Chapter 21: The Dan of Fixing the Spirit [4000 words, seeking various!]

  "It's... it's you, Duan Yifeng, Second Young Master of the Duan family. You really came." The first to wake up from their surprise was surprisingly Li Lu. She had seen Duan Yifeng before when she went to the Qimiao Pavilion in Luoke Town and hid behind the curtains. She had expected Duan Yifeng to come, but hadn't thought that he would be the first to arrive. Li Lu's emotions were complicated, she was surprised at first, then uncertain, and finally confirmed that it was indeed him.

  "Hey, beautiful, do we know each other? You wouldn't say you've seen me in your dreams, would you? You actually know my name, have I become famous or something? Ah, I didn't even realize it, heh. Duan Yifeng thought for half a day and still couldn't figure out when he had met such a stunning beauty."

  "Haha, this kid is quite interesting, I like him. Li Lu, how do you know this kid?"

  Wu Qingtian thought Duan Yifeng's words were quite interesting and he hadn't been so happy in a long time.

  "Oh, his name is Duan Yifeng, the second young master of Kuangjian Mountain Villa in Luoke Town. Although Kuangjian Mountain Villa is a small and unknown sect, its owner has just entered the Lingyun stage, but this kid's talent isn't bad, he's only 16 years old, I saw him when I went to Luoke Town on business last time." Li Luru said truthfully.

  "Ah, very well, since you're the first to arrive, the reward naturally belongs to you." Wu Qingtian stroked his long white beard and nodded.

  "My first, haha, Liu Ru you can't catch up." Suddenly, Deng Huanzi's voice came from far away.

  "Is that so? You're a bit too early to be happy, Gust. Liu Ru saw that he was about to arrive and suddenly used the Gust technique. He, who was originally not far from Deng Huanzi, actually caught up in an instant, and the two of them arrived at the same time."

  The two of them stopped and caught their breath, just as they were about to rush to say who arrived first. Suddenly, they saw a familiar smiling face beaming with a bright smile facing them.

  "Is it you? How are you here?" Deng Paozi rubbed his eyes, somewhat disbelieving.

  "It's me. I arrived before you guys, so I'm here." Duan Yifeng said calmly, looking back at the crowd that had almost all arrived by now.

  "No way, that's impossible! How could I not have even seen your back? Is there a shortcut?" Liu Ru was completely unbelievable, how could she not have seen the back.

  "Liu Ru, are you stupid? We've been walking in a straight line all along. Do you think there's a shortcut that's much closer than a straight line?" Song Qi Jing looked at Liu Ru as if he was an idiot, thinking of a shortcut, how ridiculous.

  "Yi Feng Lao Da, haha, I thought you were lost! It turns out you're ahead of us!" Han Dong walked over with a smile. Lin Ru and Meng Qian, the two women, also looked at Duan Yi Feng, thinking that this guy was not simple and couldn't understand how he ended up in front of everyone.

  Wu Qingtian walked out at this time, his voice was not loud, but everyone could hear it clearly: "Everyone quiet down, no matter how he arrived, everyone relies on their own abilities. This time, indeed, this Yifeng little friend arrived first, so the reward belongs to him."

  "Thank you, Lord of the Fort, Lord of the Fort is wise, may the Lord of the Fort live for a thousand autumns and ten thousand years!" Duan Yifeng hurriedly fawned, earning many disdainful glances. Li Anzhai directly threw a prepared Lingyun bag at Duan Yifeng, who hastily put it away, as if afraid someone would snatch it from him.

  "What a bumpkin from a remote place!" Many people thought so in their hearts. Li An stood up to introduce some details and rules of the event, but Wu Qing Tian asked him to step down first.

  Wu Qingtian's expression suddenly became very serious, and he said: "First of all, I would like to thank everyone for participating in this Yunyin Secret Realm expedition event held at Hongyanbao. This time, I will explain the situation to everyone first. In the past, it was always necessary to wait until the end of the activity before telling the first place separately. This time, I personally told everyone that my days may not be many, and this time I couldn't get the Ding Shen Dan, I may not be able to wait for another ten years."

  Everyone who heard his words was surprised and did not expect that Wu Bao would tell everyone what he had previously told the first place, and everyone listened quietly.

  "The Qianyuan Dynasty has over a thousand cities, and among them, there are more than 400 cities where cultivators gather. Today, all these 400 cities are holding the Smoke Cloud Secret Realm exploration event." Wu Qingtian informed everyone of this situation. Duan Yifeng was shocked upon hearing it - so many places were holding such an activity! The others were also stunned; what connection could there be between over 400 cities holding events simultaneously?

  Wu Qingtian thought for a moment, then continued: "Inside the Smoke Cloud Secret Realm, there are many spiritual herbs and medicines, even some that are sixth-grade. You will encounter some trouble on your way in, but at the end of the realm, there is a tower. Inside the tower, every time the secret realm opens, there will be a red crystal-like object. Whoever can take out that crystal will be considered first place. The first-place winner will receive the high-grade yellow-rank divine sword reward from Hongyan Fortress and 1,000 spiritual stones."

  Liu Ru, Duan Yifeng, Deng Paozi and all the contestants who heard it secretly whistled, this prize is too rich!

  "And that crystal is the key to opening 'Longyin Abyss', which means that whoever gets the key can enter the mysterious place of this thousand-year-old dynasty. And there, I and other Lingyun generals will need something in the future, that is 'Ding Shen Dan'!" Wu Qingtian's expression was excited when he mentioned Ding Shen Dan, and his eyes even welled up with tears, making this white-haired old man seem to have aged a few years instantly.

  Li Lu and Chen Yun, as well as other Lingyun, heard about the "Ding Shen Dan" and were all moved, as if they also needed this thing.

  "Hmm, Lord, I'd like to ask what is the Ding Shen Dan? Do you need it now? Is it very precious?" Duan Yifeng asked tentatively, feeling that Wu Qingtian was in great need of the Ding Shen Dan.

  "Yes, I only need one, but it's so hard to get. I've been waiting for 60 years already, if I still can't get it, I won't have time to wait anymore, so you will be my last hope."

  Wu Qingtian said, recalling the past: "Sixty years ago, I reached the peak of Lingyun General's realm and set my mind to impact the Lingyun Commander's boundary. However, there is a great risk in impacting the Lingyun Commander, and if it fails, it will be difficult to calm the river of concentration in the dantian. If the river of concentration bursts and one tries to forcibly calm it again, they will inevitably perish. For those who fail to impact, the only chance is the Ding Shen Dan, which is the only thing that can allow those whose rivers of concentration have burst to safely and directly succeed in becoming a Lingyun Commander."

  "Wow, it turns out that the Spirit-Fixing Pill can allow High-Level Lingyun to charge into Lingyun Commander without any risk!"

  "The Ding Shen Dan is indeed something that every Lingyun General yearns for, especially high-ranking Lingyun Generals."

  "What is needed most is still a high-level Lingyun General who has experienced setbacks. It turns out that Wu's main general sixty years ago had also suffered setbacks."

  ……

  All sorts of rumors spread rapidly, and the whole scene was in an uproar. This was something that many Lingyun warriors and Lingyun masters did not know about. It was too shocking, especially the effect of the Ding Shen Dan. In the future, if one were to reach the high-level Lingyun General, wouldn't having a single one of those allow them to enter the Lingyun Marshal without any risk?

  Wu Qingtian raised his hand and pressed down gently, signaling everyone to calm down first. Then, with an excited expression, he continued: "Ever since I failed to break through the Lingyun General's barrier, I've been hosting this once-a-decade expedition to the Yunyin Secret Realm, hoping that whoever obtains the key can bring back a Ding Shen Dan from the 'Long Yin Abyss' for me. However, out of the five people who went before, three were killed, one was severely injured and died shortly after returning, and only the person from the previous session managed to barely survive and return from Long Yin Abyss. According to him, many of those who went in were mid-to-high-level Lingyun Masters, and they ended up killing each other for treasure inside. Many people were killed, and even the Ding Shen Dan he obtained was snatched away by someone else. Everyone knows that a Lingyun General can live up to 200 years, but I'm already 192 years old now... this is my last chance. If I fail again this time... I won't have another opportunity to wait for the next one."

  "Wow, Yi Feng Lao Da is over 190 years old now! This is the oldest person I've ever seen." Han Dong also felt a sense of wonder upon hearing this.

  Duan Yifeng nodded: "Yes, but this old man is also pitiful. He has been waiting for a Ding Shen Dan for 60 years. I must do my best to help him."

  "It's not that easy! This time, it's hard to say whether you can get the key to enter the Dragon's Humming Abyss or not. Moreover, the inside of the Dragon's Humming Abyss is so treacherous, those who have entered are all geniuses representing a city, and I think this is too difficult!" Han Dong felt that it was really too hard, the five people who went before were definitely experts, four of them died, and one returned empty-handed.

  Duan Yifeng listened without comment, he felt that everything was hard to say, and first got the key in hand before speaking.

  Wu Qingtian continued, "This is my last chance, so I'm telling everyone myself. If the person who gets the key in the Yunyin Secret Realm this time can get the Ding Shen Dan for me, I'll give them my divine weapon as a token of gratitude and consider them the greatest benefactor of Hongyan Fortress, and if they need help in the future, I won't hesitate."

  "Master, think thrice about this reward, isn't it too great? Your divine soldiers are already sufficient, aren't they? Those are mid-grade mystic divine soldiers! Master!" Li An hastily stepped forward to dissuade. "What? Mid-grade mystic divine soldier, Han Dong, I...I didn't mishear, did I?" Duan Yifeng was startled by this reward and thought to himself, who knows how many spirit stones this thing is worth, this good stuff is just suitable for me, Duan Yifeng.

  "Yes, I didn't expect Wu to bring out his divine soldiers this time. It seems he's determined to offer a high reward. He even promised to help in the future, this world has gone crazy." Han Dong thought that the divine soldiers would excite all participants, regardless of their cultivation level being high or low.

  "Wu Baozhu, I, Liu Ruding, will definitely exert all my strength to obtain the Ding Shen Dan for you. Please rest assured, Master Wu."

  Lin Ru hummed coldly: "Liu Ru, you'd better get the key first before talking, you're too arrogant. If someone like you goes to Long Yin Quan, it's strange if they don't die. I think I might have a better chance of succeeding."

  Song Qijin calmly said: "That key is what I must get...I don't care about the rest."

  Everyone wants to be like a rooster injected with chicken blood, each and every one of them is spirited and full of confidence.

  "Haha, since you all have this intention, I'm satisfied. I declare that the Swan Goose City's Smoky Mystery Realm expedition is now beginning! Everyone just needs to cover their entire body with Lingyun gas to enter the light curtain. Opportunities and dangers coexist, the key is inside the ancient tower at the deepest part of the mystery realm. Let's set off!" As soon as Wu Qingtian officially announced the start of the mystery realm expedition, suddenly each participant's body was covered with a faint layer of Lingyun gas, some were light while others were thick. The powerful Lingyun masters directly used the Lingyun gas to form a protective shield.

  More than a thousand people rushed in one after another, and as soon as they entered the light screen, they disappeared. Song Qijiang, Deng Huanzi and others also rushed in excitedly.

  "Let's go!" Duan Yifeng took a look at Han Dong and rushed in, Han Dong quickly followed up.

  In a short while, over a thousand participants all entered the light curtain of the cave.

  Wu Qing sighed: "Li An, this time it's my last hope. What divine weapon is just an external object? If I die, what's the point of leaving that thing behind? In the past, I wouldn't have used such a valuable thing as compensation, but now I understand, life is the most important thing. Letting go, letting go, only by letting go can you gain."

  Li An listened and nodded as if he had gained some insight.

  Li Lu smiled and asked: "So, who does Wu Bao Zhu think can get that key this time?"

  "Of course, I still hope that Feng Qi Town's Liu Ru can get a better one. After all, if he has stronger abilities, he will have more opportunities when he goes to Long Yin Quan. However, everything is up to fate! Whoever gets it will go, this is our consistent rule."

  Wu Qingtian thought for a moment, and Chen Yun furrowed his brow, looking thoughtful as he said: "I don't know what kind of connection there is between the Dragon's Humming Abyss and the Misty Cloud Secret Realm. It's said that over 1,000 years ago, both the Dragon's Humming Abyss and the Misty Cloud Secret Realm already existed, and only those who obtain the key from the Misty Cloud Secret Realm can enter. I've heard that in the past, even Lingyun General wanted to enter, but no matter whether he had obtained the key or not, as soon as he entered, he was killed by the outer seal. There was also a Lingyun Marshal who met the same fate... Ah, it's really terrifying."

  "Ah, indeed, over the years, more than half of the people who went in died inside, and many of those who came out obtained some treasures. Every time someone goes in, a batch of Spirit-Stabilizing Pills appears, I heard that 99 pills appear each time, but the location is always different. This is what everyone has concluded over the years, and we've always felt like there's some secret, but no one can figure it out. Alas, 99 pills every time, all obtained by other cities... if we don't get a Lingyun General here soon, I'm afraid... I hope this time will be successful, even just one pill would be good!" Wu Qingtian said, shaking his head, looking even more despondent.

  Li Lu also had a complex look in her eyes: "Our Qí Miào Gé's master is also preparing to break through to the high-level Lingyun General, but fortunately he is only 120 years old. To reach the peak of the high-level Lingyun General will take some time. For now, Wu Baozhu is still the main one. If we can't get the Ding Shen Dan this time, it will be difficult for Wu Baozhu to wait until the next secret realm opens. This Yan Yun Secret Realm only opens once every ten years, and Long Yin Yuan also appears only once every ten years. It seems like someone is intentionally controlling everything. The world is so big, with too many mysterious places that we can't see through or understand. It's really sigh-worthy!"

  "We'll just wait here for them to come out, can only hope that these little guys will bring us a surprise this time." Wu Qingtian said and sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes quietly waiting.