Solution Found, Art Mastered

Outside the County Office, at the training ground.

The sun blazed overhead. Cries of pain rang out as Luo Fanchen entered the sparring arena, where Ling Moxue was wielding a Wooden Sword against nine constables.

The girl's sword flashed like a gale. She wove through the nine burly men's clubs with effortless grace.

Around the arena, more than a dozen constables stood in the corridor, bruised and swollen. They clutched their wounds and watched the fight, their eyes filled with both fear and envy whenever they looked at Mo Xue.

"Once someone steps onto the path of immortality, the likes of us mortals can't compare."

"Tch. That girl killed her mother and wiped out her clan. Her vicious nature hasn't changed, yet she still got such an immortal opportunity. Of course people envy her."

The constables kept chattering until they saw Luo Fanchen approach. They scrambled to their feet and bowed, shrinking back.

Sweat beaded on the rough men's foreheads. They hung their heads like quails, trembling too badly to draw a full breath.

"We greet the Immortal Master."

Luo Fanchen waved a hand. He had told everyone at the County Office that Ling Youdao had returned to the Clear River Sect to report on his duties, and that he was temporarily overseeing Cloudmist City. He had also cleared Ling Moxue's name.

With Ling Qiuyun there to lend her support and his reputation as an Immortal Master, no one dared question him openly.

"The Ling Household was watched and slaughtered by rogue cultivators. The matter is settled. If any of you object to the ruling, bring your objections to me in person."

Luo Fanchen's voice was cold. The constables' lips trembled, their minds cowed by his True Essence. Not one of them could utter a word.

"I'll let it pass this once. If I hear you wagging your tongues again, I won't spare you. This helps heal injuries. See that everyone uses it."

With that, Luo Fanchen tossed them several bottles of crude spirit liquid he had prepared.

The constables bowed their thanks as if granted a pardon. They carefully took the bottles and passed them around. Once they applied the liquid, the pain vanished from their wounds, replaced by a wonderfully cool sensation.

Immortal Master Luo was so generous. Offending an Immortal Master usually cost a mortal half his life at least, yet he had healed them instead.

Flattered and astonished, the constables' opinion of Ling Moxue changed completely. An Immortal Master this reasonable would never stoop to deceiving them.

So Ling Moxue really had been falsely accused. They were already racking their brains for ways to repair the girl's reputation before they offended the Immortal Master again.

"Master Luo let them off too easily. I don't care what those mortals think."

After the constables withdrew, Ling Moxue's Wooden Sword blurred. A few effortless thrusts struck her sparring partners' joints and defeated them. Then she walked over to Luo Fanchen.

Her pretty face was flushed. A few strands of sweat-soaked hair clung to her cheek, leaving her looking slightly disheveled.

She had drawn out the fight and used every skill she had to show off her progress. Yet Master Luo had not even watched her. Her glance held a trace of resentment.

"Then consider me a meddler."

Luo Fanchen shook his head and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her brow.

Mo Xue was sensitive and insecure. She distrusted strangers, yet longed for acceptance and understanding.

She cared deeply about her reputation, even among people who meant nothing to her.

Otherwise, she would not still be complaining about the day he had led her through the streets.

"Master Luo, I'm dirty."

Ling Moxue tilted her little head away, lips pursed, though her waist unconsciously swayed. If she had a tail, it would surely have been wagging fast enough to blur.

"Um, Master Luo, I learned another Sword Manual recently. Yesterday, I even opened an intermediate acupoint."

Mo Xue rubbed her fingers together shyly. It had been so long since Master Luo had praised her.

"Not bad. That's Mo Xue for you. You're every bit as good as the disciples of great clans."

Understanding dawned on Luo Fanchen. He shook his head and reached to pat Ling Moxue's head. She tipped her chin up slightly and grumbled.

"Master Luo, I'm not a child anymore."

Despite her complaint, she pressed her head into his palm before his hand could reach her, nuzzling it gently.

It tickled. Nourished by the snake soup and True Essence, her once dry, tangled hair had grown black and smooth. Her sallow, withered skin was gradually becoming soft and radiant too.

In half a month, the unruly, scruffy girl had begun to look like a delicate young lady.

He felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment, like a father raising a daughter.

"Disciples of great clans aren't so impressive. Qiu Yun said the Dao Sect's disciples are all prodigies, and I'm still a long way from the Second Level of Qi Refining."

Mo Xue worked her lips, wanting to say more but hesitating.

Spiritual energy was thin in the mortal world. Ever since she had refined the snake soup, her cultivation had barely advanced. With no other choice, she had found a few mortal sword arts to practice.

She wanted to ask Master Luo for some Spirit Dust to cultivate with, but she knew how precious it was and could not bring herself to ask.

They sat down in a nearby corridor. Luo Fanchen patiently explained her cultivation art and answered her questions.

The girl's comprehension was exceptional. Her understanding of the Longevity Art had formally reached the first layer.

The True Essence within her was abundant and unusually pure. She had fully refined the snake soup's Essence in only half a month, twice as fast as he had expected.

At Qi Refinement First Layer, cultivation focused on the Conception Vessel and its twenty-four acupoints. Mo Xue had opened three, and the fourth, the Origin Gate, was already more than halfway open.

And she had done it despite the thin spiritual energy of the mortal world and the lack of a suitable cultivation art.

"A Superior-Grade Spiritual Root truly lives up to its name."

After a long while, Luo Fanchen withdrew the finger resting on Mo Xue's wrist. Envy filled his eyes, along with a loneliness he could not conceal.

Could he really reach Foundation Establishment with his Five-Element Spirit Root?

"It's all right, Master Luo. A Five-Element Spirit Root is impressive too."

Luo Fanchen's mouth twitched. He turned to study Mo Xue's somewhat guileless face and belatedly understood.

The silly girl probably meant that reaching his current cultivation with a Five-Element Spirit Root was impressive.

"Master Luo, I've heard there are ways to improve a Spirit Root's purity. Once I join the Dao Sect, I'll find you one of those treasures."

"Knowing you want to is enough for me."

Even if it was only a promise she could not keep, Luo Fanchen felt a little better. Mo Xue had no idea how precious such a treasure was.

He took a Spirit Stone from his robe and pressed it into Ling Moxue's hand, wincing inwardly at the expense.

"Cultivation requires a balance of work and rest. You only sleep four hours a day, don't you? Don't wear yourself out. Use this Spirit Stone for now. When it's spent, I'll give you another."

"But I'm already eighteen. Only by making up for what I lack through hard work can I catch up with the Dao Sect's prodigies."

Ling Moxue showed no delight at receiving the Spirit Stone. She lowered her head, her mood dark.

She edged closer until she was pressed against Master Luo's shoulder. Only when she caught his faint scent of pine did her unease settle a little. She murmured,

"Master Luo, Qiu Yun doesn't have much time left, does she?"

"You know?"

Luo Fanchen frowned, then shook his head. He had come to see her about Qiu Yun in the first place.

"Master Luo, I'm actually quite sharp."

Ling Moxue rested her head on Luo Fanchen's shoulder, her gaze distant and her face dim with sorrow. "Qiu Yun keeps everything to herself. When something's wrong, she just bears it alone. She's hidden things from me so many times that I've learned to tell."

"While Qiu Yun was asleep, I checked her Heart Meridian with my True Essence."

"Qiu Yun can't be saved, can she?"

Ling Moxue's eyes reddened. Her small hand gripped Luo Fanchen's sleeve until it wrinkled.

Over the past few days, she had read many of the books Ling Youdao had left about the cultivation world. Most contained basic knowledge and assorted accounts, but among them were passages he had carefully annotated about heart palpitations.

Born with a defect, she would not live past eighteen. Only a Second-Tier Water Treasure, refined by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could offer her a slim chance of survival.

Either requirement was far beyond what Rogue Cultivators like them could afford.

"I thought you'd raise a storm."

"What good would that do? Qiu Yun hid it because she didn't want me to be sad. I can't leave her worrying about me right up to the end."

Ling Moxue bit her lip, unaware even when her teeth left bloody marks.

She buried her face against Luo Fanchen's chest and sobbed without stopping.

Qiu Yun was the only family she had left. Watching her little sister weaken day by day, hearing her moan in pain, and being powerless to help nearly tore her apart.

She was sensitive and suspicious of every stranger. Only Master Luo could accept her and offer her a little comfort.

"Master Luo... If I form a core, could I bring her back to life someday?"

"No. When a person dies, their soul disperses. Even a Nascent Soul True Lord can do nothing about it."

Ling Moxue did not answer. Her sobs only grew louder, her tears soaking his robe. Luo Fanchen sighed and gently stroked her thin back.

"But if her soul remains, rebirth is still possible."

"Master Luo?"

Ling Moxue stopped sobbing at once. She wrapped her arms around Luo Fanchen's waist and raised her tear-streaked face. "Master Luo... Is there a way to preserve her soul?"

"There is, but it's dangerous, and it's an evil art. I need your consent."

Luo Fanchen explained the Soul Banner's method and its risks in detail. At last, he said, "I can draw Qiu Yun into the Soul Banner and refine her into its main soul—or rather, its Banner Spirit."

"That would preserve Qiu Yun's Three Souls and Seven Spirits, sustain her consciousness, and allow her to cultivate the Soul-Devouring Art to extend her lifespan as a spirit."

Ling Moxue lowered her head, hiding her expression.

The main soul could not defy the banner's master. Its life and death rested on a single thought. If the master harbored evil intentions, the main soul could be corrupted into a murderous ghost, condemned to suffer as an Asura forever.

The Soul Banner was also one of the few Magic Treasures capable of turning on its master and warping his mind.

"Do you trust me?"

Luo Fanchen had expected her silence. He was not so confident that he believed he had earned her unconditional trust. But Mo Xue merely sniffled and held him tighter.

From beneath her skirt, she drew the dagger she always kept close and had never once parted with. She reversed her grip and solemnly offered it to Luo Fanchen.

Her lips pressed together, she lowered her eyes and looked away. Her answer needed no words.

"May I keep it?"

Luo Fanchen's voice was gentle. He stroked her hair, feeling the strands slip between his fingers.

The dagger was an ordinary thing, its edge chipped all along its length, yet it weighed as much as a mountain.

It was everything the girl could give him—and the thing she treasured most: her sense of safety.

"I want to be family with Uncle Luo."

Luo Fanchen stared for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. The girl truly was terrible at expressing herself.

He solemnly accepted the dagger and tucked it against his chest. The instant it changed hands, the girl's Admiration Points rose straight to two, and he gained another two hundred Admiration Points.

Ling Moxue's section of the Eight Desolations Record of the Demoness had still not fully unlocked, but he could now make out a little of its blurred information.

Once her Admiration Points reached three, he would likely be able to formally bind her and gain her unique Karmic Bond divine ability: one-fifth of the cultivation she gained whenever she broke through to a new realm.

That evening, incense smoke curled through the two-story pavilion.

With Mo Xue's help, persuading Qiu Yun had not been difficult. Mo Xue had nearly guilted her into agreeing by making her worry.

The sisters clung to each other and wept until their faces were streaked with tears and their noses were red. At last, Qiu Yun found the will to live. She gave Luo Fanchen a weak, strained smile and whispered,

"Sorry to trouble you again, Uncle Luo."

"The Soul Banner needs a main soul anyway. You're helping me."

Luo Fanchen sighed and counted the materials needed for Soul Refining. Fortunately, Ling Youdao had kept most of the required Demonic Treasures in reserve. There was just enough.

The main soul had to be a cultivator willing to cooperate, which made one extremely hard to find.

Without a main soul, the banner would lose perhaps thirty percent of its power.

"I trust you, Uncle Luo. From now on, I'll guard the Soul Banner for you and serve you in gratitude."

Gratitude filled Ling Qiuyun's dim eyes. Heaven had truly shown mercy to her and her elder sister by letting them meet Uncle Luo.

If anyone else had proposed Soul Refining, even Mo Xue, she would have refused without hesitation.

The Soul Banner was vicious, far surpassing ordinary magic artifacts in battle. But it could turn on its master, gradually twist his mind, and drag the main soul down with him.

Only Uncle Luo's resolve, firm as stone, could withstand those evil impulses.

Luo Fanchen fed the girl a Meridian-Sealing Pill. Ling Youdao had left it behind: a First-Rank Low-Grade Demonic Pill that could seal the blood and True Essence in several major Meridians. It was an excellent tool for murder and robbery.

It was a poison pill, but at the right dose it could place Qiu Yun in a deathlike state and buy her a few more days.

Of course, once she took it, the girl would never wake again.

"Sleep, Qiu Yun. We'll meet again."

Luo Fanchen took a deep breath and watched Qiu Yun sink into sleep, looking almost relieved. Before she lost consciousness, the girl still managed to give him a smile that said, It's all right.

He tightened his grip on the Jade Slip containing the art. The girl's life was entirely in his hands.

Leaving Mo Xue to care for Qiu Yun, Luo Fanchen immediately entered seclusion and began studying the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art.

The girl had already told Mo Xue that, whatever the outcome, she must not let resentment come between herself and Luo Fanchen. She was to honor him as her master.

"What an extraordinary cultivation art."

Seated on a cushion in the inner hall, Luo Fanchen gripped the Jade Slip so tightly that his hand trembled.

After studying it closely, he was certain the art held something in reserve. What he possessed was very likely a legendary inheritance art of the Dao Sect.

There was no other explanation. A mere Superior-Grade Mystic Method contained a divine ability involving spiritual energy at the level of the rules themselves.

Rumor held that every branch of the Dao Sect possessed a Sect-Guarding Profound Canon that led straight to the Nascent Soul realm.

From childhood, orthodox Dao Sect disciples cultivated inheritance arts simplified by countless predecessors, preparing to inherit an Arcane Canon later. Only after forming a Golden Core would they truly resonate with the Profound Art and comprehend the great Dao.

An inheritance art carried some traits of its Arcane Canon. One of the clearest signs was a matching divine ability.

"There should be two more inheritance arts after the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art, for Foundation Establishment and Core Formation."

Luo Fanchen murmured to himself. He lit two sticks of Tranquility Incense and held them between his fingers. When they burned down, they could jolt him awake.

Without further hesitation, he pressed the Jade Slip to his brow.

Fortune favors those who brave danger. Any hidden measure in the art could, at worst, reveal his whereabouts.

The Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art might be the only high-level cultivation art he would ever touch. He could not let the chance slip away.

The instant the Jade Slip shattered, wood-aspected spiritual energy within a hundred meters surged toward the pavilion. It rushed upward and formed a tiny vortex above Luo Fanchen's head.

Tender shoots sprouted from the floor. Dead trees in the courtyard burst into spring growth. Countless vines grew and unfurled from thin air, wrapping Luo Fanchen in a net.

Water vapor billowed like a rolling sea of clouds, dreamlike and unreal.

Several corridors away, Ling Moxue was meditating in a bedroom when a rumble like spring thunder reached her ears.

She woke with a start and stayed beside her little sister, trembling.

"Haa—"

Luo Fanchen's eyes remained shut. Pure wood spiritual energy condensed into hundreds of withered vines that squeezed his joints purple and made it hard to breathe.

Thorns covered the spirit vines, and faint arcs of electricity flickered within them. They tore Luo Fanchen's skin and flesh.

The vines twisted together and slowly climbed his neck, tightening bit by bit.

His bones groaned under the strain, but Luo Fanchen seemed not to notice.

Just as the vines were about to strangle him, a brilliant light burst from his brow. The Jade Slip shattered into pieces, and every inscribed character sank into his forehead.

Shards of the Jade Slip scattered across the sky, then gathered under the pull of wood-attributed spiritual energy and formed an ancient wooden tablet.

The Five Elements Sun-Moon Heaven-and-Earth Pattern was engraved on it in gold. It resembled a command token, but the space for its inscription was blank.

The moment the token appeared, the vines bowed in submission. Their killing intent faded, and they unfurled obediently.

After the spirit vine released Luo Fanchen, it became spirit roots that filled the air. Most entered his body as pure wood-attributed spiritual energy; a small portion became ink-black seal script, inscribed upon the wooden tablet in characters too mysterious to decipher.

The red marks faded, and his broken bones knit anew.

Two hours later, when Luo Fanchen woke, the Tranquility Incense at his fingertips had burned to ash.

The room was empty. He felt not the slightest discomfort, as though it had all been a dream.

"How did I fall asleep?"

Luo Fanchen rubbed his head. He felt remarkably refreshed, with strength to spare in every limb.

He was about to look for the Jade Slip when he found only a wooden tablet against his chest. Seal script seemed to fill the space for its inscription, but he could not read it.

"Did the Jade Slip for passing on the art fail?"

Luo Fanchen's face darkened. Just as frustration gripped him, a cultivation art surfaced in his mind of its own accord. Rooted in the wood attribute, it was upright and harmonious.

It was the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art. Had he... succeeded?