Several months later.
As the morning sun cast its golden radiance across the land, and following a final ripple of golden light, Qilin City fully revealed itself. After months of effort, the site once known only as an empty lot was utterly transformed. While it could not yet compare to the great cities that had developed over centuries or millennia, Qilin City now possessed the fledgling form of a true urban center.
Wen Qixue had since recovered his adult appearance, though his snowy-white hair remained unchanged. However, Wen Qixue himself was not particularly bothered by this. The cultivation world was rife with bizarre occurrences; he had once encountered a cultivator whose skin and hair had turned green and toxic due to poisoning. By comparison, Wen Qixue felt fortunate that his white hair, caused by a lack of energy during the physical reconstruction, was his only lingering “side effect.” Regardless, within five years of perishing under the Nascent Soul tribulation, he had already been granted a new lease on life.
Su Xuanlin stood silently behind him. Wen Qixue was in excellent spirits, and upon sensing Su Xuanlin’s presence, he turned slightly and asked: “What is it, coming to see me at this hour?”
As soon as he spoke, he sensed something unusual. He turned to look at Su Xuanlin, narrowing his pale gray eyes. After sensing for a long moment, he exclaimed in pleasant surprise: “Xuanlin, you have reached Foundation Establishment!”
Su Xuanlin was equally delighted; he curved his eyes, his tone brimming with obvious joy: “Yes, I have reached Foundation Establishment!”
“Since I obtained the Star-Thunder Inner Canon, my cultivation speed has increased several times over. No wonder all cultivators strive to find techniques that match their nature!”
Over these past months, Su Xuanlin had spent a month tempering his body, then ascended from the seventh level of Qi Refining to the tenth, and remained stuck at the Qi Refining Great Perfection for another month before finally stepping into the Foundation Establishment stage. While this was not exceptionally fast even Wen Qixue, who had to start from scratch after regaining his adult body, was nearly catching up when measured against the entire cultivation world, it was an incredibly rapid pace.
Moreover, he was lucky; during that month of cultivation at the Qi Refining Great Perfection, he had felt the subtle, marvelous epiphanies of higher-tier cultivation several times. Had it not been for Wen Qixue’s constant reminders, he might have become lost in those sensations. Although he had nearly been swept away, the benefits gained were undeniable.
Therefore, when Su Xuanlin learned of Wen Qixue’s plan to bypass the Qi Refining Great Perfection and advance directly to Foundation Establishment, he grew anxious and hurried to find him. “Xue-ge, do you truly intend to advance directly to Foundation Establishment?”
“We have been tempering our bodies together this entire time. Even if the reconstructed body is not equal to the original, shouldn’t you be able to step into the Great Perfection state first?”
Wen Qixue glanced at Su Xuanlin. Seeing the boy’s worried expression, he felt amused, yet strangely moved. After a long while, he replied: “In truth, the reconstructed body is not inferior to the original—especially compared to your body, which was worn down for so long at the Yuanwu Gate.”
“The reason I cannot enter that state lies not with the physical body, but with the soul. My soul suffered losses after the Nascent Soul tribulation and the puppet-smelting process of your ancestor; it is only natural. Restoring it to its original state is not so simple.”
He paused, leaned against the City Lord’s mansion gate, and continued: “Furthermore, I have already experienced this stage. I have even experienced a true Golden Core stage. Would it not be superfluous to specifically traverse the Qi Refining Great Perfection again?”
Su Xuanlin: “…”
That makes sense!
Having received a definitive answer, Su Xuanlin relaxed. He leaned beside Wen Qixue, gazing out toward the distance of Qilin City. The sunlight cast a golden glow, making most of Qilin City look incredibly beautiful. In truth, Qilin City currently only existed as a prototype. No matter how many people Danxia Valley had or how powerful they were, they could not fill an entire city in such a short time. Thus, Wen Qixue and Yun Zhong had simply planned out the zones. Only the parts Danxia Valley required had been meticulously arranged. Yet, even so, looking down from the highest floor of the City Lord’s mansion was already a magnificent sight.
Especially since this city belonged to them.
Su Xuanlin couldn’t help but exclaim: “Xue-ge, this is our city for the future!”
Wen Qixue hummed: “In a little while, Qilin City will begin to serve its purpose. Danxia Valley will trade with outside forces here for the first time.”
“The party we are dealing with is the Tianji Pavilion.”
He lowered his eyes, looking deeply at Su Xuanlin: “The Tianji Pavilion is an extremely mysterious sect, perhaps even more so than Danxia Valley. At least everyone knows Danxia Valley resides in the Central Continent, whereas to this day, no one knows where the Tianji Pavilion is located.”
“The Tianji Pavilion has one distinguishing characteristic: most of their members are ‘Word-Spirit’ cultivators. They can sense an opponent’s moves at close range and predict events a thousand years in the future from afar. And of all cultivators, those in the Tianji Pavilion most prefer those with Star Spiritual Roots.”
After explaining the Tianji Pavilion, Wen Qixue paused for a long while before sighing and continuing: “Would you like to inquire?”
Su Xuanlin remained dazed for a long while before he understood the implication of Wen Qixue’s words. His mind seemed to detonate, and he stared blankly at Wen Qixue: “Xue-ge, are you saying… you do not wish for me to continue following you?”
Wen Qixue: “…”
He explained: “I did not mean that.”
“It is merely that Star Spiritual Roots are rare. Before meeting you, I had little contact with such cultivators—even in a place as large as Danxia Valley, there was no one with a Star Spiritual Root. To continue your cultivation, you must rely on yourself.”
“On the path of cultivation, it is arduous without a reliable master. If you have a master you can count on, you can avoid many detours.”
Su Xuanlin pressed his lips together: “I am not afraid of hardship!”
“Regardless… I will not neglect my practice. Xue-ge, can I not continue following you?” He asked aggrievedly: “I do not want to go anywhere else with anyone else.”
Wen Qixue looked at him for a long time, then let out a long sigh: “I had originally thought that the benefits of the Tianji Pavilion would be immense for you. Even if you do not follow the path of a Word-Spirit cultivator, their experience would be invaluable. Moreover, aside from not revealing the location of the Pavilion, they are not strictly governed. If you do not like it, you can return often, and the identity of a Tianji Pavilion disciple would be quite useful.”
“But if you truly dislike it, then so be it.”
Su Xuanlin puffed out his cheeks and declared firmly: “I will not go.”
“And besides, such a great sect must have strict governance, right? Even at Yuanwu Gate, there were many rules.”
Wen Qixue was not particularly familiar with the Tianji Pavilion, but he conjectured: “It should not be strict. The young Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion used to linger at the Heavenly Sword Sect, following Gu Ninglu. I could see him whenever I returned to the sect. Sometimes, I even felt that the young Pavilion Master spent more time at the Heavenly Sword Sect than I did.”
“If that is how the young Pavilion Master behaves, then the governance of the Tianji Pavilion must be rather lax, no?”
Su Xuanlin took a deep breath, casting Wen Qixue’s suggestion from his mind, and awkwardly changed the subject: “When I arrived just now, I saw Senior Sister Yun Luo of Danxia Valley. Why is she here?”
Wen Qixue naturally sensed Su Xuanlin’s distress, so he did not press the matter and followed his lead: “She has been recovering from her injuries in Danxia Valley for a long time, and is taking this opportunity to appear in public.”
“To welcome the Tianji Pavilion and celebrate the formal establishment of Qilin City, Danxia Valley has decided to organize a ‘Danxia Chamber of Commerce’ in Qilin City, focusing on medicinal pills, which can be pre-ordered within a certain range.”
Su Xuanlin was enlightened: “No wonder there are so many people from Danxia Valley in the city these past two days.”
Wen Qixue nodded: “Qilin City is destined to be inextricably linked to Danxia Valley. Lan Qinchuan came to discuss the idea of a ‘Danxia Street’ in the city, where their fellow junior brothers and sisters could sell basic medicinal pills.”
“However, the Danxia Chamber of Commerce will likely only exist within Qilin City. After all, Danxia Valley’s population is small; they cannot spread across the entire Guangling Continent like the Mingfeng Chamber of Commerce.”
Because he had been focused on his breakthrough, Su Xuanlin had understood the planning of Qilin City, but not in such detail. Hearing Wen Qixue’s explanation, he nodded: “That is excellent. Now that Qilin City has a primary industry, the city can be considered truly built. More people will surely come in the future.”
Wen Qixue hummed in agreement.
It seemed that everything was starting to go smoothly.