Several more days passed, and Turbid Jade's aura grew ever steadier and deeper.
The glow on that ice-blue jade pillar was no longer as dazzling as it had been at first. It had become soft and mellow, like old jade polished by the years, radiating a tranquil, far-reaching luster.
The toad pattern on the pillar's surface had also undergone subtle changes without anyone noticing. Its once-motionless posture seemed to have gained the liveliness of a living creature, as though something beneath that stone-like surface were slowly awakening.
Li Bufan sat cross-legged before the statue, slowly circulating the Five Elements Heaven Skill within him and absorbing, one by one, the several drops of True Essence he had refined over the past few days into his dantian.
That day, just as Li Bufan finished his cultivation and opened his eyes, the ice-blue jade pillar suddenly gave a faint hum.
Immediately afterward, the light on the pillar's surface rapidly drew back like a receding tide, transforming into an ice-blue streak that slid down its length before finally sinking into the palm-sized toad at its base.
Turbid Jade's compound eyes slowly opened. A flicker of ice-blue light reflected in the depths of its pupils, like a flash of cold radiance sealed beneath a deep winter lake.
It stretched slightly and let out a soft sigh of satisfaction, then hopped down from beside the jade pillar and landed on the stone platform before Li Bufan.
"How is it?" Li Bufan asked.
Turbid Jade narrowed its compound eyes slightly. Its voice remained cold and clear, yet carried a little more of the calm that came after settling in: "Human, you did not deceive me. That inheritance is real, and far more complete than I expected."
It paused, lifting its small toad head to look at Li