As Ye Qin left the Tianqiao Pavilion, pondering how he might locate cultivators from the Holy Emperor Palace within Xianque City, a faint fragrance drifted on the wind, striking his nostrils. "Brother Ye, hold a moment!" A sharp, clear voice called out from behind him.

Hearing someone summon him, Ye Qin paused, slightly startled, and turned to look.

He saw a stunningly beautiful woman in a purple robe walking toward him with graceful, measured steps. Her face was exquisite, her figure lush, and she was adorned in a magnificent, shimmering purple silk dress. It was none other than Zhou Yao of the Purple Sword Palace.

Beside Zhou Yao was another woman in yellow robes, and a stout cultivator clad in gold—they were Liao Xiaozǐ of the Guangyu Palace, Miss Liao, and Jin Zhongshan of the Jubao Palace, Fatty Jin. Trailing behind them were dozens of Foundation Establishment stage attendants from the three ancient Immortal Palaces.

The Golden Core cultivators from these three great Immortal Palaces moved as a formidable contingent, projecting the imposing aura of major Immortal Palaces. Even passing cultivators quickly made way for them.

"Brother Ye is nothing special; I truly don't understand why the Palace Master regards you so highly?"

Zhou Yao approached Ye Qin gracefully, a faint, cool smile playing on her lips. She didn't immediately address any business, but instead meticulously scrutinized Ye Qin from head to toe, before shaking her head with a hint of disappointment.

"He was originally just a rogue cultivator; what could possibly be special about him? Palace Master Zhou probably pitied him because he came from the Spirit Mist Realm, and that's why she generously ceded Spirit Island to him. Otherwise, with my strength, there’s no way he could have snatched Fire Spirit Island Number Two from me so easily. He wouldn't even dare to dream of it." Fatty Jin scoffed dismissively, fiddling with a brand-new spirit bead magical treasure in his hand.

"Big Brother Jin, don't flatter yourself; any discerning person can see the truth. One-on-one might be fine, but could you win in a two-on-one fight? Palace Master Zhou sent you off the dueling stage to prevent you from losing the island and wasting your fortune."

Liao Xiaozǐ pursed her red lips, offering a light, knowing smile. Ye Qin frowned slightly; he wasn't quite clear on what Zhou Yao wanted by stopping him.

He ignored Fatty Jin's sarcasm, his expression unchanged, though confusion brewed in his mind. He knew their names from the Island Seizing Assembly, but they hadn't truly interacted, so there was no existing friendship.

His only previous connection with the trio involved a slight animosity with Fatty Jin over a dispute involving a spirit bird. However, that incident was quite some time ago; if they wanted trouble, they should have sought it then, not now.

There was also the matter concerning the Purple Sword Palace: the Southern Bright Leaving Fire Sword he displayed during the assembly. Could she be looking for him regarding that sword?

Ye Qin’s thoughts turned, and he asked politely, "Miss Zhou, Miss Liao, Brother Jin, do the three of you require something of me?"

Although he was a Golden Core cultivator, he didn't wish to easily offend the cultivators from the ancient Immortal Palaces in Baifu City. Causing trouble here would make life difficult.

"It’s nothing major; our Junior Sister Zhou just has a small matter she wants to discuss with you. We happened to run into you, saving us the trouble of going to your spirit island to find you," Fatty Jin stated loudly and carelessly.

"I do have one minor matter I wished to inquire about. You are a cultivator from the Spirit Mist Realm, correct? You must have learned my sect's Purple Sword Art to possess a Nascent Soul magical artifact like the Southern Bright Leaving Fire Sword. I wonder, to what extent have you cultivated your Great Five Elements Sword Array?" Zhou Yao inquired.

Ye Qin’s expression immediately tightened, and he settled into solemn thought. Such information constituted a cultivator's hidden strength; how could he casually reveal it to others? Not even to cultivators of the Purple Sword Palace, as he had no particular ties to them.

A slight displeasure began to surface in his heart. "Since the three of you have no pressing business, I shall take my leave now!"

"Wait!"

Seeing Ye Qin about to depart, Zhou Yao quickly called him back. With a mixture of frustration and resignation, she handed him an invitation. "Since Brother Ye is unwilling to speak, I won't press the matter. Every year, my Purple Sword Palace hosts a small gathering for Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators in Baifu City to exchange insights on cultivation. Since you have learned the Purple Sword Art, you are considered destined to have some connection with our Purple Sword Palace. This is an invitation; the Palace Master specifically instructed that you be invited to attend."

Ye Qin was momentarily stunned. He accepted the purple invitation, which carried a faint, delicate fragrance, and saw the words 'Purple Sword Palace' along with an engraving depicting eight flying swords: the Great Five Elements Sword and the Lesser Three Odd Swords.

Without opening it, he tucked the invitation away and left without looking back.

"Hmph, it’s just one Southern Bright Leaving Fire Sword; what’s he so proud of!" Seeing Ye Qin ignore her and treat the invitation as insignificant, Zhou Yao’s beautiful face paled, and she felt an urge to stomp her foot in exasperation.

"Sister Zhou, look at how many Nascent Soul magical artifacts of the Great Five Elements Sword he possesses?"

Liao Xiaozǐ asked, watching Ye Qin’s retreating figure.

"The Nascent Soul magical artifacts for the Great Five Elements Sword Array in our Purple Sword Palace are not something easily assembled. Even my set of Great Five Elements Swords are only top-grade artifacts. To refine an entire set of Nascent Soul artifacts for the Great Five Elements Sword Array—who knows how many years that will take. I suspect only in the late Golden Core stage would one have the chance to forge such a complete set of Nascent Soul artifacts. I think having just one Southern Bright Leaving Fire Sword Nascent Soul artifact is already quite remarkable; how many more could he possibly have?" Zhou Yao declared angrily.

She knew well that many of the Purple Sword Palace cultivators' Great Five Elements Swords were forged by lowering the standards. Only a select few were crafted according to the highest standards of the Purple Sword Art.

The materials required for refining the Great Five Elements Swords were exceedingly rare. The older the materials, the greater the power. Fire Crystal materials aged over ten thousand years were needed to unleash the full power of the Fire Sword, and Essence Nectar was also incredibly difficult to collect.

Furthermore, the refining process itself was arduous, requiring the Samādhi True Fire of a Golden Core cultivator. Even if a Purple Sword Palace cultivator managed to forge five Nascent Soul magical artifacts, they still couldn't unleash the full might of the Great Five Elements Sword Array.

The reason was simple: only a cultivator possessing the spirit root corresponding to a specific element could maximize the power of that element's magical artifact. Those lacking that spirit root could operate the artifact, but couldn't tap into its full strength. Therefore, cultivators in the immortal world always chose artifacts matching their spirit roots to maximize combat power.

Theoretically, only a cultivator with the Five Spirit Roots could unleash the full potential of the Great Five Elements Sword Array. But in the Purple Sword Palace, any cultivator possessing such a ridiculed Five Spirit Root would likely never reach the Golden Core stage or higher.

Back when the Purple Sword True Master, as an early Nascent Soul cultivator, created this formidable Purple Sword Art, he enabled its cultivation. However, the later generations of the Purple Sword Palace lacked the True Master's immense power. They could only choose a few swords and forge them into Nascent Soul artifacts, meaning the power of their Great Five Elements Sword Array was far weaker than what was recorded in the ancient texts.

Though Zhou Yao scorned Ye Qin, she felt a tinge of envy towards his Southern Bright Leaving Fire Sword Nascent Soul artifact. This type of artifact grew stronger the longer it was nurtured within a cultivator's body, far surpassing any top-grade artifact.

Ye Qin had never considered achieving the Great Five Elements Sword Array through compromised standards; he was strictly adhering to the highest material standards set by the Purple Jade Ancient Manuals, as dictated by the Purple Sword Divine Monarch. Even if he knew lowering the standards was an option, he might not have taken it. If the material standards were lowered, the artifacts themselves were prone to defects and insufficient power. Even assembling a set crafted from top-grade artifacts wouldn't grant him invincibility at the Golden Core stage.

He was still searching for Yellow Dust Sand and Celestial One Profound Water aged over several thousand years, hoping to forge the final two Nascent Soul artifacts.

Ye Qin returned to Fire Cloud Island and examined the invitation from the Purple Sword Palace closely. It invited not only him but also Huangfu Bing'er. The invitation didn't specify the nature of the gathering, only that numerous Golden Core and higher cultivators were invited to the Purple Sword Palace for mutual exchange on immortal cultivation insights and joint progress on the Dao.

He informed Huangfu Bing'er about the matter and asked if she intended to go.

Huangfu Bing'er considered it briefly, then shook her head. "I already possess many high-level immortal texts from the Azure Pill Sect, along with some from the Water Cloud Palace, which are more than enough for me to study slowly. The Water Cloud Palace and the Purple Sword Palace have no significant cordiality; as a disciple of the Water Cloud Palace, it’s inconvenient for me to attend a gathering convened by the Purple Sword Palace to exchange cultivation insights without my sect's approval. However, Junior Brother Ye, you should go. Since you practice the Purple Sword Art and the Great Five Elements Sword, it's a perfect opportunity to see if you can gain some cultivation experience from the Purple Sword Palace."

Since Huangfu Bing'er was hesitant to attend due to her status, Ye Qin did not press the matter.

About half a month later, on the date specified on the invitation, Ye Qin arrived alone at the central city sector of Baifu City, at the Purple Sword Palace. After presenting the invitation to the guards at the Immortal Palace entrance, he stepped into the magnificent, resplendent, and imposing Purple Sword Immortal Palace, entering the soaring main hall.

Inside the hall, Golden Core cultivators were scattered in small groups, chatting amiably, loudly discussing the immortal Dao. Ye Qin realized upon entering that this gathering was unusually large. In and around the main hall, there were well over several hundred Golden Core cultivators alone—with varied attire, including elders, young cultivators, men, and women. Cultivators from over twenty Immortal Palaces were present, including Baifu Palace, Purple Sword Palace, Guangyu Palace, Jubao Palace, and others. In the innermost area of the hall sat several highly esteemed Nascent Soul cultivators.

Walking among the crowd, Ye Qin easily noticed as the Golden Core cultivators greeted each other that those attending from the various Immortal Palaces had some degree of connection to the Purple Sword Palace—be it through kinship, friendships, marriage alliances, or master-disciple relationships.

At the center, atop a raised platform, were tables laden with teacups.