Wanling Flower

Li Yuanjiao held the magical mirror and observed for a while, unable to see through the youth. Assuming the young man was the descendant of a Golden Core immortal with a magic treasure backing him, he gritted his teeth, placed the mirror into Li Qinghong's hands, and murmured, "I will head down to take a look. Keep watch through the mirror. If anything goes wrong, unleash the Taiyin Mysterious Light at once." "Understood." Li Qinghong slung her spear across her back and took the magical mirror. A burst of cool clarity washed over her hands as white light swirled across its surface, remarkably miraculous. "A fine mirror," she murmured, cradling it in her hands. A soothing chill enveloped her entire body, sharpening her hearing and clearing her vision. Behind her, the spear that had been flashing white light now and then hurriedly reined in its glow, falling dead silent. *** Meanwhile, Li Yuanjiao made his way down the mountain. Inside the hall, Li Yuanping and Wang Xun were engrossed in a delightful conversation. Just as Li Yuanjiao reached the front of the courtyard, he heard clear, hearty laughter: "Brother Yuanping, you flatter us. My Wang clan confines itself to Yinghua Commandery, with barely two hundred thousand mortals in the mundane realm. The rest enter our grotto-heaven the moment they attain the Dao, unburdened by mortal entanglements, so we naturally steer clear of secular conflicts. "After all, our patriarch is one of the Three Golds. Buddhism suffers from endless internal strife, and every faction is busy currying favor with him, so none dare cause us trouble. That is how we have passed these hundreds of years." Li Yuanjiao knocked softly on the door and pushed it open. Wang Xun looked up, his gaze instantly locking onto the green-hued blade at Li Yuanjiao's waist, unable to look away. Li Yuanping smiled and introduced him: "Senior, this is my elder brother, Li Yuanjiao." "Greetings, Fellow Daoist!" The two exchanged courteous greetings. Wang Xun looked him over attentively and smiled. "Your elder brother truly carries an exceptional bearing." Li Yuanjiao returned the courtesy, took a seat, and asked, "I already understand Senior's purpose in coming. Within our clan's spirit sword, an elder of ours left behind a wisp of sword intent that has been sealed away for years without ever being unleashed. If you wish to borrow the sword to fulfill your Dao path, do you seek to take the sword itself or the intent? And would doing so damage that sword intent?" Li Yuanjiao had considered the matter thoroughly, cutting straight to the heart of the issue in a single breath. "Fellow Daoist..." Wang Xun offered a wry smile and replied, "My Wang clan possesses no shortage of Foundation Establishment magical instruments; in fact, most of them are swords. Having traveled this great distance to seek out this blade, what I naturally seek is the intent contained within. "As for whether it would harm the sword intent..." Wang Xun paused and pondered for a moment before answering, "I must inspect the sword first." Li Yuanjiao nodded slightly, unfastened the sword from his waist, drew it from its scabbard, and solemnly presented it with both hands. In a deep voice, he said, "Please, Fellow Daoist, have a look." The youth was overjoyed. He carefully took the blade, examining its blue-and-white edge, where the seal script characters for 'Qingchi' were etched with exquisite grace. Wang Xun could not help but praise it: "Four feet five inches in length, forged from seven feet of azure nether bronze. While the material is ordinary, the craftsmanship is fairly impressive. Having been nourished by sword intent for so many years, it can certainly be considered a fine piece. "The sword intent sealed within is as clear as water and pure as moonlight, nurtured for a full decade. If this sword were unleashed... even an ordinary Dao-entering cultivator could not withstand the strike." The two Li brothers listened with rapt attention. Wang Xun continued: "I require only a single thread. Given my attainments in the sword dao, it will diminish the sword intent by twenty percent at most." He gave an embarrassed smile and quickly added, "I will by no means let your noble clan suffer a loss in vain. I can offer external items as compensation!" The two brothers exchanged a look, and Li Yuanjiao asked, "Measured against Jiangnan's Violet Palace Golden Core Path, what level of power would this sword intent retain?" "Hmm." Wang Xun pondered for a moment and answered, "The sword intent is remarkably potent. Even if I extract a thread, once this sword is drawn, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator would still perish, a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator might narrowly escape with their life, and even a late Foundation Establishment cultivator caught unprepared would suffer a severe blow." Seeing the hesitation on the two brothers' faces the moment he finished speaking, Wang Xun followed up immediately: "Our clan's cultivation path requires minimizing mortal entanglements. We cannot incur personal favors, nor can we take action on your behalf, nor can we give talismans, magical instruments, or other lethal implements. However, compensating you with spirit materials, precious herbs, or pills is entirely acceptable." "Please, Fellow Daoist, use this sword to fulfill your Dao path!" Since Wang Xun had put it in such clear terms, and the Li clan could not afford to offend him in any case, Li Yuanjiao could only wave his hand and agree. Wang Xun was instantly thrilled, yet he remained composed and spoke with solemn gravity: "What compensation do you two desire? Please, do not speak out of mere politeness—that would only harm me!" He stared intently at the two of them with utter prudence, fearful that if he took the sword qi before agreeing on terms, they might make exorbitant demands later. It seemed he would not take it unless they laid out their conditions first. "Please allow my brother and me a moment to discuss." "Of course." Li Yuanjiao acknowledged him, and Wang Xun nodded, turning his attention to studying the sword. The two brothers stepped outside and paused just outside the hall. Li Yuanping and his elder brother Li Yuanjiao spoke at the exact same moment: "A Suiyuan Pill!" "A spirit root!" Both men froze, then chuckled wryly. Li Yuanping was thinking of securing a Suiyuan Pill for his elder brother and eldest sister to break through to Foundation Establishment, whereas Li Yuanjiao was hoping to obtain a heaven-and-earth spirit root like the Shejiao tree, which could reverse the clan's year-after-year financial deficit... One brother managed clan affairs and looked out for his elder sibling; the other focused on cultivation and kept the clan's future in mind. Both smiled in mutual understanding. Li Yuanping urged: "With clan matters, I can always scrape by through penny-pinching. Breakthroughs for you and Eldest Sister are the utmost priority! Though a Suiyuan Pill increases the odds of Foundation Establishment by only half a tenth, it is already exceedingly rare. What is more, the Wang clan is the lineage of a Golden Core immortal; they might possess even more potent pills..." Li Yuanjiao pondered for a moment and hesitated. "I also feel that whatever Senior Wang Xun possesses must be extraordinary... While a Suiyuan Pill is precious, using a Wang clan favor to exchange for it would be too wasteful. If he has a heaven-and-earth spirit root on hand, it will surely be no ordinary item—it could sustain our clan for hundreds or thousands of years without decline..." After all, Wang Xun had promised spirit materials or precious herbs. The two had seen plenty of spirit materials, but they had never even laid eyes on a precious herb, so they naturally would not ask for one. The finest choice was a heaven-and-earth spirit root; as long as they had one, it would yield a steady stream of spirit materials. As the brothers deliberated, they found themselves in a dilemma. Li Yuanping smiled and remarked, "Now that such an opportunity lies right before us, it actually makes one hesitate." Li Yuanjiao considered for a moment and answered, "How about this: let us first inquire with Senior. Perhaps he has a Foundation Establishment pill superior to a Suiyuan Pill, or perhaps he has no heaven-and-earth spirit root on him. Once we weigh the two options, we can make our choice." "Agreed!" The two returned to the courtyard and made their inquiry tactfully to Wang Xun. The youth nodded as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders: "A spirit root... I indeed possess one, which I obtained by chance in our grotto-heaven." He brushed a hand over the storage bag at his waist and brought out a reddish-yellow fruit stone the size of an apricot seed. Speaking softly, he said: "This item is called the Wanling Flower. A thousand years ago, it was the foundational treasure of the Wanling Supreme Sect in Jiangbei. Later, spiritual energy waned, and it could no longer survive in Jiangbei; only our clan's grotto-heaven still preserves a few. "This spirit root blooms once every three years, withering after three days, and bears fruit once every three hundred years. It is exceedingly delicate; if spiritual energy is lacking, it must even be watered daily with spirit spring water. The blossoms it yields are a type of spirit material—at the Foundation Establishment rank, to use Jiangnan's parlance—and can dispel sorrow and sustain a fading life."