The Choice

Supreme Mystery Mountain, Ancestral Hall.

Li Chengxuan opened his eyes.

A profound and mysterious Daoist aura was being transmitted to him through the [Two Worlds Pearl].

The source is in the direction of Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain.

It must be that Hua Chunning Qi Ingestion.

"My hard work in planning wasn't in vain." Li Chengxuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and began to carefully sense the surroundings.

As his first Merit in Continue Lost Teachings, the feedback he received was incredibly vast and astonishing.

"Hua Chunning is currently cultivating [Yang Spring], which cannot be considered an independent lineage. It is a cultivation method based on [Yi Wood] and inherited from [Lesser Yang]."

"There are still some [Arousing Thunder] imagery, but they are too weak."

Therefore, at present, only [Yi Wood] can be considered Merit.

Li Chengxuan was already quite satisfied. He reached out and grabbed a branch from outside the hall, and with a thought, he took it in his hand.

The tree branch instantly came back to life.

First, buds emerge, then gradually unfold, and in the blink of an eye, they grow into tender green leaves.

From now on, I can also impersonate a [Yi Wood] cultivator.

You can cultivate [Yi Wood] techniques, but you cannot cultivate [Yi Wood] Immortal Foundation.

This is the beauty of the "Mortal World Turbid Qi".

The term "Mixed Qi" can be interpreted negatively as a mixture of good and bad, or positively as inclusiveness and open-mindedness.

In theory, cultivators of Mixed Qi can try to cultivate techniques from other schools of thought, as long as they are willing.

However, most cultivators who enter the Dao by consuming [Mixed Qi] have extremely poor aptitude and little to no Manifestation or Fate. They should consider themselves extremely lucky if they can master one or two low-level techniques.

Wanting to repair it further is pure wishful thinking.

However, Li Chengxuan was different.

With Earth as their backing, they can use the Daoist Merit feedback from the [Continue Lost Teachings] to cultivate the corresponding Daoist techniques without having to worry about their own aptitude or Manifestation.

However, the power of their spells is somewhat weaker than that of orthodox cultivators.

Li Chengxuan was already satisfied. He got up and made a mark on the sect's register, changing Hua Chunning from Registered Disciple to the sect leader's personal disciple, ranking her only below Liu Zhijian.

Looking at the portrait of the patriarch again, on the upper right side, there is a faint outline of a peach branch with pink blossoms.

Most likely, it's the imagery of "Yang Spring" that Hua Chunning chose.

Duanmu Ren was still reading the Daoist scriptures, so I didn't disturb him.

With a thought, Li Chengxuan connected the Two Worlds Pearl.

Earth, Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard.

Liu Zhijian truly loves fishing; he never gets tired of it, even fishing every day.

Li Jiabao only fished for a few days before losing interest. Most of the time, he would just bait the hooks and feed them, and the rest of the time he wouldn't even bait them, letting the fish bite if they wanted to.

Li Chengxuan came up behind the two and watched for a while.

"Master," Liu Zhijian said, still very politely.

After the divorce, Li Jiabao had a very good mindset. He nodded slightly to Li Chengxuan and continued to stare at the buoy.

Li Chengxuan mainly came to deliver good news. "Chunning has entered the Qi Ingestion."

"Now she's truly a junior sister. Although she didn't say it, I can tell that her status Registered Disciple is a knot in her heart." Liu Zhijian was genuinely happy for Hua Chunning, and at the same time, he didn't forget Li Chengxuan: "Congratulations, Master."

This congratulations was certainly not just to celebrate Li Chengxuan's acquisition of a fine disciple.

Liu Zhijian was also aware of the matter of [Continue Lost Teachings].

Now that he has achieved his first Merit, Li Chengxuan's future cultivation will be much smoother.

Although Li Jiabao only half understood, he roughly knew it was a good thing and asked with delight, "Fairy Hua, are you coming back?!"

Being forced to lie flat is definitely not a pleasant experience.

Although they knew that it would be extremely difficult for Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard to be revived.

But what if?

"Not yet." Li Chengxuan shook his head slightly. "She's still outside and hasn't returned."

Li Jiabao nodded in realization, looking slightly disappointed, and turned back to continue fishing while lost in thought.

Li Chengxuan chuckled and asked, "Now that you've become a deadbeat and come fishing every day, how are you going to pay for your child's tuition and living expenses?!"

"Hey, by the time someone like you who cultivates immortality remembers this, I'll have starved to death." Li Jiabao joked, explaining, "It was County Magistrate Duanmu who made arrangements before he left; Hu Shihao will send money over every month."

"It's definitely not enough to pay off debts, but it's enough to feed and raise children."

Li Chengxuan nodded in agreement and couldn't help but exclaim, "Duanmu Ren truly lives up to his official title; his methods are indeed highly skillful."

Sending money every month solidifies relationships; each time you send money, you increase those relationships, which is far more effective than giving a large sum of money every year.

He himself never mentioned it, thus avoiding any suspicion of taking advantage of someone's kindness.

Now that Li Chengxuan has learned of this matter from Li Jiabao himself, he finds this favor all the more precious.

Li Chengxuan understood that this was Duanmu Ren's technique.

But regardless of the actions or intentions, one must still acknowledge this favor.

After experiencing great ups and downs, Li Jiabao, while not exactly transformed, is still much better off than the poor man he once was, who was always cautious and resentful.

Besides power, money is the most powerful force that can change a man, whether he has a lot of money or a lot of debt.

Seeing that Li Chengxuan seemed to be in a good mood, Li Jiabao asked directly, "How did you get divorced?!"

"Hey, why are you bringing this up..." Li Jiabao still wanted to maintain his image as the eldest brother in front of Li Chengxuan, so he subconsciously resisted talking about this topic. But he had been holding these things in for a long time and wanted to confide in someone. After a pause, he finally said, "Actually, she didn't like me when we got married."

"Later, we argued every day, and he threatened to divorce me every few days."

"But at that time, her family was poor, and she couldn't find a good new partner, so she could only make do."

"Once the Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard opened, she became much more docile and obedient."

I used to think that poverty made life miserable for couples, but now that we have money, we can finally live a good life.

"Unfortunately, once County Magistrate Duanmu was transferred and the Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard was sealed off, her true colors were revealed."

"They've been dragging their feet, clinging to illusions."

"When you came back to the city to see me last time, it was still too late to turn things around. She forced me to agree to a divorce, and then ran away with our savings."

"I see." Li Chengxuan's expression remained unchanged, showing no surprise whatsoever, and he said directly, "Actually, this is a good thing."

"The Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard has been delayed until now, waiting for her to leave on her own, so as to avoid the trouble of seeing it later."

Liu Zhijian appeared to be fishing, but in reality, he was listening intently to gossip about his master's family.

"Huh?" Li Jiabao was shocked. He looked at the desolate and dilapidated Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard and said incredulously, "You just wanted to get rid of her, and you let such a big project stop for more than half a year?!"

"Of course not, she's not worthy." Li Chengxuan shook his head and said frankly, "The main purpose is to curb Duanmu Ren's arrogance. If she hadn't suffered a major setback, how would Duanmu Ren have made up his mind to become my disciple?"

Li Jiabao seemed somewhat dazed, and after thinking for a while, he asked, "So, Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard... can really save us?!"

"What's so difficult about that?" Li Chengxuan chuckled, not saying more. "You'll find out later."

Li Jiabao remained silent for a moment, but a glimmer of hope still arose in his heart.

"Liu Zhijian and Hua Chunning both need to cultivate, so they can't stay here permanently," Li Chengxuan said bluntly. "Therefore, I need someone I can trust to manage the Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard and handle some miscellaneous tasks."

"Cultivation requires avoiding worldly entanglements, but I am not cultivating the path of ruthlessness."

"Therefore, you are the most suitable candidate."

"There's no need to say more now. Go back and think it over carefully. Give me your answer next time we meet."

Li Jiabao left with a heavy heart.

"And you?" Li Chengxuan looked at Liu Zhijian, who had been watching from the sidelines, and asked, "Have you recovered your State of Mind? Jiang Xiaoyu has been coming up the mountain to bother me every day lately, asking when you're coming back."