261: Chapter 260 The Dark Horse of the Outer Sect

He had to collect all the various medicinal herbs needed for Core Formation as soon as possible, polish his cultivation, and when the time was right, go all out to break through to Core Formation. Only by stepping into the Golden Core Realm could he truly possess the strength to contend with the Yao Race and survive the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth.

He also had to find a top-tier blood-qi Cultivation Technique.

Only by obtaining a top-tier blood-qi Cultivation Technique could he unleash the effects of the Golden Trait "Blood-Qi".

Besides that, finding the last purple-gold key was of paramount importance.

This purple-gold key was the key to unlocking the Empress.

There were six purple-gold keys in total: one was in Fairy Qingling's hands, one with Shen Guhong, one with Chen Erniu, and two were with Qin Changsheng.

Only if Qin Changsheng found the last one first could he prevent the Yao Race from helping the Empress break her seal.

Finally, the most troublesome matter was to investigate exactly who the Demon Empress's Reincarnation was.

Currently, Qin Changsheng only knew that the Empress had reincarnated within the Heavenly Sword Sect.

However, he did not know who the Empress was.

When did she reincarnate, and what was her cultivation level?

...

Heavenly Sword Sect.

Qingyun Tower.

Qin Changsheng, controlling Hu Nan, arrived here to participate in the annual Foundation Establishment Gathering.

The reason Qin Changsheng had Hu Nan attend this gathering was to scout for recent major events.

And then to see if there was any news regarding heavenly dao fragments and Core Formation medicinal herbs.

As soon as Hu Nan entered the private room, he saw that over twenty Cultivators were already seated there.

Most of these people's cultivation levels were at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.

There were also a few Cultivators at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

The moment Hu Nan stepped into the private room, the chatter inside abruptly ceased.

All the Cultivators stood up and bowed to Hu Nan.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Hu!"

"Senior Brother Hu, we haven't seen you for a year, and your cultivation has improved again!"

"Senior Brother Hu, you must give me some guidance later!"

Respectful voices rang out one after another, echoing throughout the private room; no one dared to show the slightest negligence.

Controlling Hu Nan, Qin Changsheng nodded slightly with a calm expression.

"Senior Brother Hu, please have some tea!" A Cultivator dressed in blue robes stepped forward quickly and poured a cup of tea for Hu Nan.

"Thank you," Hu Nan nodded and sat directly on a chair.

Seeing Hu Nan sit down, everyone else followed suit.

At this moment, however, the crowd was no longer just chatting but was instead asking Hu Nan for advice on cultivation matters.

Hu Nan was also very considerate toward these fellow Disciples.

He would provide guidance on anything he knew.

A quarter of an hour later, Jiang Lijuan, Senior Brother Wu Yong, Jiang Hui, Lin Hao, and others also arrived in the private room.

Once everyone was seated, this Exchange Conference officially began.

Everyone stopped being formal and opened up, talking about the major events that had occurred in the Southern Region over the past year.

There was news of Secret Realms opening, small-scale skirmishes between Sects, and rumors of treasures appearing. For a time, the private room was bustling with noise, and information flowed continuously.

Controlling Hu Nan, Qin Changsheng listened quietly with a calm expression, though his mind was quickly filtering for useful information. But after listening for a long while, there were no clear leads on heavenly dao fragments or Core Formation medicinal herbs.

Just then, Senior Brother Wu Yong suddenly said, "Everyone, if we're talking about the most shocking thing in the past year, it's not some Secret Realm treasure, but the Outer Sect Grand Competition. A massive dark horse emerged, even more impressive than Senior Brother Hu was back then!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the private room fell silent. All the Cultivators turned to look at Senior Brother Wu Yong, their eyes filled with surprise and curiosity.

"Senior Brother Wu, that's impossible, right?"

"Senior Brother Hu was a dark horse to the very end back then!"

"How could anyone be more impressive than Senior Brother Hu!"

"Didn't Senior Brother Hu defeat Senior Brother Lin and Senior Sister Jiang in a single move back then?"

"Isn't Senior Brother Hu also first on the Southern Region Prodigy Rankings?"

Many Cultivators simply didn't believe Senior Brother Wu Yong's words.

After all, in their year, Hu Nan had won the championship of the Grand Competition with overwhelming dominance.

How could there possibly be someone stronger than Hu Nan in the Grand Competition now?

Senior Brother Wu Yong hurriedly said, "I'm not talking nonsense! In this Outer Sect Grand Competition, there was a Disciple named Lin Yao. With only a Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivation, she fought her way through, consecutively defeating Cultivators at the Level 9 and 10 Qi Refining Stages, and ultimately snatched the championship of the Outer Sect Grand Competition!"

"What? Qi Refining Stage 7? Won the Outer Sect Grand Competition championship?"

"That's impossible! There is a world of difference between Qi Refining Stage 7 and the Great Perfection of Qi Refining; how could a Qi Refining Stage 7 beat a Perfection and even win the title?"

"Senior Brother Wu, are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

"Even Senior Brother Hu's cultivation was at the Level 9 Qi Refining Stage back then!"

The Cultivators were in an uproar, their faces full of disbelief as they discussed it, their tones filled with shock and doubt.

Far away in his small courtyard, Qin Changsheng's heart was in turmoil, and an irrepressible shock instantly surged within him.

Back then, he was able to rise quickly and crush Cultivators of the same level entirely because of the boost from his Golden Traits, which gave him strength far beyond ordinary people.

But Lin Yao was just a Qi Refining Stage 7 Cultivator with mediocre talent, and the resources the Sect provided weren't top-tier either. Logically speaking, let alone winning the championship, even reaching the finals of the Outer Sect Grand Competition should have been difficult. How could she have counterattacked all the way and defeated Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivators to win?

Immediately after, a terrifying thought slowly surfaced in Qin Changsheng's mind.

Could it be that his fellow townsman, Lin Yao, was the Reincarnation of the Demon Empress?

Only a Reincarnation of the Empress could possess such Heaven-Defying strength, crushing Foundation Establishment Cultivators with a Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivation and creating such an inconceivable miracle.

However, Qin Changsheng soon dismissed this conjecture.

If Lin Yao truly were the Reincarnation of the Demon Empress...

...she wouldn't have struggled in the Outer Sect for over twenty years.

With the Demon Empress's talent and strength, she would have reached Foundation Establishment long ago, perhaps even surpassing Qin Changsheng.

Nevertheless, Qin Changsheng decided to visit the second floor of the Qingyun Tower to see exactly what was going on.

Why was this Lin Yao able to win the Heavenly Sword Sect's Grand Competition championship?

Although Lin Yao winning the Outer Sect Grand Competition championship shocked everyone...

...the Outer Sect Grand Competition was merely a sparring match between Qi Refining Cultivators, so they quickly shifted the topic to other matters.

Jiang Hui suddenly stood up and said, "Everyone, I've heard of something even more peculiar. In the Liuhuo Mountain Range outside the Flowing Fire Sect, there have recently been signs of a major treasure appearing."

"What? A major treasure appearing in the Liuhuo Mountain Range?"

"How come I haven't heard of this?"

"Senior Brother Jiang, what kind of extraordinary treasure is it?"

These words exploded like thunder in the private room. All the Cultivators stopped their discussions instantly and turned their gazes toward Jiang Hui.

Jiang Hui raised his hand slightly, signaling for everyone to be quiet. "This matter is absolutely true, and strange phenomena have even appeared in the Liuhuo Mountain Range!"

Jiang Hui scanned the crowd and continued, "Every night of the full moon, in the depths of the Liuhuo Mountain Range, countless red lights emerge. Those red lights gather like sparks, eventually forming a giant Bronze Mirror that floats above the mountain range. Its light is dazzling; even from a hundred miles away, it can be clearly seen. The phenomenon lasts for fifteen minutes before slowly dissipating."

"Many Cultivators have already rushed to the Liuhuo Mountain Range!"

Hearing Jiang Hui's words, many Cultivators began to speculate what the major treasure behind this phenomenon could be.

Some said it was an ancient Bronze Mirror Magical Artifact, others said it was a fire-attribute spiritual root treasure. For a time, the private room fell into heated discussion again.

But at this moment, far away in the Outer Sect, Qin Changsheng's heart jolted, and a strong sense of familiarity surged within him.

The phenomenon Jiang Hui described—the full moon night, the gathering red lights, turning into a giant Bronze Mirror—was exactly the same as the phenomenon when he obtained the heavenly dao fragment at Qingyun Lake!

A thought instantly flashed through his mind.

The extraordinary treasure in the Liuhuo Mountain Range might just be a heavenly dao fragment.

At the same time, Qin Changsheng made a decision.

Once this Exchange Conference ended, he would head to the Liuhuo Mountain Range outside the Flowing Fire Sect and use his Heavenly Dao Trait Intelligence to see if it was indeed a heavenly dao fragment.

If it was a heavenly dao fragment, he would fight for it.

A quarter of an hour later, the group finished sharing the major events of the year, and the private room gradually grew quiet.

Jiang Lijuan slowly rose and said, "Everyone, now that we've finished discussing major events and cultivation insights, why don't we bring out some unused treasures for a trade?"