Immortal Refiner

After Li Qing gained renown in Yujing City, he took up residence in Prince Ning’s Mansion to avoid the recent attention.

However, his plan backfired. Even within the mansion, he found no peace.

The mansion buzzed with activity as ministers brought their daughters to pay their respects, all with the clear intention of approaching Li Qing.

In just over ten days, Li Qing had met nearly every unmarried noblewoman of marriageable age in Yujing City.

The eldest daughter of a Minister of Personnel, the granddaughter of a general, the beloved daughter of a Vice Minister—he struggled to manage them all.

Ultimately, after firmly stating his lack of interest in forming a dao companion, he finally managed to evade the persistent attention.

As late autumn approached, the gardens of Prince Ning’s Mansion remained as vibrant as spring. The rare and exotic spirit trees bore abundant fruit.

Finally free of the social whirlwind, Li Qing strolled through the mansion’s gardens. He considered bidding farewell to Prince Ning and returning to his cave abode.

Although the cultivation environment within the mansion was excellent—situated at the heart of a sixth-tier spiritual vein—he felt increasingly uneasy staying there.

Just as Li Qing was pondering how to begin the conversation, respectful voices of servants drifted in from outside the garden:

”Greetings, Princess Qinghe!”

”Hmm, rise.”

Li Qing turned to see a princess who had left a deep impression on him during the palace competition. Though her cultivation was only at the Divine Transformation stage, she was a master of formations.

Today, Princess Qinghe wore an elegant, pale green gown. Her pleasant face remained serene, undisturbed by her surroundings.

Only when she saw Li Qing did a flicker of emotion appear in her eyes.

”Greetings, Your Highness the Princess!” Li Qing cupped his fist in greeting.

”Your cultivation surpasses mine, so such formality is unnecessary. You may address me as Fellow Daoist Qinghe,” Princess Qinghe said calmly.

In the Great Yu Kingdom, while the Royal Family’s status was noble, strength ultimately reigned supreme. Immortal cultivators were not required to bow to royalty; seniority was determined solely by cultivation level.

Li Qing knew this well, but he deliberately maintained formal address to keep his distance. He had no desire to become too close to these royal members.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Princess Qinghe called out, ”Wait, I came specifically to see you.”

Li Qing paused, a puzzled expression on his face. ”May I ask what business your highness has with me?”

The princess took a letter from her robes and handed it to him. ”Yesterday, I visited my teacher, and a one-eyed man asked me to deliver this to you. Here.”

Xia Wushuang?

Li Qing was momentarily taken aback, unsure of what was happening. He accepted the Spirit Sealing Letter, and its contents quickly materialized before his eyes.

”Brother Li, help me quickly! I’ve been soft-imprisoned by a bizarre old man at Mount Xiliang, just west of Yujing City. He tortures me daily!”

”This old man is utterly arrogant, not even respecting Prince Ning. Inform Prince Ning of this matter and have him raid the old man’s home! And save me while you’re at it.”

Reading the letter, Li Qing’s lips twitched. He suspected the ”bizarre old man” Xia Wushuang mentioned was none other than Princess Qinghe’s teacher.

”Ahem, Fellow Daoist Qinghe, may I ask who your master is?”

”It seems my friend is trapped there. Is there something amiss?”

Princess Qinghe answered truthfully, ”My master is Master Ying, I am merely a registered disciple of my teacher, not yet a true master-apprentice.”

”As for your friend, although he is being held, his life is not in danger. My teacher wishes to extract information about formations from him, as his formation inheritance is quite significant.”

Hearing this, Li Qing frowned slightly.

Master Ying.

He had no recollection of the name, but anyone capable of becoming Princess Qinghe’s teacher, even as a registered disciple, was likely no ordinary person.

”I appreciate Your Highness’s personal visit,” Li Qing said, testing the waters. ”But what if my friend refuses to reveal the origins of his formation knowledge? What will your teacher do then?”

Princess Qinghe shook her head. ”Actually, my teacher wanted to take him as a personal disciple in exchange for his formation inheritance. But the man spoke arrogantly, claiming my teacher was unworthy to teach him formations and dismissing them as mere ’countryside tricks.’ That’s what angered my teacher.”

After a moment of silence, Li Qing decided to let the matter rest for now.

Such a profound formation master, Li Qing thought, was likely of little use in the past. It was better to let him vent his frustrations on Xia Wushuang; once the man had had his fill, he would naturally be released.

”Thank you for relaying my message, Your Highness,” Princess Qinghe said, a rare smile gracing her lips. ”No thanks are necessary. I came not only to deliver this message but also to ask for your help testing the Upside-Down Star Formation.”

”I’ve been in seclusion recently, refining the formation and adding new modifications. This time, you won’t break it so easily!”

When discussing formations, Her Highness the Princess became quite talkative.

Li Qing listened, then gave a wry smile and reluctantly agreed. ”Then I await your guidance.”

Moments later, in the rear courtyard of Prince Ning’s Mansion, Princess Qinghe stood deep in thought as she gazed at the Upside-Down Star Formation, now shattered by Li Qing’s sword.

This time, she had personally controlled the formation, unleashing its full power, yet it still couldn’t withstand Li Qing’s single strike. The defeat was even more decisive than before, startling her and making her fear her modifications had failed.

Li Qing slowly sheathed the Immortal Slaughtering Sword and said, ”Fellow Daoist Qinghe, there’s no need to be discouraged. Few in the void refinement realm could have blocked that sword strike head-on.”

The unspoken implication was that the fifth-tier grand formation was already quite impressive, and there was no need to clash with him to the death.

After a moment of contemplation, Princess Qinghe nodded again. She then stored away the formation plate and the remaining shattered formation flags. Without another word, she left Prince Ning’s Mansion.

Meanwhile, Li Qing used the pretext of inquiring about Master Ying to approach Prince Ning.

In the mansion’s study, Prince Ning was perusing an ancient-looking manual. After hearing Li Qing’s account, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

”I truly can’t win any favor with Master Ying.”

”He is the State-Guarding Grand Preceptor. The guardian grand formations of the Imperial Palace and the teleportation formations in all the prefectures of the Great Yu Kingdom were all his creations. He wouldn’t show even your majesty any special courtesy.”

”Unless the Late Grand Ancestor Emperor himself intervenes, no one can sway Master Ying.”

Hearing this, Li Qing’s face showed a mixture of awe and shock.

Master Ying, one of the founding heroes of the Great Yu Kingdom, had once fought alongside the Grand Ancestor Emperor to establish the empire. With his cultivation at the mid body integration realm and unparalleled mastery of formation arts, he was the foremost eighth-rank formation master in the entire Great Yu Kingdom. His skills were truly divine, as if he had stolen the very secrets of heaven and earth.