At that moment, Wang Xiu stood at the center of the grand formation, wielding the immense and vast Divine Beast Power to fortify his body.
I feel incredibly powerful! Beyond measure! Even a Core Formation Great Demon that enters this formation, I'll cut it down for all to see!
What? You want me to leave the formation and fight them one-on-one? Count me out!
After briefly testing the power of the Four Symbols Guardian Demon-Slaying Formation and gaining a new understanding of his overall strength, Wang Xiu put away the array flags.
As for the four Soul Pets, Wang Xiu ordered them to hunt for food in the nearby mountains and forests on their own. Most of the Devil Souls around the Sanqing Immortal Sect were free-roaming spirits that had rarely developed intelligence or aggression. Although the four Soul Pets looked small and adorable, they were genuine Foundation Establishment Stage Great Demon souls. They could effortlessly prey on ordinary beast souls and even lesser demon souls of the Qi Refinement Realm.
"Senior Brother," Jiang Ling'er said, gently stroking her little white rabbit, her eyes brimming with anticipation for the future. "The recruitment conference has ended. What are our plans for tomorrow?"
As long as she didn't have to go to Seeking Dao Peak and listen to her senior brothers' boasting competitions, she would be happy doing anything else.
Wang Xiu sucked in a sharp breath.
The recruitment conference… it's over.
The triumphant smile on his face gradually froze as he shot Jiang Ling'er a particularly mournful look.
I was so happy today, why did you have to bring that up?
These past two days, taking advantage of the recruitment conference, Wang Xiu had truly experienced what it felt like to level up at breakneck speed.
Unfortunately, an event like the recruitment conference was only held by the Sect every three years. On normal days, forget finding a whole group of junior and senior brothers to boast with, it was difficult to even find a few congenial ones to chat with. After all, the disciples of the Sanqing Immortal Sect were notoriously destitute; they were either cultivating or out doing missions down the mountain.
Furthermore, with the reputation of the Divination Sect being what it was, it was hard enough for Wang Xiu to find a disciple from another branch to talk to, let alone drink and boast with them. It was practically impossible.
I could have borne the darkness, had I not seen the light. The recruitment conference! How can I live without you! Alas, it seems I can only return to the dull life of wandering the streets and showing off.
Wang Xiu sighed, looking up at the sky, then patted Jiang Ling'er's head. "Tomorrow, you'll come with me to the Task Hall. We'll pick up a mission, and I'll take you for a look around down the mountain."
A look around down the mountain?
A flash of surprised delight lit up Jiang Ling'er's eyes. She had traveled a long and difficult road with her aunt from the Southern Border all the way to the Central Continent, and she hadn't yet had a chance to experience the local culture!
Jiang Yourong, on the other hand, was fraught with worry. "Xiu, my boy," she said with concern, "Ling'er is only at the Qi Refinement Eighth Heaven. Isn't it a bit too dangerous to take her down the mountain for missions? Please make sure nothing untoward happens."
"Dangerous?" Wang Xiu couldn't help but smile wryly. "At the Jiuli Immortal Sect, are disciples at the Qi Refinement Eighth Heaven afraid to go down the mountain for missions?"
Jiang Yourong was flabbergasted. "What do you mean, afraid to go down the mountain? Who are you looking down on!"
Her soul was practically fuming. "Back in the day, my Jiuli Immortal Sect was on the front lines, subduing demons and exorcising evil!
"Our disciples battled demons and evil spirits from a young age! Take me, for example. I was fighting life-and-death battles with tigers and wolves in the mountains at the age of seven. By ten, I could single-handedly subdue Great Demons and Malicious Ghosts.
"Only by surviving countless battles like that did I become the strongest prodigy of my generation.
"Never mind how arrogant and smug your master is. Before my accident, when that girl came to the Jiuli Immortal Sect, she could only take a beating from me and run away."
[Ding!]
[Detected someone boasting. Congratulations, Host, for gaining Mana +66.]
Whoa! Listening to the System prompt in his mind, Wang Xiu smiled so wide his eyes narrowed to slits.
Awesome! Senior Jiang's remnant soul might not have much combat power, but her boasting is absolutely incredible! It seems if I want to level up quickly in the future, I'll have to figure out how to get Senior Jiang to boast for me!
Just as this thought arose in Wang Xiu's mind, a cold, indifferent voice drifted from the ancestral burial mound on the back mountain, "I was only nine years old when I went to the Jiuli Immortal Sect."
Instantly, the pride on Jiang Yourong's face vanished. She muttered, "Well, I was only sixteen then, not much older than you."
Beside them, the expression on Jiang Ling'er's face grew somewhat subtle.
Good grief. It really feels like the feud between these two elders started back when they were just kids.
"Ahem!" Jiang Yourong's old face reddened slightly as she changed the subject. "Luo Binglan and I both fought demons since we were children, but Ling'er is different. She is the last successor of the Jiuli Immortal Sect. I cannot allow a single thing to go wrong for her."
Wang Xiu replied helplessly, "Don't worry, Senior Jiang. I'm just taking Ling'er for a stroll through the nearby towns. We'll take some simple jobs like reading feng shui or telling fortunes. There won't be any danger."
Reading feng shui? Telling fortunes?
Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment, then her heart swelled with a deep sense of gratitude. "Senior Brother, you don't have to lower yourself and take on simple tasks just to accommodate me."
For a True Disciple of the Sanqing Immortal Sect to help people with feng shui and funerary rites… wouldn't that bring shame upon the Divination Sect?
"Lower myself?" Wang Xiu laughed. "What's there to lower myself about? These are the kinds of tasks I've always taken. Safety first, you know?"
Jiang Ling'er was speechless.
Jiang Yourong was stunned.
Have the disciples of the Sanqing Immortal Sect become this cautious over the past eight hundred years? With this kid Wang Xiu's abilities, if he went all out, even early-stage Core Formation Devil Generals and Ghost Generals would tremble in fear. In a smaller cultivation sect, he'd be powerful enough to serve as an Elder guarding an entire territory. And a being of that caliber is reading feng shui and performing funerary rites? What kind of extravagant Sect is this? How wasteful! Even at its peak, the Sanqing Immortal Sect wouldn't have dared to be so capricious!
At that moment, Jiang Yourong felt keenly that after sleeping for eight hundred years, she had truly fallen out of touch with the times.
***
The light of dawn pierced through the darkness. A new day had arrived. When Wang Xiu opened his eyes, he saw four round, glowing little Soul Pets. After a night of frolicking in the wilderness, they had clearly feasted to their hearts' content. Their bellies were bulging, and the aura they emitted was considerably stronger than when they had first hatched.
When they first hatched, the four little ones' Cultivation Levels had dropped slightly compared to before their nirvanic rebirth, barely reaching the threshold of the Foundation Establishment Stage. But now, after devouring a large number of beast souls, their strength had grown rapidly. They had all touched the threshold of the second level of Foundation Establishment, and their bodies were significantly larger as well.
"Return!"
Recalling the four Soul Pets, Wang Xiu stepped out of his courtyard. Jiang Ling'er was already beautifully dressed, waiting for him outside with eyes full of anticipation.
Going down the mountain with Senior Brother to gain experience… it sounds so wonderful!
"Let's go!"
Summoning the Black Tortoise Mirror, the two of them quickly arrived at the Task Hall.
***
Inside the Task Hall, a smile appeared on Xiao Qingyu's face when she saw Wang Xiu. "Junior Brother Wang Xiu."
However, when her gaze fell upon the girl with a bright smile standing behind him, her own smile slowly faded.