Thunder rumbled atop Colorful Cloud Peak, and the surging ripples of spiritual energy became fierce winds sweeping in all directions.
The Qi cultivators around the arena fell silent.
Two True Immortals had already rushed onto the platform, shielding the unconscious disciple Wang Zaizhi.
The two elderly True Immortal women wore complicated expressions as well, seemingly unable to believe what they had seen as they looked up at Li Ping'an, who was slowly descending.
At that moment, Li Ping'an was completely drained. His magic power was nearly exhausted, and his primordial soul was listless.
Yet he still appeared quite composed, his left hand raised before him and his right hand tucked behind his back. An air of elegance and calm radiated naturally from within him.
Countless gazes focused on this young disciple who was only in the Light Condensation Realm, while murmurs gradually rose from every direction.
They had all personally witnessed how Li Ping'an had won.
And precisely because they had seen it with their own eyes, they found it even more unbelievable.
He had cultivated for merely three years;
With Light Condensation Realm cultivation, he had mastered the sect's immortal arts and secret methods, even attaining considerable proficiency and casting them at will;
He had combined the path of Talismans with formations, mastering the rather complex art of talisman formations;
And there was also that immensely powerful technique of detonating hundreds of artifacts at once...
What kind of comprehension did one need to achieve such a degree in only three years?
In the current cultivation world of East Continent, when judging a Qi cultivator's potential, aptitude came first, fortune second, and comprehension third;
It was not that a Qi cultivator's comprehension was unimportant. Rather, there were all manner of bottlenecks along the path of cultivation, influenced by many factors. Too many Qi cultivators praised as "naturally gifted" or "astonishingly perceptive" had become fixated on a single principle they could not understand, falling into their own bottlenecks.
To a certain degree, comprehension was even more mysterious than fortune. Over time, no one dared boast that they possessed exceptional comprehension.
Now, as the assembled immortals and cultivators watched Li Ping'an, they were filled with emotion and endless admiration.
With Cloud Soaring Illusionary Form and talisman formations alone, once Li Ping'an reached the Origin Immortal Realm, he would possess the combat strength to challenge ordinary True Immortals.
And that strange move Li Ping'an had used at the end—throwing out hundreds of artifacts and directly detonating them—seemed to perfectly merge formations with the art of controlling artifacts...
Outsiders watched for excitement; insiders watched for technique.
At this moment, those skilled in artifact refinement and formations alike had fallen silent.
Because they had seen a "path" that had never existed before.
Below the platform, Mu Ningning stared fixedly at Li Ping'an's figure. Her thoughts went blank, and the corners of her lips curled upward slightly.
Gu Qingcheng, the sword cultivator from Sword Cloud Peak, murmured, "What an expensive strike."
Li Ping'an had already landed on the platform. Looking down at the unconscious Wang Zaizhi, he cupped his hands toward the two True Immortals, then raised a hand and drew the pagoda that had rolled aside into his grasp.
This immortal treasure-grade pagoda truly was of excellent quality.
He looked toward the audience below and directly tossed the pagoda down.
Mu Ningning had been absentmindedly staring at her senior brother. Seeing him throw something over, she instinctively reached out and caught it.
Li Ping'an smiled. "Ask Uncle Qingxu to refine it for you. It's a good item."
After saying that, Li Ping'an cupped his hands in turn toward the True Immortals on the platform and the referee below, then drifted back to his original position.
"Senior brother..."
Mu Ningning had wanted to say that the treasure was too precious, but the gazes of the senior and junior sisters around her overwhelmed her, making her blush furiously. She hurriedly held the pagoda in both hands and brought it to True Immortal Qing Xu.
Praise rang out from the cloud platforms all around.
The referee announced loudly, "The victor of this match: Li Ping'an, disciple of Immortal Qing Su!"
One stone stirred a thousand waves, and the discussions around them grew even noisier.
An immortal suddenly shouted, "The Affairs Hall is far too biased! Giving so many artifacts and secret methods to a mere junior disciple!"
Wei Yanzi immediately leaped to his feet and shouted, "I guarantee it with my life! Those artifacts were all forged by young friend Ping'an himself! The secret method for detonating artifacts was comprehended by young friend Ping'an himself! I witnessed it personally back then and even demonstrated it myself! He blew up seven or eight of my robes!"
Laughter immediately erupted all around.
The immortal who had shouted could only smile awkwardly, cup his hands toward Wei Yanzi, and say no more.
Just as Li Ping'an sat cross-legged to meditate, a voice transmission entered his ear. Elder Yan Sheng was offering him guidance.
"Later, hand over half of that secret method for detonating artifacts to the sect. I will naturally request credit for you."
Li Ping'an cupped his hands toward empty air, accepting the matter.
The words "hand over half" were quite meaningful.
Elder Yan Sheng meant for Li Ping'an to contribute a secret method to the sect, but he did not need to reveal all of it. If he did not wish others to learn it, he could conceal the crucial portions himself. What mattered was the act of "voluntarily handing over a self-created technique."
Li Ping'an swallowed two pills. Just as he was about to quickly restore his magic power for the matches ahead, he suddenly sensed a faint, lingering gaze from beside him.
Gu Qingcheng was looking at Li Ping'an with a complicated expression.
Li Ping'an was baffled. "What is it? Did I get hurt in the face?"
"You were holding back against me before! With your abilities, even those senior brothers and sisters in the True Unity Realm couldn't beat you!"
Gu Qingcheng looked utterly dejected, but she did not conceal her thoughts.
Li Ping'an smiled. "I can only use a move like that once in the short term."
"Why?"
Li Ping'an glanced at the several dozen ring-shaped Storage Artifacts within his primary storage treasure and sighed.
"This is all I have. I used everything just now. I forged those artifacts myself and saved them up over two years. Under normal circumstances, where would I get so much treasure material and time?"
"That's true. Your move does carry enormous losses. Using it in a sparring match really is a disadvantage."
Gu Qingcheng's Dao heart became much more balanced. Then she frowned again.
"I don't know what wrong pill Wang Zaizhi took to target you like this. He usually isn't like this. Though he's arrogant and overbearing, he wouldn't normally be so rude."
That disciple had merely been following orders;
Li Ping'an had just seen Elder Bi's departing figure as he flicked his sleeve and left the viewing platform, and his Dao heart felt immensely refreshed.
Refreshing as it was, Li Ping'an had already begun considering how to resolve the "threat" posed by an Inner Sect Elder who was a Heavenly Immortal Qi cultivator.
Vice Sect Master Mo Yi's little faction was becoming increasingly threatening.
But there was an opportunity now...
He said, "Everyone is just a little hot-blooded when they're young. I'll restore my magic power first."
"Please do! Once this grand competition is over, we shall drink and talk to our hearts' content!"
Li Ping'an closed his eyes and focused his mind, beginning to absorb the medicinal power wholeheartedly.
A trace of icy-blue Immortal Light appeared behind him.
At some point, Qing Su had arrived behind him. Standing with her hands behind her back, she resembled an orchid blooming in an empty valley.
Meanwhile, at the center of the viewing platform.
"Fellow Daoist Dazhi, Nephew Ping'an's comprehension is truly extraordinary."
"At such a young age, he has already comprehended the Myriad Cloud Sect's secret methods and even created his own combat techniques. With Light Condensation Realm cultivation, he easily defeated someone at the peak of the Void Refinement Realm. Why does my sect not have even one disciple like this?"
"If we're being honest, Fellow Daoist Dazhi is even more astonishing. Origin Immortal Realm in three years!"
"No wonder your Myriad Cloud Sect has kept its gates shut these past two years. Could it be that you do not even trust us? Hahaha!"
Amid the laughter and banter of several sect leaders from friendly sects, the Sect Leader of the Myriad Cloud Sect grinned from ear to ear.
Li Dazhi's smile nearly reached his ears as he cupped his hands and laughed. "You seniors flatter him, you flatter him! My son simply enjoys tinkering with random things. He may have a bit of comprehension, but young people lack steadiness. We cannot let such praise reach his ears, or he'll float straight into the heavens."
"That is not so. Nephew Ping'an conducts himself with restraint and behaves with courtesy. He is truly a dragon and phoenix among men!"
"Senior Brother Yun Mo, does young friend Ping'an have a Dao companion?"
A Dao companion?
Sect Master Yun Mo looked at Li Dazhi.
Li Dazhi's thoughts shifted slightly. Though he did not understand the meaning behind the Sect Leader's gaze, matters of marriage alliances usually sacrificed the happiness of those involved...
Li Dazhi smiled. "Ping'an is devoted to the Dao. He once told me that a Dao companion would only affect the pace of his cultivation. He wishes to become immortal as soon as possible and contribute more to the sect. Before becoming immortal, he will not consider a Dao companion."
"What admirable character, what admirable character!"
"Alas, my Kuiyuan Sect now faces troubles within and without. If we had a few more disciples like this, perhaps our fortunes could yet turn. Still, this is all because of my own incompetence..."
Sect Master Yun Mo sighed. "The rise and fall of a sect are difficult to predict. Fellow Daoist, you need not blame yourself too much."
The topic here shifted toward Kuiyuan Sect's current predicament.
Li Dazhi quickly restrained his smile and sat behind the Sect Leader, listening with a frown.
Since the Sect Leader had arranged for him to sit here, listen, and watch, he naturally had to seize the opportunity, study diligently, and seek improvement.
Having watched his son fight that Void Refinement disciple today, Li Dazhi had finally understood everything.
In the current situation, it was no longer possible for him to withdraw unscathed simply because he wished to.
Sometimes, if one did not strive to charge ahead, one would be ruthlessly trampled beneath others. Even if one had no intention of harming others, that did not mean others had no intention of harming them.
Not fighting was another form of self-destruction.
For now, let us not speak of Li Dazhi silently hardening his resolve;
Nor of Mu Ningning being surrounded by several senior sisters, who deliberately used the pagoda to tease her thin skin;
In a corner of the western cloud platform, a petite young female cultivator with twin buns watched the disciples fighting atop the arena with a complicated gaze.
Wen Ling'er sighed faintly.
Having watched from the Human Ranking matches until now, she finally understood why Inner Sect Disciples were called heaven's favored children, and why Errand Disciples like her received so little attention from the sect.
The gap was simply too great.
In the Market Town where Wen Ling'er had once lived, she had actually earned quite a few spirit stones. The Myriad Cloud Sect had always been generous toward disciples like them who worked, providing ample pills and artifacts;
She had always felt that her cultivation speed was not too slow. As long as she could reach the True Unity Realm within three hundred years and extend her lifespan, she would have the faintest, most distant chance of stepping onto the path toward immortality.
But now, Wen Ling'er's Dao heart had suffered a severe blow.
Were all Inner Sect Disciples monsters?
The disciples fighting today had all entered the sect less than ten years ago.
Wen Ling'er suddenly understood why her master had only granted her the title of "registered disciple."
It was not that her master only wanted her to be an errand disciple. Her aptitude and talent simply did not even count as second-rate.
Ah, Master has actually treated me quite well.
Then Wen Ling'er remembered the task her master had given her. Her gaze shifted upward, and the image of Li Ping'an casting spells in midair surfaced in her heart.
Can I really latch onto this powerful backer?
Wen Ling'er continued staring blankly at the arena.
She had already been preoccupied with worries, and after watching the previous battle, she had lost any interest in continuing to watch. She sat there lost in wild thoughts as her mind gradually drifted away.
After some time passed, Wen Ling'er's eyes regained a bit of life, because that Light Condensation Realm disciple had once again stepped onto the arena.
Wen Ling'er looked at Li Ping'an's handsome face. His voice seemed like a demonic melody entering her ears, lingering around her Spirit Platform for a long while.
Isn't he going to use that incredibly powerful artifact-detonating technique?
This question surfaced in Wen Ling'er's heart as she quietly watched the figure wielding a spear and weaving across the arena.
In this battle and the several that followed, Li Ping'an used at most his spear formation and talisman formations. Though he won more than he lost, he still suffered defeat in two matches.
When the Earth Ranking matches ended, Li Ping'an was ranked seventh. With fifth-stage Light Condensation Realm cultivation, he had entered the ranks of disciples in the late Void Refinement Realm.
Wen Ling'er sat in the corner with her chin propped on her hand, her gaze constantly following Li Ping'an. She watched him laugh and chat with the talented disciples of the immortal sect, whisper with that radiant and beautiful junior sister, and respectfully report something to his Heavenly Immortal master.
Gradually, the chaotic thoughts in Wen Ling'er's heart faded away.
The first day of the grand competition came to an end, and the Outer Sect Disciples who had watched the matches began to leave.
Wen Ling'er turned her head to search for Li Ping'an, only to see him leave on a cloud with a plump middle-aged immortal.
This must be the greatly fortunate disciple of the Golden Immortal Ancestor that Master mentioned.
Li Ping'an suddenly lowered his head, and their gazes met across the considerable distance.
Li Ping'an revealed a faint smile and lightly nodded to Wen Ling'er.
Wen Ling'er froze for a moment, then quickly bowed in return. But when she raised her head again, Li Ping'an and his father were already gone.
A female disciple beside her asked, "Junior Sister Wen, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing. I was just distracted."
Wen Ling'er spoke repeatedly as she controlled an artifact and flew through the air, following the procession of Outer Sect Disciples with a trace of joy rising in her heart.
She wondered when Master would arrange for her to go over;
She was determined to cling to this powerful backer!
Wen Ling'er is cultivating in the mountains as well?
Thinking of Manager Xiao Yue, Li Ping'an felt somewhat uneasy.
This Manager Xiao could not exactly be called resourceful. She could only be described as full of schemes.
Li Ping'an always felt that ever since Manager Xiao had given him that spirit herb last time, she had been plotting something.
"Dad."
Li Dazhi, who had been pondering matters, turned to look over. "Hm? What is it? Were you hurt in the earlier fight?"
Li Ping'an spoke in their dialect. "No, just a little tired. The Spirit Detonation Art is too taxing on the mind... We may need to hand over the artifact assembly line we prepared to the sect earlier than planned."
"Oh?" Li Dazhi smiled. "When I saw you use that technique today, I roughly guessed what you were thinking. It's fine, make the arrangements. Dad will cover for you."
"Dad, if we're offering a treasure to the sect, you have to take the lead," Li Ping'an reminded him. "If it's only me, it won't have much effect. It has to be supported by your status."
"Just arrange it."
Li Dazhi waved his hand, showing little interest in the topic.
Li Ping'an handed a brocade box to his father. No longer using their dialect, he said directly, "This was a gift Elder Xiao Yue gave me during the previous Outer Sect Trial. Please see whether Medicine Dust Peak can refine it into pills that improve aptitude."
"Oh?"
Li Dazhi took the brocade box and could not help widening his eyes.
"Isn't this the one we searched for half a year last year without finding... And it's not young, either! Its value is extraordinary!
"What does this Manager Xiao mean by this?"
Li Ping'an smiled. "When an elder gives, one should not refuse. You taught me that, Dad. In any case, I owe Elder Xiao a favor this time, so I'll rely on you to repay it in the future."
Li Dazhi burst into laughter. "It's usually a father's debts that the son repays, but you've turned it into the son's debts being repaid by the father! Fine, fine. I'll find a chance to give her a return gift!"
"Martial Aunt Dazhi, what has you so happy?"
"Ping'an shone brilliantly today. Martial Aunt Dazhi, you truly kept us all in the dark!"
"Hahahaha! Ping'an! Where did you learn that secret method for detonating artifacts?"
Several greetings came from nearby as another group of immortals rode over on clouds. Seeing the triumphant Li Dazhi and the up-and-coming Li Ping'an, they each came prepared with a whole heap of praise.
The primordial spirit on Li Ping'an's Spirit Platform trembled slightly, and he immediately put on a refined, gentle smile.
The second round of Immortal Sect socializing had begun.
Our chapters average four thousand characters, sometimes exceeding five thousand, so during the new book period I don't really dare to add extra updates. Later on, I'll still focus on stable updates to ensure quality.
Because the previous book, "Walking Alone in the Abyss," was more or less my low point in recent years in terms of performance—an average of three thousand upon premium release and fifteen thousand by completion. That book was an experimental work, a pure sci-fi space opera webnovel—so My Immortal Dad received fairly average resources when it launched, without even getting any splash-screen promotion.
But judging from the current trend, "My Immortal Dad" actually has a chance to break out among works released during the same period...
That was quite amazing.
Although I can't possibly satisfy every reader, I'll work hard to create a better reading experience for those who enjoy this genre. I'd also like to recommend "My Senior Brother Is Too Steady," a work of the same type, to new readers who come later.
As for everything else, I'll have to rely on all you esteemed readers for your support! Please vote and add it to your favorites!
Before you continue