When the mountain gates of the Azure Cloud Sect finally appeared through the mist, Li Feng felt no relief—only a cold, tightening vigilance.
Beneath the rough, masculine skin he wore, his true body—the peerless, delicate form of Wu Meng Ting—rubbed constantly against the tight interior of the disguise. Every stride caused the soft, full swell of his hidden breasts to press uncomfortably against the flattened male chest, and the slick, persistent moisture from his secret feminine folds seeped against the synthetic channels of his former anatomy. His senses were a chaotic battleground between the hundred-year-old habits of his male soul and the overwhelming sensitivity of the ancient jade-like body trapped beneath.
"Elder Li," Su Tian murmured nervously at his side, gazing up at the towering jade pillars and swirling spirit mist. "Is this where we will be safe?"
Li Feng cast a sideways glance at the boy. "In the cultivation world, Su Tian, 'safe' is an illusion bought with strength. Keep your head down, speak only when questioned, and let me handle the elders."
Instead of heading toward the Sect Hall where questions would be numerous and hostile, Li Feng took the winding mountain path toward the secluded bamboo grove where his former master, Master Qian, resided. For over a century, since Li Feng’s Golden Core had shattered and his spiritual roots were crippled, Master Qian had barely spoken ten words to him. Yet of all the people in this merciless sect, his old teacher was the only one who might listen before drawing a blade.
Before they could reach the courtyard doors, a sharp, arrogant voice cut through the quiet bamboo.
"Stop right there."
A figure drifted down from a stone terrace, his azure core-disciple robes billowing with rich spiritual pressure. Mid-stage Golden Core. It was Chen Yan.
Li Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly behind his mask of flesh. A hundred and seventy years ago, Chen Yan had been nothing more than a trembling Foundation Establishment junior whom Li Feng had pulled from the jaws of a blood-scaled serpent during their fateful mission. Now, with Li Feng crippled and discarded, Chen Yan had seized his former title, his resources, and his standing as the sect’s foremost disciple.
"Junior Brother Chen," Li Feng said, his disguised voice rough and even.
"Who allows you to address me as 'Junior Brother'?" Chen Yan sneered, resting his hand on the hilt of his flying sword. His gaze was dripping with disdain as he looked Li Feng up and down. "A crippled Foundation Establishment outcast has no standing to call a Golden Core elder his peer. Tell me, Li Feng—why did you leave the recruitment ceremony in Clearwater City early? And where are the other disciples assigned to you?"
"We were ambushed by multiple masked Golden Core cultivators on our return," Li Feng replied calmly. "The other disciples were slain before I could intervene. I managed to escort this youth into hiding until the pursuers lost our trail."
"Ambushed?" Chen Yan laughed coldly, stepping forward until his Golden Core aura pressed heavily against Li Feng’s chest. "All our juniors perished, yet a crippled old dog whose roots can’t hold a wisp of spiritual energy somehow crawled back alive? How convenient. And you bring back this filthy mortal brat as your excuse?"
Chen Yan's eyes flicked to Su Tian, his sneer deepening. "What is this trash? A beggar you picked off the road to cover your incompetence?"
Su Tian’s face flushed crimson. "I am not trash! Elder Li risked his life to—"
"Silence, ant!" Chen Yan barked, his spiritual pressure flaring sharply, ready to force the boy to his knees. "A mortal dare speak in my presence?"
Before the spiritual wave could strike Su Tian, the courtyard gates swung open with a hollow creak.
"Enough, Chen Yan."
An elderly man in silver-trimmed gray robes stepped out from the courtyard. His beard was trimmed, his gaze deep and weathered, carrying the heavy aura of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. Master Qian.
Li Feng immediately bowed, cupping his fists. "Disciple Li Feng pays respects to Master."
Master Qian looked at Li Feng, his expression deeply complicated—a painful mixture of lingering guilt, detachment, and the cold practicality of an elder who had long written off a failed investment. "You have returned, Li Feng. I heard the commotion. What brings you to my seclusion?"
"Master, we encountered an organized ambush by enemy cultivators," Li Feng stated directly. "I have urgent matters regarding this youth that must be reported to the sect leadership in private."
Chen Yan stepped between them, his chin raised. "Master Qian, as the chief disciple presiding over internal discipline, I have the duty to oversee any report involving the death of sect members. Li Feng’s words are full of holes. I will accompany you to the Sect Master's hall."
Master Qian sighed, knowing Chen Yan’s backing among the conservative elders was formidable. "Very well. Follow me."
Within the grand hall of the Main Peak, Sect Leader Lu sat upon a carved dragon throne of spirit jade, listening in silence as Li Feng delivered his account.
Li Feng spoke with practiced precision. He detailed the masked Golden Core ambush, the slaughter of the escort disciples, and their desperate plunge into an unstable ancient ruin to evade pursuit. He described how the ruin collapsed, allowing them to slip through a fissure back to the mortal valleys.
Not a single word was uttered regarding the red-jade coffin, the primordial yin transfer, Wu Meng Ting’s identity, or the fact that Li Feng’s true body was currently a living skin encasing an ancient celestial beauty. He revealed only what Su Tian had witnessed.
"...And upon testing his aptitude at the recruitment altar," Li Feng concluded, gesturing to Su Tian, "I discovered his spiritual root."
Sect Leader Lu gestured with two fingers. A translucent nine-colored crystal sphere flew from his sleeve, hovering before Su Tian. "Boy, place your hand upon it."
Su Tian hesitated, glancing at Li Feng. Seeing Li Feng’s slight nod, he pressed his palm against the cold jade surface.
BZZZZT!
The sphere did not merely glow—it erupted. A blinding, searing pillar of pure golden light tore into the high rafters of the hall, pulsing with scorching heat and boundless vitality. The spiritual energy in the room vibrated with violent resonance.
"Peak-Grade Yang Spiritual Root!" Sect Leader Lu bolted upright from his throne, his eyes wide with unbridled ecstasy. "Not just high grade... it is completely unblemished, even more potent than what was recorded in our ancient scrolls!"
He threw his head back and laughed uproariously, the sound echoing through the grand hall. "Hahaha! The Heavens favor our Azure Cloud Sect! A second supreme seed! With our resources, he will step into the Nascent Soul realm within fifty years and dominate the entire continent!"
Beside them, Su Tian stared at the laughing Sect Leader in stunned horror. "Sect Leader... what of the senior brothers and sisters who died on the road? Are we not going to investigate their killers? They died protecting us!"
Sect Leader Lu stopped laughing, looking down at Su Tian with amused condescension. "Boy, in the grand Dao of cultivation, even ten thousand Foundation Establishment disciples are mere blades of grass. If their deaths bought your safe return, their blood was well spent. When you stand at the pinnacle of this world, you will understand that lives are merely numbers compared to supreme talent."
Su Tian took a step back, his knuckles white, his young mind reeling from the brutal callousness of the immortal path.
Meanwhile, Chen Yan stood to the side, his fingernails digging deeply into his palms. His face was dark as thunder.
Another Li Feng, Chen Yan thought, his teeth grinding in bitter hatred. For over a century, he had struggled under the shadow of Li Feng’s former glory. Even after Li Feng had become a cripple, older elders still sighed and reminisced about the days when Li Feng led the sect. Now, just as Chen Yan was solidifying his claim to the Sect Master’s seat, another supreme Yang prodigy had appeared—and this one was even younger, with even higher potential!
If this brat grows, Chen Yan calculated ruthlessly, my decades of effort will turn to ash. I must find a way to strangle him before he forms his core...
Sect Leader Lu’s sharp eyes caught Chen Yan’s murderous silence. Having governed the sect for centuries, he saw right through Chen Yan’s insecurity. He stroked his beard, his tone turning smooth and calculating.
"Chen Yan," the Sect Leader commanded. "You are currently the leading pillar of our core disciples. This boy possesses the same Yang constitution as your cultivation foundation. I propose that you take Su Tian as your personal disciple and guide him personally."
Chen Yan froze, his mind spinning rapidly. If Su Tian became his disciple, Su Tian’s future achievements would directly elevate Chen Yan’s status. Even if the boy eventually became Sect Master, Chen Yan would forever remain his master, commanding absolute filial piety under the laws of the Sect.
"This disciple obeys the Sect Master’s wisdom," Chen Yan bowed deeply, a smug grin creeping onto his lips. "I will surely 'train' him with all my heart."
"I refuse!" Su Tian’s voice rang out sharply across the hall.
Chen Yan’s smile vanished. "What did you say?"
Su Tian stepped behind Li Feng, pointing a trembling finger at Chen Yan. "I saw how you spoke to Elder Li at the gates! You mocked him, you insulted me, and you care nothing for those who died! Elder Li burned his own blood to pull me out of the fire. If I am to acknowledge a master in this sect, it will only be Elder Li Feng!"
The temperature in the hall plummeted instantly.
Sect Leader Lu’s expression turned foul. Chen Yan’s eyes flared with undisguised killing intent.
If Su Tian became Li Feng’s disciple, it would reignite Li Feng’s dead faction. Worse, Li Feng had been mistreated by the sect for over a century; when he died of old age in thirty years, his disciple would carry deep resentment against both Chen Yan and the sect leadership.
Li Feng frowned deeply beneath his disguise. On the surface, Su Tian’s loyalty was touching, but for Li Feng, this was an absolute disaster.
I cannot stay in this sect, Li Feng thought, his heart turned cold. My true body is that of Wu Meng Ting. I have already restarted my cultivation in the Qi Condensation realm. If I stay, someone will inevitably notice the lack of aging after thirty years, or detect the Yin spiritual energy leaking from my flesh, or discover the female anatomy hidden beneath this skin. I must leave immediately.
Taking a steady breath, Li Feng stepped forward. "Sect Master, Junior Brother Chen. May I have a word in private? Disciple Su Tian, wait outside the hall for a moment."
Su Tian looked reluctant, but seeing the gravity in Li Feng’s eyes, he bowed and walked out past the heavy bronze doors.
Once the doors closed, Li Feng addressed the two men.
"Sect Master, Junior Brother Chen. Forcing the boy right now will only breed rebellion in his heart. He is a mortal who has just witnessed slaughter; he naturally clings to the one who brought him out alive."
Chen Yan sneered. "So you intend to hoard him for yourself?"
"Hoard him?" Li Feng let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "Look at me, Chen Yan. My spiritual roots are withered. My cultivation is stagnate. I have less than thirty years of mortal lifespan remaining. What could a dying cripple possibly teach a supreme prodigy?"
Sect Leader Lu’s gaze narrowed. "What do you propose, Li Feng?"
"Let Su Tian formally bow to me as his master for now, merely to settle his mind and keep his talent anchored within our sect," Li Feng said calmly. "Immediately afterward, assign me a long-term outer mission—such as the command post supervising the beast tides at the Northern Border Outpost. A post that requires decades of continuous garrison."
Li Feng looked directly at Chen Yan. "While I am stationed thousands of miles away, Junior Brother Chen will step in as his 'Senior Martial Uncle.' You will provide his cultivation pills, guide his daily sword forms, and grant him sect resources. To a young boy, thirty years is an eternity. By the time I die of old age at the border, who will he revere more: an absent, dead cripple, or the glorious Golden Core Senior Uncle who nurtured him into an immortal?"
Chen Yan’s eyes lit up with fierce brilliance.
It was a flawless trap. Chen Yan would gain all the practical benefits, control all of Su Tian’s cultivation development, and earn his gratitude, while Li Feng would be exiled to rot and die in an obscure border trench!
Sect Leader Lu stroked his beard, thoroughly impressed by Li Feng’s "selfless" compromise. "A brilliant and mature arrangement. As expected of someone who once stood as our chief disciple. Li Feng, your loyalty to the Azure Cloud Sect is commendable."
In reality, Li Feng knew very well that the Northern Border supervisory position was already filled by another outer elder. The assignment was merely a political fiction—an excuse for him to walk out of the sect gates openly without anyone questioning his decades-long disappearance or hunting him down!
"Call the boy back in," Sect Leader Lu ordered.
When Su Tian returned, the Sect Leader announced the decision: Li Feng would be his formal master, but due to an urgent, decades-long sect defense assignment, Li Feng had to depart immediately. In his absence, Chen Yan would act as his primary instructor.
Su Tian looked at Li Feng with wide, conflicted eyes. He opened his mouth to protest, but Li Feng placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Accept it, Su Tian," Li Feng said quietly. "This is the way of the world. Follow me to my residence."
An hour later, inside Li Feng’s modest, weathered courtyard on the lower cliffs of the mountain, the two sat across from each other at a stone table.
Li Feng retrieved an ancient jade slip from his robe and placed it before Su Tian.
"This is the Nine Solar Essence Scripture," Li Feng said, his tone grave. "It is the peak-grade Yang cultivation technique I practiced in my youth. It is notoriously difficult in the initial Qi Condensation stages, but once mastered, it refines your spiritual energy to absolute purity. When ordinary cultivators expend all their Qi to cleave a mountain, you will only need twenty to thirty percent."
Su Tian held the jade slip with trembling hands. "Master... are you truly leaving?"
"I must," Li Feng replied. "Listen carefully, Su Tian. In this sect, the Sect Leader and Chen Yan will grant you boundless resources, top-grade pills, and prestigious honors. You may accept all of it. But remember: they value you only because of what your spiritual roots can bring them. In the cultivation world, rely on yourself before you rely on others. Keep your mind clear, cultivate diligently, and never reveal your final trump card to anyone."
Li Feng placed a copper talisman onto the table. "This is the deed token to this residence. It is yours now."
Without lingering, Li Feng swept his sleeve across his shelves, gathering his remaining belongings—every medicinal pill, spare talisman, low-grade spirit stone, and forged weapon he had accumulated over two centuries. He stored them all into his spatial ring, right beside the ancient, shimmering defensive immortal dresses of Wu Meng Ting.
Turning around, he stepped out of the courtyard and walked down the mountain path, never looking back.
As he passed beneath the towering outer archway of the Azure Cloud Sect, leaving behind the only home he had known for nearly two hundred years, an intense, gnawing ache suddenly erupted in his abdomen.
Grumble...
A sharp pang of hunger shot through his stomach, making him stumble slightly.
Li Feng stopped on the dirt road, letting out a soft, incredulous breath. For over a century as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had relied on fasting pills and spiritual energy to sustain his body. But now...
Beneath his male skin disguise, his true physical body belonged to Wu Meng Ting—and that body had just restarted its cultivation at the fragile Qi Condensation stage. It was still bound by the mortal constraints of flesh and blood. It needed mortal food to survive.
A faint, wry smile touched Li Feng’s lips behind his stolen face. He adjusted the coarse robes over his disguised chest, feeling the strange, damp friction of his hidden feminine form stirring beneath the fabric, and turned his gaze toward the distant smoke rising from the horizon.
A few miles ahead lay the mortal trading hub of Clearwater City.
His old life was dead. His new life had truly begun.