Chapter 14

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The moon sank and the crows cried, as the sun’s radiance once again illuminated the world—more than a year had passed. The busy days witnessed the passage of time through Leli’s ceaseless day and night cultivation. The spiritual energy in her dantian accumulated steadily; the ice flower grew ever harder and sharper, and her divine awareness expanded outward. She wielded the Hongming Blade, its gleam like a chant, the sharp edge glowing red. Even the new batch of Red Sun Grass in her spiritual field resonated with the vitality in her life, flourishing alongside her.

Han Yongnian felt this vibrant energy as well. Since he began practicing the blade in sync with Leli, his mindset quietly shifted, as if returning to many years ago. Back then, in his youth, everything he saw brimmed with hope, as if simply stepping forward and exerting enough effort would guarantee success. The vigor and spirit that surged with such determination was incomparable.

With a blade in hand and the Way in heart, the heart and blade intertwined. The blade’s edge slashed through all past memories, pointing toward the vast mortal world. Within his chest seemed to dwell myriad breaths, eager to break through stone, to shatter darkness and find light. Han Yongnian spun in the air, his blade intent swirling like countless rivers converging at a sea mouth, their roaring torrents finding direction. At this moment, the myriad breaths surged upward to his throat, and a long roar burst forth from his mouth, majestic as a dragon, earth-shattering.

In an instant, Mount Qianyuan trembled and shook, startling Lin Pei, who shot out of his cave dwelling to urgently investigate. Yu Sulan, He Kun, and Zheng Fang were dazed by the sudden commotion but quickly regained composure and hurried out of the courtyard. The various peaks of the sect trembled upon sensing the disturbance; numerous Golden Core masters leapt into the air to investigate, their divine senses sweeping the sky.

Leli was using a six-petal ice flower to refine her divine awareness. Already dizzy, the surge of momentum hit her chest like a wave; she coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. The blood splattered across her chest, seeping through her clothes onto the jade lock pendant, which suddenly trembled and emitted a humming sound, radiating pale jade light that slipped up from her neck.

At the same time, the identical jade lock in her waist pouch hummed in resonance, as if responding. It broke free from the spatial confines of the pouch and flew to her chest. The two jade locks gently touched, miraculously merging into one. In the next moment, a flash of spiritual light shot out from the lock and entered her spiritual palace at her brow.

Leli stared in shock at the scene before her. Suddenly, she seemed to smell the crisp, pure fragrance of Mingting incense. Her soul instantly cleared, and an enormous courtyard appeared in her mind’s eye. The courtyard was three times the size of the Purple Bamboo Courtyard, though the houses were similar in scale and layout. A deep pond was dug within, with a pavilion by its edge and jade stone paving—clearly a place for cultivation. There was also a large spiritual field, at least half an acre.

Yet the houses were dilapidated, the spiritual fields barren, and the pond had long since dried up, as if left unattended for ages, covered in dust. Leli’s divine sense reached out, clearly perceiving the houses and touching the spiritual fields. She quickly probed the spiritual palace and discovered a tiny threadlike jade lock deep within her soul, filling her with overwhelming joy.

The two jade locks were indeed treasures. After merging, they contained a personal space within. With a thought, she vanished from her spot into the jade lock’s space, walking a few steps firmly on the ground. Another thought returned her to the room. The transitions were silent, leaving no trace of spiritual fluctuations.

Leli’s heart raced with excitement, but she forced calm upon herself, circulating spiritual energy to steady her emotions. She tore off the silver chain from her neck, swiftly cleaning the bloodstains from her body, then swallowed a healing pill to soothe the pain in her chest. Hastily, she left the courtyard to check on the situation. After such a tremendous commotion, remaining inside would clearly be inappropriate.

Stepping outside, Leli sensed a dense surge of spiritual energy rushing toward one place. She was both surprised and joyful: the energy was headed straight for her master’s cave. This was unmistakably the sound of a breakthrough!

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Leli immediately activated her Flying Smoke Steps and hurried up the peak, where she saw Senior Uncle Lin Pei standing with Yu Sulan, He Kun, and Zheng Fang behind him. He Kun and Zheng Fang served closely alongside Han Yongnian and Lin Pei. Though their ranks were unclear, they were practically acknowledged disciples.

“Senior Uncle, Master is breaking through!” Leli called out excitedly as she approached.

Lin Pei turned with a smile and nodded. “Indeed. Your master has finally broken through after long accumulation.”

Yu Sulan, He Kun, and Zheng Fang all smiled warmly. “Congratulations, Junior Sister Leli!”

“Thank you, thank you!” Leli beamed. Truly, today was an excellent day.

The spiritual energy surged violently, stirring up the winds. It took more than an hour before the flow subsided. After some time, the cave’s door burst open and Han Yongnian emerged, eyes sharp as a hawk, walking with the majesty of a dragon and tiger. His previously all-white hair and beard were now streaked with black, turning salt-and-pepper gray.

“Congratulations to Senior Brother, Master, Senior Uncle, and True Immortal on your advancement!” Lin Pei led the congratulatory chorus.

“Well, well, thank you! Cheers, cheers!” Han Yongnian laughed heartily, full of vigor.

Though he had only advanced from mid to late Golden Core stage, the significance was profound. Not only had his lifespan extended by a century, but it also proved his potential to advance further into the Nascent Soul stage. Who wouldn’t be jubilant?

Han Yongnian led the group into the cave, and many Golden Core masters from the sect soon arrived to offer congratulations. The sect leader, Sheng Di, also sent people, making for a lively scene. In the end, only Han Yongnian, Lin Pei, and Leli remained inside.

Han Yongnian directly handed Leli one hundred medium-grade spirit stones. “Today I’m overjoyed. Take these spirit stones for your use.”

Leli’s eyes widened in disbelief. One hundred medium-grade spirit stones—that was worth ten thousand spirit stones in total, most of them fire attribute. Her master’s generosity was overwhelming. She hurried forward, happily accepting them and cheerfully said, “Thank you, Master. I’ll share in your good fortune.”

“Yes, share in my good fortune,” Han Yongnian said delightedly.

His advancement owed much to Leli’s influence. Without this little disciple, he might never have reached a harmonious mindset, nor would he have resumed refining his blade techniques to break through his bottleneck. A reward of one hundred medium-grade spirit stones was hardly excessive.

Unbeknownst to them, this was the very outcome of his past life, where he had exhausted his lifespan at mid Golden Core without advancing due to lack of opportunity.

It is said that a single hair’s movement can shake the entire body; a small butterfly’s wings can stir a hurricane. Leli’s changes had unknowingly altered Han Yongnian’s fate.

Lin Pei, happy for Han Yongnian’s breakthrough, immediately understood the reason for the reward. He took out fifty medium-grade spirit stones and presented them to Leli. “I’m also pleased today. Take these for your use.”

“This? Senior Uncle, I can’t accept so many spirit stones from you,” Leli stepped back, reluctant to take them.

Han Yongnian waved a big hand. “This is Senior Uncle’s gesture. Accept it.”

Hearing this, Leli bowed and accepted them. “Thank you, Senior Uncle!”

“All right, Leli, you may leave now.”

“Disciple takes leave!”

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Leli clutched her storage pouch as she left her master’s cave. She had never possessed so many medium-grade spirit stones during the Qi Refining stage, in either past or present life.

Medium-grade spirit stones, the same size as low-grade ones, contained several times more spiritual energy, purer and more refined. Above them were high-grade spirit stones, each worth a hundred medium-grade stones, with their energy concentration multiplied several times again.

The most precious were top-grade spirit stones, each worth a hundred high-grade ones. Their spiritual energy was unimaginably pure and vast. Even cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage reportedly possessed only a few of these, testifying to their rarity and value.

Thinking of the courtyard in her mind, Leli’s heart surged. She had never seen top-grade spirit stones in her past life. Perhaps this life would grant her such an opportunity.

She hurried back to the Purple Bamboo Courtyard, taking extra care to lay multiple protective formations outside her room before entering the courtyard within the jade lock.

This time, something different happened. Brilliant flashes of light flickered as the dilapidated houses rapidly repaired themselves; the spiritual fields churned, becoming especially fertile and vibrant. Other areas seemed cleansed, shedding their dusty gray hues. The entire courtyard was renewed, as if newly built.

Leli was surprised but remained extremely cautious. With a thought, she exited the space and returned to her room, silently probing with divine sense. She found the courtyard remained pristine, not reverting to ruin upon her departure.

Before entering, she had clearly sensed no other beings, no stray souls or spirit artifacts within the space. She had not brought any special spiritual items inside. So what caused this sudden transformation? It could not have been without reason.

Suddenly, Leli’s eyes shrank as she realized something. She hurriedly opened her storage pouch and let out a despairing cry: “My medium-grade spirit stones!”

Only thirty medium-grade spirit stones remained inside. One hundred and twenty had vanished—equivalent to twelve thousand low-grade spirit stones. The spatial courtyard had quietly consumed them all to repair itself.

Though the courtyard was renewed and beautiful, Leli’s heart twisted painfully. She had not even had time to enjoy the wealth before becoming a passing fortune god.

Her divine sense swept over the renewed courtyard, and she smiled bitterly. At least it had not consumed all the spirit stones; it had spared thirty for her.

At this point, Leli could only grit her teeth and accept it. The medium-grade spirit stones were gone for good. But she reasoned optimistically that the courtyard had been so dilapidated it needed repair. Whether sooner or later, the spirit stones would be spent, and a new courtyard was certainly more pleasant than a ruined one.

Still, unease gnawed at her heart. This habit of the jade lock space was unacceptable. If it could take whatever it liked without asking, what would she do if it claimed something valuable she needed?

Leli gripped her pouch tightly. She had to understand the situation and not let the jade lock space act freely.

For safety, she placed the pouch beneath her pillow, then gathered her thoughts and slipped back into the space.

Inside, the courtyard scene was clear. Extending her divine sense beyond the space, she saw an ordinary jade lock lying where she had previously stood. Her eyes flickered as she approached and pushed open the house door.

The entire house was one large room. On the right stood a bed, bookshelf, desk, and chairs, with a slender painting cabinet beside the desk. On the left was only a meditation cushion on the floor.

The bed was empty, the bookshelf bare, the desk surface clear, except for a solitary scroll inside the painting cabinet.

Leli opened the scroll. Painted upon it were three identical jade locks, with blank spaces left for descriptions of the jade locks themselves.