Yuanlai Mountain.
Reception hall.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats," Lin Bufan said leisurely as he strode in, flicked his sleeve, and slowly sat down.
Zhu Xuanji, Shen Lingshu, Ning Jiufan, Ning Zhuo, and Lin Shanshan all took their seats.
Lin Bufan slowly raised his hand, signaling the servants of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect to serve the spiritual tea and cakes.
Ning Jiufan stroked his beard and smiled, taking the lead to speak, "The tea and cakes are actually not important. Sect Leader Lin, please tell us about the Luminous Mirror in the Myriad Demons Cave."
Upon his words, everyone's attention was immediately drawn.
Ning Zhuo also laughed and said, "So, the treasure within the Myriad Demons Cave is indeed the Luminous Mirror? Please forgive my ignorance, as I have never heard of the Luminous Mirror."
He and Ning Jiufan complemented each other, grandfather and grandson perfectly in sync as they seemed to jointly attack from both sides, cornering Lin Bufan who sat at the head of the table.
This caused Zhu Xuanji to glance sideways and Shen Lingshu to raise an eyebrow.
After Ning Zhuo had made his appearance, he communicated to Zhu Xuanji through divine skills, informing him of his discovery of the treasure in the Myriad Demons Cave. Originally, he had intended to cure Old Master Yuan's illness and plotted to obtain the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Fire Spirit in Fire Persimmon Mountain, but the accident happened. Old Master Yuan and Ning Jiufan had been captured and held captive by Lin Bufan. He pleaded with Zhu Xuanji to save them!
Shen Lingshu thought to himself, "This Ning Zhuo is indeed adept at plotting! This time, he specially invited Zhu Xuanji to leverage the prestige of our Royal Family and the renown of the Divine Hunter to counterbalance Lin Bufan."
"Zhu Xuanji has been ensnared in the trap! Regrettably, he couldn't avoid it."
"Let's see what this mysterious Luminous Mirror is all about."
Zhu Xuanji was filled with sighs.
He thought to himself, "This Ning Jiufan is indeed brave, venturing into the fray himself, a captive one moment and nonchalant the next."
"The Northern Land Heroic Wind truly deserves praise."
Lin Bufan was troubled.
He was acutely aware of the current situation!
Though he appeared to hold the main seat and had been operating here for over a century, thus a local overlord, his position was actually the weakest.
The combat strength of the Ning Family grandfather and grandson, Zhu Xuanji, and Shen Lingshu already made Lin Bufan wary, not to mention the vast powers they represented behind them.
"Zhu Xuanji and Shen Lingshu coming together probably means there are also powerful warriors from the Royal Family hidden in the shadows."
Outnumbered and outplayed, defeat was certain.
When Lin Bufan welcomed Zhu Xuanji and Shen Lingshu to Ten Thousand Medicine Valley, he had already realized this.
What he needed to do now was to find a way to hold his ground in the face of defeat and protect the interests of himself and the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect!
Therefore, faced with the synchronized "attack" from the Ning Family grandfather and grandson, Lin Bufan did not candidly confess what the Luminous Mirror was.
But he also knew he couldn't keep quiet about this matter.
Thus, he pointed to the tea that had been served, placed in front of everyone, and said, "Back then, I was just a Golden Core cultivator, lacking in innate cultivation talent, and found it hard to advance to a Nascent Soul."
"In frustration, I chose to travel far and wide to seek opportunities."
"Fortune smiled upon me, allowing me to accidentally enter a formation in the Myriad Demons Cave and encounter Zhang Huaixu."
Zhu Xuanji frowned, "Grass Saint Zhang Huaixu?"
Lin Bufan nodded.
Zhang Huaixu was a historical figure born after the Forbidden Dynasty and before the Night Rain Dynasty.
In his early years, Zhang practiced Confucianism and was upright in calligraphy. After being demoted from office, he cultivated plants and recuperated, investing his emotions in them.
Over time, he achieved enlightenment through plants, taking heaven and earth as his teachers and integrating nature into his cultivation. He studied calligraphy and created a unique style of wild cursive called "Grass Truth," with each stroke appearing naturally magnificent, as if inspired by the natural world. His writing could be as fierce as a storm or as gentle as a breeze, each hiding the essence of the natural Dao.
Posterity revered him as the Grass Saint!
Historical records clearly stated that the Grass Saint had long passed away. However, Lin Bufan had encountered him in the Myriad Demons Cave, indicating that this Grass Saint was not the same, but related to the Luminous Mirror.
Indeed, Lin Bufan continued, "What I encountered was, of course, not the Grass Saint himself, but rather an indication he had left in the Reflecting Wall, containing a stroke of fortune. He left an image of himself embedded within the wall. You can also understand it as a Dharma Body."
"Although I lacked innate cultivation talent, the Grass Saint's Dharma Body also guided me, imparting part of his legacy."
"I received this legacy, grasped some of the 'Grass Truth,' cultivated Spirit Grass successfully, and with this breakthrough was promoted to a Nascent Soul Cultivator."
Subsequently, what Ning Zhuo, Zhu Xuanji, and others could investigate came to light.
Lin Bufan, with his Nascent Soul cultivation, rose to become the leader of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect. He boldly reformed, utilized various methods to remove opposition, eradicated corruption, and revitalized the Sect by removing the rot.
His most famed method was bypassing the existing flawed agreements, moving the entire Sect to its original location in Ten Thousand Medicine Valley. This meant that many of the old power contracts, although still in existence, lost nearly all their benefits and became mere pieces of useless paper.
Lin Bufan said, "I spared no cost, relocating the entire Sect to Ten Thousand Medicine Valley. On the surface, it was because the Spiritual Spring here was abundant and suitable for cultivating various medicinal herbs, taking full advantage of the Grass Saint's legacy."
"In reality, I wanted to continue searching for opportunities within the Myriad Demons Cave."
"Over time, I made several attempts to enter the cave but was thwarted by the formations. I fought and failed repeatedly, but no matter how many failures I encountered, they never shook my resolve."
"Finally, one day, Grass Saint Zhang Huaixu appeared again. He informed me that the Lingbi was of great importance. Even in the absence of an owner, the awaited master should be a pillar of the Human Clan, a genius among geniuses. It would not possibly become the possession of an ordinary cultivator like myself, thereby dashing my hopes."