Dozens of elders immediately surrounded him, laughing heartily—some offering congratulations, others expressing envy. The usually quiet Jade Fall Peak was now bustling with rare liveliness.
Qin Yangling quickly deduced that Chongyi Zhenren had emerged from seclusion and silently attempted to flee on his jade flute. However, under the watchful eyes of so many elders, how could he slip away unnoticed? Zhengxu Zhenren recognized him at once as his direct disciple Qin Yangling and frowned. "Yangling? Why aren’t you cultivating at Mount Tai Mao? What brings you to Jade Fall Peak?"
Qin Yangling immediately bowed in greeting. "Disciple pays respects to Master. I was merely discussing cultivation matters with Jiang Shi Mei and lost track of time. It was purely coincidental that I happened to be here when Elder Chongyi emerged. I meant no offense."
Zhengxu Zhenren had already noticed the lovely young girl nearby. He was well aware of his disciple’s tendencies—his flirtatious nature and habit of charming young female disciples. While the cultivation world did not strictly adhere to mundane etiquette, and dual cultivation was common, Qin Yangling seemed to pursue these dalliances without any intention of genuine cultivation partnership. His emotional entanglements often left others heartbroken. As his master, Zhengxu had reprimanded him many times but, valuing his talent, had never truly punished him. Now, seeing Li Fei’s clear expression of disgust and rejection—and knowing she was Chongyi’s second direct disciple in many years, undoubtedly cherished deeply—Zhengxu realized the awkwardness that would arise once Chongyi learned the truth after just emerging from seclusion.
With this in mind, Zhengxu’s expression turned icy. "Kneel down and step aside! We’ll settle this later."
Qin Yangling had no choice but to retreat and kneel at a distance, his head bowed in humiliation.
Li Fei ignored him completely. Seeing Chongyi Zhanglao smiling at her, she stepped forward and knelt in greeting. "Disciple welcomes Master’s return from seclusion."
Chongyi Zhenren helped her up, studying her closely. After three months apart, she had grown taller, her childish features fading further. Her cultivation had also reached the peak of the second bottleneck. Pleased, he nodded. "You’ve grown taller, and your cultivation has progressed. It seems Zhaomin has taken good care of you. Where is your elder sister?"
He glanced around, then suddenly reached out. A letter flew from the central hall like a butterfly, landing lightly in his palm. The elders murmured in admiration. Chongyi was not famed for magical combat—his sensitivity to spiritual energy was unparalleled, capable of detecting even the subtlest fluctuations in spiritual energy, demon qi, or miasma. Now, after emerging from seclusion, his perception had grown even sharper. The faintest trace of residual spiritual energy on the letter, imperceptible to others, had been effortlessly captured by him.
The letter revealed that Zhaomin had been selected for a months-long trial in the Eastern Sea. Ever since Li Fei and the others had successfully exchanged insights with the Ocean Sect, such interactions between the mountain and sea sects had become frequent. This time, it was an exchange between direct disciples.
Chongyi Zhenren smiled knowingly. "Oh? So contact with the Ocean Sect has begun. Excellent."
After exchanging pleasantries, the elders soon dispersed from Jade Fall Peak. Noticing Qin Yangling kneeling in the distance, Chongyi’s eyes flickered with curiosity. Zhengxu Zhenren stepped forward, cupping his hands. "My foolish disciple has disturbed your disciple. I will take him back and punish him severely."Chongyi Zhenren glanced at Li Fei's expressionless face and then at Qin Yangling's dejected demeanor, already guessing most of what had transpired. He chuckled, "My disciples all have terrible tempers, each one prickly—best be careful around them."
After Zhengxu Zhenren led Qin Yangling away from Jade Fall Peak, the snowy mountain finally regained its tranquility. Chongyi Zhenren's gaze returned to Li Fei. Even during his seclusion, he had continuously pondered how to shape this young disciple. As he had expected, her balanced development of the five elements had progressed well. Forcing her into a supportive role now would be somewhat wasteful.
After a long silence, Chongyi Zhenren suddenly spoke, "Li Fei, during my seclusion, I’ve been contemplating the bottlenecks that limit cultivators. The reason practitioners must break through the third bottleneck before they can study Advanced Immortal Techniques is to ensure their Alchemical Furnace can accommodate the blending and coordination of multiple types of spiritual energy. Your furnace’s capacity is already far greater than most—in truth, you could begin learning Advanced Immortal Techniques now."
Li Fei was taken aback. "But Master, I’ve heard that only after becoming a direct disciple can one be taught Advanced Immortal Techniques."
The tradition of teaching Advanced Immortal Techniques only to direct disciples served two purposes: first, it allowed masters to tailor training methods to each disciple’s needs, and second, it prevented those with ill intentions from stealing techniques. Immortal sects often faced such theft, especially renowned ones like No Moon Court, whose unique cultivation methods and Mystic Arts were highly coveted.
Chongyi Zhenren smiled faintly. "You are my disciple. How I choose to teach you is my business—what concern is it of others?"
He raised his hand, and Li Fei watched as spiritual energy of various hues flickered in his palm, eventually coalescing into a small, lightning-like orb. Though tiny, it carried an awe-inspiring power, as if capable of shaking the heavens.
"Spiritual energy of the world is divided into the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The subtle variations in their quantities and combinations give rise to the infinite variations of Advanced Immortal Techniques. This thunder-light technique, for instance, is formed by blending the energies of water, fire, and metal. Renowned Celestials each have their signature techniques—Lei Xiuyuan’s master, Guangwei Zhenren, is famed across the land for his Nine Heavens Profound Thunder Great Method. A thousand years ago, our sect also had a peerlessly talented Celestial who could blend all five elements into one, creating the ever-changing Netherworld Great Magic—a legacy no one has inherited since. Li Fei, I believe you will one day master this legendary technique."
Her master had far too much faith in her... Li Fei wiped a mental sweat. She hadn’t even broken through the third bottleneck yet, and he was already thinking about the Netherworld Great Magic.
"Master, that peerlessly talented Celestial... was he the one who severed the Yaksha’s horn?" She suddenly recalled Zhao Min Shijie’s words and couldn’t help but ask softly.
Chongyi Zhenren finally looked surprised, then sighed. "You know of this? Did Zhaomin tell you? Indeed, that Celestial’s Dao Title was Azure City. On the verge of attaining true enlightenment and transcending the cycle of life and death, he was gravely wounded in a fierce battle with a Yaksa. Though he severed the Yaksa’s horn, the creature escaped. Azure City left the sect in search of miraculous herbs to heal his injuries... and never returned. All this happened a millennium ago. The Celestials of No Moon Court from that era have either perished or withdrawn from worldly affairs. In a thousand years, our sect has never again produced a Celestial of such brilliance."
Li Fei listened intently, then couldn’t resist asking, "Master, what do Yaksa look like? And those... Overseas Foreigners—what are they like?"Chongyi Zhenren laughed and affectionately patted her head. "What, after your trip to the Eastern Sea, you've become interested in these legends and tales? I’ve never seen the Overseas Foreigners myself. During the Sea Fall five hundred years ago, I was just a newly initiated disciple, so I only heard bits and pieces. Some of them have bizarre appearances, while others look exactly like us. The Yaksa, for instance, have two black horns on their heads but are otherwise indistinguishable from ordinary humans. Yet they move like the wind and possess terrifying offensive power. During the Sea Fall five hundred years ago, only two Yaksa appeared, yet they inflicted heavy casualties on the Central Land Immortal Sects. If their entire tribe had emerged, the Central Land Immortal Sects would have ceased to exist long ago. The Sea Fall remains shrouded in mystery, and what lies beyond the sea is only known through rumors. Perhaps some of these mysteries will be unraveled after the impending Sea Fall?"
Seeing Li Fei’s stunned expression, he chuckled again. "These matters have nothing to do with you. When the Sea Fall comes, countless Celestials and elders will shield you from the frontlines. Even if the sky falls, they’ll hold it up for you. Just focus on your cultivation. Today, try practicing this Giant Stone Art."
With a flick of his sleeve, Chongyi Zhenren summoned a boulder taller than a person, which plummeted from the sky with terrifying speed. If Li Fei hadn’t dodged in time, she would have been crushed into paste. Chongyi Zhenren spread his palm and erected an Earth Barrier, saying, "Watch closely now."
A faint flicker of fire-element spiritual energy flashed in his palm, and the boulder instantly exploded. Shards of stone, sharp as blades and wreathed in raging flames, slammed into the Earth Barrier. Li Fei watched in horror as the barrier’s glow rapidly dimmed. Chongyi Zhenren immediately raised another Earth Barrier, repeating the process until three layers stood between them. Only then did the dust settle, and a light spring rain began to fall. Li Fei’s jaw nearly dropped—the courtyard ground had been blasted into a massive, gaping crater! Countless smaller holes pockmarked the surrounding area, likely from the flying stone shards. Not a single patch of ground within dozens of yards remained intact.
Was this the terrifying power of Advanced Immortal Techniques?
"Five parts fire-element spiritual energy, five parts earth-element spiritual energy, fused together and then detonated with three parts fire-element spiritual energy. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Your task these next few days is to master this Giant Stone Art."
...It sounded simple, but executing it was anything but.
Li Fei struggled to control the precise amounts of spiritual energy. Even the slightest miscalculation prevented the boulder from forming properly. She recalled Ri Yan once saying that true cultivation only began with Advanced Immortal Techniques—what she had been doing before was merely releasing spiritual energy. Now she finally understood. Compared to this, her earlier practice of hurling techniques at stone puppets had been nothing more than mindlessly expending energy.
After immense effort, she finally managed to balance the fire and earth elements and release them—only for a tiny rock, barely reaching her shin, to materialize before her. Could this even be called a "giant" stone?!
Chongyi Zhenren, however, offered encouragement from behind her. "With practice, you’ll improve. For a first attempt, a stone this size is quite impressive."
Her kind Master always knew how to comfort her.
Li Fei silently calculated the required three parts fire-element spiritual energy. Just as she was about to release it, Ri Yan’s hoarse, aged voice suddenly sounded beside her ear: "Oh? Finally starting on Advanced Immortal Techniques, are we?"She was startled and lost control of the fire Spiritual energy. With a loud "bang," the stone split cleanly in half, the break remarkably smooth and even.
Li Fei turned back to the fox in frustration, only to meet its narrow, sickly green eyes filled with disdain. It snorted through its nose and sneered, "Can't even cast the Giant Stone Art properly. What a fool."
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