Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1251 Junping
The desert.

The platform was dazzling with light, and colors surged between the pavilions. A man in crimson sat upright on the jade platform, his hands forming a mudra in front of his lower abdomen. Behind him, it seemed as if endless flames were burning. All sorts of phenomena converged and fell upon him.

Between his two palms, which were clasped together, lay a treasure resembling a golden elixir, surrounded by golden threads and blazing with divine power.

Since returning from Baiyedu Immortal Path, Li Jiangqian finally had time to cultivate, so he returned to this desert and cultivated on the Seeking Evil Platform.

The [Fire Seeking Evil Spirit Array] is rich in spiritual energy. Although it is not as rich as the one in the world where the sun and moon shine together, which makes cultivation twice as effective, it is quite effective because it has a certain degree of nourishment for the virtue of fire. More importantly, there is the [Double Fire Brightness Instrument] in his hand!
The [Double Fire Brightness Instrument] was obtained by Li Zhouwei from Wanling Heaven. He has made many achievements with it. Whenever this treasure is used, it can lock the opponent's spiritual weapon, thus creating an opportunity for battle. However, this spiritual treasure has a wonderful [Dao Gong], which is used to assist in the cultivation of the True and False Daos. It has not been used for many years, and it only helped him when he broke through to the Purple Mansion.

Now that he has calmed his mind and focused on cultivation, he finally understands just how powerful this wondrous path is!

'Once this wondrous response occurs, the treasure will immediately resonate with and interact with the supernatural powers within the body. If various grand formations and spiritual energies merely accelerate cultivation, this wondrous technique assists in enhancing and expanding those powers!'

If these external enhancements can only increase the speed of cultivating supernatural abilities by one or two levels, then the spiritual treasure is simply another source of rising sun to assist supernatural abilities. The two are simply incomparable!

'This is truly a treasure for imparting knowledge and skills!'

He had seen Li Quewan's magical treasure before and thought that the [Double Fire and Double Brightness] was far inferior, but now that he had truly experienced its wonder, he was overjoyed.

'This treasure is both offensive and defensive, and it will greatly aid my cultivation. It's also a supreme treasure meticulously crafted by a great lineage; even if it's slightly inferior, the difference won't be significant!'

In this way, he became so engrossed in cultivation that he found it difficult to extricate himself. Time seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye, and more than five hundred days passed like flowing water. When he reluctantly opened his eyes, he already had a rough estimate in his mind.

'When I first emerged from seclusion, I estimated that nurturing this divine ability would require at least fifteen years of closed-door cultivation. But that Separation Fruit was a valuable item for those in the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, crucial for advancing to the Purple Realm, and it greatly helped me. Now… I've actually completed its refinement!'

He has been cultivating his Purple Mansion for sixteen years now. If he were to cultivate in seclusion every day, he could already begin working on his second divine ability. However, he was delayed for a few years due to his busy schedule of fighting and combat. Fortunately, he has the assistance of spiritual treasures. At his current pace, in another year or two, he will nurture this divine ability to perfection. Yet, he is still not satisfied and displays a rather ambitious attitude:
"In that case, we can start preparing the spiritual energy for the next divine power!"

So he stood up, stepped out into the night, and saw that the high platform was dotted with silver light. A middle-aged man dressed in a fur coat was leaning against the steps, holding a golden pot in his hand, looking relaxed and at ease.

"Senior Liu!"

Li Jiangqian smiled, a hint of surprise in his eyes as he looked at him, and asked:
"What a leisurely and refined taste!"

Seeing him come out, Liu Changdie smiled slightly and said:
"Your Highness! My immortal foundation reached perfection a few months ago! I came out to see the scenery before going into seclusion."

Li Jiangqian was shocked—Liu Changdie had only obtained the cultivation technique two years ago. He had no talismanic energy to nourish him, no spiritual treasures or pills to assist him, and no grotto-heaven to cultivate in. In fact, most of the spiritual energy in this formation was offered to the main hall where Li Jiangqian was cultivating!
The young man made no attempt to hide his admiration, saying:
"So fast!"

"It's natural."

Liu Changdie wasn't surprised and smiled:
"It's not my skill. My talent isn't particularly good; I just had a stroke of luck in my early years... This immortal foundation is called 'Heavenly Perfection,' which is the path to the great achievement of the 'Golden Qi' realm. It fell before my 'Golden Treasury'... so naturally, it's a perfect match!"

His smile appeared relaxed and at ease.

"I only condensed six cycles. After putting this energy in, the supernatural powers in my body started to operate on their own. I didn't need to cultivate. I jumped one level every month, and in a year, I condensed the foundation of immortality on my own."

Liu Changdie took a sip of wine and smiled:

"Don't be fooled by my seemingly idle sitting here. The immortal foundation within my body is changing every day. I only secluded myself for half a year, and it has already reached perfection on its own... Ordinary cultivators go through countless hardships to cultivate supernatural powers, but I reckon that once this thing is elevated to the Ascending Yang realm, I think I'll achieve supernatural powers even if I don't!"

Although he was smiling, Li Jiangqian sighed inwardly:
"That's true... a dead-end road is the fastest way to get through..."

Liu Changdie immediately stood up, took two steps forward, and said solemnly:

"But I have good news to tell Your Highness."

Li Jiangqian raised an eyebrow and said:
"Senior, please speak!"

Liu Changdie pulled him into the hall, closed the door tightly, and then walked to the table. With a flick of his wrist, the gleaming, thin-sliced ​​magical treasure appeared before him. The middle-aged man said solemnly:
"As my immortal foundation is completed, the connection between the [Mysterious Treasury Request Letter] and me has become increasingly close, and it is faintly intertwined with the aura within my body... becoming more intimate day by day."

"It seems that this spiritual treasure... is meant to be cultivated and used in this way."

Li Jiangqian immediately understood and asked in confusion:

"Qi Ku... fellow cultivator?"

"Not bad!"

Liu Changdie's expression was solemn, as if he had long harbored doubts, and he said in a low voice:

"This item not only possesses the wondrous power of the Treasury Gold, but also the wondrous power of the Qi Gold, making it extremely complex. I estimate that if a cultivator were to cultivate both the Treasury Gold and Qi Gold, and then possess this spiritual treasure, it might unleash earth-shattering power."

He sighed:
"Although I can still sense it now, I can clearly feel that I am a step behind... Unfortunately, my cultivation is now locked up, and I will never have the chance to try again."

Li Jiangqian hesitated for a few moments, then asked:

"I've heard my sister mention how powerful this treasure is, but I've heard so much about its earth-shattering power... I wonder what it looks like exactly."

A strange glint appeared in Liu Changdie's eyes as he said:

"It's hard to say right now. I'll have to wait until I've mastered my supernatural powers and slowly connect with this magical treasure. But if my deduction is correct... I'm afraid I can be of great help to King Wei in the upcoming North-South war!"

"Oh? It was inflicted on someone else?"

Li Jiangqian's expression turned serious.

This Senior Liu is not one to exaggerate; if even he is so certain, this magical treasure must be extraordinary. Li Jiangqian secretly noted this down and whispered:
"Senior, come with me to the lake."

Liu Changdie frowned and said:

"As a result, the desert is empty."

The Li family has quite a few people now, but Chengqian has returned to the mountain gate to handle the funeral and won't be back for a while. There was also Kuang Hongyin Juexi, but this master only came after hearing about the disaster on the lake. Two years ago, when the situation stabilized, he returned to Qu Si to take pills and practice his skills. Li Jiangqian agrees with this point very much - after all, their own situation is dangerous, and without some skills, they may not be able to stand firm!

'This melody also comes from an ancient lineage, containing many unorthodox techniques. Even if he could only master one or two tenths of it, it would still be of great use.'

Li Jiangqian simply smiled and said:

"Senior, please go ahead. I'll come back and guard this part of the desert."

Liu Changdie seemed lost in thought for a moment, and Li Jiangqian also had many thoughts on his mind:
"Senior Liu hasn't yet mastered his second supernatural power. Jin Yi made it very clear; Jin Yi only protected him because his path was blocked. Now is the most dangerous time. If we leave him alone here, Chang Huai, or someone else, could use their cunning to harm him and also cause trouble for our family!"

Although Jin Yi had already spoken, and the danger was no longer significant, he wouldn't jeopardize his own interests by jeopardizing the tacit agreement between the two families. Even with the slightest risk, Li Jiangqian refused to take it. He simply checked the location to confirm that no one was guarding the void, then immediately rode the wind with Liu Changdie to the lake, where he apologized:
"I'll have to trouble you to stay in the dense forest for a while, senior."

"It doesn't matter, my current cultivation of immortal foundation is the same no matter where I am."

Without much hesitation, Li Jiangqian immediately turned around and rode away on fire. After only three steps, he saw that the flames on Zhijing Mountain were raging and the atmosphere was soaring into the sky!
He secretly praised in his heart:

"When Taishu opened the furnace, he sent word that it would take anywhere from three to five years, or even seven or eight years. Judging from the current state of the furnace and the powerful flames, he's making it very easy for him, so I won't disturb him."

Li Jiangqian's original intention was to ask Li Ximing to exchange for a copy of the "Li Huo" cultivation technique. After all, the Golden Feather Sect had already solved the problem of his younger sister's cultivation technique and arranged for people to go down and collect Qi, so there was no need to worry. However, he still had no solution.

'But neither Father nor Great-Uncle can be free for just one or two years. If it drags on for several more years, it will only make things worse.'

For now, he had no choice but to switch back to the spirit fire and return to the continent. Once in the heart of the world, he made his way up to the Upper Heavenly Pavilion. Looking around at the moonlit lanterns and the blue stone pavilions displayed all around, he sighed inwardly:

'This is the Shanghuan Pavilion. People have fought tooth and nail, scheming for countless years, just for a single cultivation technique, which we can obtain effortlessly… We don't need to worry about having our Dao inheritance controlled by others.'

If it weren't for Shanghuan Pavilion, the Li family would have had to do the same thing countless times as Ji'an had so earnestly asked for help back then!

Li Jiangqian entered the room himself, but he never expected that such a precious place would appear so simple and unadorned. He observed carefully before focusing his gaze on the scroll of purple paper, closing his eyes to contemplate its meaning:

'It mainly consists of cultivation techniques and spells...mostly upright and proper, appearing to be mostly from the Middle Ages or recent times, with no unorthodox witchcraft or incantations...'

He looked around and nodded to himself.

'That's right, there's no [Summoning Technique for Concealing the Beam and Hiding the Mystery]...not even a whole category of unorthodox techniques like [The Ultimate Technique for Evolving the Sleeve].'

Seeing this, Li Jiangqian understood the situation and immediately began to imagine another goal for herself:
'The Method of Walking in the Void…'

Upon taking a look, he couldn't help but gasp inwardly—there were quite a few, and the cheapest of them all was the [Instantaneous Movement Technique], which required a full nine hundred and ninety-nine immortal cultivation points!
'It's just as expensive as the method of creating the Great Void! It's only a little over a hundred immortal cultivation points cheaper than the lowest-level method, the [Empty Chamber Refinement Method].'

His thoughts gradually changed:
"In that case, it would be more cost-effective to obtain it from the mortal world, just like the art of construction. My family has had quite a bit of contact with the Great Dao lineage, so it wouldn't be difficult to get a copy. We can see how things go and exchange it for a better one when we have more immortal cultivation in the future."

After roughly browsing through it, he then looked at his own lineage:

"I have mastered 'Separation from Fire' and 'The Great Separation Book.' The remaining two are life-related divine abilities, one technique-related divine ability, and one body-related divine ability..."

Li Huo possesses many life-related supernatural abilities, and according to the usual practice of cultivation, Li Jiangqian's next supernatural ability will naturally fall on the life-related supernatural ability:

It's either "being in a favorable position" or "following the lead of peace."

There's no need to overthink it. No matter how confident Li Jiangqian is, he wouldn't put his life-saving supernatural power into cultivating his own divination skills. By cultivating one aspect ahead of time, the path ahead would be relatively smoother.

So he picked up a few cultivation manuals and read them carefully, and soon he had a clear understanding:
"The 'Position Following Luo' should be a very orthodox path within the 'Li Fire' path, just like the 'Position Following Special' of the True Wood and the 'Position Following Danger' of the Kan Water. It has the significance of the fundamental path and is a relatively pure divine power of destiny."

“The ‘Shunping Tax’ is different.”

Li Jiangqian had almost never heard of this supernatural ability outside the palace, but it was clearly described in most of the books in the Shanghuan Pavilion:
"This supernatural power leans towards offense. Although it is a life-based supernatural power, it has a strong resemblance to magical supernatural powers. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that life and magic are integrated, and it even possesses the offensive aura of controlling all places..."

Whether it's life-related supernatural powers, body-related supernatural powers, or even the eye-related supernatural powers often mentioned by cultivators in the north, they all essentially originate from the cultivators' naming conventions. In reality, supernatural powers are only responsible to the level of attainment, and there are many mixtures among them, making it difficult to distinguish clearly.

But Li Jiangqian had quite a few ideas.

'My future path is still unclear. The 'Fire of Separation' is good, but if it cannot lead to enlightenment, it is nothing!'

His eyes gradually cleared:

"If it's the remaining path, then naturally there's no need to think too much; just practice one after another until you succeed, or you die. But if there's a leap path, then we need to consider it more carefully. 'Li Huo' is inherently close to 'Ming Yang.' If Father attains enlightenment, I'm very likely to want the leap Ming Yang, which means I'll have to cultivate four Li Huo divine abilities, and I'll have to give up one of them... As for which one to give up, that's something very worth considering."

"The 'Position from Luo' is the most orthodox Li Fire supernatural power; it can be cultivated at any time. However, 'Shunping Zheng'... judging from its name, it carries the intent of an emperor's conquest; observing its methods, it reveals a desire to enter the world and cause destruction. It must be a manifestation of the close relationship between Li Fire and Bright Sun!"

The young man paced back and forth in the pavilion a few steps, his expression gradually calming down:
"The 'Great Separation Book' is the 'Sunrise Narrative,' at least related to the Three Yangs, and the first step wasn't wrong... This second path should also be the 'Smooth and Peaceful Expedition'!"

He made up his mind, yet remained very cautious:
"Father's cultivation in the Mingyang Dao is high; we should ask him about this. However, he's been too busy these past few years. Let's first obtain the Qi Gathering Technique and have someone gather Qi. We can ask him again when Father emerges from seclusion, just to be on the safe side!"

Li Jiangqian had many thoughts on his mind. Even though he didn't know much about Runyu's matter, he still made the best choice at the moment, relying on his cultivation of the Dao Purple Mansion and the complete and abundant Daoist scriptures in the Shanghuan Pavilion that he could choose freely!

"I still have the [Mingzhen Heshen Pill] at home, my life force is strong, and I also have the [Chonghuo Liangmingyi] at my disposal. With both methods combined, the chances of achieving success in one go are not small..."

"I haven't taken any pills for the Purple Mansion Realm yet. Judging from the effects of what my great-uncle took back then, it's not much worse than when I was at the Foundation Establishment Realm... Once I've mastered the third supernatural power, I'll spend some time in seclusion taking it, and I can immediately connect to the third supernatural power!"

As for the supernatural abilities and cultivation techniques condensed from the talismanic energy, Li Jiangqian had no intention of using them for the time being, but ambitiously made arrangements:
'The further along it goes, the better…it could even be placed in the fourth supernatural power…achieved in an instant, allowing one to immediately attain the Five Laws.'