Luo Shang!
The white-robed man who had been hawking information at the immortal gathering!
Why was she here? And wearing the clothes of an outer disciple of the Guiwu Sword Sect?
Just as Yun Ze was feeling puzzled, Luo Shang also reacted, looking at Yun Ze with a shocked expression and exclaiming two words.
"Cousin!"
Cousin?
What was going on?
Before Yun Ze could even process this, Luo Shang pushed through the crowd and came before him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Cousin! Is it really you, cousin!"
Yun Ze's lips twitched. He seemed to understand something and could only nod, forcing out a few pretend tears. "It's me, cousin! Cousin, you... why are you here?"
"Hey!"
An outer disciple in the surrounding crowd spoke up. "Is this the time to chat about family matters? Post the mission first, then you can talk about your own things!"
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
Luo Shang wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and turned to continue posting the mission. Even so, she couldn't help but glance back at Yun Ze. "Cousin, wait for your cousin for a moment. I'll be done here soon."
"Sister, no rush."
This was too strange!
Yun Ze watched Luo Shang's retreating back, his mind filled with questions.
If the Immortal Mansion had sent someone to secretly infiltrate the Guiwu Sword Sect to meet him, it would have been understandable. After all, the Immortal Mansion was known for its vast powers.
But now, Luo Shang had directly become an outer disciple, and her identity was his cousin.
This was too bizarre, wasn't it?
If she was his cousin, then she must be an outer disciple of the same cohort as him. However, Yun Ze clearly hadn't seen Luo Shang during the test last time.
Even if there were people from the Immortal Mansion within the Guiwu Sword Sect who could arrange all this, but... what was this cousin-cousin relationship all about? Could it withstand scrutiny?
Yun Ze was full of doubts but couldn't speak up to ask at the moment.
He watched as Luo Shang quickly finished posting the missions and then moved through the crowd to his side again.
"Let's go, cousin, let's have a good chat!"
Luo Shang led Yun Ze out of the Mission Hall.
Since everyone was busy looking at the newly posted missions, the two of them didn't attract much attention.
Luo Shang, familiar with the surroundings, found a secluded spot, glanced around, and then asked Yun Ze, "Didn't I tell you to come at noon? Why are you here early?"
"Scouting the area, afraid I wouldn't be able to escape if I was discovered later."
Yun Ze said casually, his eyes full of curiosity as he looked at Luo Shang. "Sister Shang, you..."
"Hey! Don't call me Sister Shang, you have to call me Sister Shan, Yun Wei Shan."
"Yun Wei Shan?"
Yun Ze frowned. He had never heard this name before.
"Mm."
Luo Shang replied matter-of-factly and continued to explain, "Yun Wei Shan, your distant cousin, is a wealthy young lady from Qishan Prefecture in the Tangshan Dynasty. Her family came to Hanshan Village thirteen years ago to find you. They originally wanted you to return to your ancestral home and not wander outside, but your father was unwilling to live under someone else's roof, so he refused.
You were young then and didn't remember much.
Afterward, the Yun family returned to Qishan Prefecture. A month ago, a Grand Elder of the Guiwu Sword Sect discovered Yun Wei Shan's extraordinary talent while undergoing worldly trials and took her as a disciple, bringing her back to the sect. Coincidentally, an outer disciple had unfortunately passed away, and to reach the auspicious number of ninety-nine, Yun Wei Shan became an outer disciple.
Relying on that Elder's connections, she was assigned to the Mission Hall as a dispatcher. Today, while changing missions, she coincidentally met her distant cousin.
This is the whole story. Do you remember it clearly?"
Yun Ze nodded silently.
"That's good."
Luo Shang replied and casually grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket, starting to crack them open.
"Sister Shan, you are..."
"Oh, a young lady from a wealthy family, she's a bit chatty and likes to eat snacks. I'm just trying to blend in better with the mission."
Luo Shang, while cracking seeds, also took out a handful and stuffed them into Yun Ze's hand. "Come, let's talk while we eat. Have you had any gains recently?"
Yun Ze looked at the sunflower seeds in his hand, having no appetite for them. He just held them and told Luo Shang everything that had happened recently.
Of course, he didn't include his deal with Wei Lanshu.
He also glossed over the method of dispelling the black mist, saying it was due to his own fortuitous encounters.
"This is the pill he gave me."
Yun Ze handed the jade bottle to Luo Shang. "I don't know if it can be considered evidence."
"If this is all there is, then it's not enough."
Luo Shang took the jade bottle, carefully put it away, and then frowned. "If what you say is true, then there's a big problem with the Guiwu Sword Sect.
Arresting Chen Xiao alone now would be like alerting the enemy, which is not conducive to future actions. We should observe for now.
I will send this pill back to the Immortal Mansion, where it will be examined by specialists. It will take at least five days to get the results.
As for the mission you mentioned... it's not convenient for you to get involved. I will start contacting Su Linger and ensure her safety."
"Don't tell her?" Yun Ze asked.
"No."
Luo Shang replied calmly, looking at Yun Ze with a serious expression. "Little Yun, don't underestimate people.
We don't know Su Linger. Although she's a test subject, it doesn't mean she's clean. Do you understand?"
"...That's true. It's better to be cautious."
The current situation was like dancing on the tip of a knife. A single misstep could lead to eternal damnation, so they had to be extremely careful!
"Leave this matter to me. You continue preparing for the mission Chen Xiao gave you."
Seeing that Yun Ze wasn't eating, Luo Shang took back the handful of sunflower seeds she had given him and stood up to leave. "Do you have anything else? If not, I'll go back to work. If what you say is true, I suspect there are people from their side in the Mission Hall.
Perhaps I can find some clues there."
"Yes!"
Yun Ze also stood up and looked at Luo Shang. "Sister Shan, do you know a person named Xiao Hanshi?"
"I thought you wouldn't ask."
Luo Shang casually took out two cloth bags and handed them directly to Yun Ze. "Here, this contains your salary for three months, and the information you wanted."
Yun Ze took the cloth bags but looked a bit confused. "This information..."
"The other party gave it."
Luo Shang knew what he wanted to ask. "The other party said that if you asked, he would give it to you. If you didn't ask, he would keep it. It's not that I deliberately hid it from you."
"He collected it?" Yun Ze took the cloth bag and asked with some surprise.
"Not entirely. It's information collected through the Immortal Mansion. He was just responsible for giving orders and organizing it."
That's right. Yu Xian was such a lazy fish, how could he possibly collect these things himself? It was already a lot for him to ask someone for help.
"By the way."
Luo Shang spoke again. "I'll come to have dinner with you tonight and meet Su Linger, the one you mentioned. Don't run around."
"I won't."
Yun Ze put the cloth bags into his Qiankun Bag. "Then I'll go back to cultivation."
"Hey, wait! We've finished discussing official matters, there's still a private matter."
"Private matter?"
"Yes."
Luo Shang took out another cloth bag and handed it to Yun Ze. "This was also given to you by the other party. He said that if you wanted to know about Xiao Hanshi, he would give it to you after we finished discussing official matters."
Yun Ze couldn't help but laugh and cry.
Another test?
How much did Brother Yu like to play these games!
"What's inside?" Yun Ze took the third cloth bag, curiosity piqued.
"How should I know? Why don't you open it and see?"
Luo Shang said this, her neck already stretching out, wishing she could dive into the cloth bag and see what was inside.
Yun Ze didn't keep Luo Shang in suspense and casually untied the third cloth bag.
Inside, there was only a pill and a piece of paper.
"Foundation Establishment Pill!?"
Luo Shang exclaimed, her gaze towards Yun Ze instantly changing. "Little Yun, tell me honestly, are you surnamed Yu or Yun?"
"...Brother Yu and I are really just ordinary brothers!"
Yun Ze complained helplessly, quickly put away the Foundation Establishment Pill, and then took out the piece of paper.
It only had one sentence written on it.
'The Foundation Establishment Pill is for you first. If you can't wait, you can establish your foundation first. If you are willing to wait, tell me after you reach the fifth realm of Qi Sea.'
Well, this was probably another test.
Yu Ge wanted to see if he had the determination to attempt the Dao of Earth Foundation Establishment.
Yun Ze put the paper back into the cloth bag and looked up at Luo Shang again. "Sister Shan, tell Brother Yu that I'm already close to the seventh realm of Qi Sea and ask him to hurry up and think about how to collect the materials."
"Close to the seventh realm?"
Luo Shang's expression changed. "Little Yun, what's your Qi Sea multiplier now?"
"Forty-three times, why?"
"You absolutely cannot increase it further!"
"Huh?"
Yun Ze was stunned. "Why?"
"The Heavenly Rankings!"
Luo Shang frowned and said, "You are not yet strong enough, and you are just an outer disciple of the Guiwu Sword Sect. If you get on the Heavenly Rankings..."
"Wait, Sister Shang, what is this Heavenly Rankings?"
"You don't know?"
"No."
"Alright, I'll tell you about this first."
Luo Shang squatted down again and grabbed another handful of sunflower seeds to crack.
With her practiced movements, Yun Ze would never believe that she didn't genuinely like cracking sunflower seeds.
"The Heavenly Rankings are the natal spirit artifacts of the Old Man of Destiny. There are nine rankings in total, recording the prodigies or powerhouses above the five realms of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul for the first five rankings. The middle four rankings record various rare spirit artifacts, spirit materials, cultivation techniques, and spirit beasts.
The Qi Refining Ranking does not consider combat power, only the realm of the Qi Sea. There are ninety-nine people on the list. After reaching Foundation Establishment, they are removed from the list. Currently, the last person on the list has just reached the seventh realm of Qi Sea.
Given your age, if you reach the seventh realm in a short period, you might push this person's name off the list, which could cause some trouble."
"Old Man of Destiny..."
This was the second time Yun Ze had heard this name.
The last time was from Granny Li, who said that it was this person who guided Wei Lanshu to the Guiwu Sword Sect.
"Don't worry about the Old Man of Destiny for now. Did you hear what I said?"
Luo Shang stared into Yun Ze's eyes and said word by word, "Little Yun, don't increase your Qi Sea any further. You have no backing. If you continue to increase it..."
"What will happen if I increase it further?"
"...Do you know why that person is a legend in the Immortal Mansion?" Luo Shang hesitated for a moment and then shifted the topic.
Yun Ze shook his head. He had wanted to know before, but Ji Ge and the others wouldn't say.
"He was also on the Qi Refining Ranking. At the mid-stage of the seventh realm of Qi Sea, he was ranked in the top ten of the Qi Refining Ranking. At that time, he wasn't as lazy as he is now, but was wholeheartedly maintaining the order of the Nine Heavens, never slacking off for a day.
Just as he was receiving much attention, he mysteriously disappeared for three years, and the ninety-eight other people on the same ranking also disappeared with him!
During this period, the prodigies on the Qi Refining Ranking died continuously until more than eighty percent were dead. It only ended when even those who reached the fourth realm of Qi Sea could get on the list!
After three years, only twenty-odd people remained on the list, but not on the Qi Refining Ranking, but on the Foundation Establishment Ranking!"
"And the reason he is a legend is because, in his first stop after reaching Foundation Establishment, he single-handedly killed a Golden Core expert!"
"Foundation Establishment killing Golden Core!?"
Yun Ze exclaimed in surprise!
"It was a newly promoted Golden Core, and he was already in the late stage of Foundation Establishment at that time."
Luo Shang corrected him. "However, it was still crossing two major realms, otherwise, he wouldn't be called a legend.
But that's not important, what's important is...
This kind of thing happens once every hundred years. Although various forces know about it, they still continuously cultivate their own prodigies, using resources to push their Qi Sea to above the seventh realm.
It's almost been a hundred years now. With my authority, I don't know the specific secrets involved."
As Yun Ze was frowning, Luo Shang placed a hand on his shoulder. "Little Yun."
"I can only say this much. If you still want to expand your Qi Sea, I won't stop you, but you must be prepared."
"Be prepared... to burn your bridges!"