"Fellow Daoist, why did you need to make this trip personally?"
Song Changsheng led Ling Xiao into the Hall of General Affairs and had him take a seat.
"The Grand Elder, your grandfather, broke through to the Golden Core Stage. How could Myriad Manifestations Palace not make some show of regard? Our goodwill had to arrive, at least.
"Besides, I also came this time to bid farewell in advance."
"Farewell? Could it be Fellow Daoist plans to enter seclusion and break through to the Nascent Soul Realm?"
"The palace allocated the third Nascent Soul Formation Pill to me. Preparations are underway at present. In as little as three to five years, or as long as eleven or twelve, I will formally enter seclusion. Whether I live or die on this path is hard to predict. After much deliberation, I still wanted to come see Fellow Daoist once."
"When Fellow Daoist Ji entered seclusion back then, his state of mind was quite calm. With Fellow Daoist's aptitude, why be so pessimistic? To shrink before the battle is even fought—is not the Ling Xiao I know."
Ling Xiao smiled and said, "Martial Uncle Li Jia perished, right in three years ago. She failed to pass the Inner Demon Tribulation. She was the earliest cultivator among the palace's previous generation to break through to the Golden Core Stage. After decades in seclusion, in the end, she still failed to cross that step.
"You must know, worldly affairs are impermanent. Even with ninety-nine percent certainty, there is still the risk of failure. If I finish what ought to be done, then even if some unforeseen accident happens, I won't leave regrets behind."
"Protector Li Jia? I remember her. I once met her at the celebration banquet after the Five Academies Grand Competition ended. I