Mortal: Li Feiyu, who came from the realm of a supreme being

Thorn Island, Pointing to the Moon Peak.

Xuan Le sat alone on the mountaintop, gazing at the distant sea and sky where they met, his wine jug mostly empty.

Thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

If I had chosen to play it safe during the great war between the demonic and righteous sects, and retreated to the Northern Liang Kingdom with the Hidden Moon Sect, I would probably be buried on some battlefield by now. In such a great war, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is nothing more than a slightly more sturdy pawn; how could I possibly have the chance to sit here and watch the sea?

As for the battle in the Void, if greed had prevailed at the time, and he had tried to turn the tide with the Blood Jade Spider, he would have been nothing but bones in a grave long ago.

One step forward leads to another.

But having lived to this day, I've discovered that there's ultimately no way to survive in this world of cultivation.

In the south, sects clashed and sects fought; in the chaotic Star Sea, rogue cultivators wandered aimlessly. Over the years, managing the Li family, he had witnessed far too many smiling faces and backstabbing, and gradually came to understand a fact—the five words "fawning on superiors and oppressing inferiors" were the underlying tone of this world, the same everywhere.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded behind me:

"In this situation, Senior Brother Xuan, don't you want to compose a poem?"

Xuan Le was taken aback, then stood up and bowed: "Greetings, Master."

Li Feiyu had already walked over and casually sat down on a rock, gesturing for him to sit as well. Xuan Le sat down as instructed, but a little uneasy was in his heart—was his master coming at this time perhaps because of that matter?

"I've heard about it," Li Feiyu said bluntly. "What exactly happened?"

Xuan Le sighed inwardly and said, "My third and fourth brothers obtained a clue about an ancient cultivator's cave in the outer sea, and they originally agreed to go with me. However, our master sent a message asking me to investigate Ji Yin Island, so I stayed behind. As a result, they encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator on the outskirts... My fourth brother perished, and my third brother escaped with serious injuries, damaging his foundation and making further breakthroughs impossible."

He paused here, "My third brother is Li Teng, and my fourth brother is Li Tiancang."

Li Feiyu nodded: "I've seen the information you left behind. The Li family is mainly composed of Li Tiancang's descendants?"

"Yes," Xuan Le said. "After the family was established, I had two children, neither of whom had spiritual roots. One of my grandchildren can cultivate, but he has a pseudo-spiritual root. The Li family line is actually mainly composed of my fourth brother's descendants."

Li Feiyu didn't respond, seemingly processing this information.

Xuanle didn't urge her, but just waited quietly.

After a long pause, Li Feiyu finally spoke: "With two Core Formation cultivators lost in one fell swoop, the Li family will have to rely on you alone from now on. What are your thoughts?"

"It's entirely up to the master."

Xuan Le spoke calmly. This wasn't just polite talk; he genuinely didn't know what to do.

How can such a large family survive with only one Core Formation cultivator like him? This is his family; he wouldn't trust anyone from outside the family to serve as a guest elder, let alone deal with those forces that covet the family fortune. Over the years, the Li family has been able to maintain its foothold because the three brothers have stuck together. Now that two of them are gone, leaving only him, it's like a three-legged table with two legs broken—it's only a matter of time before it's too late.

Li Feiyu seemed to see through his thoughts and said directly, "The Li family's foundation has always been unstable, so it's normal for it to rise and fall over the past thirty years. There are countless short-lived forces like the Chaotic Star Sea, which are not worth mentioning."

Xuan Le's heart sank, but she could only lower her head and say, "This subordinate understands..."

His tone was respectful, but the hint of disappointment in his eyes did not escape Li Feiyu's notice.

Thirty years of hard work, gone just like that. Anyone would be heartbroken.

Li Feiyu abruptly changed the subject: "You can arrange your exit yourself. Find a way to preserve the family fortune, leave a portion for your brothers' descendants, a portion for your surviving brothers to live on in their old age, and the rest is yours. In the meantime, I need you to spread a message—"

He paused, then looked at Xuan Le, "Let's say that a descendant of the Li family with a Heavenly Spiritual Root escaped death and fled to Tianxing City... This news will probably come out in three or four years."

Xuan Le was taken aback, then her eyes lit up.

Is this a complete shedding of the "Li family" label? Does that mean they won't need to operate under that name anymore? Perhaps the mission will even end here...

"Your identity must be sufficiently unconventional, yet still withstand scrutiny," Li Feiyu continued. "After this matter is resolved, I will lift the restrictions on you. Although it will take fifty years to fully lift them, once this is over, I will not ask you to do anything else. At that time, we will be even, and you are free to pursue the immortal path you desire."

Xuan Le abruptly stood up and bowed deeply: "Your subordinate obeys!"

This greeting was more sincere than any before.

Li Feiyu waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, but unusually spoke a few more words: "The path to immortality is unpredictable, with gatherings and separations constantly occurring. You have a mutated ice spiritual root, and your personality is shrewd enough. As long as you don't easily risk your life for uncertain gains, and only act when the opportunity arises, you might be able to aspire to the Nascent Soul stage."

Xuan Le was taken aback, and subconsciously wanted to adopt a humble posture, but she met Li Feiyu's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

That look seemed to say: There's no need for this kind of formality between us.

He sighed, abandoning his pretense, and said with a wry smile, "How easy is it to achieve the Nascent Soul stage? I originally believed that finding a pure land and cultivating diligently would yield results. But after observing for the past thirty years, I've come to realize that to succeed on this path, one must become like them."

Li Feiyu neither confirmed nor denied, but simply nodded: "That's true. There are too many thorns and undeserved disasters on the path of cultivation."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and flicked it, and a jade slip landed in front of Xuan Le.

"Here, take this. You can use it for your own cultivation, or you can sell it for spirit stones."

Xuan Le scanned the area with his divine sense, and his pupils contracted slightly.

The Secret Technique of the Soul Coffin.

He didn't read the contents carefully; just from the name, he knew it wasn't anything legitimate. But anything that Li Feiyu would specifically bring out couldn't be simple.

"Thank you for bestowing this method upon me, Master." He accepted the jade slip and expressed his gratitude solemnly.

Li Feiyu had already stood up. Before leaving, he casually said, "The identity has been arranged. Contact me through the Thousand-Mile Talisman. The disappearance of the Li family must be reasonable. Go and make the arrangements."

After saying that, he vanished into the sky in an instant with a burst of light.

Xuan Le stood for a long time, gazing in the direction the streak of light had disappeared.

After a long while, he looked down at the jade slip in his hand, then looked up at the vast sea and sky, and suddenly chuckled softly.

Thirty years, from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, from living under someone else's roof to standing on one's own, from being timid and submissive to seeing through the ways of the world.

This journey wasn't in vain.

As for what comes after—

He put the jade slip into his bosom and turned to go down the mountain.

We'll talk about the future later.

……

Yan Ruyan brought Yuan Yao and Yan Li to Tianxing City and rented a cave dwelling on the 33rd floor for a hundred years.

"Senior Yan, what do we do next?" Yanli asked nervously.

Yan Ruyan hadn't really thought it through either. The main reason was that she hadn't expected Li Feiyu to set her free so quickly and decisively, which left her feeling lost and confused.

She didn't quite understand why, even if Li Feiyu really had no interest in matters between men and women, he shouldn't have given up on dual cultivation.

"I'm clueless too. I'll go into seclusion for a while to stabilize my cultivation. My cultivation method will be different from the usual one. I'll need to go out and seek opportunities. You guys can stay here and cultivate then. That guy will come looking for you in a hundred years, so you won't need to run around anymore," Yan Ruyan said casually.

Li Feiyu asked her to take care of the two of them, but she didn't know how. Settling them in Tianxing City seemed to be the safest option.

Yuan Yao said, "It's entirely up to Senior Yan to decide..."

……

Li Feiyu did not go to Tianxing City, but instead found a village of ordinary people on an island near Sangxing City to stay in.

Although he still used Li Feiyu's real name, he used the Dream Weaving Technique on the villagers to make them believe that he was a child who grew up in the village and was fed by many families.

He needs a few years to settle down. Rather than opening a cave and going into seclusion, he might as well take the opportunity to cultivate his identity, so that he can have real traces of life and feel more real.

It's highly unlikely that Xinggong will investigate in such detail, but Li Feiyu himself can't ignore the details; this isn't the first time he's done something similar.