As soon as Wang Xun had entered the Li Family's territory, Lu Jiangxian, who was deeply engrossed in his studies, was immediately alerted.
Lu Jiangxian had set up several nodes in his divine sense to alert him of the following matters: if a direct descendant of the Li Family was about to die, if the aura of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator appeared, or if a member of the Li Family broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm...
He himself was repeatedly delving into the memory fragments of Maha Jinlian from years ago, trying to find clues to the origin of the Golden Temple Radiant Origin Manual or hints of the Purple Mansion Realm Records.
Wang Xun's powerful sword qi, shining like a great ball of light, instantly woke Lu Jiangxian, who looked at the young man with some confusion.
"He is not a Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao cultivator?!"
Lu Jiangxian's divine sense hovered around Wang Xun, feeling that his fate was completely blank, likely protected by some extraordinary method to avoid worldly entanglements.
Focusing once more, Lu Jiangxian saw a golden sword case appear on Wang Xun's broad back. It was intricately patterned, mostly with cloud motifs, totaling one hundred and twenty-eight in number.
The case contained sixteen sword slots which was already holding ten swords, all hidden within, their forms indiscernible.
"Divine ability... or fate?"
The sword case on Wang Xun's back was invisible to ordinary eyes but seemed extraordinary to him. Although it was clearly a divine ability, it was filled with the aura of fate. Lu Jiangxian, now quite experienced, observed for a while and made some deductions in his heart.
The northern path of cultivation... combines life and essence, consuming qi to seek essence and nourishing life with divine abilities... Difficult, truly difficult!
Lu Jiangxian looked at the sword case for a couple of moments, cautiously refraining from probing it with his divine sense. After all, this was a descendant of a Golden Core Realm cultivator and such an act might have hidden dangers.
After carefully observing the young man, Lu Jiangxian had a strong premonition that this was the most orthodox and original method of cultivation—one that cultivated both heart and essence, seeking truth and immortality... directly pointing oneself to the path of the immortal!
"But if this is how cultivation is done, the difficulty is too great... Only one in a thousand spiritual orifice children might be able to succeed... or less than that. If the Li Family were to practice this method now, not a single one might succeed, and even producing a spark would be considered impressive..." he mused in amazement.
Lu Jiangxian gazed at the sword case, countless profound ideas flooding his mind, and could not help but praise and sigh.
"Life and essence duo cultivation, huh!"
Compared to this immortal method, the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao was completely different. First, they nurtured the chakra and absorbed qi. After reaching the ninth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, they discarded it to build the immortal foundation and cultivate divine abilities. After completing the divine abilities, they sought essence, even absorbing similar immortal foundations to enhance their cultivation...
If Wang Xun's immortal Dao was like climbing a mountain with integrity, the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao was like choosing the easiest path. Destroying and plundering along the way, without the need for seeking truth in the heart, each step bringing its own power.
"No wonder the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao is prevalent; they lower the threshold for cultivation so much..." Lu Jiangxian mumbled. He stared at him for a while, gradually gaining some insight into the ancient battles between immortals and devils, and could not help but sigh softly.
Seeing Li Yuanping lose his composure for the first time in years, Lu Jiangxian smiled lightly, sensing that Wang Xun had no malicious intent and even wished to avoid contact with the Li Family to prevent entanglements, let alone harm them.
"It might even be a good thing!" he smiled triumphantly to himself.
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Side courtyard at the foot of the mountain.
"Indeed, our True Monarch is Xiaojin, one of the Three Gold in the state... uh..." Wang Xun explained as he nodded but eventually paused, realizing he might have said too much, then slowly continued, "Fellow Daoist Yuanping, I am new to Jiangnan and unfamiliar with the southern customs. I have come with a request and do not intend to use my status to oppress. If I have offended in any way, please do not take it to heart..."
"Not at all! Not at all!" Li Yuanping quickly exclaimed, and he still found the situation hard to believe and wished Wang Xun would say more. Seeing his sincere expression, Li Yuanping quickly responded and secretly began calculating, then asked, "Although our family is somewhat known in this area, we are small and insignificant. What brings you to visit us, Senior..?"
"This... is a long story." Wang Xun replied with a mysterious smile on his youthful face as he continued, "My Wang Family does not cultivate the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao of Jiangnan but the ancient method of spiritual cultivation. This method has been lost in Jiangnan for a long time. If I were to explain it in detail, it might take three days and nights."
"According to the understanding of Daoist cultivation in Jiangnan, I need to cultivate the divine ability known as Nurturing Azure Heaven , which requires gathering one hundred and twenty-eight sword qi and sixteen sword intents, forming a unique path to cultivate this divine ability."
He paused as he picked up the jade cup and smiled, looking at Li Yuanping with anticipation then continued eagerly, "My family has over a hundred people who have cultivated sword qi. I have already gathered them, but sword intents are rare. The Wang Family only has two, and I must venture out to find the rest to complete my Dao. So, I asked my father for advice, and he deduced that there are still four sword immortals and two spirit swords in Jiangnan that I could seek out."
Hearing this, Li Yuanping roughly understood why Wang Xun had come. Wang Xun took a sip of tea and, somewhat shyly, said, "When I arrived at the lake, I secretly divined that your clan possesses a spirit sword, residing in Mount Lijing, known as the Qingche ."
Placing the jade cup down, Wang Xun stood up solemnly and shook his sleeves as he stepped back.
"I humbly ask the family head to lend me the sword for a look, so I may advance on my path... I would be immensely grateful!"
Wang Xun simply cupped his fist lightly and bowed his head without bending at the waist. Although his words were respectful, his demeanor seemed somewhat arrogant.
Li Yuanping, thinking Wang Xun was of immortal lineage, found it not unusual. Wang Xun, looking embarrassed, quickly added, "My fate restricts me from bowing to serve others, lest it brings harm to you, Family Head. Please do not take offense!"
Li Yuanping, hearing this explanation for the first time, was suddenly enlightened and took note of it, replying that he dared not take offense. He then explained, "The Qingche Sword is a treasured heirloom of our family, both a dharma artifact and a ritual instrument. This is a serious matter... I must report it to the elders of the clan and let them decide. Please wait a moment."
"Of course, of course! That is as it should be!" Wang Xun exclaimed in understanding as he nodded repeatedly. With this, Li Yuanping stepped outside, whispering to Li Wen about the details and sending him up the mountain to report.
Watching the strong man leave, Li Yuanping returned to the hall, his mind racing with thoughts.
This person seems knowledgeable, speaking of things usually kept secret within sects. It would be wise to take this rare opportunity to learn more! After all, the knowledge from a True Monarch's family is priceless.
Before he could speak, Wang Xun eagerly continued, "Your clan is known for its swordsmanship and bears the surname Li, residing by Moongaze Lake. Could you be related to Daoist Master Donghua of the Moonlight Origin Mansion?"
Li Yuanping, unfamiliar with the name, replied, "No, our family descends from Ancestor Mutian, a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Our ancestral origins are untraceable, and we have never heard of such a Daoist Master."
Wang Xun nodded and smiled, "The Daoist Master's real name was Li Jiangqun, a sword master of great renown... His reputation even reached Yinghua Prefecture in Zhao State. He was a supreme cultivator of Moongaze Marsh in his time."
"So that is the case..." Li Yuanping mumbled, even deeper in thought.
Privately, the direct descendants of the Li Family had suspected this, but there was no evidence of it. Moreover, the karmic ties of Li Jiangqun were too significant. Being a small clan, the Li Family preferred to avoid such connections rather than seek them out.
At that moment, he decided to change the topic, probing the stance of this spiritual cultivation Dao. With a smile, he said, "I heard that the North has fallen to the Jie people and Buddhism cultivators... I did not expect to still find fellow Daoists like ourselves."
"Well..." Wang Xun paused and explained, "Although the Jie people have pushed north due to the dominance of Buddhism cultivation to their south, there are still many grotto heavens and blessed lands in the North where cultivators seclude themselves. Some small states are not under Buddhist rule... Moreover..."
He smiled awkwardly and continued, "The Spiritual Cultivation Dao waged war with your Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao a thousand years ago. In the past century, although circumstances forced many alliances, we can hardly call each other fellow Daoists..."
"I see... I have overstepped!" Li Yuanping laughed it off as realization dawned upon him. Although he was quite curious about this Spiritual Cultivation Dao, he did not dare pry into another's Dao lineage. The young man before him was naive about worldly matters, not foolish; a few questions were enough.
Wang Xun, feeling slightly guilty at Li Yuanping's apology, quickly added, "There is no inherent good or evil in Dao; it all lies in human actions. I am not one to judge based on Dao lineages. Last year, I visited Yue Cultivating Sect to ask for a sword from Senior Shangyuan and had a delightful conversation with him..."
"Daoist Master Shangyuan..." Li Yuanping responded, hearing a name he had only encountered in rumors, he then continued, "The Daoist Master is said to be a sword immortal second only to Golden Core Realm cultivators, with unparalleled sword intent."
"Indeed, he is formidable!" Wang Xun sighed, showing a serious expression for the first time as he praised, "His sword is astonishing... On one side, it is ethereal and transcendent, purging evil and vanquishing demons. On the other side, it is like cold snow in the vast sky, chilling to the bone! Even our True Monarch has never seen someone with two such distinct sword intents in one body."