Zhong State, Tianxian City
Xia Qingshan’s divination failure didn’t damage his reputation much, as he had already stated that his divine calculations only worked well on those of lower cultivation levels. For cultivators of the same level, the effect would be halved, and for those higher than him, it would be ineffective.
A few days later, Xia Qingshan announced that due to leaking too many celestial secrets, he had been struck by a backlash from the heavens and could not perform divinations for a while.
Despite this, Xia Qingshan continued to receive numerous requests for divinations daily, even though he was unable to do them. People were more focused on achieving their goals than worrying about Xia Qingshan’s well-being.
Xia Qingshan paid no attention to these requests. His origins were extremely mysterious, he had no family or disciples, and no vulnerabilities. He remained unmoved by any attempts to pressure or entice him.
Half a month later, Lin Jiang received the Soul Melting Pill from Gu Cheng and went to visit Xia Qingshan.
Xia Qingshan came out to meet someone because Lin Jiang sent the jade slip in. Xia Qingshan thought it was Lin Ying coming to collect a debt.
"It’s me, repay the money, lower-grade spiritual treasure flying sword."
Xia Qingshan pointed at himself, the current Xia Qingshan looked miserable, floating like on cotton, with a face like a consumptive ghost.
"Okay, Taoist friend, please come in."
Xia Qingshan nodded and invited Lin Jiang in.
"How should I address you, Taoist friend?"
"Li Xian, my Taoist friend, I, Xia Qingshan, am not a bad person. If I accidentally damage your precious spiritual treasure, I will definitely compensate you, but not right now."
"Would Taoist Friend be willing to postpone it for a while?"
"Taoist Friend Xia doesn’t believe in getting lucky breaks, right?"
"No, how can you do this?"
"One plus one equals five, my request isn’t high. I’ll pay the same price for a low-grade spiritual treasure flying sword at the auction. I will also give you a fair interest rate of five percent per year."
Xia Qingshan was speechless and thought this was not fair, maybe it was a dishonest merchant.
"Don’t resist, if it was someone else, losing money wouldn’t be enough to settle things, they would definitely want you dead."
"Alright, then tell me, what happened to your injury?"
"The person you were trying to predict is in the hands of a terrifying being. When I tried to predict their existence forcefully, they found out and attacked me."
"How terrifying is this being, Tao Achieving?"
Lin Jiang said, it’s not that he’s powerful, but he has been through a lot.
"At least Tao Achieving level, maybe even surpassing Tao Achieving."
"Is there such a powerful being in North State?"
Lin Jiang said that he is familiar with North State. He wondered if there is really such a powerful presence there.
"I don’t know, but the fact that they could harm me using secret techniques means that their strength is at least two levels higher than mine."
"Can you do another calculation after you’ve healed?"
"Big brother, please spare me. I have already been seriously injured this time. If it happens again, I won’t survive."
"The iron-mouthed fortune teller speaks the truth…"
"Big brother, do you still believe in this? It’s all rumors from outside."
Xia Qingshan was about to cry. Those independent cultivators outside are spreading rumors, like when he said "city gate tower," they turned it into "hip bone spindle." Can we trust such things?
Lin Jiang, seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, stopped pressing him. However, he still needed to investigate this North State. Since Third Sister was still alive and there was a bit of a lead, he had to go find out.
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In the Wangxian Sect, Lin Jiang gave the jade slip given by Xia Qingshan to Li Qing. He asked Li Qing to send elite disciples to search in North State. Since Xia Qingshan mentioned there was a terrifying presence in North State, Lin Jiang decided not to go himself. Better safe than sorry.
"Master, it’s time for the Wangxian Sect to expand."
"You arrange this matter. Here is the Soul Melting Pill, it’s time for you to break through."
Li Qing was delighted to see the Soul Melting Pill. She was no longer a newcomer to the cultivation world and understood how precious this item was.
"Go and take care of it."
Lin Jiang waved his hand, letting Li Qing handle things. She was quite busy now with the Wangxian Sect’s increasing size and responsibilities, and now they needed to expand further.
The Wangxian Sect, established less than three hundred years ago, had already gone through several rounds of expansion, though not on a large scale. They mainly incorporated nearby small powers. It wasn’t that the Wangxian Sect lacked strength, but they had to consider the Pure Jade Sect’s stance.
The Pure Jade Sect ruled over Bing State, and the Wangxian Sect was still a vassal of the Pure Jade Sect. The sect’s expansion had to be approved by the Pure Jade Sect. If they expanded too quickly, they would draw the Pure Jade Sect’s ire.
So, the Wangxian Sect expanded slowly, little by little. They had to rely on the Pure Jade Sect for support, use money to pave the way, and have the big shots in the Pure Jade Sect cover up for them.