Liucheng.
Although it was one of the ten cities under the jurisdiction of Pingyang Prefecture, it was also under the protection of Taixuan Mountain. While it could not be considered a major city within Pingyang Prefecture, it was nonetheless exceptionally prosperous.
When Xia Changsheng first arrived in this realm, this was where he had appeared. During his leisure time from cultivation, whenever he needed to procure supplies, Liucheng was the place he visited. Over the years, he had developed a thorough understanding of the city.
With a population of one million, its administration was upright and clear. Commerce flourished, and the common people were well-off.
After pondering for a moment, Xia Changsheng had already made up his mind in his heart.
At present, he was clearly unsuited to remain in Taixuan Mountain. The secret of his golden cheat absolutely could not be exposed; his Path of Elements had just begun, and his cultivation realm was still too low to guarantee that high-level masters of the sect would not see through it. Moreover, his cultivation path was completely severed from this realm, so staying in Taixuan Mountain was useless and would only tie his hands and feet.
Instead, leaving Taixuan Mountain to put down roots in Liucheng and slowly develop in seclusion offered a distinct possibility of rising to prominence in the future.
In short, when one's strength was insufficient, keeping a low profile was the ultimate truth.
"Sen... Senior Brother."
Just as Xia Changsheng's thoughts were fluttering, a crisp, melodious voice like the chirp of a yellowbird, yet laced with a trace of shyness, rang out from behind him. It was none other than Liu Qingyue.
Without knowing when, she had already awakened.
She was dressed in a long, dark-green silk dress, her waist bound by a thin silk ribbon. Though her attire was simple, it added an even more ethereal quality to her presence. On her delicately made-up, exquisitely beautiful face, the lingering afterglow of indulgence had not yet completely dissipated. Compared to before, she resembled a fully ripened honey peach, appearing all the more alluring at this moment.
Seeing Xia Changsheng turn around to look at her, she likely recalled the shameful scene that had occurred not long before. Her pretty face instantly flushed a brilliant red, and after casting a shy, timid glance at him with her misty eyes, she lowered her noble head, her jade-like little hands nervously toying with the hem of her dress.
"My good Yue'er, the hour is still early; let us continue."
Seeing his Junior Sister in such a charming and alluring posture, Xia Changsheng was in high spirits and had no wish to squander such a fine, scenic moment.
Without hesitation, he strode forward. Amidst Liu Qingyue's startled cry, he swept her up horizontally in his arms and strode impatiently back into the cave.
Before long, the temperature inside the cave rose once more, and the music of a duet between man and woman echoed through the mountains, lingering for a long time without ceasing.
...
The next day, the morning sun rose.
Golden radiance pierced through the mountain mist from the eastern sky, shining down. Vaguely, pavilions of Taixuan Mountain stood in rings with a magnificent aura, and from time to time in mid-air, cultivators walked through the void, various dazzling treasures of different colors gleaming brilliantly, resembling a mortal paradise.
Some traveled in pairs, steering flying boats together, breaking through the wind and empty space, multicolored rays of light overflowing amidst rumbling sounds. Others were solitary, heroic wanderers disguised as sword cultivators, traveling on flying swords with sword qi surging across several miles. There were even manic and heroic figures holding beautiful companions, drinking fine wine while singing loudly at the top of their lungs, acting with complete unbridled abandon.
These were all inner core disciples, the foundation of Taixuan Mountain.
Immortal cultivation.
What one cultivated was precisely the true self!
Only by comprehending the true self could one break through heavy obstacles and step into a higher level.
Outside the mountain path of Xiaozhu Peak, Xia Changsheng watched from afar with a calm gaze.
When he first arrived, he had greatly yearned for this kind of life where one could channel Qi for a thousand miles, walk the void singing aloud, and live with uninhibited elegance. However, as the years passed, that passion had long since faded.
Now, he viewed it with even greater detachment—after all, he was not walking the same path!
After a night of intimacy, Xia Changsheng had already shared his thoughts with Liu Qingyue. Of course, he did not plan to tell anyone about the secret of his golden cheat; he merely stated that his cultivation had broken through and expressed his desire to leave the sect and descend the mountain to develop his future elsewhere.
Liu Qingyue hesitated for a while, but ultimately understood that Xia Changsheng's mind was made up, and she wanted to go down the mountain with him.
Taixuan Mountain was quite open-minded and did not forbid outer disciples from leaving the mountain to develop outside. After all, the long-term stability of a sect could not do without outward expansion. While inner core disciples, serving as the backbone of the entire sect, could naturally not leave easily, outer disciples faced no such restrictions.
Especially those disciples with mediocre qualifications; on the contrary, they were ordered to leave the mountain within a limited time limit. Whether they established a family outside or served as patrons in some major families, it could also be considered a way to make a name for the sect.
Early in the morning, Xia Changsheng went to the Outer Sect Affairs Hall. After briefly explaining his purpose, the steward cheerfully registered him and filed his paperwork, releasing him without any obstacles.
From then on, the sky was vast for birds to fly, and the sea was boundless for fish to leap.
Xia Changsheng took a deep breath, feeling his whole body relax. The shackles that had weighed upon the bottom of his heart for so long finally seemed to loosen, and he felt an unprecedented sense of ease throughout his entire being.
Host: Xia Changsheng
Rank: First-Order Elemental Apostle
Elements: 10/100
Laws: Law of Wind I
Companion: Liu Qingyue
Talent: Grade 8 Wind Spiritual Root 1/500
With a slight movement of his mind, the interface visible only to himself flashed past.
Compared to last night, everything else remained unchanged; only the companion talent column had increased by one point.
Xia Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly, rubbing his chin with his right hand as he fell into deep thought.
A night of toil, reaching the peak several times over—compared to the first time, the effect was negligible. This improper golden cheat, just as he had expected, allowed him to grasp a certain pattern.
"However, even a mosquito's leg is meat. As long as I continually find women with spiritual roots... ahem, barely counting it as dual cultivation, I can continuously improve. And the higher the grade, the greater the effect will be, I imagine."
Xia Changsheng pondered secretly, yet he was well aware of the difficulty involved. The outside world was no different from within the sect; women possessing spiritual roots were exceedingly rare. Taixuan Mountain was one of the six major powers of Pingyang Prefecture, possessing several cities under its protection. Every decade, it would recruit disciples from these cities. Even with a large population and a wide net cast, fewer than one-fifth of the disciples recruited each time possessed graded spiritual roots, and most of those disciples were merely Ninth-Grade Spiritual Roots.
Xiaozhu Peak ranked at the very bottom of Taixuan Mountain's seven peaks, and over the past twenty years, it had only produced one disciple with an Eighth-Grade Spiritual Root: Liu Qingyue.
Before this, Xia Changsheng had not considered remaining at Xiaozhu Peak to develop stealthily and cast his net in secret to pluck flowers. However, most female cultivators in the sect held their noses in the air and would not easily cast their gaze upon others. Even with someone as pure-minded as Liu Qingyue, it had taken him ten years to finally get his wish. As for sneaking around to steal fragrances and plunder jade, not to mention whether he could succeed, the danger alone meant that if the sect discovered it, the light punishment would be on-the-spot execution, while the heavy punishment would be casting him into the Infernal Water Prison to endure eighty-one torments before execution.
Clearly, continuing to stay in the sect was unfeasible.
"Yue'er has already become a true Qi Condensation cultivator and possesses an Eighth-Grade Spiritual Root; I'm afraid it won't be so easy for her to leave the sect."
After the madness of the previous night, Liu Qingyue, who had been trapped at Xiantian Perfection for half a year, had suddenly attained mental clarity. In a single step, she leaped to the heavens, transforming from a mortal into a true cultivator, gaining a full two hundred years of lifespan from then on.
A true Qi Condensation cultivator was already qualified to participate in the inner disciple examination. If she passed smoothly, she could become the disciple of an elder, study more profound cultivation techniques, and enjoy boundless prospects for the future.
"Senior Brother."
Just as Xia Changsheng was letting his imagination run wild, a flash of sword light swept past, and Liu Qingyue had already arrived gracefully before him.
"Yue'er, this is..."
Xia Changsheng looked at the flying sword beneath Liu Qingyue's feet in profound astonishment.
"Senior Brother must have been waiting anxiously; I was refining a magical artifact, which delayed me a little."
Liu Qingyue's pretty face turned slightly red as she offered a soft, embarrassed explanation.
"No matter. I thought the sect was unwilling to let you leave easily."
Xia Changsheng chuckled and shook his head. Liu Qingyue's appearance actually made him heave a sigh of relief; Taixuan Mountain truly lived up to its reputation as an upright, renowned sect, showing no forced interference with an outer disciple's choice—something extremely precious. True Qi Condensation cultivators had already transcended the realm of mortals, generating true essence within their bodies and becoming able to possess magical artifacts. Generally speaking, spending some time refining a magical artifact was entirely forgivable.
"Not at all. Although the steward tried to persuade me to stay, seeing that I was determined to leave, there was nothing he could do, and he even bestowed this flying sword upon me as a reward from the sect for my breakthrough to Qi Condensation."
"Then let us go. I must trouble Yue'er to carry me along."
Xia Changsheng stood on ceremony no further, stepping directly onto the flying sword and familiarly placing his hands around Liu Qingyue's slender, soft waist. The entire movement was practiced and natural, losing none of its intimacy.
"Senior Brother, you can hold on a bit tighter..."
Liu Qingyue's delicate body trembled slightly, her face flushing crimson, yet she offered no resistance; instead, she kindly reminded him, though her voice was no louder than a mosquito's buzz. If Xia Changsheng had not been standing close by, he might not even have heard her.
"Then this husband will gladly obey."
Xia Changsheng smiled faintly, leaning his upper body slightly forward and tightening his grip with both hands. As if thinking of something, his form of address shifted accordingly.
Hearing this, Liu Qingyue grew even more unbearably shy. With her magical power surging, the sword light blossomed, and with a *swish*, the flying sword carried the two of them far away.
Before long, they had vanished into the horizon.
Only Xia Changsheng's somewhat flustered voice echoed behind:
"Slow down, my wife!"