As nimble as a young deer, the girl gracefully leapt over the railing of the waterside pavilion, her momentum seemingly set to crash into Yu Ci. Yet, she managed to halt her body just in time, casting a glance towards Shi Song, whose face was stretched long, before turning around and giggling.

"This little one hasn't grown taller, but she seems to have become paler," Yu Ci commented truthfully. During her time in the south for recuperation, the young girl had slimmed down slightly, her complexion also appearing somewhat pale. Shi Song had just mentioned that her Divine Soul's injury had not yet fully healed. However, seeing that the situation in Cliff City was stable, they decided to bring her back to recover in a familiar environment, which might yield better results.

When she first called out the nickname "Brother Fishbone" to refer to Yu Ci, the young girl was somewhat shy. But seeing Yu Ci respond with a warm smile, she felt a bit disappointed that he wasn't as "excited and passionate" as she had imagined. However, upon reflection, this was only their third meeting, and she would have felt uncomfortable if he was overly enthusiastic. She settled her feelings and half-coyly, half-complainingly said:

"Hmph, they said it was a trip to the south, but most of the time was spent on the Mountain Moving Cloud Boat."

Dealing with children was easy for Yu Ci. He laughed and asked, "Was the Mountain Moving Cloud Boat fun? I've been guarding the Great Passage for months and haven't had the chance to tour it."

"Yes, yes, it was fun. It's even bigger than Cliff City. They have everything for sale there, and they have Cloud Piercing Boards and sliding cars. There are performances every night, so exciting! But they were strict and didn't let me go up."

The young girl was naturally innocent and carefree, and she was even more so in front of her family. She chattered non-stop, just like when they were having casual conversations by the cliff. Yu Ci was relieved. It seemed that the Divine Soul injury aside, the psychological trauma inflicted on Little Nine by Tu Du's harsh treatment had no effect anymore. The young girl was back to her energetic self, even more so than before.

Seeing Little Nine monopolizing Yu Ci's attention upon her arrival, and Yu Ci not rejecting her, Shi Song felt both happy and a bit jealous. The little girl hadn't been this excited a few days ago. It seemed that she and Yu Ci were indeed very compatible, which was undoubtedly good news for her and the Thousands Spirits Sect. However, he still had to maintain his grandfatherly demeanor. Seeing that Hu Dan had already made arrangements and was walking towards the waterside pavilion, he coughed:

"Child, don't interrupt the adults while they're discussing important matters."

Little Nine wrinkled her nose: "Grandfather, you said that today we invited Brother Fishbone over to thank him for what happened before. Isn't me talking to Brother Fishbone here also important?"

Yu Ci and Shi Song exchanged a glance and both chuckled. Shi Song shook his head and said, "Besides Immortal Yu, there's also Master Zheng Yan from the Pure Water Sect who visited you before. Don't neglect them."

"Master Zheng Yan?"

Little Nine's memory was exceptionally sharp, and she instantly recalled that this Master Zheng Yan was the snake-like monk she had once encountered at the scene where Yu Ci had slain the cultivators of the White Sun Mansion. The memory of the fright he had given her was still vivid.

Upon this recollection, the young girl felt a tad disgruntled. But before she could express her feelings, a voice announced from outside, "Master Zheng Yan of the Pure Water Sect has arrived."

Yu Ci and Shi Song both stood up. In no time, the tall and lean figure of Monk Zheng Yan entered their sight. After a day's absence, Yu Ci felt that the faint golden hue on the man's face seemed to have deepened, and the piercing glow in his pupils was incredibly sharp.

Hu Dan, who had already entered the waterside pavilion, was taken aback and exclaimed, "Monk Zheng Yan, you have truly progressed in your cultivation level these days. I fear you are on the verge of finding the opportunity to solidify your foundation and form your Golden Elixir."

In his surprise, Hu Dan left his words unsaid: currently, in the open, Cliff City was overseen by two Golden Elixir cultivators, with only Thousands Spirits Sect being one of them. If Monk Zheng Yan were to break through soon, the gains of the Pure Water Sect in the city would likely rise like a boat lifted by the tide, if they were so inclined!

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Yu Ci remembered that He Qing had also said something similar. He exchanged a glance with Shi Song, but before they could say more, Monk Zheng Yan, standing outside the pavilion, called out in a voice as silky as the signature of the Pure Water Sect, "My apologies for my tardiness, please forgive me!"

Shi Song chuckled, "There's no need for such formalities. Today, Brother Hu and I have prepared some light wine to express our gratitude for your assistance, particularly towards Little Nine, during our time in the Sky Rift Valley. We are here to celebrate our personal bonds and mutual respect, nothing more."

Yu Ci, standing nearby, laughed, "I can vouch for that!"

In the midst of their conversation, Zheng Yan had already entered the pavilion. Hearing their words, he glanced at Yu Ci's face, "Oh, what were you discussing earlier?"

Beside them, the young girl wanted to say it was about "Little Nine's experiences", but Shi Song had already laughed and said, "We were discussing some methods of collecting resentment from living beings."

"Oh, isn't that Sect Leader Shi's specialty?" Zheng Yan replied with a grin, showing no restraint despite Shi Song and Hu Dan's higher status, his demeanor was remarkably relaxed, "Were you explaining the essence of the Rotting Soul Fire?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Song laughed heartily and said, "Our modest techniques may impress others, but in the eyes of Immortal Yu and Master Zheng Yan, they are but a clumsy display. What I was referring to earlier was not this, rather..."

As he spoke, he glanced in Yu Ci's direction. Yu Ci, with a faint smile, took over the conversation, "It is a new method I recently acquired, and I wished to seek guidance from Sect Leader Shi. It is quite fortuitous that Master Zheng Yan is here. Perhaps we could all discuss it together."

What Yu Ci was referring to was the so-called "Hundred Spirits Transforming Radiance Veil" that he had obtained from Yan Chu a few days ago. The veil, with its intricate and exquisite needlework, was woven with beautiful patterns on a thin gauze. These patterns, after undergoing the four-stage refining process of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha method, could transform into text within the radiance. The text described a method of collecting the resentment of a hundred living creatures, using the Red Veil as the central hub, and transforming it into the "God Slaying Sting".

The "God Slaying Sting" had a significant reputation in the Cultivation World, known as "the unbeatable", but the method on the "Hundred Spirits Transforming Radiance Veil", as Shi Song stated, was a peripheral technique of a peripheral school. The "God Slaying Sting" it condensed was impure and mixed, possessing a certain venomous quality but lacking the fierce potency of the legend.

Previously, Yu Ci did not want Shi Song to have a preconceived notion about the "God Slaying Sting", so he did not mention its reputation. As expected, this veteran Golden Elixir cultivator did not think much of it. Now, when he mentioned it to Hu Dan and Zheng Yan, their reactions were more or less the same.

Yu Ci was well aware of the limitations of this method. However, he had other plans in mind. He was now asking about related techniques with the idea of gaining something. Seeing that everyone had misunderstood, he did not elaborate further. With a light flick of his hand, a Red Veil spread out in front of everyone.

"Wow, it's so beautiful! But the color is too bright."

Little Nine showed no interest in Orthodox Taoism or heterodox teachings. She was, however, very curious about the material and weaving method of the gauze. She reached out her small hand to touch it but was grabbed by Shi Song.

Seeing this, Yu Ci gave a faint smile and channeled his True Sha into the gauze.

Regardless, a cultivator like Yan Chu who had reached godly levels, wielding the "Hundred Spirits Transforming Radiance Veil", could harm a Golden Elixir individual like Fu Long, proving that this veil was indeed a treasure. For such a treasure, Yan Chu would definitely refine it intensively. By the time Yu Ci received it, the gauze had already reached the third heaven, close to twenty layers of refinement.

However, in order to erase the aura of the previous owner, Yu Ci had to use the same refining method and go through the whole process again. This was much easier than the initial refining, but due to the pressing time, he had only finished six layers. Even so, this was the magical instrument with the most refined layers on Yu Ci.

Completing the first level of a Magical Instrument's refinement was considered a threshold in the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Refining Method. From this moment on, the Magical Instrument could be absorbed into the body and blend more closely with the surrounding Qi.

When True Sha was injected, Yu Ci took a gentle breath, and a glowing red light responded, shining in front of everyone. The fine gauze fluctuated slightly in the light, and the patterns on it flowed like life. With a slight change of angle, one could see rows of neatly written characters on it. The first line was "Heretic Refining Method of God Slaying Sting".

"God Slaying Sting?" Hu Dan exclaimed, "Can this method refine a God Slaying Sting?"

Regardless of whether it was a heretic method, anything associated with the words "God Slaying Sting" would immediately rise to a new level.

Looking at the glowing red gauze, Shi Song and Hu Dan were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other.

This was indeed beyond their expectations.

In fact, the two of them understood very well that today's so-called "family banquet" was said to thank Yu Ci and Zheng Yan for their kindness to the Thousands Spirits Sect, but its real purpose was just to give Yu Ci and Zheng Yan a chance to meet and interact.

Yes, they were probably the only two "informed people" in Cliff City, apart from He Qing and Yu Ci. This family banquet was also arranged by He Qing and Yu Ci.

But now it seemed that Immortal Yu was seriously considering a discussion?

The two brothers had the same thought: "If this is a play, Immortal Yu is too terrifying."

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Organizing the outline, time flew by and I thought I had finished writing, but it turned out that I had completed it in my mind -_-

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