The next morning, the four disciples gathered outside Zhang Hao's residence at the peak of the Flame Mountain. They were invited into the courtyard, where Li An sat on a reclining chair, bathing in the warm sunlight.
Her plain face showed no particular beauty, and her modest figure was concealed beneath simple robes. But there was something in her posture—an effortless grace, a quiet elegance—that made even her unremarkable appearance seem refined.
Li An glanced at the four blurred figures standing before her, already considering which cultivation techniques to impart to them.
Zhang Hao, however, didn't know what she was thinking. He stepped forward and said, "I'll take them to the sect library to find suitable techniques—"
"No need," Li An interrupted gently, raising one hand.
Zhang Hao paused, confused.
Li An turned her gaze toward the four disciples. "Before we begin, I have a question for you. What kind of cultivator do you wish to become?"
The four disciples exchanged uncertain glances.
None of them had a clear answer. With their low-grade spiritual roots, it would be their fortune just to cultivate at all. As for the future beyond that—they had never dared to think that far.
Li An nodded slowly. "Then stay here in the courtyard and give it serious thought. What you decide now will affect your future accomplishments."
She rose from her chair with fluid, unhurried movements, then took Zhang Hao's hand and led him into the house.
Inside their private chamber, Li An closed the door and turned to face Zhang Hao.
"I need a drop of your blood essence," she said quietly.
Zhang Hao blinked. "Blood essence? Why?"
Li An's expression remained calm. "Your blood essence contains traces of my primordial yin energy. It can be used to elevate low-grade spiritual roots to mid-grade spiritual roots."
Zhang Hao's eyes widened. "Mid-grade spiritual roots? Just from my blood essence?"
"Yes," Li An said. "With mid-grade spiritual roots, they can reach Foundation Establishment. With your support—helping them hunt for materials and refine pills—they may even reach Golden Core. But with low-grade spiritual roots, even if we depleted all your resources, the best they could achieve is early Foundation Establishment. They would never advance beyond that."
Zhang Hao frowned. "Then why not use your own blood essence? Wouldn't that be even more effective?"
Li An shook her head. "There are three reasons. First, my blood essence is too potent. Their spiritual roots would explode instantly, and they would die on the spot. Even you don't consume my blood essence—you drink my divine nectar instead. Only someone with a peak yang spiritual root could withstand my blood essence, and even then, they would have only a fifty percent chance of survival."
Zhang Hao nodded slowly, understanding.
"Second," Li An continued, "if it were known that I could produce peak-grade spiritual roots, even the sect could not ensure my safety. No—the sect would force me to reveal my secrets so they could create more cultivators with peak-grade spiritual roots. But elevating low-grade spiritual roots to mid-grade is still within an acceptable range. It won't draw too much attention."
"And the third reason?" Zhang Hao asked.
Li An hesitated for a brief moment, her long eyelashes lowering slightly.
The third reason... is that I simply have no blood essence to spare.
Thirty years ago, when I protected him during his Golden Core tribulation, I burned through nearly all of my blood essence. And ever since, to prevent my cultivation from rising too quickly, I had to repeatedly shatter my own spiritual roots. Under such constant destruction and regeneration, my blood essence has never had the chance to truly restore itself.
Keeping those thoughts buried deep within herself, she raised her head and spoke with a calm, dismissive tone. "The third reason isn't important. It's nothing you need to know."
Zhang Hao's expression softened with worry. He reached out and gently touched her pale cheek, his warm fingers brushing against the faint coolness of her skin. "Is it related to why your face is always so pale?"
Li An felt a faint tremor of warmth stir within her chest at his touch—an instinctive, tender reaction of her female body that had become increasingly natural to her over the decades. She maintained her composure and offered him a reassuring look.
"Don't overthink things," she said, her voice steady and firm. "Your blood essence will easily recover after you absorb my divine nectar. At most, you'll experience a brief moment of pain. But as their master, shouldn't you sacrifice a little for your disciples?"
Zhang Hao gazed into her eyes, then let out a helpless sigh and smiled wryly. "You're right. I'll do it."
He sat down cross-legged, circulated his spiritual energy, and slowly squeezed out a single drop of golden-red blood essence from his fingertip. The process was excruciating—his face paled, and sweat beaded on his forehead—but he endured it.
Li An collected the blood essence in a small jade vial, then immediately began refining a pill.
She worked for hours, adding various spiritual herbs to dilute and stabilize the potency of Zhang Hao's blood essence. The herbs would allow the disciples' mortal vessels to first reach the Qi Condensation stage before the weakened blood essence reforged their spiritual roots.
By the time she finished, four silver-colored pills rested in her palm, glowing faintly with spiritual light.
"Fate-Changing Pills," Li An murmured, naming them. "An adequate name."
Zhang Hao, still recovering, looked at the pills with awe. "You really are incredible."
Li An smiled faintly. "Let's go hear their decisions."
When they returned to the courtyard, the four disciples were waiting.
Li An and Zhang Hao sat down, and Li An said, "Have you decided?"
Ling Yuan stepped forward first. He was a young man with a lean build and earnest eyes. "Master Li An, Master Zhang Hao—I've thought carefully. With my low-grade wood spiritual roots, I originally believed that learning advanced fire cultivation techniques would be my best path. But after learning of Master Zhang Hao's standing in the cultivation world, I've become... a bit greedier."
He bowed deeply. "I wish to become an alchemist. Even if my cultivation never exceeds Foundation Establishment, being an alchemist can bring me considerable profit and reputation. I can lead a decent life without needing high cultivation."
Li An nodded. "A practical choice."
Zi Yi stepped forward next. He was a sturdy young man with broad shoulders and calloused hands. "I wish to forge the greatest weapon in the world. I want the weapons I create to be passed down as divine artifacts to future generations. I want my name to be remembered even after I die."
Li An's lips curved slightly. "An ambitious dream."
Gu Ling stepped forward third. She was a young woman with delicate features and shy, downcast eyes. "I... I want to be like Senior Li An. The posture, the aura, the gracefulness you radiate—it's something I wish to become."
Li An's expression softened. "Then I will teach you."
Finally, Long Yun stepped forward. He was a tall young man with sharp eyes and a proud bearing. "I want to follow Master Zhang Hao's path. I want to become someone who can easily overpower the ancestor who cast me out of my family. I want to prove that his decision was wrong."
Zhang Hao's eyes gleamed with approval. "Then I'll make sure you surpass him."
Li An nodded slowly. She already had a clear idea of which cultivation techniques and weapons to give each of them.
She turned to Ling Yuan first.
"I will give you a high-grade wood cultivation technique," she said. "It creates reserves of wood spiritual energy rich in vitality. You can use this energy to heal minor injuries—and if your reserves are large enough, even healing major or fatal injuries is possible. When refining pills, you can infuse this energy to enhance their effects and increase the probability of success."
She reached into her storage ring and pulled out a high-grade dagger, its blade gleaming with a faint green light.
"This is your weapon. The dagger art I will teach you is known for absorbing the vitality of your victims to strengthen your lifespan and improve your cultivation. The two techniques complement each other perfectly. Your cultivation technique produces vitality, and your dagger art consumes it. Even if you slack off in your room, you'll still grow stronger."
Ling Yuan's eyes widened. He accepted the dagger with trembling hands and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master!"
Li An turned to Zi Yi next.
"I will give you a high-grade metal cultivation technique," she said. "It's designed specifically for forging. When you forge a weapon, the technique uses the flames and impact of the forging process to strengthen your physical body. The higher the grade of the materials you use, the greater the effect. In theory, if you forge a Golden Core-level weapon, you could possess the physical strength of a Golden Core cultivator—though your body would burn and collapse before that, so you should reach at least peak Foundation Establishment before attempting it."
She pulled out a high-grade battle hammer, its head inscribed with intricate runes.
"This hammer has armor-piercing properties. No matter how strong your target's defenses are, this hammer ignores them and directly smashes their physical body. It can also be used to smelt metals without needing high-temperature flames, which suits your metal spiritual roots perfectly. With pure brute strength, you won't need complex combat arts. None of your peers will be able to breach your thick skin, and no amount of defense will stop your strikes."
Zi Yi accepted the hammer with both hands, his face flushed with excitement. "Thank you, Master!"
Li An turned to Gu Ling.
"I will give you a high-grade water cultivation technique," she said. "It focuses on creating illusions and clones to assault your targets. These illusions and clones can affect reality and possess twenty percent of your strength. As long as your spiritual energy lasts, you can summon dozens of suicidal clones to wear down your target. When they're exhausted, you can sweep in for the kill. You can also use it when escaping—no one will be able to tell the difference between you and your clones. Unless your pursuer can kill every clone instantly, you're practically unkillable."
She paused, then glanced at the plain black rod strapped to her waist—the failed sword Zhang Hao had forged for her in his early years.
"As for your weapon..." Li An reached into her storage ring and pulled out a high-grade water-attributed spiritual bone, its surface shimmering with pale blue light. "I don't have a sword suitable for a young female cultivator. Zhang Hao will forge one for you later using this spiritual bone."
She handed the bone to Gu Ling, then continued, "As for the sword art, I will teach you a technique I modified myself. It combines the first level of the Mystic Yin Sword Art—which emphasizes the ideal posture and movement a female cultivator should perform when wielding a sword—with another sword art created to mimic the waves of the sea. Like the sea, this sword art increases the power of your strikes with every swing. As the battle lengthens, your attacks will become increasingly powerful, crashing against your target like relentless waves. Combined with your cultivation technique, your clones will also be able to use this sword art."
Li An's expression turned faintly sympathetic. "I feel sorry for your future opponents."
Gu Ling's eyes shone with admiration. She bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master!"
Finally, Li An turned to Long Yun.
"I will give you a high-grade fire cultivation technique," she said. "It condenses and compresses the fire spiritual energy in your body. When needed, the energy can explode with unimaginable power, greatly increasing your speed and strength. It's perfect for combat—few will be able to overpower you. When your cultivation reaches a certain level, the burst of fire spiritual energy will instantly melt the surrounding terrain, and anyone drastically below your realm will be vaporized."
She pulled out a high-grade spear, its shaft inscribed with intricate flame-like patterns, and presented it to him.
"This is your weapon. Zhang Hao will teach you his spear arts."
She glanced over at Zhang Hao, her expression softening slightly.
If I were to teach all four of them everything myself, Zhang Hao would lose his standing and authority as their master. In the cultivation world, respect is paramount. If his disciples came to believe their master was incompetent and relied entirely on his dao companion for guidance, it would damage his dignity... even if, in truth, he really is a man who lives off his wife.
Suppressing the faint amusement stirring in her chest, Li An addressed the four disciples once more, her voice calm and authoritative.
"From today onward, our responsibilities will be divided equally. Zhang Hao will teach Zi Yi forging techniques and Long Yun spear arts, while I will teach Ling Yuan pill refining and Gu Ling sword arts. With two disciples assigned to each of us, you will all receive proper, dedicated instruction without division of focus."
Through the soul-linked ring on her finger, a subtle pulse of warmth, gratitude, and faint fluster traveled from Zhang Hao straight into her consciousness.
Zhang Hao's face turned red under the solemn gaze of his disciples, clearly sensing how thoughtfully she had protected his prestige, but he quickly cleared his throat to maintain his master's composure. "What your mistress says is final. Prepare yourselves well—training begins at dawn tomorrow."
Long Yun accepted the spear with both hands and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master!"
After imparting the cultivation techniques and combat arts, Li An handed each of them one of the silver-colored pills.
"Consume these," she said. "They will change your fate."
The four disciples exchanged glances, then swallowed the pills without hesitation.
Immediately, their bodies began to tremble.
Their mortal vessels shook and shattered, revealing cultivation at the first stage of Qi Condensation. Then their spiritual roots began to burn and melt, becoming purer and more robust. The immense pain caused them to groan and nearly lose consciousness.
When the process finally ended, they inspected their spiritual roots—and were shocked to discover that they had all become mid-grade spiritual roots.
Tears streamed down their faces.
They dropped to their knees and kowtowed deeply.
"Thank you, Master Li An! Thank you, Master Zhang Hao!"
"You've given us a second life!"
"We will never forget this grace!"
Li An waved her hand dismissively. "Stand up. There's no need for such dramatics."
She reached into her storage ring and pulled out four specialized combat mannequins—artifacts she and Zhang Hao had crafted over the years.
"These mannequins are programmed with your relevant combat arts," she explained. "They can display and correct your movements and posture. They can also spar with you, revealing your flaws and improving your combat abilities. You can take them to the training hall and practice. Only come find me or Zhang Hao when you encounter problems you can't solve on your own."
The four disciples accepted the mannequins with trembling hands, bowed once more, and left the courtyard.
After they were gone, Zhang Hao turned to Li An with the expression of an abandoned puppy.
Li An blinked, confused. Even through the artifact ring, she couldn't understand why Zhang Hao felt so aggrieved.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Zhang Hao sighed deeply. "I'm jealous."
"Jealous?" Li An tilted her head. "Of what?"
"Of the things you gave them," Zhang Hao said, his voice tinged with frustration. "In all the decades we've been together, I always thought you were poor. When we first met, you couldn't even afford a proper sword. You always wear the same clothes. You never spend money on anything. But now it turns out you're richer than the entire sect!"
He gestured toward the training hall. "After I became a Golden Core cultivator, my damaged spear was no longer usable. I've been searching for a decent replacement for years—and you just casually pulled out several high-grade weapons with quality exceeding those in the sect's treasury! Not only that, I'm still cultivating a mid-grade technique, while my disciples all have high-grade ones. You even used my blood essence to refine pills that elevated their talents!"
He crossed his arms and pouted. "Am I still your husband? Or am I just a clone, and the real Zhang Hao is swimming in wealth somewhere in a palace made of gold?"
Li An stared at him for a moment—then burst into laughter.
"Zhang Hao," she said, still giggling, "you're being ridiculous."
She stepped closer and pointed at herself. "Aren't I the only possession you need?"
Zhang Hao blinked.
"The divine nectar you consume regularly is more effective than any pill or cultivation technique," Li An continued. "Where else could you find a technique that boosts your cultivation from early Golden Core to peak Golden Core in just thirty years? Even peak-grade cultivation techniques don't increase cultivation that fast. And as for pills—what could be better than my primordial yin spiritual energy? Your once high-grade spiritual roots are now peak-grade spiritual roots because of it. The yin energy has boosted your yang essence several-fold. Your physical body, strengthened by my divine nectar, can easily shatter an average weapon with a single punch. Even a Golden Core stage monster would die if it took your punch head-on."
She smiled. "So you don't need a better cultivation technique. You don't need pills. You don't need weapons. Just by having me, you don't need any external assistance. You possess Wu Meng Ting's body—which is practically a divine medicine."
Zhang Hao's pout softened, but he still looked unconvinced.
Li An sighed, then reached into her storage ring and pulled out a peak-grade fire-element spear. Its shaft was inscribed with intricate flame patterns, and its blade radiated intense heat.
"Here," she said, handing it to him. "Will this make you happy?"
Zhang Hao's eyes lit up like a child receiving a gift. He accepted the spear with both hands, his expression instantly brightening.
"Li An—you're the best!"
Li An giggled again, amused by the rapid shift in his emotions transmitted through the artifact ring.
She spread her arms. "Aren't I your possession too? Shouldn't you give me more attention as well?"
Zhang Hao grinned, set the spear aside, and pulled her into his embrace.
"You're right," he murmured. "I should."