Master Qi Yuan didn’t return to Little Jade Peak until midnight, having spent the evening drinking.

Li Changshou hadn’t seen his master this happy in seven or eight years. The old Daoist was even humming an unfamiliar tune as he walked.

Passing by Li Changshou’s door, Qi Yuan called out:

“Changshou? Are you cultivating?”

“Responding to Master, disciple is resting. Today I’m calming my spirit, planning to resume cultivation tomorrow.”

Li Changshou, who had been meditating cross-legged on his grass bed, opened his eyes to respond. Just as he was about to get up and open the door, he heard his master laugh:

“Rest, rest! The master will return to closed-door cultivation as well.

You did well this time, using your escape techniques to save Junior Sister You Qin Xuanya from Breaking Sky Peak. This truly brings glory to our Little Jade Peak.

However, don’t become complacent because of this. Everything should prioritize cultivation. Don’t get carried away perfecting escape techniques—your spiritual realm is fundamental!”

“Disciple understands,” Li Changshou responded from inside.

Old Daoist Qi Yuan stroked his beard with a smile and advised further: “Good, stabilize your realm well.

Cultivation cannot be rushed—steady progress and careful planning are the only ways to pass through the major mystical barriers.

You rest now, Master is going into seclusion.

Ling’e has been worried sick about you these past few days, looking quite haggard. Remember to comfort her more tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Li Changshou answered gently.

Qi Yuan chuckled, resumed his humming, and walked back to his grass hut, activating several formations around it.

—Closed-door cultivation needed quietness; sound-blocking and alert formations were essential.

Li Changshou glanced at the jade boxes in his storage artifact, letting out a soft sigh. After a few more days of preparation and building the alchemy room he’d long planned, he could begin refining the Fusion Immortality Pill.

If he could successfully refine the Fusion Immortality Pill and convince his master to keep it on hand during his tribulation, the Master’s survival probability would reach ninety percent.

The Immortal Ascension Tribulation was an unavoidable trial and hardship for all post-celestial beings seeking longevity.

When heavenly lightning struck, it determined life or death.

Since ancient times, no one attempting to transcend tribulation could say with absolute certainty they would survive the heavenly tribulation.

And Master, due to an early injury that damaged his foundation, had unstable cultivation and spirit force half as strong as other ordinary Path Return Ninth Stage cultivators.

Without finding other methods, the Master facing the heavenly tribulation would be certain death.

Yet Master was desperate to transcend and become immortal…

Qi Yuan wasn’t just his and Ling’e’s master, but also this generation’s peak master of Little Jade Peak—the only peak master in the Path to Immortality Sect who hadn’t achieved immortality. The peak master elders’ council never even notified Little Jade Peak of their meetings.

In comparison, Junior Master Jiu Jiu, who entered the sect years after Master, was already a True Immortal, leaving Master far behind…

Before becoming immortal, human cultivators couldn’t live beyond three thousand years—this was heaven’s law. Qi Yuan had at least several hundred to a thousand years left.

But Li Changshou knew Master didn’t want to suppress his realm, nor wait until his lifespan was nearly exhausted to make one final attempt at immortality.

Li Changshou could sometimes even sense that Master had developed thoughts of seeking death in the heavenly tribulation, planning to stake his slim chance of survival on a do-or-die attitude!

This sounded passionate, but to Li Changshou, Master’s thinking was both stubborn and foolish.

Thus came Li Changshou’s fifteen years of secret preparations…

This was why Li Changshou first broke his principles, leaving the mountain’s protection to visit the Northern Continent; and why, after discovering the Immortal Dissolution Grass, he took the risk of plotting against the Three-Eyed Azure Wave Snake and Yu Wen Ling’s group after brief consideration.

Li Changshou’s first plan to “Help Master Transcend the Tribulation” centered on refining the Fusion Immortality Pill using Immortal Dissolution Grass.

During Master’s tribulation, as long as he could withstand the first heavenly strike and generate the first trace of immortal energy, he could immediately take the Fusion Immortality Pill, using it to fake death and initiate self-dissolution to avoid subsequent tribulation.

If immortals failed their tribulation, they could become “Turbid Immortals” after self-dissolution.

Though Turbid Immortals had far weaker cultivation and abilities than normal Primary Immortals, they had the same lifespan and could continue advancing in cultivation.

According to ancient records, Turbid Immortals could only cultivate to the True Immortal realm at most, hence it was called the Earth Immortal Path, distinguishing it from the Heaven Immortal Path.

In this first plan, Li Changshou had even planned out his master’s retirement:

Become an Earth Immortal, accumulate several hundred years of cultivation, then join the newly established Heaven Court that urgently needs personnel. Take an idle position as a local Earth God or Mountain River God. Just receiving some incense offerings would give him a longer lifespan than ordinary True Immortals.

If Master could achieve more accomplishments and earn merits from the Heaven Court, he might even live longer than some Heaven Immortals…

Additionally, Master could build connections in the Heaven Court, and when he and Junior Sister were fully prepared, they could also take idle positions there, gaining elder status in the future Three Realms management structure before retiring peacefully.

A perfect plan.

“Refining this pill isn’t particularly complicated.

With help from a True Immortal like Junior Master Jiu Jiu, and preparing extra materials, we should be able to refine it successfully.

But…”

Master was a typical sect cultivator—would rather die than lose face. Convincing him to use this method to survive would truly be more difficult than finding Immortal Dissolution Grass.

However, being a disciple meant bearing this karmic responsibility—it couldn’t be avoided.

If all else failed, he could only use a mix of coaxing and deception, coating the Fusion Immortality Pill in sugar and calling it a life-saving immortal pill…

Thinking of this, Li Changshou also showed a slight smile.

In the chirping of insects outside the window, he began reviewing his recent experiences outside, examining his shortcomings.

His methods against Primary Immortals weren’t quite sufficient, lacking swift execution;

The paper human technique still needed improvement—the created duplicates still couldn’t perfectly imitate the original;

The Five Elements Escape technique transitions were still sluggish, and when he entered the old cypress tree’s roots, he exposed some fluctuations in the earth…

After self-reflection for a while, there would be plenty of time to address these shortcomings later. After all, Li Changshou had no more urgent matters requiring him to leave the mountain—he could focus on honest cultivation.

Regarding his tribulation…

He wasn’t in a hurry. Without ninety-nine percent certainty, he absolutely wouldn’t take this step.

—The remaining zero point one percent was in case the Heavenly Dao had a sudden whim.

Thunk!

A stone hit the wooden wall of the grass hut. Li Changshou calculated the time, realizing it had unconsciously passed into the Tiger Hour (3-5 AM).

Rising, Li Changshou walked out of his grass hut, strolling towards his junior sister’s residence next door.

…

During the ten years since Junior Sister entered the sect, whether teaching, tutoring, or life guidance, most occurred during the Tiger Hour.

Arriving at the grass hut, Li Changshou lightly knocked on the door. The wooden door opened slightly on its own, and he pushed it open to enter.

Pink curtains billowed before him, and the carpet below had been changed to a pink pattern;

Behind the translucent screen, a familiar silhouette lay sideways facing inward on the bed, her gauze dress making certain views faintly visible.

The most captivating was the hazy state, stirring one’s heart without being vulgar.

However, Li Changshou barely glanced twice, directly sitting in the main seat of the front room, saying calmly:

“Stop pretending to sleep. Such a graceful sleeping posture doesn’t suit your sleeping self.”

A coquettish whining voice came from behind the screen: “Senior Brother, I was just practicing making Soft Immortal Powder, and now I’m dizzy, my head is foggy, I can’t do anything, my body feels weak and powerless.”

Li Changshou nodded, making to stand up, “Then we’ll talk tomorrow, it’s not anything urgent anyway.”

“No!” Ling’e instantly broke character, switching to a slightly dissatisfied complaint: “Sit down! I’m coming out right now!

Hmph, today you must explain clearly why you came back so late!”

After some rustling sounds, Lan Ling’e quickly changed into a long dress and came out from behind the screen, sitting on the left side of the table, glaring somewhat angrily at Li Changshou.

Li Changshou smiled helplessly and said: “There were indeed some unexpected events. Do you know Yuan Qing from Breaking Sky Peak?”

“Mm,” Ling’e blinked, “That Breaking Sky Peak disciple who went to the Northern Continent with you that day, right? Ranked second in cultivation among our generation, reportedly quite gentle.”

“Remember, a man’s gentleness is always just a facade.

He caused some trouble this time, trying to scheme against You Qin Xuanya, but ended up being killed by her.”

Li Changshou shook his head, organizing the scenes he saw from those remnant soul memories, “His actions were a classic example of losing the greater for the lesser, abandoning his status as a Path to Immortality Sect disciple, insisting on pursuing mortal world authority as fleeting as clouds of smoke.”

Ling’e rested her chin on her hand, leaning sideways against the square table, asking softly: “Senior Brother, what exactly happened?”

Li Changshou explained slowly:

“This You Qin Xuanya is the sixth princess of a mortal realm country in the Southern Continent, and this Yuan Qing is the illegitimate son of a noble family in this mortal realm country, known as the Fourth Young Master.

Yuan Qing’s mother should be a concubine of this noble family, but she was quite dominant, being the young lady of another noble family, with some influence of her own.

Then these people set their sights on the sixth princess who was sent to join the Path to Immortality Sect as a disciple.

If Yuan Qing could marry the sixth princess, he could become the prince consort of this mortal realm country, while gaining more authority in his own family, and possibly even harboring thoughts of seizing the country. So they used every means to have Yuan Qing also join our Path to Immortality Sect.

But Yuan Qing himself was too incompetent, unable to win the beauty’s heart in sixty years. The group behind him was in a precarious situation, finally running out of patience and deciding to take desperate measures…”

Li Changshou briefly introduced what had happened to his junior sister.

“Now, not only did their scheme fail, but both families will be implicated. They’ll likely be completely uprooted by their monarch to appease the Path to Immortality Sect’s anger.”

Looking at Ling’e’s contemplative little face, Li Changshou asked gently:

“Ling’e, what can you learn from this story?”

“Hmm—”

Ling’e pondered for a moment, then declared decisively: “Women absolutely cannot become concubines! It’s too difficult to fight for power in the family that way!”

“Ahem!”

Li Changshou couldn’t help but cover his face with one hand, “Anything else?”

“This Yuan Qing’s planning and arrangements were too crude, and the branch power of this mortal noble family seriously underestimated both the Path to Immortality Sect’s strength and the value of its disciples.”

Ling’e analyzed very seriously, “I think the correct approach should have been to suppress You Qin Xuanya, endure for thousands of years to become a Heaven Immortal, then secretly return to become this mortal realm country’s hidden shadow king, plundering the country’s wealth to contribute to the sect, improving one’s position and importance within the sect—succeeding in both immortal and mortal realms!

Wanting to rise to power by becoming the monarch’s son-in-law was too fantastical. These monarchs have no shortage of offspring.”

Li Changshou: …

“Never mind, just take this as an amusing tale.

Your family is also among the mortal nobility, I just wanted to remind you to take it as a warning.”

“Hehe,” Ling’e smiled with pursed lips, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother, your Ling’e won’t go anywhere without you.”

Li Changshou couldn’t help but shake his head with a light laugh, “Take out your medicine pouch, I’ll refill it for you. You must have used some this time, right?”

Ling’e instantly looked guilty, slowly sitting up straight, pressing her delicate white legs together, folding her hands on her knees, her eyes gently turning as she pretended to be…

Obedient, cute, and lost in thought.

The poison powders and pills Senior Brother gave her hadn’t been wasted much at all this trip… really.