Immortal of the Nine Realms

The rain continued to fall for a day and a night. The benefits from the Spiritual Marrow had not only granted some people aptitude for cultivation, but it had also brought about some inexplicable changes. For instance, someone who had been ill for several years found their ailment cured after being soaked in the rain, and a tree that had withered for decades suddenly sprouted new shoots.

As the rain continued, Fang Chen's divine soul returned to his body, and he heard Fairy Yu muttering to herself as she gazed outside the window and at the sky. "It's strange, why did the sky suddenly turn dark in broad daylight?"

Fang Chen's expression changed slightly. He quickly grabbed Fairy Yu and exited the room and brought her out to the courtyard, letting the rainwater fall on them.

Fairy Yu was slightly surprised and confused. Before she could speak, Fang Chen beat her to it. "Is the sky still dark now?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you not see any other thing other than darkness? Any strange phenomena?" inquired Fang Chen.

"Yes, the stars are very bright."

Stars?

Fang Chen pondered. This unexpected event had disrupted his plans. The cultivator surnamed Liu had mentioned that cultivators from many sects would come to Grand Xia in order to accept disciples. If the Foundation Building Spirit Blood Sect cultivator were to arrive at this very moment, he couldn’t tell if it would be for the better or worse.

After a moment, Fang Chen said, "Let's go back to the Fang Manor."

In the Fang Manor.

Li Daoye stood out in the rain looking puzzled. When he saw Fang Chen and Fairy Yu walking toward him in the rain, he couldn’t help but say, "This is so strange. Something feels off about this rain."

"Did you see any phenomena in the sky?" asked Fang Chen casually.

"I saw some, but then it disappeared. I don't know if it was my eyes playing tricks on me, though. But something feels strange about this rain.”

"This is a result of the birth of a Spiritual Marrow, which transformed into rain," explained Fang Chen.

Spiritual Marrow? Li Daoye’s eyes showed a hint of confusion. "What’s a Spiritual Marrow?" It was clear that despite Li Daoye’s status and background, he was still yet not qualified to come into contact with the information regarding Spiritual Marrows.

"It’s something beneficial to you. However, there may be a large number of cultivators flocking to Grand Xia very soon. You must be prepared. Perhaps even cultivators from your Eight Trigram Sect might come."

Hearing that, Li Daoye quickly asked for more details. When he learned about the origin of the Spiritual Marrow from Fang Chen, he was both surprised and delighted. "So, because of this rain, my talent has improved? Haha, Young Master Fang, my decision to stay here was indeed correct. I never expected Grand Xia to be so extraordinary that it could nurture a spiritual object! It seems that many years ago, this place was not some ordinary land. It must have produced cultivators before." His expression changed as he continued. "With such phenomena appearing, cultivators of exceptional strength will undoubtedly sense it. Perhaps among the sects that come, some will be even stronger than the Southern Heavenly Sect! With their presence, the Spirit Blood Sect's cultivator will certainly not dare to act recklessly."

Fang Chen sighed lightly. "That’s the problem. If he doesn't make a move, no one will know that he has already arrived."

Li Daoye was, on the other hand, excited. "Just think about it. By the time he’s here, many people in Grand Xia would’ve entered immortal sects, and if those immortal sects had Golden Core Realm experts in their ranks, then the Spirit Blood Sect will be completely intimidated. They wouldn’t dare attack Grand Xia again. This is better than you killing them...”

"That's a valid point. We shall wait and see." Fang Chen nodded lightly. He had originally intended to impart the Purple Qi Manual to Fairy Yu, but due to these unexpected developments, he had changed his mind.

If a cultivator from an immortal sect took a liking to Fairy Yu and found out that she cultivated the Purple Qi Manual, it could inevitably lead to complications, especially if the Southern Heavenly Sect became aware of it. That would most definitely lead to a whole other pile of trouble.

In the following days, rumors about the mystical rain spread like wildfire inside and outside the empire. Ancestor Xia Yu and his companions had no intention of leaving Grand Xia. They decided to stay and await the arrival of the cultivators from the sects.

During the next few days, Fang Chen continued to inscribe talismans. When he ran out of spiritual materials, he would craft ordinary low-grade Purple Lightning Talismans instead.

And so, time passed, and approximately ten days later, as Fang Chen had just finished inscribing a low-grade Purple Thunder Talisman, he noticed that the spiritual energy from the surroundings started to constantly pour into him.

In an instant, his sixth immortal vein was condensed, and majestic spiritual energy surged and circulated within his six immortal veins. The speed of his cultivation was exceptionally fast.

Ancestor Xia Yu had sought immortality for many years, and it was only when he was over a hundred years old that he was able to reach the eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. In comparison, Fang Chen, who had only just stepped into the immortal path recently, had achieved what Ancestor Xia Yu did in less than two months.

However, it had to be noted that Fang Chen’s exceptional cultivation speed was not due to some extraordinary talent, but rather stemmed from his rich and powerful divine soul. Perhaps, one day, when his divine soul was no longer outstanding compared to others of the same level, his cultivation speed would slow down significantly.

*

At the city gate.

An old man strolled through the capital city gates at a leisurely pace. He had no hair on his head save for a few sparse strands of white hair that swayed with the wind. One could tell that he was old based on his withered, wrinkled face, as well his nearly toothless mouth. His whole appearance spelled old.

As he strolled down the street, nearly all people avoided him. No one wanted to accidentally nudge the old man and cause him to fall, that was how feeble he appeared.

A seven or eight-year-old child walked up, offering support to the old man. "Your legs don't seem too well, Grandpa. Why not let me help you?" said the child.

The old man flashed the child a toothless grin, his eyes shining with kindness. "What a good child."

"Where are you going, Grandpa?"

"Oh, I don't know where I'm going. I just came to take a look around." The old man chuckled, then, as he was about to speak again, he suddenly turned to look in the direction of the city gate. His movements were swift, in stark contrast to his elderly appearance, but the child did not notice this.

Back at the city gate, various figures suddenly flocked into the city, which the people near its vicinity were surprised to see. Each of these individuals had a unique, otherworldly aura to them.

"Who would have thought that a place like this could nurture a Spiritual Marrow? What a pity, what a pity."

"What’s there to regret? The Spiritual Marrow is not something you and I can hog. Since it has benefited this place, that's even better. We might be able to recruit one or two exceptionally talented disciples for the sect today."

"I'm telling you, Daoist Ya, Fire Cloud Immortal, don't compete with me for disciples."

"Compete? According to the rules, our Southern Heavenly Sect and Spirit Beast Valley will only be responsible for overseeing the selection."

The one who had just spoken was a middle-aged scholar. Although he wore scholarly robes, there was a faint spiritual energy following him as he walked, a sign that only appeared after one reached the Foundation Building Realm. However, ordinary people, or rather, those with a weak divine soul, wouldn’t be able to perceive it.

"Elder Jin Nan, in this case, you should act fairly. Back in the Flame Empire, almost all the good seedlings were taken by you. We hardly got any," someone voiced out their grievance, frowning.

Before Elder Jin Nan could say anything, another woman, who appeared cold and was dressed like an ordinary peasant, offhandedly said, "Our Beast Spirit Valley and the Southern Heavenly Sect have always acted fairly. The seedlings will be divided equally between the north and the south this time."

Those in the group nodded slightly.

"Equal distribution is fine."

Elder Jin Nan suddenly said, "It seems that there are disciples of my Southern Heavenly Sect here."

Everyone was slightly surprised.

The next moment, they saw Ancestor Xia Yu and his two companions running toward them from a distance.

Arriving before the group, the three of them greeted Elder Jin Nan respectfully.

"Were you all here when the Spiritual Marrow matured?" asked Elder Jin Nan, a smile on his face.

"Yes."

"Very well." Elder Jin Nan nodded, seemingly pleased.

The surrounding cultivators looked at Elder Jin Nan with envy. Who would've thought that three disciples from the Southern Heavenly Sect had been present to benefit from the Spiritual Marrow.

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