"Is Alchemist Luo in?"

The Luo Mansion’s servant at the door hurriedly replied, "He is. May I ask, Immortal, what brings you here?"

The servant silently wondered where this man came from.

Even among Foundation Establishment cultivators, there’s a pecking order. If it’s someone ordinary, Alchemist Luo’s status is enough to easily deal with them; even if he is curt, it won’t matter much. But if this guest is someone uncommon, he must be received with utmost caution.

The visitor didn’t mind and said, "Just tell Alchemist Luo that I’m from the Taiyuan Domain."

The servant’s face instantly flashed with shock and he welcomed the guest inside.

Taiyuan Domain is a Grand Domain—anyone from there is extraordinary by birth.

Seeing the servant’s nervous demeanor, the visitor smiled faintly.

The cultivators of these Small Domains really do lack composure.

The servant turned to notify Alchemist Luo, then quickly arranged Spirit Tea and Spirit Fruit, and ordered some beautiful female cultivators to serve.

Unfortunately, the visitor remained calm and indifferent, completely unmoved.

Soon, Alchemist Luo, having heard the news, strode out quickly.

Seeing the Purple Cloud Robe on the visitor, he immediately started to guess his identity.

Sure enough, when the visitor met Alchemist Luo, his expression softened a bit and he took the initiative to introduce himself.

He claimed to be a disciple of the Ancient Daoist Sect in Taiyuan Domain, named Ming Fan, and had come to deliver an invitation to the Little Peach Blossom Festival.

"Thank you for making the trip yourself, fellow Daoist."

Alchemist Luo wore a broad smile.

"No need to be so formal, Alchemist Luo. You’re a renowned figure—an invitation like this should indeed be personally delivered."

Ming Fan smiled.

Regarding Alchemist Luo, he remained quite respectful.

Alchemist Luo was only a step away from reaching the Golden Core stage, and his skills in the Alchemy Dao were at a peak Second Grade level—even in the Grand Domain, he’d count as someone significant.

Alchemist Luo’s demeanor was kind, a complete contrast to when he’d faced Lu Chang’sheng and the others that day.

It’s no wonder he acted this way; the Ancient Daoist Sect is top-tier among immortal sects of the domain, with several Nascent Soul-level True Monarchs within their ranks.

With such connections, how could Alchemist Luo dare to act high and mighty?

The two chatted, and inevitably the topic turned to the upcoming Peach Blossom Festival.

Ming Fan spoke with noticeable envy in his tone.

Alchemist Luo also felt somewhat excited. Although Ming Fan was only delivering the Little Peach Blossom Festival invitation, the meaning behind it was distinct.

Many notable figures in the Small Domains can get invites to the Little Peach Blossom Festival, but those usually come via higher-level Immortal Sects. Only those who qualify for the next stage—the Grand Peach Blossom Festival—get their invitation delivered in person by a disciple of the Ancient Daoist Sect from Taiyuan Domain.

In other words, he’d pretty much secured an entry to the Grand Peach Blossom Festival!

The Peach Blossom Festival is a grand event across the domains, with both a small and a grand version. The Grand Peach Blossom Festival, especially, is an opportunity for great fortune for any cultivator; naturally, everyone eagerly looks forward to it.

"Just lucky, really!" said Alchemist Luo, polite as ever.

"Luck is a kind of strength, too!" Ming Fan laughed.

Alchemist Luo knew he should keep a low profile, so he changed the subject: "Do you know how many in the Thirty-Six Small Domains will receive a personal invitation from you, Daoist Friend?"

Ming Fan shook his head, which showed just how much he envied Alchemist Luo. In previous years, Alchemist Luo’s abilities would never have earned him a personally delivered invitation from a sect disciple.

"These past centuries, the Thirty-Six Small Domains have declined in talent."

"There are far fewer names on the Jade Scroll of notable figures. These domains simply have less and less to offer. If it weren’t for True Monarch Guangcheng’s reputation, you might have missed out this year."

Alchemist Luo offered an awkward laugh. "It can’t be helped—talented people are rare indeed."

He was, after all, from a Small Domain, and didn’t feel comfortable commenting further.

The reason for mentioning True Monarch Guangcheng? That’s because he hails from the Thirty-Six Small Domains, and is said to have a soft spot for them.

Ming Fan politely declined Alchemist Luo’s dinner invitation, readying himself to leave.

"The Little Peach Blossom Festival will begin in just ten years. Although I have help from the sect’s flying boats, I still have several Small Domains yet to visit, so I can’t afford to linger."

Alchemist Luo didn’t insist.

As Ming Fan was about to depart, he suddenly glanced into the distance. "Alchemist Luo, are there other Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting in your area?"

Alchemist Luo replied, "Not that I know of. I rarely get involved in matters outside the market. Why do you ask, friend?"

Ming Fan smiled lightly, "Then perhaps you should pay closer attention. There are two Foundation Establishment cultivators circling outside right now!"

Alchemist Luo was surprised.

Ming Fan said no more and, stepping outside, summoned a delicate flying boat into his hand. At his command of magical power, it quickly expanded into a vessel several meters long and carried him away.

Alchemist Luo felt a pang of envy. This Aurora Flying Boat was a Golden Core-level magic treasure—extremely rare and precious, even he’d have trouble affording one.

"Ming Fan is a disciple of a grand immortal sect, always proud and self-assured. There’s no way he’d care about a pair of Foundation Establishment cultivators unless there was something unusual." He suddenly remembered that he’d sensed something odd outside not long earlier.

Who knows if it’s related or not?

Feeling curious, he headed outside to investigate. About half an hour later, Alchemist Luo arrived at the site where Lu Chang’sheng and Zhang Yu had dueled.

There were still traces in the field of residual magical combat from Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Although Alchemist Luo specializes in Alchemy Dao, his cultivation was truly late-stage Foundation Establishment, his gaze razor-sharp.

It didn’t take long for him to piece together the general events of the fight. He couldn’t help but marvel.

In his estimation, the deciding factor had been the Spiritual Sense attack—one of the combatants had cast a Spiritual Awareness Technique, and based on its strength, was at least at the third tier of early Foundation Establishment.

To condense Spiritual Sense into a technique—the formless nature of Spiritual Sense makes it somewhat diluted; but with Alchemist Luo’s strength, he could still tell the difference.

This could be considered a minor flaw in Spiritual Awareness Techniques.

"Spiritual Awareness Techniques are hard to defend against. For the other combatant to have triumphed, their Spiritual Sense must have been exceptional."

"If this person had been born a hundred-something years earlier, they might have had a shot at the Grand Peach Blossom Festival."

So mused Alchemist Luo. Of course, from these traces alone he couldn’t be certain; it was mainly Ming Fan’s interest before leaving that led him to this conclusion.

······

It had taken almost half a year to get here. Going back only took a little over a month.

Foundation Establishment cultivators travel much faster using sword flight.

Lu Chang’sheng returned to the Good Beast Sect, finding it much quieter than when he’d left. After a bit of asking around, he learned that during his absence, there’d been new developments at the Purple Ice Lake.

Many Immortal Sects had discovered the exact location of the Inheritance Spirit Array, and had dug up numerous relics left behind by Profound Turtle Alchemist.

Wealth moves the heart.

The Immortal Sects had fought viciously, while the loose cultivators swirled around slacking off in the chaos.

"It’s just complete mayhem over there right now. Pretty much every idle disciple has gone, and plenty have dug up real treasures."

One disciple said.

"If it wasn’t for my duties, I would’ve gone too."

The disciple looked openly envious.

Lu Chang’sheng couldn’t comment much. Everyone has their own ambitions—even Immortal Sect disciples need resources.

Back at his quarters, he didn’t see Nangua or Gu Chan. On inquiry, he found out they’d gone to see Gu Yuan.

"Gu Yuan isn’t at Purple Ice Lake?"

Lu Chang’sheng asked, a bit surprised.

"Immortal Gu Yuan came back a while ago. She said she made some gains and hopes to advance further."

Lu Chang’sheng was relieved. Gu Yuan had reached late-stage Qi Cultivation before Gu Shuang, so it was only natural she was readying to establish her foundation now.

He headed to the back courtyard and saw the Little Fire Cloud Beast sprawled atop the pill furnace, its fur a tangled mess. What made Lu Chang’sheng frown, though, was that compared to before he’d left, this little thing looked noticeably plumper.

At least its cultivation hadn’t slackened: it was now at Qi Cultivation tier three, and only half a step from a breakthrough.

"Little guy, you must’ve been slacking off hard while I was away," Lu Chang’sheng sighed helplessly.

This critter was sly and charming, always finding ways to please people. Its cute looks were deadly to Nangua and Gu Chan.

What can you do? Only its real master could ever properly train it.

Lu Chang’sheng picked up the sleeping Little Fire Cloud Beast. It opened its eyes blearily, and when it saw Lu Chang’sheng, was so startled it practically jumped out of its skin.

It felt an aura from Lu Chang’sheng—a force that made it tremble, just like its mother’s.

The Little Fire Cloud Beast stared blankly for a long moment, its tiny paws rubbing its big eyes. It started to wonder if it was dreaming. How did that guy with Ding-level Spirit Root Talent suddenly break the Foundation Establishment threshold?

I must be dreaming!

It was still hoping to outlive Lu Chang’sheng and finally be free!