Chapter 88: Chapter 88: There Is No Turning Back

After Liu Shuang left, Wang Ping arrived above Li Xiangwen’s courtyard. The promised half a year had now stretched into a full year. Li Xiangwen’s family had gradually grown accustomed to life in Yongshan County.

Li Xiangwen kept his promise and hadn’t taken a single step out of the courtyard. When his family interacted with the neighbors, they didn’t reveal his situation. He was now like an invisible man.

"You’re right. This man no longer has the courage he had when he was first brought back from the dead." Yu Lian’s gaze, fixed on Li Xiangwen, held a hint of probing curiosity.

"To us, a year is but the blink of an eye, but for an ordinary person, a year is a long time," Wang Ping said, then led Yu Lian back to Qianmu Temple.

After the Spring Festival of Wanfeng 13th Year, the weather gradually improved.

A victory report spread throughout the country. After spending years consolidating his internal affairs, the new Emperor had secretly moved the Second Army of the Imperial Guard into Anqing a month ago. They launched a surprise attack on the Rebel Army in Liuzhou Prefecture, who suffered a crushing defeat.

The Rebel Army in Liuzhou Prefecture had been completely wiped out ten days ago. Afterward, the Imperial Guard chased the rebels all the way back to their home turf in the Northwest!

When Wang Ping received this victory report, he found it a bit strange. He already knew that Great Cultivators of the Fourth Realm and above were orchestrating the chaos in the Northwest. How could they have been defeated so decisively?

It wasn’t until ten days later, when Wang Ping went to pay his respects to Yu Cheng Taoist, that he learned of a secret convocation. Most of the cultivators from the five continents who were at the Fourth Realm or higher had been summoned to it.

"What kind of convocation was it?" Wang Ping asked curiously.

"I’m not sure. Perhaps they were discussing how to carve up the world’s resources!" Yu Cheng Taoist’s tone was uncharacteristically sarcastic.

"Who could possibly gather all these Great Realm Cultivators, who are enemies to begin with?"

Yu Cheng Taoist shook his head.

After finishing his conversation with his master and returning to the Mountain Peak Dojo, Wang Ping watched Yu Lian playing with the well water again and smiled. "This world is getting more and more interesting..."

"There are plenty of interesting things in this world; you’re just not interested in them." Yu Lian swept up a large sheet of water and moved it toward Wang Ping. "Want to try the water?"

"No!" Wang Ping quickly refused.

"You’re no fun..."

「Two more months passed.」

The chaos in the Northwest barely made a ripple against the might of the Imperial Guard. The world seemed to have returned to a time of peace.

’Oh, right. There’s still Liu Yue, holding his territory in the north!’

It turned out the intelligence Zhao Qing had brought back before was wrong. The new Emperor had no intention of exonerating the Liu Family at all. He had merely spread a rumor to interfere with Liu Yue’s decisions and embroil him in internal conflict.

Now that Emperor Wanfeng had solved the problems in the south and the Northwest, and had complete control over the Court, both inside and out, he just needed two more years to catch his breath. Liu Yue’s demise was only a matter of time.

And Wang Ping was also ready to implement the plan he had been preparing for nearly ten years...

It was unclear what Li Xiangwen had told his family, but he was very calm when Wang Ping came to take him away. It made sense, though. As far as he knew, he was just going to a sect to be an undercover agent, where he could even learn the Immortal Techniques he so yearned for.

The process of implanting the Five Elements Spiritual Object wasn’t difficult; one just had to open up the person’s Qi Sea. The only issue was that a single careless mistake during implantation could destroy a whole set of materials.

Wang Ping used Li Xiangwen for his first experiment because Li Xiangwen had read more books than Yang Tian and understood the importance of priorities.

After the Five Elements Spiritual Object was implanted in Li Xiangwen’s body, it began to circulate and channel energy on its own, capitalizing on the human body’s inherent nature as a Spiritual Object. For Li Xiangwen, who had never cultivated before, the pain was excruciating. Fortunately, Wang Ping was there to guide him, promptly clearing the chaotic streams of energy rampaging through his body and completing a Grand Circulation.

Then, to Wang Ping’s astonishment, he discovered that the surrounding Spiritual Qi began to move toward Li Xiangwen’s Qi Sea on its own. Moreover, he was automatically undergoing Foundation Establishment!

In just one month, Li Xiangwen passed through Qi Cultivation, marrow washing, and Foundation Establishment, before the energy of the Five Elements’ circulation dragged him into the Entering Realm.

Throughout this process, Li Xiangwen remained in a state of suspended animation.

After he reached the Entering Realm, the rapidly circulating Five Elements Spiritual Object in his body finally slowed down, absorbing Spiritual Qi at a much more gradual pace.

Having observed the entire process, Wang Ping finally understood why the guide panel used the word "insane" to describe the creator of the ’Five Elements Condensation Art.’

To turn a mortal into an Entering Cultivator in just one month...

’No, that’s not the right way to put it,’ Wang Ping thought. ’It would be more accurate to say I’ve refined another, rather special kind of ’Power Pill’.’ Based on the current speed at which the Five Elements Spiritual Object was circulating in Li Xiangwen’s body, he could live for another two years. After two years, the Five Elements Spiritual Object inside him would fuse on its own, react with his Sea of Qi Spiritual Qi, and self-detonate.

Of course, it could also be activated manually, which would cause it to self-detonate within a few breaths!

Furthermore, Li Xiangwen’s meridians and Qi Sea were completely destroyed. He was only alive now because he was being sustained by the Spiritual Qi of the Five Elements Spiritual Object!

Before Li Xiangwen woke up, Wang Ping specifically invited Yu Cheng Taoist to his Alchemy Room. After inspecting Li Xiangwen’s Qi Sea, Yu Cheng Taoist was also greatly astonished.

"The world is truly vast and full of wonders. These unorthodox paths cannot be underestimated. Perhaps it truly is possible to create a Fifth Realm Cultivator in the future, but the process would be incredibly difficult!"

Yu Cheng Taoist left with this sigh of admiration.

When Li Xiangwen woke up, his excitement was palpable. Wang Ping taught him a few minor techniques, and he immediately tried to kowtow and acknowledge him as his master.

Wang Ping did not accept his gesture.

While teaching Li Xiangwen, Wang Ping also implanted the Five Elements Spiritual Object into Yang Tian. After more than half a year of treatment and nourishment from Wood Spirit Qi, Yang Tian had already recovered his health a month ago.

His transformation by the Five Elements Spiritual Object took a month longer than Li Xiangwen’s...

...

「Two months later.」

Wang Ping handed the two men over to Yu Cheng Taoist and concerned himself no further with the matter.

Ten days later, Yu Cheng Taoist came to the now-quiet little courtyard on the mountain peak. Wang Ping personally went to the cellar to fetch a jar of fine yellow wine, and the master and disciple shared their first drink together.

"There’s been a slight change in plans. I’ve canceled the final encirclement and annihilation operation. After long consideration, I couldn’t find a suitable method, and I decided to call it off to prevent any unforeseen incidents." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Yu Cheng Taoist stared at the wine cup in his hand, as if explaining to Wang Ping, "As long as the White Water Sect and Iron Art Sect are destroyed, the final ambush doesn’t matter. Someone else will do the job for us. In fact, many people will... Hitting a man when he’s down is the easiest thing to do, but it also yields the greatest rewards."

Wang Ping nodded in understanding. The situation in the various southern roads was delicate right now. The attack he had planned might be conspicuous, but at least on the surface, Qianmu Temple would appear uninvolved. If they were to carry out the final encirclement, however, they would be as obvious as a lantern in the dead of night.

"The White Water Sect is backed by a Star God, who is said to be at the Third Realm. That makes things much simpler, because the Star God’s alliance won’t openly make trouble for a member of the Daoist Scripture Hall."

Yu Cheng Taoist took a sip of wine and continued, "Your Junior Brother Zhao has altered the approach slightly. Our original plan was to use a mole to get the two men into the White Water Sect. However, after careful consideration, your Junior Brother Zhao felt this would easily expose our mole. So he changed the plan. Now, we will stage it so that Li Xiangwen and Yang Tian ’accidentally’ obtain a Secret Technique. After achieving some success in their cultivation, they will travel from Mozhou Road to Wudao Prefecture to live in seclusion."

Wang Ping couldn’t help but approve of Zhao Qing’s idea. On the surface, Li Xiangwen and Yang Tian now possessed the cultivation of the Entering Realm. With two Entering Cultivators living on their turf, the White Water Sect and the Iron Art Sect would surely have to react in some way.