White clouds drifted lazily across the azure sea.
Just as when they had arrived at the East Sea, a massive cloud carried sixteen True Immortals and eleven disciples, with several Heavenly Immortals shielding them from four positions above as they floated northwest toward the mountain gate.
They had departed first, leaving the majority of the white clouds far behind. The cloud-road was wide and spacious, showing no signs of congestion whatsoever.
This was the third day after Li Changshou's "battle of madness" with Ao Yi, and the Demon-Quelling Assembly had officially concluded.
The *de facto* team leader Li Changshou sat in a corner, having already been honorably relieved of his duties. No one paid him any attention.
The *real* team leader, Youqin Xuanya, had made an outstanding performance at the assembly—fame spreading in all directions—winning thirty-six consecutive matches against Qi Refiners and four arena champion Dragon Clan youths. Her reputation had skyrocketed, and she was now surrounded by admiring gazes, protected at the center of the white cloud.
Youqin's opponents on that day, combined with those four Dragon Clan youths, totaled seven or eight fighters whose strength ranked at the first or second tier of the Return-to-the-Dao stage. Yet she had relied solely on her eighth-rank Return-to-Void cultivation, her unwavering tenacity, and the meticulous techniques she had painstakingly accumulated—along with the flying swords whose power and quality far surpassed ordinary immortal treasures—to chew through these formidable opponents one after another...
The motivation that had driven her was not the four immortal treasures the Dragon Palace had thrown down.
Under the gaze of the entire assembly, she placed those four treasures before the senior brother who had been "bullied by the Dragon Clan," then returned to her seat and crossed her legs in meditation—delivering a clear answer to everyone present.
*She wasn't fighting for treasures. She was fighting for pride.*
*My Du Xian Sect disciples cannot be pushed around by just anyone!*
*My fellow disciple is not someone just anyone can bully!*
Several sentimental martial aunts had eyes reddened on the spot.
Had Li Changshou not been the one entangled in this affair, he certainly would have given Youqin Xuanya a thumbs up and said, "How cool!"
But he was precisely the "lucky fellow" who had been "bullied by the Dragon Clan," shielded by his junior sister, and ended up with four immortal treasures for nothing.
That was rather awkward.
These four treasures were like four hot potatoes. Fortunately, Li Changshou had reacted in time, entrusting them to Jiu Jiu—a fellow True Immortal of Potian Peak—to hold onto temporarily. After returning to the mountain, they would be handed over to Youqin Xuanya's master, Elder Ge Jingshan.
Only then was the matter properly settled, with no further complications arising.
Though speaking of which, being protected and having someone stand up for you did feel... slightly strange.
This trip to the East Sea had not been entirely without harvest for Li Changshou.
Over the past two days, the various matches between fellow-generation Qi Refiners had expanded his combat thinking considerably.
These Qi Refiners came from different immortal sects, each with their own primary techniques. Although they all practiced the Five Elements and Yin-Yang Dao methods as their foundation, their styles were diverse and their combinations exceedingly complex.
Li Changshou had watched from the sidelines for two days, learning quite a few useful "small tricks" that enriched the tactical repertoire of his paper incarnations.
Expanding one's knowledge and experience was itself a form of cultivation.
Thanks to Youqin Xuanya's explosive performance, the Du Xian Sect had become the greatest winner of this assembly—seizing a full third of all treasures and slightly boosting the sect's prestige.
Perhaps the next grand disciple-reception ceremony could attract a few more immortal seedlings because of this event.
After Youqin withdrew, the other disciples of Li Changshou's generation each took their turns, but the best result among them was only seven consecutive victories.
The senior brother who had sworn to avenge Li Changshou managed three wins out of four matches, never even getting to face the remaining arena champion young dragons.
The moment they left the East Sea's territory, Jiu Jiu—who had resumed her docile demeanor as the well-behaved "old fairy"—suddenly received a voice transmission from above.
She hurriedly flew up into the air and went to her master, the Venerable Wangqing.
Soon, Jiu Jiu descended from the sky, her pretty face filled with smiles.
She landed on the main white cloud, retrieved a bottle of medicinal pills, and placed them beside Youqin Xuanya. Youqin had overexhausted her mental energy and had been meditating continuously since her great battle two days ago.
Then Jiu Jiu walked up to Li Changshou, tilted her head, examined him for a moment, and muttered: "Strange—my master actually used two more words to praise you than to praise Xuanya."
Li Changshou's heart skipped a beat.
Had the Venerable Wangqing seen through his true cultivation level?
No—that didn't make sense. If that were the case, the master would be questioning why he hadn't fought to bring glory to the sect, not praising him for no reason...
"Here, this is for you—a personal reward from my master, separate from the sect's rewards."
Jiu Jiu tossed a jade slip toward him, then sat cross-legged three feet away.
Several disciples pricked up their ears to listen.
Youqin Xuanya receiving medicinal pills from the Venerable Wangqing was perfectly understandable, but Li Changshou had only fought one match—and lost. Why would he receive a reward too?
The jade slip must contain some advanced immortal technique, given that it was a personal reward from the Venerable Wangqing...
Jiu Jiu squinted with a smile, deliberately adopting a serious expression. She cleared her throat and spoke:
"Master says that your response against the Dragon Palace Second Prince was very appropriate.
That Dragon Palace Second Prince was full of scheming—he likely intended for you to beat him into serious injury and win against him, so the Dragon Palace could use that as a pretext to cause trouble for our Du Xian Sect.
Master said, had you not seen through his plan early and used the stratagem of feigned ignorance—surrendering before he could—the entire delegation might not have made it back to the mountain gate this time.
Master also said that Fifth Senior Brother had mentioned you several times, praising you for your meticulous thinking, cautious conduct, and thoroughly reliable work.
Choosing you as the team leader for the disciples was truly the right decision."
The massive stone in Li Changshou's heart instantly dropped away.
The Venerable Wangqing had... seen through the entire Dragon Palace conspiracy!
As expected of the vision and perspective of a Heavenly Immortal—their viewpoint was vastly different from that of insignificant figures like them!
Though, Li Changshou had previously analyzed the situation thoroughly and concluded that the Dragon Palace prince wanted to humiliate the Dragon Palace in reverse, thereby reforming its current unhealthy culture...
He hadn't expected that there was such logic behind the scenes, nor such vicious scheming!
Li Changshou immediately reflected and realized that his vantage point had never been high enough. From the very beginning, he had assumed—through preconceived bias—that the Dragon Palace wouldn't dare openly oppose a Three Teachings sect. At most, Ao Yi would kill one unimportant disciple in the competition to vent his frustration.
Hmm?
Thinking carefully, the Venerable Wangqing's logic also seemed to have quite a few flaws.
Never mind—in terms of the actual outcome, this analysis by the Venerable Wangqing was highly favorable to him.
This elder...
Very impressive!
Very warm!
Very considerate!
Several disciples looked as if they had suddenly understood something, while the True Immortals wore expressions of "we already knew." Most of them cast approving glances toward Li Changshou.
Another wave of goodwill gained for nothing...
At least that was better than ill will.
After returning to the mountain gate, there would surely be generous rewards—though Li Changshou had already obtained the Wuwei Scripture in advance.
Li Changshou lowered his gaze to the jade slip and discovered that it contained a profound thunder technique—the Luotian Yang Lei Zhen Jue.
After a brief internal deliberation, he transmitted a few words to Jiu Jiu and handed the jade slip back.
Jiu Jiu stared at Li Changshou in absolute shock.
Having cultivated for nearly a thousand years, she had never heard anything so preposterous!
An elder from the sect bestows a treasure, and the junior actually dares to be picky about it—asking her to inquire whether the thunder technique could be exchanged for the Threefold True Flame cultivation method, which would be more useful for pill refinement!
Li Changshou knew this was somewhat inappropriate, but first, he had his connection with Jiu Jiu to rely on, and second, he genuinely needed the Threefold True Flame.
If he could obtain the Threefold True Flame, his strength would undergo a tremendous leap...
For that, he could only thicken his skin a bit.
"Seriously, my master is going to scold me to death for this!"
Jiu Jiu rolled her eyes, snatched back the jade slip, and flew up in a huff—though she resumed her obedient demeanor halfway up.
Soon, Jiu Jiu returned successfully, wrapped two jade slips in a handkerchief, and when no one was looking, tossed them to Li Changshou.
The Venerable Wangqing had not reclaimed the Luotian Yang Lei Zhen Jue.
And the new jade slip contained a technique of comparable tier. The opening four large characters read—
*Threefold True Flame!*
After carefully reading the opening passages and learning the essentials of "Essence Fire," "Spirit Fire," and "Qi Fire," Li Changshou felt thoroughly satisfied.
He had finally obtained it. This trip had been truly worthwhile.
Perhaps this episode would leave an impression of greed and insufficiency in the Venerable Wangqing's mind.
But it was worth it!
After returning to the mountain, he would settle down on Xiaoqiong Peak and cultivate quietly.
Ears shut to worldly affairs, mind devoted entirely to the True Fire Scripture!
The Threefold True Flame was not merely for attacking enemies.
This was a relatively widespread type of true fire within the Dao tradition, renowned for its immense power and relatively lower cultivation threshold. However, obtaining the Threefold True Flame cultivation technique was considerably difficult.
Once his Threefold True Flame reached initial mastery, he could follow the method recorded in an ancient text to use the flame to strengthen his primordial spirit and Dao body, giving him greater confidence when facing Heaven's Tribulation!
In the future, he only needed to venture out one more time—
To face his Ascension Tribulation.
If he could successfully pass the tribulation, he would be able to live quietly in the mountains, seeking longevity in peace!
Feed the fish, grow flowers, refine pills, study formations, tease his little junior sister when bored, and when leisure permitted, perhaps work on the ideological rehabilitation of a certain candidate for a Heavenly Court government position...
This was roughly the immortal life in the Primordial that he desired most at this stage.
Would trouble descend from the heavens?
Li Changshou glanced at Youqin Xuanya, who was under heavy protection, and allowed a faint smile to cross his face.
Once Toxic Junior Sister returned to the mountain, the sect would undoubtedly place the highest priority on her. This level of attention would, to some extent, also become shackles limiting her movements.
As long as he handled Uncle Jiu Wu afterward, trouble would have nowhere to find a path.
Xiaoqiong Peak would surely return to its former tranquility!
As for Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu, her frequent visits were actually beneficial. Once he became an immortal and began producing special pills or setting up powerful formations, he could attribute everything to his martial aunt's help...
"What are you thinking about?"
Jiu Jiu transmitted from beside him, then curled her lip. "You've got that look—the one that says you're plotting something."
Li Changshou chuckled: "Have you solved that puzzle box yet?"
Jiu Jiu smiled proudly and tossed back the restored six-colored puzzle box, saying nonchalantly: "Finding the solution was quite simple. Give me something harder."
Li Changshou nodded with a smile, produced a fifth-tier Rubik's cube, and handed it to Jiu Jiu.
Jiu Jiu stared at the dazzling array of blocks and colors. Black lines instantly formed across her forehead. She immediately entered meditation, rare in her earnest dedication to cultivation.
...
Deep within the East Sea, beneath heavy guard by shrimp soldiers, crab generals, and celestial flood dragon troops—in the crystal palace at the seafloor shrouded by a grand formation—
The main hall bustled with song and dance, a grand banquet celebrating the successful conclusion of the Demon-Quelling Assembly.
The finest young disciples from the immortal sects of E Sheng Shen Zhou had fought among themselves over the few treasures the Dragon Palace had tossed out, and the Dragon Palace's experts found this quite entertaining.
The Dragon King sat upon a throne carved from coral, appearing as though intoxicated, lounging against cushions woven from the silk of Nine-Winged Gold-Shining Silkworms that were replaced monthly. Several charming sea maidens attended him gently—fanning, tapping his shoulders, massaging his back, and kneading his dragon legs...
Dragon life was simply like this: boring, comfortable, and monotonous.
The Dragon Palace ministers and generals raised their cups, exchanging lively accounts of the human youths' battles they had witnessed, all in high spirits.
Outside the great hall, the Dragon Clan youth who had only half a day ago awakened from his unconsciousness ascended the steps with a resolute gaze.
He—Ao Yi, Second Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace—was about to accomplish another... great deed!