Today, Cultivation Began

"Of course, I had no intention of absolving Great Qian of its crimes. I was merely giving you a reminder, Little Dumpling," Li Shun added impassively.

"I understand." Li Qing nodded solemnly.

That afternoon, Li Shun naturally moved into the neighboring courtyard. From then on, he had a foothold in East Mountain Town.

On the fifteenth day of the sixth month, Fang Xun received a reply from the Censorate.

The letter contained only a few sparse lines, its strokes dancing like dragons and serpents: "Temporarily admitted to the school and accepted as a registered disciple. Should he reach the Grand Simplicity Realm within one year, he may be accepted as a direct disciple."

Delivered alongside the letter was a brush of ancient, unadorned design, its spiritual aura restrained within.

A faint thread of purple qi flowed across the entire brush handle, upon which the words "Grand Whisker" were engraved.

"It worked!"

Though he had already turned Fang Xun into a puppet and could simply steal his cultivation method for himself, as the saying went, if the name was not proper, the words would not ring true. This surface show to deceive others could not be spared in the end.

"With Dong Chunqiu's handwritten reply, I can be considered to have truly entered beneath one of Great Qian's Three Dukes."

"This one seemingly simple step surpasses the frantic striving of ordinary people over decades."

As for the prerequisite of "reaching the Grand Simplicity Realm within a year," Li Shun snorted in disdain and did not take it to heart at all.

Whether that year referred to Great Qian's time or the Imperial Tomb's time, having inherited Fang Xun's complete memories and cultivation experience, he had ample confidence that he could swiftly break through.

"This Taixu Brush is no ordinary item either.