The Prophecy Is Set, the Dao Sigil Takes Shape

Tap—tap—tap—

The young man seated cross-legged upon the cloud bed lightly tapped the edge of a handwritten note.

Yet strangely enough—

It had been an unconscious motion, but in an instant, the mountain wind within a stone's throw outside the cave abode, the steaming blaze Qi within it, even the flickering candle flame between the brows of that fair female cultivator—all seemed to echo the rhythm of the young man's tapping fingers of their own accord.

And so, when he spoke again, his voice seemed to mingle with nature's mighty force, driving itself fiercely into the hearts and minds of those who heard it.

"This Liu Dongqing—I want his background, his origins, every scrap of information there is to know about him!"

Hearing this, Mei Ran forcibly suppressed the discomfort in her body and soul and answered respectfully.

"Yes!"

She understood that although the young man seated cross-legged on the cloud bed kept saying it was unimportant, he was in fact already deeply dissatisfied with the vague portions of that earlier report.

But a moment later—

When another handwritten note was delivered before the young man—

He suddenly let out a restrained chuckle, one born from the utmost fury.

"Why do I feel that this Liu Dongqing is even more capable than Xiaoqi?

A man who had not visited the market for years.

A man who went straight to the Sunward Dao Academy market after returning from Autumn Water Plateau with Xiaoqi.

And you're telling me he took a lap around the place, bought nothing at all, came empty-handed, and left empty-handed?"

Before the young man had even finished speaking, Mei Ran had already fallen prostrate to the ground. She did nothing but kowtow, not daring to offer a single word in defense.

After quite a while—

The young man finally seemed to have calmed his breath, and his voice continued in a somewhat more even tone.

"No matter what, when something is abnormal, there must be a demon at work.

This Liu Dongqing is too cautious. And when caution goes too far, it becomes the greatest flaw in one's words and actions.

That, in turn, proves that this man has a great secret! Jiang Xiaoqi has a great secret!

But..."

The young man paused unusually, as though weighing the gains and losses.

"Liu Dongqing, outer sect steward Hou Yanchang, Junior Sister Zhang Qiwei of the Rising Mist Dao Academy...

So he is even one of Junior Sister Zhang's 'foundations' in her struggle for a position in the inner sect?

How interesting... Xiaoqi can actually subdue a person of this caliber and use him for herself?

Why is it that I simply do not believe it?

Still, since this concerns an inner sect disciple vying for a position, it would not do to act too recklessly.

I may choose not to follow the unwritten rules within aristocratic clans.

But the Holy Cult's laws are strict. Everything must be carried out within the established framework. No one is exempt."

Having said this, the young man fell silent again and pondered for a while.

Then he looked once more at Mei Ran and spoke.

"Since Junior Sister Zhang is vying for a position in the inner sect, who is her opponent?

Mei Ran, find a way to let her rival know that someone named Liu Dongqing exists.

When vying for a position, striking deadly blows at one another still falls within the Holy Cult's framework.

Zhang Qiwei...

She is, after all, from a branch of the Zhang Family. If you ask me, this name was poorly chosen.

I know it carries the hope of using Wood to give birth to Fire, of bolstering cultivation through one's fate.

But she cultivates the Bing Fire Path. How could the living breath of grass and trees upon the earth strengthen it?

In my view, with a name like that, she will inevitably be bullied by heavenly fire in the future. What I do today can be counted as fulfilling her fate."

"Mm... as expected, peaceful days without wind or waves suit me best!"

Time slipped quietly away, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

The open and undisguised events at Autumn Water Plateau, and the urgent tension of exhausting himself adapting to all sorts of new changes over the following days, now seemed almost like a fleeting flash in a dream to Liu Dongqing.

Yet the changes to his cultivation art clearly declared to Liu Dongqing that that great upheaval had truly existed, had already blended into his ordinary life, and was profoundly influencing his future.

Over this half month, Liu Dongqing had also completely immersed himself in cultivating his arts amid that peaceful life.

As agreed, Yan Rong came by twice more during that time.

The first time, he delivered five Ash-Feathered Crows. The second time, he delivered seven.

And having experienced the Sha Qi backlash during his first cultivation session, Liu Dongqing exercised considerable restraint while diligently cultivating with this fixed supply of resources.

Each day, he refined no more than two Ash-Feathered Crows with the Scarlet Crow Secret Seal Fire-Devouring Flame-Rising Spirit Incantation.

He also continuously tossed the Blood Filth and scraps left behind from the refined Ash-Feathered Crows, along with several Azure Light Spirit Beads, into the jade vat, condensing Elixir Fruit as much as possible. He consumed them to purge the Sha Qi from his body while steadily advancing his cultivation.

Supported by such abundant resources, Liu Dongqing's cultivation level advanced with tremendous vigor.

Even with the Mirror-Illuminating Cloud-Birthing Purple Rain Art being cast once every few days, heavenly water-vapor spiritual power rebuffing the firelight—

Liu Dongqing now stood firmly at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. Moreover, after half a month of nurturing and refinement, the fourth halo had become solid and stable.

And advancement in pure cultivation level was only one aspect.

More importantly, there was his progress in the Crimson Crow Spirit Incantation.

A newly acquired cultivation art naturally showed more obvious progress in cultivation.

After refining the bloodline essence of barely more than ten Ash-Feathered Crows, within Liu Dongqing's dantian, inside that perfectly round Primordial Candle Flame, two Fire Crow spirits intertwined and wheeled through the air. One of them was phantom-like, as though it had only just been born.

But the other had already taken on an exceedingly solid spiritual form. From time to time, amid the flickering firelight, one could even see within it a complete sigil, shaped like a bird yet resembling fire.

This was a complete "Fire Crow Dao Sigil" spoken of in the Crimson Crow Spirit Incantation's inheritance!

This meant that Liu Dongqing had completed one three-thousandth of the progress toward the ultimate state of fully mastering the cultivation art of the Crimson Fire Divine Crow's bloodline origin power.

A journey of a thousand miles began beneath one's feet. This was already a most gratifying beginning.

And this likewise meant that the Crimson Crow Spirit Incantation had become sufficiently more prominent in his Yang Fire Path cultivation.

Within the bedroom, Liu Dongqing wore a contemplative expression, as though recalling the handwritten notes from the inheritance. Yet one hand was already forming a strange seal and slowly lifting it.

Boom—

In an instant, a crimson flame fire crow roughly the size of a human head condensed above the support of Liu Dongqing's hand seal.

Its scorching aura even carried a trace of a demon's savage ferocity.

"In terms of sheer blazing might, this Fire Crow manifestation has already surpassed the Azure Light Fireball I forced out from my Primordial Candle Flame at Autumn Water Plateau."

"No, the increase in might is secondary."

"More importantly, this change has directly transformed the trump-card technique I previously had to expend my Primordial Candle Flame—and regress in cultivation level—to unleash, into a normal offensive spell that can be used routinely, consuming only ordinary spiritual power!"

"A routine offensive spell capable of threatening Jiang Xiuyong as he was when he possessed that former trump card..."

"If anyone still treats Liu as an ordinary fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, I fear they will regret it for the rest of their lives..."

But as he stared intently at the crimson flame fire crow hanging high above, Liu Dongqing suddenly frowned slightly.

"Still, possessing crimson flames is somewhat inappropriate... Yet these two cultivation arts fit together so well. If I use the heavenly light reflected by the Bright Candle to shine upon all things..."

As he thought this, Liu Dongqing's brow lifted faintly.

A point of candle flame emerged between his brows along with four rings of azure halos. The instant the azure light shone through, the fire crow held aloft by Liu Dongqing's hand seal became an Azure Flame Fire Crow hanging high in the air.

More importantly, beneath the wash of heavenly light, the Fire Crow had even concealed its demon-like savage ferocity. No matter who sensed it, it was nothing but the spiritual power aura cultivated from the Bright Candle Sun-Scene Lesser Azure Light Incantation.

At the sight of this, Liu Dongqing's brow relaxed, and a broad smile finally bloomed across his face.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! When the Holy Cult transmits its arts, the framework for internal cultivation is seamless and exact—one is one, two is two, and not the slightest error is permitted. But how one employs them externally as techniques, what form they take, and whether one uses them skillfully all depend on individual comprehension."

"The Azure Light Fireball I conceived in the past was entirely the fruit of Liu's painstaking thought."

"From this day onward, the world shall know that Liu possesses peerless talent, that by my own strength, I have bestowed upon the Little Azure Light Incantation and the Yang Fire Path the spiritual form of feathered wings soaring into the heavens!"

"As for some Sin Sect evil art? It has absolutely nothing to do with Liu!"