The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

Zhang Junyi instinctively covered her stomach, feeling somewhat ashamed to be seen, but Li Yi's amused gaze was truly irritating, so she stubbornly retorted:

"What are you looking at?"

"Look at the good-looking ones."

Li Yi dared not provoke her, and ran out of the main room with great joy to help his adoptive mother.

I've witnessed pig and deer slaughtering once or twice in the past few days.

As night fell, we had eaten and drunk our fill.

Once the two people in the east room had calmed down, the newlyweds finally set off.

What would normally take hunters one or two hours to traverse, the two Qi Refining cultivators reached the bottom of the waterfall in just a few moments.

Zhang Junyi arrived at the shore and respectfully said, "Congratulations on your attainment of enlightenment, Immortal. We are from Li Family Village on the mountain. We would be grateful if you would come out and have a chat with us."

As she spoke, she took out the water-repelling bead from her sleeve. "This was a gift from my master, Daoist Shangyuan. It has the ability to repel water and is especially effective against water-based spells. Please accept it, Immortal."

The sound wasn't loud, but she was certain she could hear what she needed to hear, and wouldn't notice anything she shouldn't.

A moment later, ripples appeared on the water's surface, and a huge snake's head slowly emerged from the center of the river, gradually revealing its full form. It used its tail to prop itself up on the water's surface, coldly staring at the two people on the shore.

"How could you possibly know that I have become a god today?"

Li Yi had already prepared his explanation, and feigned fear as he said:

"Reporting to the Immortal, I went out hunting today and unintentionally saw you controlling the Qi of this river above the waterfall as if it were your own arm. You must be the River God."

The cultivator dared not linger and hurriedly ran home. Remembering the impending calamity, he mustered his courage and called upon his fellow Daoists to come and pay their respects to the Immortal.

The green snake sized up the two, her face remaining expressionless, but inwardly she thought:

"I was excited and somewhat delirious at the time, so it's not surprising that I didn't notice anyone above me."

Then I thought:

"These two claim to be villagers from the Li family village and have cultivation skills. They are excellent believers. Let's listen to them."

A wisp of water rose from the heart of the river, gently spreading towards Zhang Junyi, enveloping the water-repelling pearl, and sending it into the mouth of the green snake.

"This water-repelling pearl is of superior quality, considered a top-grade Qi-refining magic weapon. Now that I am the River God, it is useless to me. However, I can give it to the shrimp soldiers and crab generals in the future, which would not be bad."

The green snake, rather arrogant, looked down at him and said:

"I have accepted your gift, now tell me, what calamity is about to befall us?"

Zhang Junyi had witnessed the Green Snake's abilities just now; it could actually manipulate the river's energy as if it were an extension of its own arm, truly making it the master of the river!

Her face lit up with joy, and her voice became even more respectful:

"Reporting to the Immortal, a month ago, I and my half-brother were ordered to capture the tiger demon..."

Zhang Junyi told the Green Snake everything without reservation, recounting his experiences after leaving the mountain in great candor.

The green snake listened quietly, pondering to itself, "I have only recently become a god and still need time to consolidate my cultivation. I do not wish to cause any unnecessary trouble. These two Qi Refining cultivators have brought me good news, and I cannot miss this opportunity."

Then, thinking that these two would become his followers in the future, he put aside his arrogance and comforted them:

"That tiger demon is ruthless by nature. If it dares to harm any of my people, it will be in for a world of hurt!"

The Green Snake nodded in satisfaction and said, "You two should prepare in peace. When the time comes, I will appear."

After saying this, the green snake in the river silently turned into water vapor and disappeared without a trace.

Zhang Junyi watched the river god leave, and only after a long while did he dare to relax. He exchanged a glance with Li Yi, and then they walked tacitly into the village.

Once they were far from the river, Li Yi finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked:

"Junyi, aren't you afraid that the green snake is some kind of lewd and evil deity, or lives in some kind of lewd shrine or evil temple? You're so sure that it won't harm you or me. Why are you so sincere?"

Zhang Junyi smiled gently and said in a low voice:

"Brother Yi, you don't know about the affairs of cultivation. Since the Immortal Dynasty collapsed, there are no more Heavenly Officials in the world who can confer divine positions."

There are countless vacancies for the positions of gods in mountains and rivers. Once a god is born in a certain place, the Wu Dynasty will take the initiative to extend an olive branch and incorporate it into the Wu Dynasty system.

Therefore, there are no such things as wicked shrines or evil temples in the world; at most, they are just some charlatans or imposters pretending to be monks.

Those like the Green Snake, who gained the recognition of the Five Elements Qi of a place and became gods, are all righteous deities. They must protect the living beings of that place and receive incense offerings in order to be molded into golden bodies, thereby benefiting their cultivation.

So that's how it is!

Wouldn't the Investiture of the Gods be the only way to confer titles upon deities through human intervention?

Thinking of this, Li Yi felt a surge of excitement and asked again:

Why did the Celestial Dynasty perish? How many gods remain in the world?

Zhang Junyi shook her head slightly. "My daughter only has a superficial understanding of this. As for the gods in the world, the two great dynasties of Great Zhou and Great Li should each have a Heavenly Official in office. The gods of other small countries are mostly on equal footing with the local gods, with only a few being subordinate to the imperial court."

Li Yi, having just mastered the Five Elements Dao, had an irresistible curiosity about such secrets, but Zhang Junyi was still distracted by his half-brother's affair with the tiger demon, so he had no choice but to give up.

The two quietly returned home and tacitly fell asleep fully clothed.

The fake couple had been sleeping in the same bed for three or four days, and by tonight they had gotten used to it and went to sleep separately without any awkwardness.

With the help of the Green Snake, the two slept much more soundly and slept until dawn.

When Li Yi got up, his father had already eaten breakfast and was just waiting for him to get ready so they could go into the mountains together.

Last night, Li Yitong opened the Shangguan acupoint and ate much more than usual. In addition, Zhang Junyi and her adoptive parents ate together, and the 300 catties of wild boar was only enough for two meals for the family.

If we don't go into the mountains, we won't have meat to eat at noon.

Li Yi brought the food into the house, closed the doors and windows, and ate with Zhang Junyi. Their adoptive parents were already used to this.

Zhang Junyi ate with dignified manners, yet her eating speed was quite fast; Li Yi glanced at her and couldn't help but remark:

"I've often heard people say that scholars are poor and warriors are rich, and that spiritual practice consumes even more resources. My adoptive father and I hunt every day, and we've even found ourselves struggling to make ends meet."

Zhang Junyi put down her chopsticks and said with a smile:

"My uncle is a skilled hunter, and Yi-ge is a cultivator, so they can barely make ends meet. Putting aside whether they have the aptitude for cultivation, in the entire Li Family Village, there are only two or three families that can provide their families with food and nutrition."

She looked at Li Yi generously and praised him without reservation: "If everyone had Yi-ge'er's talent, dietary supplements would be even less of a problem."

Li Yi was now a little more relaxed and finally had the mind to ponder the breathing techniques he had brought back from the army.

"No wonder this method of cultivation that can guide people to practice is spread so casually."

When it comes to entering the path of spiritual cultivation, the most important thing is not innate talent, but family resources.

When men of the Great Zhou Dynasty reach a certain age, whether they are garrison soldiers or regular soldiers, they will receive this breathing technique before returning home after a full year. Once they enter the technique, they can return to the ranks at any time and serve as squad leaders; otherwise, they can simply perform the duties of a guard in January of each year.

This saves on the expense of distributing food allowances and also allows for the selection of those with both talent and family background to serve in the military.

Zhang Junyi praised, "That's right. The vast majority of those who join the army are from ordinary families. Even if they successfully absorb Qi, they have no way to seek immortality or ask questions. It's better to join the army directly. As long as they have enough military merit and talent, it will be a path to heaven."

Li Yi smirked, a rare, playful smile appearing on his face.

"So, does that mean I have one more choice than the average person?"

Zhang Junyi pondered for a moment, then advised, "If Yi-ge'er wishes to cultivate the Five Elements Golden Elixir Dao, I would be happy to introduce him to it—"

Li Yi knew, but it was coming.

"However, Qishan is not outstanding within the Great Zhou Dynasty. There are several Foundation Establishment cultivators who have cultivated internal organ supernatural abilities in the mountains, but there is only one Golden Core True Person, who has not left the mountain for a hundred years. In terms of foundation, even thousands of Qishans cannot compare to the military system of the Wu Dynasty."

Li Yi responded, not paying any attention.

It was just a casual joke; I never intended to cultivate the Five-Star Golden Core Dao.

Firstly, he lacked a good opportunity, and secondly, he yearned for the prestige of physical immortality—a small act of whimsy from an ignorant young man.

Life's encounters are rarely the result of careful consideration; they are merely a series of impulsive choices.