Chapter 512 - 343: Huaqing City! Sudden Upheaval! (Part 2)

Chapter 512: Chapter 343: Huaqing City! Sudden Upheaval! (Part 2)

Lu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, the dark blue spiritual power swirling at his fingertips shimmering with fine ripples.

Every line of these ripples faintly aligned with the spiritual power circulation path of the Canglan Celestial Sect’s signature technique, the "Vast Sea Cyan Wave Skill," exuding a profound and mysterious pressure.

"Lift your head."

Lu Xuan’s voice was as chilly as a cold spring, startling the richly dressed young man at the front of the line into a shiver.

The young man shivered slightly, raising his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously up and down.

Lu Xuan pressed his hand, covered in deep blue spiritual light, gently onto the young man’s forehead.

In an instant, a visible ripple of spiritual energy radiated out from the point of contact.

The young man arched his back sharply as powerful spiritual power coursed through his meridians.

After three breaths, Lu Xuan suddenly withdrew his hand.

A faint blue cloud pattern slowly appeared on the young man’s forehead, an anomaly from absorbing a trace of Lu Xuan’s spiritual power.

"The spiritual power is condensed and unwavering, a tri-element spirit root, mediocre talent, but you may join our sect."

As soon as the words fell, three inner sect disciples who had been following Lu Xuan rushed forward, guiding the dazed young man to the selection area.

Next, a young girl with pigtails timidly stepped forward.

The moment Lu Xuan’s spiritual power probed into her, a sudden change occurred—the air around the girl froze abruptly.

Countless tiny ice crystals fell, glittering coldly under the sunlight.

"A mutated ice spirit root!"

"Excellent talent, you may join our sect!"

The girl’s eyes blinked in confusion, completely unaware of the storm she had stirred.

Exclamations erupted from the crowd, the buzz of discussions exploding like boiling water.

"Mr. Qian, congratulations."

The girl was personally led aside by the female inner sect disciple with the surname Han.

This was indeed superior cultivation talent.

It could be said that Lu Xuan’s mission on this trip could be completed just by bringing her back to the sect.

When the third tester stepped forward, the spiritual probe only triggered a faint earthy yellow glow.

Lu Xuan remained as indifferent as ever: "The four-element spirit root is a mix; you may serve as a laborer for our sect."

"Are you willing...?"

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old’s face turned pale as paper upon hearing this.

He stared at his frostbitten and calloused hands, his nails digging deeply into his palms.

"I... I am willing."

The young man’s voice was hoarse to the point of breaking, as if he had exerted all his strength.

He knew this was the most important opportunity of his life.

In the Canglan Celestial Sect, even the lowest status of a laborer was something countless loose cultivators from the mountains would covet.

Because it represented a faint hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment, a possibility of changing a mortal’s fate.

........

After three hours, Lu Xuan had selected twenty-five cultivation seedlings.

The last one was a young girl with freckles, about ten years old.

She forced her stiff legs to move forward, staggering under the gaze of everyone.

Lu Xuan lightly tapped with his finger on the girl’s forehead, a wisp of deep blue spiritual power entering her body.

After just a few breaths, Lu Xuan withdrew his finger: "A dual spirit root of water and wood, moderate talent, you may join our sect."

Upon hearing this, the freckled girl’s figure swayed slightly, her pale face flushing with intense excitement.

As the last candidate at the Spirit Testing Plaza was evaluated, the spiritual power in Lu Xuan’s sleeve stirred slightly, instantly dispersing the remaining spiritual energy in his palm.

He lifted his gaze to the distant horizon, lightly brushing his storage bag at his waist, a plan forming in his mind.

Huaqing City lay at the edge of sect territory; perhaps in the wild and secret realms, unexpected treasures lay hidden.

Heavenly spiritual objects and mystical creatures.

Lu Xuan wanted to see if the system panel could refine these two into system points.

"Boom!"

A loud crash made the ground of the Spirit Testing Plaza crack, and reddish blood energy surged like a venomous snake, with the momentum of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator sweeping invisibly through the area.

The ten or so cultivators with lower cultivation at the back of the line immediately rolled their eyes and collapsed on the ground.

Soon after, a robust man with a face full of scars rudely pushed through the crowd like a bulldozer, not caring at all.

Wherever he passed, the children of distinguished families were knocked left and right, screams resounding continuously.

The crowd instantly surged backward like an explosion.

Amidst the swirling dust, the burly figure staggered out, cradling a curled-up seven or eight-year-old boy in his arms.

He knelt heavily in front of Lu Xuan, splattering stones beneath his knees.

"Immortal Master, please wait!"

The burly man’s hoarse shout pierced through the noise, the scar on his face twisting with trembling muscles.

"My child...... also wants to join the Canglan Celestial Sect!"

After speaking, the burly man pushed the boy forward, his calloused hand pressing firmly on the child’s back.

"I beg the Immortal Master to have mercy!"

"How dare you!"

The Gang Leader of Mad Wolf Gang shouted fiercely, the curved blade at his waist unsheathing three inches, its cold light blanching everyone’s faces.

"Fang Yunshui!"

"Do you know what place this is?"

"You dare appear before us!"

The elder of the Qian Family flicked his sleeve, revealing a hidden weapon within that glowed with a sinister blue poison.

"A year ago, you ambushed my family’s convoy, causing us heavy losses."

"Our Qian Family has yet to settle this account with you!"

Soon after, people from more than a dozen factions stood up, their eyes brimming with murderous intent, seemingly ready to tear Fang Yunshui to pieces.

Clearly, this Fang Yunshui had offended quite a number of factions.

Lu Xuan, however, seemed unaware of the tense atmosphere surrounding him, his dark sleeves fluttering silently, looking down indifferently at the big and small figures kneeling on the ground.

The little boy trembled all over, yet stubbornly raised his head, his clear eyes filled with fear and longing.

The City Lord of Huaqing City hurriedly broke out in a cold sweat and rushed to Lu Xuan’s side in a few quick strides, pointing a quivering finger at Fang Yunshui: "Fang Yunshui, you damned thief!"

"Time and time again you raided outside the city, even daring to steal the spirit rice from the City Lord’s mansion!"

"Now you’ve dared to cause trouble before Mr. Lu!"

"City Lord thinks you no longer wish to live!"

With the City Lord of Huaqing City joining in, the cries for violence grew louder, spittle nearly drowning Fang Yunshui and the child.

Lu Xuan cast a cold glance and his Spiritual Power slightly condensed within his sleeve, ready to use Body Technique to leave.

Though he feared none present, Lu Xuan was reluctant to interfere for an unfamiliar person.

He disdained concerning himself with the feuds of ants.

Because, Lu Xuan hated trouble the most!

Lu Xuan’s indifferent attitude was noted by everyone present.

Just as he was turning away, the atmosphere of the Spirit Testing Plaza suddenly shifted.

"Very well!"

"Fang Yunshui, now that you’re here, don’t think about leaving Huaqing City today!"

The Gang Leader of Mad Wolf emitted a piercing sneer, the clash of his iron wrist guards ringing like metal.

Behind him, dozens of gang members simultaneously drew their weapons, the cold light making the Spirit Testing Platform brightly lit.

These blades all bore the same wolf-head insignia, weapons crafted from high-quality spiritual iron!

"Fang Yunshui, oh Fang Yunshui......" Mr. Qian muttered slowly.

"Since three years ago, you’ve raided my family’s convoy four times, worth...." He suddenly squinted, "One thousand four hundred Spirit Stones."

"Today, we shall use you to restore the Qian Family’s reputation!"

The City Lord of Huaqing City seemed to lift his hand casually, the city guards on the plaza’s edge ready to seize Fang Yunshui at any moment.

Just because Fang Yunshui, this scoundrel, had been hiding outside the city for years, occasionally raiding passing large convoys.

Such as the Qian Family, and the City Lord’s mansion, those large factions.

Fang Yunshui hasn’t bothered with any of the smaller factions within the city.

Whether he did so intentionally or scorned those smaller factions’ possessions, it’s uncertain.

Facing the chilling gleam of swords all around, Fang Yunshui remained unintimidated, as if he had anticipated this scenario.

"Immortal Master!"

"Three months ago, deep in the Cangwu Mountain Range, I encountered a rare Spiritual Flower—Purple Ling Fruit!"

With these words, the crowd erupted in surprise.

Fang Yunshui’s eyes burned brightly, staring at Lu Xuan’s paused silhouette.

"At that time, the fruit wasn’t ripe, guarded day and night by a Foundation Establishment Stage Cyan-scaled Demon Snake, I narrowly escaped with three broken ribs."

"Now, after calculating the time, the Purple Ling Fruit has reached nine-tenths ripeness, and these days are the prime time for its harvest!"

Sounds of sharp intakes of breath echoed among the crowd.

The legendary Spiritual Flower, Purple Ling Fruit, rarely encountered in centuries, rumored to cleanse Spirit Root attributes upon consumption.

"If Immortal Master gives my son a chance, I am willing to offer its location!"