Chapter 36: Zhang Liang's Plan Foiled, and the Ladder Over the Wall

Perched on a plain white cloud, Li Changshou stood casually, maintaining a safe altitude as he ambled back towards Xiaoqiong Peak.

However, his heart was far from as placid as his demeanor suggested...

He had already passed on the mantle of team leader, but unexpectedly, Youqin Xuanya had shoved it right back to him. Not only that, she had welded the door shut and applied two layers of Tianxian-level seals. Fortunately, he had previously shifted the blame onto Jiou Wu, painting himself as an innocent victim of deception, so his position wasn't too awkward. As for Jiou Wu's damaged reputation, well, it was Jiou Wu who had dug the pit in the first place, and Li Changshou had merely given the short Daoist a firm kick to the forehead while climbing out. In any case, no one would truly dare to blame the Jiuzi Nine Immortals; the matter would simply fade away.

Li Changshou couldn't help but ponder why Jiou Wu had behaved that way. The short Daoist probably found it amusing. During their previous drinking sessions, Jiou Wu had encouraged him to actively seek recognition and gain the sect's focused cultivation. Li Changshou could clearly sense that this shibo harbored a strange sense of "responsibility," wanting him to reveal his Huanxu sixth-tier cultivation while leading the team, thereby attracting the sect's attention and advancing from an excellent disciple to an immortal seedling...

But doing that...

It was completely pointless!

It was just creating unnecessary trouble!

Li Changshou rubbed his forehead in frustration. His cultivation was his most potent trump card, and even revealing a sliver of it would diminish his safety and attract unwanted attention or even jealousy. On the surface, Duixian Gate appeared harmonious, but undercurrents churned beneath—resources within the sect were finite, while disciples from various peaks continued to grow, making the hidden competition between peaks incredibly fierce.

Did anyone truly believe he was unaware of how his master had been injured years ago? Even without concrete evidence, through deduction, verification, and conclusion, he knew his master had been sabotaged by someone within the sect! The fact that his master never spoke of it suggested that the internal faction involved was quite powerful; they had likely attempted to cripple his master and sever the Xiaoqiong Peak lineage, but his master had fought back, resuming his cultivation path without giving them another opportunity.

Duixian Gate's rules were strict: disciples who had not yet become immortals had to report to the Bai Fan Hall in advance before leaving and only depart after approval and passing through the protective mountain array. If a disciple was deemed a promising immortal seedling, the sect might even assign Yuanxian or Zhenxian experts to accompany them. As early as eighty or ninety years ago, Li Changshou had essentially pinpointed the scenarios in which his master's injury could have occurred.

First, during an outing for training.

Second, during one of the sect's major competitions that year.

The latter was more probable.

Jiou Wu had entered under Wangqing Zhenren thousands of years ago, possessing a high starting point and rapid progress as part of the strongest Potian Peak lineage. This background fostered a mindset that overlooked the sect's petty intrigues. But Li Changshou couldn't afford to disregard them—Xiaoqiong Peak was at the very bottom of the sect's power structure, compelling him to prepare ten layers of defense against the seemingly peaceful environment...

'Well, now that it's come to this, I can't think of a good way to refuse.' Feigning illness or claiming signs of qi deviation would likely attract a swarm of sect experts for examinations... At this point, faking a sudden enlightenment and needing seclusion would probably result in a body check nine times out of ten... Beating Ling'e half to death and then insisting on staying to care for her? Uh, just kidding—that would be unthinkable, especially since she was his adorable junior sister whom he'd watched grow up...

Fine then.

If one plan fails, another will work. For the East Sea trip in four days, as long as he didn't utter an extra word or mention anything unnecessary, letting Youqin Xuanya take the true lead as the young generation's representative and keeping a low profile himself, that would suffice. To achieve this, he decided to... bring out a certain handsome character.

Li Wujing—elegant in appearance, peaceful in demeanor, and ordinarily dashing.

Speaking of which, Youqin Xuanya's last trip to Beijulu Continent must have truly shaken her; she returned to Potian Peak for several years of seclusion and achieved consecutive breakthroughs, now reaching Huanxu eighth tier, surpassing the former top disciple of Potian Peak. That was the confidence behind her stepping up today to directly take over the role.

Such rapid breakthroughs, while rare and enviable, weren't necessarily beneficial—they might plant hidden risks for her future Tianjie. Cultivation follows the principle of "haste makes waste," much like how Li Changshou's own progress had been quiet, step by step, and solidly built.

About sixty years ago, after secretly breaking through to the Huanxu Realm, Li Changshou witnessed a sect member being reduced to ashes by Tianjie during their immortal ascension. Since then, he had forcibly suppressed his realm, constantly delving into the finer details of each level, reviewing and reinforcing his knowledge. Only when he had thoroughly solidified a sub-realm would he reluctantly advance, all while carefully calculating his chances of surviving future Tianjie.

Back then, Li Changshou had resolved that even if it took an extra two hundred years to build a foundation, he would prepare thoroughly for Tianjie. Strangely, his cultivation speed hadn't slowed; instead, suppressing his realm was becoming increasingly difficult...

This was probably the Great Dao's unique way of tempering him.

...

When he returned to Xiaoqiong Peak, his junior sister was already in meditation. Li Changshou sat under the tree, lost in thought for a while, then shook his head and offered a blessing for Jiou Wu, wishing him a child soon—whether son or daughter, may they both stand eight chi tall.

He turned and got back to work.

He began crafting a new set of foldable "mage birdcages." His master's Tianjie had proven that these birdcages could effectively block and weaken the tribulation's power. Although the one he made for his master had shattered after withstanding just one lightning strike, it was still within the rules allowed by the Heavenly Dao.

If one birdcage could handle a single thunderbolt, then preparing nine wouldn't mean passing through Tianjie unscathed?

Li Changshou could only shake his head and smile at the idea. For his master, Tianjie was a deadly trial, but for him, as long as he had a ninety-nine percent chance of survival, it would be the greatest opportunity in his cultivation journey!

First, Tianjie was the crucial step for qi refiners to "break from the cocoon and become a butterfly." The tribulation lightning refined the primordial spirit; the mortal body transformed into an immortal embryo, and the soul into an immortal infant, stepping into a wholly new realm as a slightly stronger ant in the Great Wilderness.

Second, Tianjie offered a direct encounter with the Great Dao. If a qi refiner could gain insights during the tribulation, glimpsing the future path of their own Dao amid life and death, they might truly "ascend." Records in Duixian Gate showed that Wangqing Zhenren had broken through to the Zhenxian Realm within half an hour after his Tianjie, skipping the Yuanxian stage entirely without unstable foundations, and his subsequent cultivation had been unstoppable.

According to ancient texts, in distant antiquity, some human qi refiners had ascended directly to the Tianxian Realm after Tianjie.

Of course, Li Changshou didn't dare aim that high; he just set a relatively modest goal—to pass through Tianjie smoothly with a perfect foundation. This would lay a solid base for his future climb toward "longevity"!

The reason he was making this birdcage as a backup was to guard against the final thunderbolt or perhaps the second-to-last one. He planned to face the earlier thunderbolts head-on for the maximum benefits, and he was fully confident in doing so! To prevent any "equipment failures," this foldable mage birdcage was actually the sixth set he had made in the past couple of days.

With this tool, his life had an extra layer of protection, boosting his survival chances against Tianjie to ninety-nine percent. Additionally, if he could find an opportunity to study the Wuwei Jing next, and steadily break through to the Guidào ninth tier, his chances of smoothly passing Tianjie should reach ninety-five percent.

At that level, it would be worth the risk for someone as cautious as him.

On a side note, in his early years, to keep himself humble, steady, and under pressure, Li Changshou had "shamelessly" calculated his Tianjie as if it would involve nine thunderbolts from the start.

Why "shamelessly"? Because nine thunderbolts were reserved for geniuses and prodigies, and Li Changshou never considered himself one. He was just someone who used the time others spent idling to ponder his cultivation...

"That's right, there's one more important thing—I should note it down."

Li Changshou suddenly remembered something, paused his woodworking, and took out a jade slip, using his spiritual sense to inscribe a title and a passage.

Etiquette Guidelines for Facing Tianjie

Tianjie is the Heavenly Dao's trial for qi refiners. Though the Heavenly Dao is impartial, after Dao Ancestor merged with it, it might have gained a touch of humanity. Following the principle of believing in possibilities rather than dismissing them, and seeking no merit but no faults, one must remind oneself when facing Tianjie: do not flip the middle finger, do not curse aloud, do not inwardly criticize the Heavenly Dao's ways. Instead, repeatedly tell yourself that Tianjie is an opportunity granted to you, a chance where risks and rewards coexist, and a fundamental, equal ordeal for all.

First, bow respectfully to Tianjie...

'Should I add a word of thanks? Thanking the busy Heavenly Dao for taking the time to strike me?'

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, then continued writing with his spiritual sense.

Upon careful consideration, although his strength and accumulation were already quite good, he still needed to meticulously prepare the other aspects of Tianjie. Indeed, even with the Wuwei Jing, he couldn't rush things.

...

Four days passed in a flash. Li Changshou spent three and a half days busy in the pill room and the remaining half-day on assembling the group.

During the journey, the sixteen Zhenxian and their eleven disciples rode on a large white cloud, each sitting quietly in meditation. Several Tianxian flew on their own white clouds above, subtly forming a protective formation.

Wangqing Zhenren was on the foremost lotus-shaped cloud.

It was quite comfortable with sect experts providing protection.

Li Changshou sat in the corner, feeling the gentle breeze, his spiritual sense scanning the surroundings, while his fingers toyed with two paper figures.

As the true team leader, Youqin Xuanya sat at the front, wearing her favorite fiery red dress and a carefully prepared phoenix-tail hairpin, blooming like a vibrant fire spirit flower—eye-catching, proud, and extraordinary...

As the false team leader, Li Changshou huddled in the farthest corner, eyes slightly narrowed in meditation, his robe clean but utterly ordinary, like those issued by Bai Fan Hall to all disciples.

But clearly, Youqin Xuanya didn't want to hog the spotlight alone...

After just half a shichen of smooth travel, she rose gracefully, sword on her back, and walked to the open cloud space beside Li Changshou.

"Changshou Shixiong," Youqin Xuanya asked softly, "may I sit here?"

Li Changshou thought: You can sit; I'll just move later.

"Youqin Shimei, what are you saying? Please do," Li Changshou replied with a smile, but gestured to a spot a little farther away.

Youqin Xuanya nodded lightly, lifted her skirt slightly, and sat down cross-legged, her movements still elegant.

Li Changshou's gaze inadvertently swept over her hands...

She was wearing a pair of thick gloves that didn't quite match her long dress.

She had certainly put thought into it.