Wish Fulfilled!

Had Qing Su broken through to the Heavenly Immortal realm so quickly?

Li Dazhi rode a cloud with Li Ping'an toward the vicinity of Colorful Cloud Peak. Along the way, they encountered quite a few familiar immortals, and greetings and pleasantries never ceased.

Li Ping'an stood behind his father, maintaining a polite smile.

This was his first time attending such a "grand event" within the sect with his father. Suddenly, it gave him the distinct feeling of following his father to wedding banquets back in middle school.

Everywhere he looked, people exchanged pleasantries and greetings; every face bore a cordial smile.

Although Li Ping'an wanted to focus on observing the grand scene of someone entering the Heavenly Immortal realm, it would have been too rude to ignore everyone. He could only keep smiling and nodding, obediently offering a disciple's salute whenever his father introduced him to this Peak Master or that elder.

Li Ping'an kept a tally in his heart:

Along this stretch of cloud road from Flowing Cloud Temple to Colorful Cloud Peak, he had greeted more than sixty "seniors," met twelve male cultivators who "looked about his age," and over forty female cultivators who "looked like young girls but were actually already eighty or a hundred years old." These young cultivators were all promising disciples from various peaks, most of them at the Heaven and Earth Bridge realm.

Their interactions all followed the same pattern. First, they asked whether one's recent cultivation had gone smoothly; then they made plans to drink together sometime; after that, they began praising each other's disciples.

The immortals of the sect found all manner of ways to praise Li Ping'an, while Li Dazhi responded with a stream of clever compliments for their disciples.

Such was immortal sect socializing.

At last, Li Ping'an's savior appeared.

"Senior Brother Ping'an! It's closer over here!"

Mu Ningning, dressed in a pale blue disciple's dress, stood behind her master on a nearby white cloud and kept waving at Li Ping'an.

Li Dazhi bumped Li Ping'an with his shoulder and smiled. "Go on. Your father still needs to chat with a few elders, so I won't take you along."

Li Ping'an thanked his father for the grace of "not socializing," then drifted over to Mu Ningning under the watchful eyes of the young disciples.

"Disciple Ping'an greets Senior Qing Xu."

True Immortal Qing Xu nodded with a smile. "I dare not accept being called senior. You and Ningning may play as you please."

"Thank you, Senior!"

Li Ping'an quietly let out a breath. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Mu Ningning, he looked up into the distance.

An ice lotus as solid as a physical object bloomed atop the mountain peak, over a thousand zhang in diameter. A blurry figure sat quietly in meditation at its center.

This ice lotus was the manifestation of Qing Su's Great Dao.

Mu Ningning beamed. "Senior Brother, Martial Uncle Qing Su is the first among Colorful Cloud Peak's Qing generation to break through to the Heavenly Immortal realm! The second will definitely be my master!"

"The Dao Rhyme of a Heavenly Immortal is so complicated."

Li Ping'an stared unblinkingly at the patterns flowing across the ice lotus, trying to comprehend even the slightest trace of its Dao Rhyme;

Yet he felt that every strand of Dao Rhyme was so vast and profound to his current self, as though it contained endless wondrous realms.

Mu Ningning whispered, "Senior Brother, they say Martial Uncle Qing Su may have a chance to break through to the Golden Immortal realm in the future."

Li Ping'an smiled. "If she truly can break through, that would naturally be wonderful. Our Myriad Cloud Sect would gain another Golden Immortal's protection."

Mu Ningning sighed. "I heard my master and the others say that advancing from Heavenly Immortal to Golden Immortal takes no fewer than a thousand years. It could take tens of thousands, even a hundred thousand years... A Heavenly Immortal can live through several epochs. It truly makes one envious."

"Cultivate diligently. The immortal path holds promise."

"Um... Senior Brother..."

Li Ping'an lowered his gaze toward Mu Ningning.

She had likely been brought out by her master while cultivating. Though she wore no makeup, her skin was still fair and luminous, and her delicate face was flawless.

That was the benefit of being nourished by spiritual energy every day.

Mu Ningning whispered, "Senior Brother, this is for you."

A red cord wound around her fingertips. She pulled it outward, revealing an amulet she had only recently woven.

She looked up at Li Ping'an. "This is... in return for that jade pendant."

"Take one of these each month."

Li Ping'an accepted the amulet, then casually handed her a bottle of Essence-Nurturing Immortal Pills that the sect had rewarded him with earlier.

Their gazes met, then swiftly shifted away. Each put the item in hand into their storage treasure.

True Immortal Qing Xu, standing in front of them, could not help clasping her hands behind her back and looking up at the phenomenon in the sky, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her lips.

She, their master, had taught them how to weave that amulet as well.

It was an old tradition of Colorful Cloud Peak.

Li Ping'an looked toward his father and found him whispering about something with several Outer Sect elders. Elder Yan Sheng was also nearby, and the group nodded and smiled from time to time.

His father's move with the "family heirloom jade pendant" had directly disrupted the rhythm he had originally planned.

I should find something for my father to do. He became even more idle after Ascension.

Elsewhere.

Li Dazhi pulled aside a plump Outer Sect elder and whispered through voice transmission:

"Could you get me a few more jade pendants, jade bracelets, and the like... Yes, yes, the same kind as last time. Find them among mortals—preferably treasured jade passed down within mortal families, well handled and polished... Right, they need some age to them, some human presence... Get me a few more, all right? Many thanks, many thanks!"

The elder stroked his beard and nodded.

Their Myriad Cloud Sect controlled one medium-sized and two smaller mortal Immortal Dynasties. Obtaining such mortal jade was as easy as turning over one's hand.

He simply did not know what Ancestor Dazhi wanted these things for.

In the sky, the ice lotus entered the final stage of its bloom.

Qing Su had reached the crucial moment of her breakthrough. Fine ice crystals filled the air in increasing numbers, while goose-feather snow began drifting through the mountaintop region.

Many cultivators sensed something and focused their minds on enlightenment.

Li Ping'an had already begun meditating atop the cloud, with a few ice crystals circling around him.

The Myriad Cloud Sect's Mountain Protection grand formation fully activated. Its thin, smooth formation barrier was shrouded in mist, concealing the grand spectacle within the sect.

On a mountain peak within the sect, more than ten figures stood in a pavilion, gazing toward Colorful Cloud Peak.

Vice Sect Master Mo Yi and several elders had gathered there, discussing the cultivation of the Pure Heart Dao and praising the sect for gaining another Heavenly Immortal expert.

One elder, whether intentionally or not, remarked:

"Could it be that our Myriad Cloud Sect's fortune has truly been stirred by Martial Uncle Dazhi? Recently, several True Immortals nearing the end of their lifespans have reached the brink of breakthroughs and entered closed-door cultivation."

The atmosphere in the pavilion immediately turned cold.

An elder glared at the speaker and said in a low voice, "Cultivation depends entirely on one's own enlightenment and opportunities. What stirring or not stirring could there be?"

Vice Sect Master Mo Yi smiled. "Perhaps there really is some influence in that regard. However, cultivation is ultimately one's own affair. Do not speak this way outside, lest those fellow disciples who recently broke through feel awkward."

"Indeed."

"Quite right, quite right!"

An Inner Sect Elder walked to the Vice Sect Master's side. Their robes brushed together as they began transmitting their voices privately.

The elder said:

"Vice Sect Master, could Li Dazhi's great fortune truly let him rise straight to the heavens?

"This humble Daoist has read the secret letter Xiao Yue sent.

"According to Xiao Yue, whenever she wished to make things difficult for Li Ping'an, accidents would occur, and every plan she made would come to nothing.

"Then there was Li Ping'an rescuing Qing Su. A Light Condensation Realm disciple commanded a Deacon who had only recently Ascended, yet they evaded pursuit by so many experts and fled ten thousand li.

"If his father's fortune was not protecting him in all this, this humble Daoist simply cannot believe it."

"The matter of fortune cannot ultimately be proven."

Mo Yi smiled.

"That young man has some quick wits and is skilled at adapting to circumstances. Unfortunately, his aptitude is poor and his immortal path is filled with obstacles. For now, he is not worth worrying about.

"As for Xiao Yue... simply read her secret letters and leave it at that.

"That child Xiao Yue has been clever since she was young. Though I watched her grow up, she has never been particularly close to me. She also likes keeping something in reserve when she acts. She merely wishes to watch from the sidelines and curry favor with both sides; she is somewhat too greedy.

"She actually possesses the aptitude and comprehension to advance to the Heavenly Immortal realm. Unfortunately, seeing her quick mind, the sect handed too many mundane affairs over to her. Now she values those mundane matters herself, and her own cultivation has instead been delayed.

"Just watch what she does afterward. There is no need to listen to what she says. If necessary, advise her to return to the mountain and cultivate steadily. Constantly moving about among mortals will inevitably taint her with some impure air."

"Yes, the Vice Sect Master speaks reasonably."

The elder asked again:

"Li Dazhi has already Ascended. Although the sect has not announced the matter publicly, the Inner Sect elders have all received word from the Sect Leader.

"The Sect Leader intends for the elders to discuss an assignment for Li Dazhi, one that will not consume much of his energy and will allow him to hold a post in the Six Halls.

"This is clearly paving the way for Li Dazhi... Ah, I truly do not know what the Sect Leader is thinking."

"The Sect Leader is also considering the Myriad Cloud Sect's interests."

Mo Yi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"We only need to comply with the Sect Leader's arrangements. There is no need to overthink them.

"Although Martial Niece Xiao Yue gained nothing from her southern journey this time, the line of thought she proposed before was correct."

The elder pondered carefully, then smiled. "This humble Daoist understands. Li Dazhi has the Grandmaster's protection, so no one can touch him. But what he values most is Li Ping'an. Later, we only need to find a chance to make Li Ping'an embarrass himself, and we can ruin the father and son's reputation."

"Reputation." Mo Yi sounded somewhat wistful. "Today's reputation becomes tomorrow's prestige. Such are the rules in an immortal sect."

The elder glanced toward the Main Peak, then softly sighed and transmitted, "The blazing sun hangs overhead."

A slight abnormality appeared in the direction of Colorful Cloud Peak. The immortals in the pavilion focused their attention, and the two old Daoists stopped transmitting words.

That enormous ice lotus had fully opened.

A pillar of icy blue light shot into the heavens, piercing through the Mountain Protection formation and stirring layer upon layer of clouds and mist in the high sky.

Heaven and earth changed color, and the sun and moon dimmed into darkness.

Within that pillar of light, a female immortal slowly rose into the air. Her long black hair danced freely in the wind, her skirt rippled gently like waves, and faint divine light glimmered across her cool features, as though she were about to depart with the Dao.

"Martial Uncle Qing Su is about to break through to the Heavenly Immortal realm!"

"Martial Uncle Qing Su is so beautiful!"

"If I had even one-tenth of Grandmaster Qing Su's cultivation, I could die without regrets in this life!"

Several young female cultivators had gathered beside Mu Ningning. All of them looked up at Qing Su's figure, chattering without pause.

The noise of Colorful Cloud Peak's female disciples interrupted Li Ping'an's meditation. Sitting cross-legged, he raised his head to look at the icy blue pillar of light.

The spectacle of a True Immortal breaking through to the Heavenly Immortal realm was more than a hundred times grander than when Wei Yanzi had Ascended.

Very good.

Now that Qing Su had entered the Heavenly Immortal realm, the Golden Immortal Life-Preserving Pill she had previously promised to repay was basically secured.

Li Ping'an had gained some insight just now and reached a deeper understanding of the so-called Pure Heart Dao.

The Pure Heart Dao referred to a method of "self-restraint." It belonged to a type of "supporting cultivation art" and followed the path of cleansing one's heart and curbing desires, keeping one's Dao heart as calm and clear as an ancient well, making it easier to comprehend the Great Dao.

Immortal Qing Su's main cultivation art, the source of her immortal power, remained the Myriad Cloud Sect's cultivation method, the "Myriad Cloud Art."

Li Ping'an had read in the sect's ancient texts that, tracing its origins, the "Myriad Cloud Art" came from the "Cloud Diagram Treasure Record," written by the great expert Yun Zhongzi of Jade Void Palace in the Kunlun Mountains.

—Of course, there was no way to verify this. It was highly likely that an immortal senior of the Myriad Cloud Sect had forced the connection simply to borrow the name of the Three Purities' sacred ground.

Regardless, Daoist Master Kongming had proven that the "Myriad Cloud Art" was an exceptional cultivation method capable of attaining immortality.

Immortal Qing Su's primary cultivation art was likewise the "Myriad Cloud Art." The "attribute" of immortal power within her body was largely similar to that of the other immortals in the sect, but upon that foundation, she had walked her own path.

Cloud gave rise to water; clouds contained ice.

It was roughly like that.

Li Ping'an felt another stir of insight and began considering the path he might choose in the future.

With the Cloud Dao as his foundation, what kind of extension should he pursue?

His Five Elements affinity favored wood and lacked earth. In the future, developing toward "Water Nourishes All Things" would be ideal. Before becoming immortal, he could cultivate more water-controlling arts, grow closer to water, and comprehend the Great Dao of water.

The Great Dao was rules, and rules were hidden within nature...

Another insight arose in Li Ping'an's heart. He glanced at the female immortal bathing in boundless Immortal Light above, then lowered his head and closed his eyes again, contemplating his own Dao.

He temporarily withdrew the spiritual awareness he had kept spread outward back into his Spirit Platform, and the surrounding clamor truly lessened by more than half.

Before long, wisps of swirling air appeared around Li Ping'an.

What he was doing was not particularly eye-catching. At this moment, many sect members and disciples were meditating and cultivating on clouds throughout the area around Colorful Cloud Peak.

But Li Ping'an gradually sensed that something was wrong.

First, the air around him became somewhat fresher, and spiritual energy grew more abundant;

Then, the surrounding noise abruptly vanished;

It felt as if someone were standing before him. That burning sensation of being watched by countless immortals appeared again, and Mu Ningning's quiet call sounded beside his ear.

"Senior Brother Ping'an... Senior Brother!"

"Hm?"

Li Ping'an opened his eyes. Before him was the hem of an icy blue skirt, light and gauzy in texture.

He was baffled. Looking up, he saw that the tall female immortal, whose skin radiated a soft Immortal Light, was standing directly before him.

Her long black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her icy eyes blinked gently.

Heavenly Immortal Qing Su!

When had she come down?

Li Ping'an hurriedly rose to his feet. Qing Su had already spoken, and because she had only just broken through, her voice carried a faintly ethereal quality:

"I did not respond to you before because a True Immortal could not establish another immortal residence within the sect, and Colorful Cloud Peak does not accept male disciples.

"Now that I have entered the Heavenly Immortal realm, I can move out of Colorful Cloud Peak.

"Do you still wish to take me as your master?"

Li Ping'an froze for a moment.

After returning to the mountain gate, she had not recommended him to the other immortals because she had misunderstood what he meant. She thought that what he had said back then meant he wanted to become her disciple?

In the distance, Li Dazhi's eyes widened. He was about to say something, but the words reached his lips and were forcibly swallowed back.

There was no other reason. He had seen the excited light blooming in his son's eyes.

It had been many years since Li Dazhi had felt this emotion from his son. The last time Li Ping'an had worn such an expression was when he received his admission notice...

"Yes! I do!"

Li Ping'an's nose stung. He lowered his head in a kowtow and called out the words he had prepared for many years:

"Disciple Ping'an humbly begs to receive Master's grace!"

Qing Su leaned down slightly. Just when everyone thought she was about to help Li Ping'an up, she gently stroked the top of his head.

"Mm. Come with me."

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