After registering, Xu Ning and Miao Yunyi returned to handle the matters of establishing their sect. Since the two sects sought long-term cooperation, they chose adjacent locations.
Once the sect’s formations were in place, Xu Ning arrived at the designated Grand Elder Peak. On the snow-covered summit, he erected a thatched hut and ticulously set up the formations—a process he knew well, executing each step with utmost caution.
Over the following months, the sect required extensive rebuilding, and Xu Ning was swamped with responsibilities. After more than a month of relentless work, he finally found a mont of respite. Half of the stone table and benches in the courtyard lay buried under snow, the flakes still drifting down in a silent cascade.
Xu Ning and Qi Ruifeng brushed the snow from the stone benches and sat.
"Disciple, you’ve worked hard! I’m useless as your master—I can’t even help you much," Qi Ruifeng said apologetically.
Xu Ning shook his head. "Master, don’t bla yourself. You’re now the Supre Elder of Tiancheng Sect. Of course, we can’t trouble you with trivial matters."
Qi Ruifeng gave a bitter smile. "Supre Elder? Heh. I’m likely the weakest Supre Elder among all the sects."
"What does that matter?" Xu Ning replied. "Do you think my junior brother or I would dare deny your position?"
At that, Qi Ruifeng laughed—a genuine, hearty laugh.
"Disciple," he said after a pause, "do you still rember the carpentry knowledge you learned in the mortal world?"
Xu Ning tilted his head slightly. "Carpentry? Are you referring to formation repair techniques?"
Qi Ruifeng nodded eagerly. "Exactly!"
Xu Ning tapped the stone table twice. "Master, do you want to teach them to Junior Brother?"
Qi Ruifeng hesitated, then sighed. "I… I can’t let go of Tiancheng Sect."
Xu Ning’s expression turned serious. "Master, to be frank, I owe you—and Tiancheng Sect—a great deal. But I’ve never touched the sect’s true inheritance. I’ve only studied the cultivation techniques."
He leaned forward. "What I owe you and the sect is limited to those techniques. You know as well as I do that there’s no such thing as carpentry knowledge capable of repairing a *legendary* formation."
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Qi Ruifeng lowered his head. "Disciple… I overstepped. Forgive ."
Xu Ning exhaled. "Master, everything I’ve done for Tiancheng Sect was to repay your kindness—to ease your worries and let you find peace in your twilight years."
His words were firm. He hadn’t taken the sect’s inheritance precisely to avoid further entanglent. His path lay elsewhere, and he couldn’t afford to be bound eternally to Tiancheng Sect, nor could he risk his life for it ti and again.
Qi Ruifeng stiffened, then bowed his head in sha. "You’re right. I won’t ntion this again."
Xu Ning softened. "Then, Master, from now on, focus on enjoying your retirent. Leave the sect’s affairs to Junior Brother. Trust him."
Qi Ruifeng nodded. "Very well."
-...
Two Days Later
Su Yufan arrived unannounced, heading straight for Xu Ning’s Great Elder Peak.
Xu Ning, seated on the stone bench, raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn’t the illustrious Saint Su be cultivating instead of visiting my humble sect?"
Su Yufan chuckled and took a seat opposite him. "Brother Ye, I ca for a heart-to-heart talk."
Xu Ning smirked. "Shouldn’t that be with the Holy Maiden?"
Su Yufan waved a hand dismissively. "I’m not interested in won."
Xu Ning recoiled so sharply he nearly fell off the bench.
Su Yufan blinked, then hastily clarified, "Brother Ye, don’t misunderstand! I ant I pursue only strength and the Great Dao—not romantic entanglents."
Xu Ning nodded vigorously. "Of course, of course. I believe you, Saint Su."
Yet his gaze remained suspicious.
Su Yufan scowled. "What’s with that look? I’m telling the truth!"
Xu Ning’s mind flashed to the gossipy Saint Son from the Ancient Chen Mountains, who’d once claid that Saint Sons often developed… *unconventional* preferences under pressure.
Suppressing a shudder, Xu Ning forced another nod. "I believe you."
Su Yufan, exasperated, changed the subject. "Brother Ye, I ca to ask—are you truly a Divine-grade Foundation Establishnt cultivator?"
Xu Ning nodded. "I am."
Su Yufan shot to his feet. "*How?*"
Reaching the legendary Foundation Establishnt stage had cost Su Yufan a century of his lifespan, and even that barely sufficed. The Divine-grade seed an insurmountable peak.
Xu Ning smiled faintly. "A personal secret, Saint Su. I’d rather not share."
Su Yufan didn’t press further. Instead, he asked, "What are your plans for cultivation beyond Foundation Establishnt?"
Their extraordinary foundations granted imnse power but demanded equally staggering resources. Foundation Establishnt was manageable, but forming a legendary Golden Core would require resources beyond even dium-sized sects’ ans. Many cultivators settled for a top-grade Golden Core to conserve resources.
Su Yufan’s dilemma mirrored Xu Ning’s: the path ahead was ruinously expensive.
Xu Ning stroked his chin. "Saint Su, if I’m not mistaken, your Foundation Establishnt cost you a century of lifespan, leaving you with roughly four hundred years?"
A cultivator’s lifespan followed strict tiers:
- **Qi Refining:** ~100 years
- **Foundation Establishnt:** 400 years (500 total, minus Qi Refining ti)
- **Golden Core:** 1,500 years (2,000 total, minus prior consumption)
- **Nascent Soul:** 4,000 years (6,000 total, minus prior consumption)
Su Yufan’s remaining 350 years were alarmingly insufficient for his ambitions.
Su Yufan grimaced. "Closer to three hundred and fifty. And I’ve yet to reach mid-Foundation Establishnt."
Xu Ning’s eyes glead. "Then we must improve resource *efficiency* to shorten cultivation ti."
Su Yufan leaned in. "How?"
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