Graceful as a startled swan, supple as a swimming dragon…

Pure and adorable, seemingly reluctant yet willing…

Bewitchingly seductive, captivating all living beings…

Mature and charming, with a myriad of allures…

She just sat there coldly, yet in Li Lingsu’s mind, various starkly different types of women appeared.

This woman seemed to embody all the beauty in the world, capable of satisfying a man’s deepest longing for the opposite sex. No matter what type one preferred, one could find their ideal, or even multiple ideals, in her.

The moment he saw her, Li Lingsu felt that his search for love among the masses had been in vain.

“How can there be such an enchanting woman in this world…”

The Celestial Sect’s Holy Son’s heart raced, completely entranced by her beauty.

He didn’t use the word “beautiful” to describe her, but rather “enchanting.”

Because there were simply too many beautiful women in the world, and the Celestial Sect also had many peerless beauties, like Li Miaozhen’s master, the Ice Jade Primordial Lord.

But while they were beautiful, in Li Lingsu’s eyes, none were as enchanting as this Daoist woman before him…

“Come in!”

Xu Qi’an’s timely call brought Li Lingsu back to reality from his reverie in beauty.

Xu Qi’an wasn’t surprised by Li Lingsu’s loss of composure. When he first met Luo Yuheng, he hadn’t fared much better.

Strictly speaking, he had been a bit better than Li Lingsu. This showed that the National Master’s cultivation had improved, and her karmic fire was on the brink of losing control.

“That’s right, she’s come to me for dual cultivation now because her karmic fire has reached a critical point…”

As Xu Qi’an thought this, he saw Li Lingsu take a seat beside him, gazing at Luo Yuheng in a daze.

The Holy Son cleared his throat and introduced himself in a deep, enduring tone:

“Fellow Daoist, I am Li Lingsu, Holy Son of the Celestial Sect. Judging by your attire, you seem to be from our Daoist community as well. May I ask which sect or school you belong to?”

In the Nine Provinces, besides the Three Sects, there were other Daoist schools.

In ancient times, there were many Daoist schools that were not inferior to, or even surpassed, the Three Sects.

But washed away by the river of time, these schools either weakened or became extinct. Now, the pillars of Daoism were the “Heaven, Earth, and Human” Three Sects, with the rest being minor schools.

In Li Lingsu’s view, his status as the Celestial Sect’s Holy Son would surely impress this fellow Daoist woman.

Indeed, this woman of indiscernible age raised her eyes and scrutinized him.

Li Lingsu wore a confident smile as he poured himself a cup of hot tea. Then, he heard that old codger Xu Qian introduce:

“This is Luo Yuheng, Head of the Human Sect and National Master of Great Feng.”

Li Lingsu’s hand trembled, spilling the scalding tea on the table. His self-satisfied expression instantly froze, his body becoming even more rigid than when he was at the door.

“Sen-sen-sen… senior, don’t jest.”

Li Lingsu stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence.

He suspected Xu Qian was playing a trick on him. He carefully sensed the aura of the woman opposite him: her primordial spirit seemed ordinary, her presence unremarkable, far from the oppressive feeling he got when facing elders in his sect.

Xu Qi’an silently looked at him with an expression that said, “Do I need to lie?”

Perhaps, it’s true… Xu Qian is from the capital, with an unusual relationship with the Bureau of Astronomy, at least Third Rank. With such status, it’s, it’s reasonable that he knows the Head of the Human Sect…

Li Lingsu swallowed hard, carefully looking towards Luo Yuheng with a gaze seeking confirmation.

“I’ve heard about you from him. Originally, you were supposed to face Chu Yuanzhen in the Heaven-Human Dispute,”

Luo Yuheng took a sip of tea and said flatly: “What a pity. Half a year wasted and your cultivation has been surpassed by Li Miaozhen.”

As she spoke, she gently set down her teacup.

Thud… With the sound of the teacup being set down, Li Lingsu saw a dazzling sword light. He instinctively closed his eyes, his eyeballs burning hot, tears rolling down.

This sword intent, it’s, it’s the Head of the Human Sect, Luo Yuheng… The rumors in the sect weren’t wrong, the Head of the Human Sect is indeed a rare beauty, the most enchanting woman I’ve ever seen… Li Lingsu hurriedly stood up, nervously and respectfully performing a Daoist salute, saying loudly:

“Disciple Li Lingsu pays respects to the Sect Head.”

Luo Yuheng nodded slightly, “Although the Celestial and Human Sects are like fire and water, that’s a matter for the elders. You needn’t be so formal.”

Only then did Li Lingsu relax somewhat. He didn’t dare to sit down, obediently standing to the side with a hesitant expression.

“Please help remove his seal, National Master,”

Xu Qi’an said.

Li Lingsu was overjoyed inwardly, unable to resist glancing at Xu Qian. This old codger, though eccentric and aloof in personality, is quite good to me.

Luo Yuheng bent her finger, shooting out a sword qi that instantly penetrated Li Lingsu’s brow.

The next moment, Li Lingsu heard an ethereal sound of shackles breaking.

Along with this sound, the force suppressing his Nascent Soul was shattered. That long-lost power revived, and Li Lingsu felt a surge of emotion, like seeing the moon after the clouds had cleared.

His first thought was: Finally, I can be free from the suffering of kidney deficiency.

As a mighty Fourth Rank Nascent Soul cultivator, even if his physical body wasn’t as monstrous as a warrior’s, he surely had ways to nourish his body and cleanse impurities.

This could greatly reduce the pressure on his kidneys, allowing for renewal through breathing exercises.

His second thought was: I’ve indeed followed the right person.

If not for following Xu Qian, he might have been found by the Eastern sisters long ago, with no hope of having his seal removed.

This is my destined opportunity. If Li Miaozhen knew I had a Transcendent Realm senior leading me in adventures through the jianghu, she’d surely cry with envy… As Li Lingsu’s imagination ran wild, he suddenly heard Luo Yuheng say:

“Before coming here, I visited the Bureau of Astronomy. The Director said this year’s winter will be extremely cold, harboring all possibilities for change.”

Harboring all possibilities for change… The Director means that Xu Pingfeng might very well start his rebellion this winter, but he hasn’t gathered all the Dragon Qi yet!

No, that’s not right!

Xu Qi’an was slightly moved, realizing he had overlooked something.

Back in the capital, father and son had laid their cards on the table and fought.

Xu Qi’an had narrowly won but failed to reclaim the luck by renouncing his status as a son.

Therefore, in Xu Qi’an’s mind, for Not-Being-a-Son to rebel, he would either need to reclaim the luck or gather all the Dragon Qi.

But this was a blind spot in his thinking.

For Xu Pingfeng to rebel and support the lineage from five hundred years ago, Dragon Qi and national fortune were just icing on the cake. As long as Great Feng became sufficiently chaotic, his chances of successful rebellion would greatly increase.

During the battle at Shanhai Pass, he had stolen Great Feng’s national fortune. In the incident of slaying the Yuanjing Emperor, he successfully destroyed Dragon Qi.

Great Feng had thus weakened, beset by internal troubles and external threats.

Xu Pingfeng had already achieved his goal.

As expected of a Qi Practitioner, as expected of the Director’s senior disciple. Xu Pingfeng is playing 5D chess… Xu Qi’an rubbed his brow and said:

“I understand. I’ll gather the Dragon Qi as quickly as possible.”

Dragon Qi again. Xu Qian and the Director’s relationship is unusual… Li Lingsu listened attentively like a child in class.

“After this time, National Master, will you be able to smoothly enter the First Rank?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Qi’an asked the question he had been curious about for a long time.

What?!

Li Lingsu almost lost control of his expression. The Head of the Human Sect, Luo Yuheng, is about to break through to the First Rank.

That’s simply nonsense… He wanted to blurt out that, as far as the Holy Son knew, the Human Sect had never had a First Rank Sect Head. At least not in recorded history.

“Advancing to the First Rank isn’t that simple,” Luo Yuheng pondered:

“At the shortest, three months; at the longest, half a year. Only then will I have confidence in passing the Heavenly Tribulation.”

One burning of karmic fire per month, at least three times, at most six times in half a year… Xu Qi’an instinctively wanted to grimace.

“I hope before the Heaven-Human Dispute, you can first help Golden Lotus resolve his fallen demonic thoughts. He’s the main culprit behind Jeanne’s fall. The weakening of Great Feng’s national power, the Marquis Zhenbei’s massacre case, and even Wei Yuan’s death in battle, all have something to do with him to some extent,” Xu Qi’an said gravely.

Luo Yuheng glanced at him and said, “It can also be after the Heaven-Human Dispute.”

Is she angry that I lack confidence in her… Xu Qi’an smiled and said:

“I hope by then, I can regain my cultivation. I’m quite curious why the Celestial Sect’s Celestial Lord would mysteriously disappear if they don’t engage in the Heaven-Human Dispute.”

After speaking, he looked at the National Master, waiting for the beauty’s reply.

“Only the Celestial Lord himself knows that,” Luo Yuheng answered.

“Then why is there hope for the Human Sect’s Head to break through to the First Rank after defeating the Celestial Lord?” Xu Qi’an asked again.

“Seizing fortune,” Luo Yuheng said.

Then, she added: “But it’s only a possibility. In fact, without being able to rely on an emperor and absorb national fortune, the Human Sect’s chances of advancing to the First Rank just by defeating the Celestial Sect are slim.”

What are they talking about… Li Lingsu listened, half-understanding, wanting to raise his hand to ask questions but not daring to.

However, he was still excited, because the conversation between these two important figures revealed a tremendous amount of information.

This was something he couldn’t access before.

“Could it involve the Dao Ancestor? I’m referring to the Celestial Sect’s Head’s mysterious disappearance,” Xu Qi’an suddenly said.

Li Lingsu felt as if he could hear his own heart pounding. The level this topic touched upon was too high-end.

“What makes you think so?” Luo Yuheng frowned.

“Remember the underground palace I told you about? Based on the murals and some clues I’ve gathered, the Daoist sects in ancient times were as prosperous as today’s martial arts world.”

“And at that time, the Dao Ancestor didn’t exist. This means that the Daoist sects weren’t founded by the Dao Ancestor.”

“What he truly founded was the ‘Heaven, Earth, and Human’ Three Sects,” Xu Qi’an said.

At this moment, Li Lingsu almost blurted out, telling them not to joke around.

The Dao Ancestor being the founder of the Daoist sects was recorded in the ancient texts of the Three Sects and recognized by various systems of later generations.

The prosperity of Daoist sects in ancient times was credited to the Dao Ancestor.

Xu Qian’s words were unacceptable to Li Lingsu.

“Senior, do you have any evidence?” Li Lingsu couldn’t help but question.

…

In a two-courtyard house in Yongzhou City.

The cloaked man returned, going straight to the back courtyard, ignoring the gazes of the monks in the yard, and came to a quiet room.

Three monks sat cross-legged in the room: Arhat Du Qing with long eyebrows hanging down to his cheeks and a mole between his brows; the incredibly ugly, fierce-eyed Asura Vajra Du Fan; and the hairless, beardless, eyebrowless Vajra Du Nan.

“Vajra Du Nan, you violated our agreement,”

The cloaked man said in a deep voice: “I gave you the teleportation artifact to use when we cooperate. Yet you ambushed Xu Qi’an on your own first.”

Du Nan Vajra said calmly: “You can choose not to cooperate.”

“You…”

The cloaked man laughed angrily: “A mighty Buddhist Vajra, yet you go back on your word. Now that you’ve alerted them prematurely, how easy do you think it will be to lure him out with Dragon Qi hosts?”

At this point, Arhat Du Qing opened his eyes, glanced at the cloaked man, and said slowly:

“Wasn’t this your intention when you gave the teleportation artifact to Junior Brother Du Nan in advance? Let’s be frank. We’ve now confirmed that the Human Sect’s Head Luo Yuheng is one of the Buddha’s Son’s trump cards. Along with Sun Xuanji from the Bureau of Astronomy, we’ve roughly gauged their combat power.”

“What are the Palace of Destiny’s plans next?”

The cloaked man was silent for a while, then chuckled, no longer dwelling on the previous topic, and said:

“The Palace of Destiny has obtained reliable intelligence that a Dragon Qi host has come to Yongzhou City to participate in the martial arts gathering. Capturing him will lure out Xu Qi’an.”

Vajra Du Nan’s voice boomed: “One of the nine Dragon Qi?”

After today’s events, ordinary Dragon Qi hosts wouldn’t be able to lure out Xu Qi’an.

The cloaked man nodded: “The Palace Master agrees with my plan and has already dispatched the Azure Dragon Star from the Twenty-Eight New Constellations to assist.”

“That’s excellent,”

Asura Vajra interjected.

…

Regarding Li Lingsu’s questioning, Xu Qi’an felt that revealing some secrets to him was inconsequential, as it didn’t involve himself, and Li Lingsu was the Celestial Sect’s Holy Son, able to access some of the Celestial Sect’s ancient texts.

If he were to search with purpose, he might find some clues, which would help in deducing the identity of the underground palace’s owner.

So, he calmly narrated:

“I once entered an ancient tomb, so old its age couldn’t be determined. The tomb’s owner was a Daoist who, after failing his tribulation, used his remaining fragmentary soul and old body to create a new life.”

“That old body told me he didn’t know of any figure called the Dao Ancestor. Heh, he had no reason to lie.”

This… Li Lingsu listened, his pupils slightly constricting, instinctively unwilling to believe, but also knowing Xu Qian had no reason to deceive him.

The Daoist sects weren’t founded by the Dao Ancestor?

The Dao Ancestor was a latecomer?

This secret was too shocking for him.

Luo Yuheng then asked: “What does this have to do with the Celestial Sect’s Celestial Lord’s disappearance?”

“The gradual decline of various Daoist schools, the prosperity of the Three Sects, the mysterious disappearance of the Dao Ancestor, a Transcendent Rank who hasn’t appeared for thousands of years – could there be a connection between these that we don’t know about?”

Xu Qi’an’s words made Luo Yuheng fall into deep thought, but she couldn’t provide an answer.

Time passed, and the two chatted casually. Li Lingsu listened with great interest, occasionally stealing glances at Luo Yuheng.

The more he looked, the more enchanting she seemed, the more he couldn’t help himself… Li Lingsu thought.

He inevitably developed feelings of admiration and reverence. As the saying goes, “A gentleman yearns for a virtuous lady,” and loving and pursuing beautiful women is the nature of all men.

“Among the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Sects, the Celestial Sect neither approves nor opposes marriage, the Earth Sect is the same, but only the Human Sect encourages disciples to find Dao companions…”

“She must not have a Dao companion. I wonder if I have a chance if my cursed charm could win her favor?”

Li Lingsu was very confident in his charm, but the other party was the esteemed Sect Head, not as superficial as other women.

However, this also meant that ordinary men would hardly catch Luo Yuheng’s eye.

As for Xu Qian, he didn’t consider him a competitor at all, because Xu Qian already had a wife, and Luo Yuheng wouldn’t become the Dao companion of a married man.

Suddenly, a clear light flickered in the tea room, and a figure materialized.

White-robed as snow, with ordinary features, it was the Director’s second disciple, Sun Xuanji.

“You’re here,” Xu Qi’an said.

Sun Xuanji nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but Xu Qi’an pre-empted him: “Let’s write instead.”

Li Lingsu immediately agreed: “Yes, yes, let’s write.”

In the Holy Son’s view, listening to Sun Xuanji speak was a very detrimental thing for one’s state of mind.

No matter how detached a person was, spending more than three days with Sun Xuanji would ruin their cultivation.

“…” Sun Xuanji was a bit unhappy, clearly feeling the two’s aversion, but still chose to go along with it, picking up a brush to write:

“Upon receiving your message, I immediately teleported over, using the conch shell to locate this place.”

You’re only coming now? To collect my corpse? Auntie is more reliable… Xu Qi’an grumbled inwardly.

“I’ve already collected two Dragon Qi,” Xu Qi’an said.

He was referring to the nine crucial Dragon Qi.

Sun Xuanji nodded and wrote: “I’ve also collected some scattered Dragon Qi. Those hosts have been taken back to the Bureau of Astronomy. When you have time, you can return to the capital to extract the Dragon Qi.”

He was also collecting Dragon Qi on his master’s orders, but without the Book of Earth fragment, he could only bring the hosts back to the Bureau of Astronomy and imprison them underground.

After writing this, Sun Xuanji took out a stack of letters from his pouch and placed them in front of Xu Qi’an.

“They asked me to give these to you,”

The Second Senior Brother wrote.

Li Lingsu peeked, seeing that the top envelope was addressed to the character “Lin’an”.

Who is Lin’an? he wondered.

Because Li Lingsu was beside him, Xu Qi’an didn’t immediately open the envelopes. He glanced over them briefly, finding there were five letters.

Besides Lin’an and Huai Qing, who were the other three from? Er Lang, Ling Yue, and Chu Caiwei? Unable to find me, they sent letters through Second Senior Brother. Quite clever… he mused, putting the letters into his bosom.

Then, he turned to Li Lingsu: “Go back to the inn and look after her for me. Tell her I’ll be back in seven days.”

“Does Senior have something to do these few days?” Li Lingsu asked.

We’re going to dual cultivate, little brother… Xu Qi’an said flatly: “It’s none of your business.”

As they were speaking, all four people in the tea room looked towards the door simultaneously.

A small white figure darted over, stopping outside the door, accompanied by a childish female voice: “It’s here, it’s here…”

A delicate little white fox stood outside the door, turning its head to call behind it.

Seconds later, a panting Mu Nanzhi arrived.

Why did she come… Xu Qi’an’s face instantly fell.

Luo Yuheng narrowed her eyes.