Ling Xiao declined Li Tianluo’s invitation to travel with him. Li Tianluo was likely worried that his older brother would move against Ling Xiao, but Ling Xiao didn’t see it that way. Li Tianlie’s hatred for him, of course, went without saying. After all, Ling Xiao had publicly executed the High-level Martial Artist Li Tianlie had just recruited, leaving him with no recourse for his grievance and even forcing him to owe Ling Xiao a huge favor. Even an ordinary person would find such an insult hard to stomach, let alone a member of the Royal Family and the future Emperor!

Li Tianlie had lost a great deal of face today and would certainly want to reclaim it. However, he would not act against Ling Xiao immediately. For one, Ling Xiao and his people would be on guard. But even if they weren’t, if anything were to happen to Ling Xiao, suspicion would immediately fall upon Li Tianlie. Besides, Ling Xiao could see that Li Tianlie was a man who knew how to bide his time. Such people were often deeply calculating and wouldn’t do anything foolish. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Sure enough, the carriage carrying Ling Xiao and Yisha returned safely to the Imperial Academy. Walking along a tree-lined path on campus, Yisha had both hands in her pockets, gently kicking a small pebble at her feet and enjoying the tranquility of the night. She spoke softly, "Brother Ling Xiao, have you broken through to the Celestial Vein?"

Ling Xiao nodded. Yisha smiled with excitement. "That’s wonderful! I always believed you would succeed, Brother Ling Xiao!"

Ling Xiao offered a faint smile, his gaze toward Yisha filled with warmth. This girl, who had always been so innocent and shy in his presence, was the first person—aside from his family—to express her belief in him since he had arrived in this world. She trusted him even more than Teacher Shangguan. For this reason, Ling Xiao quite liked the feeling of being with Yisha. It brought a subtle warmth, an emotion he had never experienced before. ’It makes me feel panicked sometimes, lost at others, and yet... I also look forward to it!’

For the longest time, there had been a debate even within the Cultivation Realm: Which is the true Great Dao—the Path of Emotion, or the Path of Emotionlessness? It was said that an Immortal who had ascended delivered a celestial decree: The Great Dao has a million paths, but all lead to the same destination.

Ling Xiao understood this saying well. In his previous life, he had cultivated the Path of Emotionlessness; in fact, almost the entire Shushan sect practiced it. The prevailing belief was that a Cultivator’s lifespan was finite, making the Path of Emotion a lesser way. Once tainted by sentiment, one’s Spirit Platform would inevitably become impure, and the resulting complex feelings would hinder one’s Cultivation. Thus, the vast majority of sects in the Cultivation Realm practiced the Path of Emotionlessness—even most of those who became Dao Companions.

But ever since Ling Xiao had come to the Canglan Continent—a world entirely different from the Cultivation Realm—and felt the abundant Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth while experiencing the myriad facets of mortal life, he found that his Daoxin had actually grown more stable. ’Could this be the ’worldly cultivation’ my master used to speak of?’ A sudden realization struck Ling Xiao, and an incomparably profound phrase came to mind: The Dao follows nature!

’That’s right. Cultivation is about cultivating wholeheartedly. Why worry about whether the path is one of emotion or emotionlessness? It’s best to just let nature take its course.’

’It’s like an ordinary person’s life. They may only live for a hundred years, but they experience the full spectrum of emotions—the sweet and the bitter, joy and sorrow, partings and reunions. Their lives, though brief, are complete!’

At that moment, Ling Xiao’s Spirit Platform was perfectly clear and bright. He had entered a mysterious, profound state. And at the same time, the Spiritual Qi from the surrounding heavens and earth began to rapidly converge on him!

A knowing smile graced the corners of Ling Xiao’s lips. Yisha, who was beside him, was stunned by the sight. ’I’ve never seen Brother Ling Xiao smile like that. It’s so charming!’

Yisha quickly lowered her head, hiding her flustered heart and her cherry-blushed cheeks.

And at that moment, Ling Xiao had also quietly made some decisions in his heart.

「Early the next morning.」

Ling Xiao, accompanied by Chunlan, Qiuyue, and Ye Wen Ni, took a carriage back to the Ling Mansion.

Lady Ling had not seen her son in a long time and was actually waiting for him at the entrance of the General’s Mansion. When she saw Ling Xiao step down from the carriage, her face—still beautiful, but with fine lines now quietly appearing at the corners of her eyes—instantly blossomed into a brilliant smile. She walked over, took Ling Xiao’s hand, and looked him over from every angle for a moment, her eyes growing a little red. "You foolish child. A Celestial Vein is just a Celestial Vein. When have I ever looked down on you for that? To take such a huge risk... If I had known beforehand, I would never have let you go! Xiao’Er, you’ve gotten thinner!"

A warmth spread through Ling Xiao’s heart, and a strange, poignant emotion rose from within him. Ling Xiao smiled and said gently, "Mother, look. I’m perfectly fine now, aren’t I?"

Lady Ling nodded in satisfaction. Only then did she look up and notice Chunlan and Qiuyue to the side, as well as the flower-like beauty, Ye Wen Ni. Lady Ling was slightly taken aback but quickly recovered. She walked over, took Ye Wen Ni’s small hand, and said with a warm smile, "You must be Ye Wen Ni, right? I’ve heard about you!"

"Ah, Lady Ling, I... I..." The normally clever and sharp Ye Wen Ni was now like a shy little girl, standing there completely flustered. Her delicate face flushed a deep crimson, and she kept her head down, not daring to look at Lady Ling.

"Just call me ’Auntie.’ I’ve heard about what happened to you. From now on, just consider this place your own home." Lady Ling’s tone was gentle, but her bearing was noble and dignified. She beamed as she held Ye Wen Ni’s hand, her delight plain to see.

What mother under heaven wouldn’t want her son to find a wife he truly loves? This was especially true after Ling Xiao had been framed by Xie Xiaoyan not long ago. If not for the fact that Xie Zhongting and Ling Tianxiao had grown up together, with Xie Zhongting even having helped Ling Tianxiao during his times of difficulty, how could the Ling Family have possibly swallowed such a bitter pill? Although they were no longer pursuing the matter, the old friendship had become precarious, battered by the winds and rain of the broken engagement.

Once inside the inner courtyard, it was clear that Lady Ling was very pleased with Ye Wen Ni. The Ling Family had come from humble beginnings, and although they had now risen to become one of the Empire’s foremost families, they held no strict views on social status in marriage. Neither Ling Tianxiao nor Lady Ling had ever entertained the thought of using their children’s marriages as political bargaining chips. Therefore, they were extremely fond of a pretty and lovely girl like Ye Wen Ni!

"Mother, I... have something for you." Ling Xiao, defeated by his mother’s teasing gaze that kept flicking back and forth between him and Ye Wen Ni, cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Oh?" Lady Ling had heard a few things about Ling Xiao’s recent activities, but not in detail. Her attention had been focused entirely on her son and Ye Wen Ni. She suddenly noticed that the skin of the two maids, Chunlan and Qiuyue, was fair and delicate, and they were even more beautiful than before. If they were to change into fine clothes, they would have even more grace than the noble ladies from the houses of princes and dukes! She couldn’t help but ask in surprise, "You two... how have you changed so much?"

Chunlan and Qiuyue covered their mouths and giggled softly. Ling Xiao said with a slightly sheepish look on his face, "Mother, your son recently obtained a recipe and refined two types of elixirs. One is the Beauty Pill, which is what Chunlan and Qiuyue have used. The other is the Anti-Aging Pill. If you use it, Mother, you could look twenty years younger. Even Father wouldn’t be able to recognize you!"