Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Rising Lake issued invitations to entertain guests at a banquet tomorrow evening.

Not only did Sky Declaring Pavilion become restless upon learning of this, but so did the entirety of Midmorning City.

Although Sky Declaring Pavilion didn't issue a conclusive announcement, Mister Ning Qin's grandmaster level strength was without doubt. To be invited by such a character was a great honor!

As invitations were being sent out from Rising Lake, Yun Die held one and arrived outside another manor. After being stopped by the guards, she calmly said, "I am the disciple of Rising Lake's Mister Ning Qin. I am following orders to send an invitation and invite Miss Feng Qing to attend the banquet tomorrow evening."

The guard quickly bowed. "So it was Miss Yun Die. I apologize if I offended you just now! I will immediately pass on a message to the lady. Please wait here for a moment."

He turned around and walked into the guard post, picking up a phone and dialing a number. After several respectful words, he hung up and stepped back out, saying, "Miss Yun Die, please follow me!"

Yun Die nodded and expressed her gratitude before following the guard.

Miss Feng Qing's manor wasn't large, but it was constructed in a delicate and elegant manner. Green trees and red flowers contrasted against each other, making one feel as if they were walking through a painting.

"Miss Yun Die." Zhou Li walked around a corner.

The guard fell to the side. After respectfully bowing, he withdrew.

"Miss Zhou Li." Yun Die smiled, a bit of surprise in her eyes. Compared to when she first saw Zhou Li, her cultivation had risen tremendously.

She was indeed worthy of being the personal maid of Miss Feng Qing. Her talent was outstanding.

However, as she thought about the possible connection between Zhou Li and teacher, she didn't find this unusual.

With her teacher's status, how could anyone mediocre enter his eyes?

Zhou Li smiled and said, "The miss has asked me to come here and bring Miss Yun Die inside."

She gestured a hand, "Please follow me."

Yun Die smiled and nodded.

"Miss, Miss Yun Die has arrived." Zhou Li said as she stood at the entrance of the reception pavilion.

Feng Qing said, "Enter."

Yun Die took a step in. She bowed, "I greet Miss Feng Qing. This is an invitation from my teacher for tomorrow's banquet. If Miss Feng Qing is free, please grace us with your presence."

A light flashed in Feng Qing's eyes. "Has Mister Ning Qin said why he is holding a banquet tomorrow?"

Yun Die shook her head, "Teacher has not given an explanation."

Feng Qing received the invitation. "I will certainly be there tomorrow."

Of course she would go!

The most likely explanation was that this banquet was nothing but a cover.

Qin Yu wanted to meet with her…

She just didn't know what was happening that he would go through so much trouble to see her.

But as it happened to be, she also had some information she wanted to report to him.

Yun Die stood up and bid her farewells. Feng Qing said, "If the banquet is tomorrow, you may be a bit pressed for time. Since Rising Lake doesn't have much experience in handling such matters, do I need to send some people to help?"

"Then I will thank Miss Feng Qing. I was originally planning on going to the Internal Affairs Division after leaving here." Yun Die said, expressing her thanks.

Feng Qing nodded. "Zhou Li, go with her to Rising Lake and assist in the preparations for the banquet tomorrow. Make sure to do your best."

"Yes, miss." Zhou Li's eyes sparkled. Although she was in awe of Mister Ning Qin, being able to enter Rising Lake and help organize the banquet was an honor in itself.

Perhaps she would be able to see the grandmaster one more time.

The next day, the banquet proceeded smoothly. At the same time, the inexperienced Zhou Li completed her tasks. Even though she had help from others, she still felt honored by the opportunity.

What left Zhou Li even more overjoyed was that the miss had ordered her to stay at the banquet to assist Yun Die in dealing with any situations that might pop up.

Most of the guests had already entered the venue without any mistakes. Zhou Li let out a long breath of relief, and at the same time she heard the same exhaling sound from beside her.

Yun Die turned around and their eyes met. They simultaneously smiled, suddenly feeling much friendlier with each other.

"Miss Yun Die, you have no idea how many people envy you for being able to become Mister Ning Qin's disciple." Zhou Li smiled as she spoke.

Yun Die said, "This is indeed my life's greatest fortune. But Zhou Li, for you to follow by the side of Miss Feng Qing is also a great lucky chance."

Zhou Li nodded. Her eyes swept across the audience, pausing for a moment on the Rising Lake disciples that were busily greeting the guests. As she thought about the miss' promise from before, she suddenly asked, "Miss Yun Die, are all of Mister Ning Qin's disciples here?"

Yun Die shook her head. "No, there is still one person who isn't here. Strictly speaking, he is the first disciple that teacher received. He was following by teacher's side before he joined Sky Declaring Pavilion. His name is Qin Yu and he has the trust of teacher. Right now he should be helping teacher collect some experimental materials."

"Qin Yu?" Zhou Li suddenly gasped out loud, disbelief all over her face.

Yun Die was surprised, "What, does Miss Zhou Li know him?"

Zhou Li's thoughts were a mess. "It should…just be the same name…the Qin Yu I know is only an average person…"

Although she said this, for some unknown reason she felt that these two names represented the same person. If so, and he was currently residing at the Midmorning City branch division, why was he hiding from her?

…

Not long after the banquet began, Qin Yu greeted some guests before finding a reason to excuse himself. Moments later, he sat across from Feng Qin. The room was quiet, completely isolated from the noisy atmosphere outside.

"Miss Feng Qing, the reason I caused such a commotion today was because there are some matters that I hope you can help me with."

Seeing Qin Yu's dignified expression, Feng Qing's heart tightened. She said, "If you have any requests, I will do my best as long as it is within my power."

Qin Yu nodded, "I need treasures that can repair the soul. The higher the quality the better, the higher the quantity the better. Do you understand?"

Feng Qing's complexion changed, "You…"

Qin Yu had a helpless expression, "Not too long ago, the jade piece you sent me was very helpful. But it was exactly because of it that the balance within my body was touched and my soul injuries started to worsen. But I can assure you that I will be fine for the time being."

"Ah!" Feng Qing cried out loud. She didn't expect that this matter would be related to her. She paused and then anxiously said, "So, if you can obtain more of those jade pieces, you can restore your injuries?"

Qin Yu's eyes brightened. "You've found it!"

Feng Qing took out a jade slip. "I just obtained this news yesterday and was planning on informing you today. Take a look at this jade first and tell me if it's the same as what you need."

She poured her magic power inside and a light projection appeared. Although it was only a phantom, because of how skillful the recorder's techniques were, one could even sense a faintly cold aura coming from the image.

Qin Yu leaned forward and his breathing deepened. From one glance, he could determine that this was the same as the jade piece he had obtained before. The difference was that it was much larger and shaped like a diamond. If it was cut apart, it could make at least a dozen of the previous jade piece.

"That's right, it's the same jade." He didn't say much more. Since Feng Qing asked him to take a look, she must have verified it already.

Feng Qing was elated. But then, she helplessly smiled, "If this was in the hands of others, I would have purchased it no matter the price and given it to you. But, it has already been announced that this will be one of the final rewards for the winner of the Beast King War of the Seven Sects.

"It is rumored that this jade has an extremely vital function for spirit beasts and as a result it has attracted a massive amount of attention. Even if the competition were to end, it would still be difficult to obtain it."

Qin Yu's heart sank. "There really isn't a plan?"

Feng Qing forced a smile, "I dare not lie to you."

Qin Yu didn't doubt this. He fell silent as his thoughts raced. Soon, he grasped a key point.

Beast King War of the Seven Sects. It was almost impossible that the victor would sell this jade. If so, then the only method was to personally participate, become the champion, and obtain the jade himself!

"Tell me more about the Beast King War of the Seven Sects."

Feng Qing thought for a moment and said, "Sky Declaring Pavilion's main sphere of influence is the First Moon Mountain Range. To the east, beyond the mountains, there is an incomparably vast and fertile plain that is occupied by seven great sects.

"These seven sects have been fighting each other for many years and have tried to annex each other, but none of them have ever been successful. After great turmoil, in order to prevent all sides from losing too much strength and allowing other factions to take advantage of them, they decided to set up the Beast King competition to settle disputes between the sects.

"The so-called seven sects are Radiance Temple, Moonkeep Tower, the Limitless Sword Sect, Witchcraft Sect, Typhoon Mountain, Blue Origin Sect, and Hidden Fog Sect. There is less than half a month before the Beast King War begins."

Qin Yu's eyes brightened. Hidden Fog Sect!

He suddenly thought about Old Wei and Xiang Ziyue who had come requesting help. Without accident, this should be related to the Beast King War that was about to begin.

"Feng Qing, please make the arrangements for me. I need to make a trip to the Hidden Fog Sect!"

…

Old Wei and Xiang Ziyue returned to Hidden Fog Mountain with news that Qin Yu had refused to help. The high level figures of the sect who had been holding onto this last strand of hope suddenly turned deathly white.

The Hidden Fog Sect Master looked at the high level figures in the hall. His eyes were cold, as if he wanted to tear all of these people apart.

Originally, he didn't approve of the radical plans that these people had of pushing everything forward without a care for safety. But, due to their insistence, he could only choose to agree.

It would be a lie to say he didn't feel regret. If he were tougher, if he were more resistant to their complaints, then things wouldn't have come to this point.

This was supposed to be a dark star ice serpent capable of protecting the sect's foundation for tens of thousands of years, but like this it had been ruined. What the Hidden Fog Sect lost was not just this - it was also the Beast King War that was about to begin!

"The ash line grass was provided by Ning Qin. Now that problems have occurred, he has absconded of any responsibility!" An Elder said with resentment thick in his voice. "Does he think that he won't have any more worries with Sky Declaring Pavilion backing him? I propose that we utilize every method at our disposal to force him to lower his head!"

The Hidden Fog Sect Master shouted, "Enough! Do you think that my Hidden Fog Sect doesn't have enough problems as is? This is a grandmaster level beast trainer. So what if we move against him? It will only thoroughly enrage him and create a massive danger for us in the future! Moreover, this accident has nothing to do with the ash line grass!"

The Elder paled with shame. He wanted to come up with a rebuttal but couldn't, and his face became even uglier to look at.

Another Elder said, "The Sect Master is correct. But, this matter involves such significant matters that we need to give the sect an explanation."

"The dark star ice serpent failed to advance. Rong Wei was in charge of this, so he cannot escape responsibility."

"We are simply voicing our opinions. Rong Wei is a permanent staff member and yet he couldn't discover any hidden dangers. As a result, he needs to bear the greatest responsibility for this accident."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

The Hidden Fog Sect Master looked at these high level figures in the hall. Even now they were trying to shift blame onto others. A sorrowful look entered his eyes.

Tens of thousands of years ago, their ancestors had fought until their bodies were bathed in blood. It was with great perseverance and skill that they managed to establish the orthodoxy of the Hidden Fog Sect and rule over a vast stretch of land.

But in this era, the will and vigor inherited from their ancestors had already faded away, leaving behind a group of plotters only interested in intrigue and manipulation.

This was a sign of the sect's decline and demise!

Thinking of this, the Hidden Fog Sect Master's vision flashed black. He clenched his fists, suppressing himself from cursing out loud.

Although he was the Hidden Fog Sect Master, his authority was limited. He had no means to overturn the agreement reached by all these high level figures.

The dark star ice serpent had failed to evolve and would die. This was a serious consequence and it would require an equally formidable scapegoat.

They would never let Rong Wei go.