Chapter 65

Everyone present was smart enough to see through it—Shen Xian’er completing seven spirit temperings in such a short time and flaunting it like an official announcement was clearly orchestrated by someone.

Their first thought was Wu Dao.

They went to find him, but as usual, he refused to see them. That’s when they turned their attention to Han Luo.

And sure enough, when they arrived, everything made sense.

While they were astonished by Han Luo’s abilities, they also felt a renewed sense of hope for the future of Luoxian Sect.

Han Luo, calm and composed, simply smiled at the peak masters. Without saying much, he retrieved a spirit tempering array disc from his ancient bronze ring and activated it on the spot. As a Grade-12 pink lotus slowly began to spin, the peak masters were visibly stunned.

“This formation is called the Spirit Tempering Array,” Han Luo said. “It’s a special array I invented to assist in spirit tempering. As for its effects—well, you’ve all seen the results.”

The peak masters nodded.

Although Shen Xian’er possessed an exceptionally rare seventh-grade spiritual root, there was no way she could have completed seven rounds of spirit tempering in under twenty days. And the purity of her spiritual energy even surpassed that of Hongniang.

“You’re saying she completed all seven rounds using this array?” Hongniang questioned skeptically.

The array appeared simple and unimpressive—how could it possibly have aided her so significantly? She didn’t want to believe it, but the facts were undeniable.

“An interesting formation,” Yun Yangzi remarked, stroking his long white beard.

Among them, he was the most proficient in formation arts and could see a bit of what lay beneath the surface. Though the array looked straightforward, it was, in fact, extremely intricate—only someone with a very high mastery of formations could design it. Many of its finer details were beyond even his understanding.

Formations, like all arts, are difficult to grasp across disciplines. Especially so with formation arts, which rely heavily on talent; even someone at the Nascent Soul stage would find it hard to wield them with ease.

After examining the array, the peak masters turned back to Han Luo.

“Alright,” Yun Qianli said bluntly, “name your terms.”

Clearly, Han Luo had invited them here and showcased this miraculous formation for a reason. Yun Qianli didn’t believe for a second that Han Luo would hand over something so powerful to Luoxian Sect for free, no matter that he was technically a disciple of the sect. Han Luo was, after all, a cultivator with his own independent will.

Han Luo looked around at the group. “My request is simple. I want to make this Spirit Tempering Array available to every disciple of Luoxian Sect. I want to help the sect grow stronger.”

Silence followed—so heavy it was as if a bomb had gone off.

After a long pause, Lei Xing finally broke the silence. “Han Luo, I really don’t understand you.”

He didn’t look pleased, even a bit wary. They had all been through too much to believe in free meals. The implications of the Spirit Tempering Array weren’t lost on Han Luo—this wasn’t just some helpful tool, it was a game-changer.

It represented foundation—real, powerful foundation.

And foundation meant strength. It meant countless powerful cultivators rising through the ranks.

This was why the super immortal dynasties were called “super”—they produced an unending stream of strong cultivators.

With this array, disciples who could only undergo three or four spirit temperings could suddenly reach five or six. Over time, that difference would grow exponentially. With each new generation, the sect’s rise would be inevitable.

This kind of breakthrough was practically a miracle. And Han Luo was just giving it away?

“Han Luo,” Hongniang said gently, “just be honest. Don’t worry—Luoxian Sect has a strict rule: no internal bloodshed. Even if we tried to harm you, the sect’s twin guardian swords would strike us down instantly. So, even if you plan to leave, we won’t stop you.”

She had a bad feeling about all this. Han  Luo looked like someone preparing to leave behind a parting gift before heading off to join one of the super immortal dynasties.

And honestly, they couldn’t blame him.

With his talent, had he been born into a super dynasty, he would’ve already received their full support and resources. He might even rival them in power by now.

The Luoxian Sect, while labeled a mid-tier sect, only held its status thanks to its twin innate spirit swords. In truth, it was among the weakest of its class.

It was clear they all shared the same concern.

It’s only natural—people aim higher, just as water flows downward.

Still, the thought of losing someone like Han Luo filled them with a sense of powerless regret.

“Uh...” Han Luo scratched his head, picking up on their thoughts.

Truthfully, he had never planned to leave.

Why would he?

Luoxian Sect was great. A massive library full of cultivation manuals to study, twin innate spirit swords as protection—even someone in the Grand Ascension stage would think twice before attacking. He’d spent ten years evaluating sects across the Eastern Domain, and none suited him better than Luoxian Sect.

Even if they all left, he’d still stay.

As for giving away the Spirit Tempering Array for free? His reasons were even simpler.

The array wasn’t yet perfected—he needed test subjects to refine it. Luoxian Sect’s disciples just happened to be perfect for that. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Of course, he wasn’t going to say all that out loud. No need to offend anyone.

With a slight cough, Han Luo said, “Everyone, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I have my junior sister and master here in Luoxian Sect. I’m an orphan—this sect is my home. Why would I ever want to run away from home?”

His words were sincere, but the others still looked doubtful.

Seeing this, Han Luo added, “Alright, fine. There is one thing I do need your help with.”

He pulled out several jade slips and handed them to each peak master.

“These contain lists of alchemy herbs and formation materials I need. As you all know, I’m only at the Qi Refining stage. Getting these items myself would be next to impossible. But for you, it should be no trouble. That’s the only reason I called you here—please don’t overthink it.”

In his heart, Han Luo was practically begging them to believe him. He truly had no other motives—just needed a few errands run.

The peak masters glanced at one another and then scanned the jade slips with their divine sense.

Their expressions immediately twisted in pain.

Han Luo hadn’t lied—the lists were long and expensive. More importantly, every herb and material listed was at least 500 years old.

Five hundred years was a major threshold in cultivation, not just for humans but for spiritual plants and materials too.

“These are indeed rare and high-grade items,” Lei Xing muttered, nodding. It seemed Han Luo had been telling the truth all along.

“Han Luo,” Yun Yangzi said gently, “we truly apologize for the misunderstanding.”

As a respected Nascent Soul cultivator and the sect leader himself, Yun Yangzi’s humility shocked Han Luo.

The other peak masters also offered their apologies.

But it made sense—when you care deeply about something, your greatest fear is losing it.

“In that case,” Yun Yangzi continued, “leave the herbs and materials to us. And on behalf of all 100,000 disciples of Luoxian Sect, thank you for your generosity.”

With the matter settled, Han Luo retrieved seventeen Spirit Tempering Array discs from his bronze ring.

He handed four each to Yun Ding, Yun Qianli, Lei Xing, and Hongniang. Since Yun Yangzi’s disciples hadn’t yet begun spirit tempering, he gave him one for research purposes.

He then explained how to use the arrays.

The peak masters couldn’t wait—they left immediately to help their disciples temper their spirits.

Only Yun Yangzi remained, calmly sipping his tea, unmoved.