The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

Di Yuan was amused by Shen Yifei's reason and laughed heartily. He pointed at Shen Yifei with his fan and laughed for a long time before straightening up.

"You're afraid your dad will beat you? Why don't you say you're afraid of committing sins, afraid of damaging your karma, afraid of being entangled in karmic consequences, afraid of your inner demons growing... This is the first time I've heard of someone being afraid of their dad's beating!"

Shen Yifei retorted, "Those reasons are just self-deception. I will definitely face my father in the future. If he asks me how I ascended to the Immortal Realm, and I tell him I refined over nine thousand female cultivators into pills, wouldn't he skin me alive?"

Di Yuan's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "Have you thought this through? The Myriad Spirits Return to One Pill, a single step to immortality—an opportunity countless people dream of. If you shake your head today, ascension will be as difficult as climbing to heaven later. You'll regret it then!"

"I don't regret it," Shen Yifei said firmly. "If you don't believe me, we'll see!"

Di Yuan remained silent for three breaths, then suddenly bowed deeply and gave a solemn salute.

"Emperor Yuan of the Myriad Spirits Palace greets the Master of the Spirit Ruins."

This bow startled Shen Yifei. "You... what do you mean by this?"

"Lord Wan Shuo left behind a dying wish when he left the Spirit Ruins." Di Yuan straightened up, his gaze clear and upright. "He said that if one day the successor comes, test him. If that person is ruthless and treats human life like dirt, no matter how talented he is, he is not worthy to be the master of the Spirit Ruins. If he has compassion, fears human relations, and thinks of his loved ones, then he is the one who is truly worthy of entrusting the task to."

After hearing this, Shen Yifei belatedly broke out in a cold sweat. It turned out that all of this was a trap set up by Wan Shuo!

Di Yuan continued, "If you had just nodded in agreement to refine the pills, I would have immediately killed you."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Lord Wan Shuo said, 'Better to have none than to have something of poor quality.'"

Shen Yifei swallowed hard: "So, does that mean I've passed?"

"Approved." Di Yuan nodded. "From this day forward, all affairs of Lingxu will be under your command."

Shen Yifei remained silent for a long while, then suddenly looked up: "Then...where's my mother?"

Di Yuan turned around and said, "Come with me. Lady Lan has been waiting for a long time."

Di Yuan made a "please" gesture, and Shen Yifei's heart was in turmoil, unable to tell whether he was looking forward to it or afraid.

He had seen countless storms in his life, but now that he was about to see his mother, whom he had never met before, his legs felt weak.

His image of his mother had gradually become blurred. In the memories stirred up by the demon of passion, his mother was beautiful, with red eyes.

Di Yuan stopped at the end of the corridor, closed his fan, and pointed to a quiet courtyard in front of him.

"Madam Lan is in the front courtyard. Please go in by yourself."

Shen Yifei took a deep breath and walked over.

The courtyard was small, with a few unidentified flowering trees planted in it. A woman was standing with her back to him, holding a pair of scissors and pruning the branches.

The woman was dressed in a plain white dress, her hair was loosely tied in a bun, and her back was slender and upright.

Shen Yifei stood at the courtyard gate, looking at her, his throat tightening, but he couldn't move his feet.

The woman seemed to sense something; she paused slightly with the scissors in her hand and slowly turned around.

The moment Shen Yifei saw that face, his mind went blank, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Mother!" Shen Yifei could no longer hold back. He ran over, threw himself into the woman's arms, and burst into tears.

"Mother... I've finally seen you... I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime..."

Youlan held him without saying a word, only gently patting his back, letting his tears soak her clothes.

After a long while, Shen Yifei finally lifted his head from Youlan's embrace, sobbing, wiping away his tears. His voice was still trembling with sobs: "Mother, how did you end up here? Father said you went to find the remains of the Five Elements Demon God, how... how did you end up in this Ten Thousand Spirits Palace?"

Youlan reached out and wiped the tears from his face, then pulled him to sit down at the stone table.

"Sit down, and I'll tell you slowly."

Shen Yifei sat down on the stone bench, and Youlan carefully examined the face in front of her, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at it.

She reached out and gently stroked Shen Yifei's cheek, her fingertips slightly cool, but her voice was filled with laughter: "He looks just like your father, especially his eyes, they're a perfect replica of his."

Youlan lowered her hand and sighed softly, "Yifei, have you ever hated your mother? From childhood to adulthood, I have never been by your side."

Shen Yifei shook his head. "Although I don't remember anything from my childhood, I've seen you in my dreams, and you look exactly like you now..."

"I've erased your childhood memories, but your mother has always been by your side..."

"Mother... what did you say? You've been by my side the whole time?"

Youlan nodded. "Ever since I sent you to the Hehuan Sect, until you obtained the Myriad Things Cauldron, I've always been by your side..."

"Did you put the Cauldron of All Things in that storage bag?"

"Yes, the Five Elements Demon God inheritance within you started too early. When you were born, that power began to transfer to you. Your mother was afraid that the people of the Immortal Realm would sense you, afraid that someone would find you through your bloodline."

Youlan raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her movements exuding undeniable charm. "That's why I sent you to the Hehuan Sect. That place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and it can conceal the inheritance fluctuations on your body."

Youlan started talking, and before Shen Yifei could ask, she continued, "After seeing that you could use the Cauldron of All Things, I started investigating some things and came back to see you occasionally. Every time you broke through, every time you encountered danger, your mother knew. When you killed Ye Qianqiu, your mother was watching from not far away. I originally wanted to help you, but I didn't expect you to handle it yourself. Watching you get to where you are today step by step, I finally feel at ease."

Only then did Shen Yifei realize that the old man in hemp clothing who spoke of having a benefactor behind him was actually his mother.

Seeing that Youlan remained silent, Shen Yifei asked, "Mother, did you add something to the dregs of the medicine I ate at the Hehuan Sect?"

"Haha, you're finally realizing it? If you only eat those dregs, you'll just die of poisoning long ago. I used the Cauldron of Myriad Things to refine some special things..."

Shen Yifei dared not ask any further questions. He had thought he was truly gifted, and that apart from his height, his strength had been secretly cultivated by his mother.

"Mother, why are you avoiding me?"

"Sigh...child, do you believe in fate?"

Shen Yifei shook his head. "I didn't believe it before, but now I'm starting to believe it a little."

Seeing his somewhat helpless expression, Youlan smiled and said, "Do you feel like you've been controlled by something as you walked here?"

Youlan's words pierced through the vague feeling in Shen Yifei's mind!

Since acquiring the Cauldron of Myriad Things, his life trajectory has undergone earth-shattering changes. As if guided by something, he grew all the way, eventually arriving at the Spirit Ruins to undergo the test of myriad sparks.

Every step seemed to be calculated by someone, allowing him to just barely cross the threshold, yet he felt as if he had fought his own battles to achieve it.

"Mother, now that you mention it, I really do feel that way! Who's controlling us?"

"At first, your mother avoided seeing you because she was afraid someone would discover that you possessed the inheritance of Wan Shuo. Later, after people found out you were my son, someone used you as bait to lure out the inheritances of the nine great demon gods!"

"Using me as bait? Who is it? Mother... tell me, is it those bastards from Heavenly Punishment?"

"Who it is? You don't need to know now. Just remember what your mother said: no matter what you encounter in the future, follow your heart!"