Fourteen spent the whole day running errands outside, and when he got back that evening, ready to write, he was dragged out for drinks by the legendary group on Qidian, returning only around midnight or one or two AM... Grumbling internally, he rushed up this morning to churn out a chapter. .......... “You too… Senior Brother Ye?”

A low-level cultivator at the first layer of Foundation Establishment entered the pavilion where the Qingdan disciples were gathered, looking around and greeting people, but receiving no response. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he strode quickly toward the corner where Ye Qin was situated.

“Shen Bao!”

Ye Qin looked toward the Foundation Establishment cultivator, paused momentarily, and immediately recognized the rugged, broad-shouldered man before him. Nine years ago, he had joined the Qingdan Sect in the same year as this man, becoming fellow disciples. Six years ago, he had participated in the Wan Ku Ridge Trial with this man, even being part of a small team that faced life and death together. Within the Qingdan Sect, a fellow cultivator with such a “deep” bond with Ye Qin was virtually nonexistent.

“Senior Brother Ye, it really is you! I thought I had mistaken you for someone else.” Shen Bao exclaimed with delight, quickly sitting down next to Ye Qin.

“You’ve reached Foundation Establishment?”

“Yes, and I owe it all to you, Senior Brother Ye. You gave me a Foundation Establishment Pill back then, and I never had the heart to use it. After returning to the sect, I went into seclusion to cultivate. Only half a year ago, when I reached the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, did I finally dare to take the pill for the breakthrough. To my surprise, it worked on the first try. However, immediately after successfully achieving Foundation Establishment, I was assigned here to Spirit Mist City to prepare for the war. To run into you here today, Senior Brother Ye, is truly my honor, Junior Brother.”

As he spoke, Shen Bao sized up Ye Qin and looked surprised. “Senior Brother Ye, how are you already a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator after only a few years? I almost didn’t dare to recognize you just now.”

Ye Qin managed a wry smile; how could he explain the experiences of the last few years to an outsider? He steered the conversation away, saying lightly, “Shen Bao, I recall Zhang Yun was also allotted a Foundation Establishment Pill and returned to Qingdan Sect to cultivate in seclusion with you. How is he doing now?”

Shen Bao shook his head and sighed, “Young Brother Zhang has been a bit unlucky. He took the Foundation Establishment Pill over a year ago, but the breakthrough failed; he couldn’t cross the bottleneck into Foundation Establishment. He had hoped to participate in the sect’s Minor Competition to see if he could obtain another pill. But these past two years, military tensions have been high, and the sect hasn’t had the capacity to hold the Minor Competition, so this session has been temporarily suspended. Young Brother Zhang missed this chance; the next opportunity to get a pill won’t be for another three years. He’s still back at the Qingdan Sect. It’s hard to predict if he’ll ever reach Foundation Establishment! The worst part is, Qi Refining cultivators like him are likely to be sent onto the battlefield as cannon fodder; whether he can even survive for three more years is questionable.”

Ye Qin was astonished. “Cultivators at the Qi Refining stage who can’t even fly on their swords—sending them to the front lines is just suicide. Does the sect really send such low-level cultivators to war?”

Shen Bao shook his head. “You can never be sure. When the fighting gets desperate, a wave of Qi Refining cultivators charging forward can still make some impact. Senior Brother Ye, have you noticed something? Disciples from established families, like Yan Xuan and the others, haven’t arrived at Spirit Mist City. Senior Sister Yan comes from a major clan; how could she be in the first wave? Think about it: Sect Leader Wu, Elder Yan—would they send their direct descendants to the front lines when dispatching Qingdan disciples to meet the enemy? It’s only those of us who are Foundation Establishment cultivators from rogue backgrounds who are sent first to guard Spirit Mist City. I suspect they’ll only deploy the regular family disciples after all of us rogue cultivators have died. And only after those minor clan disciples are gone might they send in the disciples from the great clans.”

“Oh, are all the people here Foundation Establishment cultivators from rogue backgrounds within the Qingdan Sect?” Ye Qin asked, somewhat surprised. His mind was preoccupied with the impending great war in the cultivation world, and he hadn't paid attention to this detail since arriving at the pavilion.

He looked closely at the Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered inside the pavilion. He quickly realized that the majority of those present were indeed from rogue backgrounds. Because they were from rogue families, the most obvious characteristic was their lack of wealth; few carried any decent magical artifacts or accessories, and their cultivation progress was slow, making them easier to identify.

Ye Qin shook his head and offered another bitter smile.

He felt a degree of disdain for this arrangement in his heart. Disciples from prestigious families held a higher status in every aspect than rogue cultivators, and that extended even to the battlefield.

But he felt even more helpless; rogue disciples needed to earn sufficient merit to gain a foothold in a cultivation sect. Without going to war, where would that merit come from?

The two men were speaking in low tones.

Suddenly, the area both inside and outside the pavilion fell silent. All the Qingdan Foundation Establishment disciples who had been murmuring stopped, sensing several powerful auras approaching, and they turned toward the staircase entrance in alarm. Ye Qin and Shen Bao noticed the disturbance, immediately clamped their mouths shut, and followed suit.

They saw a male cultivator in his middle years, wearing a plain robe, slowly ascending the steps. This man had black hair and a dark beard, a slender build, and an air of authority mixed with serenity in his eyes. As soon as he appeared, the entire assembly of Qingdan disciples in the pavilion fell silent, initially unable to identify him.

Walking side-by-side with the middle-aged man, positioned just half a step behind, was a beautiful young woman who appeared to be only in her early thirties. A gentle smile played on her lips, and even as she moved, her eyes shone with brilliance. She glanced at the gathered Qingdan disciples, who immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look up for a second glance.

Following the two up the stairs was indeed Huangfu Bing’er, her face still veiled, her head bowed. After her came Sect Leader Wu Ruiyang, Elder Yan, and more than ten other high-ranking Qingdan officials managing the sect’s daily affairs. These figures usually wielded immense authority, yet now they exhibited no arrogance, respectfully trailing behind the two Golden Core Ancestors, not daring to breathe too loudly.

“Disciples welcome Martial Uncle Huangfu, Martial Uncle Chen! Greetings to Senior Sister Huangfu, Senior Brother Wu, Senior Brother Yan…”

When the Foundation Establishment disciples saw the beautiful young woman, they finally snapped back to reality and understood who had arrived. They immediately sank to one knee where they stood, holding their breath to welcome the two Qingdan Ancestors.

One of the Qingdan Sect’s Ancestors, Huangfu Rui, was the Golden Core Ancestor with the strongest cultivation and highest status in the sect, the true decision-maker of Qingdan. He typically remained in seclusion within the Qingdan Mountain Gate, meaning very few even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators within the sect had ever seen him in person.

But Martial Uncle Chen Min moved around the mountain gate frequently, and most Foundation Establishment Qingdan disciples had seen her. The only person who could walk alongside Martial Uncle Chen Min while intentionally lagging slightly behind her was none other than Huangfu Rui.

All Qingdan disciples knelt to greet the Ancestor.

Huangfu Rui nodded faintly but said nothing, walking straight past the gathered Qingdan Foundation Establishment disciples. However, halfway through, his gaze suddenly swept casually over the disciples in the pavilion before he turned back and said something to Huangfu Bing’er.

Huangfu Bing’er contemplated Huangfu Rui’s question for a moment before replying calmly. Huangfu Rui frowned slightly, clearly displeased, let out a cold snort, glanced back at the disciples one last time, and swept away.

Chen Min also glanced through the crowd of Qingdan disciples, an unconcealed astonishment flashing beneath her eyes, mixed with a hint of complexity.

Ye Qin suddenly felt an icy, piercing chill, his whole body turning cold and stiff, his mind going blank.

Ancestor Huangfu entered the third floor of the pavilion.

Only after Ancestor Huangfu, Martial Uncle Chen, and the others had gone upstairs did the Qingdan disciples dare to rise. They exchanged glances, their backs chilled with fear, an undeniable horror suppressed in their hearts. The Ancestor Huangfu’s spiritual sense had swept over them moments ago; no one dared to move. Under that heavy pressure, none of the assembled Qingdan cultivators heard what Huangfu Rui had said to Huangfu Bing’er. But that sudden, bone-chilling cold was unmistakable.

Ye Qin slowly regained his senses. With a composed expression, he settled back down in his corner, but beneath his voluminous robes, his right hand, resting on his storage pouch, trembled slightly.

He had distinctly sensed that the Ancestor Huangfu’s spiritual sense had lingered on him for an instant, imbued with an indescribable meaning—was it anger, contempt, hostility, or something else?

Seated in the corner of the pavilion, Ye Qin ignored Shen Bao’s incessant chatter, slowly replaying the events of that single moment.

It was extremely rare for disciples from powerful clans and low-status rogue cultivators to intermarry. The only possible reason Huangfu Rui would harbor killing intent toward him was his relationship with Huangfu Bing’er.

Huangfu Rui must have recognized him. Even if Bing’er intended to hide it, she could not conceal it from the most powerful figure in the Qingdan Sect—her own father. Ancestor Huangfu could end his life with a mere gesture.

The only thing Ye Qin confirmed was that although Huangfu Rui had developed killing intent, he had no immediate intention of acting on it.

This puzzled Ye Qin. What exactly had Bing’er said to provoke such anger in Huangfu Rui without leading to immediate action?

The strangest part was Martial Uncle Chen Min. Ye Qin did not believe that this Martial Uncle, who held such immense power within the Qingdan Sect, was unaware of the situation. Yet, she appeared completely detached from the matter.

There was a reason why the two Golden Core Ancestors, Huangfu Rui and Chen Min, had arrived at Spirit Mist City at this time.

It wasn't just the ancestors of the Qingdan Sect; the Golden Core Ancestors from the other six major sects—including the Ancient Artifact Gate, the Earth Quake Gate, and the Great Luo Gate—had also arrived at Spirit Mist City that day, entering the city before the fighting even began. Clearly, they had received news of the impending war much earlier.

Upon their arrival, the Ancestors convened at the Immortal Fate Hall within the city to discuss countermeasures against the enemy. As for the strategies they discussed, the general Foundation Establishment cultivators knew nothing. The only certainty was that with these Ancestors personally presiding in the Immortal Fate Hall, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators in Spirit Mist City quickly calmed down. With the cornerstones of the Spirit Mist Cultivation World present, panic subsided, and preparations for defense proceeded in an orderly fashion. All Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators participating in the defense were in position, awaiting orders from the Ancestors of the Seven Great Sects.

Far to the northwest of Spirit Mist City, a massive, oppressive cloud mass was slowly approaching. In less than half an hour, this cloud mass, spanning several hundred miles, would loom over Spirit Mist City.

The legendary Ancient City Protection Formation of Spirit Mist City was finally activated.

“Boom!”

A magnificent, grand five-colored light curtain shot up from the city walls on all four sides of Spirit Mist City, stirring up layers of dazzling, brilliant radiance, forming a massive, spherical dome that tightly enveloped Spirit Mist City on the Gobi Desert.