Though Yun Lie had fallen into demonic corruption, he was still somewhat indulgent toward his junior brother. After Xu Ziqing pleaded with him, he agreed. The only conditions were that Xu Ziqing remain within one chi of him and that they continue holding hands.
Seeing his senior brother yield, Xu Ziqing felt warmth in his heart. The arrangement no longer troubled him.
Having reached this agreement, the two martial brothers prepared to leave the white-jade palace.
As Xu Ziqing swept the area with his spiritual sense, he noticed something glimmering faintly where the white-jade pool had stood. Startled, he took his senior brother’s hand and walked over.
As they approached, he immediately recognized the inheritance crystal and was greatly surprised.
Because of Venerable Six Desires, the crystal had not followed them into the illusory formation. Xu Ziqing had assumed someone else would surely have taken it. How could it still be here?
Yanhua was a spirit born from the formation’s eye. He quickly learned what had happened through the array and explained it to his master.
Only then did Xu Ziqing understand that the illusory formation had concealed the crystal’s light, preventing others from taking it.
After considering it, he thought this might be coincidence, but perhaps it was also a remnant of heavenly favor arising from Perfected Master Luofu’s generosity. Thus his inheritance had not been severed, thwarting Venerable Six Desires’ wishes.
But…
Apparently everyone else had been transported out after the two martial brothers entered the inheritance grounds, so no one remained here. Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie each possessed their own Dao and could not personally accept this inheritance. Should they take the crystal away and choose a suitable successor later?
Xu Ziqing asked, “How are we to leave now?”
Yanhua answered, “Once someone accepts the inheritance, they’ll receive the method for refining the white-jade palace. They can then control it at will and leave.”
Xu Ziqing frowned at once.
That would not do.
Anyone who accepted the inheritance through the crystal would have countless cultivation methods, experiences, and even cultivation power poured into them at once. Afterward they would inevitably be influenced by the Perfected Master who had left it. This would be disadvantageous to both of them. Xu Ziqing had not known the inheritance worked this way; he had merely wanted to study an ancient predecessor’s teachings to verify his own art. Now he was in a difficult position.
While pondering this, an idea struck him when he saw the two twin-lotus spirits.
He first asked, “I helped enlighten you two. Why do you still look like this?”
Yanhua and Yuehua explained.
“Plants like us must live through untold years before developing intelligence, absorb the essence of heaven and earth before becoming spirits, and undergo a tribulation of heavenly lightning before shedding our original bodies and taking human form. Every stage is far more difficult than for ordinary birds and beasts becoming demons.”
“But if a Wood-attribute cultivator is willing to assist with their own pure Wood qi, the plants may be enlightened, avoid the lightning tribulation, and assume human form much sooner.”
Such enlightenment left a plant deeply indebted to the person who provided it, more so than an animal receiving similar help, precisely because heavenly lightning posed a much greater threat to plants than to birds and beasts.
The process of enlightening them was therefore correspondingly harder.
Its greatest difficulty lay in obtaining sufficiently pure Wood qi.
The purer a Wood cultivator’s qi, the more accomplished the plants they could enlighten. Conversely, the better a plant’s innate foundation, the harder it was to enlighten.
But Xu Ziqing possessed the Essence of Yi-Wood, the purest portion of Wood qi. He could therefore enlighten any plant with ease.
The twin lotuses had exceptionally fine foundations and had cultivated for who knew how many ages. Without Xu Ziqing’s assistance, they might have remained bound to their lotus forms for an incalculable time.
After listening to the brothers, Xu Ziqing understood somewhat.
They then explained their present state.
Once a plant spirit shed its original shell, it appeared in the world in the form of a primordial spirit. By absorbing spiritual energy for a period of time, it could eventually form a physical body and take human shape.
After undergoing that transformation, it would no longer be constrained by its original plant body, and its human form would be no different from that of an ordinary cultivator.
Except that it would be… rather purer.
Xu Ziqing nodded. “So once you two condense physical bodies, you’ll possess spiritual roots as well?”
“Exactly,” Yanhua answered at once. “Plant spirits without innate divine abilities generally have Wood-attribute spiritual roots. Those with innate divine abilities may be different.”
Xu Ziqing asked again, “How long until the two of you take form?”
Yanhua considered it. “We still need some time, but it’s difficult to estimate how much.”
Xu Ziqing hesitated before asking, “If I had the two of you accept the inheritance… would it harm you?”
The two spirits were shocked by his question.
The red cluster of light trembled, and Yanhua replied quickly in a shaking voice, “The inheritance involves the soul, so there would be no obstacle.”
Ordinary cultivators could not transform their souls into primordial spirits until reaching the Golden Core stage. A primordial spirit was naturally much stronger than an ordinary soul. The lotus brothers had cultivated for ages and already possessed primordial spirits. Although enlightenment had cost them their cultivation, their primordial spirits remained intact.
An ordinary soul without a physical body would be too fragile to endure an inheritance’s impact. A primordial spirit, however, was different and had nothing to fear from it.
Delighted, Xu Ziqing said gently, “Then I shall give this inheritance to you brothers.” He paused. “But there is only one inheritance crystal. Now that you’re free of the twin lotus, you’re separate people and probably cannot receive it together. Fortunately, there is also this white-jade palace, which must be a supreme treasure. If one receives the inheritance and the other receives the palace, I won’t be treating either of you unfairly.”
Refining the palace also involved the soul, so that posed no problem either.
After speaking, he turned to Yun Lie. “What does Senior Brother think…?”
Yun Lie nodded slightly. “It’s your decision.”
Xu Ziqing smiled and calmly looked toward the two brothers once more.
Yanhua and Yuehua had never dreamed of such a thing. They were treasures left by Perfected Master Luofu for his heir; the best fate they could originally have hoped for was to become artifact spirits in a treasure refined from the twin lotus. They had already gained enormously by pleading with Xu Ziqing to enlighten them using the Essence of Yi-Wood and had sincerely intended to serve him as loyal attendants. How could they possibly feel entitled to still greater fortune from their master?
Yanhua hurriedly refused. “This humble servant wouldn’t dare. Perfected Master Luofu was a mighty cultivator; surely only Master deserves his inheritance. Please withdraw your command.”
Yuehua shook his head as well. “We are servants. We are unworthy of such a thing.”
Xu Ziqing was instead rather pleased by their attitude. “There’s no need for that. The inheritance crystal is of little use to Senior Brother or me. Giving it to you will increase the power at my disposal. If you’re sincere, cultivate the arts diligently and keep nothing from each other. When you’ve accomplished something, I can use your knowledge to help verify my own cultivation.”
At this, the lotus brothers exchanged a look before replying, “Then we shall certainly do our utmost. But the white-jade palace was painstakingly refined by Perfected Master Luofu. We ask Master to keep it.”
Xu Ziqing shook his head again. “This is no ordinary treasure. Even if I possessed it, I could hardly make full use of it unless I made it my natal magical treasure. My cultivation art is exceptional, however, and it would be best for me to refine my own natal treasure. I have no need of this one. It will be more suitable in your hands.”
Rather than use such a treasure hastily, it would be better for one of the lotus spirits to refine it as a natal treasure, allowing it to be nourished over time. The brothers had lived inside the palace for years and would surely find it easy to establish a connection with it.
Both Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie needed to forge their own natal magical treasures. Even if another person’s treasure was exceedingly precious, there was no need to covet it. Moreover, Xu Ziqing held the lotus brothers’ primordial spirits under his control. They were already his helpers, and making them stronger would ultimately strengthen him.
Previously Xu Ziqing had enlightened the lotus brothers mostly out of compassion. After witnessing their character, he held them in higher regard. If Yanhua and Yuehua maintained these qualities, he would not object, once his cultivation was sufficient, to releasing their primordial spirits and accepting the brothers as a pair of disciples.
Only then did the twin lotus brothers understand his intentions. After discussing the matter and politely yielding to one another, they finally agreed that Yanhua would accept the inheritance and Yuehua would receive the supreme treasure. There was scarcely any dispute between them.
There was no time to lose. Xu Ziqing held Yun Lie’s hand in one hand and lifted the inheritance crystal with the other, pressing it toward Yanhua’s head. The crystal blazed with light, and the red cluster trembled as it absorbed all that radiance.
Not long afterward Yanhua grew dizzy from the flood of information, but managed to recite a series of cultivation formulas to Yuehua.
Yuehua floated away and soon returned with a jade tablet in his hand. He murmured incantations, separated a wisp of his primordial spirit, and placed it inside the tablet. After a little while, he had completed the palace’s initial refinement.
Having gained such tremendous benefits, the brothers did not rush off to enjoy them. Instead, each attempted to transmit what he had received to Xu Ziqing.
Xu Ziqing smiled wryly. “I haven’t formed a primordial spirit yet. Your methods would be useless to me. Better to pass them to Senior Brother.” He turned to the person beside him and received Yun Lie’s assent.
Yanhua then transmitted the cultivation arts he had obtained into Yun Lie’s sea of consciousness. Yuehua likewise imprinted diagrams of everything he knew about the entire palace.
Black light flashed through Yun Lie’s eyes as he committed all the transmitted images to memory. He said to Xu Ziqing, “When we’re free, I’ll teach you.”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “Then thank you, Senior Brother.”
He remembered that Yun Lie had behaved much the same way before his corruption, except… Xu Ziqing glanced down at their intertwined hands, his gaze softening.
With the matter resolved, they had no reason to stay any longer.
Yuehua formed several hand seals. As his will moved, white light enveloped all of them, ready to transport them away.
At the final instant before vanishing, Xu Ziqing swept out his hand and tucked Yanhua and Yuehua into his sleeves.
Xu Ziqing felt his body grow light. In the blink of an eye, heaven and earth changed around him, and his feet touched solid ground.
Yun Lie stood beside him, their hands still joined. Unlike when he first entered the secret trove, Xu Ziqing was no longer in such a bedraggled state.
But on seeing what lay ahead, Xu Ziqing gave a soft exclamation of surprise. Without saying much, he raised his hand and cast a spell.
In an instant, the ghostly image of a map appeared before them.