The people inside the main hall also saw Song Changsheng, and their eyes betrayed their surprise, leaving Song Changsheng feeling somewhat bewildered. Driven by curiosity, he found a seat and waited for the arrival of Song Xianyun.
Once seated, Song Changsheng overheard them discussing him
"Who is this young man?"
"I have some impression of him; is he perhaps the Fifth Elder's son?"
"That Dao Foundation seed, Song Changsheng? Could he be the one acting with us this time?"
"That can't be right. Although he is exceptionally gifted, surely he hasn't condensed a Dao Foundation this quickly?"
"Why are we overthinking it? We'll know once Uncle Twenty-One arrives."
"Right, right, right."
The discussion came to an abrupt halt. Although Song Changsheng heard everything, he was even more confused. It seemed they were gathered here to complete some kind of mission.
Song Changsheng felt puzzled and frowned in thought: "These people all have Great Circle Qi Refinement cultivation, and they look to be in their thirties or forties. From what they said, they should all have successfully condensed a Dao Foundation, as have I. In our clan, anyone who condenses a Dao Foundation before the age of sixty is a key target for cultivation. Just what kind of mission requires the five of us to act together?"
He truly could not fathom what kind of Qi Refinement mission would require five Great Circle cultivators who had already condensed a Dao Foundation to act together. Wouldn't that be like using a cattle butcher's knife to kill a chicken?
If it were a Foundation Establishment mission, it would be even more absurd. Five people together might be able to contend with a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but there was absolutely no necessity. It wasn't as if the clan lacked Foundation Establishment cultivators; why send them out to be cannon fodder?
To put it bluntly, if all five of them were wiped out, it would be no less than the loss of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to the clan.
After thinking it over without finding an answer, Song Changsheng could only sit in his seat and wait quietly for the arrival of the First Elder.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Song Xianyun walked in with a steady, measured gait.
The others hurriedly stood up to salute him.
Song Xianyun smiled warmly and waved his hand. "No need for formalities. Please, sit."
After everyone sat down, Song Xianyun stroked his beard and said, "You are all the outstanding talents of our clan. I won't waste words; the clan has an important mission to entrust to you this time."
The group exchanged glances. A lean middle-aged man stood up and said excitedly, "Uncle Twenty-One, is the Wutong Secret Realm about to open?"
Song Changsheng's heart stirred, and his previous doubts were instantly swept away. If the "Wutong Secret Realm" was about to open, everything could be explained. Calculating the time, it was indeed about that time.
At this thought, Song Changsheng's heart grew fervent.
"Correct," Song Xianyun nodded, confirming their guess.
Joy immediately appeared on everyone's faces. If they weren't mindful of their status, they would have jumped up in excitement.
Song Changsheng was also quite unusual; he had heard his mother mention the "Wutong Secret Realm" when he was a child.
It was said that four hundred years ago, the ancestor Song Taiyi had accidentally discovered an otherworldly space filled with abundant vitality and vast fields of spiritual herbs.
After being developed, it became a small secret realm for the clan to train disciples and cultivate spiritual herbs, providing the clan with countless low-grade spiritual herbs for hundreds of years.
A large part of the reason the clan was able to develop so quickly in its early stages was due to this small secret realm. Later, as the clan declined, the secret realm became the target of their nemesis, the Blazing Sun Sect.
To protect the realm, the clan had to join forces with the other five families in Lingzhou to contend against the Blazing Sun Sect, the price being that the six families would share the secret realm equally.
As the six families explored together, the speed of development increased significantly. During this process, they discovered a strange cave.
That cave actually contained thousand-year-old stalactites that produced [Stalactite Spiritual Liquid] at regular intervals. This liquid was extraordinary; it could increase the chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment by twenty percent.
Such a great opportunity led to a fierce battle among the six factions, resulting in mutual losses, and they eventually had to sit down and negotiate.
The result of the meeting was to change the secret realm to open once every ten years, during which time no one was allowed to enter, otherwise they would be attacked by the group.
The reasons for doing this were twofold: first, to allow time for the spiritual herbs to grow, creating a virtuous cycle within the realm.
Second, it was because this [Stalactite Spiritual Liquid] required ten years to accumulate enough for a Great Circle Qi Refinement cultivator to break through. If it were still opened every year, the liquid would surely be taken before much could accumulate, which would be bad for everyone.
Thus, it was opened once every ten years, and the six families sent Qi Refinement disciples to compete fairly; whoever obtained it, owned it.
Since the [Stalactite Spiritual Liquid] was difficult to preserve and had to be consumed immediately upon extraction, everyone tacitly sent disciples who had condensed a Dao Foundation into the secret realm to compete.
This was the reason they were gathered together; they were all the most promising candidates in the clan to break through to Foundation Establishment, so they naturally had to take a chance.
The candidates had originally been decided long ago, but Song Changsheng had emerged as a dark horse just in time. Thus, according to the clan rule of "the capable rise and the mediocre fall," he directly replaced one of the original members.
That was why the other four were so surprised to see Song Changsheng; after all, no one expected this dark horse to be so young.
Only after seeing the excitement subside did Song Xianyun speak slowly, "The secret realm will open in one month. Go and prepare yourselves, and gather here at the appointed time. Remember, the entrance to the secret realm is protected by restrictions; nothing exceeding the first rank may be carried. Violators will be heavily punished."
"We obey!"
The group departed one after another. Song Changsheng was also preparing to get ready when Song Xianyun called him back.
"Grandpa Twenty-One, do you have any other instructions?" Song Changsheng asked in confusion.
Song Xianyun pulled him down to sit and said with a smile, "None of us expected you to condense a Dao Foundation so quickly. I wonder, what kind of Dao Foundation have you condensed?"
"To answer your question, it is the [Water-Fire Dao Foundation]."
Song Changsheng still chose to hide the truth. After all, a Great Dao Dao Foundation was extremely rare; once the news leaked, he would surely become a target for everyone.
Furthermore, it would be difficult to explain how he had condensed it, so it was better not to tell the truth.
"Good, good, good. I truly did not misjudge you." Song Xianyun said "good" three times in excitement. After all, condensing an elemental Dao Foundation also required an extremely high threshold.
Among the four people just now, they all had non-attribute Dao Foundations, which was why Song Xianyun appeared so excited.
Seeing this, Song Changsheng laughed inwardly. If he had told the truth, this old man would likely have lost his composure on the spot.
After calming his emotions, Song Xianyun looked at Song Changsheng seriously and said, "Changsheng, let me give you a heads-up. We managed to purchase a total of three Foundation Establishment Pills from the main family last time, but due to certain reasons, we have to wait a few more years for them to be delivered to the clan. The clan is giving you two choices: first, enter the secret realm to compete for the opportunity of Foundation Establishment; or second, wait a few more years, and once the Foundation Establishment Pills arrive, there will certainly be one for you. Entering the secret realm carries certain risks after all. I suggest you wait a few more years; you are still young, there is no rush."
Song Changsheng understood his meaning. Fighting was not prohibited among disciples in the secret realm. Although the families generally practiced restraint, four people had died and two had been crippled over the years.
Song Xianyun was afraid he would be targeted if he went in; it would be safer to lie low for three years and use the Foundation Establishment Pills.
But understanding was one thing, and acting was another. The time for the pills to arrive was uncertain, and he did not want to waste his youth needlessly. What was a little risk on the path to longevity?
He solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Grandson understands your meaning, but grandson still wishes to try. Besides competing for opportunities, I also wish to see the outstanding disciples of the other families."
Song Xianyun frowned and finally sighed, "The choice is in your hands. Decide for yourself and go prepare."
"Yes!"
——————
After returning to his courtyard, Song Changsheng took out a pitch-black lotus pod, which was the one he had harvested earlier; all the lotus seeds on it had been removed.
Although the essence of the [Ink Jade Ghost Lotus] lay in its seeds, the pod itself was an excellent material for refining a "Lotus Throne."
A "Lotus Throne," also known as a "Lotus Seat," was legendarily the seat of the "Buddha." Later, through imitation and improvement, it became a type of magical tool.
The most suitable material for refining it was naturally a lotus, followed by a lotus pod.
Song Changsheng had not decided how to handle this pod until he remembered a special refining method for a "Lotus Throne" from He Yunxuan's weapon-refining inheritance on his way back.
A "Lotus Throne" refined using this method could not only increase cultivation speed and protect the owner's safety but could also serve as a "container."
This was equivalent to a Dantian. When Song Changsheng sat on it to cultivate, he could store his spiritual power within it and retrieve it when needed.
This was a perfect match for Song Changsheng. Whether it was activating the [Lu Wu Bell] or using the formations within his body, it consumed an extreme amount of spiritual power, making him afraid to exert his full strength, lest he run out of energy before long due to his current cultivation level.
With this "Lotus Throne," things would be different. Although it still wouldn't be enough to activate the [Lu Wu Bell], he wouldn't have to be so hesitant when deploying formations, which would be a great help for his future battles in the secret realm.
"There is one month left; it should be enough," Song Changsheng murmured softly, then took out a large pile of materials.
The most important auxiliary material for refining this magical tool was [Void Nether Stone], a material with space attributes. Its most common use was in refining storage tools like Universe Bags or certain special magical tools.
For example, the [Water-Fire Treasure Gourd] in Song Changsheng's hands had a large amount of [Void Nether Stone] added during its refinement, which is why it possessed two independent spaces.
One was used to store wine, and the other was inscribed with an attack formation to face enemies.
Low-grade [Void Nether Stone] was very common and would be added more or less to most magical tools, but high-grade ones were different; they were often controlled by large powers and were hard to find on the market.
The "Lotus Throne" Song Changsheng intended to refine was a top-grade first-rank item, so he would naturally use first-rank [Void Nether Stone]. As long as he could successfully open a space inside the lotus pod, the refinement of this "Lotus Throne" would be more than halfway successful.
...
(End of Chapter)