Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

Master Songhe paused slightly, turned around, and a knowing smile flashed in his eyes: "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, do you wish to ask about that... 'senior' of your Hongxia Dao?"

Li Xiaoyao nodded: "Indeed. As a junior who has just embarked on this path, the road ahead is uncertain. If I could exchange a few words with you, senior, I might gain something."

Master Songhe's smile deepened, even carrying a hint of teasing: "It seems that your composure is much better than I expected, young friend."

"I thought that as soon as I arrived here, you would be eager to ask me about it."

"I didn't expect you to be able to remain calm until the decree was read out, the tokens were handed over, and I was about to leave before you brought it up."

"I almost wanted to tell you myself."

Li Xiaoyao smiled sheepishly: "This junior simply felt that the Immortal Sect's decree was of great importance, and dared not act first."

"It's alright, this is the way to be cautious."

Master Songhe nodded approvingly, then his expression became somewhat subtle.

"It's quite a coincidence. The moment you registered your name and left your seal on the 'True Record of Supernatural Powers: The Void Proof Scroll,' the corresponding jade scroll within the Immortal Sect's mountain gate immediately reacted strongly."

He explained, "Generally speaking, those who break through to the Purple Palace under mature Daoist traditions such as the Five Elements and Twelve Qi will only silently leave their name mark in the corresponding position on the Jade Scroll."

"Most of the True Immortals and Fellow Daoists in the Immortal Sect only glance at the updated 'List of Newly Joined Daoists' attached to the mission token in their spare time, just to know that such a person exists, so that they won't be unable to recall his name if they meet him in the future."

"But you are different."

Master Songhe looked at Li Xiaoyao with a strange light in his eyes.

"Because you are the 'Kongzheng' lineage, and the second registered 'Hongxia Daoyi' in eight hundred years!"

"The Immortal Sect's main body jade scroll directly pushed a brief information about you to all True Persons and True Lords who hold tokens of Elder or above."

"Li Xiaoyao, from the Realm of Sunset Glow, with the Daoist name Shangyuan, is a newly promoted Purple Mansion cultivator who has attained the divine power of Rainbow Glow Void [Royal Glow Heaven]."

"Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, you are now quite a celebrity in our immortal sect."

Li Xiaoyao was somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected that his empty identity would attract so much attention within the Immortal Sect.

Master Songhe continued, "And your senior, after receiving this notification... reportedly immediately set off to find Fellow Daoist Xiting, who had just returned from your place, to personally confirm whether this matter was true."

He mimicked the possible scene at the time, his tone tinged with emotion: "After receiving a positive reply from Fellow Daoist Xiting, your senior remained silent for a long time before finally saying only one sentence."

Master Songhe stopped, looked at Li Xiaoyao, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, guess what your senior said?"

Li Xiaoyao's mind raced, trying to guess: "But... is there a successor?"

Master Songhe shook his head and slowly uttered eight words in a solemn tone:

"My path is not lonely; there will be those who follow."

"My path is not lonely; there will be those who follow..."

Li Xiaoyao murmured to himself, his heart suddenly jolting!

These simple eight characters seem to contain the loneliness, perseverance, and even the helplessness and regret of the predecessor who may have experienced over the past eight hundred years. They also reveal a deep and complex sense of joy and expectation when seeing the birth of a fellow disciple!

"Then," Master Songhe said, "he personally found the sect leader and offered to issue a decree for you, and also... come and see you."

"The sect leader had already agreed. But for some reason, he gave up the mission before leaving."

Seeing Li Xiaoyao's puzzled look, Master Songhe smiled and said, "In the end, he contacted me and asked me to make this trip. Besides conveying the imperial decree, I also want to... meet with you on his behalf."

"Furthermore, your senior has a few things he entrusted to me to pass on to you."

As he spoke, Master Songhe waved his sleeve once more.

Four items floated in front of him.

A pure white jade bottle with a subtle, flowing glow.

A jade slip with a warm luster and faint cloud-like patterns on its surface, symbolizing inheritance.

A seven-foot-long, thin, misty ribbon that shimmered with iridescent colors.

A gelatinous object enveloped in soft spiritual light, constantly changing shape, and radiating a rich earthy vitality and strange rosy glow—it was none other than a top-grade third-tier celestial artifact!

Master Songhe introduced them one by one:

"Inside this jade bottle are three strands of righteous energy of the third grade—'Xihe Purple Qi'."

"Although it is called Purple Qi, it actually contains a trace of the true meaning of the rising sun and the dawn breaking through the rosy clouds. It is the initial spiritual energy for you to cultivate the second supernatural power. These three strands are enough for you to try three times. If you fail three times, you might as well just find a block of tofu and end it yourself."

"This jade slip contains the fundamental cultivation method that your predecessor practiced when he attained enlightenment in the Rainbow Cloud Dao, as well as the complete inheritance of his original Rainbow Cloud Divine Power."

"Although he has switched to cultivating Earth element, this original tradition has been preserved and has never been shown to anyone."

"This 'Flowing Clouds Ribbon' is a fourth-grade high-quality spiritual artifact that he nurtured from a spiritual embryo for many years. It was specially crafted to complement his Rainbow Clouds Divine Power. It is agile and ever-changing, capable of both offense and defense, and can also assist in casting cloud-based spells."

"As for this 'Earth Essence of Clouds', it is a rare, top-grade, third-tier natural wonder with dual earth and cloud attributes."

"It was something he obtained by chance in a strange place after he switched to repairing the Wutu Avenue, combined with his own understanding of the rosy clouds, and he has treasured it ever since."

He said that this item might help you to forge the rudimentary foundation for your second divine power of radiant light.

After the introduction, Master Songhe's expression turned serious: "Of course, these things are not given to you for free."

He looked directly at Li Xiaoyao: "Your senior once said: If you want to accept these gifts, you must make a vow of your Dao heart—if one day in the future you feel that the road ahead is cut off on this Rainbow Path, and you really can't persevere, and ultimately choose to switch to another lineage of cultivation..."

"Then you must properly preserve the prerequisites required for cultivating supernatural powers in the Rainbow Cloud Sect (such as suitable spiritual energy of heaven and earth, types of rare objects, key insights, etc.), as well as this inheritance jade slip and the Flowing Cloud Silk, and leave them to the future, the third junior of the Rainbow Cloud Sect."

"In his words, it's about adding bricks and tiles for those who come after, pointing out the direction, passing on the torch, and ensuring that this path never ends."

Finally, Master Songhe asked, "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, regarding these things, these vows, do you...accept them?"

The square was silent. All eyes were on Li Xiaoyao.

Li Mutian and the others had concerns in their eyes, but even more so, they showed trust and support.

Li Xiaoyao looked at the four gifts in front of him, which carried the complex emotions and expectations of his senior.

The words "My path is not lonely, there will be successors" echoed in his mind, and he felt a slight elation from the [Yuxia Tian] divine power within his body, as if he had encountered a common source of energy.

He took a deep breath, his eyes becoming incredibly determined.

He stepped forward, placed his right index finger together on his forehead, and said loudly:

"Disciple Li Xiaoyao (Shangyuan) hereby solemnly swears: having received the generous gift from my predecessors and inherited the legacy of Hongxia, I will strive to move forward and explore this path."

"If one day... if one day I truly lack the strength, and my path becomes blocked, and I have no choice but to change course, I will certainly follow the instructions of my predecessors and leave the essentials of this path and the treasures of its inheritance to those who are destined to receive them in the future!"

"If I break this oath, my foundation will crumble, and my soul will perish forever!"

The vow transformed into invisible ripples, disappearing into the void. The Dao heart felt it, and the vow was fulfilled.

A look of satisfaction appeared in Master Songhe's eyes. With a wave of his hand, the four treasures slowly flew towards Li Xiaoyao.

Li Xiaoyao solemnly accepted it and carefully put it away.

He could sense that this was not just a gift, but also a responsibility, a spark of tradition connecting the past and the future.

With everything settled, Master Songhe bid farewell to Li Xiaoyao and the Li family once more before setting off on his escape light to return to his flying boat in the sky.

"Senior Songhe, please wait!"

Li Xiaoyao suddenly spoke again.

The True Man of Songhe turned his head.

Li Xiaoyao bowed deeply and asked the last and most important question in his heart: "May I ask, senior, what is the Daoist name of the senior who bestowed upon me his inheritance and treasures and left me with the words 'My Dao is not lonely'? I... wish to remember this name."

Upon hearing this, Master Songhe smiled with a sigh.

He didn't turn around, but simply flicked the whisk in his hand, and his figure transformed into a streak of light, soaring towards the flying boat in the sky.

A clear and peaceful voice drifted on the wind, reaching Li Xiaoyao and everyone below clearly:

"Your senior..."

"Eight hundred years ago, when he first attained enlightenment, his Taoist name was Canxia."

"Eight hundred years later, he turned to cultivate the Earth element and changed his Taoist name to Taiyue."

The voice faded away, and the clear light disappeared into the flying boat.

The silver-white immortal sect's giant ship trembled slightly, turned its bow, and slowly accelerated. Soon, it transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the vast depths of the void.

Li Xiaoyao stood alone in the square, gazing at the horizon, softly reciting the two Daoist titles:

"Canxia... Taiyue..."