Two yearster.


    That day.


    Zhou Yi had just deactivated the shop''s prohibitive spells when a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had been waiting outside entered, bowed deeply, and handed over a golden invitation.


    "True Lord Tang, the old ancestor of our sect cordially invites you to attend his birthday banquet."


    Zhou Yi took the invitation, looked it over, and nodded in agreement, "Please convey to Feng Daoist Friend that I will definitely attend the banquet on time."


    The cultivator bowed and left the shop, turning into a streak of light and departing.


    "It''s finally here, quite a bit sooner than expected," Zhou Yi murmured, holding the invitation in his hand, which came from Feng Yang, the Supreme Elder of the Earth Fire Pce, who was celebrating his four hundredth birthday by inviting friends from all around to attend the banquet.


    Feng Yang had visited the Four Arts Hall several times, engaging in enjoyable discussions with Zhou Yi about the art of Artifact Refining.


    The Earth Fire Pce was indeed one of the sects Zhou Yi had marked, known for refining spirit ores with the essence of the earth''s vein fires, crafting Magic Artifacts that are sharp and durable. The most famous among their treasures was the Earth Element Armor.


    This treasure, refined with a secret technique using the force of the earth''s maic core, could counter the Five Elements Spells and greatly elerate Earth Escape by drawing on geomaism, making it a top-notch protective and escaping Magic Artifact.


    "Feng Daoist Friend is four hundred years old, how old is this poor Daoist again..."


    Zhou Yi carefully calcted and realized that in another six years, he would be eight hundred years old.


    ...


    Earth Fire Archipgo.


    Zhou Yi arrived through the clouds with Wan Bao, and below them, dozens of inds formed a chain, surrounding a central ind spewing fierce mes.


    The surging earth fire reddened the sky, and the malevolent aura of the earth''s core rose into the air, forming a haze visible even from tens of miles away.


    Zhou Yi swept his Divine Sense over the area, sensing the might of the fracturing earth veins and couldn''t help but sigh.


    "We cultivators strive against heaven for our fate, yet in the face of the natural world, we are truly no more than ants!"


    "It is indeed so," Wan Bao nodded and said, "A thousand years ago, this ce was known as the Mountain Sea Sect. Due to the fracturing earth veins and the overflow of malevolence, they had to relocate the entire sect. It is said that they invited a Nascent Soul elder to seal the earth veins. However, the sealsted only a dozen years before the earth fire broke through it."


    Zhou Yi, looking at the surrounding islets, remarked, "The Earth Fire Pce did take advantage of this situation. With earth fire everywhere, it suits their lineage perfectly."


    Wan Bao shook his head and exined, "There is a loss for every gain. The formation on the central islet that stabilizes the earth veins and filters the malevolence consumes a vast amount of Spirit Stones year-round. Hence, despite the Earth Fire Pce''s fame in Artifact Refining in the Eastern Sea, their cultivation resources are quite strained."


    As they spoke, the two of them descended from the clouds.


    The Earth Fire Pce wasn''t located on the central islet but on a nearby group of inds, its ptialplex constructed entirely of red rocks, a deeply impressive sight from afar.


    At the entrance, a continuous stream of names was being called, and the main hall was already filled with many guests, chatting in groups of twos and threes.


    Zhou Yi wasn''t well-known in the Eastern Sea, but Wan Bao''s arrival in the hall caused quite a stir, prompting the guests to bow in salute.


    The Foundation Establishment cultivator responsible for weing the guests hurried over to greet them, "Elders, pleasee inside. The old ancestor has been waiting for you in the inner hall for quite some time and has mentioned several times that he wishes to take this opportunity to exchange knowledge on the ways of Artifact Refining."


    The number of people in the inner hall was much smaller, just six Golden Core True Monarchs, apanied by more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators serving them.


    Feng Yang sat at the head of the table, conversing with a True Monarch to his left. Seeing Zhou Yi and Wan Bao enter the hall, he smiled and gestured for them toe over.


    "Wan Bao, Daoist Friend Tang, please take a seat. Today, at my birthday banquet, we must drink to our hearts'' content!"


    "Congrattions, congrattions," Zhou Yi handed over the prepared congrattory gift to the weing cultivator, a Five-Hundred-Year-Old Ginseng.


    Shortly after taking their seats, two more True Monarchs arrived, introduced by Wan Bao as the elders of Water Cloud Sect and Ziyang Sect.


    In the Eastern Sea, twenty to thirty sects jostle for scarce cultivation resources, inevitably leading to conflicts. Nowadays, they can generally be divided into three factions. Besides Zhou Yi, all the sects present to celebrate the birthday are aligned with Earth Fire Pce.


    Once all the guests had arrived, the birthday banquet began.


    Needless to say, there was a sumptuous feast apanied by music, spiritual wine, and fine dishes. After three rounds of wine and five courses of food, the birthday star Feng Yang heaved a sigh.


    "I am now four hundred years old. I watch as the heavens grant no extra years, yet Earth Fire Pce has no one to follow!"


    Thisment drew the attention of everyone, among them an elder from Ziyang Sect, who was even older than Feng Yang, spoke tofort him.


    "Do not dwell on this, Feng Daoist friend. I heard that the disciple you recently took in has a Fire Spiritual Body and will surely reach Core Formation within a hundred years."


    "Difficult, difficult, difficult!"


    Feng Yang said, "I cannot leave the legacy of our ancestors in the hands of a mere child. Should the future prove emptiness, I will have no face to meet the line of esteemed ancestors."


    The assembly within the hall shared a silent shake of heads. This problem was not unique to Earth Fire Pce; other sects had experienced it too.


    Sects in the Eastern Sea could notpare to Cloud Continent, where each generationcks not for disciples with astonishing talent. Rare as they are, even on Fire God Peak there are over a dozen disciples with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and hundreds more with Exotic Spirit Roots and Spiritual Bodies.


    Only then can a sect like Dan Ding ensure its continuous standing for thousands of years, while sects in the Eastern Sea seldom have legacies thatst over two thousand years, due to the struggle to ensure that each generation has a True Monarch at its helm.


    Once a previous generation''s True Monarch passes away, and there is no sessor to uphold the sect, not to mention the internal chaos, the external predators will tear it apart and feast on it.


    For example, among the ten True Monarchs present in the hall, the two elders from Water Cloud Sect and Qing Yang Sect happen to be the founding members of their respective sects, established for barely a century. The resources they obtained for condensing their Golden Cores came from plundering the struggling Yun Yang Sect of those days.


    Should Feng Yang pass away and Earth Fire Pce be left without a Golden Core to preside over it, it is certain to follow in Yun Yang Sect''s footsteps, with possibly some of the True Monarchs present initiating the action.


    Zhou Yi perceived the gaze of many upon him and suddenly realized the invitation might include an element of recruitment, but he pretended not to understand and continued to leisurely savor the spiritual wine.


    The taste of Eastern Sea''s spiritual wine is unlike that of the Nine Continents, less fiery and rich, but with subtler and gentler notes.


    Feng Yang, seeing no other choice, took the initiative to speak to the seemingly blind man. "True Lord Tang, you have recentlye to the Eastern Sea, which is vastly different from the Nine Continents. Have you grown ustomed to it?"


    "Thank you, Wan Bao Daoist friend, for your hospitality. Red Cloud Ind is quite nice," Zhou Yi replied, setting down his wine cup. "I only hope that the struggle between righteousness and demons will soon end, so I can return home for cultivation. By then, I will often visit the Eastern Sea to see you all."


    Feng Yang choked on his words, seeing the other party reject the overture, he could only helplessly change the subject to the struggle between righteousness and demons.


    The Eastern Sea has always been rtively isted, yet over the years, news of the righteous path promising Spirit Veins to establish sects has still spread. Many True Monarchs are tempted by this; rather than slowly wither away guarding the barren Eastern Sea, why not relocate the entire sect to the Nine Continents?


    For example, Fengyang Country, once near the Spirit Veins of Small Dan Mountain, has a poption exceeding that of all the Eastern Sea, with a continuous stream of disciples bearing superior Spirit Roots.


    The legacy of a sect lies in its people, not its location. With enough outstanding disciples, lost Spirit Veins and resources can eventually be reimed!


    As the True Monarchs began discussing this matter, they grew excited, and someone even suggested forming an alliance. Perhaps they could upy one-fifth of the continent, and in the future, they would surely support the emergence of a Nascent Soul elder.


    The elder of Ziyang Sect, seemingly moved, looked towards Zhou Yi and asked, "True Lord Tang, since youe from the Nine Continents, could you tell us more about the current state of the struggle between righteousness and demons?"


    Zhou Yi replied, "The reason I fled to the Eastern Sea is that I heard of a Nascent Soul Daoist taking action. With a single strike like the fall of the great sun, he obliterated the Mountain Protection Array, the Spirit Vein, and even the mountain peaks, reducing everything to t ground!"


    "..."


    In an instant, the hall went silent, the True Monarchs looking at one another.


    Zhou Yi continued, "Facing such terrifying beings, if one were to involve themselves in the struggle between righteousness and demons while only at the Golden Core Realm, they could only pray day and night not to draw the attention of the Demon Lord, or else even escape would be difficult!" Stay connected with m-v l|e''-NovelBin


    Seeing the heavy atmosphere in the hall, Feng Yang forced augh and said, "As the saying goes among mortals, ''Children will have their own fortune.'' Let''s not be too forceful about session. Instead, let''s discuss Artifact Refining..."