Wang Man and Qing Yan exchanged a look. “Peak Master Lu, please send us back to the Black Flame Mountain Range.”
Lu Xuan nodded, effortlessly teleporting the entire contingent of Imperial Dragon Guards back to the mountain range.
Before leaving, Ji Fuyao looked at Wang Man, Qing Yan, and the others, her voice filled with emotion. “With these cultivation resources, you must first stabilize your foundations and cultivate! Strive to break through to the Great Emperor realm! The Tianluo Palace is too powerful; we must proceed slowly and strategically.”
“Understood!” Qing Yan and Wang Man roared in unison.
The next instant, Lu Xuan brought Ji Fuyao back to Azure Mystery Peak.
Clad in her fiery red dress, Ji Fuyao gazed intently at every blade of grass and every object on Azure Mystery Peak, her eyes shimmering with profound light. A familiar, mystical sensation washed over her heart.
Her gaze swept across the peak. That is Master’s cave dwelling, that is Junior Brother Ye Chen’s cave dwelling, and that is mine...
Ji Fuyao turned to Lu Xuan. “Oh, right, where is Junior Brother Ye Chen?”
“An Ancient Inheritance Site appeared near the Heavenly Blade Sect,” Lu Xuan replied. “Ye Chen and the other True Disciples went to the Secret Realm. I’m not sure if they’ve entered yet.”
Ji Fuyao tilted her delicate neck and nodded. “What is Junior Brother Ye Chen’s current cultivation realm?”
“Profound Sovereign Late-stage Great Perfection,” Lu Xuan said.
Ji Fuyao smiled. “His cultivation speed is astonishing.”
“Alright, Fuyao,” Lu Xuan said gently. “Your injuries haven’t fully recovered. Go back to your dwelling and rest.”
Ji Fuyao shook her head and walked toward the thatched cottage. “Master, I haven’t cooked for you in three months.”
Lu Xuan chuckled. “Fine by me.”
He settled back onto his recliner outside the cottage. Ji Fuyao entered the cottage, preparing ingredients and starting the meal. Today, she was making a Spicy Spirit Chicken Hot Pot, a Sichuan-style dish Lu Xuan had mentioned he missed.
She methodically sliced the spirit beast meat into large chunks and heated the oil.
Sizzle!
Suddenly, the Dao Profound Iron Pot emitted an incomparably brilliant set of Dao patterns. A profound, mystical aura circulated, surging throughout the cottage.
Ji Fuyao froze. The iron pot... it looks different.
She inspected it closely. As the spiritual fire heated it, the pot’s exterior began to manifest incredibly complex and esoteric patterns, engraved with images of mountains, rivers, stars, and ancient palaces, all interwoven with ‘Dao and Essence.’
Ji Fuyao gasped. “Master, this is an Emperor Weapon!”
A colossal wave of shock crashed through her heart. I’ve only been gone for three months, and the cooking pot on Azure Mystery Peak has been replaced! What else has changed?
At that moment, Lu Xuan’s calm voice drifted over. “It’s just a Six-star Emperor Weapon. Food cooked in this pot can infuse a trace of the Great Dao’s essence, which will greatly benefit you and Ye Chen.”
As he spoke, Lu Xuan suddenly remembered the Spirit Fish he had ‘fished’ from the Cangxuan Old Ancestor’s spiritual river.
He immediately retrieved five fish. “Fuyao, come out and grab these Spirit Fish.”
Ji Fuyao emerged from the cottage and took the fish from Lu Xuan’s hand.
She let out a soft cry of surprise. “These fish...”
She felt that the Spirit Fish were both physically real and yet condensed from a profound, mystical power. The fish looked adorable, their eyes bright, their tails flicking in her slender hands.
Suddenly, Ji Fuyao realized something. “Master, this is the power of the Grand Dao Scripture! These Spirit Fish are condensed from the Old Ancestor’s enlightenment of the Great Dao’s ultimate principles!”
Lu Xuan smiled. “Indeed. I fished them out of the Cangxuan Old Ancestor’s spiritual river. These fish are the ultimate principles of the Heaven and Earth power that the Old Ancestor comprehends.”
Ji Fuyao was slightly startled. “Master, what spiritual river?”
Lu Xuan briefly explained the situation.
Ji Fuyao’s delicate lips parted slightly. She sighed internally, realizing that many astonishing things had happened in the Grand Dao Sect during her three-month absence.
“Oh, right,” Lu Xuan added. “There’s a large vat in the corner of the cottage with some Azure Nether Celestial Water. You can add a little to the meal.”
Ji Fuyao’s body trembled. “Master, what did you say?”
Lu Xuan repeated himself. “Azure Nether Celestial Water.”
Ji Fuyao’s mouth opened into a perfect ‘O’ shape.
Azure Nether Celestial Water was a legendary Heaven and Earth Wonder said to contain the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth. A single drop was priceless in the Southern Wilds, a treasure that even Great Emperors would hoard, not sell. Consuming it could refine a cultivator’s physical body, soul, Dao foundation, bones, and blood—a complete, internal and external transformation.
With this thought, Ji Fuyao immediately looked at the unassuming large vat in the corner of the cottage.
Her slender hand gently touched the vat, and she instantly realized that the container itself was extraordinary—a One-star Emperor-tier artifact.
Ji Fuyao lowered her head, looking at the liquid that nearly filled the vat. It looked deceptively ordinary.
With a thought, Ji Fuyao carefully extracted a single drop of the Azure Nether Celestial Water and cautiously added it to the Dao Profound Iron Pot.
Instantly, the ingredients in the pot underwent a profound change. ‘Dao and Essence’ circulated within the pot, making Ji Fuyao feel utterly clear-headed and spiritually pure.
This is the Azure Nether Celestial Water!
A tempest raged in Ji Fuyao’s heart. Who could have imagined her Master possessed an entire vat of it? If the other hegemonic powers of the Southern Wilds knew, they would likely launch an immediate, all-out assault on Azure Mystery Peak!
As expected of Master! Master is the ultimate god!
At this point, Lu Xuan asked, “Fuyao, how much did you add? Don’t put in too much, or you might not be able to absorb it all, which would be counterproductive.”
Ji Fuyao replied meekly, “Master, I added one drop. Is that too much?”
Lu Xuan paused, dumbfounded. “That’s far too little. I thought you’d added several bowls?”
Ji Fuyao’s body shook. Several bowls! What faction could possibly be this extravagant?
Lu Xuan continued, “Half a bowl should be enough. You’re cultivating the Grand Dao Scripture now, and it will be immensely beneficial for your comprehension of the Dao.”
Half a bowl!
Ji Fuyao poked her head out of the cottage and looked at Lu Xuan, giving him a dazzling smile. “Master, if we use half a bowl every time we cook, we’ll run out quickly.”
Lu Xuan smiled faintly. “It’s just Azure Nether Celestial Water. There will be better things later. Besides, even using half a bowl each time, it should last about half a year.”
The vat was enormous, after all!
Ji Fuyao returned to the vat, took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling, and with a look of utmost reverence, she scooped out half a bowl and poured it into the Dao Profound Iron Pot.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Boom, boom!
Half a bowl of Azure Nether Celestial Water, just like that, consumed! It was utterly unbelievable. If the supreme Great Emperors of the Southern Wilds knew, they would be driven mad with rage.
Ji Fuyao let out a soft exhale. What’s wrong with me? My heart is racing just from cooking!
She quickly composed herself, suppressing the excitement in her heart.
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan lay quietly on his recliner, watching the clouds drift across the sky.
Clouds rolled and unfurled, turning into fleeting shapes. What is the end of cultivation? Isn’t it just lying down?
He had achieved it.
He suddenly recalled the Sect Master and the Peak Masters rushing off in a hurry not long ago. I wonder what happened? Was it something related to Fuyao...
Just then, the System’s voice entered Lu Xuan’s mind.
“Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the Disciple Nurturing Quest!”
“Ding! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a massive influx of cultivation foundation!”
“Ding! Congratulations to the Host! Myriad Laws Immunity has advanced!”
“Ding! Congratulations to the Host for acquiring One-star Great Emperor tier Medical Dao Attainment!”
Boom!
An incomparably pure torrent of spiritual energy, like a great river, surged through Lu Xuan’s limbs and bones. A massive cultivation foundation poured into his Dantian.
Six-star Profound Saint initial stage!
Six-star Profound Saint mid-stage!
...
Eight-star Profound Saint initial stage!
Lu Xuan instantly broke through to Eight-star Profound Saint! The tingling, numbing sensation of spiritual energy impacting his internal world caused Lu Xuan to squirm slightly in his recliner.
So comfortable!
“Not bad, not bad,” Lu Xuan murmured.
He then checked the status of Myriad Laws Immunity.
The System prompted: “Myriad Laws Immunity has now synchronized with the Invincible Stance! As long as the enemy’s realm is not higher than the Host’s by two stages, the Host will be immune to all attacks!”
Lu Xuan smiled. “This is excellent, truly excellent.”
This meant that as an Eight-star Profound Saint, a Nine-star Profound Saint couldn’t harm him at all. And if he used the Five-star Great Emperor Experience Card, even a Six-star Great Emperor wouldn’t be able to scratch him! It was a truly heaven-defying ability!
Next, Lu Xuan began to study the Medical Dao Attainment that had suddenly appeared in his mind.
A vast sea of medical information! This Medical Dao was all-encompassing, not just for healing people, but for healing Heaven and Earth—everything could be treated.
After a moment of study, Lu Xuan understood. The so-called Great Dao was simple, and all Daos shared a common source. Of the Three Thousand Great Daos, the Medical Dao was just one, and it could be used to heal or to kill.
He suddenly thought, Couldn’t I help Ji Fuyao treat her injuries?
“Wait... why am I suddenly a healer?” Lu Xuan muttered to himself.
But this was good. If Ye Chen or Ji Fuyao were injured, they wouldn’t need to seek help from others; he could treat them himself.
With a smile, Lu Xuan called out to Ji Fuyao. “Fuyao, after we eat, I’ll help you treat your injuries.”
Ji Fuyao’s beautiful eyes shone. “Master, do you also practice the Medical Dao?”
Lu Xuan replied casually, “Just a little, just a little.”
Ji Fuyao let out a soft giggle. She knew that when her Master said “just a little,” he meant he had achieved profound mastery!
Before long, Ji Fuyao emerged with the finished meal and placed it on the stone table.
“Master, dinner is served.”
Lu Xuan slowly rose and sat down at the table.
After taking a small bite, Lu Xuan nodded. “Not bad.”
Ji Fuyao smiled and began to eat as well.
With just the first bite, her delicate body trembled slightly.
In an instant, an incredibly profound vital energy surged into her internal world, washing over her limbs and bones. Her body underwent a strange transformation, as if the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth were circulating through her Dao foundation and surging through her meridians. It was as if ‘Dao and Essence’ were gently knocking on the hidden chambers within her body, and an indescribable vital energy was refining her flesh, blood, Dao foundation, and soul!
Ji Fuyao’s throat let out a soft, intoxicated moan of pure bliss, “Mmm...”
The meal contained the power of the Azure Nether Celestial Water, the mystical essence added by the Dao Profound Iron Pot, and the Heavenly Principles condensed from the Cangxuan Old Ancestor’s enlightenment.
The convergence of these three powers made Ji Fuyao’s eyes slightly hazy.
She immediately activated the Grand Dao Scripture to convert this immense power!
“Ding! Ji Fuyao is comprehending the Grand Dao Scripture. Beginning synchronization!”
The System’s voice reached Lu Xuan’s ears.
Lu Xuan smiled faintly, suddenly remembering that he hadn’t exchanged the Grand Dao Scripture jade slip for Ye Chen. If Ye Chen also cultivated the Grand Dao Scripture, he would have gained many insights from it recently.
However, he only had a few million Contribution Points left, which wasn’t enough to purchase the first volume of the Grand Dao Scripture. Since the Grand Dao Scripture was the sect’s foundational technique, the Grand Dao Sect strictly controlled it, setting up a Heavenly Dao restriction that required anyone who wished to cultivate it to exchange for it at the Grand Dao Hall.
Therefore, Ji Fuyao’s cultivation method could not be shared with Ye Chen!
Lu Xuan frowned slightly. How can I earn some Contribution Points?
He thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with anything. To earn Contribution Points, he would have to take on sect missions.
I’m too lazy to take on missions.
Forget it, I’ll figure it out later...
Before long, Lu Xuan finished his meal and returned to his recliner.
Ji Fuyao, however, was still immersed in the profound vital energy. With every bite she took, she paused for a long time, and every now and then, a soft, bone-numbing sound of pleasure escaped her throat.
“Mmm...”
“Ah...”