Junior Sister

The Hua Household had fallen into the mortal world for nearly a hundred years, and its Law Artifacts had either been sold off or seized.

A few others had become ordinary objects because no cultivator had nurtured them for so long.

The Azure Origin Fate-Weighing Plate was one of the few that had survived intact. It was not only a treasured artifact passed down through the Lineage, but also the key to restoring the Hua Household to its ancestors' glory.

Hua Mingcheng had taken care to disguise it and displayed it before others as an everyday utensil. That, along with the divine object concealing its own brilliance, had barely been enough to preserve it.

"This Law Artifact has quite a history. It's said that three hundred years ago, an ancestor of our Hua Household asked True Person Clear Water, with whom he was on good terms, to join him in refining it."

"Clear Water is rain in the heavens and springs upon the earth, so it carries the imagery of separating the clear from the turbid."

"This Law Artifact can not only sort medicinal seeds; its true marvel is that it can weigh Manifestation and fate."

Before the younger descendant he valued most, Hua Mingcheng no longer concealed the truth. He said in a low voice, "I've secretly weighed all the Hua Household's descendants, legitimate and otherwise. Your fate alone weighs the most."

"Unfortunately, the Old Method has declined, and your Manifestation and fate still fall far short of what you need to enter the Dao and cultivate."

"I first went to seek help from Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain."

"An immortal master surnamed Xue came down the mountain, took one look, and left."

"Then I went to seek help from Supreme Mystery Mountain."

"Unfortunately, I was driven away without even seeing anyone."

"It wasn't until Immortal Master Cheng Xuan took charge of Supreme Mystery Mountain that I received word and brought you here at once."

"At the time, Immortal Master Cheng Xuan had no one he could call upon. That was how you managed to enter Supreme Mystery Mountain."

Hua Chunning was deeply moved.

Hua Chunning had never expected that Grandfather had quietly made so many plans for Hua Chunning's sake.

Hua Chunning had already witnessed Supreme Mystery Mountain's lofty reserve firsthand.

Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain was even more exalted, for it held authority over the Immortal Alliance.

Grandfather was merely a mortal old man in his seventies. How could he possibly command the slightest respect in the eyes of the immortal masters of Supreme Mystery Mountain and Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain?!

Who knew how many humiliations and scornful looks he had endured over the decades?

"Fortunately, you lived up to my hopes. Not only did you enter Supreme Mystery Mountain, you even became a Registered Disciple." Hua Mingcheng praised Hua Chunning briefly, then said with some regret, "Unfortunately, you're only a Registered Disciple, not a formal disciple personally taught by the sect master."

"Otherwise, you could borrow more of Supreme Mystery Mountain's Manifestation and fate, and you wouldn't have to worry about lacking Manifestation."

Hua Chunning was taken aback, only now realizing that Grandfather had also sent Hua Chunning to Supreme Mystery Mountain to borrow Manifestation.

"There isn't much of this spirit spring water left." Hua Mingcheng glanced at it, took out a shriveled seed, and urged, "Squeeze out a drop of blood from your fingertip."

Hua Chunning did not hesitate, cutting a fingertip and letting a drop fall onto the medicinal seed.

The blood stained the medicinal seed red.

Hua Mingcheng carefully placed the medicinal seed into the Azure Origin Fate-Weighing Plate.

The spirit spring water stimulated the medicinal seed, which plumped up at a speed visible to the naked eye and slowly sank to the bottom.

"Our ancestors have blessed us! It's enough, it's enough!" Hua Mingcheng stared with wide eyes, his voice trembling with excitement. "After a hundred years, the Hua Household is finally going to produce another cultivator!"

Hua Chunning was also somewhat stunned, both surprised and delighted, with complicated feelings.

Had Hua Chunning been the person from Qi who worried that the sky would fall?

Were Hua Chunning's Manifestation and fate actually already sufficient to enter the Dao through Qi Ingestion?!

Just as grandfather and grandchild were beside themselves with joy, the medicinal seed touched the bottom and rolled over several times. Then a tiny bubble drifted out of it.

Immediately afterward, the medicinal seed began to rise slowly.

A moment later, it had floated to the surface. Most of it remained underwater, with only the tiniest bit above the surface.

"How could this be?! How could this be?!" Hua Mingcheng's face turned deathly pale in an instant. Flustered and at a loss, he cried, "Just a sliver short, just one breath short!"

Hua Chunning felt as if struck by lightning, but instead of despairing like Grandfather, felt a sense of relief that things had turned out as expected.

Perhaps this was heaven's will.

Outside the ancestral hall, a member of the Hua Household came to report that a middle-aged man had arrived at the foot of Supreme Mystery Mountain with a little girl, apparently intending to go up the mountain.

The Hua Household was now stationed at the foot of Supreme Mystery Mountain and was responsible for standing guard and keeping watch, so its members had gone forward to question him.

To their surprise, the man claimed to be a disciple of Supreme Mystery Mountain.

Since an immortal master of their superior sect was involved, the Hua Household disciples dared not take it upon themselves to decide what to do and hurriedly reported the matter.

Hua Chunning forced some spirit back and, recalling the legendary disciple personally taught by the sect master, asked, "Did you ask his name?!"

The Hua Household disciple who had brought the news replied, "The middle-aged man said his surname was Liu."

"Liu? It must be him!" Hua Chunning had no time to feel dejected and grieve over the end of the path to immortality, and still had duties to fulfill as a steward of the General Affairs Hall. Hua Chunning ordered, "Lead the way!"

A short while later, beneath Supreme Mystery Mountain's stone stele.

Hua Chunning took one look and felt a jolt, all doubt about his identity vanishing.

Though the little girl was innocent and lively and looked bright and clever, she was still a mortal.

The middle-aged man beside the little girl, however, had a truly astonishing Manifestation.

Even Hua Chunning, an Embryonic Breathing cultivator who had never entered the Dao to cultivate, could sense it!

The middle-aged man merely stood there, yet he exuded a pressure like rivers overflowing and flooding every direction. Upon drawing closer, Hua Chunning could even faintly hear the roar of rushing water.

Sure enough, only someone with such a terrifying Manifestation was worthy of being the sect master's personally taught disciple and Supreme Mystery Mountain's eldest disciple!

Amid the shock, Hua Chunning felt an even greater bitterness, bowed, and said, "Hua Chunning, steward of the General Affairs Hall and Registered Disciple of Supreme Mystery Mountain, greets Senior Brother Liu!"

"Eh?! A new disciple Master has taken in?!" Liu Zhijian was very good-natured. He looked Hua Chunning over in surprise, unsure whether Hua Chunning was also from Earth, then smiled and nodded. "There's no need for such courtesy, Junior Sister Hua. Come up the mountain with me to pay our respects to Master."

"Yes." Hua Chunning naturally dared not be negligent and immediately led the way up the mountain.

Inside the Hua Household's ancestral hall, Hua Mingcheng had realized that a lifetime of planning had fallen short by a single basket of earth. His heart had already turned to dead ashes, and he had forced himself to gather the Azure Origin Fate-Weighing Plate and live out what remained of his life, when he suddenly froze, not daring to move.

Inside the Azure Origin Fate-Weighing Plate, the medicinal seed representing Hua Chunning's Manifestation and fate had already floated to the surface.

But for some unknown reason, the spirit spring water in the Azure Origin Fate-Weighing Plate began to move without wind, splashing as it just managed to sweep over and submerge the medicinal seed.

Immediately afterward, the medicinal seed seemed to become saturated with water and gain some weight. It slowly sank to the bottom and did not rise again!

Patriarch's Hall.

Li Chengxuan had sensed Liu Zhijian's location through the Two Worlds Pearl and had long been waiting. When he saw Liu Zhijian, Hua Chunning, and Jiang Xiaoyu in the distance, his gaze sharpened.

Setting Hua Chunning and Jiang Xiaoyu aside for the moment, there was no need to speak of them yet.

The Kan Water Manifestation around Liu Zhijian was nearly full to overflowing.

Before Liu Zhijian had even drawn close, Li Chengxuan could faintly feel that the air had grown somewhat more humid.

"Greetings, Master!" Liu Zhijian held Li Chengxuan, who had shown him the kindness of passing on the teachings and instructing him, in great respect and earnestly performed a full formal bow.

Jiang Xiaoyu stole a glance at Li Chengxuan. Having been instructed beforehand, she dared not fool around and also bowed, sticking out her bottom.

Li Chengxuan had guessed something of Jiang Xiaoyu's identity, but this was not the time to question her closely. He smiled and nodded. "Good! It seems your Qi gathering and Qi Ingestion both went very smoothly."

After the long, arduous journey, they had finally returned to Supreme Mystery Mountain.

Liu Zhijian finally breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak, but suddenly coughed, and a great gush of clear river water poured from his mouth!