Tantai Xuanji!

The forbidden grounds on the rear mountain.

Li Qingshan followed Tantai Yue along a winding stone path, passing through layer after layer of restrictions until they reached a secluded courtyard.

The courtyard was small, yet everything about it was extraordinary.

Several immortal trees Li Qingshan could not name grew inside. Their lush branches and leaves gave off a fragrance that refreshed the heart and mind.

Beneath the trees lay a small pond, its water clear to the bottom. Several golden koi swam lazily through it.

A rockery stood beside the pond. Moss mottled its stones, and water trickled over them, lending it an air of detachment from the mortal world.

A faint curtain of light enveloped the entire courtyard. It looked as thin as a cicada's wing, yet radiated a pressure that made the heart tremble.

Li Qingshan could sense that any single restriction on that curtain could grind a Profound Immortal to dust.

"Methods of a Golden Immortal..."

Li Qingshan's heart tightened, and he concealed his aura even more carefully.

Tantai Yue stopped before the courtyard gate and bowed respectfully.

"Ancestor, A Yue requests an audience."

"Come in."

The aged, commanding voice came from within the courtyard, its tone somewhat gentler than before.

The gate opened without a sound, and Tantai Yue led Li Qingshan inside.

Deep in the courtyard, a figure stood in a pavilion with his back to them, his hands clasped behind him.

He appeared no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He wore a moon-white robe with a jade belt, and his ink-dark hair fell loosely over his shoulders.

He turned, revealing a face that made even Li Qingshan pause.

Swordlike brows, star-bright eyes, a face fair as jade—his features seemed carved to perfection, yet they carried the depth and composure of someone who had weathered