,” Yun Xiangrong winked at him, “We have a significant relationship from the past, you know. He’ll help you out for my sake.”

Ren Shuhan thanked her and accepted it, finally softening his tone, “If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll find a way to repay Lady Yun.”

“Oh, don’t be so polite! Who are you and who am I?”

Yun Xiangrong laughed uncontrollably, her eyes brimming with tears of joy, and took him into a building filled with books. The plaque above read “Wenlan Pavilion.”

“The techniques here are all top-notch stuff~”

The piles of books, papers, bamboo scrolls, and even porcelain were scattered on the ground. There were bowls filled with wine, and plates with cake crumbs. Ren Shuhan carefully avoided them, choosing not to look closely out of propriety. He was suspicious, “Aren’t these important things? Aren’t you afraid of losing them?”

“It’s all in my mind, so I’m not afraid of losing them,” Yun Xiangrong pointed to her temple confidently, saying, “You’re a distinguished guest, so feel free to enter and read any book you like.”

Indeed, they didn’t look like valuable items, so Ren Shuhan picked up a fan and examined its surface. He was surprised to find that the tiny characters written on it were actually the lyrics of a popular song. When he looked back, he saw that the plates and bowls were all painted with erotic scenes!

He: “……”

At that moment, Ren Shuhan suddenly realized something.

Sure enough, Yun Xiangrong quickly turned around and threw him a thin booklet titled “Clouds and Rain Collection Volume One,” saying, “You can enter here, and read any book you like. Just don’t accuse me of hoarding secrets. It’s just that you’re still a young boy, and your cultivation level is still too low. Learning these should be enough for now. Yin and yang complement each other, but too much greed will lead to ruin!”

Lady Yun thinks that Jiang Qingyue is a girl, which is why I left the “she” she used, I hope it didn’t confuse anyone

Also, the books she gave him… yup, you can guess what they are lol

Thank you for reading