Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Just as Qin Wan sealed the letter containing the spirit stones and was about to ask someone to send it down the mountain, a gentle breeze carrying a faint fragrance of cold plum blossoms swept into her quiet room.

"Master." Qin Wan was startled and quickly stood up to pay her respects.

The newcomer was a woman dressed in a plain white Taoist robe, with a cool and exquisite appearance.

This is Qin Wan's master, whose Taoist name is "Lone Moon".

True Person Guyue is a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and her cultivation has long since reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. However, due to the current limitation of the decline of spiritual energy in heaven and earth, she has been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for a long time and has been unable to form her Core.

Master Guyue's gaze fell on the letter, his voice clear and cold as a spring: "Is this another one addressed to that boy named Xia Dong in Pingyang County?"

Qin Wan lowered her head, not daring to hide anything: "Yes, this disciple just..."

"You don't need to explain." Master Guyue interrupted her, his tone calm. "After you joined the sect, the sect will naturally investigate your past thoroughly. You and Xia Dong were once engaged, and he possesses the 'Daoist register' of the Great You Dynasty. The sect has already filed these records."

Qin Wan's face paled slightly. The laws of the Great You Realm were strict; marriage between Daoist disciples and Immortal Sect disciples was strictly forbidden. She feared her master would misunderstand her as disloyal to the sect, or even that she might incur the wrath of the authorities…

Seeing Qin Wan's expression, Master Guyue's demeanor softened slightly, and he warned, "Now that you have entered the Immortal Sect, do not get too involved with those who hold 'Daoist Registers.' The Great You Dynasty's bestowal of 'Daoist Registers' upon the descendants of those people is intended to divide and hinder us; they are ultimately not on the same path as us."

She paused, a deep, dark light flashing in her beautiful eyes: "However, you don't need to think that the Immortal Sect is in a terrible situation. Although the Immortal Sect is making concessions to the government, it is precisely because of the existence of the Immortal Sect that the Great You Dynasty does not dare to press the cultivators of the world too hard."

If the Immortal Sect were truly destroyed by the Great You Dynasty, then all cultivators in the world would have nowhere to go and would be forced to serve as lackeys of the Great You Dynasty for generations. Therefore, the cultivators of the imperial court are not necessarily devoted to it.

Qin Wan felt a chill run down her spine. Her master was probably implying something.

It seems the waters of the Great Netherworld cultivation realm are deeper than she imagined.

"The affairs of the world are far more complex than you imagine." Master Guyue stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds outside the meditation room. "It is absolutely impossible for the Great You Dynasty to completely subdue the Immortal Sects. However, we do need to avoid the court's sharp edge for now."

Qin Wan bowed respectfully and agreed, thinking that after her master finished reprimanding her, he would confiscate her letters and completely sever this ties with her.

However, what Master Guyue said next made her raise her head in astonishment.

"However, since you've already written the letter, there's no harm in sending it." Master Guyue changed his tone and said calmly, "The situation in the Great You Dynasty is unpredictable. Since Xia Dong has a Daoist certificate, he may well have good fortune in the future. Forming a good relationship with him wouldn't be a bad thing for you."

The Lonely Moon Immortal's sleeves fluttered slightly.

"From now on, you can send two spirit stones to Xia Dong every month as a way to establish good karma. These two spirit stones will be provided by your teacher and will not be deducted from your monthly allowance as an inner disciple."

Qin Wan stood there, stunned.

She couldn't understand why her master, who was always aloof and wary of the Great You Dynasty, would suddenly show such kindness to a mortal disciple she had never met before, after giving her a stern warning, and even be willing to pay out of his own pocket to help her maintain this relationship.

But she knew that her actions within the Immortal Sect could not be hidden from her master.

Fortunately, she had no other intentions.

Otherwise, with the current strength of the Qixia Immortal Sect, destroying the small Qin family would be as easy as snapping a finger.

This path of cultivation was truly more precarious than she had imagined.

But the thought of becoming an immortal and staying young forever filled Qin Wan with motivation, and she simply couldn't bear to give up this path.

...

...

Several days later, in a small courtyard in Pingyang County.

Xia Dong received another letter from the prefectural city, this time written in Qin Wan's own handwriting. Along with the letter came a small brocade box.

Xia Dong opened the letter and read it carefully.

After reading it, a look of realization flashed in his eyes.

Xia Dong then pondered the contents of the letter deeply.

Miss Qin's reply this time was much more subdued, and she even revealed her true intentions in urging him to get married and have children.

It turns out that after being reprimanded by her master, Master Guyue, Qin Wan gained a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between the immortal sect and the imperial court.

She was a smart woman, and after this fright, she understood a principle.

Now that they've decided to maintain their "good relationship" with Xia Dong, there are some things they can no longer hide.

After all, rather than Xia Dong having to rely on her own abilities to find out the truth about the Daoist's secrets in the future, and thus harboring resentment towards the Qin family for concealing the truth, it's better for her to take the initiative to confess now.

It's better than being seen as a scheming schemer later on.

At that time, all the initial investment will probably be wasted.

Moreover, Qin Wan had some other guesses in her mind:

Master Gu Yue Zhenren, as a great cultivator who has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, has extremely high standards. Even if the Immortal Sect is short of resources, he would never deliberately try to please a mortal disciple for a mere Foundation Establishment Pill.

If it's for the legendary "Ascension Token"? With Master's strength and status, he could easily find other Daoist families that have already produced offspring with spiritual roots to make a deal. There are plenty of ways to do that. Why waste energy on Xia Dong, who doesn't even have a child or a spiritual root?

But she was certain that since her master had tacitly approved and even funded her to maintain this relationship, it meant that Xia Dong must have hidden enormous potential and benefits that even she couldn't see through.

Putting down the letter, Xia Dong let out a long breath, feeling as if most of the fog that had been shrouding his eyes had been cleared away.

"I see……"

Xia Dong had long known that the words "Daoist Register" were printed on his household registration, and he had guessed that this identity was somewhat special. However, if Qin Wan had not told him directly in her letter today that once a Daoist disciple possessed a spiritual root, he could directly receive special cultivation resources from the Great You royal family (which could even make disciples of immortal sects envious), he would probably have remained clueless about this for a long time.

After understanding all this, Xia Dong couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

"What a pity. If I only had the lowest-grade useless spiritual root, I could have truly embarked on the path of immortality just by virtue of this Daoist certificate."

Without spiritual roots, and with the paths of immortals and mortals diverging, the direct impact of this Daoist manual on him is greatly diminished. It's like guarding a mountain of gold but not being able to find the key; his future is ultimately limited.

"It seems I can't rush into marriage and having children, otherwise..." Xia Dong understood that he had this identity entirely because after becoming a Daoist disciple and possessing spiritual roots, he could obtain special cultivation resources. Once he had a child, his greatest value would be gone.

No wonder Miss Qin didn't make things clear at the beginning.

However, Miss Qin's frankness in telling him about this matter did make Xia Dong think more highly of her.

Although he didn't know why, he remembered this favor.

Xia Dong composed himself, held the letter close to the oil lamp, and watched it turn to ashes.

Then, his gaze fell on the small brocade box.

Upon opening the brocade box, two thumb-sized, warm and translucent spirit stones lay quietly on the velvet cloth, emitting a faint yet captivating glow.

Xia Dong's breathing became slightly rapid.

Last time, it was just a spirit stone. After being absorbed by the ancient bronze bell in his sea of ​​consciousness, it directly helped him break through the martial arts barrier, allowing the Crane Stance to step from "Perfection" into the new realm of "Limit Breaking", giving birth to the Crane Shadow Step.

And now, he has two pieces in his possession!

"I wonder what kind of surprise the ancient bell will bring me this time?"

Xia Dong took a deep breath and calmed her mind.

He then locked the doors and windows, took off his outer clothes, lay down on the bed, carefully placed the two spirit stones under his pillow, and slowly closed his eyes.