bookpower Chapter 317: The Number One Cultivator
Chapter 317: The Number One Cultivator
Chapter 317: The Number One Cultivator
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Moments later, Li Congren retracted his respectful gesture. His earlier actions seemed to pay homage to the departed ancestor of the Mu Family.
Mu Changxiu, still shaken, turned to look back. Sure enough, Mu Bingyun had passed away. Her expression was serene as she took her final breath.
After a brief period of mourning, Mu Changxiu sent out a voice transmission, instructing the family to prepare for a funeral of mixed sorrow and celebration.
"Immortal Li, was Grandpa Lan here just now?"
Mu Changxiu’s tone was urgent as he questioned Li Congren.
For someone of Li Congren's caliber—a Fake Dan cultivator—to behave with such reverence, it was no trivial matter.
Although Mu Bingyun was somewhat of an elder, her status alone would not have warranted such a deferential attitude from Li Congren.
The two young members of the Li family from Snow Plum Mountain, standing nearby, also cast curious glances at their grandfather.
"Perhaps only Aunt Bingyun knows the truth," Li Congren replied with a calm gaze, meeting Mu Changxiu’s eyes directly. The latter felt a twinge of embarrassment, as if his thoughts had been seen through.
In the Mu Family of Feiyue Lake, Mu Bingyun was the last cultivator with a profound connection to the Evergreen Immortal.
As for Mu Changxiu, he had only met Evergreen Immortal once as a child, under his mother’s guidance. On that occasion, he even received a meeting gift from the legendary figure.
After that, their interactions ceased.
Now, as the Mu Family declined and dangers loomed in the shadows, Mu Changxiu was desperate to meet the wandering cultivator whose legendary deeds had left a mark on the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world.
How could someone like Li Congren, who had merely mid-grade spiritual roots—comparable to Mu Changxiu’s aptitude—achieve Fake Dan?
This could not solely be attributed to wealth, resources, or the fortuitous assistance of the Treasure-Seeking Rat he had in his early years.
More than a century ago, during his Foundation Establishment period, Lan Chang'an had fled to Jing Kingdom to take refuge, where he owed Li Congren a favor.
Years later, when Evergreen Immortal returned to the Liang Kingdom, he deliberately stayed a night at Snow Plum Mountain. This simple gesture terrified the rival Dongmen Family, compelling them to offer apologies and turn hostility into friendship.
That night, besides Lan Chang'an, another guest at Snow Plum Mountain was Zhang Tianfeng, the current leader of Jin Yun Valley!
From then on, the Li Family of Snow Plum Mountain not only resolved its troubles but also gained immense prestige in the surrounding region. The family's businesses and industries flourished more than ever.
Before Li Congren advanced to Fake Dan, the Snow Plum Mountain Merchant Association already boasted ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, including several honorary elders.
This layer of protection, combined with an alliance with the Beast Taming Zhou Family, solidified Snow Plum Mountain’s foundation and allowed Li Congren to acquire the necessary resources for forming a Fake Dan.
Mu Changxiu's conjectures were not baseless. The events were well-documented in The Legend of Changqing and The Journeys of the Profound Turtle, both biographies recounting these occurrences.
Especially The Legend of Changqing, which praised Lan Chang'an as the Liang Kingdom's number one loose cultivator. The biography speculated that his eventual retreat to Fengyuan Kingdom was either a low-key decision or an attempt to evade powerful enemies, willingly abandoning such fame.
...
Inside his cave dwelling, Mu Changxiu pressed again and again, suspecting that Li Congren was hiding something.
"Changxiu, some matters cannot be forced," Li Congren replied with a furrowed brow, his tone firm. The weight of his words frightened Mu Changxiu, who quickly bowed repeatedly in apology.
Mu Changxiu sighed bitterly, knowing it was futile to press further, though he still clung to a sliver of hope.
He was unwilling to let the connection between Evergreen Immortal and Feiyue Lake be severed in his generation.
Later that day, Li Congren, accompanied by his two young descendants, visited a courtyard villa on Heartmoon Island.
"Grandfather, back then, you had people write a biography about Evergreen Immortal without his permission. If he ever found out, would he not be displeased?"
One of the young cultivators, the girl in a purple dress, was Li Congren’s most cherished granddaughter. Her bright, sparkling black eyes shone with curiosity about the legendary figure.
As it turned out, the mainstream versions of The Legend of Changqing and The Journeys of the Profound Turtle were both commissioned by Li Congren himself.
"Ahem! At that time, there were certain slanderous accounts circulating in the market, tarnishing Evergreen Immortal’s reputation. I merely sought to protect his legacy. I believe Grandpa Lan would not hold it against me," Li Congren explained with a light cough.
He wasn’t lying. Some lowbrow writers had dared to defame Grandpa Lan, calling him cowardly and comparing him to a turtle fleeing for its life. Others portrayed Grandpa Lan as a promiscuous person and wrote it as an unorthodox harem erotic novel.
The biographies compiled under his leadership corrected the historical truth! Portraying Lan Chang'an as a man of noble character, untainted by fame or fortune, and unswayed by the charms of women.
Even the so-called "escapes" in his life were reinterpreted as deliberate acts of foresight and prudence, demonstrating a visionary mind that ultimately allowed him to have the last laugh.
As for occasional romantic entanglements, they were framed as the inevitable result of powerful female cultivators being drawn to his extraordinary charisma, willingly becoming fleeting figures in his legendary life.
"More than fifty years..."
In the guestroom, Li Congren gazed at the moon, lost in thought. It had been over sixty years since his last meeting with Grandpa Lan.
In the eyes of the world, Evergreen Immortal had vanished from the Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world for more than fifty years.
Only a few unverified rumors remained—some claimed he had perished in the endless desert, while others believed he was hiding in Fengyuan Kingdom, waiting for the chaos of war to subside before returning.
Now, though the demonic war had ended a decade or two ago, there was still no sign of Evergreen Immortal.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the lights in the room went out, and a cold gust of wind swept through.
Li Congren’s heart tightened as his body froze with tension.
When the eerie wind subsided, he found a sound transmission talisman in his hand.@@@@
After listening to the message, Li Congren’s face lit up with joy.
Late into the night, he left Heartmoon Island alone, flying toward the lakeside Emerald Manor.
Emerald Manor was where the middle- and lower-ranked members of the Mu Family cultivated.
In his youth, Lan Chang'an had hidden here for many years, along with another figure, Li Erqing.
In particular, the ancestral residence of Old Ancestor Erqing, who had married into the Mu Family, had given birth to a number of bloodline descendants, preserving the memories of that era.
Li Congren took a deep breath and dived into the former residence of the Evergreen Immortal.
...
From the outside, Evergreen Immortal's former residence was pitch black and eerily silent.
As Li Congren stepped into the small courtyard, he was surprised to find that the lights inside the house were already lit.
Creak!
The study door slowly opened on its own, revealing a serene and otherworldly man in white robes sitting at the desk. His features were as refined as jade, exuding an aura of elegance and detachment.
It was a familiar figure—unchanged from Li Congren’s memories.
“Unfilial junior, Li Congren, greets Grandpa Lan.”
Li Congren floated into the study and bowed deeply.
At this moment, he noticed a veiled female cultivator in a green dress standing behind Lan Chang'an. She carried a freshly brewed pot of tea and placed it on the table.
Though the woman’s appearance was plain, her bearing was graceful, and the depth of her aura was unfathomable. Li Congren couldn’t see through her cultivation level—she was likely a True Dan expert.
Lan Chang'an raised his hand, gesturing for Li Congren to take a seat. His eyes sparkled with warmth as he assessed him.
“Not bad. With your aptitude, to have reached the Fake Dan stage is impressive. You truly live up to being Erqing’s most promising grandson.”
In truth, Lan Chang'an had already noted Li Congren’s breakthrough to Fake Dan cultivation fifteen or sixteen years ago when he came to the Liang Kingdom to outwit the Peacock Saintess.
In the vast world of cultivators, a mid-grade spiritual root cultivator forming a Fake Dan wasn’t exactly unheard of, but it was uncommon enough to draw some attention.
However, in the eyes of Core Formation Great Cultivators or Nascent Soul True Monarchs, it wasn’t worth much acknowledgment. Unless it was a low-grade spiritual root who formed a Nascent Soul, it could only be considered a "child of fortune."
“Congren is dull and unworthy. I have failed to form a True Dan and let Grandpa Lan’s guidance and protection down,” Li Congren said earnestly, his tone tinged with regret.
Years ago, after witnessing the overwhelming prestige of a True Dan cultivator at Snow Plum Mountain, Li Congren had become acutely aware of the vast gulf in power and status between Fake Dan and True Dan cultivators.
At the time, he had sworn that if he ever had a chance to form a Core, he would strive to form a True Dan no matter the cost.
Unfortunately, he ultimately fell short of that final half-step.
“Haha, Congren, your accomplishments already make you the most outstanding descendant of Li Erqing’s main lineage. You’ve built and sustained your family with great skill. Though this generation lacks a True Dan, that doesn’t mean future generations won’t produce one,” Lan Chang'an replied with a light chuckle.
Lan Chang'an had already calculated that the Snow Plum Mountain Li Family’s fortunes far surpassed those of Feiyue Lake’s Mu Family.
However, since the reaction lasted only an instant, the intruder might have either left immediately or avoided further detection, infiltrating the town.
“Leave this matter to me. I will report it to Immortal Jiang,” Fairy Shi said steadily, dismissing the elder.
As the elder left, Fairy Shi’s peripheral vision caught a small, dog-sized demonic rat perched on a decorative rock formation in her garden. It looked utterly ordinary.
To her surprise, the elder had failed to notice the rat, even though it was only a few meters away from him.
“... It’s you,” Fairy Shi murmured, startled. The rat’s intelligent gaze closely resembled a certain figure from her memories.
For an ordinary third-rank demonic rat to waltz into her cave undetected was impossible.
Fairy Shi’s spiritual sense swept toward the guest pavilion outside her cave, where she saw a man and a woman seated together.
“Huh! Mother, where did this rat come from?”
A clean and delicate boy in white robes approached, his curious eyes fixed on the demonic rat atop the rock formation.
“Xiaochuan, there are guests outside. Go and invite them in. Do not alert anyone else,” Fairy Shi instructed.
“Got it!”
The white-robed boy accepted a token and walked out of the cave.
In the pavilion sat a man in white robes and a veiled woman in a green dress.
The veiled woman’s features were unremarkable, with her veil covering the lower half of her face.
The white-robed man, however, radiated an air of tranquility and warmth. The boy found himself momentarily stunned, for the man’s demeanor was exceptionally rare among the male cultivators he had met. There was even an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The pair’s cultivation aura was unfathomable to him, it was impossible to tell if they were real or not.
“Junior Shi Xiaochuan, at my mother’s command, I’ve come to invite the two of you to our cave,” the boy said with a polite bow.
“Xiaochuan, is your mother Fairy Shi? The famed formation master of Nightless Town?” Lan Chang'an asked with a faint smile.
“Uh-huh,” the boy nodded affirmatively.
Lan Chang'an didn’t overthink it. He decided he would prepare a small meeting gift for Fairy Shi’s son later.
Times had changed.
After so many years of no contact, even relationships between Dao companions would grow cold, let alone fleeting romantic ties formed in the heat of the moment.
Even if Fairy Shi had married and had children, Lan Chang'an considered it perfectly natural.
After all, Fairy Shi had divorced at a young age. Back when they first met on Wuqi Mountain, she had expressed her desire for a child to carry on her bloodline.
Lan Chang'an instructed the veiled woman to remain in the pavilion while he followed Shi Xiaochuan alone.
As soon as Lan Chang'an stepped into the cave, a powerful Core Formation aura surged from the neighboring cave. The oppressive force belonged to a mid-Core Formation expert.
Whoosh!
A streak of violet light shot toward them, condensing into the figure of a stern-faced man in a violet robe with sword-like eyebrows and a prominent forehead. His expression was grim, and his voice carried an air of hostility.
“Surname Lan! You still have the gall to come looking for Manrong?”
“Fellow Daoist Jiang, long time no see!”
Lan Chang'an immediately recognized the man—it was Jiang Yechen, with whom he had some past acquaintance. Jiang Yechen was now known as Nightless Immortal, the Liang Kingdom’s foremost loose cultivator.
Compared to a century ago, Jiang Yechen appeared only a few years older. His aura was steadier now, lacking the sharp, almost effeminate quality of his younger self.
Lan Chang'an secretly mused. He had heard rumors of Jiang Yechen and Fairy Shi having a close relationship. Could it be that the two had become a couple?
Jiang Yechen’s early lover, Shen Bixin, had married someone else and, based on her lifespan, had likely passed away over sixty years ago.
However, Jiang Yechen and Fairy Shi lived in separate caves, which didn’t seem like the behavior of Dao companions.
“Fellow Daoist Jiang, a guest is still a guest. My remaining lifespan is short, and I wish to reminisce with an old friend,” Fairy Shi’s soft, melancholy voice came from within the cave, tinged with a hint of pleading.
Jiang Yechen snorted coldly, his face still dark as he followed Lan Chang'an into the cave.
“Master,” Shi Xiaochuan greeted him in a small voice, not daring to breathe loudly.
Jiang Yechen placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder in a fatherly manner as they entered the cave together.
Back at the pavilion, the veiled woman smirked faintly.
She couldn’t help but think that the temperament and image of the boy in white robes bore a closer resemblance to Lan Chang'an than to Jiang Yechen.
...
Inside the side hall, Lan Chang'an saw Fairy Shi again after several decades.
Though her lifespan was nearing its end, Shi Manrong had maintained her youthful appearance through cultivation techniques. She now appeared as a dignified, mature woman in her late thirties or early forties.
While her beauty had faded somewhat compared to her younger years, she exuded an elegant and refined charm. Her demeanor was tranquil, like a chrysanthemum in late autumn, carrying an air of calm resilience and grace.
“Fellow Daoist Lan, why didn’t you let that female cultivator outside join us?”
“She’s a tribal female cultivator from the Fengyuan Kingdom, reserved by nature and not fond of interacting with strangers,” Lan Chang'an replied evenly, his expression unreadable.
Shi Manrong didn’t think much of it. The veiled female cultivator outside had an average appearance and unremarkable temperament.
A native tribal female cultivator?
Jiang Yechen, who was sitting nearby, couldn’t help but ponder. In his mind, Lan Chang'an’s circumstances during his exile to the Fengyuan Kingdom seemed less than ideal. Perhaps he had relied on forming a relationship with a native noblewoman, offering himself as a partner to secure a stable environment for cultivation and survival, eventually advancing to the mid-Core Formation stage.
Otherwise, given Lan Chang'an’s standards back then, he wouldn’t have settled for such an ordinary-looking tribal woman.
Having been separated from Shen Bixin for over a hundred years, Jiang Yechen’s life experiences had significantly shaped his perspective. He had grown past superficial attachments to beauty and began appreciating more mature and nuanced qualities.
Over the past twenty years, during his collaboration with Shi Manrong, his admiration for her had steadily grown.
Although she was no longer as stunning as many younger female cultivators, her dignified and steadfast aura, honed by years of hardship, gave her the charm of a plum blossom blooming in the snow. This noble, resilient quality resonated deeply with Jiang Yechen.
The two of them had developed a close relationship, though they had yet to cross any intimate boundaries.
Now that Shi Manrong’s lifespan was dwindling, Jiang Yechen had been diligently seeking a third-rank Life Extension Pill for her, hoping to win her favor. Unfortunately, his efforts had not borne fruit.
Lan Chang'an, Shi Manrong, and Jiang Yechen conversed for a while, catching up on the past.
It was revealed during their conversation that Shi Xiaochuan was Shi Manrong’s adopted son. Not only did the boy have a talent for formations, but he also possessed a high-grade spiritual root.
Jiang Yechen, as the Liang Kingdom’s foremost loose cultivator, had taken the initiative to accept Shi Xiaochuan as his disciple, a request Shi Manrong couldn’t reasonably refuse.
However, due to Jiang Yechen’s presence, the conversation remained shallow and avoided deeper topics.
Lan Chang'an hinted multiple times that he wanted to speak privately with Shi Manrong, but Jiang Yechen refused to leave, his expression cold and unyielding. He looked at Lan Chang'an with the sharp gaze of someone guarding against a scoundrel.
Jiang Yechen began with a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “I’ve read some accounts in The Legend of Changqing. If you hadn’t retreated to foreign lands, you would have been the rightful titleholder of Liang Kingdom’s greatest loose cultivator.”
His smile gradually turned frosty, and a bone-chilling pressure emanated from him. His aura was far beyond that of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator of the same stage.
“Today, I happen to be itching for a little practice. If you, Fellow Daoist Lan can last a hundred breaths against me in a spar, I’ll stop interfering in your private reunion with Manrong.”
Over the years, Jiang Yechen’s impressive fortuitous encounters had propelled him to the pinnacle of the Liang Kingdom’s loose cultivators. With his naturally exceptional aptitude and relentless pursuit of power, he had become the undisputed number one loose cultivator in the kingdom.
Among Core Formation cultivators outside of sects, he was unmatched, and even within the sects, few at the same level could rival him.
One hundred and fifty years ago, during the competition for the peak master position on Wuqi Mountain, Jiang Yechen had been the most qualified candidate, only to be brushed off by the “short-sighted” Turtle Lan.
At the time, Jiang Yechen had remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, he had harbored some resentment.
Adding insult to injury, decades ago, the very Shi Manrong he admired had been abandoned by the fleeing Turtle Lan.
Now, the shameless Turtle Lan had the audacity to come back looking for her?
Here in Nightless Town, Jiang Yechen’s territory, he had every reason to teach Turtle Lan a lesson.
It was time for him to demonstrate that the might of the number one loose cultivator in Liang Kingdo surpassed ordinary Core Formation cultivators.