Cultivation System: Stronger with Age

Hua Yanluo, a Celestial Sect Elder whose status was comparable to that of a Prefect, showed a respectful expression. She bowed and said, "Hua Yanluo respectfully welcomes our honored guest. Linxi Pavilion within the courtyard has been prepared. Please, feel free to rest there for a while after your long journey."

A maid in a green dress standing by the sedan chair spoke, "We appreciate your thoughtfulness, Elder Hua. My lady intends to go to the main hall to discuss matters first."

Upon hearing this, Hua Yanluo stepped aside to open the courtyard gate. "Please, come inside to discuss matters in detail!"

The four sedan bearers immediately lifted the sedan chair and, along with the four maids, followed Hua Yanluo into the courtyard.

At the courtyard gate, several of Hua Yanluo's female disciples exchanged glances, their hearts filled with astonishment. How esteemed is Elder Hua of the Profound Phoenix Celestial Sect that she would personally guide this young lady from the sedan chair? And this young lady, despite clearly having an astonishing background, arrived in such an ordinary sedan. She truly is low-key!

A moment later, after passing through several winding corridors, the sedan chair stopped before the inner hall of Elder Hua's residence.

The four sedan bearers set down the sedan chair and stood respectfully to the side. Two maids approached the sedan, unrolling an embroidered mat all the way to the door of the inner hall. Only then did two other maids step forward and lift the sedan curtain.

Ding Rui and a few other female disciples of the Profound Phoenix Celestial Sect secretly peeked and saw a stunningly beautiful young woman in white stepping out of the sedan chair onto the exquisite, clean mat.

As the young woman emerged, the expressions of Ding Rui and the others shifted, a look of awe in their eyes. At this moment, they felt as if everything around them paled in comparison to her; she was as ethereal and transcendent as a fairy from a celestial palace or a dragon princess from a dragon's keep.

Elder Hua looked at the young woman in white and smiled. "It has been several months, and the Saintess's strength has advanced by leaps and bounds once more. As expected of one who has awakened the ancient bloodline of the Profound Phoenix, truly the foremost prodigy of Great Xia. In due time, once the Saintess masters the Profound Phoenix Blood Bath Divine Technique to the Realm of Great Success in Micro Mastery, the myriad Demons within Great Xia will surely bow their heads and await their doom! The prosperity of Great Xia and the Celestial Sect truly rests upon you, Saintess!"

The young woman in white glanced at Elder Hua, a hint of warmth in her bright eyes. "Elder Hua, there's no need for such formality between us. If not for your personal guidance with the Profound Phoenix Blood Bathing Technique years ago, I would not have awakened this bloodline, even if my father had gathered all the Martial Dao in the world!"

Hearing the young woman speak, Ding Rui and the others suddenly recalled the rumors from recent years about the Celestial Sect Saintess, the Third Princess of Great Xia. They all lowered their heads, daring not to gaze upon her any longer. Surprise and confusion flickered across their faces. Had the Celestial Sect Saintess, Xiaoo Ying'Er, truly left the Celestial Sect's Secret Realm and come to Great Marsh Prefecture?

This was Xiaoo Ying'Er, the esteemed Third Princess of Great Xia! It was said she had awakened an ancient holy bloodline. At just eighteen, she had cultivated the Profound Phoenix Blood Bathing Technique, one of the Celestial Sect's three Divine Techniques, to the Realm of Returning to the Essence. She was an unparalleled prodigy, the likes of which the Profound Phoenix Celestial Sect had not seen in a hundred years. Revered as Saintess by the Celestial Sect Leader and thirty-two Elders, her status was on par with that of a Supreme Elder... No wonder Elder Hua had been so deferential!

Seeing Xiaoo Ying'Er so approachable, Elder Hua's smile grew warmer. "I wouldn't dare presume to instruct the Saintess. Being able to accompany you in your Cultivation is my good fortune! The Profound Phoenix Blood Bathing Technique, one of the Celestial Sect's three Divine Techniques, is incomparably powerful yet extremely difficult to cultivate. Even our Celestial Sect Leader has only reached the Realm of Entering the Hall, and for nearly three hundred years, no one has cultivated it to the Realm of Returning to the Essence. That this Divine Technique could be cultivated to the near-immortal Realm of Returning to the Essence in your hands, Saintess, is a blessing for both the Profound Phoenix Celestial Sect and Great Xia!"

As they spoke, they entered the main hall. One of the maids took a light, plain silk cloth from a flower basket and spread it over the main seat in the hall. Only then did the young woman in white, Xiaoo Ying'Er, take her seat.

Elder Hua then glanced at Ding Rui and the other disciples. Understanding her meaning, they quickly withdrew from the hall and stood guard outside, at a distance.

Only then did Elder Hua speak. "Saintess, do you truly intend to enter the Demon-Suppressing Valley personally this time? The Demon-Suppressing Array was left by the founding ancestor of the Celestial Sect. Even though you have reached the Late Stage of the Fifth Layer, Saintess, once you enter the Demon Valley, your Cultivation will be suppressed to the Third Layer! You are the Third Princess of Great Xia and the Saintess of our Celestial Sect. If any harm befalls you in the valley... I would be deeply distraught!"

Xiaoo Ying'Er stated calmly, "Since I broke through to the Late Stage of the Fifth Layer twenty days ago, my Cultivation has stagnated. To overcome this bottleneck, I must experience a life-or-death battle. Going to the Demon-Suppressing Valley to slay Demons is far safer than seeking out a Late Stage Tier Five Demon for a fight. There is no need for further discussion on this matter."

With that, she looked at Elder Hua. "The paramount concern now is the safety of Great Xia. A Demon King has already gathered a million Demon People in Dongyang Prefecture, and another is wreaking havoc in Nanyuan Prefecture. Great Marsh Prefecture is also in grave peril. The experts under my father and within the Celestial Sect can still suppress them for now, but in the future..."

"According to the intelligence you provided, the Conical Hat Guest's weapon possesses astonishing power. I suspect everyone in Great Marsh Prefecture who knows of it covets it. However, while others are interested in his weapon, I am more interested in how he refined it. If its Refining Method can be replicated and more such weapons created... it would be of immense help against the Demon scourge in Great Xia!"

As she spoke, a hint of anticipation flickered in her calm eyes. "An old man with a young wife, at the age of knowing destiny... Elder Hua, the insights gleaned from your Spiritual Words Technique have narrowed the search for the Conical Hat Guest considerably. When will you be able to locate him?"

Hearing this, Elder Hua produced a register. "Among the Martial Cultivators in Great Marsh Prefecture—both the inner and outer cities—and the surrounding towns, there are five thousand five hundred twenty-nine individuals aged fifty to fifty-nine. Of these, excluding seven who have never married, the remaining five thousand five hundred twenty-two have all married more than one young woman. These individuals hail from various regions and sects, possessing extensive networks, so we have not yet ascertained which one is the Conical Hat Guest."

Xiaoo Ying'Er said calmly, "While I am participating in the Demon Slaying Conference, I must trouble Elder Hua to mobilize all available officials and the full manpower of the Celestial Sect to investigate each of them. I hope that by the time I emerge from the valley, you will have found him. I wish to meet this Conical Hat Guest personally."

Hua Yanluo rose and said, "As the Saintess decrees, I shall ensure it is done. I wish the Saintess great enlightenment and success in the Demon-Suppressing Valley!"