26: Zhuang Yu's invitation, Li Yi's orders, and a secret.

"It seems I have disturbed you, Junior Brother Jiang," Zhuang Yu apologized with a smile and a cupped-fist salute.

Jiang Yan scratched his head awkwardly. "No, it's fine. I thought it was them."

Jiang Yan did indeed think it was Zhu Qi and the others; otherwise, he wouldn't have opened the door while cursing.

"Junior Brother Jiang, I have come with a presumptuous request. I hope you can grant it," Zhuang Yu said kindly.

Hearing that Zhuang Yu had a request and wanted him to satisfy it, Jiang Yan's expression turned a bit strange, but he still asked respectfully:

"Please speak, Senior Brother Zhuang. If it's something I can do, I will certainly try my best. If I cannot, I hope you won't blame me."

"Please have a match with me," Zhuang Yu said with a serious expression.

Huh?

Hearing this, Jiang Yan's expression froze slightly.

'What kind of idea is this?'

'Do I really have a face that just begs to be beaten?'

'Big brother, don't mess around. If I actually fight, won't your family Elders slice me up for research?'

Jiang Yan complained inwardly, but kept a smile on his face. "Senior Brother Zhuang, if you feel that I deserve a beating, just give me a couple of punches. I absolutely won't fight back."

He couldn't afford to provoke these third-generation immortals, so he might as well play the rogue.

"Junior Brother Jiang, you misunderstand," Zhuang Yu hurried to explain. "I know you are very strong. Although I don't know why you are holding back against us, I can see that when you fought Ouyang Feng and Yu Xian, you deliberately held back and surrendered. Therefore, I want to have a fair match with you."

Jiang Yan rolled his eyes internally. It was fine to listen to those words, but as for doing it... Heh, he was afraid of death!

"Senior Brother Zhuang, you really think too highly of me." Jiang Yan scratched his head awkwardly. "To tell you the truth, that was all an act just to maintain the vibe of being a mysterious expert."

Zhuang Yu didn't believe Jiang Yan's words at all. Others might not see any issues, but he was very certain that Jiang Yan's strength was at least similar to his own, perhaps even higher.

"Junior Brother Jiang, if you won't spar with me, then I will report that you and your Revered Master set up a scam to cheat the Elders out of their Spirit Stones!" Zhuang Yu said seriously.

Huh?

'What's going on?'

'When did he...?'

Holy crap!

Jiang Yan reacted instantly. He finally knew why Li Yi had him take fourth place!

While Jiang Yan was hesitating, Zhuang Yu spoke again. "Junior Brother Jiang, I promise that if you fight a fair battle with me, I will take this secret to the grave."

"Fine, I agree. When and where?" Jiang Yan asked.

"Tonight at the fourth quarter of the Chou hour, at the Hua Ling Peak martial arts arena!" Zhuang Yu said.

Hearing that it was two in the morning, Jiang Yan immediately agreed.

In his view, as long as no one saw it, everything was fine.

Seeing Jiang Yan agree, Zhuang Yu immediately took out a token and handed it to him. "This is a token for Hua Ling Peak. Just press the token against the white jade pillar of the Formation, and you can enter the arena."

'That amazing?'

Jiang Yan curiously took the token. Finding that it was neither metal nor wood, but seemed to be a kind of jade, he tucked it away.

Watching Zhuang Yu leave, Jiang Yan lost the mood to sleep. He might as well go to Spirit Beast Peak to get some answers.

Inside the Animal Rearing Chamber, Li Yi was playing with the token Jiang Yan had handed over.

He hadn't expected that he would actually be blackmailed by a Disciple.

Li Yi threw the token back to Jiang Yan. "When you go, beat him within an inch of his life for me."

Huh?

Jiang Yan looked bewildered, thinking he was hallucinating.

"Do you know what an immortal Cultivator is least afraid of?" Li Yi asked Jiang Yan.

How could Jiang Yan know such things? He was just a little rookie who had just entered the immortal Sect and hadn't even eaten many grains of rice yet.

"Remember, what a Cultivator fears least is a threat!" Li Yi looked out at the night sky, his tone flat. "If anyone dares to threaten you, you deal with them ruthlessly until they no longer have the ability to threaten you!"

"No, Revered Master, your meaning is..." Jiang Yan made a throat-slitting gesture.

"His isn't quite a threat; he's just coercing you into a spar," Li Yi corrected, then pointed to himself. "If one day someone uses me to threaten you, remember this: even if I die, do not let yourself be threatened by them. Because we Cultivators must repay every grudge! Only when your heart and mind are clear can your path to immortality be unobstructed!"

Jiang Yan agreed with these words, but what he found strange was that his Revered Master actually used himself as an example, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Alright, scram back to Cultivate. I'll be waiting for your good news." Li Yi waved his hand, directly shooing him away.

Leaving Spirit Beast Peak, Jiang Yan did not return to Outer Sect Disciple Peak, but instead went to the Zayou Place.

The Zayou Place was very lively at this time.

Steward Pang hadn't celebrated since reaching the Qi Refining First Layer.

One must know that he had worked hard for forty-two years before stepping into the Qi Refining Realm. This feeling of bitterness ending and sweetness beginning was something ordinary people wouldn't understand.

Zhu Gan smilingly brought over two plates of food. These were his best side dishes and the craft he took pride in.

The other four Menial Servants respectively brought out treasured fine wine or snacks.

Just as everyone was preparing to drink to their heart's content, Jiang Yan's voice rang out.

"Oh, did I arrive just in time?"

Seeing it was Jiang Yan, Steward Pang and the others hurried to cup their fists. "Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang."

"Alright, there's no 'Senior Brother Jiang' here." Jiang Yan waved his hand and came to the table with a smile. "What's the occasion?"

"I've just stepped into the Qi Refining Realm, so I wanted to celebrate a bit," Steward Pang explained with a smile.

Hearing this, Jiang Yan nodded, then took out three Spirit Stones and handed them to Steward Pang.

"You are..."

Jiang Yan interrupted, "This is a token of my regard. I hope we can meet on the Outer Sect Disciple Peak next year."

Steward Pang was a shrewd man; how could he not understand Jiang Yan's meaning?

"Fine, I will work hard." Steward Pang accepted the Spirit Stones.

"Alright, don't just stand there. Eat and drink up," Jiang Yan said to everyone.

After three rounds of wine and several courses of food.

Jiang Yan and Steward Pang sat at the entrance of the Zayou Place. They were originally just chatting casually, but the conversation eventually drifted toward secret news.

As an old-timer, Steward Pang knew many secrets.

The secrets regarding Core Formation were what Steward Pang had told Jiang Yan and the others.

"I heard that Murong Xue is going to rely on her own ability to form her core. When I went to clean the Spirit Sword Peak today, several Elders from Hua Ling Peak were there. It looks like they are setting up a Lightning Tribulation Formation," Steward Pang said while looking at the night sky.

Jiang Yan was no stranger to the name Murong Xue; after all, she was a female Cultivator as famous as his Revered Master and one of the few geniuses in the Sect.

"What is this Lightning Tribulation Formation used for?" Jiang Yan asked curiously.

"This Formation can weaken the heavenly lightning. Core Formation is a life-and-death hurdle. If successful, the path of cultivation will be smooth. If one cannot cross this hurdle, a drop in cultivation level is the least of it." Steward Pang sighed, then lowered his voice a bit. "I'm telling you, in my forty-odd years, I've seen over a dozen people undergo Core Formation tribulations. Only one succeeded, and that was by relying on the Fusion of a Golden Core left behind by a great Senior."

"Then all the others who underwent the tribulation died?" Jiang Yan asked.

"No, two of them are still alive, but their cultivation fell to the Foundation Establishment Realm," Steward Pang said.

Hearing that out of a dozen people undergoing the Core Formation tribulation, only two survived, Jiang Yan felt somewhat apprehensive.

Was he afraid?

Of course he was.

He had worked so hard cultivating to save up so many years of Lifespan, only to have it all gone in one Core Formation tribulation. The thought of it felt not worth it.

Suddenly, he had an absurd idea: not to form a core at all and just live out his life in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

If he ran out of Lifespan, he would go hunt some Spirit Beasts. He didn't believe he couldn't live for ten thousand years.

"I'll tell you a secret that very few people know." Steward Pang seemed to have drunk too much. He leaned close to Jiang Yan, his voice almost as low as a mosquito's buzz. "One of our Qingyun Sect's three Old Ancestors has died!"

Hmm?

Jiang Yan's eyes widened, and he asked in shock, "What was their cultivation level?"

"Above Core Formation—the Nascent Soul Realm!" Steward Pang said mysteriously.

Hearing this shocking secret, Jiang Yan even forgot to manage his expression.

He felt that this secret must never come out of his mouth; after all, this was a major matter concerning the survival of the Sect.

"Alright, no more chatting. Another day I'll tell you an even more explosive one that's guaranteed to make your blood boil." Steward Pang waved his hand, his expression extremely lewd.

Jiang Yan was speechless. He knew very well who Steward Pang was talking about; after all, Zhu Gan and the others had told him before.

Bidding farewell to Steward Pang, Jiang Yan glanced at the night sky and then walked toward the direction of Hua Ling Peak.

Regarding the match, he really wanted to learn about Formations. After all, he was currently in a curious phase; he wanted to study anything related to cultivation.

"Halt! Who goes there?"