Qi Shisanxing laughed, “That’s okay too. I can help you participate in the Grand Essence Great Meet. My strength has fallen considerably after being trapped in the Lost Stone Forest for a long time. But it wouldn’t be much of a problem to reach the top ten for me.”
“Don’t you need to transform your celestial essence?” Ning Cheng asked suspiciously.
Qi Shisanxing smiled, “Before I entered the Grand Essence Mystic Realm, I had already finished transforming my celestial essence into spirit essence. If it weren’t for the tens of thousands of years inside the Grand Essence Lost Stone Forest, I would have already become a Dao Sculpting Holy Emperor by now.”
Ning Cheng felt quite happy on hearing this and said, “That’s great. I’ll give you those divine grasses later. As long as your numbers can reach the top ten, you can win a spot for the Grand Essence Great Meet.”
Qi Shisanxing waved his hand and said, “No need. I’ll ask dad to give you my spot for the Grand Essence Great Meet. What I’m worried about is that even if you reach the top ten, you might not get the chance to enter the Extraterritorial Spirit Spring. Let alone begin transforming your celestial essence in it.”
Ning Cheng smiled, “Shisanxing, the entire Grand Essence Domain has only one hundred spots in total for the Grand Essence Great Meet. I believe your Profound Moon Spirit Gate also cares about the number of spots it can get. I can get one of the spots through this divine grass collection method. That way, you wouldn’t have to offend your peers and would also not put you in a difficult spot.”
Qi Shisanxing understood what Ning Cheng. Ning Cheng didn’t want to put him in a difficult spot. Even if his father were the Sect Master, it would only create unnecessary gossip that the sect doesn’t care about its quotas. Fortunately, he knew that Ning Cheng had a lot of divine grasses, so he finally agreed and said, “Then, we’ll do as you said.”
Ning Cheng then voluntarily took off his mask, “Shisanxing, this is my original appearance. Don’t overthink it. But I at least feel that you should know my real face.”
Seeing Ning Cheng take of the Appearance-changing Mask, Qi Shisanxing suddenly felt startled. A moment later, he immediately thought of something.
Ning Cheng patted Qi Shisanxing’s shoulder, “Hey, you okay?”
Qi Shisanxing smiled, “This look of yours is much more pleasing to the eye. Honestly, you looked a bit fierce before. But it did give me a better idea that could help you go to the Grand Essence Great Meet by yourself.”
While talking, Qi Shisanxing took out a jade bottle and handed it to Ning Cheng, “I have a Form Changing Pill here, refined by a Dao Raising Pill Deity. It can change your appearance for up to three months. Moreover, even a Dao Raising Holy Emperor wouldn’t be able to see through it…..”
“Wait-wait.” Ning Cheng interrupted Qi Shisanxing’s words, “Shisanxing, I’m afraid it wouldn’t work. Each person who enters the Grand Essence Mystic Realm has a set identity. Even if you have your identity, what would I use for my changed appearance? Moreover, Man Huishan is not a Dao Raising expert but a Dao Essence expert. After we get out of this place, there would even be Dao Fusion experts out there. Even if they couldn’t see through it, they would feel suspicious about an unknown cultivator coming out of this place.”
“Don’t worry. I have the perfect identity for you. Back when I entered the mystic realm, I entered with Grand Essence Domain’s Pill Emperor Ji He. The two of us found the Lost Stone Forest together. Later, we both got lost within the Grand Essence Lost Stone Forest and lost contact with each other. Unfortunately, I found Ji He’s remains a few years later. I found his Pill Union’s identity badge, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find his ring.”
While taking, Qi Shisanxing took out a cyan-coloured badge made out of unknown material and handed it to Ning Cheng. “This is the Pill Union’s identity card for a Rank 8 Pill Emperor. By the way, has your level in Alchemy reached the level of a Rank 8 Pill Emperor?”
Ning Cheng nodded. He had long surpassed a Rank 8 Pill Emperor and was currently a true Dao Sculpting Pill Deity. Ning Cheng took the badge and scrutinised it carefully for a long time. However, even then, he couldn’t figure out the materials used to make it. Instead, he only saw eight stars engraved on the badge and some other signs that it belonged to the Pill Union.
Qi Shisanxing saw Ning Cheng carefully scrutinising the badge and thought back to why Ning Cheng came to the Grand Essence Mystic Realm. Something clicked in his mind, and Qi Shisanxing immediately spoke up. “In the Grand Essence Domain, the strength of the Pill Union can be considered at the top, at least compared to the Weapon Union, Talisman Union, and the Array Dao Coalition. As long as one reaches the rank of a Pill Emperor, you would receive a cyan-coloured identity badge. Tier 7 Pill Emperor has a light cyan one. Tier 8 Pill Emperor receive a cyan one. In contrast, Tier 9 Pill Emperor has a dark cyan badge.”
“Once one becomes a Pill Deity, the colour of the badge changes to blue or purple. Once again, the union differentiates grades using a light-to-dark shade of the colour. Dao Sculpting Pill Deity is light blue, Dao Fusion Pill Deity is purple. As for dark purple, they are for ordinary Pill Sage, while a gold coloured badge is for a high-grade Pill Sage. However, no one has obtained this level till now.”
“Although it’s a good method, I’m afraid it won’t help conceal one’s aura. Besides, I have never seen Ji He, so I’m not even aware of his aura. This method is too risky.” Ning Cheng still shook his head and returned the Pill Union’s identity badge to Qi Shisanxing.
Ning Cheng felt sure that the Form Changing Pill could conceal his aura to the point that even a Dao Essence expert couldn’t see through it. However, he couldn’t imitate Ji He’s aura. As long as Ning Cheng encountered any cultivator who had met the real Ji He before, things would immediately fall apart. At that point, he might even find it impossible to escape.
Qi Shisanxing smiled, “Don’t worry, I have Ji He’s cultivation method. Wouldn’t it take a few months to go out? In these few months, you just need to try feeling the flow of the cultivation method, and even you wouldn’t recognise yourself after you come out. Moreover, with me coming out with you, there wouldn’t be many people who would dare to snoop at you with their spiritual consciousness.”
“Do you truly have Ji He’s cultivation method?” Ning Cheng asked with delight.
As long as he obtained the cultivation method, it wouldn’t take him a few months at all. With the power of Mysterious Yellow Formless, he felt confident enough to simulate Ji He’s aura fully in just ten days.
“Of course.” Qi Shisanxing took out a jade strip and handed it to Ning Cheng. “I had quite a good friendship with Ji He. Besides, I only obtained it due to an exchange. I gave him a good spirit technique. Alas, it’s a pity….”
Ning Cheng took the jade strip from Qi Shisanxing. After a moment, he understood why Qi Shisanxing exchanged the cultivation method with Ji He. Qi Shisanxing truly was a good person at heart. He didn’t particularly need Ji He’s cultivation method, but he knew Ji He needed his spirit technique. Therefore, he decided to conduct an exchange with Ji He. Only by doing this would he feel less guilty.
……
In the next few months, Ning Cheng and Qi Shisanxing continued to rush back. At the same time, Qi Shisanxing also told Ning Cheng everything he knew about Ji He. Ji He was a rogue cultivator but was quite an outstanding prodigy in Alchemy. Later, he entered the Grand Essence Domain and became a member of the Pill Union. He helped quite a few families with his Alchemic talents and lived quite a comfortable life.
Qi Shisanxing had personally gone looking for Ji He’s alchemic talent, and that was how the two met.
But when Ning Cheng heard that ‘Ji He’ had a fiancée, his expressions turned a little strange. A Tier 8 Pill Emperor truly didn’t mean much within the Grand Essence Domain. However, Ji He had the potential to develop into a Pill Deity. If a family wanted their women to marry Ji He, it meant that they most probably took a fancy to Ji He’s potential. It wouldn’t bode well for him if he ended up amidst a ‘family’ drama after coming out.
Seeing the strange expression on Ning Cheng’s face, Qi Shisanxing laughed and patted Ning Cheng’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Ji He has already fallen in the Grand Essence Mystic Realm and is dead for over sixty thousand years. I don’t think anyone would still have any hope of seeing him alive. Besides, his fiancée’s family only got interested in him due to his alchemic talents and had nothing to do with liking him or even love between the two. Since Ji He disappeared for tens of thousands of years, people would have already had many children and grandchildren by this point. Why would they remember an unknown rogue cultivator?”
Ning Cheng also gave it some thought. A Tier 8 Pill Emperor, although impressive, wasn’t much important in the Grand Essence Domain. What’s more, he only had to pretend for a few months, at least till he entered the Extraterritorial Spirit Spring.
With the help of Qi Shisanxing, in just a few months, Ning Cheng gained a relatively good understanding of Ji He. Besides, within a few months, Ning Cheng and Qi Shisanxing obtained many divine grasses. They also started to close in on the teleportation array that would take them out.
But what made Ning Cheng feel even more reassured was that the Human-faced Poison Centipede did not come after them.
One month before the one-year period ended, Ning Cheng took the Form Changing Pill. With Qi Shisanxing’s help and reminders, he moulded his appearance to match it as closely as Ji He’s appearance.
The closer they got to the teleportation array, the more people they started to see.
“Shisan, what happens when the one-year period is us, and you don’t get out?” Ning Cheng asked in doubt as he saw many people rushing to the teleportation array.
“If you’re not in a unique place, like the Lost Stone Forest, you’ll only face one end, suppressed till death. I heard that if any cultivator stays here for more than a year, the pressure within this realm would gradually increase till it crushes you into oblivion. Plus, you won’t be able to absorb any divine qi.” Qi Shisanxing spoke with a solemn voice.
“Huh, aren’t you Qi Shisanxing of Profound Moon Spirit Gate?” A shocked voice sounded, and soon a grey-robed male cultivator stopped in front of Ning Cheng and QI Shisanxing.
Qi Shisanxing looked at the cultivator in front of him before nodding and saying, “Yes, I’m Qi Shisanxing.”
He didn’t know this cultivator, but it seems this cultivator had seen him before.
“Haven’t you stayed in this place for over 60,000 years?” The cultivator seemed to know about Qi Shisanxing quite well. He even mentioned how long had Qi Shisanxing had stayed in the Grand Essence Mystic Realm.
After speaking, he didn’t wait for Qi Shisanxing to answer and turned his gaze at Ning Cheng and smiled. “This must be the Tier 8 Pill Emperor, Ji He. after all these years, Pill Emperor Ji He’s attainments should have reached incredible heights, right?”
Ning Cheng ignored this grey-robed cultivator. This grey-robed cultivator was a half-step Dao Sculpting expert. Judging by the sparkle in this person’s eyes, he most likely wanted to rob him and Qi Shisanxing. ‘He’ and Qi Shisanxing had stayed in the Grand Essence Mystic Realm for over 60,000 years. Anyone would assume that the number of divine grasses they collected might not even fit within a ring.
Moreover, neither he nor Qi Shisanxing seemed to have half-step Dao Sculpting cultivation. Plus, Qi Shisanxing still hadn’t fully recovered his vitality. Although he no longer looked skinny, he looked pretty weak.
“Ning Cheng, this guy wants to rob us. If I didn’t guess it wrong, he should be a half-step Dao Sculpting expert.” Qi Shisanxing’s voice transmission reached Ning Cheng’s ears.
Ning Cheng nodded and said to the half-step Dao Sculpting cultivator with cupped fists, “Which sect does this friend comes from?”
The grey-robed cultivator chuckled, “I’m a rogue cultivator…..”
After only a few words, the grey-robed cultivator’s domain suddenly erupted and instantly enveloped Ning Cheng and Qi Shisanxing. At the same time, a huge red net fell from the sky.
