Chapter 396: Holding Up the Sky — Bonus Chapter for Monthly Votes (Combined Two Chapters)

Who is he?

I don't know.

Isn't he called Li Rui?

Brother Li?

They saw Li Rui step forward from the eleven.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong exchanged glances, both showing excited expressions.

They had always favored Li Rui.

If anyone in the crowd could lift this Qi-Consuming Divine Iron, it would surely be Li Rui.

After all, Li Rui was the one they both deemed the top innate talent.

Zhou Dingting looked surprised.

He studied Li Rui curiously.

Li Rui stepped forward, first bowed to Zhou Dingting, then turned to face the Qi-Consuming Divine Iron.

A faint smile curled his lips.

Before the stunned gazes of all present.

Li Rui drew a deep breath, and thin strands of white mist emerged from his hands.

These wisps of mist slowly wrapped around the mountain-like Qi-Consuming Divine Iron.

A low command rang out:

"Rise!"

The Qi-Consuming Divine Iron began to tremble slightly.

Suddenly—

It shot upward.

One inch, two inches.

One foot!

Ten feet!

The mountain-like Qi-Consuming Divine Iron was lifted ten feet into the air by Li Rui's will, then crashed down with a thunderous boom.

Dust and debris erupted, obscuring Li Rui's figure.

Everyone stared, eyes wide.

"This—"

"Impossible! It can't be!"

A young man cried out.

Many had already tried.

None could even touch the Qi-Consuming Divine Iron, yet Li Rui had lifted it ten feet!

How could they have imagined that Li Rui, still at the Foundation Establishment realm, had already mastered spiritual energy?

How could they remain calm?!

Zhou Dingting, Xue Gui, and several other top-third-rank officials narrowed their eyes slightly.

They saw more than the others.

Li Rui had clearly cultivated immortal arts!

Zhou Dingting suddenly understood, laughing and scolding: "You sly old Gu Changsheng."

In his view,

Li Rui's immortal arts must have been taught by Gu Changsheng or Jiang Linxian.

Given the rumors of Li Rui's close ties with those two,

It was highly likely!

No, not likely—certain.

Zhou Dingting realized.

The candidates for this trial had been decided from the start. No wonder Gu Changsheng was so confident he'd find someone.

It wasn't just about finding someone.

He had personally trained the candidate already.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong exchanged glances; their thoughts mirrored Zhou Dingting's.

Hmm.

Connection!

The dust cleared.

Li Rui's figure emerged slowly; he grinned at Zhou Dingting: "Sorry for the disturbance, my lord."

Zhou Dingting smiled and waved: "No matter."

At that moment,

Nie Siming's voice rang out.

"Li Rui—passed!"

Amid the envious stares of the crowd, Li Rui returned to the group as before, hiding well—though now, even if he buried himself underground, they'd dig him out.

With Li Rui's success,

The others also felt the urge to try.

But without exception, all ended in failure.

Originally, this examination had three stages.

The third stage was martial combat.

But now, since only Li Rui had passed, the third stage became meaningless—his selection was already sealed.

Zhou Dingting spoke a few encouraging words to Li Rui.

Then he turned and left.

Li Rui understood: Zhou Dingting saw him as Gu Changsheng's connection.

He had never once communicated with Gu Changsheng.

But calling him a connection wasn't entirely unfair.

This trial was little more than a pre-dug pit.

Jiang Linxian knew he cultivated immortal arts; Jiang Linxian knew, so Gu Changsheng knew; this trial was designed entirely for him, as if it had been labeled: "Applicants must be over eighty."

If you gain an advantage, accept it gracefully.

No need to insist everything was earned by your own effort.

Childish.

The crowd dispersed.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong stepped forward, smiling broadly.

Their expression matched Zhou Dingting's exactly.

"Brother Li, congratulations, congratulations."

As adopted sons of Yuan Dingting, they understood immortal arts better than most—even had two scrolls in their household.

But no one below the third rank could cultivate them.

That's why they recognized Li Rui had practiced immortal arts.

Among the highest echelons, this wasn't a secret.

Some things were kept quiet only for ordinary people; Yuan Dingting was no ordinary man, and sometimes he spoke of them to his adopted sons.

They were merely astonished that Li Rui could cultivate immortal arts while still at the Foundation Establishment realm.

Such a thing had never been heard of.

Was he born for immortality?

They had once thought Li Rui began martial training at seventy, his martial talent buried—now they realized his immortal talent had been buried far worse.

Little did they know,

In truth, his original spiritual root was likely low-grade, perhaps nonexistent.

Everything he achieved today, he earned himself.

Nie Siming: "Come on, big brother—I've reserved a table on the top floor of Dongbao Pavilion. Tonight, we must celebrate properly."

Li Rui chuckled: "Nie younger brother, so certain I'd pass?"

"Of course."

Nie Siming patted his chest: "Who is Brother Li?"

Then he lowered his voice, grinning: "The owner owes me a meal—free of charge."

Li Rui burst out laughing.

"Nie younger brother really knows how to handle things."

The three immediately drank three cups.

Nie Siming said: "Brother Li, once you join Qingwei Sect, stay there longer. I heard from those two Daoists that places rich in spiritual energy can enhance spiritual roots."

"In this world, spiritual energy has faded, and spiritual roots have grown dim; if nourished by spiritual energy, they might regain their luster."

"Brother Li might have been a top-grade spiritual root all along—your future is boundless."

Li Rui sipped his wine slowly.

His expression was peculiar.

A spiritual root clouded by dust?

Perhaps for others, but certainly not for him—without the nourishment of the immortal form, he wouldn't even have a mid-grade spiritual root.

He knew his own body too well.

Those with excellent spiritual roots must possess something extraordinary.

If his spiritual root were truly excellent, he wouldn't have wasted decades.

But Nie Siming's words were true.

The deeper Li Rui understood the cultivation world, the more he realized: spiritual roots are fate-determined, and methods to alter them were exceedingly rare.

Those with such ability were almost all great cultivators.

Yet why would great cultivators need to improve their spiritual roots?

His current top-grade spiritual root owed much to careful cultivation and no small measure of fortune.

Li Rui couldn't help but ask: "Young brothers, why doesn't Marquis Yuan teach you all immortal techniques?"

Yuan Dingting was among the world's pinnacle figures—a Grand General of the Great Yu, and one of the Seven Guest Masters of the Shadow Guard.

He didn't believe Yuan Dingting lacked immortal scriptures.

Nie Siming smiled faintly: "Older Brother Li, I once asked the same question of my adoptive father."

At once.

Li Rui perked up.

The Grand General Yuan Dingting had discussed this too!

Nie Siming continued: "When my eighth brother and I first learned of immortal techniques, we were ecstatic—we rushed straight to our adoptive father to beg for instruction. He merely looked at us, then said one thing."

"How do you know immortals don't practice martial arts?"

Li Rui blinked.

Yuan Xiong also recalled the scene:

"Father added: 'How do you know we don't cultivate immortality?'"

"The Dao has three thousand paths, all leading to the same destination."

"In the end, it's the same. What matters is the person."

Li Rui fell silent.

Wu De had once said that among cultivators, there was a group who reached Great Primordial, much like his own current state.

Nie Siming chuckled: "Later, my eighth brother and I still couldn't let go—we asked Master Liu."

"Master Liu told us that today's top three grades of methods actually originated from the Higher Realm."

Li Rui narrowed his eyes.

He thought of what Jiang Lin had once said.

The Shadow Guard had once imprisoned a fallen immortal.

Perhaps as far back as five hundred years ago, the great figures of the Yu court had already been scheming in secret—unknown to the world.

What a grand scheme!

The higher one's status, the more one learns, the more one realizes how formidable Lord Zhang truly was.

"No wonder he's called the Great Yu's tailor."

The world believed Lord Zhang mended the court's governance—but in truth, he was mending heaven itself!

Clearly.

The Yu state's actions erupted during the previous emperor's reign, triggering the Immortal Calamity.

It nearly shattered the Great Yu entirely.

Only through the combined efforts of Lord Zhang and the State Preceptor was the collapse averted.

They extended the Great Yu's life by five hundred years—not mere words.

Of course.

These matters of great figures were far removed from Li Rui.

To him,

Any method beneficial to longevity should be practiced.

As Yuan Dingting said: what matters is the person; success lies in human effort.

"Senior Daoist Chunxu, Senior Daoist Ziyang—he is the one selected to be stationed at Qingwei Sect."

Xue Gui led Li Rui and Nie Siming to Chunxu and Ziyang.

"Greetings, Senior Daoists."

Li Rui bowed.

The old Daoist Ziyang chuckled and returned the bow: "Lord Li, we've met before—truly a fortunate connection."

"Indeed, fate."

Li Rui laughed heartily.

At that moment,

The young Daoist Chunxu spoke: "Lord Li."

"Senior Daoist Chunxu."

Li Rui replied.

Compared to their last meeting, Chunxu's demeanor had noticeably softened.

Though Li Rui's cultivation was inferior to theirs, once he represented the Great Yu as stationed at Qingwei Sect, their status became equal.

Naturally, he could no longer afford to act haughty.

Otherwise, if Li Rui stubbornly lodged a complaint against him, he'd be in trouble.

Xue Gui continued: "Senior Daoists, once Lord Li is stationed at Qingwei Sect, I hope you'll stand shoulder to shoulder with him."

Then he turned to Li Rui:

"Li Rui, once at Qingwei Sect, you must fulfill your duties faithfully and avoid stirring trouble—do you understand?"

"Yes."

Li Rui answered.

Though Xue Gui's words seemed meant to humble him, they were really meant for the two Daoists.

What was said on the surface didn't matter.

What mattered was what was said—and done—in private.

"Good."

Seeing Li Rui's obedient demeanor, Xue Gui nodded in satisfaction.

"General Nie, I have official duties—please see to the rest."

"Of course."

Nie Siming nodded.

Xue Gui strode off briskly.

Once Xue Gui was far away, Chunxu finally spoke: "I hear you haven't even reached the top three grades, yet you can already cultivate immortal techniques?"

Li Rui nodded:

"Thanks to Lord Lou's kindness, he modified the immortal technique so I could practice it."

He delivered the explanation he had long prepared.

Upon hearing this,

Nie Siming and the two Daoists both looked enlightened.

If it was Gu Changsheng, then there was no issue.

In the world, if one spoke of understanding cultivation, only the State Preceptor and the Great Witch might surpass Gu Changsheng—

And that was only because they had lived a century longer than him.

"Lord Gu has remarkable skill."

Mentioning Gu Changsheng, Chunxu's attitude improved further.

His master, True Person Qingding, was of equal standing with Gu Changsheng.

He dared not be disrespectful.

With Gu Changsheng's reputation, their subsequent exchanges flowed much more smoothly.

Li Rui had originally intended to invite them to his residence.

But Chunxu declined, citing heavy duties—Li Rui did not press further.

At the Grand Void Dao Palace, before the White Jade Steps,

Li Rui sat cross-legged.

He was using Immortal Xuan Qi to govern the Five Elements' qi, nurturing the stone embryo within his dantian's Immortal Court.

This was the embryonic form of the Dao embryo.

Only when the stone embryo took shape would it be complete.

Immortal Xuan Qi and the Five Elements' spiritual energy were the fire; his body was the furnace.

He's right—He Qianian's method was correct: to nurture a Dao embryo, the body is crucial. A weaker fire merely takes longer—but if the furnace fails, all is lost.

His body was strengthened by Great Hardening and refined by the Divine Channel Tempering.

Li Rui's physical body was terrifyingly strong.

That was why he dared to nurture the Dao Embryo so casually.

He nurtured it for three hours.

Wu De did not appear.

Li Rui's gaze settled on the white jade steps before him; Wu De had once said that only by ascending the white jade steps could one possibly receive the Immortal Court's inheritance.

He took a deep breath.

Then slowly stepped onto the white jade steps.

Though he moved slowly, he moved steadily.

An hour passed.

Li Rui had already climbed over a hundred steps.

Yet he had only covered three-tenths of the distance to the summit; there was still far to go.

His gaze sharpened.

Li Rui resolutely took another step.

The next instant.

A terrifying soul storm instantly blew his form into instability.

Li Rui tried to endure with sheer willpower.

But in mere moments, he lost consciousness.

When he awoke, he opened his eyes to see his familiar room.

The sky outside had just begun to lighten.

As usual, Li Rui dressed himself under the maid's assistance.

But this time, he did not leave the house.

Instead, he summoned the household steward.

"Master."

The middle-aged man named Ma Xi stood respectfully before Li Rui.

Li Rui lifted his eyelids slightly and looked at Ma Xi: "Little Ma, how many years have you served me?"

Ma Xi's heart jumped; he quickly replied: "I've served Master for three years. It's only because of your kindness that I have food to eat."

Li Rui nodded:

"Three years. Not short at all."

"I'll be leaving for a while; I doubt I'll return soon, though that's hard to say."

"You must look after Master Yang in the household."

"Understood?"

Normally, Li Rui was gentle and mild-mannered, but today, with his official aura unleashed, Ma Xi could not bear it—he knelt on the ground, trembling, banging his head repeatedly.

"Master, your humble servant will spare no effort."

Li Rui then retracted his aura: "Good. Go."

Ma Xi's legs trembled as he limped out of the room.

Not long after he left.

Liang He stepped into the room.

"Master."

He bowed to Li Rui: "Little He, from today on, you'll move into the Deputy Commander's quarters. Don't worry—it won't interfere with your duties, though the distance is longer."

Liang He smiled slightly: "It's what this disciple should do."

Li Rui was going to be stationed at Qingwei Sect; though he had relinquished his post as Deputy Commander of Annan Town, he had been granted the title of Garrison General.

He was still an officer of Annan Town.

Only now he would frequently travel to Qingwei Sect on official business.

The world did not understand the meaning of "Garrison," but as a covert agent, he knew perfectly well.

The Holy Emperor was using the term "Garrison" to remind him not to forget his true identity.

Going to Qingwei Sect was essentially no different from being a spy.

He was leaving, but Master Yang remained in the Deputy Commander's residence—he had to settle matters properly, which was why he summoned Liang He.

"I took your second brother with me, but not you. Do you resent me?"

Liang He shook his head: "Master kept me to guard the home because he trusts me. Besides, with the size of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, I'm indispensable. My realm is still shallow; even if I went, I couldn't cultivate."

Li Rui nodded with satisfaction: "Little He, you've had a hard time."

Correct.

This time, he planned to take Liu Tiezhu to Qingwei Sect.

That was why he summoned Liang He.

On one hand, the Heaven and Earth Alliance still needed Liang He; on the other, Liang He's steady nature made him the safer choice to guard the home.

Isn't it always the most responsible eldest son who bears the burden at home?

Liang He was the eldest disciple—there was no other way.

After giving his instructions,

Li Rui stepped outside and saw Liu Tiezhu already ready, carrying a pile of bags.

"Tiezhu, you're diligent."

Liu Tiezhu grinned broadly.

He looked at Liang He: "Brother, once I get some good treasures in Qingwei Sect, I'll bring them back to you—it's not far, I can make the round trip in a day."

Liang He was startled, fearing Liu Tiezhu might do something reckless, and quickly waved his hands:

"Brother, don't do anything foolish—I don't need anything."

Then,

he couldn't help but smile.

With Master Li Rui around, nothing could go wrong.

He was worrying for nothing.

Li Rui watched the two disciples and smiled knowingly.

His three disciples might not be the most talented in martial arts, but at least their hearts were good—that mattered greatly.

For him, talent was best, but what mattered more was trustworthiness.

Li Rui and Liu Tiezhu walked out the main gate of the Deputy Commander's residence.

As soon as they stepped out,

they saw Ning Zhongtian waiting with Tan Hu, Ge Hong, Wei Ming, and several veterans from the Running Tiger Camp.

"Big Brother, everything's ready."

Ning Zhongtian grinned broadly.

Indeed, these fifteen men would accompany Li Rui to Qingwei Sect.

Li Rui was sent by the imperial court to supervise; if he arrived with no soldiers or attendants, just a lone official, it would be inconvenient for his duties and would disgrace the court.

So the court had already negotiated with Qingwei Sect: the stationed official could bring sixteen attendants.

Li Rui took no hesitation—he took his own trusted men.

Though their status was merely attendants and they wouldn't enjoy Elder privileges, at least they'd live inside Qingwei Sect, where spiritual energy was certainly abundant.

Wealth, companionship, method, and location—the "location" was now satisfied; the chance of cultivation increased greatly.

The most daring of them all was Ning Zhongtian.

Ge Hong, Tan Hu, and others held low ranks; their coming meant little. But Ning Zhongtian was already an Assistant Regional Commander—he was willing to abandon his official title and follow Li Rui in pursuit of the elusive path of immortality, requiring great courage.

Yet this fit Ning Zhongtian's nature perfectly.

Had he sought safety, he never would have built the Heaven and Earth Alliance into such a vast enterprise, nor would he, even after becoming its leader, have followed Lei Yong into battle to risk his life on the battlefield.

So Ning Zhongtian coming was no surprise to Li Rui.

Seeing everyone assembled, Li Rui chuckled:

"Let's go—let's see what kind of grandeur this Immortal Sect truly holds."

(End of Chapter)