Chapter 233: Chapter 232: Li Zixuan Exits Seclusion, a Secret Decree from an Imperial Capital Clan

Jianghai Martial Arts Academy.

Dusk had fallen.

A magnificent fiery sunset painted the sky as the sun sank below the horizon.

A wind blew in from afar, sweeping past the secret chamber on the back mountain. The birch forest rustled and swayed, making the scene feel all the more silent and cold...

Elder Li and Lin Mofeng stood beside the birch forest, craning their necks in anticipation.

"Elder, there was a strange disturbance of Sword Qi from the back mountain last night. Based on the timing, Xuanxuan should be coming out of seclusion soon."

Lin Mofeng leaned against a birch tree. "Why is there no sign of her yet?"

"It’s fine. Don’t panic. You have to trust your junior sister."

Elder Li stood several yards from the stone door with his hands behind his back, head slightly cocked. He projected the air of a lofty expert who had seen it all, but his palms were slick with sweat.

Inwardly, he was a nervous wreck. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

After all, breaking through from the Innate Realm was exceedingly difficult—a task as hard as ascending to the heavens.

Before Li Zixuan had entered seclusion,

Elder Li had privately estimated that her Cultivation was at the early to Mid Stage of the Innate Realm. If her seclusion was successful, she might just reach the Late Stage and touch the threshold of a Grandmaster!

A Realm he himself had spent the better half of his life to reach.

And now, Li Zixuan had achieved it at such a young age...

"The younger generation is truly formidable..."

Elder Li shook his head and sighed, a hint of bittersweet emotion in his voice. "Becoming a disciple of the Sword God was truly Xuanxuan’s destiny, a great opportunity that one can only hope for but never demand."

"Yes, Junior Sister is exceptionally talented."

Lin Mofeng rubbed his hands together, his own nervousness showing. "Besides, the sword cry last night came at just the right moment. For her, isn’t this another kind of opportunity?"

With that, he looked at Elder Li and said, "I haven’t seen her in days. This student is truly eager to see what level Junior Sister has reached."

"It’s fine! Just relax. Treat it as any other day."

Elder Li said in a deep voice, giving a casual wave of his hand.

Having said that, he straightened a crease on his sleeve, then smoothed his sideburns, maintaining the elegant composure of the older generation.

"..."

Lin Mofeng was silent.

He glanced at Elder Li’s Tang suit. It was immaculate, so new it was practically glowing, and even the hair at his temples had been meticulously combed.

The look was clearly carefully crafted!

’Treat it as any other day? He calls this treating it as any other day?’

’Who was it that woke up at the crack of dawn, put on his finest formal attire, and rushed here to stand guard outside the stone chamber, completely ignoring the news about last night’s sword cry?’

’He’s completely devoted to waiting for Junior Sister to come out of seclusion...’

’And he has the nerve to tell *me* to relax?’

’This elder, really...’

Lin Mofeng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Not wanting to expose the old man, he could only turn his attention back to the stone door.

Just as he was lost in thought, the last embers of sunset at the horizon faded.

Suddenly!

HUMMM!

The Array on the stone door showed faint cracks.

A single strand of Sword Qi effortlessly pried the Array open!

The heavy stone door shattered with a BOOM, turning to dust that scattered in the air. Li Zixuan, dressed in a simple white robe that highlighted her slender figure, slowly walked out. Her cold, beautiful face was illuminated by the moonlight, making her look absolutely stunning.

"She’s here..."

Lin Mofeng hurried forward and cupped his hands. "Congratulations, Junior Sister, on your successful breakthrough."

"Xuanxuan, congratulations!"

Elder Li also stepped forward to congratulate her, a gratified smile on his face. "I didn’t expect you to emerge from seclusion so quickly. The younger generation is truly formidable, truly formidable..."

As he finished speaking, Li Zixuan turned with a blank expression. She looked at the two men before her and nodded faintly.

"Yes. Thank you for your well wishes, Senior Brother, Elder. It was just a stroke of luck."

Her eyes were cold and calm, as if devoid of emotion. Even her words were detached, like a sharp, cold sword radiating an edge that warned others to keep their distance.

’There are still too many things to deal with right now.’

’Stabilize my Cultivation, slay the Cult Demons... Time is too tight. I have no leisure for social pleasantries.’

In a daze, Li Zixuan suddenly understood why her Master and Eldest Senior Brother had chosen to withdraw from the world to pursue their cultivation.

"Elder, Senior Brother Lin, if there’s nothing else... I’ll be heading back to stabilize my Realm..."

"Mm..."

With that, Elder Li and the others nodded in understanding. It was only reasonable that Li Zixuan, having just emerged from seclusion, would be in an unstable state and need to consolidate her progress.

After a few brief pleasantries, she left the back mountain by herself, her brows furrowed in thought as she walked home alone.

She left Elder Li and Lin Mofeng standing there.

"That girl Xuanxuan... she seems even quieter than before."

Elder Li watched her receding figure and sighed, sending a voice transmission to Lin Mofeng.

"It seems the Sword God’s death hit her much harder than we expected. I don’t know when she’ll be able to move past it."

"Yes, it’s certainly had a major impact. But Elder... isn’t this also a form of tempering?"

Lin Mofeng shook his head and said in a low, comforting tone, "If you think about it, hasn’t Junior Sister’s Cultivation path been a little too smooth? She’s barely encountered any bottlenecks, has she?"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Elder Li frowned in thought, and a look of realization dawned on his face.

"You may have a point. After joining the Sword God Sect, Xuanxuan has crossed Cultivation thresholds far too easily... Mo Feng, are you worried about the effect on her state of mind?"

"Exactly. That is what this student meant."

Lin Mofeng nodded. "Life is never smooth sailing. One must experience both prosperity and adversity to reach a truly higher Realm. Junior Sister’s progress was too smooth before. The death of Senior Sword God, in contrast, serves as a trial for her."

"Yes, but the poor, silly girl..."

Elder Li sighed. "If she ever finds out that the Arrow God is her junior martial uncle... I don’t know how she’ll react... Ai..."

"Yes. Elder, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Junior Sister for the time being."

At that moment, Lin Mofeng changed the subject and sighed as well. "I’m leaving Jianghai tomorrow. I’m afraid I won’t be able to guide her anymore."

"You’re leaving?"

Elder Li froze at his words and asked subconsciously,

"Where to?"

"Back to the Imperial Capital."

Lin Mofeng replied, "This student has delayed in Jianghai for too long. There are matters back there that I need to handle. My apologies..."

"Is that so? Well, you have been away for a long time. It is about time you went back."

Elder Li looked moved. The battle against the Beast Tide had been perilous. If Lin Mofeng, a Grandmaster, hadn’t intervened, the Star Beasts would have breached the city long ago.

His contribution was worthy of being celebrated by all.

"Elder, rest assured. In the future, if anything happens in Jianghai City, just give me a call."

Lin Mofeng and Elder Li walked along a tree-lined path as he continued slowly, "No matter where this disciple is, I will rush back across a thousand miles to offer what little strength I have to Jianghai City."

"Good. Mo Feng, you are truly thoughtful."

Elder Li smiled. "You can go back without worry. Now that the Beast Tide has been quelled and those Cult Demons have been killed one after another by the disciples of Senior Sword God, Jianghai is completely at peace..."

As he finished speaking, Lin Mofeng fell silent for a moment.

"...I hope so."

In truth, there were some things he hadn’t mentioned.

The main reason for his urgent return to the Imperial Capital was a secret letter from his family, ordering him to come back immediately.

There was no time to delay!

He had already delayed his return repeatedly to help fight the Beast Tide, which had long since earned him his family’s extreme displeasure.

If he continued to put it off, he was afraid they would send someone to capture him and drag him back, throwing him directly into confinement.

’But... why, exactly?’

Lin Mofeng frowned, lost in thought.

’It doesn’t make sense.’

When the family letters first arrived, he’d assumed they were worried about his personal safety because of the Beast Tide and the Cult Demons.

But the problem was, now that both great threats had vanished...

...why had his family become even more insistent?

’Strange.’

Lin Mofeng looked at the traffic on the street ahead, a sudden pressure weighing on him. It felt like the calm before a storm.

His family had vast sources of information and access to all sorts of news. The truth was far beyond what he could grasp just by guessing wildly.

Only a trip back to the Imperial Capital could truly solve this mystery.

...

...

「Fuhai District.」

「At home.」

「Dinnertime.」

Dinner was rather simple today: water spinach, cold soybean sprout salad, and scrambled eggs with tomato. Qin Yang and Xiaobai sat across from each other at the dining table, both scrolling through their phones and watching short videos to accompany their meal.

"Master, this servant is full. Please take your time!"

Xiaobai picked up her small bowl, hopped down from her high chair, and pattered over to the kitchen to wash it. Then she plopped herself back down on the sofa.

She had somehow acquired a pair of glasses and was now lying on the sofa, kicking her pale, slender legs in the air as she studied something on her phone...

She was completely absorbed!

"Why aren’t you playing games today?"

Qin Yang saw this and chuckled. "It’s perfectly normal to play a game after dinner to relax. Go ahead."

"No way! This Fairy has other things to do~~"

Xiaobai hummed a song excitedly, swiping across her phone screen and looking at her shopping cart.

Over the past few days, she’d watched a ton of review videos and learned a lot, bringing her one step closer to becoming a professional game booster. You’ve got to love the work you do, after all.

She was already thinking about building a more high-spec computer.

A few minutes later, she got up and trotted over to Qin Yang’s side.

"Master, can this servant discuss something with you?"

Xiaobai shook his arm, wheedling, "Help me out, please..."

"What is it? Tell me first."

Qin Yang unhurriedly picked up some water spinach with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. "Tell me, then we’ll talk."

"Umm... it’s just..."

Xiaobai looked down, tapping her fingers together. "This Fairy wants to build a computer..."

"You want to build a computer?"

Hearing this, Qin Yang glanced at Xiaobai and frowned. "Didn’t I already get you a phone?"

"A phone isn’t quite enough."

Xiaobai shook her head like a rattle drum, then held up her phone, pulling up an online shopping page to show Qin Yang. "Master, this servant wants this one. Please buy it for me... It’s not like there’s much going on in the city lately anyway."

"Let me see."

Qin Yang glanced at the price.

Around five thousand.

’Ever since he was promoted to Steward, he’d been enjoying a more leisurely life and wasn’t short on cash. He could afford to let Xiaobai have her fun.’

’Getting her a computer...’

’...would save him from her pestering him later. Not a bad idea, actually.’

Thinking of this, Qin Yang put the phone on the sofa and leisurely headed downstairs.

"Take the phone and order it yourself. I have something to do, so don’t come downstairs and bother me."

"Okay, Master!"

...

「A moment later.」

The moonlight in the courtyard was gentle, casting a silver glow over the ground.

Qin Yang found an empty spot and sat down on the ground. He then brought out his Furnace Cauldron for Alchemy and began taking stock of the materials Li Qinghe had given him.

He was preparing for Alchemy.

"That guy Xia He is getting married. I should at least give him a thoughtful gift."

He had said just a small token would be fine, no need for an expensive gift, and that just showing up was enough.

But then Qin Yang had a thought.

’A small token?’

’Alright then, a "small token" it is.’

...