Yellow Court Daoist

"White Crane!"

"Such a mighty White Crane!"

"It's the Qingyu Immortal! This is the Qingyu Immortal's mount, a Third-rank Spirit Bird!"

The crowd gazed upon the White Crane, and then at the female cultivator on its back, holding their breath, not daring to offend.

"Qingyu Immortal."

Seeing the newcomer, Wang Yuan greeted her with a smile, respectfully clasping his hands and bowing to Lu Qingyu. Although his cultivation was far superior to Lu Qingyu's, she was the beloved younger sister of Lu Qingfeng, so Wang Yuan had always been respectful to her.

Even after his advancement to the Foundation Establishment stage, it remained the same.

"Uncle Wang. I'm weary from my cultivation; I was just about to go out for a stroll," Lu Qingyu said with a smile, looking curiously at the twenty-four cultivators behind Wang Yuan, "Who are these—"

"These are the disciples selected by Elder Lu on behalf of our sect to lend a hand at Rain Mountain and boost our numbers. I was about to take them to get settled," replied Wang Yuan.

"Greetings, Qingyu Immortal."

Upon hearing this, the cultivators quickly paid their respects.

"I see."

"Well then, I won't keep Uncle Wang any longer."

Lu Qingyu showed little interest in this, waved her hands to Wang Yuan, nodded with a smile to the other cultivators, then mounted the White Crane and soared into the sky.

Through Lu Qingfeng's slaying of Jin Jiuxiao from the Golden Wave Sect and Feng Yun from Demon Extermination Castle, Luoxia Sect's status in the Juyun Mountain Range was firmly established.

With no more threats in the mountains, Lu Qingyu was free to roam and explore while not occupied with her cultivation practice.

As she watched the White Crane disappear into the distance, Lu Qingyu elegantly cruised through the clouds, truly like an immortal.

Of course,

In reality, she was just a junior cultivator in the True Qi Realm, and although her appearance wasn't poor, in the Cultivation World, there is no shortage of beauties and she was barely noticed.

It was only because of the White Crane and being the younger sister of Elder Lu from Rain Mountain that she had this halo of attention and was taken for an immortal.

Once she had gone far away,

The crowd snapped back to reality.

"Brother, so that was the Qingyu Immortal, she indeed looked pretty."

A girl with a dark complexion withdrew her gaze, her eyes filled with envy.

Beside her, a robust, dark-skinned young man said softly, "Qingyu Immortal is generous and amiable. She's admired by all the young members of Luoxia Sect, though her beauty is secondary."

Seeing the look in his sister's eyes, the robust young man added, "This opportunity is rare. As long as we can stay on Rain Mountain, or even become disciples of Elder Lu, we can learn advanced Alchemy Technique. At that time, even refining a Spirit Pill that can change skin color and erase birthmarks will be easy."

"Heh heh."

"If Elder Lu knew that you're practicing alchemy just to refine such elixirs, he'd probably be so mad he'd kick you out of the sect," the girl teased, with hope rising in her heart but jokingly saying.

"Don't talk nonsense," the robust young man urgently whispered. He carefully looked up at Elder Wang Yuan leading the way ahead, who seemed unaware of their conversation, and then he relaxed.

Speaking carelessly about Elder Lu had its risks, large or small.

It was always inappropriate.

The girl realized she had spoken out of turn and shrank back, leaning closer to her brother. The two stood inconspicuously at the edge of the group, daring not to speak again.

Wang Yuan led the group to a place ahead.

Several buildings had been constructed here, including accommodations as well as Alchemy and Artifact Refining Rooms, just large enough to accommodate thirty to forty cultivators.

Upon arrival, Wang Yuan stopped and declared loudly, "This place shall be your new residence. Elder Lu and Qingyu Immortal enjoy their peace, and their cave dwellings are not far up the mountain. Do not make noise in the mountains to avoid disturbing them."

"Elder Lu will later come here to assign tasks and impart techniques. Learning even a thing or two from Elder Lu will benefit you greatly even if you leave Rain Mountain in the future."

"This opportunity is precious; do not slack off."

Wang Yuan couldn't help but add an extra reminder to the cultivators.

"Yes," the cultivators replied.

Wang Yuan nodded, explained some basic information to them, got them settled, and then headed up the mountain.

After Wang Yuan left,

The minds of the cultivators were still turbulent and couldn't calm down.

Those who were already elite disciples or deacons of Luoxia Sect were accustomed to such things, but among those who came to Rain Mountain this time, half of them were regular disciples who had joined the sect only three to five years ago.

Like the robust young man and the dark-faced girl.

They had heard of Elder Lu soon after entering the sect.

Now, they were about to meet this legendary figure, so excitement was inevitable.

...

In the cave dwelling,

Wang Yuan stood before Lu Qingfeng, reporting, "This batch of disciples, as per the Elder's request, includes six deacons, all at True Qi Ninth Layer. Six elite disciples whose cultivation ranges from True Qi Realm Fourth Level to True Qi Ninth Layer. Twelve ordinary disciples, all of whom have just entered the sect, still only possessing the Fetal Breathing Realm."

Lu Qingfeng stood tall, nodding slightly.

Luoxia Sect worked efficiently and showed the respect they had for him.

There were several considerations for him in taking in people from Luoxia Sect this time.

One was his respect for Yue Lingxi's righteousness; Lu Qingfeng also wished to do something for this venerable elder.

Yue Lingxi's only wish in life was the prosperity of the sect.

For a sect's prosperity, besides the need for powerful experts, Alchemy and Artifact Refining were indispensable.

Thus, within the limits of his ability, Lu Qingfeng intended to cultivate some seeds for Alchemy and Artifact Refining Masters for Luoxia Sect.

Moreover...

This was also Lu Qingfeng's way of repaying the Luoxia Sect before leaving the Juyun Mountain Range.

Secondly.

Although he now had a hundred times more time for cultivation and leisure compared to ordinary people, for cultivators, time was always in short supply.

In reality, alchemy and artifact refining took up considerable energy and caused significant delays.

Hence,

Lu Qingfeng planned to personally mentor a group of disciples. He didn't expect them to have profound achievements in alchemy or artifact refining, but as long as they could handle various refining materials and assist in the process, thereby saving him some time, his efforts would not be in vain.

Especially after the Longevity Trial of the Qingyuan Sword Sect, Lu Qingfeng needed to prepare a vast quantity of elixir pills, talismans, and magic artifacts. If it all depended on him alone, it might be manageable initially, but decades later, with an increase of Qingyuan Sword Sect disciples, he feared all his spare time besides cultivating would be dedicated to these tasks.

This was not cost-effective.

It was better to prepare early and train a batch of alchemists and artifact refiners.

They could refine low-level spirit pills, low-level magic artifacts, and handle preparatory work or fire control when Lu Qingfeng was refining elixirs and artifacts.

This approach would not only save Lu Qingfeng a vast amount of time but would also cultivate a strong core of alchemists and artifact refiners for the Luoxia Sect.

With some luck, one or two promising students could emerge, ensuring that the Luoxia Sect would remain strong in elixirs and magic artifacts, even after Lu Qingfeng's departure.

However, with less than a hundred years, Lu Qingfeng did not even entertain the thought of training fully-fledged alchemists and artifact refiners.

His focus was on mass production while selecting promising talents.

In this way, even without any standout students, cultivating dozens or hundreds of high-level refining apprentices and top-level artifact refining apprentices would save him a significant amount of time.

It would also enhance the foundation of the Luoxia Sect.

Given the Luoxia Sect's current status in the Juyun Mountain Range and Lu Qingfeng's position within the sect,

He no longer had to play it as safe and constrained as before.

He could take bold actions within certain boundaries.

Right now, this was just the first attempt.

If the results were satisfactory, he might even consider going a step further in the future.

But that was a matter for later and not something to be considered at the moment.

"During these two months, while my game character is undergoing reincarnation, and I have some rare leisure time, I'll first select one or two batches of disciples to establish a framework."

"After that, the senior members can lead the new members, and I will provide guidance when I get the chance. The rest of the time, Wang Yuan can take care of things."

Such leisure time over two months was precious.

Lu Qingfeng spent his time in the north of the mountain, imparting various basic alchemy and artifact refining techniques.

Having experienced numerous lifetimes in the game, his proficiency in alchemy and artifact refining had already reached a Fourth-rank; with a bit more intense effort, a breakthrough to Fifth-order was always a possibility.

A Fifth-Order Alchemist and Artifact Master was capable of rivaling a Jiedan True Man without relying on cultivation level, to a certain extent.

It was a highly esteemed position.

Over the years, Lu Qingfeng collected various elixir recipes, elixirs, methods of refining magic artifacts, as well as fundamental books on alchemy and artifact refining, including various techniques and theoretical writings.

During his free time,

He would ponder and study these, sometimes using the Derivation Technique feature to integrate them.

His foundation was now countless times more solid than in his previous lives.

Now, as he began to instruct, he did so with ease, often hitting the nail on the head.

The disciples selected to join Peak Rain Mountain were all quick-witted or had some foundation in handling medicinal herbs and forging.

They knew the opportunity was precious.

Blessed with the classic texts bestowed by Lu Qingfeng, they studied day and night, continuously refining their understanding, boosted by Lu Qingfeng's occasional guidance.

Their progress was remarkably swift.

However, whether in alchemy or artifact refining, theoretical knowledge was only the foundation; actual operation was the true test of skill, not something that could produce results overnight.

It required time and effort.

Lu Qingfeng was in no rush.

He didn't need to enter the game these two months; aside from his regular cultivation, he only had to spare some time for instruction. With his insight, he could discern a person's character and talent in just a few days.

In just half a month,

Disciples came and went from Peak Rain Mountain, and those who remained from the first batch of twenty-four, after half a month, were just half.

With new members continuously joining, their numbers did not decrease but instead increased to thirty-one.

In between cultivation and mentoring disciples.

Lu Qingfeng also had to refine magic artifacts and elixirs, cultivate Iron Fire Ants and spiritual medicines, and set up enchantments and arrays, among other tasks.

Despite the leisure time,

He was, in reality, incredibly busy.

Only at night,

He would enter the game, where time flowed a hundred times faster, and silently recite the Yellow Court Scripture. His in-game body was still immobilized in the Rebirth Pool, but silently reciting the Yellow Court was unhindered.

It had been some years since the Yellow Court Scripture advanced to the Second Layer.

In the game, Lu Qingfeng read it every night; although he occasionally felt enlightened, he was stuck at the Second Layer, uncertain when he would advance to the Third.

Yet the Yellow Court Scripture was of Daoist Ancestor Level, profound and ineffable.

Lu Qingfeng was not fixated, merely reciting it night after night. Believing that with time and accumulation, he would eventually advance to the Third Layer.

When the Yellow Court Scripture progressed to the Second Layer, its various features had also improved.

The Derivation Technique feature that was of greatest benefit to him had even gained an 'Analysis' function, from which Lu Qingfeng greatly profited — not only obtaining many precious elixir recipes and methods of refining magic artifacts but also acquiring the Great Sun Annihilation Divine Light and the Taiyin Calamity Crossing Robe divine skills from the Black Vein Golden Butterfly.

One offensive, one defensive, these greatly enhanced Lu Qingfeng's strength.

Lu Qingfeng was quite looking forward to seeing what changes would occur after the Yellow Court Scripture broke through to the Third Layer.

Time passed.

In two months,

Apart from handling various matters in the Juyun Mountain Range, Lu Qingfeng only occasionally found time to pay attention to the Upper Sun Country and the Longevity Trial.

...