Little Fox wanted to eat pills, and Li Jiusheng naturally indulged her.
Knowing that Li Jiusheng kept a little pet, Li Qingshan had the people from the alchemy room deliver a fresh batch of pills every few days, all of which were stored in the tea room.
When Little Fox arrived in the tea room, Li Jiusheng picked out several of her favorite pills and handed them to her. Little Fox immediately settled down.
Li Jiusheng selected a secret manual from the Storage magical treasures of the two men in black and quietly read it.
The two brothers had stolen secret manuals from the major top sects of the Old Land, intending to smuggle them out to the Outer Domain and sell them for financial freedom. In the end, however, they only benefited Li Jiusheng.
This time, Li Jiusheng had chosen a technique from the Primordial Dao Sect, called [Primordial Stream God Finger].
This finger technique was one of the Primordial Dao Sect's most powerful foundational arts, but it was extremely difficult to cultivate because it demanded extraordinary comprehension.
In recent years, no one in the Primordial Dao Sect had successfully cultivated it, to the point that the world had forgotten the power of [Primordial Stream God Finger].
[Primordial Stream God Finger] transformed the fingertip into the Dao. The greater one's comprehension of the Dao, the more powerful the strike unleashed by a finger would be.
Li Jiusheng flipped through the Secret technique and immersed himself in it, nodding at times and shaking his head at others as he practiced various finger techniques.
At that moment, the turmoil of the outside world had nothing to do with him.
No matter what changes occurred within that secret realm, no matter how turbulent the situation became, none of it could disturb the fully immersed Li Jiusheng.
Even when Little Fox finished her pills and wanted to play with Li Jiusheng, she could not wake him from his enlightenment.
Little Fox was very sensible. She knew Li Jiusheng had entered a moment of enlightenment during cultivation, so she stayed by his side, silently watching over him and preventing anyone from disturbing him.
"You comprehended [Primordial Stream God Finger], entered enlightenment, activated Heaven-Defying Comprehension, and mastered [Primordial Stream God Finger]."
Li Jiusheng sank into the Dao, inspiration surging endlessly as he continued to grasp the wonders of [Primordial Stream God Finger]. His fingers moved unconsciously, suffused with a profound aura of the Great Dao. A line of text appeared before his eyes, informing him that he had already taken his first step into the technique.
Yet he paid it no heed, completely absorbed and unable to pull himself away.
Li Jiusheng sat cross-legged in the tea room for an entire night.
As dawn broke, at the moment when the rising sun met the setting moon, Li Jiusheng opened his eyes and looked outside. The morning sun and lingering moon coexisted between heaven and earth. Light flickered in his eyes as he saw yin and yang revolve, all things rise and fall, life and death—all of it should lie within a single finger.
Li Jiusheng laughed heartily and extended a long, jade-white finger. Mysterious black-and-white qi gathered at its tip, slowly spinning and forming a Yin-Yang Diagram where light and darkness intertwined.
"It's done." The smile on Li Jiusheng's face deepened. Rising to his full height, he stepped out of the tea room and pointed at the distant waterfall.
BOOM!!!
A black-and-white beam of finger light shot through the waterfall, erupting with a tremendous crash and slicing the thundering cascade in half for several dozen seconds before it finally returned to normal.
"I wonder if a Great Grandmaster could withstand that strike?" Li Jiusheng muttered to himself. Happily, he picked up Little Fox behind him and gave her a vigorous rub.
Little Fox happily snuggled against Li Jiusheng as well.
She was not foolish. She knew Li Jiusheng had comprehended an incredible technique. The stronger Li Jiusheng became, the stronger she would naturally become by following and learning from him.
The path of cultivation required balance between exertion and rest; that was the proper way.
After consecutively obtaining [Savage Force] and [Primordial Stream God Finger], as well as raising his cultivation to the late stage of the Grandmaster realm, Li Jiusheng felt it was time to settle down and consolidate his gains.
Thus, over the next two days, he brought Little Fox into the mountains and forests to play freely.
They climbed high mountains to admire snowy scenery, descended cliffs into secluded valleys, hunted wild deer and roasted them, and rode the azure clouds up into the nine heavens. They were utterly carefree.
Two days later, Li Qingshan arrived and said with a smile, "Senior Brother, your life is truly enviable."
Li Jiusheng smiled. "Anyone in the world can live as I do. They simply need to take things more lightly, cling less stubbornly, and desire less."
Li Qingshan laughed helplessly. "It sounds simple, but it is exceedingly difficult. Buddhism speaks of greed, anger, and delusion—how can ordinary people let them go?"
Li Jiusheng chuckled. Walking with Li Qingshan along the cliffside, he asked, "How is that ruin now?"
Li Qingshan lowered his voice. "Over the past few days, quite a few people have gone to explore the ruin. Some even ventured deep inside, but they found nothing."
"By nothing, you mean they all came out safely?" Li Jiusheng asked.
"Yes, they all returned safely." Li Qingshan nodded.
"That isn't normal." Li Jiusheng stated decisively. It had been described as so dangerous before, yet now everyone who entered had emerged unharmed. There were no casualties, but the entire matter reeked of strangeness.
"It isn't normal. Some Great Grandmasters and Venerables had originally planned to enter, but now it seems they must wait and observe for a few more days." Li Qingshan said.
"Have you found Emperor Wu of Zhou's whereabouts?" Li Jiusheng asked in a low voice as well, his expression grave.
Emperor Wu of Zhou's Primordial spirit had possessed a sect elder and slipped in unnoticed. If Li Qingshan could find and kill him, destroying his Primordial spirit, then Emperor Wu of Zhou, who was currently recovering from his injuries, would truly fall from the Ancestor Realm.
Li Qingshan said regretfully, "Emperor Wu of Zhou seems to have sensed something. He has hidden himself deeply and never shown his face. I have gone out searching every day recently, but I have found nothing."
Li Jiusheng said, "No rush. Emperor Wu of Zhou is an Ancestor, after all. Faced with a calamity of life and death, he will surely have some spiritual warning. But as long as he wishes to obtain the Grandmaster Pure Land from this ruin, he will reveal himself sooner or later."
"Mm, I will wait patiently." Li Qingshan nodded.
"The Wang Family Members haven't caused any trouble these past few days, have they?" Li Jiusheng asked.
Li Qingshan said, "The Wang Family Members were only arrogant and overbearing for a while when they first arrived. They have stayed near the ruin these past two days and have not come to Shangqing Palace. However, one of the Wang family elders suddenly came to me yesterday and said that four Wang family disciples had gone missing, asking us to help search for them."
Li Jiusheng's heart stirred. He knew these four were the group who had infiltrated the Scripture Repository Pavilion and stolen the Savage Scripture. He had long since buried them in these wild mountains as fertilizer. The Wang Family Members would never find them.
"They lost their people. What does that have to do with us?" Li Jiusheng said lightly. Why waste effort on that?
Li Qingshan laughed freely. "Senior Brother is right."
"Oh, right. I have encountered some doubts while cultivating the Grass and Wood Sword Technique and the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique. I would like to ask Senior Brother for guidance." Li Qingshan suddenly clasped his hands and spoke sincerely.
"You are a Venerable, while I am merely a humble Grandmaster. How could I possibly instruct you?" Li Jiusheng asked in confusion.
"The accomplished should come first. Senior Brother's comprehension of these two sword techniques must be profound, so I hope you will not hesitate to enlighten me." Li Qingshan shook his head and made his request firmly.
For some reason, he had great confidence in his senior brother. Several issues within these two sword techniques had troubled him for a long time, and he urgently needed answers.
Li Jiusheng nodded. "In that case, let us exchange insights."
Joy appeared on Li Qingshan's face. He then described each of his cultivation doubts one by one, continuously gesturing as Sword energy swirled around the two of them.
Li Jiusheng also laid out all his own insights into the Sword Dao. Though they were not as vast and profound as Li Qingshan's, Li Jiusheng surpassed him in the finer details. In some respects, his foundation was even much deeper than Li Qingshan's.
Watching Li Jiusheng's Sword Dao, Li Qingshan was deeply moved. Inspiration erupted within him, and he sat down on the spot to discuss the Dao.
Their discussion continued until deep into the night.
Li Qingshan gained immensely. He gave a deep bow and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for clearing away my confusion. With these doubts resolved, I am only one step away from the Ancestor Realm that the world longs for."
Before you continue