Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 59 | A Shared Journey | Novela.app

Back at Zhonghua Hall, Li Xue couldn't help but curse inwardly. *Master is simply too much, too overbearing! Does he really think I’m completely ignorant? A soul imprint? Dammit, does he intend for me to never be rid of that fellow Li Ran? Li Ran, you irresponsible wolf—your whole family are wolves!* Li Lin sat calmly to the side, watching Li Xue’s expression shift between anger and gloom. When Li Xue suddenly looked up and saw her son’s composed face, her spirit instantly deflated. *Sigh, it seems my life is truly forfeit. I’ve ended up entangled with this bunch of scheming, overbearing men from the Li family. Who told me to carry around this "baggage" of a son? No, not baggage—a black-bellied little fox.* Seeing Li Xue’s defeated look, the corner of Li Lin’s mouth twitched slightly. "Mother, seeing you like this, I can finally rest easy." "You!" Li Xue pointed a finger at her son, wanting to snap back, but her hand eventually dropped powerlessly. *Forget it. Pitting myself against this group of schemers only ever ends with me suffering the loss. Besides, it’s not like I was planning to find another man for dual cultivation anyway. If there’s an imprint, there’s an imprint. It doesn’t matter.* Next, Li Xue began preparing for the trip to the Tianyuan Secret Realm. This realm was a trial ground for the Qi Condensation stage located on the outskirts of the Mangyun Mountains. The demonic beasts inside were not particularly powerful; the main thing to guard against was other people. Most of those who frequented the Tianyuan Secret Realm were from small sects, minor families, or rogue cultivators. Human hearts are unpredictable, and one had to be on guard. Fortunately, Li Xue was now at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Condensation, making her a top-tier expert for that level. Combined with her Five Elements Shuttle magic treasure, she figured that as long as she remained cautious, nothing major should go wrong. Before departing, Li Xue went to Grandmaster Yu Hong’s grotto-heaven in Yuhua Hall. When she saw Li Ran’s flickering, dying life soul lamp, her heart gave an involuntary throb. The faint blue light looked as if it might extinguish at any moment, a sight that was truly startling. It turned out Li Ran’s life lamp was actually this weak; no wonder Yu Hong was so worried. Using a life soul lamp to create an imprint was a type of secret art, one that was relatively easy for a Nascent Soul cultivator to perform. Once Li Xue’s soul imprint was added to the life soul lamp, the faint glow gradually stabilized. A small cluster of blue light radiated the aura of a soul. Li Xue felt the power of her primordial spirit slowly draining away. Fortunately, as a transmigrator, her soul’s essence was naturally quite powerful—otherwise, she wouldn't have survived the crossing in the first place. The sensation of drainage soon ended, replaced by a feeling that the soul aura on the life lamp was exceptionally familiar and comforting. "Very well, Xiao Xue. Now that your soul imprint is set, I can rest easy letting you go out for experience. As long as you do not leave Planet Mangyun, I will be able to sense it immediately if you encounter any danger," Yu Hong nodded with satisfaction. Li Xue suddenly wondered if she had overthought things before. Perhaps Yu Hong simply wanted to leave an anchor for her safety? But why did he have to bind it together with Li Ran’s soul lamp? *Ah, whatever. Things have already come to this; there’s no use dwelling on it.* The distance from the Yunjin Sect to the Tianyuan Secret Realm was not short, so Li Xue decided to set out early. To her surprise, Yu Ming intended to travel with her. "Xiao Ming, you’re going to the Tianyuan Secret Realm too?" Li Xue asked, surprised. "Yes, I have some unfinished business there, so I’ll accompany you," Yu Ming said with a smile. "Can you even enter now that you’ve reached Foundation Establishment?" Li Xue was even more curious. "Haha, I asked Master for a secret technique to hide my cultivation," Yu Ming explained. So that was it. Among secret arts, there was a specific category for concealing one's cultivation level called "Stealth Arts," though they often came with many restrictions, and the degree of mastery varied among cultivators. Generally, the secret arts held by high-level cultivators were more advanced. For instance, there was the Blood Escape Technique; a Foundation Establishment cultivator could sacrifice half of their essence blood and a drop in cultivation to instantaneously flee ten thousand miles. Li Ran had used such a technique to escape with his life. There was also a tracking art called "Shadowless Trace"; once this art was placed upon you, you could be tracked even through reincarnation. Thus, for a cultivator—especially when a high-level one wanted to track someone—there was truly nowhere to hide. With Yu Ming coming along, there was really nothing to worry about regarding the Tianyuan Secret Realm. Li Xue was, of course, more than happy to have him. Li Lin also felt relieved. He had originally intended to go himself, but with Yu Ming there, he was forced to stay behind to refine the high-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. "Xiao Lin, don't be lazy. Refine Yiyi’s Qingling Pills first before you start on the others!" Li Xue instructed before she left. Li Lin’s mouth twitched as he gave a helpless nod, causing Master Jing Yuan to shake his head in amusement. After the Tianyuan Secret Realm opened, Li Xue and Yu Ming quickly entered. Yu Ming’s cultivation was suppressed to the eighth level of Qi Condensation. As expected, the Stealth Art he mastered had many limitations, allowing him to exert only the strength of an eighth-level Qi Condensation cultivator. Before coming, Yu Hong and even Jing Yuan had given Li Xue a detailed explanation of the Tianyuan Secret Realm’s layout. Which areas were worth visiting and which were not were mostly clear at a glance. Indeed, compared to the Chuyun Secret Realm, this place was much smaller, and the demonic beasts were far weaker. With Li Xue’s late-stage ninth-level strength and Yu Ming’s eighth-level capability, their path was unobstructed. Soon, Li Xue arrived at the Black Canyon, the place where Li Ran was most likely to have met with disaster. Li Xue and Yu Ming searched the area inside and out but found nothing. It made sense; twenty years had passed, and any lingering aura would have long since dissipated. Having seen it for herself, her mind was at least put at ease. Suddenly, Li Xue and Yu Ming felt the entire valley begin to shudder. Signs of a cataclysmic collapse appeared instantly. "Not good! It seems the secret realm is about to collapse!" Yu Ming’s face paled immediately. Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 莽云星 | Planet Mangyun | The celestial body/world where the story takes place. 隐术 | Stealth Art / Hiding Technique | A category of secret arts used to conceal one's cultivation level. 血遁术 | Blood Escape Technique | A high-cost movement technique involving the sacrifice of essence blood. 无影踪 | Shadowless Trace | A powerful tracking technique that can persist through reincarnation. 黑峡谷 | Black Canyon | A location within the Tianyuan Secret Realm where Li Ran was injured.