Feng Mingyou had now reached the Tai Chi realm. His direct combat skills might not be much to speak of, but the aura from his Tea Dao was second to none.

Such a serene and natural temperament, filled with Dao Intent and an otherworldly air, was perfectly suited for the image of an eminent master.

Having done this, Zhang Deming reached out and beckoned Li Shifan’s starlike point of light. He tapped it gently but did not immediately begin the Summoning.

With his Tier Three Spirit Nurturing Summoning Technique, Zhang Deming could now observe the target’s surroundings through the point of light.

He took a look at the other party’s environment. ’He’s not fighting in the back mountains. Looks like he’s in a courtyard at the Celestial Spirit Sect.’

Once he had a clear view of the situation, Zhang Deming’s worries vanished. He reached out and tapped the point of light, which rapidly expanded into a passageway.

「...」

In the Celestial Spirit Sect, on Little Hui Peak, Li Shifan had been in meditative seclusion ever since his breakthrough.

Over the past two months, his aura had become completely restrained, and his Cultivation had fully stabilized.

Li Shifan reached out, and a Scroll materialized before him. As it slowly unfurled, the young man depicted lying on a rooftop within the painting turned his head.

He looked out from the Scroll at Li Shifan and asked, "Are you ready?"

Li Shifan nodded. "My Cultivation has stabilized. I’ll set out tomorrow. Ancestor, do you have any final instructions for me?"

The young man said solemnly, "Have you really thought this through? Eight hundred years ago, I was just an ordinary Outer Disciple."

"The success I achieved back then, which allowed me to support the entire Li Family, was all due to an encounter I had while just wandering the periphery."

"Even though you’ve reached the Tai Chi realm, it’s not guaranteed to be safe there. Besides, we didn’t find a single shred of useful, related information in that ruined Secret Realm last time."

"And the only person you can truly trust to watch your back is, at most, that kid... even I can’t see through him."

"The stakes involving that place are too high. If you ask anyone other than that kid for help, not only will they be useless, but they might even cause conflict amongst yourselves."

"If it’s just the two of you, the outcome of this trip is impossible to predict. After all, I only explored the outer edges back then."

Li Shifan countered, "Then tell me, Ancestor, with my current Talent, how long will it take for me to reach the Duality realm if I don’t enter the Inner Sect?"

The young man in the Scroll gave a wry smile. "How difficult is it to reach Duality? Back then, I had some standing in the Inner Sect, yet I still met my demise, my Dao extinguished."

Li Shifan asked, "Then, Ancestor, can you rapidly raise my Cultivation again?"

The young man rolled his eyes. "That last training session with you not only nearly cost me what’s left of my life, but it also completely emptied my stockpiles."

"Even if I still had the power I possessed before death, you’re at the Tai Chi Cultivation realm now. You think you can just inherit Cultivation without any consequences?"

"Forget about it. Any method that could do that would only drain your future potential."

Hearing this, Li Shifan said, "So, I don’t really have a choice..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Li Shifan’s eyes abruptly shut, and he seemed to fall asleep on the spot.

The expression of the young man in the Scroll changed drastically. Then, the entire Scroll vanished from before Li Shifan.

「...」

Zhang Deming stood atop Xuanhua Tower, hands clasped behind his back. He wore an ordinary Daoist Robe, his long hair fluttering in the wind.

At this moment, a gentle breeze was softly brushing against his cheeks.

His hair and Daoist Robe drifted lightly. With his hands behind his back, Zhang Deming gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

The elegant and otherworldly aura of the Tea Dao was amplified to its peak by the surroundings.

As Li Shifan dazedly came to his senses, the first thing he saw was the side profile of Zhang Deming, an image of ultimate profundity.

In that single instant, the image of Elder Huang in Li Shifan’s mind was elevated to an infinite degree—unfathomably profound and brimming with Dao Essence.

"Celestial Baiyu City, with twelve towers and five cities.

An Immortal anoints my head, granting Longevity from Braiding Hair.

..."

A melodious poetic verse drifted from the horizon, as if in a trance, telling one story after another to the world.

Li Shifan was completely mesmerized. A Scroll materialized above his head and slowly unfurled.

But the young man within the Scroll, his expression fraught with anxiety, found he could not emerge from the painting, as if he were sealed off in another world.

"Who are you? Where is this? What do you want?"

After a moment of daze, Li Shifan came to his senses. He looked at Zhang Deming and asked guardedly.

Only then did Zhang Deming turn around. With a placid expression, he looked at Li Shifan and said, "Quite a few questions... Well now, you’ve brought someone along who isn’t quite dead yet."

"This must be one of your elders, right? Quite ruthless. To give up the autonomy of his own consciousness for the sake of a junior."

"What do you call this?"

"An Artifact Spirit?"

"It seems you’re quite doted upon in your family."

Having said that, Zhang Deming waved a hand at the Scroll.

With Zhang Deming’s wave, the Li Family Ancestor, Li Cheng, slowly drifted out of the Scroll.

"Li Cheng, a Disciple from one of the Peripheral Noble Families of the Celestial Spirit Sect, accompanied by my junior, pays his respects to you, Senior." As soon as he appeared, Li Cheng immediately bowed to Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming shook his head. "Why is it that everyone in the Celestial Spirit Sect’s territory tries to use the sect’s name to intimidate me?"

"If you’re going to name-drop a backer, you should at least mention a Holy Land of Blessing or something of that caliber."

"Dragging out an Upper Sect just to fill the ranks... what’s the point?"

Li Cheng’s corporeal form wavered slightly. He then gave a wry smile and said, "Senior, you jest. How could someone like me have any connections to a Holy Land of Blessing?"

Zhang Deming sized him up and down. "You are in a pretty sad state," he said. "If your Talent is lacking, you can rely on lucky encounters. If your Cultivation is weak, you can rely on your backing."

"But you... I suppose only a weak mind would lead one to abandon their own consciousness, right?"

"To give up being a person and become an Artifact Spirit instead... you’ve really gone out of your way."

Li Cheng gave an awkward laugh. "I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, Senior."

"By the way, do you follow the Painting Dao or the Artifact Dao?"

"If I say you follow the Painting Dao, then why did you turn yourself into an Artifact Spirit—and a mutated one, at that?"

"Only those fanatical Artifact Cultivators would do something so insane, right?"

"But if I say you follow the Artifact Dao, you created a Lifebound Painting that appreciates in value after death. That’s a hallmark of the Painting Dao, isn’t it?" Zhang Deming asked, his interest piqued.

Li Cheng laughed awkwardly again. "In response to Senior, this junior is a Painter. A dead Painter."

Zhang Deming nodded. "I could tell. After all, among items of its class, this painting here could barely be considered valuable."

’That stings, Senior. Couldn’t you have figured it out from something else?!’

Li Cheng: "..."

Ever since his ancestor appeared, Li Shifan had been standing silently behind him. He had now recovered from his shaken Heart Spirit, realizing he had encountered an incredible powerhouse.

"Might I ask why Senior has summoned this junior here?" Li Cheng paused before asking.

Zhang Deming replied, "Let me correct you. I didn’t summon *you*."

"You shamelessly tagged along yourself, relying on the consciousness bond with your grandson. Frankly, it was getting painful to watch, so I simply let you through."

Li Cheng smoothly changed his wording. "Then might I ask for what reason Senior used your Great Magical Power to summon this boy here?"