Time passes by in the mountains.

After February 2nd, there has been more rain in the south. I don’t know if it is because the water from Hongze Lake flowed into the river last year, which resulted in much less rain in the spring and summer this year than in previous years.

Fortunately, although it was less, the impact was not great. In addition, for some unknown reason, the imperial court lowered the spring tax across Dasheng this year, and the harvest was enough to live on for the next six months.

Summer goes, autumn comes, winter solstice.

And then spring returns.

A year rotates like a bead, passing slowly, and it has been like this for hundreds and thousands of years.

It is said that everything in the world is easy to change.

But the rising and setting of the sun and the moon, the changing of the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter remain the same year after year and do not change for thousands of years.

The door of the small courtyard in the Taoist temple on the mountain was tightly closed. No matter how the seasons changed outside and spring came and went, no movement could be heard from inside.

Li Ping'an and others came several times, but seeing that Xu Qing was in seclusion, they did not dare to disturb him. They just wandered outside the door for a while before leaving.

"When do you think Xu Qing will come out of confinement?" Li Ping'an came to the gate of Xu Qing's courtyard again on February 2 of that year.

Those who go with him,
There are also Chen Ziming, Jiang Xianyue and Zhao Yinxi, who entered the monastery together and formally joined the mountain sect at the same ordination ceremony.

"Hasn't Xu Qing already made a breakthrough? Why does he still need to spend so much time consolidating his realm?" Chen Ziming asked puzzledly.

Jiang Xianyue and Zhao Yinxi turned to look at Li Pingan at the same time, giving him inquiring looks.

Li Pingan shook his head: "I don't know the details of Xu Qing's situation."

"That's going to be quite troublesome." Chen Ziming sighed, "The Four Seas Dragon Palace is currently able to accommodate cultivators of the fourth realm. With Xu Qing's strength, he should be able to gain many opportunities there."

"Moreover, to solve the problem of the clan altar being sealed, we need a treasure from the Dragon Palace."

"Xu Qing will definitely have a greater chance of getting treasures than us if he goes in."

Over the past year, following Li Ping'an, Chen Ziming, Jiang Xianyue and Zhao Yinxi have also been promoted to the third level one after another.

However, the clan altar was sealed, preventing them from carrying out the ordination ceremony.

The fact that the sect's altar was sealed off was originally something the elders in the temple wanted to keep secret, but as more and more disciples were promoted to the third realm and the sect was reluctant to grant them the ordination, the news gradually spread.

Later, Elder Qingzheng, who temporarily took over the position of the head of the temple, realized that he could no longer conceal the matter, so he informed everyone in the temple.

There was an uproar in the Taoist temple.

Fortunately, the second disciple of the sect leader, Taoist Qingxu, brought good news at the right time, saying that they had found a way to break the seal on the sect altar, and people's hearts were finally at peace.

Now, most of the preparations for breaking the seal on the sect altar are ready, except for the last thing. Unfortunately, that thing is extremely rare, so the temple sent many elders and disciples out to search for it, but in the end, nothing was found.

Finally, someone saw that thing in the opened Dragon Palace of the Four Seas, so all the disciples of Yuanfu Temple rushed to the Dragon Palace of the Four Seas, trying to get that thing from the Dragon Palace and break the seal of the sect altar.

"There's nothing we can do about it. We can't force Xu Qing out of his retreat." Li Ping'an coughed dryly. "He's been in retreat for such a long time, he shouldn't be sleeping. He must have encountered some problems."

"I know." Chen Ziming didn't think of forcibly waking Xu Qing up. Now was not the time when the sect was facing life and death.

He was just worried.

When the Four Seas Dragon Palace was first opened, it could only accommodate cultivators or monsters of the second realm. Later, as those dragon-like and water-born creatures did something, it gradually became able to accommodate cultivators of the third realm, and recently, it has even been able to accommodate cultivators of the fourth realm.

I believe that after some time, those who are at the fifth, sixth, or even seventh realms will be able to enter the Dragon Palace of the Four Seas.

By then, the advantage of restricting higher cultivators or monsters from entering will no longer exist, and the competition will definitely become more intense, and the possibility of them getting that thing will be greatly reduced.

"It's okay. It will take some time to enter the fifth realm, not to mention the sixth realm." Zhao Yinxi suddenly spoke, her voice ethereal and crisp like a silver bell, "Just wait. Xu Qing is strong, but he is not the only genius in the temple."

"Like Senior Sister Jingqing, if she can enter the fifth realm, she will be able to get that thing when she enters."

"There are also Master Yang Qingfeng, Senior Brother Yinshan, Senior Brother Jingxin, and so on."

Chen Ziming shook his head and didn't continue the conversation.

But Jiang Xianyue said:

"Senior Brother Yinshan has just broken through to the fifth realm. He may not be a match for those who have wasted half their lives or even their entire lives in the fifth realm. Senior Brother Yang Qingfeng and Senior Brother Jingxin may be better off."

“As for Senior Sister Jingqing, I’m afraid she can’t enter the Four Seas Dragon Palace for the time being. Or if she wants to go in, she has to wait until the Dragon Palace can accommodate sixth-level cultivators.”

"Senior Sister Jingqing has made a breakthrough?" Li Pingan asked in surprise.

When he was in Imperial Capital City, he had witnessed the heroic demeanor of Senior Sister Jingqing.

At that time, Senior Sister Jingqing's cultivation level was only the fifth level, but she was able to fight with the sixth level with the sword, and even with the help of the thunder pool tribulation at that time, she was able to fight with the seventh level.

“Not yet.” Jiang Xianyue didn’t tell the truth. “I also heard it from hearsay. I heard that Senior Sister Jingqing was able to break through and become a great master several decades ago.”

"It's just that the 'Supreme Three Fives Slashing Thousands of Ghosts and Tens of Thousands of Gods' that she practices is too overbearing and murderous. It's not a big deal before the fifth level, but once she breaks through the sixth level, she will probably be in big trouble."

"The great supernatural powers involve the level of the Great Dao. If the Great Dao combined by Senior Sister Jingqing cannot suppress the 'Great Three Fives Slashing Thousands of Ghosts and Tens of Thousands of Gods', it may result in a conflict between the talisman and the Great Dao."

"That's why Senior Sister Jingqing was forced by the Sect Master not to break through and to train for a few more decades."

"So is Senior Sister Jingqing confident now?" Zhao Yinxi asked.

Her master Qiu Muxue and senior sister Jingqing are good friends. Even though they are in the same sect, there are differences in closeness and distance between them.

"I heard that he received a large amount of merit to dispel the murderous nature in the talisman. There is no need to worry about this aspect anymore."

"Plus, Senior Sister's decades of accumulation is too profound, far exceeding what a normal fifth realm person should have. When the murderous nature of the talisman was eliminated, she began to break through uncontrollably."

"Now, like Xu Qing, I am in seclusion. I am afraid that I may not be able to come out when the Dragon Palace is able to accommodate the sixth level."

"Oh," Chen Ziming sighed when he heard this.

There are many talented disciples in the temple, but the only ones who can be called peerless geniuses who can defeat all opponents of the same level are the three disciples of the master's lineage.

After listening to this, Li Ping'an felt that it would not be safe for them to enter the Dragon Palace to take the treasure unless Xu Qing came out.

Just when a few people were feeling a little discouraged.

Suddenly there was a creaking sound behind me.

Li Ping'an and the other three were stunned, and they all turned to look at the tightly closed gate of the courtyard.

At this moment, the courtyard door was slowly opening inward, and a Taoist priest with a handsome appearance walked out. He looked at Li Pingan and others gathered at his door with a puzzled expression.

"Why are you all at my door?"

The magic circle in the yard has the effect of shielding the outside world, so Xu Qing cannot sense the situation outside.

"Xu Qing!"

Li Pingan, Chen Ziming and Jiang Xianyue were all excited and overjoyed. They didn't expect Xu Qing to come out at this time!

Even Zhao Yinxi, who was always calm, raised her lips slightly. "What's wrong?" Xu Qing was full of questions.

He wondered why Li Pingan and others appeared at the door, and why they were so excited to see him?

"Thank God, I finally got you out." Li Ping'an pounced in front of Xu Qing like a pig, and Xu Qing pushed him away with a palm, preventing Li Ping'an from getting close to him.

"That's fine, but don't make a move." Xu Qing said unhappily, and then cast a probing look at the other three people, "But something happened in the temple?"

Chen Ziming quickly shook his head.

Then in a few words he informed them that the Four Seas Dragon Palace had been opened and that the temple needed a treasure from the palace to help break the seal on the altar.

After listening to it, Xu Qing roughly understood it.

"What is that treasure?"

"We don't know about that either. The elders in the temple only said that we can obtain that thing by passing a certain test secret realm in the Dragon Palace."

There is not only a treasure house in the Dragon Palace, but also many secret realms for training true dragon descendants.

Xu Qing frowned slightly.

If the elders of the temple wanted to prevent others from knowing about the treasure and using it to threaten the sect, Xu Qing could barely understand it, but it was obvious that things would not be that simple.

"I understand. This matter concerns the sect. I will first go to Uncle Qingzheng to find out the situation, and then go to the Dragon Palace."

Li Pingan's eyes lit up: "Take me with you, take me with you!"

Xu Qing refused bluntly.

"If I have to go, I will go alone. If you go, you will only hold me back."

Amid Li Ping'an's complaints, Xu Qinghuahong left and found Elder Qingzheng.

Elder Qingzheng looked at Xu Qing who suddenly appeared in his room and stood up suddenly: "You came out of retreat?"

"Disciple greets Master Uncle." Xu Qing bowed respectfully. "Disciple just came out of retreat and learned about the Dragon Palace from other people. May I ask Master Uncle, what treasure from the Dragon Palace is needed to break the seal of the sect altar?"

It needs to be kept secret from other disciples, but not from Xu Qing.

"It is a ritual vessel from the previous dynasty. It may contain the remaining national destiny of the previous dynasty."

"Previous dynasty?"

"Yes." Elder Qingzheng said in a deep voice: "The Great Sheng Emperor destroyed the previous dynasty and established the new country, so it can be said that there is an irreconcilable hatred with the previous dynasty and it is a natural opposition."

"Jingqing's method is actually very simple. It is to use this to make the imperial edict act in response to the pressure, thus creating an opportunity for us to break the seal."

Xu Qing pondered for a moment.

No wonder the elders in the temple refused to say clearly what treasures they needed.

Use the ritual vessels of the previous dynasty to execute the imperial edict left by the Taizu of the current dynasty?

If these sour and corrupt scholars knew about this, they would definitely curse Yuanfu Temple to death, and it would also be difficult to explain to the royal family.

Although the royal family may not be able to take care of so many things at the moment, this matter cannot be publicized with great fanfare, as it would be embarrassing.

"Disciple knows." Xu Qing asked, "Excuse me, uncle, what is that secret realm for the assessment?"

"The secret realm has no fixed form and will be adjusted according to the strength of the person being tested." Elder Qingzheng told Xu Qing all the information he knew so far.

He was not sure whether other disciples in the temple could pass the secret assessment realm. After all, the secret assessment realm was originally used to test the strength of the descendants of pure-blooded true dragons.

Every pure-blooded true dragon is a creature with the highest talent in the world, and its strength naturally far exceeds that of other races in the same realm.

But if Xu Qing took action, Elder Qingzheng believed that the so-called assessment secret realm would not be a problem at all.

"Uncle Master, I have a general understanding of the situation. I will rush to the Dragon Palace and bring back the ritual vessel from the previous dynasty."

"Wait." Elder Qingzheng stopped Xu Qing, "Follow the team. The emergence of the Dragon Palace this time is a great opportunity for all major forces."

"Because the Dragon Palace is currently being gradually liberated, the most elite and powerful cultivators cannot enter. Therefore, the current Dragon Palace is more like a grand martial arts arena where disciples from various forces compete for opportunities."

"We at Yuanfu Temple will certainly not just stand by and watch such a great event."

Elder Qingzheng casually waved a beam of light, and a moment later, Senior Brother Jingxin arrived at the master's hall.

"Junior brother is here too?" Senior Brother Jingxin was a little surprised to see Xu Qing was there too.

"I've met senior brother."

"There's no need to be so polite between you and me." Senior Brother Jingxin waved his hand, then saluted to Elder Qingzheng in a serious manner, "Master, what do you want to call me for?"

"Jingxin, you will lead the team to Dragon Palace this time." Elder Qingzheng said, looking at his most beloved disciple.

"Yes, Master." Jingxin took the task without asking any questions.

"Jing Du will go with you this time, please bear with me."

"As for Jing Du, after entering the Dragon Palace, you can ignore other things and first go and get the ritual vessel that contains the destiny of the previous dynasty."

"Disciples will abide by the law." Senior Brother Jingxin and Xu Qing responded in unison.

But then, Xu Qing suddenly raised his eyes and asked uncertainly, "Uncle Master, what will happen after we get the ritual vessel that contains the destiny of the previous dynasty?"

When Elder Qingzheng was admonishing him just now, there was something obviously wrong with his tone at the end - some words were not said directly, just waiting for him to hand over a ladder.

"Later?" Elder Qingzheng smiled slightly, "Of course, we will suppress the disciples of other forces and let them see what genius is! And see what the quality of the disciples of Yuanfu Temple is!"

Xu Qing did not expect that the always serious Elder Qingzheng would say such ostentatious words.

Elder Qingzheng noticed the surprise in Xu Qing's eyes and snorted softly:
"Your master needs to concentrate all his efforts on suppressing the seal of Huaijing at the foot of Guishan Mountain. He cannot act arbitrarily. Some people think that Yuanfu Temple is weak and can be bullied."

"Now is the time to show our fists and crush those evil thoughts."

"It's difficult for us elders to take action, but disciples don't have so many concerns."

"As long as they don't beat you to death, no one can stop you from doing anything. If they get angry and dare to attack you, we have a reason to knock on your door!"

"Disciple, I understand." Xu Qing said solemnly.

With his current strength, there are probably only a very few people in the fourth realm who can be his opponent.

Xu Qing has this confidence.

But I also understand that other major forces and other countries must have talented cultivators, so I can't completely ignore the heroes of the world. I should be more humble.

"Go ahead." Elder Qingzheng nodded, "Don't let people look down on our Yuanfu Temple."

"In addition, all forces in Dasheng are under the jurisdiction of the North Pole Exorcism Institute. They have sent Tianyou over there. If you have any problems, you can go to him. I believe he will give face to my temple and Jingdu." (End of this chapter)