Li Pingcan idly flipped through the yellowed pages of "Heavenly Divination: Basic Calculations," his curiosity piqued. This was the art of divination—predicting fortune and misfortune, avoiding calamity and seeking prosperity. A divine skill essential for both daily life and covert operations.
Mimicking the illustrations in the ancient text, he solemnly crossed his legs and retrieved three copper coins from his storage pouch, muttering: "Spirits above, spirits below, Great Lord Lao Tzu reveal... *cough* wrong script." Clearing his throat, he switched to an older incantation from the book and tossed the coins into the air.
*Clatter.*
The three coins landed on the stone table, the hexagram complete.
"Let's see tomorrow's weather," he murmured, squinting at the diagrams for a long while before concluding with furrowed brows, "Li symbolizes fire, wind indicates... clear skies with gentle breezes?"
The next day, a torrential downpour drenched the world, washing everything anew.
"This divination is less reliable than lottery tickets!" Rubbing his chin, Li Pingcan tried divining the Green Jiao's fortune instead.
The result showed "Kan symbolizes water, danger ahead"—an extrely ominous sign that startled him into imdiately contacting the serpent playing in Qing River. Not only was it unhard, but it proudly dragged half a demonic beast carcass, boasting of abundant harvests.
"This damned book is worse than a blind fortune teller!" After much frustration, Li Pingcan finally realized: Basic divination was profoundly complex. To master it required either innate talent like Li ngjin's or vast amounts of spiritual energy to grasp these slivers of heavenly secrets.
Even then, with his current cultivation, forced divination only yielded vague results. Only by imrsing his consciousness in the Erald Dream and borrowing the natural power of the Druid training site could he barely glimpse traces of the future. Each attempt left his soul feeling drained and exhausted.
"So this is why," he mused. "Divination consus not just energy but one's own destiny and connection to heaven and earth. Though I'm a Druid, I'm still bound to this world. Forced divination is like viewing flowers through fog."
With this understanding, he abandoned any thought of "shielding the Li family from heavenly secrets."
"Enough. I'll treat divination as a hobby to study occasionally." Storing the ancient text, he instead retrieved the white jade pendant that could block detection. Useless to him—the Erald Dream was his ultimate concealnt—but for his son Li ngze in the prefectural academy, embroiled in the storm's center, it was perfect protection.
"Xiao Fei!" At his call, the golden eagle silently alighted on the windowsill. "Deliver this to ngze."
......
Huaping Mountain, Su Family Estate.
*Crack!*
A crisp shattering sound broke the ancestral hall's silence.
The elderly servant guarding the soul lamps jerked his head up. Seeing the lamp representing ancestor Su Muyun shattered to dust, he nearly lost his soul in terror, scrambling outside.
"Disaster! The ancestor's soul lamp... has extinguished!"
The shrill cry shattered the Su family's peace.
Panic like never before gripped the household. The Su family's ninth-layer Qi Refinent ancestor was their unshakable pillar. Now it had collapsed without warning.
"Who? WHO DID THIS?!"
The current family head raged in fear—not from hatred toward the unknown killer, but dread that the ancestor's enemies might co for extermination.
The Su family trembled like quails hiding their heads, neither daring to flee nor resign themselves to capture, living in constant terror. Unbeknownst to them, an invisible fungal network already observed their every move.
"Su Muyun's descendants are surprisingly well-behaved," Li Pingcan observed silently. The Su family was unusually upright for a cultivation clan—or perhaps not quite a cultivation clan, since apart from Su Muyun, they only had martial artists.
Cultivators tended to be "cold-blooded" toward descendants, so the Su family's attachnt to their ancestor was shallow.
"If three generations pass without cultivators, I might spare them," Li Pingcan mused.
Though he spoke of "uprooting weeds," the Su family's mortals weren't even weeds to him—just unseeded husks blown away by wind. Besides, no one knew he'd killed Su Muyun.
Eradicating an entire family would only draw unwanted attention.
......
Prefectural Academy.
Li ngze had just received the pendant delivered by his father's golden eagle, warmth flooding his heart. A spiritual probe revealed its purpose.
Delighted, he wore it close to his skin, feeling cool energy soothe his recent irritability.
"Father treats so well. I must contribute too."
After carefully packing over a dozen bottles of his self-refined "Pure Source Pills," he headed to the Scripture Repository instead of resting.
Submitting the Pure Source Pill formula to the academy had earned enough contribution points for Zhang Ao's antidote, with plenty remaining. Combined with recent savings, Li ngze now possessed considerable points.
His first thought was to find a proper sword cultivation manual for his younger brother ngjin. Though blessed with the "Innate Sword Blade" bloodline talent, ngjin only practiced the generic "Refining Qi Technique." While it channeled spiritual energy, it wasn't tailored for sword cultivators.
Continuing this way would waste his rare physique—like owning a mountain of treasure but lacking tools to mine it. Their father often lanted this, but the scattered markets only offered diocre manuals.
The Scripture Repository stood solemn and ancient. At its entrance dozed a white-bearded elder—Guardian Elder Qingxuan, known for his eccentric temperant that deterred most disciples from conversation.
Approaching respectfully, Li ngze bowed. "Disciple Li ngze pays respects to Elder Qingxuan."
"Mm. What do you want?" ca the lazy reply.
"I wish to exchange for an introductory sword cultivation manual," Li ngze answered steadily.
"Oh?"
Elder Qingxuan finally opened his aged eyes, scrutinizing him with mild surprise.
"A pill-refining brat dabbling in sword cultivation? Neglecting your proper path. Sword cultivation values unyielding montum and indomitable will—not for just any stray cat or dog."
Though he offered this warning, the elder no longer bothered dissuading wayward youths, having shifted from idealism to "respecting others' fate" in his old age.
"Show your contribution token."
Seeing the astonishing number on the token, a flicker of surprise finally crossed his impassive eyes.
"So you're the one who created the Pure Source Pills?" Stroking his beard, so indifference faded. "Not bad. Exceptional pill talent for your age. Follow ."
Overjoyed, Li ngze obeyed.
Elder Qingxuan led him to a secluded second-floor shelf holding only a few ancient jade slips.
"Sword cultivation values quality over quantity. These three are the academy's finest introductory manuals. Choose."
With a wave, three jade slips floated before Li ngze.
The first, crimson and warm to the touch, emanated domineering heat when probed spiritually. Its surface bore four bold characters: "Blazing Sun Sword Art."
"This thod is suprely yang—its strikes blaze like midday sun, incinerating all. Rapid early progress with imnse power. But..." The elder paused. "Its excessive ferocity risks backlash if the cultivator's mind wavers, leading to demonic possession."
The second slip was ink-black, radiating icy malice. "Profound Yin Art" chilled Li ngze's spirit upon contact.
"This follows an assassination path—practitioners gain extre stealth."
Li ngze instinctively frowned at the black slip before turning to the third.
The most ordinary-looking, made of plain bamboo with weathering marks, yet holding it brought profound tranquility that instantly cald his agitation from the previous sword intents.
Four archaic seal characters read: "Return to Origin Sword Scripture."
"This one..." Elder Qingxuan's gaze grew complicated. "The orthodox sword cultivation thod seeks neither speed nor slaughter, only 'returning to origin.' It unites sword and heart, cultivating both life and art—tempering the self into a scabbard that nurtures sword intent for explosive power later. The slowest, hardest path without imdiate results... but limitless potential for those who persist."
Without hesitation, Li ngze chose it.
The Blazing Sun Sword Art was too aggressive, possibly inflating ngjin's arrogance;
the Profound Yin Art too sinister, risking corruption. Only the balanced Return to Origin Sword Scripture, emphasizing tempering heart before sword, could forge an unshakable sword heart foundation.
Elder Qingxuan's stern face finally showed approval.
"Good. Excellent judgnt." Stroking his beard, he praised, "The great Dao returns to simplicity. You're more perceptive than I thought."
Handing over the points—wincing internally as "2000" vanished—Li ngze's pain soon transford into anticipation for ngjin.
In a grove outside the academy, he placed both scripture and pills beneath Xiao Fei's wings.
"Safe travels," he murmured, stroking the eagle's feathers.
......
Peach Blossom Village, Peach Blossom Mountain.
Li ngjin hugged his ever-present shortsword "Shadow Fang." Besides sword practice, his daily routine included a special "mission"—planting trees.
His father's insistence, though he didn't understand the connection between swords and saplings. Still, he obeyed dutifully.
As he carefully planted the last seedling, a familiar cry announced Xiao Fei's arrival with a package.
"Big Brother sent sothing from the academy?"
Overjoyed, he discovered not just Pure Source Pills to aid cultivation, but also the Return to Origin Sword Scripture—exchanged with precious contribution points specifically for him.
"Big Brother must have struggled to obtain this." Clutching his sword, ngjin vowed silently to master sword arts and support his brother soday.
Though society's disdain for their differing birth statuses couldn't be changed, it wouldn't diminish his admiration and gratitude.
Sitting cross-legged, he began circulating the scripture's thods. This technique maximized absorption of spiritual energy, converting it into razor-sharp sword essence—perfectly complenting his Innate Sword Blade physique.
After an hour's practice left his ridians parched, he unsheathed Shadow Fang to drill "Eighteen Returning Winds Sword Forms" repeatedly. Having mastered the first seven stances flawlessly, he now attempted the eighth: "Returning Wind."
His blade flickered unpredictably like mountain gusts.
Exhausted, he swallowed a Pure Source Pill, marveling at its warmth and his brother's superior alchemy compared to the Mu family's prefectural alchemist.
As he prepared to resu training, little ngyue toddled over, chubby hands outstretched. "Brother, candy!"
Turning, ngjin nearly fainted from terror.
His baby sister had sohow opened the porcelain bottle and was cheerfully popping a pill-sized "Pure Source Pill" into her mouth like candy.
"STOP!"
He lunged—too late.
*Gulp.*
"Disaster!" His mind blanked. Though Pure Source Pills had minimal toxicity, their potent energy could overwhelm a child's body.
Just as panic set in, a warm hand settled on his shoulder.
"Don't panic."
Li Pingcan had arrived unnoticed. Seeing ngyue's rosy cheeks and contented lip-licking, his eyes flashed with astonishnt.
A natural energy probe revealed the violent dicinal power safely encased in gentle moonlight energy—not only harmless but rapidly absorbed to strengthen her "Moon Goddess' Healing" bloodline further.
"Her constitution purifies pill toxicity too?"
His daughter's monstrous talent stunned him.
Moon Goddess' Healing was terrifying indeed! If she feared no pill toxicity, couldn't ngyue advance simply by consuming pills without ditation?
Even without spiritual roots, she might forge a unique "gluttonous" cultivation path!
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