Hou Niao’s days were going well because he realized he couldn’t be in a hurry as there were always people in a hurry.
Ti was fulfilling, as he engaged daily with the two Masters in studying the comprehension and application of the Five Elents Great Dao from the Upper Realm, which was the foundation of foundations, a need not only for him but also for the two Masters.
The remaining ti he dedicated to his swordsmanship, a process of perseverance; his period of swordsmanship growth had passed, and he had begun entering the phase of ticulous refinent. This was sothing every Sword Cultivator had to face, and indeed, every Cultivator too.
Settle down, and use ti to polish one’s skills to perfection.
To him, achieving another leap in swordsmanship required breakthroughs in three areas.
One was Great Dao Imagination, challenging even at the Golden Core Stage. He was still learning it and couldn’t fully integrate or comprehend sothing unique to himself, a realm only accessible at the Nascent Soul Stage.
The other was spiritual power; he had the Qingkong Sword Vein’s thod for cultivating spiritual power, which was already much stronger than that of Quanzhen Sect; it was also a step-by-step process unless spurred by so particular opportunity. Unfortunately, these Daoist Sect guests from the Upper Realm were very cautious regarding spiritual power and revealed nothing about spiritual cultivation thods. It seed that even in their Upper Realm, spiritual cultivation was a core of their Daoist traditions.
The last was the Five Elents Mysterious Light, the only direction he could currently strive for.
The path was clear, and that was the best cultivation.
Ten days later, he represented the Discipline system at the full moon banquet for Tianfeng Daoist’s child. Despite being much disliked by the host, his thick skin allowed him to remain at ease, even presenting a small gift.
In his own way, he solidified the Daoist’s lie, waiting to see how long he could keep up the act, and when the ti ca, it would be the mont for the two to face each other. However, the proud Tianfeng Daoist refused to utter a single soft word.
This was sothing unique to Cultivators, incomprehensible to mortals, but for them, it was also a contest of Dao Heart.
After attending the full moon banquet, Hou Niao left Qionglin Town, flying straight to the border. He needed to address so issues in ancient Langzhong, a place no one was more familiar with than he.
Pingliang appeared more prosperous than when he left. With internal relations in order and reconciliation with Anhe, and with the Wu Sect rarely focusing on this area now, they were too busy with other matters.
Of the taxes collected in Pingliang State, Shan Country took only a small portion, with most funds managed by Pingliang itself. Under Li Chuping’s leadership for over a decade, they built roads and bridges, dug canals, and irrigated fields, leading to dramatic changes in Pingliang State.
Li Chuping was indeed experienced, using just this move to win the hearts of countless ordinary people in Pingliang State. From then on, except for those in the ancient Langzhong clan, no one spoke of old or new divisions, and everyone considered themselves people of Shan Country.
This was a good thing, but it was quite awkward for the ancient Langzhong people. It wasn’t that they still harbored rebellious thoughts; it was that the foundation of Daoist tradition was hard to sustain. More Cultivation seedlings preferred choosing the Quanzhen Sect and hoped to leave this ancestral land to see the outside world.
It was a paradox, but inevitable; Shan Sect had done their best, and should they deliberately let the Langzhong children endure poverty for the Langzhong Sect to regather their focus?
The montum was gone.
In the past year, the three prefectures of Pingliang were successively withdrawn, leaving only a limited number of people to maintain the connection between Pingliang and the central authority, returning various affairs in the region to the managent of the ancient Langzhong Sect. Yet now, they found it hard to even support this frawork.
The real foundation had been withdrawn by Hou Niao and Li Chuping.
For the common people, visible changes in living quality were what truly mattered, and when Hou Niao returned here again, Pingliang State was no different from other inland prefectures of Shan Country, reaffirming his judgnt—no matter how much the ancient Langzhong Sect wanted to revert, they were just isolated and powerless.
Smart people wouldn’t do such things.
Hou Niao went directly to the manor of the ancient Langzhong Sect outside the prefecture, unchanged from his mories, with every brick and tile faithfully maintaining its original pattern. It showed the ancient Langzhong Sect’s extre conservatism.
This very conservatism allowed them to pass down the most ancient things but also resulted in no progress for thousands of years; who knew the gains and losses within?
But at least for him, the gains exceeded the losses. The Mysterious Light Skill he learned here benefited him greatly and played a significant role in his combat system.
Therefore, he was willing to put forth his utmost effort to help them.
According to Li Shipeng, they could sense the arrival of soone with ancient Langzhong heritage, but they could never find this person. It was important to note that among those who ca here for trials were two to three hundred Quanzhen Sword Cultivators, including so Golden Core and Nascent Soul Masters. Not discovering such a person highlighted their deep concealnt.
Was such concealnt necessary? The Quanzhen Sect wasn’t a monstrous flood and wouldn’t kill on the spot. Was it so hard to et once?
Insistent on stealth, what did that signify? This was the concern of Li Chuping and Li Shipeng.
If sothing deviates from the norm, there must be a demon.
Upon his arrival and announcent, three old Daoists ca out to welco him, with black, mottled, and silver beards. However, even as strong as the Golden Core, after a century had passed, their appearances had slightly changed, with black beards turning to mottled, mottled shifting towards silver, and silver nearly falling off...
"Welco, Hierarch, for gracing us with your presence."
They perford the etiquette of subordinates. The forrly small Tongtian cultivator, now even matched with them in cultivation level, was still advancing as they headed toward aging in place.
"Greetings to the three seniors; there is no Hierarch here, only a registered disciple of the ancient Langzhong Sect."
Hou Niao’s attitude greatly pleased the three old fellows, for even if the Cultivation World prioritized strength, certain values still lingered in people’s hearts, like respecting the elderly and cherishing the young.
The four walked into the inner courtyard, fully aware of each other’s thoughts, with Hou Niao waiting for an explanation from the three that could ease Quanzhen’s concerns; yet the three old fellows persistently talked around the topic.
Silver Beard stroked his bald chin, "Since parting, it’s been a century of ti. Hou Jun retains his grace, while we have aged. But tell us, how has your practice of the Peacock Feather Skill progressed?"
"I was just about to ask for the seniors’ guidance."
Hou Niao was neither lodramatic nor secretive, as a brilliance unfurled behind him, with a Five Elents Light Wheel revolving at his back. Yellow, blue, and green shone brilliantly, while red and gold were less prominent but still barely completed the five colors.
Most importantly, the light wheel was not a single wheel but two wheels rotating coaxially in opposite directions, with vibrant colors and brilliant light, fully showcasing the splendor of the Five Elents.
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