Chapter 3

When Li Yunran emerged from the cultivation chamber, he saw his little daughter squatting there like a round ball of meat, lost in deep thought as if pondering the mysteries of life once again.

When someone suddenly scooped her up from behind, Li Mengze was not surprised—everyone in this household enjoyed ambushing her, but she’d gotten used to it by now. Still, as a woman with the mental age of someone in her thirties, being picked up all the time was always a bit uncomfortable. Yet, in the body of a child no more than four or five, she often felt tired and had no choice but to accept this treatment.

Li Mengze had never borne a child herself, but she had plenty of young cousins and nephews at home. No matter how she compared it, both in constitution and appearance, children from the cultivation world were leagues ahead of mortals. Take herself, for instance—even when she was dubbed the “Superwoman of Strength” in her previous life, there were many big soup ladles she couldn’t lift. But now, with her small frame, she could probably raise a stone weighing fifteen or sixteen pounds without trouble.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?” Li Yunran asked his clever and well-behaved daughter. This child had always been quiet, yet her curiosity was boundless. Even when he and her mother secluded themselves in cultivation for three to five months at a time, she rarely made a fuss like other children. Still, she was always eager to go outside, never considering that with her little body, if someone snatched her away, who would he and her mother cry to?

“Daddy, when Uncle comes, will I go to Kunlun with him? When will I be able to return?” Even raising a kitten or puppy over time would bring attachment, let alone a child like Li Mengze, who had been carefully nurtured and loved for five years. She was Li Yunran and his wife’s only daughter, and likely there would be no more children in the future. The affection and care invested were beyond ordinary; Li Mengze was no block of wood—how could she feel nothing? She’d already accepted in her heart that she was living a new life as someone else’s daughter, and so she truly could not bear to leave her new parents.

Pinching his precious daughter’s little nose, Li Yunran laughed. “Of course you’ll come back. But until you reach Foundation Establishment, only your uncle can bring you back, or your mother and I can visit you. Once you reach Foundation Establishment, you can come and go as you please.”

Fearing she didn’t understand what Foundation Establishment meant, he added, “My precious daughter is certainly gifted. It’ll only be a few years—your mother and I will often visit you. It’s just like our seclusion, which can last a long time. Haven’t you already gotten used to that?”

For a dual spiritual root, entering the Qi Refining stage usually took one or two months, and reaching Foundation Establishment could be done in about ten years if one was quick. Both he and his wife had dual spiritual roots, and since their roots overlapped, their daughter was most likely the same. Over the years, they’d given her the best of everything, so she’d be a cut above most with similar roots. She’d likely reach Foundation Establishment at fifteen or sixteen, and by then, he and her mother could rest easy.

A few days later, while Li Mengze was stretching her little legs and practicing flexibility, she was suddenly swept up into the air. She turned to look and—wow—what a handsome man!

She thought it must be another one of her father’s Daoist friends. Li Mengze obediently wrapped her arms around the handsome man’s neck and asked, “Uncle, are you here to see my father?”

Li Yunzhan looked down at the tender, soft, and fragrant little girl in his arms, and a surge of affection washed over him. Even though he’d only seen her once before in the five years since her birth, their blood bond was undeniable.

Perhaps she was his only blood relative left in this world.

As soon as Li Yunzhan arrived, both Li Yunran and his wife sensed his presence. But since he was family, they didn’t worry—after all, no one would run off with their little girl.

Li Yunzhan was something of an oddity in the Li family—a sword cultivator with a pure metal spiritual root among a family of spellcasters, who reached Nascent Soul in under five hundred years, surpassing even his elder brother. Fortunately, the Li family’s greatest virtue was optimism; they all walked their own paths, heedless of what others said.

Li Yunzhan did not linger long at the Li home—just two days before he was ready to depart.

A Nascent Soul cultivator no longer needed external aids to fly; covering a thousand miles took but the blink of an eye.

Li Mengze clung to her uncle, waving her tiny hand to bid her parents farewell. “Mother, don’t worry. Your daughter is surely a peerless genius. As soon as I reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll come see you. Go ahead and enter seclusion—when you come out, you’ll see me again.” Her childish voice, earnest and soft, was rather amusing. But for the parting, her parents might have burst out laughing.

Oh, my dear daughter, you must know—even for a genius like your uncle, it took eight years to reach Foundation Establishment, and that was with more than a few strokes of good fortune.

Li Mengze didn’t know what they were thinking. Otherwise, she would have wrinkled her little nose and retorted, “In that book ‘The Heavenly Immortal’s Match,’ your daughter was hailed as a genius in the first ten years—single fire root, blessed with endless opportunities, reached Foundation Establishment in less than eight years, and formed a core within a hundred. Unfortunately, things went awry later on. Her pure-hearted master died unexpectedly, the white lotus was absorbed into Kunlun, and amidst a group of sturdy heroines, a Lin Daiyu appeared—instantly treasured by those ignorant male cultivators, showered with resources. Yet, whether from a scheming nature or later corruption, this girl couldn’t bear to see those naturally gifted prodigies thrive. As a true second-generation cultivator, Li Mengze became her target. At the height of Foundation Establishment, this white lotus did something that left a flaw in her mental state. Though she successfully formed her core, her lifespan was halved. To break through to Spirit Severing within five hundred years was simply impossible.

And so, the latter half of that novel never mentioned the once dazzling Sword Peak Senior Sister of Kunlun again. Even if she didn’t perish, her fate wouldn’t have been much better.

Reborn into such a person, Li Mengze didn’t know whether to feel fortunate or sad. On the bright side, she’d never have to light a fire for cooking again. On the other hand, for decades to come, she’d have to guard against a white lotus-level backstabber.

Master Yanlong, Li Yunzhan, held his little niece carefully in his arms. She was so delicate and soft—he’d never taken anyone along for teleportation before, let alone such a tiny thing, not even as long as his sword. If a gust of wind blew too hard, she’d be gone. He had to be extra cautious.

Juxian Town sat at the foot of Kunlun Mountain. In the blink of an eye, Li Mengze found herself in a new place.

Although Master Yanlong was steady by nature, he was eager to learn his niece’s spiritual root. Seeing that she was well—clinging to his lapel, peering out from his embrace with rosy cheeks—he led her straight to the main Kunlun peak. There stood a massive spirit-testing stone, rarely used except by those especially confident in their child’s potential, for the stone’s reaction was simply too dramatic.

Li Mengze’s little mouth opened in awe, her face burrowing nervously into her uncle’s arms, too scared to look at the blazing fire shooting up from the stone. Uncle, you’re making quite a spectacle—does Grandpa know about this?

As the flames shot skyward, figures flickered from every peak of Kunlun.

“You there, come with me! I’ll take you as my personal disciple, and from today on, you’ll have endless cultivation resources at your disposal!” With that, a young man, whose age belied his position, landed before them.

Li Mengze couldn’t discern his cultivation level, but the moment he appeared, her uncle’s body tensed. Clearly, this was not someone to trifle with.

She took full advantage of her young age, clinging to Master Yanlong and tugging at his robes, burying herself completely. If you can’t see me, talk to my uncle instead.

The newcomer was one of Kunlun’s Grand Elders. Ordinarily, a single fire spiritual root, though rare, would not warrant a Spirit Severing master to come vying for a disciple. But this particular Elder Gengwei was an eccentric—he loved taking in disciples, only to abandon their training to his chief disciple, the Peak Master of Taiyi Peak. His reputation as a master was notorious throughout Kunlun; no one could match him for unreliability. This was his own niece, not some stray—how could he possibly hand her over to such a person?

Still, the fact that his niece had a single fire spiritual root left Li Yunzhan both delighted and surprised. In the cultivation world, it was known that the metal root suited swordsmen, the wood root was perfect for spiritual herbists, and the fire root was the favored choice for alchemists. His little niece’s secondary cultivation path was now set—besides swordsmanship, she’d need an alchemy master. So this was the so-called “debt of children”—he hadn’t even had children of his own, and already he was feeling its weight.

Li Yunzhan was not one for subtlety—his refusal was blunt: “She’s my niece. Why would she go to your peak? Will you care for her more than I will?”

Elder Gengwei’s face did not change, but he ground his teeth inwardly. This boy! Such a blatant slap in the face, and with words that left no room for argument. In the cultivation world, blood ties weren’t as heavily regarded as in the mortal realm—except in rare cases. If someone had a blood relative, that person became the treasure of the family’s elders, and unless absolutely necessary, no one would hand such a child to another family for apprenticeship.

The spectacle caused by Li Mengze’s spirit test was not missed by others, but everyone guessed this must be the descendant of a fellow sect member. They were curious enough to watch, but no one harbored thoughts of stealing her away.