Chapter 12

"Hehe, it's true that I am a mid-stage Qi Cultivator! Otherwise, how could I have seen at a glance that little brother has a spirit vein?" Guan Lao Da naturally wouldn't mention his original plan to casually kill the young man. He smiled and said.

"I didn't expect that I am also a Qi Cultivator," Liu Ming murmured, his expression showing a hint of realization.

"Little brother, do you know that Qi Cultivators are the lowest rank among those with spirit veins? If you can open your Spirit Sea at your age, you might even be able to join a spirit sect and become a Spirit Disciple," Guan Lao Da suddenly revealed a hint of mystery upon seeing this situation.

"Ling Disciple? Spirit Sect?" Liu Ming frowned; these names were naturally the first time he had heard them.

Guan Lao Da smiled slightly. Just as he was about to explain further, the sound of footsteps came from the distant grass, and a thin man carrying a large package walked over.

"Brother Gu, come over quickly and meet this Brother Yang. He has actually cultivated his Primordial Energy without the guidance of a true Qi Cultivator, all on his own," Guan Lao Da waved at Gu Lao San and said with deep meaning.

"Such a thing, that's really great." Gu Lao San walked over in a few steps and couldn't hide his joy upon hearing this.

"Junior pays respects to Senior Gu!" Liu Ming didn't dare to be impolite and bowed slightly.

"Hehe, little brother, no need for such formalities. Brother Gu, I have bought everything I needed. I also know a light body technique; if it were someone else, it would have taken half a day to make this round trip," Gu Lao San waved his hands, showed the package to Guan Lao Da, and said with a hint of pride.

"I knew you could do it, which is why I asked you to go personally. By the way, this isn't a place for conversation. Let's find a secluded spot to talk further," Guan Lao Da nodded and said.

Liu Ming and Gu Lao San naturally had no objections. After tidying up the things, the three of them walked away from the river.

As they passed a nearby mound of fresh earth, Liu Ming's gaze swept over it casually.

An ordinary person wouldn't notice anything unusual, but the young man smelled a faint but unmistakable scent of blood. Despite its faintness, it couldn't escape the notice of someone who had experienced countless bloody battles.

Liu Ming's heart naturally tightened. He knew that whatever was buried there must be related to Guan Lao Da and the others. They were likely not good people, but they were being so friendly to him, which suggested there was something else going on.

An hour later, as the sky began to darken, the three of them appeared in an abandoned earth temple and started a fire to ward off the cold.

Gu Lao San even skinned and gutted a rabbit he had caught on the way and placed it on the fire to roast.

The three of them sat around the fire, and soon the aroma of the roasting meat spread, making everyone's mouths water...

"The so-called Spirit Disciple refers to those with spirit veins who have successfully opened their Spirit Sea through the Spirit Opening Ceremony. Once a person with a spirit vein turns fifteen, their spirit vein will solidify, and they will never be able to open their Spirit Sea again. Therefore, the Spirit Opening Ceremony has a strict age limit. Only those who have opened their Spirit Sea can convert their Primordial Energy into Spirit Power and cast and activate spirit artifacts, becoming the legendary immortals. The Spirit Sects are dedicated to cultivating Spirit Disciples, and ordinary people generally don't know about them. They have a transcendent status in various countries. Some powerful Spirit Sects even have the authority to decide the replacement of a country's court."

"Decide the replacement of a court? The court controls the national army, how could they agree to such a thing?" Liu Ming drew in a sharp breath and couldn't help but ask.

"Hehe, it's all about strength. The people in the Spirit Sects are different from us Qi Cultivators. Even if a Qi Cultivator is powerful, they can only kill more people in the face of an army and will still die. But the Spirit Disciples and Spirit Masters have incredible abilities like summoning heavenly thunder, flames, ghosts, and puppets. They can also fly and burrow into the earth, making it impossible for any army to trap them. On the contrary, the royal family and high officials, once targeted by the Spirit Sects, will only meet their end," Gu Lao San said with a chuckle.

"But to become a Spirit Disciple, one must undergo the Spirit Opening Ceremony of a Spirit Sect. Each ceremony consumes rare and precious spirit medicines accumulated over many years by the sect. Therefore, apart from the spirit vein disciples cultivated by the sect itself who can participate for free, the children of Qi Cultivating families must pay a huge amount of resources to the sect to obtain a spot. Soon, it will be the time for a Spirit Sect in the Great Xuan Kingdom to hold a Spirit Opening Ceremony."

"Is that so!" Liu Ming's eyes flashed with a thoughtful look, but he didn't say anything more.

Seeing this, Gu Lao San couldn't sit still. He turned his eyes and suddenly said in a tempting tone:

"Little brother, do you want to become a member of a Spirit Sect? Once you become a Spirit Disciple, not only will you gain the power to fly and burrow into the earth, but your lifespan will also greatly increase, allowing you to live for over two hundred years without any problems."

"Junior was originally just an ordinary person and only recently found out that I am a spirit vein Qi Cultivator. How could I dare to aspire to such things? Besides, I never believe in falling from the sky," to Gu Lao San's surprise, the young man shook his head and said.

This left Gu Lao San speechless for a moment.

Seeing his companion's anxious look, Guan Lao Da glared at him, pondered for a moment, and then said to the young man:

"Little brother, you should have noticed something. To be honest, we saved you for a reason, but this is indeed a great opportunity for you. If you miss it, you might regret it for the rest of your life. Do you want to hear more?"

"Since both seniors have said so much, I will listen attentively," Liu Ming's face showed no expression, but he slowly agreed.

"The situation is this: we are both servants of the Bai family, a Qi Cultivating family. We were ordered to escort the young master, Bai Congtian, to participate in the Spirit Opening Ceremony held by the Savage Ghost Sect this year..." Guan Lao Da, being a smart person, knew that Liu Ming had already suspected them, so he didn't hide anything and told the entire story and the danger they faced.

"Having no other choice, we thought of a plan to have you replace the young master and participate in the Spirit Opening Ceremony. If you go, not only will we be spared from a deadly disaster, but you will also gain a great opportunity. This kind of opportunity is something many children of noble families can't even dream of. Your encounter might not be as simple as being robbed, but once you become a Spirit Disciple, there will be nothing in the secular world that you can't solve," Guan Lao Da said solemnly.

Liu Ming's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

"Is the Spirit Opening Ceremony very dangerous? What happens if it fails?"

"To gain a great opportunity, one must take some risks. I believe you can pass it. Even if you don't, it's just a matter of staying in the sect for a few years and serving as a laborer," Guan Lao Da said calmly.

The young man's brows furrowed slightly.

He knew the other party wasn't telling the whole truth, but he also knew that pressing the issue would be futile.

Most importantly, he was indeed tempted by the opportunity to participate in the Spirit Opening Ceremony.

After so many years on the Savage Island, the young man had long known that with enough strength, one could do anything they wanted.

And the few things he had always wanted to achieve required immense power.

Moreover, even if he wanted to refuse, the two mid-stage Qi Cultivators in front of him would never agree.

After all, since they had revealed such a secret, his refusal would likely end in death to keep their secret.

After thinking it over several times, Liu Ming finally made up his mind:

"Alright, I will agree to this. But I must be clear: this is definitely very dangerous. After helping you this time, I will have repaid your life-saving grace. Additionally, if I am to go to the Savage Ghost Sect, I hope the two seniors will agree to two conditions."

"As long as little brother is willing to replace the young master and participate in the Spirit Opening Ceremony, we will agree to any conditions," Gu Lao San said, overjoyed.

Guan Lao Da hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

"Seniors know that although I have Primordial Energy in my body, I don't understand any other cultivation techniques of Qi Cultivators. I hope the two seniors can teach me some life-saving techniques on the way. The second condition is that I hope to receive the talisman weapon of the young master. As the young master, his talisman weapon should not be too inferior. This way, if I encounter any problems in the Savage Ghost Sect, I can handle them."

"The first condition is easy. Even if you didn't ask, we would teach you everything we know. As for the second, that talisman weapon is very powerful and might be too difficult for a beginner like you to control," Gu Lao San showed hesitation.

"I am willing to try," Liu Ming didn't back down.

"This..."

"Alright, you can have the talisman weapon," Guan Lao Da, after a moment's hesitation, agreed.

Gu Lao San, though still reluctant, didn't say anything more.

"Alright, it's settled. I will cooperate fully with the two seniors. What is the young master's name? I will be using this name for a while," Liu Ming nodded and asked.

"The young master's name is Bai Congtian. These are the items he used in life. Little brother, take them," Gu Lao San moved his arm, opened the large package he was carrying, and took out a smaller white package.

Liu Ming took the package, opened it, and looked inside.

Inside were several clean sets of clothes, a few small ornaments, and a very noticeable yellow copper ring.

The copper ring had an ancient design, with faint silver patterns on its surface, giving it a heavy feel.

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