Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 31 | Settling in Chonghua Hall | Novela.app

The group soon arrived at Chonghua Hall, which had originally been Li Ran’s residence. Within Dongyang Peak, the Dongyang Palace served as the main hall for receiving guests and conducting official business, while the other "halls" were actually immortal abodes brimming with spiritual energy. The residences of the core disciples were all located within the perimeter of Dongyang Palace, while other disciples were scattered across various parts of Dongyang Peak. Throughout the Cloud-Strain Sect, each peak possessed abodes of varying sizes and spiritual densities; disciples could choose any vacant one for themselves or even carve out their own, though it was nearly impossible to find a location with better spiritual energy than the existing abodes. Naturally, the areas where the various palaces and halls were situated held the most concentrated spiritual energy. Daoist Yuhong of Dongyang Peak had six disciples. Aside from Yuhong’s own Yuhua Hall, the Liuhua Hall—where Master Jingliu and his disciples resided—was one of the largest abodes in Dongyang Palace. Master Jingliu had nine disciples of his own; he was at the peak of the late Core Formation stage and was one of the cultivators in the Cloud-Strain Sect most likely to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. Master Jingfu and his three disciples lived in Fuhua Hall, while Master Jingli and her five disciples resided in Lihua Hall. Master Jingyuan’s residence was called Yuanhua Hall; Li Lin was the first disciple under his name, and his Yuanhua Hall was also the closest to Chonghua Hall. Since Li Ran had not yet reached the Core Formation stage, the Chonghua Hall he occupied was actually a section partitioned off from Daoist Yuhong’s Yuhua Hall. Chonghua Hall consisted of three courtyards. The front was the reception hall, the second courtyard contained the living quarters and cultivation rooms, and the third courtyard housed a spirit herb garden and a spirit beast enclosure. Its layout was largely similar to most other immortal abodes. As the group entered the reception hall, they found the furnishings exactly as they had been in the past, prompting another round of sighs and reflections from the four senior disciples. Once everyone was seated, Master Jingliu was the first to act, retrieving a large quantity of medicinal pills from his storage bracelet. Addressing Li Xue and Li Lin, he said, "I had my disciples refine several batches of Qi Condensation pills specifically for my Junior Sister and Sect Nephew. This should be enough to last until you reach the Foundation Establishment stage." Li Xue and Li Lin both offered their respectful thanks. Master Jingliu waved a hand dismissively. "There is no need for such restraint. We are all under the same master; it is only right that we look after one another." Following his lead, Jingfu, Jingli, and Jingyuan each presented a mountain of gifts: magic tools, pills, talismans, spirit stones, and more—all of which were items suitable for those in the Qi Condensation stage. It was clear they had come prepared. Finally, Jingyuan spoke to Li Lin. "I expect your Grandmaster will personally guide your cultivation. If you ever need to find your master for anything, you may come directly to Yuanhua Hall." Li Lin gave a respectful "Yes," and the group took their leave. After the others had departed, Li Xue and Li Lin organized the gifts and began to explore Chonghua Hall. The front reception hall was simply furnished, with nothing particularly noteworthy. Behind it lay the living quarters, consisting of a main suite and a guest suite. Each contained a bedroom and a cultivation room, providing one for Li Xue and one for Li Lin. On the western side were the alchemy room—equipped with a furnace and an earthen fire source—and a weapon-forging room. Entering the main suite, they found the bedroom also simply decorated, with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the desk and landscape paintings on the walls. Behind it was the cultivation room, beneath which lay a hidden treasure chamber containing the riches Li Ran had left behind. Inside were magic treasures, magic tools, spirit stones, and a vast quantity of blank talismans, materials, and jade slips. Many of these were likely gifts from elders; some were high-level magic treasures that could only be used after reaching the Core Formation stage. Since carrying such items was useless at a lower level and risked losing them in an accident, most cultivators stored their unusable assets in a treasure chamber, carrying only what they currently needed. Li Xue and Li Lin also placed the magic treasures, tools, and pills they could not yet use into the chamber, organizing them alongside Li Ran’s legacy. It was evident that Li Ran had not enjoyed tidying up, as his things were left in a bit of a jumble. Li Xue decided she would come back to organize it properly when she had more time. Leaving the treasure chamber, the two went to the spirit herb garden at the rear. The garden was planted with many unknown spirit herbs and appeared to have been regularly maintained. The spirit beast room was currently empty. The entire residence was spacious, more than enough for the mother and son to live and cultivate in. Li Xue and Li Lin were very satisfied. Over the past few days, their hands had grown weary from receiving so many gifts; they felt like sudden upstarts, and the whole situation felt surreal. Suddenly, a voice echoed outside the door. They went out to investigate and found a sound-transmitting talisman. It was Daoist Yuhong, summoning them to Yuhua Hall. Yuhua Hall was right next door, and the two quickly arrived at Yuhong’s residence. It was much larger than Chonghua Hall but equally simple in its decor. Daoist Yuhong sat in the seat of honor. Li Xue and Li Lin hurried forward to pay their respects. "The two of you need not be so cautious. This is Dongyang Palace, and you are my blood descendants. Within the Cloud-Strain Sect, no one dares to raise a hand against you," Daoist Yuhong said, taking a light sip of spirit tea. "Yes, Master (Grandmaster)!" the two replied in unison.