Xiao Fei's visit to Old Ancestor Shangguan did not yield any spiritual treasures or support, but Old Ancestor Shangguan explained in detail the matters to be aware of when condensing a Nascent Soul.
He also summarized his own experience in breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm and recorded it onto a jade slip, which he gifted to Xiao Fei.
After leaving Old Ancestor Shangguan's cave dwelling, Xiao Fei visited several other old ancestors consecutively.
The results were similar. These old ancestors were all dirt-poor and did not have the treasure of a Nascent Soul Pill in their possession. Even if they did, they would not admit it.
However, the old ancestors all offered Xiao Fei much guidance based on their thousands of years of experience, which benefited him greatly.
Additionally, each of them also gave him a copy of their experience in breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Xiao Fei was already very content with these benefits, as the breakthrough experience of Nascent Soul cultivators was not common cabbage that anyone could obtain.
In any case, he had only just broken through to the late Golden Core stage and still had a long time to search slowly.
During this visit to the old ancestors, he also received an unexpected piece of news.
He had previously given the old ancestors the name of a demon spy. After a period of covert observation, they had followed the clues and successfully identified three more demons hidden within the Lu Sect.
Among the three newly discovered individuals, one was on the list that Xiao Fei had kept.
It seemed these old fellows were quite reliable in their work.
Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Xiao Fei sent a communication talisman to Fei Xin, asking the Treasure Pavilion to help him gather information and to inform him immediately if there was any news about the Nascent Soul Pill.
If a finished Nascent Soul Pill could not be found, obtaining the spiritual herbs and materials needed to refine it would also suffice, as pills refined by oneself were more effective.
In the following period, Xiao Fei continued his closed-door cultivation, still taking time each day to enter the space to refine pills or study other knowledge.
Meanwhile, the merchant caravans of the Treasure Pavilion traveled throughout the Eastern Continent. Besides seeking out and absorbing children with cultivation talent, they had an additional task: to inquire about the Nascent Soul Pill.
However, the Nascent Soul Pill, such a rare treasure, was a scarce item across the entire Eastern Continent, something that could only be encountered by chance.
Only a few major powers could gather all the materials required for refining the pill and possess high-level alchemists to be able to refine it.
Any force that refined the Nascent Soul Pill would hide it and keep it for their own use, rarely considering selling it.
Therefore, over the past few years, the Treasure Pavilion's merchant caravans had traversed almost the entire Eastern Continent, yet they hadn't even seen a trace of the pill.
Despite their strenuous efforts and the expenditure of vast wealth, they had only managed to acquire a few of the spiritual herbs needed to refine the Nascent Soul Pill, but they were still far from gathering enough for a single batch.
The few spiritual herbs they had found had all been planted by Xiao Fei in his space.
Thus, another twenty-odd years hurried by.
Xiao Fei now appeared in his space. Before him was a specially designated medicinal garden, in which over a hundred types of spiritual herbs were planted.
These were all the spiritual herbs required for refining the Nascent Soul Pill.
Over these twenty-odd years, the Treasure Pavilion had helped him find several more spiritual herbs. His second sister, Xiao Lan, somehow got wind of this and also sent him several spiritual herbs.
With this, the spiritual herbs he possessed were gathered, and he was only one ingredient, the Thousand Year Moonflower Grass, away from refining a batch of Nascent Soul Pills.
The Moonflower Grass was an indispensable main ingredient in the Nascent Soul Pill, but this grass had extremely harsh requirements for its growing environment. It thrived by absorbing moonlight and was very difficult to cultivate successfully.
Many major powers did not even have this main ingredient and often had to acquire it through trading with other Nascent Soul Pill ingredients or even more precious treasures.
Xiao Fei had already learned that the Black Saber Sect in the Wu Kingdom cultivated several Moonflower Grasses, but their maturity period had not yet arrived.
The Wu Kingdom was similar to the cultivation world of the former Lu Kingdom, also having four top-tier great sects, with the Black Saber Sect being one of them.
However, they were neither purely righteous nor purely evil, and their conduct was somewhat inferior to that of the Lu Kingdom cultivators. Most of the time, they associated closely with the Eagle Mountain Kingdom.
This was why the incident had occurred previously where Wu Kingdom cultivators, in alliance with the evil cultivators of the Eagle Mountain Kingdom, had jointly attacked the Lu Kingdom cultivators.
Even this Black Saber Sect was not a proper sect; they had committed many wicked deeds.
After much deliberation, Xiao Fei decided to personally visit the Black Saber Sect.
Making some preparations, he brought Huang Feifei along and set off towards the Black Saber Sect.
The Black Saber Sect stood atop a black stone mountain range. There was a Yin Cold Nether Iron mine here, and the materials refined from it were black.
This substance was an excellent material for forging swords and sabers. Almost every disciple of the Black Saber Sect possessed one, and coupled with the sect's penchant for striking from behind, they earned their name.
The two presented a visiting card at the mountain gate of the Black Saber Sect. The disciples on guard arranged for them to wait in a small stone pavilion.
It was not until a day later that the disciples on guard led the two into the Black Saber Sect and settled them in a reception hall.
After waiting for a considerable time, a middle-aged man ambled into the reception hall.
The middle-aged man initially wore an expression of nonchalance and disdain, but upon seeing Huang Feifei in the reception hall, everything changed.
His sinister, triangular eyes narrowed into a thin slit, and he scrutinized Huang Feifei from head to toe, and then from toe to head, repeatedly.
It was only when Huang Feifei glared fiercely at him that the middle-aged man with triangular eyes restrained himself somewhat and approached Huang Feifei with a smile full of fawning.
As for Xiao Fei, who was also sitting in the reception hall, being merely a Golden Core cultivator, he had long been ignored by him.
"This old man is Tian Si. I did not expect the esteemed fairy to visit, and I apologize for the lack of proper welcome and any offense caused!"
The man with triangular eyes approached Huang Feifei, cupped his hands, and apologized.
His demeanor was frivolous, and at this moment, he was too close, far exceeding the bounds of normal etiquette, which displeased Huang Feifei greatly. She inadvertently took two steps back.
"I am merely accompanying my young master and wish to conduct a transaction with your esteemed sect."
Huang Feifei then turned her gaze to Xiao Fei. Xiao Fei had already risen and, at this moment, casually walked in front of Huang Feifei, positioning himself between them.
"I am Xiao Fei. Greetings, fellow Daoist!"
The man with triangular eyes seemed to see Xiao Fei only at this moment, but when facing Xiao Fei, his expression immediately turned cold.
"A mere Golden Core cultivator dares to be so presumptuous, thinking to stand on equal footing with this old man!"
Tian Si's triangular eyes revealed naked disdain and contempt.
"You are not qualified!"
Huang Feifei was enraged by this remark and was about to lash out. She had tolerated the disrespect shown to her, but now that he spoke disrespectfully of Xiao Fei, she could no longer bear it.
However, Xiao Fei gently tugged at Huang Feifei's small hand, signaling her to calm down. Only then did Huang Feifei retreat behind Xiao Fei, still huffing.
But this scene, falling into Tian Si's eyes, made him even more resentful of Xiao Fei.
He gazed enviously at Xiao Fei holding Huang Feifei's fair, tender, and seemingly boneless small hand, his heart feeling as if a vinegar jar had been overturned.
Such tender little hands, if he could just grasp them...
Xiao Fei had no idea that the other party was already thinking so much. What was wrong with holding a hand? He was used to it and felt nothing; it wouldn't lead to pregnancy.
"Junior Xiao Fei has heard that the Black Saber Sect possesses several immature Moonflower Grasses and wishes to trade for one with your esteemed sect. I hope senior will grant this request."
At this moment, he presented himself very humbly, giving the other party ample face.