Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Lechuan's personal motive was to see Fang Qingyuan prosper. To this end, he was even willing to slow down the future development of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect. This was likely Lechuan's way of repaying Fang Qingyuan for the favor of helping him plan for Nascent Soul Formation and subduing Bear Wind.

In the face of such consideration, there wasn't much Fang Qingyuan could do. He could only hope Lechuan would achieve Nascent Soul Formation soon. Only then would he feel he had truly repaid this kindness.

"I've already reached a preliminary agreement with Fire Arts. He'll be responsible for negotiating with the Li Huo Alliance. You are free to make your move in the Far East Territory, but this window of opportunity will only last for the next few years. Once Spirit Wood and the Li Huo Alliance escape their current predicament, if you still haven't secured the Far East Territory, the Li Huo Alliance will surely make their move again."

On the way, Lechuan gave Fang Qingyuan detailed, personal instructions, and Fang Qingyuan nodded repeatedly in understanding.

'The window of opportunity really is just a few years. If not for the death of the Divinity Transformation Cultivator on White Mountain, and the resulting inability of the Nascent Soul Cultivators there to send down their Divine Soul Incarnations, the world below wouldn't have been thrown into such chaos. I never would have gotten such a perfect opportunity to expand.'

As for expanding his territory without the protection of the Great Zhou Academy's enfeoffment, the thought no longer troubled Fang Qingyuan.

'Since I'd chosen to expand, I had to accept the associated risks. You can't have your cake and eat it too. The Qingyuan Sect doesn't have that kind of powerful backing.'

"I understand. I'll get right on it after the trial in Jixia City. In any case, we can no longer be the secluded, peaceful Cultivation Sect we once were."

....

Time flew by, and several months passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, the Qingyuan Sect's development was in full swing. The benefits gained from the war initiated by the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, along with the rewards from when Fang Qingyuan had led the sect members to transport supplies for the Pill Alliance, were only now truly beginning to fuel the sect's growth.

First came the advancements in the disciples' Cultivation Realms. As she had hoped, Jiang Wanqin advanced to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Jiang Tianfang also seized his Foundation Establishment Opportunity and became a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Furthermore, of the forty to fifty Qi Cultivation Disciples who had originally entered the Barbaric Wilderness, four had found their own opportunities for Foundation Establishment. Unfortunately, three of them died in the process, and only a single Female Cultivator succeeded in advancing.

This woman was a descendant of the Mao Family; the former Vice Sect Leader, Mao Cheng, had been her grandfather. Her name was Mao Wenya, and she possessed a top-grade Wood Spirit Root. Having fought side-by-side for several years, she had grown to be quite a favorite of Jiang Wanqin's.

With this, the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Qingyuan Sect, including the two Guest Ministers, had suddenly swelled to eight.

Compared to when the sect was first founded, with Fang Qingyuan as its sole Foundation Establishment Cultivator, this was truly remarkable progress.

Fang Qingyuan arranged for Liu Xun to start gathering intelligence on the sects near the Qingyuan Sect for future use. Meanwhile, he went to the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect to travel with Tu Dai'Er to Jixia City, a Divinity Transformation Power, and participate in this rare, grand event.

After Fang Qingyuan had reported Tu Dai'Er's background to the Nanchu Sect, they had clearly investigated her as well. But since no one had sent any word to Fang Qingyuan in the past few months, it seemed her identity could withstand scrutiny.

Since that was the case, Fang Qingyuan decided not to worry about it. He would simply go through the motions this time, which would be enough to fulfill his obligation to Lechuan.

Xiong Dai'Er could obviously sense Fang Qingyuan's cold attitude, but she didn't seem to mind. In her eyes, he was merely a backdrop to lend her legitimacy; she held no expectation that a cultivator from the White Mountain Territory could be of any real help to her in the upcoming trial.

After Fang Qingyuan and Xiong Dai'Er arrived in Jixia City, they took two superior rooms and quietly awaited the start of the trial. In the few days leading up to it, neither of them left their rooms, and they barely exchanged a word.

「Five days later.」

The Jixia City trial began as scheduled. However, the sheer spectacle of the event astonished even Fang Qingyuan.

Everywhere he looked, there were Golden Core Cultivators. Inside a great hall, they were as numerous as mortals at a crowded market. The bustling throng made Fang Qingyuan feel as if he had been transported back to his childhood, to the lively fairs his parents used to take him to.

Among these Golden Core Cultivators, the guests from the Great Zhou Academy were noble and reserved. Jixia City's own cultivators were cheerful and talkative. Those from the Qi Yun Daoist School were mostly pure and unaffected, while the Confucian Cultivators of Mingyang Mountain were elegant and inwardly refined. The monks and nuns of Nanlin Temple stood as firm and steady as mountain pines, and the cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect were boorish and wild. Cultivators from every corner of the land had their own unique style, and each one was a dragon among men.

"Brother Mengde, you received an invitation too?"

"Fellow Daoist Feihai, since we parted ways in the Outer Sea, it's been fifty years, hasn't it?"

All around Fang Qingyuan, Golden Core Cultivators were busy networking and renewing old acquaintances. Golden Core Cultivators lived long lives, and each was a high-ranking figure in their respective power. With their vast social circles, one could hardly walk a few steps in the great hall without running into someone they knew.

Fang Qingyuan, however, wore a placid expression. He had only recently entered the Golden Core Realm and didn't know many other Golden Core figures. The number of those he knew who could actually attend this trial was even smaller.

For starters, none of the Golden Core Cultivators from the White Mountain Territory could have gotten away. With several factions locked in conflict, it was practically impossible for a Golden Core to slip away unnoticed.

To his surprise, however, Fang Qingyuan did spot a familiar face. This person wasn't from the White Mountain region. Instead, it was the young man named Tu Yuan, whom he had met once long ago in Cliff City when he was still just a Qi Cultivation Cultivator traveling as a merchant.

More than a hundred years later, this direct disciple of Black Wind Valley had, as a matter of course, advanced to the Golden Core Realm. Judging by his aura, however, Tu Yuan had not yet reached the mid-stage.