Chapter 1673: Nantan Chen (I)
Chapter 1673: Nantan Chen (I)
Zhijing Mountain.
Zhijing Mountain was blanketed in blooming white flowers all year round. Whenever the wind rose, torrents of white blossoms poured down the mountainside like cascading waterfalls, drifting on the breeze until they scattered across the surrounding forests, dusting the landscape with patches of white.
Li Suining arrived riding the wind amid flashes of silver light. He landed on the mountainside in front of a man clad in crimson armor. His mana was exceptionally profound; his tiger-like eyes shone with vigor; and he carried an imposing aura. It was none other than Ding Weizeng.
"Senior Ding!"
He had clearly been waiting for some time. Upon seeing Li Suining, he nodded politely and said, "Young master, now that you've arrived, come up the mountain with us!"
Ding Weizeng was Daoist Master Zhaojing's trusted confidant and had long served as the spokesman for the Daoist Master's will throughout the island. However, his courtesy toward Li Suining did not stem from any personal familiarity. Rather, because Li Suining had been personally promoted by Daoist Master Zhaojing, he naturally regarded him with a measure of closeness.
An elderly man with a long beard was standing beside Ding Weizeng. He looked extremely old, and although his cultivation was far from weak, his narrow eyes and furtive features gave him a rather shifty appearance.
As soon as he saw Li Suining, he quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "Nanzhang Ku greets the young master!"
Li Suining found the introduction rather strange, though he remained courteous on the surface and returned the salute. "Greetings, guest cultivator!"
Nanzhang Ku was in truth Situ Ku of the former Golden Tang Gate. After the Situ Family had been exterminated by Buddhist cultivators, their bloodline and Dao lineage had been divided among various factions. The lineage that came into the Li Family's possession had been relocated to the Mount Yue region and eventually merged into what was now known as the Seven Nanzhang Lineages. All members had adopted Nanzhang as their surname, and he had long since abandoned the surname Situ.
Li Suining had rarely heard Nanzhang Ku's name. His origins were hardly honorable, and he had survived only because of Ding Weizeng's protection. Thus, he had always kept an extremely low profile. In Li Suining's previous life, Ding Weizeng had died early, and Nanzhang Ku had likely perished in one of the ensuing campaigns as well.
Standing behind Situ Ku was a middle-aged man with sharply defined features and a rugged bearing. His clothes were plain, yet they could not conceal the keen edge in his demeanor. The moment he saw Li Suining, his eyes lit up.
Nantan Chen! Realization dawned on Li Suining in an instant. The Daoist Master emerged from seclusion this time to meet the younger generation. Nantan Chen is a genius as well, and he has indeed reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. On top of that, he's skilled in alchemy, so of course he'd come up the mountain to pay his respects. We just happened to run into each other!
No wonder Guest Cultivator Ding came in person.
After so many years, the Nanzhang remnant lineage had finally produced its first Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. He had remained unnoticed until achieving something extraordinary, so naturally the Daoist Master wished to see him. At this point, Nantan Chen had yet to be granted a new surname and was still known as Nanzhang Chen.
Li Suining simply cupped his hands in greeting and smiled. "Senior, you truly possess an extraordinary bearing."
Nanzhang Chen was undeniably talented, but more importantly, he had been born at exactly the right time. Whether it was Li Suining in his previous life or Pu Xinya, neither had lacked innate ability. Yet both had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm just a little too late. As a result, neither had played as significant a role in the course of history as figures like Nanzhang Chen and Chen Jinguang.
Things would certainly be different in this life, but these were still people worth befriending. Although Nanzhang Chen's origins were far from honorable, he had ultimately died in battle. And wasn't the He Family, despite its lofty status today, destined to surrender in the end? Li Suining did not dwell on his previous life, yet he could not help feeling a measure of fondness for the man, and his smile was especially warm and courteous.
Nanzhang Chen was both surprised and flattered. Though he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, his background had left him unwanted by everyone at the lake. The only person he could rely on was Nanzhang Ku, whose own circumstances were even more troublesome than his. On the way here, he had heard that a prodigy from the main lineage would be ascending the mountain as well, and had long prepared himself for Li Suining's arrogance.
Instead, he found himself completely taken aback and hurriedly waved his hands. "You flatter me far too much, my lord."
Ding Weizeng watched with an amused smile. Nanzhang Ku stopped at the foot of the mountain, while the other three continued upward together.
The mountainside was a sea of white blossoms carpeting the gleaming jade steps. Li Suining remained fairly composed, but Nanzhang Chen grew genuinely nervous. Gritting his teeth, he kept his head lowered the entire way, not daring to raise his eyes.
When they reached the summit, he immediately knelt properly before the steps and called out in a trembling voice, "This humble cultivator greets the Daoist Master!"
There was nothing extravagant atop the mountain. Upon an ordinary table rested only a tall-footed white jade teacup and a long-necked white porcelain jade flask with glazed patterns. The arrangement was simple and elegant, each piece perfectly complementing the other.
The Daoist Master was carefully reading a jade slip. He took a sip from his cup before setting it gently aside.
Brilliant prismatic light shimmered within the cup, while clear streams of amber-brown qi rippled across its surface. They drifted upward into the sky before gathering once more inside the tiny porcelain cup. It was as though every color upon the mountain peak was flowing into it, accompanied by the faint, majestic sound of scriptures being chanted.
With a soft chime, the Daoist Master closed the cup's lid. Every phenomenon instantly vanished, leaving behind only the tranquil heavenly light flowing across the mountain.
This was none other than the Purple Mansion Realm spiritual essence, [Spirit Chalice Radiance]. Consuming it greatly aided the cultivation of arts.
Li Ximing possessed the [Sixfold Convergence Treasure Vase Treatise], so he naturally knew the proper method of consuming it. One had to remain beneath the radiance of either the Supreme Yang or the Supreme Yin, ensuring the surrounding spiritual aura remained calm and even. Then it was to be steeped in a flask of temperate Valley Water, brewed and sipped gradually until fully consumed.
The [Spirit Chalice Radiance] itself was only about the size of a quail's egg when placed in the cup. Once spirit water was poured over it, it gently rolled and swirled. Li Ximing had brewed three full flasks over the course of more than half a month, yet the spiritual essence had only diminished by the slightest amount.
Yet during those brief weeks, cultivating his arts had been astonishingly effortless. Inspiration came one after another, and executing them felt perfectly natural. Even his [Flame-Stepping Movement], which had been stalled for years without the slightest progress, finally showed signs of breaking through, as though it could advance another step at any moment!
Setting aside dedicated time to rest certainly played a part, but the effects of this treasure cannot be underestimated... It improves cultivation by roughly three to five times under normal circumstances. For something like [Flame-Stepping Movement], which is complemented by [Valley Wind Leading Fire], the improvement is even more astonishing, nearly tenfold!
It truly is a remarkable treasure. At this rate, using it over the course of a year or so should pose no problem. There's no need to rush... Just preserve it with Valley Water during ordinary times.
If he devoted the entire year or so to cultivating [Flame-Stepping Movement], it would amount to a full decade of ordinary cultivation. That alone would be enough for the technique to stand its ground confidently in the vast majority of battles!
In an excellent mood, he slowly finished the last wisp of [Spirit Chalice Radiance] within his Shenyang. After setting the jade slip aside, he finally turned his attention to the three visitors.
He nodded with a smile. "Suining has entered the Qi Cultivation Realm!"
Raising a brow, he stopped Li Suining before he could offer his thanks, then turned to Ding Weizeng. "So this is the genius of the Nanzhang lineage?"
Ding Weizeng immediately nodded and replied respectfully, "Indeed, Daoist Master!"
He raised a hand and introduced him. "He was raised by his mother from childhood and took her surname, Nanzhang. His mother's family has long been closely connected with the Ye Family, and by good fortune, they produced a talent like him..."
The Nanzhang bloodline was a thoroughly mixed one. It included not only a large amount of Mount Yue blood, but also descendants of the old lakeside remnant clans, many former Yu Family retainers who had borne other surnames, and finally the Situ Family.
Over the years, the lake had deliberately intermixed these bloodlines, breaking up the old ancestral lineages, while also sending many Li Family relatives bearing the Ye surname to join them. In truth, their lineage was now quite respectable, and there was no longer any clan law left to invoke against them. Even so, public opinion was not so easily erased. The label of 'remnant clan' still clung to them, and it was hardly a flattering one.