In Li Xun’s memory, Lianxia Mountain had never been this busy.

Starting from the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, cultivators from various sects and rogue cultivators began arriving one after another to pay their respects and stay on the mountain. In just two days, the population on the mountain surged past ten thousand, and it was still growing.

There was only one reason for all of this: the Ascension Ceremony of Immortal Master Zhong Yin.

As third-generation disciples, no one had the luxury of taking it easy. Everyone was fully mobilized, busy hosting the endless stream of guests arriving to witness the ceremony.

Under these circumstances, Li Xun’s idle state stood out like a sore thumb.

It wasn’t like he was trying to slack off, though. He’d been personally chosen by Immortal Master Zhong Yin to tend to his daily needs in these final days. So, after returning from the North Sea, he barely had time to warm his seat before Qingxu whisked him off to Zuowang Peak.

Qingxu had mentioned there were still urgent matters down the mountain and said that with Zhong Yin about to ascend, he couldn’t afford any disturbances. He left Li Xun on the mountaintop and flew off again right away.

Li Xun wasn’t surprised. He knew that the elders were all especially sensitive when it came to the subject of ascension.

In fact, he was more than happy to see Qingxu go.

He had a head full of questions and suspicions, and he was hoping to get some answers from Zhong Yin himself. If he didn’t ask now, when would he ever get another chance?

Li Xun even wondered if Zhong Yin had sensed what he was thinking and purposely gave him this opportunity.

But when he arrived at the bamboo hut inside the Green Smoke Barrier, Zhong Yin wasn’t there.

“Sixth Martial Granduncle?” Li Xun looked around the hut but didn’t see a soul. The only sign of life was in the alchemy room, where a thin trail of smoke drifted lazily from the furnace. He seemed to be in the middle of refining pills.

Despite having spent so much time around Zhong Yin, this was the first time Li Xun had ever seen him actually practice the art of alchemy. And if that was the case, there was no way he could be far.

Just as he was about to call out again, he suddenly felt a tug of awareness in his heart. He paused for a moment, then understood. Zhong Yin was sending him a signal.

Not daring to delay, he rose into the air on his sword and flew toward the source of the feeling. He knew the place well. It was the very same precipice where Qingyin had once met him: the Edge-of-Abyss Terrace.

From a distance, he could already see Zhong Yin seated at the cliff’s edge, facing the sea of clouds, though what he was doing was anyone’s guess.

As he flew closer and got a better look, even with everything on his mind, Li Xun couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

“Immortal Master… are you fishing in the clouds?”

And honestly, he couldn’t blame himself for laughing. Zhong Yin looked really odd right now.

He wore a plain robe and held a long green bamboo rod in his hand. A fine silk thread hung from its tip, drifting down into the thick, endless clouds below. At first glance, he really did look like some retired scholar amusing himself with a bit of leisure fishing.

Only, instead of a vast ocean, the “waters” beneath them were a roiling sea of mist.

After laughing, though, Li Xun couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious.

Was this strange behavior from his Sixth Martial Granduncle meant to imply something deeper?

Just as he was thinking that, Zhong Yin turned his head and smiled. “You’re here. Come sit.”

He patted the ground beside him. Li Xun, familiar with his temperament, didn’t stand on ceremony. He answered with a word of acknowledgment and walked over to sit down; though just slightly behind him, out of respect.

The bamboo rod in Zhong Yin’s hand didn’t so much as twitch, but the silk thread at the tip danced and swayed wildly in the wind that howled past the cliff’s edge.

Zhong Yin smiled at Li Xun. “For today’s alchemy, I need a kind of little fog newt that lives in this sea of clouds to use as a catalyst. The problem is, they dissolve into mist within three breaths of touching open air. Very tricky to catch. You’ve come just in time to help.”

Li Xun thought for a moment, then gave a quiet nod.

He watched as Zhong Yin casually reached into the “piercing cloud sea” and, as if pulling apart a wad of cotton, gathered a handful of mist. Somehow, using a technique Li Xun couldn’t quite catch, Zhong Yin condensed the moisture within. The vapor settled and shimmered like a pool of light, clear enough to reflect a face.

“Water Mirror Technique?”

By now, Li Xun’s eye for these things had improved greatly. He’d seen the genuine technique firsthand from Yan Shuiyue, so he recognized it instantly.

Zhongyin chuckled. “That’s right. Controlling heat is everything in alchemy. But I’ve got to catch these fog newts and monitor the flame at the same time. Honestly, it’s exhausting. Since you’re here, you can help me watch the fire.”

The surface of the mirror rippled and revealed a clear view of the alchemy room inside the bamboo hut.

While pointing out key points in controlling the furnace’s flame, Zhong Yin also taught Li Xun how to manipulate the mirror. Thankfully, Li Xun was quick on the uptake and picked it up in no time.

Zhong Yin didn’t hold back on praise. After giving him a compliment, he added, “Since you’re helping me refine pills today, I can’t let you work for free. I’ll go ahead and pass this Water Mirror Technique on to you. It might come in handy someday.”

Li Xun didn’t think much of the Water Mirror Technique. It didn’t seem all that special. But of course, he didn’t show it. He just grinned and accepted it cheerfully.

Noticing his expression, Zhong Yin gave a faint smile. “My version of the Water Mirror Technique is nothing compared to the divine art used by the Water Mirror Sect. Things like seeing thousands of miles away? Don’t even think about it. But it is quite safe. With a bit of preparation, it’s very hard for anyone to detect the mirror’s presence.”

Li Xun’s heart stirred. He suddenly recalled what had happened back in the Forbidden Palace vault. How He Mulan had sensed the presence of the water mirror trap set by Yin Wanderer.

But Zhong Yin wasn’t usually the type to promote himself like this. Was there a deeper meaning behind it?

Li Xun looked carefully, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

Zhong Yin simply passed on the incantation for setting up the Water Mirror, along with a few restrictions and protective measures. It wasn’t particularly complicated.

Except...

“Three hundred Qi transformations in the blink of an eye. And it has to be performed with a yin technique?”

By now, Li Xun was well-versed in restrictive techniques, and with just one glance, he spotted the core difficulty. All he could do was give a helpless smile.

“Immortal Master, aren’t you overestimating me a bit? I understand the method, but I don’t have the skill to pull it off. Realistically, I’d need a few hundred years before I could manage something like this.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Zhong Yin actually looked surprised. He thought for a moment, then smiled again. “True ,without reaching the True Person realm, this technique really is difficult. But don’t sell yourself short. With your talent and the combined techniques from several sects, it won’t take you nearly that long to reach it...

“In the meantime, you can practice using the formations I’ve already set up in the bamboo hut. They’re a good place to start.”

Li Xun smiled wryly at first, but in the next moment, his smile froze on his face.

He swallowed hard and looked over at Zhong Yin.

Zhong Yin didn’t turn around, but Li Xun couldn’t shake the feeling that some invisible gaze had already pierced through every defense he had, reaching deep into the most private corners of his heart.

He froze for a long moment before finally muttering, “The combined techniques from several sects…”

Zhong Yin didn’t respond. Instead, he said calmly, “Stay focused. Watch the flame carefully. This is the critical stage of the pill. We can’t afford to lose the catalyst now.”

At that, Li Xun grinned bitterly.

So it was true. Everything he’d suspected had turned out to be true.

He should be panicking. Or maybe he ought to just throw himself off the edge of this cliff.

But instead, his mind settled, oddly calm, without any real reason.

He glanced at Zhong Yin’s thin, stooped back, then turned his gaze to the flame in the water mirror, just as Zhong Yin had instructed.

As the smoke around the alchemy furnace rose and fell in a steady rhythm, Li Xun’s breathing gradually faded into something quiet and threadlike, until it all but disappeared. No inhale, no exhale, just stillness.

“It’s ready.”

With his confirmation, Zhong Yin gave the long fishing rod a flick. The silk line whipped through the air in a graceful arc, and in the mirror, Li Xun saw the lid of the pill furnace lift ever so slightly, then settle again. A faint pop echoed from within.

“It’s done,” Zhong Yin said as he casually tossed the rod off the cliff and stood, brushing off his robe.

Li Xun stood up as well. But just as his knees straightened, something struck him.

He kept his back straight, but let his knees fold again, dropping into a kneel.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. In front of Zhong Yin, what was the point of saying anything at all?

He bowed his head, unable to see Zhong Yin’s expression.

He simply heard him say in his usual tone: “The timing was just right in this round of alchemy... And you did well too, watching the fire and reading the moment, it was right on point.”

Of course. He knew everything.

Oddly enough, when his most private secret was exposed, Li Xun didn’t panic. On the contrary, he felt even calmer, like his heart was beating slower than when he cultivated.

Following proper etiquette, he bent at the waist, bowed low, and respectfully touched his forehead to the ground. Each word was clear and steady: “Please, Sixth Martial Granduncle, show mercy.”

Zhong Yin was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Get up.”

Li Xun knocked his head to the ground once more, then rose to his feet.

Zhong Yin said nothing else. With his hands clasped behind his back, he stepped down from the Cliffside Terrace. Li Xun followed quietly behind him.

“There were some things I didn’t plan on addressing,” said Zhong Yin, “but you were bold enough to use my name. That, I didn’t expect.”

He paused, then chuckled. “The Xingtian Judgment Sword... not a bad name, actually.”

Even with his mind as calm as it was, hearing that made a chill run through Li Xun’s heart.

If Zhong Yin had heard the name ‘Xingtian Judgment Sword’, that meant...

Zhong Yin clearly read his thoughts. He shook his head. “You really underestimate First Senior Brother. He became head of the sect for a reason. It was his meticulous and level-headed judgment that got him there. He favors you, yes, but that doesn’t mean he’s blind to everything you do.

“His attention to detail is different from yours. He’s able to stay consistent in both words and actions. Take this time, for example. He might not have actually suspected you, but he still asked a question, deliberately or not. If I hadn’t covered for you, how would you have answered? In this respect, you’re still far behind.”

Li Xun broke into a cold sweat, but accepted the lesson with respectful humility.

“You still don’t get it. From the very day you returned to the sect, you’ve exposed far too many flaws,” Zhong Yin continued, paying no attention to the subtle changes in Li Xun’s expression. “Your injuries, your cultivation, your meridians. Those are three hard weaknesses you’ll never be able to fully hide.

“First, the injury. You took a direct hit to the chest from the Bi Ling Palm. With that kind of yin fire seeping in, the damage should’ve centered on the heart aperture. An excess of heart-fire would’ve affected the lung meridian. That part you managed decently. But why was your spleen meridian damaged too? According to the meridian connections in the Lingxi Art, there’s no such pathway.

“Second, your cultivation. When you left the mountain, your foundation was solid. But when you returned, your strength had soared. And yet your energy was scattered, not consolidated. Your qi sea was unstable, and even your Golden Core in the Yellow Court contains impure qi. That’s a clear sign of over-reinforcement or a forced transformation of your true breath.

“If you had truly advanced through steady training, this kind of imbalance would never have happened. And if it came from some fortunate encounter, why not just say so?

“Lastly, your bones, muscles, and meridians. You’ve practiced the Bone-Meridian Heartlink Technique, so you should know this too. But let me give you a warning. The Blood God Child Scripture may be a top-tier demonic technique, and yes, it has its unique benefits for refining the body. But until your cultivation is strong enough to conceal its effects, you’d better stop cultivating it.”

Here’s a faithful and fluid translation, written in a natural, easy-to-read American English style that still preserves the tone, nuance, and subtle emotional shifts in the original:“It’s fine up to the level of ‘Unmoving Evil Heart.’ But if you push it any further, that blood stench will be strong enough to carry for miles. And that’s not the only problem; it’ll also worsen the Yinfire Pearl lodged in your heart aperture.”

Li Xun was already drenched in sweat halfway through listening.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, hearing these deeply personal and dangerous secrets listed out one by one still left his mind reeling.

What hit hardest was that Zhong Yin wasn’t pointing out flaws that could only be discovered with some supernatural insight. These were visible patterns. Subtle, yes, but apparent to anyone with eyes. And from the way Zhong Yin said it, Li Xun understood exactly what he meant.

Without realizing it, he stopped walking, frozen in place.

Zhong Yin didn’t acknowledge it, but he did stop walking too, as if giving him the space.

“These aren’t glaring flaws,” Zhong Yin continued. “Maybe First Senior Brother doesn’t think much of them. But he’s a careful man, and once something is on his mind, he’ll feel it in his bones. These small cracks, if they pile up day after day, might one day spark his suspicion. Still, you were clever enough to use me as your cover.”

Something had changed in Zhong Yin’s tone. It was subtle, but different from before. And Li Xun caught it. He knew the time had come to speak honestly.

He drew in a long breath and said steadily,

“Only today did I realize how many disasters you’ve already shielded me from, without me even knowing it. If not for that, I might not still be alive.

“But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Surely Immortal Master didn’t do all this just because I happen to be talented?”

....

Tler: we're only five chapters out from the end of Part One. How do you think it's going to end?