Reconciliation—we All Have Bright Futures!

Time flew. It never stopped for anyone.

By the time the first stage of training ended, more than a month had passed since Zhao Li and Lin Lan returned to Danxia Peak.

After returning to the sect, Zhao Li naturally could not wait to go to the Alchemist Guild for the First-Grade Alchemist assessment. He obtained the special robe and badge of an alchemist, and nothing unexpected happened.

That day, Zhao Li came to Alchemy Square and looked at Li Ling, who was currently refining pills, with a trace of surprise.

"He can already refine Third-Grade Pills? As expected, you really can't underestimate anyone. Who knows when you might capsize in a ditch and end up with no burial place."

Two months ago, Li Ling had still been second-grade.

In the square, Li Ling put away the pill. The people around him, each harboring all sorts of thoughts, walked toward Li Ling and began offering congratulations.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother. Your Alchemy Technique has improved again."

"Senior Brother truly deserves to be the Younger Generation Chief Disciple of our Pill Sect. Such talent really puts us to shame."

"Senior Brother, I have some questions while refining the Rejuvenation Pill. I wonder if you could clear them up for me?"

Listening to the congratulations and flattery around him, surrounded as if by a host of stars circling the moon, Li Ling felt somewhat proud, but he was no longer as carried away as before.

Li Ling responded modestly, returning everyone's courtesy.

"Many thanks, junior brothers. I was lucky enough to make a breakthrough and gain a little insignificant progress, nothing worth mentioning. If everyone doesn't mind, we can exchange ideas with one another and improve together."

Hearing Li Ling's words, many people around him were stunned. Since when had Senior Brother Li Ling become so easy to talk to?

But no one was foolish enough to let this chance to grow closer slip by. Some brought up the questions they had encountered, while others extended invitations to Li Ling.

Li Ling answered a few questions, but then he saw Zhao Li. He found an excuse to turn down the crowd and walked toward Zhao Li.

When Zhao Li saw Li Ling heading toward him, he frowned and prepared to slip away.

"This kid can't be thinking that now that he's back in the sect and has even made a breakthrough, he wants to come reclaim his dignity, right? Acting cool like that might feel great, but there's no real substance to it. Forget it. If I can't afford to provoke him, can't I at least hide?"

Seeing that Zhao Li was about to leave, Li Ling quickened his steps and chased after him.

"Junior Brother Zhao Li, please wait. I'm Li Ling. We came back together before."

Helpless, Zhao Li turned around and cupped his fists. "So it's Senior Brother. Congratulations on taking another step forward in your Alchemy Technique. If there's nothing else, I'll go cultivate first."

Seeing Zhao Li act like this, Li Ling felt a little awkward. He had not expected himself to be so unwelcome, but he still explained.

"Junior Brother, please forgive me. What happened before was my fault. I apologize. I wonder if Junior Brother would do me the honor of having a meal together and accepting my apology?"

Zhao Li was surprised once again. Li Ling's behavior really did not seem like he had come looking for trouble.

Zhao Li wanted to figure out what he was up to, so he agreed.

"Since Senior Brother has invited me, then I can only respectfully obey."

At the dining table, after several rounds of wine and plenty of dishes, the two spoke openly.

Li Ling talked about his own changes. It was because of what Zhao Li had said back then that he had settled his heart, turned his focus back onto himself, studied and cultivated seriously, and soon broke through to become a Third-Rank Alchemist.

Li Ling had received Zhao Li's favor and wanted to thank him properly. But Zhao Li and Lin Lan had gone out to train.

This time, after unexpectedly seeing Zhao Li, he truly wanted to resolve their previous conflict and learn and improve together.

Hearing this, Zhao Li sighed inwardly. After three days apart, one should look at a man with new eyes—the ancients had not deceived him.

After sighing, he also felt a little sour. He had not expected that a few casual words he had said while showing off would bring about such a change in the other party.

"Senior Brother, you're joking. It was just a small matter, and it's already in the past, so don't take it to heart. I was only saying it casually. I planted no willow, yet it gave shade."

After saying that, Zhao Li froze, remembering that when he had broken through to Dou Zhe, it had also been because of a single sentence from someone else. Fate truly was hard to fathom.

Zhao Li continued.

"Hahaha, no discord, no concord. It's all fate, all fate. Let's not talk about this anymore. I only hope that you and I, in this Mortal World, can always maintain a bit of curiosity, an upward spirit, free of worry and fear, calm and broad-minded, and improve together! We all have bright futures!"

Li Ling listened, dazed yet again. He kept feeling that these words of blessing carried a somewhat different meaning when spoken by Brother Zhao Li, but he echoed him.

"We all have bright futures!"

Once they had spoken openly, the conflict born from jealousy over a woman was dissolved in silence.

The next day, Zhao Li got up and began cultivating.

Every day at dawn, during the Day-Night Cycle, cultivation was most effective.

After completing a hundred Circulation Cycles, Zhao Li ended his practice. It felt truly wonderful to sense himself growing stronger every day.

Zhao Li sensed the results of his cultivation and pondered inwardly.

"Over these past two-plus months, although I've been learning Alchemy Technique from Teacher, I haven't fallen behind in cultivation either. Perhaps because Dou Qi exists in this world, my progress in the National Martial Arts system has advanced by leaps and bounds. I feel like I'll soon reach Perfect and Leakless, but my Dou Qi cultivation has been a little slow..."

"These days, I went to the Scripture Repository and found many Yellow-Tier Cultivation Methods to read. I could also use questions that arose from cultivating those methods as an excuse to receive guidance from Master. But to truly create a Cultivation Method suited to myself, I still lack quite a bit of accumulation. Sigh, I'll take it slowly!"

After returning, Lin Lan had told Zhao Li to rest and reorganize himself during this period, but Zhao Li had not been idle at all.

With his status as the Sect Master's Direct Disciple, the low-level Cultivation Methods and Dou Techniques in the Scripture Repository were truly his for the taking. Zhao Li knew that he lacked accumulation, so he read through all the Cultivation Methods and Dou Techniques in the repository. Although it was still not enough for him to create his own Cultivation Method, during this process, by drawing parallels from one thing to another, he gradually felt out some common points between the cultivation of his own essence and qi, raising his control over himself to another level.

"There's still about a month left. I'll strive to cultivate to perfection before setting off. Mm, I need more Cultivation Methods. Maybe I'll have to go out for a trip."

Zhao Li propped up his chin and thought for a while. He was thinking of going to the Auction House to make a deal.

"Here in the Imperial Capital, Cultivation Methods below the Profound Rank don't have much standing. They can't even make it into the Auction House. I'll have to go somewhere else."

Zhao Li pondered for a while. The thought of traveling far from home gave him a small thrill, but he quickly suppressed it and grew secretly wary.

"I'm someone who's supposed to turtle up until I become the Ten Mile Slope Sword God. How could I have such aggressive thoughts?"

Turtling was turtling, but when it was time to go out, he still had to go out. In the end, Zhao Li made his decision.

"There's still no telling how long it'll be before Huo Huo's time comes, and who knows where the Flame Mantra or anything like it is? Besides, do I even have the fate to devour all those Heavenly Flames?"

He couldn't just think about clinging to someone powerful and waste his time for nothing. Besides, if he wanted to cling to someone powerful, there was still a long time to go. Surviving came first.

"If the path of Heavenly Flames won't work, I'll first create a simple Cultivation Method of my own. I'll give them a tiny little Zhao Li shock! On the day I succeed, the sea will be wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky high enough for birds to fly."

With nearly ten years of accumulation, especially the month he had spent in the Danyuan Sect, Zhao Li had faintly gained some insights. Added to the opportunities he had obtained recently, his National Martial Arts Body Cultivation was about to reach minor completion. Feeling that the time was ripe, Zhao Li found his teacher and said to him, "Teacher, once I go to the Myriad Beast Mountain Range, I don't know when I'll be able to return. This disciple would like to go home once. I'll definitely be back in a month."

Lin Lan looked at Zhao Li. In the end, he was still a child. He immediately agreed.

"All right. I'll send you back."

Warmth rose in Zhao Li's heart, but he declined his teacher's kind offer.

"There's no need to trouble Teacher over such a small matter. This disciple can go back on his own. It isn't far from Danxia Peak."

"Very well. Go by yourself, then." After hearing that, Lin Lan did not think too much of it and went back.

Zhao Li bade farewell to his teacher and headed down the mountain alone.

Among the mountains and forests, beneath lush, verdant trees that had stood for who knew how long, there was an ancient road called the Azure Steed Ancient Path.

A young man dressed in a black alchemist's robe, wearing an Alchemist Badge, hummed a little tune as he walked alone along the forest path. He seemed slow, but was actually fast, and soon vanished at the end of the ancient road.

After Zhao Li descended the mountain, he controlled his muscles and bones, not only making himself taller, but also making his face look much more mature. No trace of youthful boyishness could be seen on his face anymore. At a glance, he looked like a young man newly entering the world, inexperienced in worldly affairs.

Zhao Li found a pool of water, looked at his reflection in it, and nodded in satisfaction. "When you're out in the world, who doesn't have an alternate identity?"