"This Master Su is terrifying! The 'giant stele falling from the sky' incident was an unexpected natural disaster! He deduced it, and even said the mysterious stone stele was the 'Soul Suppressing Stele'! He's a true master!"
Yun Qingxuan had always set her sights higher than the heavens and was an exceptionally rational person, yet even she was a little shaken.
Then she immediately thought of something deeper: if all the Heavenly Secrets Masters in this world were at this level, then the countless opportunities in the world would leave no room for any other cultivators!
Seeing even someone as strong-willed and rational as Yun Qingxuan stunned, Su Li felt a deep sense of accomplishment.
Ah, when you were this capable, even an utterly rational woman like Yun Qingxuan couldn't take it!
Su Li was quite satisfied, but still said coolly, "What are you waiting for? Pour in the Nine Radiance Heart-Inquiry Tea!"
Yun Qingxuan froze for a moment, then understood. She poured the Nine Radiance Heart-Inquiry Tea into the Purple Rhyme Pot.
That way, the tea brewed with spirit spring water in a spirit pot could bring out its effects to the fullest!
As for what the Nine Radiance Heart-Inquiry Tea was, Yun Qingxuan had a vague feeling she'd heard of it somewhere, but couldn't recall just then.
"The Nine Radiance Heart-Inquiry Tea? An incredibly precious sacred medicine even in the Era of Demise, one that could transform a Nascent Soul?"
Hua Yunxiao, who had just released the spirit spring, shuddered all over, his face changing.
He let out a startled cry.
Yun Wanchu was completely stunned, then his expression turned aghast.
The Nine Radiance Heart-Inquiry Tea was said to make "one cup, one sacred infant"!
That saying was certainly an exaggeration, but it still showed from another angle just how astonishing its effect was on the quality of a transformed Nascent Soul!
"The effect isn't actually that exaggerated. For one thing, this isn't fresh tea, but old tea that's been stored for years. Less than one-tenth of its effects remain. And even fresh tea wouldn't be of the highest quality; it would only be above average. With tea of that quality, transforming a Nascent Soul into a sacred infant with a single cup is impossible."
Su Li's tone was as calm as ever.
Hua Yunxiao felt somewhat ashamed at his words, because he had wanted to transform his Nascent Soul for a long time. It was one of the knots in his heart.
"Even so, it's still incredibly precious!"
Hua Yunxiao sighed.
By then, Yun Qingxuan had poured all the remaining tea leaves from the ancient, blackened tea jar into the Purple Rhyme Pot.
Then Yun Qinghong began to focus on brewing the tea.
Hua Yunxiao and Yun Wanchu stood guard nearby.
Su Li looked at Yun Qingxuan, whose expression had turned devout, then glanced at Zhuge Qingchen and gave him a signal.
Zhuge Qingchen understood at once. He waved his hand and released a Heavenly Secrets barrier formation, enveloping Su Li and Yun Qingxuan.
Only then did Su Li turn solemn and speak in a low voice. "The mysterious item in your possession contains secrets about your mother. Don't open it for now. Whether your mother can be brought back to life depends on whether you can activate this item after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.
"You've worked so hard to cultivate because you want to reach the Nascent Soul Realm and uncover the truth, haven't you? Let me tell you: reaching the Nascent Soul Realm only gives you the initial qualification. It's still far from enough!
"As for that item, it's called the 'Soul Locking Tower.' You can probably guess a little about what it means and what it does from the name, right?
"I won't say more. With your current abilities, you can't bear the weight of this karma!"
Boom!
Hearing this, Yun Qingxuan was struck as if by lightning once more. Her scalp prickled, and goose bumps rose all over her body!
He had just stripped away every one of her secrets and flung them right in front of her!
Yun Qingxuan's body trembled.
At that moment, she suddenly felt that the young man before her, who showed no trace of spiritual energy, was like a god looking down upon all living beings—so awe-inspiring that he filled her with reverence!
Yun Qingxuan stared blankly at Su Li. For a long while, she couldn't utter a word.
She had already thought Su Li was incredible, but only now did she realize how badly she had underestimated his abilities!
In that instant, her mind burned hot, and she almost dropped to her knees and begged him: Master Su, please help me! As long as I can avenge my great hatred, Qingxuan is willing to swear lifelong loyalty and follow you to the death!
But she forced herself to hold back.
She couldn't do that!
Even if she wanted revenge, she had to personally kill her enemy with her own strength!
So Yun Qingxuan quickly calmed down. She bowed slightly to Su Li and said gratefully, "Qingxuan thanks Master Su for your guidance."
Su Li nodded indifferently, his expression returning to its earlier calm.
In truth, if he'd been a lovesick fool, seeing a beautiful, aloof fairy like Yun Qingxuan about to kneel and beg, ready to follow him to the death and even pay any price, he would probably have been overjoyed. He'd have wanted to give her everything and promised all sorts of things to solve every problem she had.
But unfortunately, he wasn't one. He never had been!
And this incident had made Su Li realize there was a serious problem: his identity, status, and how he should conduct himself from here on out!
This problem could even determine which road he took from this point onward!
Su Li pondered for a moment, but didn't think any further on it for now. He signaled Zhuge Qingchen to remove the barrier, then said, "Since you're all here, stay and watch. Next."
Yun Qingxuan silently walked over to Fang Yueheng, then stood there quietly, watching Su Li make his deductions.
Su Li felt a little regretful. Yun Qingxuan bore a blood feud, so the karma binding her was quite heavy.
Unfortunately, checking this person's Life Archive for the next seven days cost only 20 Heavenly Secrets Value. That meant there was no point investing in her—at least, not in the short term.
Although the future wasn't set in stone, it would be difficult to change as long as he didn't forcefully interfere.
After Yun Qingxuan came her younger brother, Yun Qinghong.
Su Li had checked Yun Qinghong's situation once before. Now, after checking again, he found that Yun Qinghong's fate had changed from "on the verge of ruin" to "lost in matters of the heart; all other affairs go smoothly, and his wishes are fulfilled..."
The meaning contained in this fate was self-evident.
Su Li tried to lock onto this person's Life Archive and check the records of the next seven days. The system's notification showed the same cost: only 20 points.
That meant he wouldn't be able to squeeze any Heavenly Secrets Value out of this person over the next few days, either.
So Su Li crossed him off at once.
Next, Su Li took a rough look at Zhao Zhihan, Sun Chengfeng, Feng Qianqian, and Que Xinyan.
Among the four, Zhao Zhihan and Feng Qianqian also had very good fates.
Su Li saw that Sun Chengfeng had the fate of "a late bloomer"—in other words, his future achievements would be extraordinary, but for now, he was frustrated and unfulfilled.
There was no Heavenly Secrets Value to harvest from these three, either, so Su Li didn't make any deductions about them.
But one disciple named Que Xinyan caught Su Li's eye.
His strength wasn't anything special. At twenty-five, he was at the sixth level of the Golden Core Realm—mediocre in every respect.
But Su Li paid attention to him because he possessed a physique called the Yin Earth Spirit Physique. This physique leaned toward darkness and heaviness, so Que Xinyan was round and boxy, with a broad, dark face that was quite eye-catching.
Su Li liked being around people like this. It made him look even more handsome!
Aside from being corpulent and barrel-shaped, with a face like a dark, round pancake, Que Xinyan was also a genuine, bona fide lovesick fool. The person he pined after was an elite female disciple who secretly cultivated the Yin Yang Joy technique and had a green-tea personality.
The disciple was named Qiao Lian'er. She had long since secretly investigated Que Xinyan's background and knew he had the Yin Earth Spirit Physique, which made Dual Cultivation impossible. What's more, even that part of him was shorter and weaker than most men's, so she couldn't even be bothered to humor him.
It was an exceptionally tragic story.
Su Li hadn't expected to see such a bizarre character in this world, and couldn't help sighing.
It seemed lovesick fools existed in every world!
The guy's head was already greener than a lush meadow—and that was only if Qiao Lian'er ever accepted him. But with a face that seemed to have been beaten black and blue by the heavens... his chances were probably slim.
Su Li casually mentioned a few details about Que Xinyan's past. Que Xinyan immediately stared at him in awe, admiring him to the point of prostration.
Seeing that Que Xinyan had begun to take him seriously, Su Li spoke with a hidden meaning. "Que Xinyan, the shady path you yearn for is covered in white frost every morning and night."
Que Xinyan pondered for a moment, then decided Master Su was hinting that the road of cultivation for his Yin Earth Spirit Physique was narrow, but that pleasant surprises would come sooner or later.
Moved, he said, "Even if that shady path turns into a dark abyss, it's still where I want to venture. I believe that one day, I'll enter it and find where I belong!"
Su Li's mouth twitched, and his breathing hitched. "That's right... sooner or later, there'll be a... pleasant surprise. Mm. When you can enter easily, you'll understand that it isn't because you're impressive. It's just that the place can tolerate how small you are!"
Que Xinyan nodded deeply and bowed. "That's right. We cultivators should be reverent and face the smallness of our own existence..."
Su Li coughed. "You, not us."
Que Xinyan immediately fawned, "Yes, yes. Master Su is certainly not small."
"Master Su, thanks for your effort. Please have some tea."
By then, Yun Qinghong had finished brewing the tea. At Hua Yunxiao's signal, Yun Wanchu poured the first cup for Su Li, used his spiritual energy to cool it to the perfect temperature, and respectfully offered it to him.
Su Li didn't refuse. He picked up the spirit-jade teacup and took a sip in front of everyone.
As the tea went down, it was like drinking a mouthful of true spirit spring water. The icy chill, the warmth, the searing heat, the refreshing fragrance, the intoxicating aroma—all kinds of sensations spread from his mouth through his entire body in an instant!
The next moment, Su Li felt every one of his acupoints open, mistlike energy rising from him. At the same time, a flash of inspiration streaked through his mind!
In that instant, an exceedingly bold idea sprang into being!
Before you continue