Chapter 289: Midnight, Third Watch

What long eyebrows...

Li Yuan bowed deeply in greeting, showing great respect, while his peripheral vision swept over this grand master of the Shenbangda Sect.

He felt its presence was nearly nonexistent, not deliberately hidden, but blended with the four directions, entirely natural.

Golden light surged in his eyes, but strangely, this Jin Guang was very blurry, as if covered and shrouded by something, making it impossible to see clearly.

"Unity of Heaven and Man? Or, the Divine Realm?"

This thought flashed through Li Yuan's mind, and his gaze unconsciously fell upon an old Daoist standing aside with a smile, possessing quite the air of a celestial immortal.

He held a fainting old man in one hand and supported a suit of armor in the other, which was precisely the 【Flesh and Blood Four Vajra Dharma Armor (Tier 7)】.

Compared to the blurriness on the Daoist Master's body, this Daoist had patches of light all over, yet the highest was only the long sword hanging at his waist.

【Thousand-Forged Tiger-Form Sword (Tier 6)】

This should be the Sect Master of the Tiger Gate, Nie Xianshan?

"No need for excessive courtesy, rise."

Longhu Longhu Dandan had not yet spoken when Long Xi Xiang lightly coughed and blocked the gaze of the two old men behind him.

"Less than a year since entering the sect, yet such achievements; Junior Brother has indeed taken in a good disciple."

Glancing at Long Xi Xiang, Nie Xianshan casually tossed Fang Chao to Monk Douyue and said with a smile:

"This Daoist is surnamed Nie."

Long Xi Xiang added, "This is your Master Uncle Nie."

"Greetings, Master Uncle."

Li Yuan added another bow; he always felt the old Daoist's gaze at him was somewhat strange.

"Enough."

Seeing Long Xi Xiang's face darken, and before Nie Xianshan could say anything more, Longhu Longhu Dandan spoke in time: "I am hungry; let us return to the mountain. Yunshan has prepared vegetarian dishes; you all come as well."

He spoke lightly, but naturally no one dared to ignore him, and they all followed him past the Dragon Stele into the Mi Jing of Health Preservation.

"Senior Brother, what happened just now?"

Li Yuan transmitted his voice secretly to ask Douyue.

"Capture this person."

Douyue held Fang Chao by the back of the neck, his movements rough, with an attitude that seemed to say, "If you die, it's just bad luck."

He had suffered a loss.

A thought turned in Li Yuan's mind; when he asked for details, Monk Douyue did not hide anything and told him.

The two brothers walked last to enter the Mi Jing of Health Preservation.

Buzz~

The Mi Jing of Health Preservation was almost identical to the Dragon-Tiger Mountain Range; every time Li Yuan entered, he felt a sense of disorientation.

Rooted within the Dragon-Tiger Mountain Range, the Mi Jing of Health Preservation possessed a sense of reality far stronger than the Yu Xuanjing Mi Jing; it not only supported the three main halls of the Dragon-Tiger Temple's main lineage but also nourished countless plants and trees.

He had tried planting spirit rice in the outside world, but multiple attempts ended in failure; he guessed that the growth of this spirit rice was related to the true qi of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing.

"The three main halls: Dragon-Tiger, Health Preservation, and Divine Elephant; these three halls are the true core of our Dragon-Tiger Temple. Only those who break through the 'First Floor of the Dragon-Tiger Tower' are qualified to join them."

On the way to the main peak, Douyue transmitted his voice softly, introducing the Mi Jing of Health Preservation and the Dragon-Tiger main lineage to Li Yuan.

"The First Floor of the Dragon-Tiger Tower?"

Li Yuan followed his gaze to look at that Gao Ta; at this moment, Longhu Longhu Dandan light radiated from the tower, but it was mostly distributed below the fifth floor.

"Someone is attempting to ascend the tower."

Monk Douyue explained.

"Greetings, Daoist Master, two Sect Masters!"

"Daoist Master!"

"Master Uncle!"

Longhu Longhu Dandan's arrival naturally caused a stir; many disciples beneath the tower, even elders, all bowed deeply in greeting.

Li Yuan took a look, then looked a few more times.

Before his eyes, patches of light of various colors appeared, yet this was the batch of highest grade he had ever seen so far.

Starting from Superior Famous Artifacts, the number of Supreme Famous Artifacts was extremely large, and there were even many near-Godly Weapons.

As for Godly Weapons...

"Godly Weapons are scarce."

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Among the most elite batch of inner sect disciples of Dragon-Tiger, those possessing Godly Weapons, up to now, Li Yuan had only seen Long Long Xinglie.

The three true disciples, Xin Xin Wenhua, Shan Hong, and Lin Lin Fangzhui, possessed only near-Godly Weapons.

Beneath this tower were mostly elders and juniors from the previous generation over sixty years old with excellent talent and comprehension; among them, many had a presence as formidable as Monk Douyue.

Not a single Godly Weapon.

"The Dragon-Tiger Temple does not lack Godly Weapons."

Glancing at the divine armor held by Nie Xianshan, over two thousand years of the Dragon-Tiger Temple, even if few divine smiths had emerged, it was impossible to lack Godly Weapons.

The reason for this could only be that 'Godly Weapons possess spirit'.

"The Wu Gong of these elders and juniors is indeed very high."

Lights of various colors connected into a patch, among which were weapons wielded with effects of various superior secret transmissions and martial arts of the Ultimate Mastery level.

Daoist Li felt somewhat envious; although he practiced martial arts quickly now, who would refuse to be faster?

Trading old for new must continue.

Beneath the tower stood a massive stele, listing various names from bottom to top, likely numbering close to a thousand people.

"Long Long Xinglie breached the sixth level of the Gao Ta and completed the Great Blood Transformation."

Li Yuan saw a familiar name: on the Tiger Stele, this Senior Brother Long's ranking remained extremely high, at twenty-ninth.

The reason his ranking was considered so high was that Xin Xin Wenhua, ranked second on the Dragon List, had a ranking beyond seven hundred and had only breached three levels of the tower.

"The Dao Lord is first, Nie Xianshan second, the Old Dragon Head third… Seven levels seem to be a dividing line—only six people have surpassed seven levels?"

Li Yuan felt surprised and doubtful; seeing this, Long Long Xinglie's ranking was far too high.

The Husijiutang each had three main and three deputy abbots—meaning many deputy abbots ranked lower than this Senior Brother Long!

"This tower holds some danger, younger brother—you're not skilled in combat; do not attempt to breach it on your own."

Seeing Li Yuan lost in thought, Dou Yue glanced at him and sent a mental warning.

Disciples of famous families often suffer from overestimating themselves; high martial skill doesn't mean combat prowess, and Li Yuan gave him some cause for concern.

This boy only smelts iron and trains in silence—his martial skill has risen, but he's probably never seen blood; if he wants to breach the tower, he'll need to wait many more years.

"Thank you for your advice, Senior Brother."

Li Yuan snapped out of his reverie, his expression strange, yet he offered no rebuttal.

"When you have time, I'll find you a few spirit beasts to train with."

Dou Yue murmured softly, then walked slowly to catch up with his master.

"Spirit beasts…"

Li Yuan's mind turned—the mention of spirit beasts reminded him of Cang Tian Shou Lu…

"The second talisman already used the blood of a Spirit Beast King; the third…"

Li Yuan immediately dropped the thought, casting one deep look at the Gao Ta before hurrying after them.

He would definitely breach the tower.

Not only might the tower be connected to the Longhu Yangsheng Lu, but even if it weren't, simply due to its connection to spirit pills and spirit rice, he could not abandon it.

"When the spirit rice runs low, I'll try climbing one level."

Li Yuan had a plan in mind.

Though Dou Yue hadn't said it, Li Yuan naturally knew the benefits of the Longhu List—beyond spirit pills and spirit rice, it seemed tied to the Husijiutang's inherited Cheng De Shen Gong.

Near the Gao Ta lay the main lineage's mountain gate; as Li Yuan walked along, he was overwhelmed—the senior brothers and elders passing by each carried at least one high-grade famous weapon.

What stirred him even more was the incense.

"The incense is thriving."

Li Yuan muttered inwardly, following the crowd with eyes straight ahead, yet as he walked,

he had seen at least a dozen small temples with high-grade incense.

Among them, one temple's incense was even comparable to that of the Old Dragon Head's small shrine.

"This incense seems used to nourish the Longhu Yangsheng Lu…"

On the main lineage's mountain path, Li Yuan squinted slightly; since entering the Mi Jing, the glow of the Longhu Yangsheng Lu had never left his vision.

He noticed: the more vigorous the incense, the brighter the dark glow; the weaker the incense, the dimmer the glow.

Beneath the main peak, a courtyard.

Long Long Yingchan set out a full vegetarian feast—he had abstained from meat for years.

Though vegetarian, the feast laid by the Dao Lord of Longhu was naturally of the highest standard, filled with various spirit plants, their fragrances wafting.

The spirit rice served was top-grade Purple Bamboo Rice; as its name suggested, each grain was as large as a bamboo shoot, entirely purple, like jade.

With Li Yuan's current appetite, he ate only three grains before becoming full—heavy as this stuff was, it surpassed compressed rations from his past life.

After the banquet, Li Yuan secretly slipped several Purple Bamboo Rice grains into his sleeve, then took his leave of the elders and senior brothers.

Inside the Long residence, the maids swiftly cleared the remnants; Long Long Yingchan held a cup of tea, sipping slowly—the taste was bitter, the aftertaste even more so.

"How shall we handle Fang Chao?"

Nie Xianshan toyed with the divine-grade armor, his face slightly troubled.

On the way, he'd tried several times—the armor was harder than Fang Chao himself, as if refusing to yield even unto death.

"Kill him."

Long Xi Xiang yawned, full and satisfied—he had no intention of staying; no matter how much was said, he'd forget it all by tomorrow.

"Keep him imprisoned."

Long Long Yingchan set down his teacup, watching Long Xi Xiang leave.

"Hmm."

As he stepped out the door, Long Xi Xiang seemed to recall something, turning back to glance at the two old men inside:

"It's hard for me to take on a dharma heir—if either of you dare scheme against him, don't blame me for turning ruthless!"

The two men inside exchanged glances; Long Long Yingchan held his teacup, his two white eyebrows flicking back and forth:

"You overthink it—your disciple's talent isn't poor, but he's hardly better than Long Xinglie; even if you wanted him to become my disciple, I wouldn't accept him."

"Is that so?"

Long Xi Xiang frowned skeptically, turning his gaze to Nie Xianshan, who calmly set down his teacup, his face full of confusion:

"Which disciple are you talking about?"

"It's… it's…"

Long Xi Xiang fell silent, Breathing heavily.

Seeing his chest heave, Nie Xianshan's eyelids twitched violently and quickly replied:

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Long Xiang Heliu said no more, served tea, and dismissed his guest.

"Is that so?"

Nie Xianshan's eyes flickered: "Then, does the matter I asked of you still hold?"

"As you wish."

Longhu Longhu Dandan glanced at him lightly, and only then did the latter rise to take his leave.

"Huff!"

Inside the room, Longhu Longhu Dandan silently drank tea until night fell, then slowly lifted his eyelids, his gaze dim: "The body resembles a Golden Core, unbroken; the spiritual light surges like a tide, unceasing. Such endowments..."

He stood up and paced a few steps in the room. Longhu Longhu Dandan suddenly halted, his two Bai Mei eyebrows dancing up and down like small snakes:

"Junior brother, I only said I would not accept your disciple, but did I specify who?"

Wuu~

The night wind blew into the room. Nie Xianshan, listening to the wind to locate its source, found the breathing inside steady, and only then slowly retreated.

Huff~

Almost simultaneously, the door closed.

"Incense is truly a good thing."

At the main peak of the Dragon Gate, inside the room, Li Yuan lit an oil lamp and carefully examined those few grains of Purple Bamboo Spirit Rice, feeling more and more tempted the longer he looked.

Pills always contain some pill poison, but Spirit Rice has none; long-term use nourishes the body, and this Purple Bamboo Spirit Rice is the finest among them.

He estimated one grain was worth at least three Mind-Abiding Small Return Pills.

"How exactly does the sect use incense to nurture this furnace?"

Seeing the Health-Nurturing Mi Jing managed so well, Li Dao Ye, who also held a Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing, felt truly envious, yet still knew nothing of the principle behind it.

"It is simply that my status is not high enough."

After pondering for quite a while, Li Yuan truly had no solution; such methods were surely top secrets, and since he was not even a True Disciple, how could he possibly access them?

Old Dragon Head was merely forgetful, not easily fooled.

"I can only proceed with Xu Xu planning."

Leaning against the headboard, Li Yuan closed his eyes, practicing the visualization method while simultaneously circulating his internal Qi.

After the Thunder Dragon contained all forms, his internal Qi surged; in just over ten days, he had clearly forged all twelve Qi meridians and established the dantian as the 'Sea of Qi'.

This was the sign of perfect Meridian Unblocking; at this stage, he could begin preparing for 'Transforming Qi into True' in hopes of refining his organs.

Furthermore, his Divine Foot Sutra advanced further; the 'acupoints' in both feet were incorporated into the great internal Qi circulation, greatly increasing speed and the rate of internal Qi accumulation.

"Transforming internal Qi into True is a painstaking process that cannot be rushed. Hmm... in a few more days, the Black Whale Diagram should show progress; waiting is not a problem."

"As for Long Xiang Heliu, I can also begin attempting it. If it can be integrated into the Black Whale Diagram, that would be even better."

His powerful spiritual power allowed Li Yuan to multitask, his thoughts scattering.

Gradually, the night deepened; Li Yuan's breathing became steady, and he fell into a deep sleep.

"Wuu~"

No sooner had Li Yuan fallen asleep than the little tiger cub appeared on the windowsill, glancing at the small mouse poking its head out of the hole in the corner.

In the next instant, she was at the bedside.

She paced, and just as she was about to approach Li Yuan, she suddenly sensed something, flopped onto the bed with a 'plop', and quickly began to snore softly.

Yet, a slit opened in her eye, revealing wisps of mist as pale as clouds, carried by the gentle breeze, entering between Li Yuan's mouth and nose.

"????!"