Tian Guotao didn’t know what arcane effort Master Xu was explaining to him. Presently, after entering this place for several months, it was already the third month of the second year. Almost a year had passed since the other had come. In this year, due to this nameless arcane effort, he felt his energy become increasingly vigorous. It was to the extent… that half a month ago, he’d officially set foot at the door of middle spirit-master again!

“This is practically a miracle…” These days, he didn’t feel it unendurable that only two people were here. On the contrary, he held incomparable hope that Master Xu would stay here forever! He took this day to such a degree that he woke up at the crack of dawn, finished cultivating, and personally swept through the villa. He moreover took action to personally pour tea and wait for Master Xu to leave seclusion.

A spirit-master taking the honor to pour tea for another spirit-master was a concept that didn’t dared be imagined outside.

“It’s been less than a year since then. I feel… What did I even study in the past…?” he said quietly, “I was basically a frog at the bottom of a well… but this was still just something that Master Xu took out in passing…”

“I dare not imagine what the arcane effort that Master Xu specializes in himself is like… Yes, I wasn’t even aware of the word ‘arcane effort’ in the past. There was only the Zhang Family’s Cultivation Magic in my mind. Now…” he laughed bitterly. What he had once deified now appeared to be that and nothing more.

This quiet valley was his everything now, all his hopes.

Swoosh… 

A soft burst of wind sounded. He immediately stood up and respectfully waited over at the side. No one demanded to him act this way. All of this was of his own doing. He behaved this way since months ago. He didn’t think it to be improper whatsoever.

A deep qi spread forth, and his gaze faintly brightened. Not waiting for him to think of more, Xu Yangyi’s silhouette was already in front of him.

Tian Guotao took a deep breath. Each time he saw Master Xu, he felt… that his master was getting more terrifying by the month. If said, he had exposed his power in the past when he’d seen Xu Yangyi. Now, however, he contained it within himself.

Furthermore, while he couldn’t elaborate specifically, the qi inside Master Xu… seemed to be growing towards another direction.

A realm… that frightened him!

Although he could sense this special qi inside Xu Yangyi at this moment, perhaps it could be said its oppressive might still wasn’t much. Each day, though, it was getting stronger.

“You’ve worked hard.” Xu Yangyi looked at the tea in front of him. He picked it up in gratification and drank it. After each month he left seclusion, he would drink a cup of tea. This was his special way of enjoyment.

“I did what I was supposed to.” Tian Guotao respectfully filled Xu Yangyi’s cup. “Master Xu, I feel… you keep becoming more different.”

Xu Yangyi set down the teacup and laughed. This was as expected.

In these months, he only researched one thing—the Voidspirit Immortal Physique. He made it merge into his body in its entirety. However, amidst his unwittingness, as he slowly seized onto each change within his body, he then discovered that this so-called immortal physique branded tiny talismans in his meridians!

These talismans were very ancient. He couldn’t even recognize a single one. In these several months, he studied each talisman little by little, and observed their operating style with the storage level of his meridians. He was none the wiser that almost a year had already passed.

The Heavenly Opening Six Erosions, the Rootless Nine Bend Aqua, and the cocoon were all set aside for later. If he wanted to reach Foundation Establishment, the he had to fully understand his own body’s changes. Therefore, the first step had to be the Voidspirit Immortal Physique. Afterwards was the several major Elysial Bestowments from his bloodline inheritance.

He understood more by the month, and his control over his body became stronger. He took even farther strides towards Foundation Establishment. How could he still be like his past self?

“Your senses are right,” he laughed. “Watch peacefully. In ten years, you’ll see a revelation to your cultivation path.” 

Studying Foundation Establishment was an opportunity that any cultivator would find hard to an encounter in a lifetime!

Tian Guotao didn’t ask why. He was 100% positive in Xu Yangyi. He merely bowed in respect. “Thank you for mentioning this point, Master Xu.”

“You don’t need to speak like that so much. I, Xu Yangyi, am not a harsh person. Alright, continue. Let me see your gains this month.”

Tian Guotao questioned, and Xu Yangyi answered. A day’s time passed quickly. Tian Guotao was perfectly content in asking to leave very late at night.

Xu Yangyi didn’t leave, but instead reflected on his explanations again. It wasn’t a sudden rush of hot blood that prompted him to take Tian Guotao as a steward. In no measure or pace did Foundation Establishment follow the zenith of spiritual force, water flowing where a canal was formed. Instead, it considered one’s control over the body and the mastery of their comprehensions. Quantitative took the shape of qualitative. Only like this could the heavens be scaled in one step, and one became a Foundation Establishment Senior admired by everyone in cultivation!

At that time, only then would he dare claim himself as “This Throne”.

Regarding his explanations to Tian Guotao, he also took a process of reviewing and searching for his misunderstandings. It was beneficial to both him and his steward. In somethings that deep contemplation couldn’t figure out, another’s mouth could be relied on to find the problem. Under such a situation in these past months, he likewise profited to an extent.

After ten-odd minutes, he opened his eyes again. Without any hesitation, he walked towards his cultivation room again.

Time went by day after day. Years didn’t exist in cultivation. In a wink, it was already the eighth month of the second year.

Nnnneeoowww…

 Two airplanes flew in the crystallized valley. In one, the Li Family’s second oldest and Li Mingfang sat in the back seat, seemingly working together but secretly plotting against one another. In the other airplane, a masked man was sitting by himself.

Over the course of the entire journey, the pair almost didn’t say a word to each other. As the valley appeared in his eyes, second brother Li finally spoke up.

“Fourth Brother, it’s not that I’m not helping, but I have no choice to help. Your financial reports are getting progressively uglier this year. It’s inexcusable that A-31 isn’t being developed. At least in the past, Master Xiao still let us enter, but this Master Xu now…”

“Hehe…” Li Mingfang chuckled coldly and said nothing.

Since the start of the year, his financial reports were indeed not optimistic. Without the fat of A-31, the cash flow of each quarter continued to hit new lows. However, he hadn’t gone to trouble Xu Yangyi once.

Good steel had to be put to a blade’s edge.

He no longer had another path to walk. He could only keep this stake on Xu Yangyi. He believed in his eyes, and he also believed Master Tian. Anyone who hadn’t witnessed that fire-dragon wouldn’t be able to understand his belief. He hadn’t said anything to anyone, either.

Hum… 

The airplane propellers kicked off a surge of wind on the lawn, causing the grass to dip downwards. Tian Guotao was already waiting at the door.

Just as the airplane door opened, second brother Li’s eyes saucered widely, and he surveyed the area incredulously. “This…”

Before he even finished speaking, the masked man had already charged out in one bound!

Likewise, Li Mingfang inhaled sharply. In a brief moment, he jumped out from the airplane and looked around in disbelief. He almost didn’t recognize the valley!

The mountain and valley was still there, and so was the villa… however, a qi that inspired fear in ordinary people like them pervaded the air!

The masked man said nothing. On the contrary, he looked down at the lower-half of his body. He didn’t wear a suit, but oddly a black changpao. It was tattered and worn out and a golden crow was embroidered on it. His mask also seemed to be in the shape of a crow. If he appeared in the night, he looked less than a human and instead more like a devil.

His finger felt and stroked the ground inch after inch. His finger was somewhat trembling, and his eyes were quickly suffused with a red sheen.

“Is this… an immortal realm?” Second brother Li took great strides forward. In the grip of tremendous astonishment, he even forgot that Tian Guotao, a spirit-master, was waiting at the entrance. His head swiveled all around as if he’d seen a ghost. “T-This is A-31?! This is enough to be ranked as the most apex spirit-land!”

During the one-year transformation of the supreme-grade spirit stone, Tian Guotao had been secretly influenced by it, or perhaps he still didn’t feel it. Nonetheless, everyone else who had suddenly arrived only felt that this wasn’t the same place whatsoever!

“What are you doing here?” Second brother Li turned his head to look at Li Mingfang in shock.

Li Mingfang shook his head. Like hell he knew! He hadn’t done a thing!

“You two.” At this time, Tian Guotao’s voice rang out, “Is there something the matter?”

Just as second brother Li was about to speak, the masked man finally stood up. He didn’t even glance at Guo Tianguo and said coldly, “Please ask Master Xu to come out.”

Tian Guotao faintly nodded. “If you’ve come to find Master Xu, Master Xu said he isn’t seeing visitors. If there is business, you can tell me.”

Second brother Li smiled, intending to speak, but the masked man raised his hand just as he was about to. The masked man pinned Tian Guotao with his gaze and eventually barked in cold laughter. “You?”

“Yes, me,” Tian Guotao said insipidly.

“Hehe…” Forced, unpleasant laughter came from under the mask. “As a spirit-master, you actually lower your status and serve as another spirit-master’s steward. Have you no shame?”

“Master Tian?” Li Mingfang believed himself to have misheard. With eyes wide and mouth ajar, he stared dumbly at Tian Guotao. “Sir… how… You wouldn’t, right?”

How could this be?

A respected spirit-master… Even if Tian Guotao had slipped back to an initial-rank spirit-master because of age, he could still go and earn an annual salary of ten million! At the same time, he would also have an endless amount of spiritual force provided to him! In the Clearcloud Realm, there was absolutely no small amount of minor families! However, there were only a thousand-plus spirit-masters all together!

And now… Tian Guotao had actually renounced everything to act as a steward here?

And as another spirit-master’s steward?

“I am the steward of Master Xu.” Tian Guotao was somewhat impatient and his voice was a little cold. “If there’s nothing, please return.”

“Master Tian.” Second brother Li was also somewhat dazed. “Is this some misunderstanding?”

His voice yet to fall, a withered hand stretched out from the tattered black changpao like a wing, stopping him from continuing to speak. A dry voice echoed again. “You still don’t have the qualifications to hurry me out.”

“Do you know who I am?” He gazed at Tian Guotao with full interest. “Maybe you’ll change your decision once you see this?”

He took out a golden invitation. It was originally white, but was sprinkled with golden powder, graceful and sumptuous. On the surface, there was no other character, only one word brushed in the style of dancing phoenixes and dragons.

Invite! 

In the instant he laid eyes on this invitation, Tian Guotao finally grew solemn-faced and respectfully bowed. “So it was the State-Magus’s representative. I was lacking in manners.”

Under his mask, the man licked his lips in satisfaction. Yes… this was the invitation card of State-Magus Zu!

Throughout the realm, there was none who could reject a state-magus’s invitation! Even if his name wasn’t written, it was still the same!

“Now, could you ask Master Xu to come out?”

“No.”

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