Li Zhouwei pushed the door open and stepped in. The child immediately looked up, covering the wooden slip and clumsily hopping down from the table. In a childish voice, he said, "Chun'er greets the Daoist Master!"

Li Zhouwei had never met him before. The child had no spiritual sense and should not have been able to discern his cultivation, which meant he was quite perceptive.

Walking over, Li Zhouwei narrowed his golden eyes slightly and smiled. "You recognize me?"

Though young, Li Jiangchun's manners were proper. He bowed and replied, "Mother often teaches that those with golden eyes carry the Daoist Master's bloodline. I have already met several elder brothers. If I encounter someone I do not recognize, even if their attire differs from the paintings, they must be a Daoist Master."

Li Zhouwei had sent his [Yuan'e] to Lacquer Marsh and rarely changed into white robes, making him harder to recognize. Smiling, he sat beside the child and asked, "What technique did you obtain?"

Li Jiangchun shook his head and replied, "I do not understand what you mean, Daoist Master."

Li Zhouwei paused for a moment, then shook his head with a faint laugh. A soft golden glow flickered behind him as he began asking about the child's birthdate and preferences. After only a few questions, hurried footsteps sounded at the door.

Li Jiangqian, dressed in a crimson robe, quickly pushed the door open, bowed in the courtyard, and said respectfully, "Congratulations on leaving seclusion, father!"

Li Zhouwei nodded, still smiling at the child before him. Li Jiangchun jumped down again and bowed, saying, "Elder Brother said that secrets must never be spoken. Once spoken, both the listener and the speaker will perish... I have heard that Daoist Masters can take many forms. This junior has offended you."

"Hahaha!"

Li Jiangqian was a calculating person and had frightened the child in case he acted foolishly. Li Zhouwei, however, had no intention of correcting it.

He smiled with interest, clearly in a good mood, then turned to Li Jiangqian and pointed at the kneeling child. "Pang Yunqing[1] truly lives up to her noble background. She has taught him well."

Li Jiangqian immediately understood everything. He took out a jade slip from his sleeve, quickly stepped forward, and presented it with both hands, saying respectfully, "Father, we obtained the [Lesser Yin Profound Monarch Water-Fire Record] and the [Supreme Yin Breathing Meridian Nourishment Sutra]. The former is an extremely advanced spell art. The latter... cannot be written down..."

"Oh?" A trace of understanding flashed in Li Zhouwei's eyes. He took it and glanced through it, immediately praising, "A fine spell art!"

Though [Lesser Yin] did not conflict with [Bright Yang], it was clearly not something he would cultivate. After a brief glance, Li Zhouwei casually returned it and said with a smile, "When you return, bring out the [Majestic Gui Yin-Seizing Divine Scroll] for him to study."

The more he looked at Li Jiangchun, the brighter his smile became. Taking the child's hand, he said, "One who cultivates the [Lesser Yin] Dao is rare in our family and even rarer in Jiangnan, yet its power is considerable. Now that you have obtained it, cultivate it diligently."

Li Jiangchun responded respectfully. When he raised his head again, the golden-eyed uncle had already vanished. He etched those words into his memory and followed his elder brother out, passing through layer after layer of formations until he finally saw his father.

Li Zhouluo appeared somewhat nervous. Seated off to the side in the vast hall, he kept stroking the hilt of his sword.

When he finally saw the two emerge, he asked with both joy and unease, "How did it go?"

Li Jiangqian had taken him away under the pretense of meeting two Daoist Masters to seek the Dao, but at this crucial moment, Li Zhouluo seemed to recall something.

As a core direct descendant of the Li Family, he knew that children had to come to the hall once at the age of six. He also understood that this was a fixed process within the family. On the other hand, he himself had once undergone something similar. He only vaguely remembered kneeling in worship, but perhaps he had missed out on the opportunity due to lack of fate. Now, he could not help but feel uneasy as he quietly speculated.

It is not just about innate ability or bestowed techniques. Aside from Quewan, who was personally chosen back then, the others likely all have a step where they pay respects to the ancestral dharma sword to invite its spirit.

As he pondered this, he saw Li Jiangqian smile. "Congratulations... congratulations!"

That immediately made him jolt. Both shocked and delighted, he looked over. Li Jiangqian gave him a look, and Li Zhouluo said with joy, "I will go pick out a sword manual for your younger brother right away!"

————

With a single step, Li Zhouwei appeared above the shimmering lake surface, descending in light onto the [Viewing Pavilion]. The red-robed elder was stroking his beard as he tended the fire, while Li Jiangzong stood bent at his side, listening intently to his explanation.

Li Jiangzong cultivated True Fire and had long been groomed as one of the Li Family's next generation of artifact smiths. Naturally, he had not slackened in his efforts during these days. He had a good reputation within the family, and he remained courteous and eager to learn when working with Chu Minglian.

Such scenes were common, which was why they now caught Li Zhouwei's attention. As he paused upon the platform, everyone bowed. Li Jiangzong approached him with clear delight.

Li Zhouwei gave a word of praise. "Not bad!"

Chu Minglian quickly turned around and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Daoist Master!"

Li Zhouwei remarked, "The progress is quite fast."

He glanced around and saw that all twelve positions on the platform were filled with several unfamiliar cultivators in green robes. He already understood, and sure enough, Chu Minglian replied, "Since Daoist Master Ning arrived here and heard that you were refining the spirit embryo, she brought several people to assist. [Da Sheng] has already entered the nurturing stage. It is only a hair's breadth away from completion. Please take a look, my lord!"

The [Divine Technique of Pavilion View: Refining Within Fire] could accommodate up to twelve Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators assisting at once. However, the Li Family did not have that many available hands and had always rotated six people. Ning Wan, having many cultivators under her command, had sent some over to help.

If I had not left seclusion early, waiting another three to five days would have been fine. But now, it is already at the final step.

After speaking, Chu Minglian hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice. "I have also discovered something that should be reported, Daoist Master. This treasure responds readily to fire and refinement. Its internal patterns are clear and circulate on their own. I suspect... I suspect this object has a prior origin."

He was clearly uncertain and did not dare say more, but Li Zhouwei reacted quickly, raising his brow as he asked, "Has it devolved from the spirit embryo of an ancient cultivator?"

Chu Minglian answered softly, "Very likely..."

Li Zhouwei nodded slightly. [Da Sheng] had been obtained from the Green Pine Grotto Heaven, so the speculation was not unreasonable. It might originally have been a spirit embryo sealed upon the platform through some secret technique, and over time, or due to changes in Bright Yang fruition, something had gone wrong.

As they spoke, the Bright Yang divine ability surged upward along the radiance, gradually tinting the spirit embryo suspended above the pavilion. The divine ability mana within his body rapidly poured out.

Buzz!

As his divine ability mana poured in, the final stage of refinement was completed at last. The Viewing Pavilion burst forth with dazzling golden light, and the halberd swiftly condensed into a point of gold, gently falling into his palm.

That point of gold spread along his palm, extending on both sides until it manifested the deep-gold halberd. Its extended blade curved like a crescent moon, nearly covering Chu Minglian's entire upper body.

The other end of the halberd extended down to the platform, its rounded golden tail resting against the pavilion with a crisp sound. At once, voices of respectful congratulations rose from both sides.

[Da Sheng]!

This dharma artifact had been obtained from the Green Pine Grotto Heaven, and its origins were already extraordinary. Even among spirit embryos, it ranked at the top. Back then, it could already be imbued with Radiant Light, and the halberd could emit blazing Yang light to influence others. Now that it was fully refined, its wondrous properties revealed themselves one by one.

The first was [Effect Attachment].

This ability had clearly evolved from the earlier Radiant Light infusion. When he wielded the weapon, Bright Yang light would empower it, forming a radiant halberd projection upon the weapon. This projection could split into light forms to fend off enemies.

The Radiant Light that once illuminated others had advanced further. After refinement through divine ability and nourishment by spiritual essence, the blazing Yang light emitted from the halberd condensed into a single beam, forming the ability [Gathering Radiance], nurtured within the core of the halberd.

Though it still illuminated others, this ability was quite different. Each use released a strand of [Gathering Radiance White Light]. The emitted Radiant Light was tangible. If it failed to strike, it would not dissipate, but instead followed the movement of the weapon.

Like many Bright Yang spirit artifacts, the number of [Gathering Radiance White Lights] depended on the wielder's divine abilities. The more Bright Yang divine abilities one cultivated, the more strands could be released at once.

It truly favors the strong and scorns the weak.

Li Zhouwei was already satisfied. Given his current situation, having a weapon that suited him so well was a tremendous boost, not to mention these two highly useful abilities. With a light flick of his finger, [Da Sheng] turned into a streak of golden light and vanished into his palm. He rose into the air and, in an instant, arrived at the northern shore.

Snow drifted along the shoreline. The sky was filled with noise as lights intertwined and divine abilities surged like waves. The battle was clearly in full swing. Snow halted at the river's surface, while on the other side, demonic smoke billowed, surrounding a lone figure. With a single glance, Li Zhouwei recognized that face.

Helian Wumeng.

1. The wife of Li Zhouluo. ☜