The yellow-robed cultivator spoke in fear and trembling. “Reporting to Ancestor, Young Master Li…”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss paused, then laughed. “Has that useless little wretch lost again?”
The yellow-robed cultivator hurried to flatter him. “Ancestor is wise!” He lowered his head still farther. “It’s just… Young Master Li’s spiritual sense has been scattered, his soul severely injured. He’s no longer conscious.”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss’s expression did not change. “Was it that… What was his name again?”
The yellow-robed cultivator understood at once. “Xu Ziqing of Little Bamboo Peak.”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss’s gaze gradually chilled. “A brat I could crush with one finger has refused to give this ancestor face again and again. Does he truly have a death wish?”
The yellow-robed cultivator dared not interrupt and simply listened.
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss pushed away one of his companions who approached to amuse him and snorted. “That worthless descendant may be incompetent, but that doesn’t give everyone the right to trample him. Since Xu Ziqing dared deal such a ruthless blow, he must have decided to make an enemy of me. If I don’t teach him a lesson, won’t everyone think this ancestor is utterly useless?”
He frowned slightly, and a beautiful young man immediately nestled against him, gently massaging his temples in an ingratiating manner.
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss continued, “I cannot let it end here. Hong An, find an opportunity and kill Xu Ziqing. Don’t let him offend my eyes any longer.”
The yellow-robed cultivator hesitated. “Ancestor, this…”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss raised his slender brows. “What? Am I supposed to deal with a little thing like him myself? Does a mere Foundation Establishment junior deserve that honor? I’m a Nascent Soul cultivator, after all. If I personally attacked such a junior, I’d become a laughingstock.”
As he spoke, a trace of his power escaped. True essence surged through the entire cavern. Not only did the beautiful attendants stagger helplessly, but the cavern itself seemed on the verge of collapse.
The poor yellow-robed cultivator, despite having reached late Essence Transformation, trembled before a Nascent Soul ancestor and broke into a cold sweat. He dared not endure the ancestor’s wrath. Bowing deeply, he explained in a rush, “Xu Ziqing himself has potential, but he hasn’t matured and is not yet a threat. It’s his senior brother Yun Lie… He’s fifth on the Heavenly Dragon Ranking and the foremost of the core disciples. The Sect Master thinks very highly of him… The two brothers are almost inseparable. If anything truly happened to Xu Ziqing, Yun Lie would certainly discover it.”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss paused, and the cavern grew colder. “Are you telling me I cannot touch Xu Ziqing so easily?”
The yellow-robed cultivator hurriedly answered, “It isn’t that we cannot touch him, only that we cannot make it too obvious. Earlier, Young Master Li was the one who repeatedly provoked trouble. Our Ultimate Bliss Peak has no justification on its side…” His voice grew quieter, but he finished firmly. “…If the Sect Master noticed, it might cause difficulties.”
The air seemed to congeal.
After a long while, Patriarch Ultimate Bliss sighed. “Ah, my poor grandson. He can’t have his revenge immediately. But now that we’ve made enemies of them, we cannot allow Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing to grow any stronger… Very well. Go and investigate our connections. Ultimate Bliss Peak has many friendly contacts. Find a matter that will entangle them both and send those two fellow disciples to their deaths together. That much mercy is fitting for this ancestor.”
The yellow-robed cultivator immediately agreed. “Yes, Ancestor. This disciple will attend to it at once…”
He stole a glance at the ancestor, saw his calm expression, and knew his audience was finished. He promptly rose and withdrew from the cavern.
Inside, Patriarch Ultimate Bliss waved his hand, dismissing his concubines and favored companions. Then he swept his sleeve and sealed the cavern so that no one could enter without permission.
Only then did he open his mouth and spit out an unremarkable, dull-looking mirror.
A man’s hoarse laughter emerged from within it. “What is it? Has my darling gotten angry?”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss sighed plaintively. “That little wretch is so useless. If he weren’t all the direct-line blood I have left, I wouldn’t bother with him.” As he spoke, he tilted the mirror slightly and examined it closely.
Inside the mirror sat a faint, cross-legged figure, seemingly far away and utterly motionless. The figure belonged to a robust, heroic-looking man whose features were impossible to make out. Only his voice could be heard coming from the mirror.
The man spoke. “Darling, don’t be angry. You’ll make my heart ache.”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss’s eyes rippled, and he smiled with pursed lips. “You only know how to coax me with sweet words.”
The man sounded terribly wronged. “How am I coaxing you? Have I not treated you well?”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss giggled. “Yes. In all the world, you’re the only one who treats me best.”
Their exchange resembled the teasing between young lovers, full of tender affection and desire.
After flirting awhile, they returned to serious matters.
The man spoke first. “I heard just now that your direct grandson’s soul was injured. You said you wouldn’t act personally because you fear drawing the Sect Master’s attention. I suspect that isn’t your real reason. You’re at the peak of late Nascent Soul, barely a step from Spirit Transformation. Yun Lie may have great potential, but he’s still immature and can certainly be killed… If you truly struck him down, the Sect Master might not actually do much to you. He’d probably have to punish you severely for appearances’ sake, but he wouldn’t hurt your foundations.”
“You understand me best. Isn’t it all for you, you troublesome man? Otherwise, why would I put up with these restraints?” Patriarch Ultimate Bliss sighed resentfully. “Think about it. You’ve been stuck at this crucial stage for so many years. I still want to use the immortal sect’s influence to find you cultivation cauldrons and supply you with vital energy. The Sect Master’s cultivation is unfathomable, and he has countless affairs to manage. A Nascent Soul cultivator like me is beneath his notice. But if I killed Yun Lie, I would certainly attract his attention. Even if I received no particularly heavy punishment, what if the Sect Master began keeping an eye on Ultimate Bliss Peak and discovered you? You have so many secrets. If he found out, your life would be over!”
The man laughed softly. “I thought as much.” Sweetness entered his voice. “My darling, my dear master, everything you’ve done for me makes it worthwhile to leave my past behind.”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss cast him a coquettish glance and smiled gently. “If you hadn’t taught me that cultivation art years ago, I would never have achieved what I have today. And you’ve already changed your cultivation path to the immortal Dao for my sake. What are the things I’ve done for you compared with that?”
After only a few sentences, their serious discussion slipped back into affectionate intimacies. A long time later, Patriarch Ultimate Bliss reluctantly said, “Cultivate well. I’ll certainly find you someone with a single Fire spiritual root. Once you become a Nascent Soul ancestor too, we can practice dual cultivation together, and then there’ll be nothing left to fear.”
Only then did he slowly put away the mirror.
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss stood and walked outside. Before long, someone brought Li Cai’s empty shell to him. He looked at it once, then ordered that it be submerged in a pool of Soul-Settling Water and slowly nourished.
Whether Li Cai’s soul would someday recover enough for him to awaken, or he would remain forever unconscious, no one could say.
There were several times fewer Essence Transformation cultivators than Foundation Establishment disciples, so their competition naturally finished much sooner.
The people of Little Bamboo Peak continued watching, gathering whatever useful experience they could from the battles.
After observing several rounds, they became increasingly aware of the differences between Essence Transformation and Foundation Establishment.
For example, while the true essence wielded by Foundation Establishment cultivators could be immense, it lacked some of the substantial quality possessed by Essence Transformation cultivators. When the same move was used, the latter’s attack carried much greater force.
Moreover, Foundation Establishment cultivators often could not control many magical artifacts at once. Essence Transformation cultivators were different. Those with profound cultivation could sometimes release four or five artifacts in succession, and some even controlled several flying swords at once to form sword formations, displaying far greater flexibility.
Some outstanding Essence Transformation cultivators had also begun comprehending rudimentary divine abilities, as Xu Ziqing had. Many sword cultivators took the stage as well, filling the arenas with intersecting sword qi. Their clashes were often more than a hundred times fiercer than those among Foundation Establishment cultivators!
There was also the depth of their comprehension of the Dao, their mastery of cultivation methods, their ingenuity in applying techniques, and their experience of combat. All these were far more mature at Essence Transformation and gave the spectators much to contemplate.
Ever since Xu Ziqing lost to the thunder sword cultivator, he had come to understand many of his own weaknesses. The thunderous sword moves had also given him insights into the Summer Thunder Sword Art. Even while seated on the raised platform, he began meditating quietly.
As he circulated his method within his dantian, he continued watching the battles. The techniques passed before his eyes like scenes in a revolving lantern. Meanwhile, a deep feeling arose in his sea of consciousness, as though the countless moves he had witnessed were joining into a vast, surging torrent that washed through him without end.
The Dao of Myriad Woods was the Dao of all living things. To command ten thousand trees with one, he had to possess authority, with commands obeyed and prohibitions enforced.
Previously Xu Ziqing had felt kinship with all the trees and could integrate them into his dantian, but he had only cultivated closeness and not strict discipline. If he continued that way, he would eventually take the wrong path.
Now his defeat by the thunder sword cultivator had suppressed the slight restlessness born of his earlier victories. He restrained himself and steadied his will. From the authority inherent in thunder, he began to contemplate an authority of his own.
A faint green light flickered in Xu Ziqing’s eyes. True essence gathered rapidly in his dantian, slowly condensing into viscous essence liquid with greater weight and strength. Suddenly his face took on an austere expression, and the Qingyun Needle emerged from his body, darting back and forth before his eyes.
Soon an air of stern authority also seemed to develop within the needle. It had been nurtured by Xu Ziqing’s flesh and blood and born from his comprehension. As he gained further insights, its artistic conception deepened, and it could contain still greater power.
This, too, was a form of tempering for the Qingyun Needle. Xu Ziqing entered a meditative enlightenment between waking and dreaming and finally opened his eyes when the Essence Transformation competition had ended.
The needle returned between his brows, and Xu Ziqing looked up.
At that moment he saw the hem of a robe passing before him. A tall, cold sword cultivator dressed in white had quietly risen to stand ahead.
“Senior Brother Yun…” Xu Ziqing called softly, then suddenly understood. “Is the competition among the Golden Core Perfected Ones about to begin?”