The boy's voice echoed across the sky, and the expressions of those present subtly shifted. Some seemed thoughtful, others nodded slightly, while a few appeared dismissive. Nearby, Tu Longjian's gaze fell on the jade pot in the boy's illusory hand, but he remained silent.
The figure clad in white robes stood quietly amidst the clouds, appearing forlorn. After a few moments of silence, the figure spoke, "In the primordial era, we established morality and ruled through virtue. At that time, the people's wisdom had only begun to awaken; they were innocent and kind. Together with Gong Xu and Zhu Hao, I created a utopian world, where the Five Virtues of the great void emerged alongside the Five Waters and Five Fires, fostering universal prosperity."
"Morality was something we established ourselves. You resent being constrained by it, hoping instead for an eternal, unchanging law of the heavens. But morality, like the Dao Fruit, is inherently vague, ever-shifting, and infinitely extensible." The white-clad figure continued, "This concept is neither lofty nor sacred. Whether revered or hated, if you cannot see through its essence and are still bound by it, how can you ever obtain the Dao Fruit?"
The youth placed down the jade pot, remaining silent. The white-robed figure turned slowly, gazing at the gathered crowd amidst the clouds. Though his face was indistinct, it seemed to carry the hint of a smile.
"What!" In an instant, everyone instinctively took a step back, their hearts pounding in shock. Before their eyes, the two figures began to fade, vanishing into thin air. All that remained was the empty expanse of clouds, with the cold, silent jade wall standing in the distance, leaving no other trace.
The characters carved onto the jade wall began to light up one by one, scattering into streams of light. Each character transformed into radiant streaks that shot skyward before descending again, falling like rays of light onto those gathered below.
Li Yuanjiao's vision blurred, and a dazzling light emanated from his Shenyang Mansion, pulling him away from the scene. Everything before his eyes slowly receded into the distance.
His eyes narrowed slightly as his feet found solid ground beneath him. Lifting his gaze, he realized he now stood within an unassuming Daoist temple. The stone beneath his feet was ordinary bluestone, while a large jar sat in the corner. Incense burned on an altar before him, but there were no deities enshrined.
Directly ahead of him stood a stone wall. A brief glance revealed countless names of techniques carved densely into its surface, each corresponding to various Immortal Foundations. Li Yuanjiao immediately understood, "This is the opportunity… That Three Drums Wall must be where the grotto heaven imparts techniques."
He focused his mind and entered a meditative state, a wave of joy swelling within him. He thought to himself, First, let's search for the technique related to Radiant Origin Pass!
Rather than seeking the technique tied to his Jing Dragon King , he scanned the wall until his eyes fell upon the ancient characters for Radiant Origin Pass , rendered in bright golden script.
Focusing his consciousness on it, golden ancient script quickly appeared before him— Wei Radiant Celestial Pass Technique.
The technique's grade was unmarked, yet Li Yuanjiao felt exhilarated and began committing it to memory. As he read further, he discovered that it utilized a form of spiritual qi called Heavenly Bright Origin Essence.
At this revelation, his heart sank slightly. Ancient spiritual qi differed from those of the current age. Moreover, the grade of the Wei Radiant Celestial Pass Technique remained unknown. His own Golden Yang Radiant Origin technique seemed unlikely to compare.
Worse yet… it only contains the Foundation Establishment Realm portion… Examining the technique further, he felt a twinge of regret. All these methods, tied to Immortal Foundations, were indeed ancient techniques but only covered the Foundation Establishment Realm. Collecting the appropriate spiritual qi would likely be difficult.
Having absorbed the knowledge of this technique, Li Yuanjiao's thoughts turned abruptly to his younger sister, "Qinghong's Purple Thunder Secret Origin Technique was altered and derived from Winter Thunderclap , eventually evolving into Profound Thunderpool …"
He decided not to examine the original Winter Thunderclap technique since his family lacked the spiritual qi required for it. Instead, he focused on Profound Thunderpool , hoping to find a higher-grade method for Li Qinghong's advancement.
Concentrating his consciousness again, pale purple ancient characters emerged before his eyes— Cloud-Thunder Inquiry Technique .
This technique, too, bore no grade and led directly to the Immortal Foundation of Profound Thunderpool . Lacking expertise in thunder-based techniques, he could not judge its quality. However, upon examining its required spiritual qi, he found it aligned with Profound Yin Thunder Liquid.
"Fortunately, the Purple Thunder Secret Origin Technique is also an ancient method, so there should not be significant differences." He committed the technique to memory. With the jade wall still intact, he began searching for the one tied to the Jing Dragon King Immortal Foundation. The name stood out distinctly in its ancient form, making it easy to locate.
" Azure Serpent's Return Technique ." This method, however, proved less fortunate. The required spiritual qi , Pure Origin Clear River , differed from the River Pure Qi his family possessed. Nonetheless, Li Yuanjiao memorized the technique thoroughly before the myriad techniques and Immortal Foundations on the wall finally faded away.
Opening his eyes, he found himself still within the Daoist temple, gazing at the jade wall. Suddenly, golden characters began to appear across its surface.
Li Yuanjiao froze, staring at the wall. Despite the characters forming sentences upon sentences, he could not comprehend a single word. It felt as if the writing was too complex for the mind to grasp. No matter how hard he tried to focus, his thoughts remained blank.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the golden script cycled across the wall three times before dissolving into stardust and vanishing completely. The Daoist temple began to recede into the distance. Regaining his composure, he found himself once again standing amidst the clouds.
In the distance, the jade wall had long since vanished, leaving behind an empty expanse where the clouds had once gathered, now illuminated only by dim moonlight and scattered starlight.
The gathered cultivators appeared to have gained something, with most bearing expressions of joy, though some looked regretful, clearly having failed to connect with any of the three emanations of spiritual qi.
Li Yuanjiao observed the scene from the clouds and spotted Li Xuanfeng standing quietly in his black-gold armor. By his side stood a middle-aged man in white robes.
The two exchanged a brief glance before averting their gazes. Tu Longjian, who looked rather satisfied, discreetly retreated from the sea of clouds. Not wanting to waste any time, Li Yuanjiao silently took out a jade slip to record the techniques he had obtained. Together, he and Tu Longjian descended to land on a small peak. ŔАꞐ𝖔ꞖÊ𝒮
This mountain had clearly been explored earlier, leaving it barren and empty. Tu Longjian spoke in a low voice, "Senior, my Slaughter Jun Dao lineage has long been destroyed. I am the last of its line. Only you have ties to my gate, and I owe you a great debt for your past assistance. Say no more—I will lend my aid."
Li Yuanjiao expressed his gratitude, and Tu Longjian looked up at the stars, speaking softly, "This grotto heaven should close in seven days. Whatever plans you have, they must be carried out soon."
————
Meanwhile, Li Xuanfeng steadied himself, and Xiao Yongling beside him asked, "How did it go?"
Li Xuanfeng gave a slight nod before descending into the mist. Xiao Yongling followed him, watching as Li Xuanfeng stood still and composed himself. In a calm voice, Li Xuanfeng asked, "Senior… your clan's Daoist Master is as astute as the deep sea. Can you guess the reason I entered this grotto heaven?"
Xiao Yongling was taken aback by the abrupt question. After a moment of thought, he answered in a low voice, "Yu Muxian?"
The Li Family's rise had been supported in part by the Xiao Family for years, making the situation on the lake crystal clear to him. It wasn't hard to deduce the motive, so he answered decisively. Li Xuanfeng responded softly, "Correct."
Xiao Yongling fell silent for a moment before replying, "The Daoist Master's plans always carry his reasoning. He has not told me directly, but sending me into this grotto heaven must mean he intended for me to assist you."