Xuanjian: I am the tenth son of Zhenchi, and I plot to seize the throne from Zhenlong.

"On the 28th of April, I traveled to Wangyue Lake. There was a magical artifact on the lake that might reveal the mystery surrounding me, but I could not enter it completely."

Su Mingli stood under a tree, stroking the magic sword in his hand. An Zheyan, who was beside him, was talking to him with a smile on her face, but the smile seemed somewhat forced.

After all, it was Su Ming who took the initiative to pay his respects. After walking for a while, he stood there and refused to leave, giving a vague and evasive reason. Instead, he asked the head of the family to come and see him.

If An Zheyan hadn't seen the rogue cultivator's sincere and apologetic attitude, he probably would have turned against him on the spot.

Li Yuanjiao received the report shortly after leaving the main hall, and his heart suddenly became vigilant. This person came to see him on purpose, but put on this act. He was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, so he was afraid that the visitor did not have good intentions.

He pondered for only a moment before going to the ancestral hall to request a diviner, and then performed the [Investigation of the Netherworld] halfway there.

His perspective suddenly shifted upwards, and he moved closer, concealing himself, until he found the person under a tree some distance from the lake shore.

Under the illumination of [Cha You], everything was clear and distinct. There was no ambush around the cultivator, which reassured Li Yuanjiao. Upon closer inspection, he noticed something faintly visible on the leading male cultivator.

He secretly guessed that the person must have some kind of rare treasure. After considering it briefly, he revealed himself and rode the wind over.

Li Yuanjiao had already made up his mind that if this person made any unusual moves, he would deliberately try to test him and cause trouble.

He would first fight him, and if things went wrong, since it was not advisable to expose the true situation at home, he would unleash a Taiyin Xuan Light to kill him instantly.

Lu Jiangxian, who was observing, saw it even more clearly. He was startled awake the moment his [Cha You] scanned the cultivator under the tree.

Although the aura emanating from this cultivator was much weaker, it was exactly the same as that of the strange "spirit" that had lingered by the lake a few years ago.

He slowly set down the tea made from the essence of the moon, then looked the cultivator through to the eye, and his heart suddenly stirred:

"It's not that this cultivator's aura resembles that of the 'spirit,' but rather the thing attached to him! It might even be a branch of that 'spirit.'"

"It's...metal! Which element?"

Under Lu Jiangxian's powerful divine sense, all of Su Ming's secrets were quickly flipped through like a book.

He tried to discern it carefully, but couldn't. He felt that the golden essence was related to concealment, but it had been altered in many ways. With his current abilities, he would have to peel it back into his mirror to see it clearly.

Lu Jiangxian naturally dared not so boldly swallow someone else's gold so openly, so she could only suppress her thoughts and wait for things to develop.

He had to determine whether this person's appearance here was a coincidence or some kind of test, and even whether his behavior was similar to that of the "spirit" from back then, not daring to set foot on the lake.

While Lu Jiangxian was pondering, Li Yuanjiao had already arrived near Su Ming, only revealing a hint of displeasure at the opportune moment before landing with a flourish and politely asking:

"Fellow Daoist, from which realm do you come? Since you wish to pay respects to my ancestor, why have you stopped here?"

Su Ming had already considered this question when he was stroking the sword under the tree. He simply introduced himself as a rogue cultivator from the north, and then explained:

"To be honest, I am a cultivator of the Fire element. The lake ripples with the flourishing of the Water element. My cultivation method is special, making it difficult for me to enter. It is truly... well, you have come to greet me, young master."

Having managed the household for many years, Li Yuanjiao had witnessed a great deal of depravity. After carefully examining the man, he could naturally discern that Su Ming's words were true. As for whether the technique was truly special, he was not entirely convinced.

After all, how could someone so talented expose the flaws in their cultivation technique to another person upon first meeting them?

His expression softened, and he led the two to a pavilion to sit down while continuing to speak.

As Su Ming listened, he realized that the rather fierce-looking person was actually one of the heads of the Li family's immortal clan.

Managing such a large group would take up a lot of cultivation time. This person is at the fifth level of Qi Refining and so young; he thought he was just a young master of the Li family.

After the group sat down in the pavilion and chatted for a while, Su Ming, feeling that the atmosphere was fairly harmonious, finally spoke up: "When I was in the North, I heard of the [Moon Palace Sword]'s reputation for slaying Maha. I am not talented, but I also have a fondness for the way of the sword. I have been practicing for many years, but I have only achieved sword qi. I wonder if it is possible to..."

Su Ming suddenly stopped talking. That person was a Foundation Establishment Ancestor. He couldn't go to the lake, and a Qi Refining cultivator couldn't expect someone else to come and see him.

Li Yuanjiao, being a man of great stature, naturally noticed Su Ming's embarrassment. He didn't respond immediately but instead changed the subject: "I wonder who this fairy is..."

Su Ming naturally wouldn't let Yu Yuxi reveal her family background, and quickly took over the conversation: "This is my... Daoist partner, also a rogue cultivator..."

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he felt that praising Yu Yuxi might be effective. So he said with great pride, "She is a rare cultivator of ancient Daoist methods, specializing in thunder, and her thunder skills are extremely powerful."

Seeing Su Ming boasting about himself in front of outsiders, Yu Yuxi, who was initially annoyed at being interrupted, immediately smiled and only said her own name.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanjiao raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on his face: "This lineage is indeed rare..."

His heart skipped a beat. Li Qinghong also happened to cultivate lightning, but this path was rare. Over the years, she could only cultivate on her own and had difficulty communicating with fellow practitioners. There were also no books in her home.

Having such a thunder cultivator to communicate with would naturally be helpful to Li Yuanhong's cultivation.

It was just a coincidence, but he remained secretly wary and kept trying to elicit information from the conversation.

It took him a long time to finally realize that this female cultivator of the Thunder Dao must be from a major sect, naive and inexperienced in worldly affairs, and her speech was quite immature.

"Which powerful family's young lady did a rogue cultivator abduct?" Li Yuanjiao naturally noticed Su Ming's interruption earlier and immediately made a judgment.

His smile grew even more amiable: "I wonder if you two have any plans lately? To be honest, my younger sister is also a lightning cultivator, but such cultivators are truly rare..."

Su Ming understood his meaning, secretly squeezed Yu Yuxi's palm, and readily agreed: "We will be staying in a hut under the tree for a while. My Yuxi has never met a fellow traveler before, so it is truly a fortunate thing."

Su Ming was so polite, so Li Yuanjiao naturally returned the favor. That night, in a town by the lake...

Inside the guest room, Su Ming was meditating with his eyes closed when there was a knock on the door. A member of the Li family, who was not related by blood, brought over a small booklet with the title "Ten Years of Sword Cultivation: Minor Enlightenment" written on it.

Su Ming flipped through it. The sword insights written inside weren't particularly profound, but there were a few ingenious touches from time to time. The last page was signed with the name Li Yuanjiao, so it was naturally a rather valuable gift.

Yu Yuxi, lying on the couch, looked at Su Ming's smiling face and felt helpless. Ever since they went south, her master had not given her any more imperial decrees.

I wonder if they're still watching from the shadows. Don't forget about her.