Nangong Huoyu blinked her beautiful eyes as she observed the spiritual fish in the lake, curiously asking, "Little Brother Su, you actually have a school of spiritual fish in your lake? They seem to be the same species?"
Little Cai hid itself, remaining unseen by the two visitors.
Su Yuan chuckled, "Indeed, perhaps they're from the same origin!"
Zhuge Jian glanced at them, noting they were merely low-grade Yellow Rank spiritual fish, and paid them no further mind.
He solemnly stated, "Su Yuan, we came to invite you to join us in exploring a land of opportunity."
Zhuge Jian carefully observed Su Yuan's reaction.
Su Yuan gave him a sidelong glance, calmly picking up a teacup to take a sip without any visible response.
Zhuge Jian's heart sank slightly at this indifferent attitude.
As the silence stretched uncomfortably, Su Yuan finally looked up in confusion, "And then?"
"What?" Zhuge Jian appeared puzzled.
Equally confused, Su Yuan responded, "You merely mentioned a land of opportunity. So, where exactly is this place? What opportunities does it hold? What dangers lurk there? Aren't you going to elaborate?"
Zhuge Jian nodded, "It's a recent ancient ruin containing a sealed battlefield that has transformed into a secret realm. We accidentally discovered its entrance and found it won't open for another three months, so I immediately returned to report to the sect."
"Later, the sect dispatched a Nascent Soul elder to investigate. They discovered the secret realm can only be entered by Qi Refining cultivators, yet it undoubtedly contains numerous opportunities. Considering the cultivation restriction, if we join forces, we could obtain significant benefits—there might even be opportunities related to Spirit Transformation!"
Zhuge Jian's face flushed with excitement as he stared intently at Su Yuan, "Only one month remains now, so we specifically came to invite you. Both Huoyu and I can challenge Foundation Establishment opponents despite our cultivation levels. With you and another disciple from the sect's Hidden Peak joining us, we're bound to reap tremendous rewards."
"Hidden Peak?" Su Yuan caught the key term.
"Oh, the Hidden Peak represents the sect's concealed strength. Its exact location is unknown, but the disciples there shouldn't be underestimated. Don't mention this to others—since you're a true disciple, I can share this with you," Zhuge Jian explained.
Su Yuan nodded understandingly, sipping his tea again before casually tossing some Fragment Spirit Stones into the lake, causing the spiritual fish to scramble for them. Though the fish were still small and could only consume fragment stones, this didn't reflect poorly on the feeder's financial capability.
"What do you think?" Zhuge Jian pressed.
"Well..."
Su Yuan smiled and fed the fish again.
Nangong Huoyu watched this scene with thoughtful eyes.
Zhuge Jian grew impatient, frowning, "Su Yuan, though you've become a true disciple with ample resources now, the path of cultivation isn't something one can advance by isolating oneself. Mental fortitude, willpower, spiritual insight, and dao comprehension—all these require real experience and tempering through trials."
"As someone who's walked this path before, let me remind you: though I'm only at Qi Refining ninth layer now, my foundation is solid. When I establish my foundation, it will undoubtedly be a supreme-grade dao foundation! Breaking through to Golden Core is within reach, and Nascent Soul isn't far behind!"
Zhuge Jian spoke with passionate conviction.
Su Yuan felt speechless. After consideration, he stated bluntly, "Truthfully, I'm not currently planning to venture out for experience. My apologies, but I won't be joining this so-called opportunity expedition."
Zhuge Jian frowned, "You—"
Nangong Huoyu gently tugged at Zhuge Jian's sleeve.
Giving her a questioning look, Zhuge Jian followed her gesture toward the spiritual fish as she tossed out some Fragment Spirit Stones, triggering another feeding frenzy.
Looking between the fish and Su Yuan, Zhuge Jian sighed, "I see. Having become a true disciple, you've lost your drive. Very well."
Su Yuan nearly rolled his eyes at the transparent attempt at provocation.
"Give me a strand of your hair," he suddenly requested.
"What for?" Zhuge Jian grew wary.
"Yours too," Su Yuan turned to Nangong Huoyu.
Without question, Nangong Huoyu neatly cut a lock of hair, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and handed it to Su Yuan.
Seeing this, Zhuge Jian reluctantly plucked several hairs and passed them over, "What are you planning?"
Su Yuan smiled mysteriously, "I know a divination technique I haven't practiced much. Feeling the itch to try it out with your hair as materials. This way, I can also determine whether you live or die in the future. Don't overthink it—just showing concern."
Zhuge Jian's eyelid twitched, but he still expressed surprise, "Divination technique? Where did you learn that?"
"That... I cannot say."
Su Yuan checked the sky, "Wait a moment."
Resigned, Zhuge Jian could only continue sipping his tea patiently.
During this time, Song Cai arrived to arrange items for Su Yuan's cave abode.
Song Qian, who managed the shop, also delivered goods several times.
The Song brothers quickly organized the cave abode—planting flowers, cleaning the space, repairing stone bricks, and arranging furniture.
Both worked diligently. Though Su Yuan didn't provide them many explicit benefits, the implicit advantages motivated them greatly. The simplest being their family, upon learning they'd attached themselves to a true disciple, immediately elevated their status to equal the family's Foundation Establishment consultants, increasing their resource allocation at least twentyfold while granting numerous sect privileges.
Truly, when one man achieves the dao, even his pets ascend to heaven—no empty saying.
Later, even top ten Inner Sect Competition participants came to congratulate Su Yuan on becoming a true disciple. Su Yuan received them all graciously, maintaining appropriate dignity.
Finally, night fell.
The moon climbed the branches.
Countless stars glittered in the sky, with the Big Dipper particularly brilliant.
Su Yuan had ascended to the highest point of his cave abode—a cliff where he'd prepared an altar.
Zhuge Jian and Nangong Huoyu observed from the side.
Su Yuan's violet robes fluttered, the faint purple glow on his garments lending him an air of profound mystery.
"Swords, arise!"
With a sleeve flourish, his sword case flew open, releasing seven flying swords that hovered around him.
Mystic Truth Qi flowed from Su Yuan's body, condensing into strands of starlight that gathered at the sword tips.
"Big Dipper Heaven-Deriving Formation!"
Guided by Su Yuan's spiritual sense, the seven swords ascended the platform, rapidly tracing mysterious lines across its surface. In moments, an intricate star chart materialized on the altar!
The seven swords inverted themselves at key positions, forming formation eyes that connected with the entire star chart, their power circulating mutually while their tips pointed skyward toward the Big Dipper constellation.
Zhuge Jian and Nangong Huoyu exchanged astonished glances—this operation far exceeded their expectations.
Su Yuan turned to them, "This divination will consume spirit stones. You'll cover the costs, yes?"
"Of course!" Zhuge Jian agreed immediately.
Nangong Huoyu nodded as well.
Su Yuan's expression relaxed slightly before sharpening in focus as the two hair samples floated to the formation's center.
His hand seals changed rapidly as spiritual sense flooded the formation and Mystic Truth Qi mobilized.
Most crucially, Su Yuan channeled his comprehended intents and the Power of Heaven and Earth!
Sharp Metal Intent, Fire Aspect, and Wood Aspect all merged into the seven supreme-grade flying swords, elevating the formation to unprecedented heights!
"Seven Stars Heaven-Deriving Secret Art! Metal connects, fire and wood follow! Seven Stars guide! Fortune and misfortune reveal! Formation, activate!"
Seven beams of starlight shot skyward from the seven sword formation eyes, piercing the clouds!
The seven brilliant light pillars were visible for miles!
Many elders on the main peak turned toward Su Yuan's cave abode in surprise.
Sect Master Gu glanced over, muttering, "What's Su Yuan up to now? He's even causing fluctuations in the sect's protective formation. This talent, really..."
After confirming nothing serious was happening, he paid no further attention—what could a mere Qi Refining cultivator possibly accomplish?
The starlight beams persisted for half an hour before finally connecting with the Big Dipper in the sky!
Sensing the connection, Su Yuan immediately began calculating with his right hand, divining the fortunes of Zhuge Jian and Nangong Huoyu's upcoming secret realm expedition.
Meanwhile, his left hand activated his ring, causing spirit stones to cascade into the formation like a waterfall. The stones combusted midair, transforming into raging spiritual energy streams that surged skyward—as if bargaining with the Big Dipper.
Zhuge Jian grew inexplicably nervous, his palms sweating slightly. Such divination secret arts were exceedingly rare in the world. Though the Seven Extremes Sect possessed similar techniques, few could master them. While amazed by Su Yuan's display, he feared unfavorable results.
His greater fear wasn't bad outcomes, but the typical diviners' inability to reveal heavenly secrets directly—often speaking in riddles requiring interpretation. Misinterpretation could backfire terribly!
Suddenly, the spiritual energy torrent ceased.
Su Yuan paled and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The blood evaporated instantly upon exposure, leaving Zhuge Jian stunned.
Nangong Huoyu quickly produced a recovery pill and tossed it to Su Yuan.
Catching it deftly, Su Yuan swallowed the pill and quickly regained healthy coloration.
"Damn, still too forced," Su Yuan lamented internally while shaking his head. "My cultivation's insufficient—probably need Nascent Soul to perform this completely."
Seeing Su Yuan shake his head, Zhuge Jian's heart clenched.
His voice trembled slightly, "S-Su Yuan, what's the situation?"
Su Yuan coughed lightly before calmly replying, "Fine, no internal injuries. Just some blood qi depletion—half an hour of recuperation will suffice!"
Zhuge Jian nearly choked—he hadn't been asking about Su Yuan's condition!
Still, he said, "We've troubled you greatly!"
Su Yuan waved it off, "No trouble. The divination results might not be entirely accurate—just take them as reference."
Zhuge Jian composed himself, preparing for the typical cryptic pronouncements.
Su Yuan declared, "When uncertain whether to go left or right, choose forward. When encountering a giant serpent, meet its gaze. When you feel completely safe, remember to use your life-preserving methods. That's all—three points."
Zhuge Jian blinked at Su Yuan's unusually straightforward advice. Though somewhat enigmatic, it was far clearer than the usual seven-character poems from other diviners!
"Isn't this too blunt?" Zhuge Jian couldn't help asking.
"Is bluntness bad?" Su Yuan feigned surprise. "Should I rephrase? 'When paths diverge unclear, march straight without fear. Serpent's gaze brings fortune bright, courage transforms dark to light. Calmest seas hide storms unseen, preservation saves when danger's keen!'"
Zhuge Jian: "..."
Nangong Huoyu: "..."
"Oh, one more thing," Su Yuan added cheerfully, his teeth gleaming white in the moonlight. "About the bill—that just cost 370,000 spirit stones. Will you be paying with contribution points or stones?"
Zhuge Jian's expression stiffened—he was certain the actual cost couldn't have exceeded a fraction of that amount.
However, he didn't protest. Three divination statements were already tremendously valuable.
Zhuge Jian paid up promptly.
Watching this, Su Yuan mentally slapped his thigh, "Rash! So rash! Didn't expect Zhuge Jian to be this rich! What a loss! Missed out on a fortune! Shouldn't have forced out that blood—wasted effort!"

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