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On Colorful Cloud Peak, thunder roared, and surging waves of spiritual energy transformed into gales blowing in all directions.

The Qi cultivators from all four directions fell silent.

Two True Immortals had already rushed onto the stage, shielding the unconscious disciple Wang Zaizhi.

These two old True Immortal women also wore complex expressions, disbelief evident as they looked up at Li Ping'an, who was slowly descending.

At this moment, Li Ping'an's body was completely empty, his magic power nearly depleted, and his Origin Soul weak and dispirited.

Yet, he still appeared quite composed, his left hand raised before him and his right hand behind his back, exuding an elegance and calmness that emanated from within.

Gazes fixed on this young disciple, who was merely in the Light Condensation Realm, and murmurs began to arise from all around.

They had all witnessed firsthand how Li Ping'an had won.

And precisely because they had seen it with their own eyes, they found it even more incredible.

Cultivation for only three years;

Possessing the sect's immortal techniques and secret arts with a Light Condensation Realm cultivation, even reaching a proficient level and able to use them at will;

Combining the Dao of talismans with formations, mastering the rather complex Dao of talisman formations;

And that incredibly powerful method of self-detonating hundreds of magic artifacts simultaneously...

What kind of comprehension was required to achieve such a feat in just three years?

In the current cultivation world of the Eastern Continent, when evaluating a Qi cultivator's potential, the primary consideration is aptitude, followed by fortune, and then comprehension;

It's not that a Qi cultivator's comprehension is unimportant, but rather that the path of cultivation is fraught with myriad bottlenecks, influenced by multiple factors. Too many so-called 'naturally gifted' or 'amazingly perceptive' Qi cultivators have become stuck in a rut, falling into their own bottlenecks because they couldn't grasp a certain principle.

To some extent, comprehension is even more elusive than fortune. Over time, no one dared to boast of their astonishing comprehension.

And now, the Immortals and Daoists watched Li Ping'an's figure, their hearts filled with emotion and endless admiration.

Merely with the 'skills' of Cloud Illusionary Form and Talisman Formations, Li Ping'an, upon reaching the Origin Immortal realm, would possess the combat strength to challenge ordinary True Immortals.

And that strange move Li Ping'an displayed at the end, scattering hundreds of magic artifacts to detonate directly, seemed to perfectly fuse formations and artifact manipulation techniques...

The layman watches the spectacle, while the expert observes the underlying principles.

At this moment, those skilled in artifact refining and those skilled in formations were silent.

Because they saw a 'path' that had never appeared before.

Below the stage, Mu Ningning watched Li Ping'an's figure, her gaze fixed, her mind blank, a slight smile gracing her lips.

Gu Qingcheng, a sword cultivator from Sword Cloud Peak, murmured, "That was an expensive strike."

Li Ping'an landed on the stage and, looking down at the unconscious Wang Zaizhi, cupped his hands towards the two True Immortals. He then reached out and retrieved the treasure pagoda that had rolled to the side.

This Immortal Treasure-grade pagoda was indeed of excellent quality.

He looked towards the audience below and threw the pagoda directly down.

Mu Ningning, who was lost in thought gazing at her senior brother, instinctively reached out to catch the object her senior brother had thrown.

Li Ping'an smiled, "Ask Uncle-Master Qingxu to help you refine it. It's a good item."

With that, Li Ping'an cupped his hands towards the True Immortals on the stage and the judges below, then floated back to his original position.

"Senior Brother..."

Mu Ningning had intended to say that the treasure was too valuable, but she was immediately barraged by the gazes of her surrounding senior sisters and junior sisters, causing her to blush deeply. She quickly took the pagoda and presented it to True Immortal Qingxu.

Sounds of admiration echoed from the various cloud platforms.

The judge announced loudly, "The winner of this match! Li Ping'an, disciple of Immortal Qing Su!"

Like a stone dropped into a thousand waves, the surrounding discussions grew even more boisterous.

An Immortal suddenly shouted, "Isn't the Affairs Hall being too biased! Giving so many magic artifacts and secret arts to a junior disciple!"

Wei Yanzi immediately jumped up and shouted, "I stake my life on it! Those magic artifacts were all refined by young friend Ping'an himself! The secret art for detonating the magic artifacts was comprehended by young friend Ping'an himself! I personally witnessed and demonstrated it back then! I even had seven or eight robes destroyed!"

Laughter erupted from the surroundings.

The Immortal who had shouted could only chuckle awkwardly, cupped his hands towards Wei Yanzi, and said no more.

As Li Ping'an sat cross-legged to meditate, a telepathic message entered his ear, a reminder from Elder Yan Sheng.

"Later, hand over half of your secret art for detonating magic artifacts to the sect, and we will certainly request a reward for you."

Li Ping'an cupped his hands in the air, acknowledging the request.

The phrase 'hand over half' was quite particular.

Elder Yan Sheng's intention was for Li Ping'an to contribute a secret art to the sect, but he didn't need to reveal the entire technique. If he didn't want others to learn it, he could conceal the crucial parts himself. The important thing was the act of 'voluntarily submitting a self-created technique.'

Li Ping'an swallowed two pills, about to quickly recover his magic power for the upcoming matches, when he suddenly felt a lingering gaze from the side.

Gu Qingcheng was looking at Li Ping'an with a complex expression.

Li Ping'an, not understanding, asked, "What's wrong? Is there an injury on my face?"

"You let me go earlier. With your skill, even those senior brothers and sisters in the True Unity Realm wouldn't be able to defeat you!" Gu Qingcheng said, her face full of frustration, not hiding her feelings.

Li Ping'an chuckled, "This kind of move can only be used once in a short period."

"Why?"

Li Ping'an glanced at the dozens of ring-shaped storage artifacts in his main storage artifact and sighed, "This is all I have. I used it all just now. I refined and accumulated these artifacts myself over two years. I don't have that much wealth and time normally."

"That's true. The cost of this move is indeed huge. It's a disadvantage to use it in sparring."

Gu Qingcheng's Dao heart was much more balanced, and she frowned again, "I don't know what kind of pill Wang Zaizhi took to target you like this? He's not usually like this. Although he's arrogant, he wouldn't be so rude."

This disciple was merely following orders;

Li Ping'an saw the back of Elder Bi leaving the viewing platform with a flick of his sleeve, and his Dao heart felt quite refreshed.

Refreshing as it was, Li Ping'an's heart had already begun to ponder how to resolve the 'threat' from an inner sect Elder, a Heavenly Immortal Qi cultivator.

The small clique of Vice Sect Master Mo Yi was becoming increasingly threatening.

However, there was an opportunity now...

He said, "We're all just young and impetuous. I'll recover my magic power first."

"Please! Let's drink and chat after the grand competition!"

Li Ping'an closed his eyes and focused, beginning to absorb the medicinal power.

A point of icy blue immortal light appeared behind him.

Qing Su had arrived behind him at some point, standing with her hands behind her back, her posture like an orchid in a secluded valley.

Meanwhile, in the center of the viewing platform.

"Fellow Daoist Dazhi, nephew Ping'an has such comprehension. It's truly remarkable."

"To grasp the Myriad Cloud Sect's secret technique at such a young age, and to have his own combat moves, defeating a peak Void Refining cultivator with ease in the Condensing Light Realm. Why doesn't my sect have any disciples like this?"

"If we're being honest, Fellow Daoist Dazhi is even more astonishing, reaching the Origin Immortal Realm in three years!"

"No wonder your Myriad Cloud Sect has kept its gates closed for the past two years. You don't even trust us? Hahahaha!"

Amidst the laughter of the sect masters from several allied sects, the Myriad Cloud Sect Master couldn't stop smiling.

Li Dazhi's mouth was practically split to the roots of his ears. He cupped his hands with a smile, "Senior elders, you flatter me, you flatter me! My son just likes to tinker with things. He might have some comprehension, but he lacks the temperament of youth. You mustn't let such praise reach his ears, or he'll float up to the heavens."

"That's not quite right. Nephew Ping'an acts with measure and behaves courteously. He is truly a dragon among men!"

"Senior Brother Yun Mo? Does this young friend Ping'an have a Dao companion?"

Dao companion?

Sect Master Yun Mo looked at Li Dazhi.

Li Dazhi's thoughts raced. Although he didn't understand what the Sect Master's glance meant, marriage alliances usually sacrificed the happiness of the individuals involved...

Li Dazhi smiled, "Ping'an is devoted to the Dao. He even told me before that a Dao companion would only affect his cultivation progress. He wants to become an immortal as soon as possible and contribute more to the sect. He won't consider a Dao companion before becoming an immortal."

"A commendable spirit, a commendable spirit!"

"Alas, my Kuiyuan Sect is facing external and internal troubles. If we had a few more disciples like this, perhaps we could turn our luck around. This is all due to my own incompetence..."

Sect Master Yun Mo sighed, "The rise and fall of a sect are unpredictable. Brother Dao, you needn't blame yourself too much."

The topic here shifted to the current situation of the Kuiyuan Sect.

Li Dazhi quickly suppressed his smile and sat behind the Sect Master, listening with a frown.

Since the Sect Master had arranged for him to listen and observe, he naturally had to seize the opportunity to learn and improve.

After witnessing his own son's battle with that Void Refining disciple today, Li Dazhi had completely understood.

In the current situation, it was no longer possible for him to retreat unscathed if he wished.

Sometimes, if you don't strive to move forward, you will be ruthlessly trampled upon. Even if you have no intention of harming others, others may very well intend to harm you.

Not fighting was a form of self-destruction.

Let's not mention Li Dazhi's silent resolve;

Nor Mu Ningning being surrounded by several senior sisters, deliberately poking her delicate face with that pagoda artifact;

In a corner of the western cloud platform, a young female cultivator with a petite figure, adorned with twin buns, was watching the disciples fighting on the arena with a complex gaze.

Wen Ling'er sighed softly.

She had watched from the Human Ranking battles until now and fully understood why inner disciples were called the favored children of heaven, and why those like her, who were mere servant disciples, were not valued by the sect.

The gap was simply too vast.

In her original town, Wen Ling'er actually earned quite a few spirit stones. The Myriad Cloud Sect had always been generous to disciples like them who did the work, providing ample pills and artifacts;

She had always felt that her cultivation speed wasn't too slow. As long as she could reach the True Unity Realm within three hundred years and extend her lifespan, she would have a slim chance of walking the path of an immortal.

But now, Wen Ling'er's Dao heart had been severely shaken.

Are all inner disciples monsters?

The disciples fighting today were all within ten years of their entry.

Wen Ling'er suddenly understood why her Master had only given her the title of 'registered disciple'.

It wasn't that her Master only wanted her to be a servant, but that her aptitude and talent weren't even second-rate.

'Sigh, Master has actually been good to me.'

Following that, Wen Ling'er thought of the task her Master had given her, her gaze shifting to the sky, the image of Li Ping'an casting spells in mid-air appearing in her mind.

'Can I really latch onto this golden thigh?'

Wen Ling'er continued to stare blankly at the arena.

She was already preoccupied, and after watching the previous fight, she lost interest in continuing to spectate. She sat there lost in thought, her mind gradually drifting away.

After a long while, Wen Ling'er's eyes became more lively because the Condensing Light Realm disciple had stepped onto the stage again.

Wen Ling'er looked at Li Ping'an's handsome face. His voice was like a demonic sound entering her ears, lingering in her spiritual platform for a long time.

'Isn't he going to use that very powerful artifact-detonating spell anymore?'

This question arose in Wen Ling'er's mind as she quietly watched the figure wielding a spear and shuttling across the stage.

In Li Ping'an's fight, and the subsequent few fights, he had at most used spear formations and talisman formations. Although he won more than he lost, he still lost two matches.

When the Earth Ranking battle concluded, Li Ping'an ranked seventh. With his cultivation at the fifth level of the Condensing Light Realm, he entered the ranks of disciples in the late Void Refining Realm.

Wen Ling'er sat in a corner, resting her chin on her hand, her gaze constantly following Li Ping'an. She watched him chat and laugh with the talented young cultivators of the Immortal Sect, watched him whisper with the bright and beautiful junior sister, and watched him respectfully report something to his Heavenly Immortal Master.

Gradually, the chaotic thoughts in Wen Ling'er's mind disappeared.

The first day of the grand competition ended, and the outer disciples spectating began to leave.

Wen Ling'er turned to look for Li Ping'an, but saw him leaving on a cloud with a corpulent middle-aged Immortal.

'This must be the disciple with great fortune of the Golden Immortal Ancestor that Master mentioned.'

Li Ping'an suddenly lowered his head, their gazes meeting from a considerable distance.

Li Ping'an showed a slight smile and nodded gently at Wen Ling'er.

Wen Ling'er was stunned for a moment, and quickly bowed in return. But when she looked up again, Li Ping'an and his father were nowhere to be seen.

A female disciple nearby asked, "Junior Sister Wen, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, I just zoned out for a moment."

Wen Ling'er said repeatedly, manipulating objects and escaping into the void, following the outer disciple queue. A hint of joy arose in her heart.

She wondered when her Master would arrange for her to go over;

She was determined to latch onto this golden thigh!

'Wen Ling'er is also cultivating in the mountains?'

Li Ping'an thought of Manager Xiao Yue, and felt a little uneasy.

Manager Xiao couldn't be described as resourceful, only as cunning.

Li Ping'an always felt that ever since Manager Xiao gave him a spirit grass last time, he had been plotting something.

"Dad."

Li Dazhi, who was deep in thought, turned his head: "Hmm, what's wrong? Were you injured in the fight earlier?"

Li Ping'an spoke in dialect, "Not at all, I'm just a bit tired. The Spirit Detonation Art is too taxing on the mind... The artifact production line we prepared might need to be handed over to the sect in advance."

"Oh?" Li Dazhi smiled, "I saw you use that spell today and roughly guessed your intentions. It's fine, you arrange it, Dad will cover for you."

"If we're giving treasures to the sect, you should be the main one, Dad," Li Ping'an instructed, "If it's just me, it won't have much effect. It must have the backing of your status, Dad."

"Just arrange it,"

Li Dazhi waved his hand, not very interested in such topics.

Li Ping'an handed a brocade box to his father and stopped speaking in dialect, saying directly, "This was a gift from Elder Xiao Yue during the outer sect trial. Can you see if it can be given to Medicine Dust Peak to refine into pills that improve aptitude?"

"Oh?"

Li Dazhi took the brocade box and couldn't help but widen his eyes:

"Isn't this what we spent half a year looking for last year... And the year is not low! Its value is extraordinary!

"What does Manager Xiao mean by this?"

Li Ping'an smiled, "Elders' gifts, I dare not refuse. You taught me this, Dad. Anyway, I owe Elder Xiao a favor this time, and I'll rely on you to repay it in the future."

Li Dazhi laughed heartily, "People say children repay their father's debts, but you're the other way around, son repaying father's debts! Alright, alright, I'll find a chance to give her a return gift!"

"Uncle Dazhi, why are you so happy?"

"Ping'an shone brightly today, Uncle Dazhi truly kept us all in the dark!"

"Hahaha! Ping'an! Where did you learn that secret method for detonating artifacts?"

A few greetings came from the side as another group of Immortals arrived, clouds swirling around them. They looked at Li Dazhi, beaming with pride, and Li Ping'an, who was showing great promise, each ready with a flood of compliments.

The Origin Soul within Li Ping'an's spiritual platform trembled slightly, and he immediately put on a gentle and refined smile.

The second round of Immortal Sect social events had begun.

Each of our chapters is around 4,000 characters, sometimes over 5,000, so I'm hesitant to add extra updates during the new book period. For now, I'll focus on stable updates to ensure quality.

My previous book, "Deep Abyss Walker," was a low point in recent years in terms of performance (average 3,000 characters after being put on shelves, 15,000 characters upon completion). That book was an experimental piece, a pure sci-fi space opera webnovel. As a result, "Immortal Father" started with very limited resources, and there were no special promotions like splash ads.

However, judging by the current trend, "Immortal Father" actually has a chance to stand out among its peers...

This is quite remarkable.

While I know I can't please every reader, I will strive to create a better reading experience for those who enjoy this genre. I also want to recommend a similar work to new readers: "My Senior Brother is Too Cautious."

As for everything else, I'll be relying on all of you, my esteemed readers, for your support! Please vote and add to your collections!