Because Li Xun needed to keep adjusting the flow of his qi at any moment, he stayed seated in the cloud carriage. Whenever inspiration struck, he would jot things down or make revisions. Though it kept him busy, watching his work grow from nothing into something, little by little taking shape, filled him with joy.

Thanks to this cloud carriage, he could finally be certain that, after absorbing the knowledge from Mist-Hidden Pavilion, his cultivation in restrictive arts had firmly stepped into an entirely new realm.

That profound experience of bringing forth something out of nothing, of letting one change lead to countless transformations, along with the effortless harmony with nature... it was something he had long desired but never been able to grasp before.

Only now could he, with complete confidence, say that he stood shoulder to shoulder with the very best masters of restrictive arts alive today.

Just as he was enjoying this thought, he suddenly felt someone tugging at his sleeve. Turning back, he saw it was Ying Ning, the orphan girl, gazing at him with eyes full of the purest admiration.

No one could resist such a look from a young girl, especially when Ying Ning herself was so strikingly beautiful.

While tinkering with the cloud carriage earlier, he had also heard Ling Ji mention a few things about her. He learned that her parents had once been a pair of rogue cultivators who cultivated dual cultivation together. They hadn’t been especially obsessed with ascending to immortality. Instead, they had roamed this world, enjoying a carefree life.

That was why they had been willing to spend some of their strength to bring Ying Ning into the world.

Life for the family of three had been happy enough.

But a few months ago, Ying Ning was recognized by a cultivator as having the rarest of physiques in the Tongxuan Realm—the Primordial Embryo Dao Body. From that moment, disaster fell upon them.

Countless people coveted the pure essence of such a body, refined through countless trials yet flawless and untainted.

Even though no one openly spread the news, wave after wave of rogue cultivators came. Over a hundred in all. Ying Ning’s parents eventually could no longer hold out.

It was then, by chance, that Ling Ji and his companions passed through while training outside. Their group still included Master Mingde at the time. Once they understood what was happening, they struck back, driving away the attackers and saving the family for the moment.

They had intended to escort them to a safer place, but Ying Ning’s parents, wary and unwilling to rely on others, left again with their daughter.

Just a few days later, which was actually earlier today, the same greedy cultivators found them once more. After a desperate struggle, Ying Ning’s parents were killed, their bodies left in pieces. Only Ying Ning survived. Ling Ji’s group happened upon the scene as they were hurrying back to their sect, lent aid again, and that was the moment Li Xun had just witnessed.

To Li Xun, the girl’s fate was truly tragic. Alone in the world, yet gifted with the most fitting body for cultivation, she was surely not a seedling the sect elders would ever let slip away. He imagined that once they returned to the mountain, it wouldn’t be long before he’d be calling her Junior Sister Ying Ning.

So he smiled gently and said in a kindly tone, “Ying Ning, is something the matter?”

Her pale lips pressed together, as if she were making some difficult decision.

Li Xun could feel her grip on the corner of his robe tighten.

Then he heard her say, “Master Li, I want to…”

Li Xun quickly waved his hand. “I don’t dare accept such a title. Just call me by my name. If you want to be a bit more formal, ‘Daoist’ will do. And if you’d like, you can even call me Senior Brother…”

What a joke. Surrounded by so many of his sect disciples, if word of that title spread, where would it leave the other immortal masters?

Having spent years switching between two identities, Li Xun was always cautious about such details. For safety’s sake, he couldn’t allow himself to act as casually as he once had within the demonic sect.

When Ying Ning heard this, she lowered her head. But almost at once she gathered her courage, lifted her gaze, and said with firm solemnity, “Daoist Li, I want… I want to become your disciple. Will you accept me?”

Not only did Li Xun’s eyes fly wide open, but even the fellow disciples flying nearby on their swords were left gaping in astonishment.

No matter how he tried to make sense of it, Li Xun had never imagined that Ying Ning would say such a thing. Shocked, he found himself utterly at a loss.

He gave a wry smile. “Take me as your master? I haven’t even perfected my own cultivation yet. How could I possibly teach you?”

Ying Ning clutched his robe tightly and shook her head hard. “No, you're really powerful!”

Her words said “powerful,” but what she really meant was “the most amazing.” Li Xun understood that well enough, though it left him both amused and exasperated.

In his mind, it was probably because he had shown up at just the right moment, leaving her with a strong first impression. Then he built the cloud carriage, which made her mistakenly believe he was not only skilled in this field, but perhaps even the strongest in the entire sect.

Under the sympathetic or teasing looks of his fellow disciples, Li Xun hurried to explain. He told Ying Ning that on Lianxia Mountain, beneath the sect master Qingming alone, there were countless famous experts, many far more suited to be her master. He, by contrast, was one of the most unremarkable among them. Choosing the wrong master, he warned, could ruin her whole future.

But when a young girl sets her mind to something, her stubbornness can be downright unreasonable.

No matter how he tried to persuade her, she refused to budge. She was determined. Only he could be her master. No one else would do.

To Ling Ji and the others, the whole affair was an unexpectedly delightful comedy. And laughing all the way, they soon reached the borders of Lianxia Mountain.

By now Li Xun’s mouth was dry, and he almost wished he could turn back into Hundred Ghosts , grab Ying Ning by the collar without another word, and toss her straight in front of Daoist Qingming.

As the evening glow spread brilliantly across the horizon and the bell for evening lessons rang out from Zhiguan Peak, echoing high into the clouds, Li Xun let out a long sigh. Holding Ying Ming’s small hand, he leapt down from the cloud carriage.

In a sense, it was the declaration of his failure after hours of effort.

How many years had it been since he last tasted this kind of defeat?

By then, disciples of the sect had already rushed over. They tended to the wounded and sent word that Wenhai and Li Xun were to meet with the sect master.

With that excuse, Li Xun finally escaped Ying Ning’s persistence. Relieved as if pardoned from a heavy sentence, he handed her over to the care of a senior sister, then set off with Wenhai toward Zhiguan Peak.

In recent years, Qingming had been cultivating in seclusion at the Undawned Clarity Hall. Both Wenhai and Li Xun knew this well. Without needing anyone to lead them, they rode their swords to Zhiguan Peak, then descended outside the hall to show respect, entering on foot.

For Li Xun, this small Daoist hall stirred complicated feelings.

It was here, years ago, that he had formally become a disciple of the Mingxin Sword Sect. And it was here that he first met Qingming and his master... who had long since perished.

Back then, every step felt like walking on thin ice, always on edge and unsure. Now, to come and go with such calm confidence. This is the wonder of life.

Stepping through the main gate, the first thing that caught the eye before the central hall was a long sword, sheath and all, driven half a foot deep into the ground.

The blade stood upright, its shape simple and old-fashioned. Aside from the odd way it was embedded, there was nothing unusual about it. Yet when Li Xun and his companion passed by, both paused to offer a half-bow, a gesture of respect.

It wasn’t done out of formality.

They both knew very well what this sword had meant in the hands of its former master, and how highly it was revered.

It was the Voidslayer Sword, the very one Zhong Yin had once wielded to uphold justice across the world, to defeat the vermilion Hook Sect, to destroy theNether Star Formation of the Underworld Monarch Sect, to shake the Heavenly Sword Sect, to storm across the stars. With it, he was unstoppable.

When Zhong Yin ascended to the heavens, he used his supreme power to turn the sword into a rainbow of light, sending it plunging into this very spot at Zhiguan Peak. Sixty-two years have passed since then.

The Ninefold Restrictions of Lianxia Mountain were built around this sword, layer upon layer, weaving together countless streams of qi, with power enough to shift mountains and overturn seas.

This was the legacy Zhong Yin left behind for the Mingxin Sword Sect.

After the two finished their bow and looked up, they were startled to see Qingming already standing before the main hall, smiling at them without anyone knowing when he had arrived.

They hurried to bow again, but Qingming raised a hand to stop them.

Sixty years meant little to someone who had walked the Dao. Time had left no trace on him. Only his eyes seemed deeper than before.

Qingming summoned the two over, not for any urgent business, but simply to hear the details of what had happened at the foot of the mountain. Wenhai spoke first, recounting everything that had taken place.

From time to time, Li Xun filled in certain details.

Qingming paid close attention to the death of Ox Warrior, asking about it with great care. To Li Xun, it felt like he posed more questions on this single matter than on Wenhai’s account of the entire incident.

Although Li Xun had come prepared, he still found it hard to keep up with Qingming’s pointed and practical questions. Fortunately, he managed without slipping up.

When Qingming was done, he said nothing more. Yet Li Xun had the distinct sense that he had already drawn his own conclusions from what was said.

Of course, so long as it didn’t involve him, Li Xun had no desire to know what those conclusions were.

In the end, Wenhai mentioned, half in jest, that Ying Ning wanted to become Li Xun’s disciple. He only meant it as a joke, but to his surprise, Qingming took it seriously.

“Take on a disciple? Why not,” Qingming said with an easy smile, stroking his beard as if it were nothing at all.

“If you, Xun’er, can bring in the sect’s very first fourth-generation disciple, I’d be glad to see it. Setting other matters aside, your path in restrictive arts was born from this sect, yet you’ve taken it in a fresh direction and shaped it into something of your own. Perhaps it isn’t enough to start a school of its own, but to teach and pass on your skills is more than fitting.”

Li Xun hurried to protest that he didn’t dare, still thinking Qingming was joking. But Qingming’s next words left him speechless.

“It’s just that taking her as a disciple right now would be too hasty. The girl has good natural talent, but her heart is not yet steady. We can’t rush it. Wenhai, make arrangements. Have her join the new initiates in hauling water and clearing the mountains. If she can endure that; be it for one year, or three, then we’ll let her formally take a master.”

“Master…” Li Xun began.

Qingming cut him off with a wave of his hand. “Xun’er, you must understand, for those who follow the Dao, fate comes first. Since the girl has chosen you, that bond alone should not be taken lightly. Of course, if she cannot pass the first trial, or if, after some time, she forgets the whole idea, then it simply means Heaven has other plans. We’ll deal with it then, and it will be no loss.”

Qingming’s arrangement covered every angle. Li Xun still felt reluctant, but he could find no words to argue. All he could do was agree.