Li Xue and Li Lin watched in stunned silence. In just a few moments, Ji Rufeng had received two magic treasures and two bottles of medicinal pills. These were magic treasures—not mere magic tools. Their value far exceeded that of tools, and more importantly, magic treasures could only be wielded after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, whereas those in the Qi Condensation stage were limited to magic tools. Ji Rufeng’s hands trembled as he accepted the gifts, hardly knowing where to put them.
Seeing this, Bai Ruihua said testily, "Put them all in the storage bracelet I gave you!"
Only then did Ji Rufeng remember the storage bracelet Bai Ruihua had handed him while they were still aboard the Purple Oriole Carriage. Its internal space spanned a full hundred square meters, incomparable to a small storage bag. Ji Rufeng looked at the items in his hands, then glanced at Li Xue and Li Lin.
Bai Ruihua chuckled. "Don't worry about them. They’ll end up with even more than you."
Ji Rufeng finally stowed the items away, drawing amused smiles from the high-level cultivators.
Bai Ruihua then gave a brief account of how he had encountered the trio before signaling Li Xue to present Li Ran’s sect token to Daoist Yuhong.
Daoist Yuhong took the token and examined it. His expression shifted through a kaleidoscope of emotions, and the hand holding the token trembled slightly. Finally, after confirming it was indeed Li Ran’s, he nodded solemnly toward Daoist Yuqing and Perfected Jingyuan.
With a keen sense of propriety, Perfected Jingyuan stood up and invited Bai Ruihua and his disciple out of Dongyang Palace, leading them to the guest courtyard of Dongyang Peak to settle in.
Left alone with the mother and son, Daoist Yuhong questioned Li Xue in detail. Li Xue recounted everything she knew and produced the letter Li Ran had left behind.
After reading the letter carefully, Daoist Yuhong pointed a finger, sending a drop of essence blood flying toward Li Lin. Li Lin felt a sharp sting in his head, followed by the sensation of something merging into his being.
"Do not panic," Daoist Yuhong said. "This is merely using essence blood to confirm our kinship."
Li Xue’s lips twitched involuntarily. This method of claiming relatives was certainly much simpler than the DNA testing of her previous life.
As Daoist Yuhong looked at the mother and son, his expression grew increasingly warm. When he learned that Li Lin possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root, his excitement became palpable. Even Daoist Yuqing, standing nearby, was thrilled.
"Good, good! A Heavenly Spiritual Root—truly remarkable!" Yuqing exclaimed. He rubbed his storage ring and pulled out several high-grade magic treasures, tossing them directly to Li Lin. Li Xue and her son were so pleasantly surprised they could hardly close their mouths.
Daoist Yuhong also produced two storage bracelets and handed one to each of them. "There are some things inside these bracelets. Look through them and use whatever you find suitable." He then turned to Li Xue with a gentle gaze. "You have done well, birthing a Heavenly Spiritual Root for my Li family. Though you possess a Five Elements Spiritual Root, with diligent cultivation, reaching Foundation Establishment will be no problem. If fortune favors you, you might even form a Golden Core or reach the Nascent Soul stage. You must be exhausted from your journey; I shall have someone take you to rest."
He called for a young cultivator to enter. "Jingyuan, these two are my bloodline descendants. Take them down to rest."
Li Xue took Li Lin’s hand and followed the young man out. She couldn't help but wonder why Daoist Yuhong referred to them only as "bloodline descendants" rather than Li Ran’s descendants. Was there something problematic about Li Ran’s identity? She knew far too little. With a sigh, she pushed the thought aside. Their cultivation levels were too low; now that they had a Nascent Soul ancestor to rely on, she didn't need to worry as much. Their only goal now was to increase their strength and cultivate diligently.
The young cultivator was Perfected Jingyuan, a disciple of Daoist Yuhong. His surname was Chen, known to his peers as Chen Jingyuan and to his juniors as Uncle-Master Jingyuan. He stared intently at Li Lin for a long while before offering a faint smile. As he led them along, he remarked wistfully, "I remember when my Junior Brother first came to Dongyang Peak; he was about this age. How time flies..."
His voice trailed off into a somber tone. After a moment, he continued, "My surname is Chen, and I am a disciple of Daoist Yuhong. Everyone calls me Jingyuan. What are your names?"
Li Xue replied respectfully, "My name is Li Xue, and this is my son, Li Lin."
Chen Jingyuan’s body stiffened for a moment. He paused, then resumed leading the way without another word.
Finally, the three stopped at an exquisite courtyard. "This is the Dongyang Peak guest residence," Chen Jingyuan said. "Daoist Ruihua and his disciple are also resting here."
Li Xue and Li Lin were delighted, realizing they would be able to spend more time with Ji Rufeng.
By the time they found Ji Rufeng, Bai Ruihua had already been invited away by another Daoist who wished to consult him regarding spirit beasts.
The three friends were overjoyed to see one another. In Ji Rufeng’s guest room, they brought out their magic treasures and pills to organize them. Li Xue and Li Lin tried to give Ji Rufeng several of their treasures and pills, thinking their lives in a great sect like Yunjin would be easier. However, Ji Rufeng refused to take more than necessary; as the disciple of a Nascent Soul cultivator, he would not lack resources.
In the end, the three promised to exchange messages and stay in touch. They then parted ways to return to their respective rooms for meditation. The spiritual energy on Yunjin Sect’s Dongyang Peak was incredibly dense—many times more potent than the market at East Beast Mountain. None of them wanted to waste a single moment. Having encountered so many high-level cultivators recently, these three "little fledglings" felt a profound sense of urgency to improve.
