"Thank you, Master, for your care. Over the next two days, this disciple wants to stabilize my cultivation first. After attending your grand ceremony, I will move to Tianyue Peak. Would that be appropriate?"
Now that he understood the underlying reason behind everything, Jia Yushu wasn't nearly as panicked as he had been before. His mood relaxed quite a bit, the tension leaving his shoulders. After thinking it over, the youth brought up his request to his master.
The members of the Jia family all nodded in agreement. This was something Yushu needed to decide for himself, and they knew it would benefit his future cultivation path to stay close to his teacher.
"That's fine. Decide the timing for yourself. I will go back and tell Jian Chong, and he will receive you when the time comes."
Only then did Jia Yushu smile and nod in agreement, his expression much brighter.
Even though it had been a false alarm, Tian Lu Zhēnzūn had rushed over the moment she heard the news without any hesitation. Even setting aside her role as his master, what she had done was more than enough to earn the deep gratitude of the entire Jia family.
"Thank you, Tian Lu Zhēnzūn, for considering Yushu so thoroughly and helping him so much. We are endlessly grateful for your kindness."
"There's no need for such courtesy. Yushu is my disciple now."
This time, Jia Zhēnzūn directly took out a storage ring from his sleeve. Not giving Jian Dan a chance to refuse the gift, he said firmly, "I know Senior Sister Tian Lu doesn't lack these things, and that Chaos Pearl alone can't be measured with spirit stones. Still, this is just a small token of our gratitude. Senior Sister must accept it."
Seeing how sincere the other party was, Jian Dan smiled and accepted the storage ring. Then she turned to Yushu and gave him a few final reminders for his training.
"For the next few days, try to cultivate in a place with abundant spiritual energy. A Chaos spirit root contains all five elements. If you want to advance your realm, the spiritual energy required is five times that of a single element spirit root. You must remember this carefully."
"Master, Yushu has remembered it."
Only then did Jian Dan ride her escape light and slowly leave the summit of Tianhua Peak, trailing a faint shimmer behind her.
After she left, the family gathered together again in the quiet room. Jia Zhēnzūn once more used his divine sense to examine his grandson's internal state. Only after confirming there were truly no lingering problems did he finally withdraw his focus.
"What Senior Sister Tian Lu said today, it's enough for you to keep it in your hearts. Don't spread it outside to anyone, especially not among the general clan members."
The Ancestor gave the stern order to those present.
"Ancestor, we know what is important. If outsiders found out about this ancient art, who knows how many people would scheme against Yushu to steal it."
The boy's father spoke with a serious expression. An ancient art like that was far too tempting for any cultivator. Even the Jia family only possessed a Heaven-grade wood-attribute art, and it didn't even brush against the edge of antiquity.
"That's the reason why Senior Sister Tian Lu was able to advance to the Mahayana realm within two hundred years. It isn't just luck; it's her inherent strength."
There are rumors that she leaves the sect from time to time. Every time she returns, her cultivation has risen, and her combat power is terrifying. Challenging those above her realm is nothing to her. Every battle she has won has been against someone a full realm higher.
The parents exchanged a quick glance, then turned to the boy, who had been quietly listening to the conversation.
"Yushu, you heard what the Ancestor said. Don't speak about the art to anyone else. As for what kind of spirit root was planted for you, only Tian Lu Zhēnzūn, the Ancestor, and we know. From now on, you need to keep a low profile. Raise your cultivation first; everything else comes later."
"Mother, don't worry. Yushu understands. Ancestor, you don't need to worry either. I trained my body under Tian Lu Zhēnzūn before, and that's very beneficial for cultivating this specific art. As long as I cultivate diligently, returning to the Nascent Soul realm won't be difficult.
"And since Chaos spiritual energy contains all five elements, in the future, I will still present myself as a wood spirit root cultivator to the public. When I go out to gain experience, I will use that as cover and avoid unnecessary trouble."
Born into a prominent cultivation family, the youth naturally understood some of the uglier things that happened within clans. From his teacher, he had also learned that keeping a low profile was the true way to ensure progress. He had already planned his future path clearly in his mind.
"Good child. Your immortal path has had its twists and turns, but those will only temper your will further. I believe you will return to the peak one day."
"Ancestor, Father, Mother, I have made you worry. I'm fortunate to have family helping me every step of the way, so I didn't fall back into the dust of mortality. I will treasure this chance to cultivate even more. As for the art from my master, we definitely shouldn't speak of it outside."
The Jia family naturally had no objections to this secrecy. Tian Lu's strength was there for all to see. No one with a sound mind would go out of their way to offend such a powerful cultivator.
Everything was harmonious on their side of the mountain. The youth had formed a clear plan for his future cultivation path. After comforting his parents with a few more words, he returned to his cultivation. The Ancestor still wasn't entirely at ease and stayed outside the room to guard him.
When Jian Dan returned to her cave dwelling on Tianyue Peak, Ting Feng stepped forward to greet her.
The previous few times she had returned, he had been chased aside by Jade, who had insisted on serving her personally. Now that Jade had been taught a lesson by Mo Ran and thrown onto the arena to hone her combat skills, Ting Feng finally returned to his original position at the cave entrance.
"Ting Feng, what is it?"
"Manager Lang Yu from the Operations Hall just sent over the drafted ceremony process and asked you to take a look at it. If there's nothing inappropriate, the ceremony will be organized according to this plan the day after tomorrow."
As he spoke, he presented a jade slip with both hands.
"Alright. Go busy yourself with your tasks. I will take a look first."
Jian Dan sat directly on the cool jade stool beneath the ancient banyan tree and checked the ceremony process within the slip. One item stated that, as a Mahayana Zhēnzūn, she could bestow various cultivation resources upon the low-level cultivators attending the ceremony. It was a kind of benefit traditionally given to sect disciples during such events.
"This method isn't bad at all."
She immediately sent a transmission talisman back to Lang Yu, indicating that there were no issues with the proposed process.
After that, she returned to her inner cave dwelling and started sorting through her vast resources. There were plenty of low-level disciples in the Heavenly Sword Sect, numbering close to ten thousand. Even though not everyone would make it to her Mahayana ceremony, preparing more than enough wouldn't hurt.
She began organizing all the resources she had obtained since entering the Cultivation Realm, starting from the lowest-tier storage bags. That included the items she had gained from going out to sea in Tianyue City, as well as the resources she had acquired over the years from people who had tried to rob her and ended up being robbed instead.
Looking at the storage ring she kept separately and wore around her ankle, she realized she had truly accumulated an enormous amount of resources over time. She carefully sorted everything into specific categories.
She placed one pill per bottle, picked out low-level formation plates and the low-level talismans she had practiced with before, and set aside those suitable for gifting to the younger sect members. Magical artifacts appropriate for the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages were also placed into a dedicated storage ring.
After spending half a day preparing everything and organizing the piles, Jian Dan lazily leaned back in her reclining chair and began adjusting her mental state. At that moment, a ball of yellow light suddenly appeared on her knees.