The north wind howled; the bitter winter was drawing near.
What Li Ji'an had seen and heard on this return to his old home had only strengthened his resolve to stay in the Immortal Palace and never take another step outside.
With his current Blood Transformation Perfection, mastery of the enhanced Floating Duckweed Steps, and a few crude methods of activating qi and blood that he had devised himself, he could be considered a first-rate Martial Artist in the world. But with great upheaval about to engulf everything, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be swept along by the tide.
The Immortal Palace was still the safest place.
No matter how chaotic things became outside, the Immortal Palace would always remain peaceful. It also had abundant resources, and most people were striving to become immortal seedlings. Everyone, that was, except Li Ji'an.
After reaching Blood Transformation Perfection, his internal cultivation had slowed noticeably, and he had focused even more on the killing techniques of activating qi and blood through external training.
He was afraid that when the next Immortal Ceremony came around, some problem would crop up among the immortal seedlings again, forcing him into the role whether he was ready or not.
He didn't need to be completely prepared, but at the very least, he had to do everything he could to arm himself to the fullest before entering the Cultivation World.
"Elder Shi, same old rules: best two out of three. How about it?" That day, Li Ji'an once again visited the Immortal Palace's Scripture Repository.
The emperor had built this place to gather the world's martial arts. Only those reserve immortal seedlings who ultimately failed to ascend to the Immortal Realm were eligible to enter; its purpose was to cultivate martial forces for the dynasty.
By rights, only those over thirty who had completely lost any chance of becoming immortal seedlings could enter. But for over a century, only ten people had been able to ascend with the immortal masters every ten years. Many reserve immortal seedlings ultimately failed, so the rule had long since been relaxed: anyone who failed to ascend during the first Immortal Ceremony could enter.
The only restriction was that they could access only the bottom three floors.
To go any higher, one had to join the imperial court and earn merit.
The bottom three floors corresponded to Blood Transformation, Marrow Cleansing, and Organ Refining.
Li Ji'an had only just entered Marrow Cleansing, and his progress was slow, so in theory, he could only enter the first floor and study second-rate martial arts.
Fortunately, over the past three years, Li Ji'an had become quite adept at coaxing the old man, and he had long since struck up a close friendship with Old Shi, the Scripture Repository's caretaker.
At first, he had patiently taught the old man to play chess. With little entertainment to occupy his time, and nothing to do but wait out his days, Old Shi had gradually gotten hooked.
After that, Li Ji'an had gotten his way and gained free access to all three lower floors.
"Heh, kid, you've come at just the right time. This old man has been grinding away for three nights, specially studying how to deal with you. Just you wait—today I'll wipe you off the board!" Hearing Li Ji'an's voice, Old Shi immediately put down the chaotic chess records he had been scribbling on. His old eyes gleamed.
"Oh? If you're so confident, why not raise the stakes?" Li Ji'an pressed his advantage.
Old Shi was just about to agree when he eyed Li Ji'an warily. "What? Don't tell me you want to go up to the middle three floors? No, no. This old man still wants to enjoy his retirement here."
"Heh. I thought you were more confident than that. Now I know where you stand. Come on, take black and make the first move." Li Ji'an chuckled, goading him.
The result was beyond doubt: Li Ji'an narrowly won both games.
"Elder Shi, those moves of yours really were something. You almost beat me. You were only missing a little of that fearless courage and confidence. I concede!"
Leaving Old Shi still staring at the board, unwilling to admit defeat, Li Ji'an headed up to the Scripture Repository's third floor.
"Traveling qinggong, footwork, fist techniques, palm techniques, saber techniques, staff techniques, sword techniques... Hmm, still missing hidden weapons and defense..."
He came about once a month, and over the past three years he had studied quite a lot of common martial arts.
The martial arts on the bottom three floors could only activate about thirty percent of one's qi and blood, so they weren't worth devoting himself to mastering. But they could serve as a foundation, building up his store of knowledge about qi-and-blood activation.
Drawing on the first- and second-rate martial arts from the bottom three floors, he had managed to create half a set of fist techniques over the past three years. Their power in activating qi and blood should be comparable to that of super-first-rate techniques—at least fifty percent.
At the sound of the evening drum, Li Ji'an left the Scripture Repository.
"The hidden-weapon techniques are all a bit lacking. Too bad Ning Sujin hasn't studied the Stormy Pear Blossom Needles yet... No rush. Once the Immortal Ceremony is over in five years, there'll be plenty of time to make plans."
Muttering Ning Sujin's name all the way back, he returned to the courtyard and found that she had already been waiting for quite a while.
"Recently, I suddenly sensed that my fate had changed." Ning Sujin spoke calmly, without preamble.
She could discuss this sort of vague premonition with only Li Ji'an.
"What happened? Good or bad?" Li Ji'an immediately grew serious.
Ning Sujin shook her head. "It's unlike anything I've felt before. I can't tell whether it's good or bad, or what fortune or misfortune it will bring."
"Usually, when someone around me is about to act, I can sense whether their actions will bring good or ill. And when I'm about to do something myself, I can sense whether it will bring good or ill. But this time, I haven't planned to do anything at all. I suddenly sensed that something was about to happen."
Li Ji'an furrowed his brow for a moment. "Is someone planning to do something to you?"
"Most likely," Ning Sujin agreed.
"But no matter how I try to divine what will happen, I can't find a way to avert it."
"What if you leave the imperial capital?"
"I've tried every possibility. Nothing can change it."
Over the past five years, Ning Sujin had never neglected her cultivation and was on the verge of reaching Marrow Cleansing Perfection. If nothing unexpected happened, she should have made progress in Organ Refining by the Immortal Ceremony five years from now, giving her a chance to become an immortal seedling.
This sudden change left her feeling utterly helpless.
"With the Duke's power at its height, and Uncle Chen and your grandfather by your side, even they can't change anything... Could it be the immortal masters?" Li Ji'an reasoned.
"The immortal masters?" Ning Sujin's expression turned grave.
"The Immortal Ceremony is still five years away. And ever since the immortal masters first descended a century ago, their visit every ten years has never changed..."
But apart from the immortal masters, Li Ji'an couldn't think of anyone who could forcibly influence Ning Sujin's fate, given her current status and backing—someone she couldn't even escape.
Even if the emperor wanted to wipe out the entire Duke's household, she could retreat into the mortal world ahead of time and avoid it.
"What about me?"
Ning Sujin shook her head. Nothing changed.
"What about the Duke?"
She shook her head again.
Then it really was Ning Sujin who was being targeted.
After a long silence, Ning Sujin let out a deep breath.
"Ji'an, did you truly refuse Aunt's proposal because you wanted to seek immortality?"
In fact, she had sensed this change five days earlier. She hadn't come to Li Ji'an today to seek a way to resolve it. She had come because she was powerless to resist and had accepted her fate, having lost control of her own destiny.
Yet even as she accepted her fate, the ten years they had spent together—five in Chong'an Prefecture and five in the Immortal Palace—had allowed Li Ji'an to take root deep in her heart without her realizing it. Only today, when she calmly examined herself, had she discovered that his place in her heart had almost eclipsed the brother she had been devoted to since childhood.
She didn't know whether there would be a future for her after this change in fate.
Li Ji'an saw what Ning Sujin was thinking. He gave a wry smile and nodded firmly.
"Don't be ridiculous! You're only at the beginning of Marrow Cleansing, and your progress has been slow for three years. You have no hope at all of passing the Immortal Ceremony five years from now. You might as well give up on becoming an immortal in this life." Ning Sujin suddenly grew agitated.
But I still have my next life.
Li Ji'an could only give an awkward smile.
"So you refused because you didn't want to hold me back, because you understood me. Right?" Ning Sujin suddenly stood up and stared at Li Ji'an, her gaze blazing.
"Is there really no way to avert it?"
"No!"
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