"Indeed, Mistress. I am the Black Wolf King, and I am now Xiao Ming's spirit beast! My current name is Da Hei," the wolf quickly replied.
"Da Hei?" Li Xue’s brow furrowed slightly. "Xiao Ming, how could you give him such a name? He is a Wolf King, after all. From now on, you shall be called Hei Yan."
"Thank you for the name, Mistress!" Hei Yan hurriedly offered his respectful thanks before Yu Ming could even speak. Yu Ming rolled her eyes and shot a glare at the wolf. When had Hei Yan learned to be such a sycophant from Zi Huang?
Zi Feng and Zi Huang both approached affectionately to greet Li Xue. She stroked her spirit beasts happily, her heart filled with immense joy.
The Yunjin Sect was once again in an uproar. Following Perfected Qinglin, another genius had emerged from Dongyang Peak to form a Golden Core. It was Li Xue, the closed-door disciple of Daoist Yuhong. Despite having Five Spiritual Roots, she had reached the Golden Core stage in just a hundred years. Her Daoist title was announced as Perfected Jingxue.
With this, Dongyang Peak’s reputation soared even higher. Li Xue, however, found the social obligations and interpersonal dealings a headache. She promptly announced a period of secluded cultivation to consolidate her realm and vanished into the Dream Realm, refusing to come out. Left with no choice, Daoist Yuhong handed the task of receiving guests over to Lihua Hall. Perfected Jingli had many female disciples, many of whom enjoyed socializing. They were more than happy to handle these networking opportunities. Under the management of several female Foundation Establishment cultivators, everything inside and outside Chonghua Hall was arranged perfectly, ensuring that both hosts and guests were satisfied.
Inside the Dream Realm, Li Xue was examining her Five Elements Shuttle. She had used this treasure since the Qi Condensation stage, and it felt like an extension of her own hand. However, after forming her Golden Core, it was clearly no longer sufficient. The Five Elements Shuttle could not be upgraded, and its power was limited. While it might still be effective in the early Golden Core stage, it would inevitably fall behind as her cultivation level rose. It was no wonder no one chose the Five Elements Shuttle as a lifebound treasure.
A lifebound treasure was best refined as early as possible; the higher the degree of fusion, the greater the power it could unleash. If she waited until the shuttle was truly useless before seeking a lifebound treasure, she would be at a significant disadvantage when dueling cultivators of the same rank. Among Daoist Yuhong’s collection, there were few metal-attribute treasures, and those that existed were not suitable for her. She would have to search elsewhere.
"Mistress, actually, a five-attribute treasure would be more suitable for you," Hei Yan suggested from the side.
"Oh? Tell me more." Li Xue knew that Hei Yan had cultivated for ten thousand years and possessed the inheritance of the Black Wolf Clan; his knowledge was surely extraordinary.
"When Mistress formed her core, a five-colored celestial phenomenon appeared. That means all five of your attributes can be cultivated further. Wouldn't a Five Elements treasure be better then?" Hei Yan paused before continuing, "While the Five Elements Shuttle itself cannot be upgraded, it can be used as the material for a sword embryo. The resulting Five Elements treasure would definitely be capable of advancing."
Li Xue’s eyes lit up. Right—why hadn't she thought of that? Unfortunately, there probably weren't many people who knew how to refine such a thing.
"Mistress, the collection in the small hut contains the refining methods. I just don't know the skill level of the artifact refiners here," Hei Yan added. In truth, Hei Yan’s goal was to have Li Xue switch directly to a Divine Cultivation technique, but that would be too abrupt, and he didn't know what the consequences of Divine Cultivation might be. He figured it was best to start with the treasure. Once she had a Five Elements lifebound treasure, she would need to learn Divine Secret Techniques to drive it. At that point, transitioning to a Divine Cultivation technique would be a natural progression. *Heh heh,* he thought, *that brings the hope of returning to the Divine Realm one step closer.*
Li Xue, naturally, had no idea what Hei Yan was plotting. She felt the plan was feasible, and she was already accustomed to using the Five Elements Shuttle. The mutual generation and restriction of the five attributes provided an absolute advantage in combat.
The archives did indeed record the refining methods for Five Elements treasures. In the Primordial Era, it had been the most common method of artifact forging. It remained prevalent through the Ancient Era, only slowly becoming a "chicken rib"—something of little value yet a pity to discard—by the time of Antiquity.
With the refining method in hand, Li Xue was no longer in a hurry to find a metal-attribute treasure. She only needed to collect the materials. Having resolved this major issue, she began her seclusion to consolidate her realm.
"Hei Yan, I don't care what you're planning. If there is even the slightest harm to my mother, I will ensure the Black Wolf Clan is completely exterminated," Li Lin said darkly, standing behind Hei Yan.
Hei Yan shuddered and quickly promised, "Xiao Lin, I swear on the name of the Black Wolf Clan that I will not harm her. You can rest assured!"
"It had better be so," Li Lin said coldly. With a flash, he returned to the Spirit Void Realm.
Hei Yan was extremely depressed. To think that he, the dignified Black Wolf King who could summon wind and rain in the mountains, was being threatened by these juniors. It was a miserable existence. But for the sake of the Black Wolf Clan, he could only endure. These juniors' cultivation levels were too low; telling them about the Divine Realm too early would only bring endless trouble. *I have plenty of time to wait for them to grow up. Alas, the prophet is always lonely!*
***
In the Spirit Void Realm, Li Lin suddenly sensed something. He raised his right hand, and with a stir of the Divine Ring’s spiritual power, his index finger tapped several times in the air. After a ripple in space, Li Lin vanished from the Dream Realm.
Li Lin exited Chonghua Hall and flew straight toward the Outer Sect. On an unremarkable peak in the Outer Sect, Lin Yu, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Dongyang Peak, was holding Lin Fei in his arms. He was facing off against Yun Mingli of Zhengyang Peak. Li Lin did not recognize the male cultivator standing not far from Yun Mingli.
The group suddenly felt the pressure of a Golden Core cultivator and looked up. Lin Yu cried out in joy, "Uncle-Master Qinglin!"
Yun Mingli’s heart skipped a beat, and her expression soured.
"What happened? What’s wrong with Xiao Fei?" Li Lin walked over and examined Lin Fei. Seeing that she was not in mortal danger, he turned his gaze to the others.
"Uncle-Master, she was beaten unconscious by her!" Lin Yu pointed at Yun Mingli with hatred.
Yun Mingli summoned her courage and looked up. "Who told her to be so impolite? I only gave her a small lesson. Who knew she was so fragile that she’d just faint!"
"You!" Lin Yu was fuming. It was rare to see someone so self-righteous after attacking a fellow sect member.
"Hmph. Harming a fellow disciple is a violation of sect rules. I will seek an explanation from the Sect Leader Senior Brother regarding this matter," Li Lin declared.
Seeing Li Lin pass judgment as soon as he arrived, Yun Mingli grew incensed. In a fit of heat, she shouted, "Li Lin, so what if you formed your core a few years early? What’s so great about that? You aren't the only one with a Heavenly Spiritual Root. What are you acting so proud for?"
"Senior Sister Mingli, how can you be so disrespectful to an elder!" the male cultivator beside her barked, his face pale.
"Disrespecting an elder—that is an additional crime," Li Lin said coldly. He turned, swept up Lin Yu and Lin Fei with his spiritual power, and flew back toward Dongyang Peak.
Yun Mingli watched Li Lin leave, her face turning even paler. She had wanted to say those words for a long time but never had the chance. Today, for some reason, she had blurted them out. But so what? She was a member of the Yun family and possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root. At that thought, her fear lessened slightly.
Beside her, Cheng Shan looked at Yun Mingli’s expression and sneered inwardly. *What an ignorant and foolish woman.* He didn't spare her another glance, turning to fly toward Zhengyang Peak. He needed to give his master a heads-up about what had happened here.
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Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 92 | A Lifebound Treasure | Novela.app | Novela.app
