Leng Mei cast an indifferent gaze upon Xu Changshou, a suffocating spiritual pressure bearing down upon him like a mountain.

"I wish to see what makes him so extraordinary! You, raise your head!"

"Master, please do not. Do not blame Brother Changshou."

Panic gripped Li Ling'er. Only now did she realize she had misspoken, drawing Leng Mei’s dark ire toward Xu Changshou.

Xu Changshou slowly raised his head, though he dared not meet Leng Mei's eyes. He spoke with an even tone: "Reporting to Ancestor, this disciple is wholly unremarkable. Before Martial Uncle Li entered the Sect, this disciple merely sheltered her for a time. Later, it was also this disciple who guided Martial Uncle Li into our ranks. Martial Uncle Li bears gratitude toward this disciple, hence..."

Leaving his sentence unfinished, Xu Changshou fell silent.

His words were exquisitely crafted, highlighting his past role as Li Ling'er's guide.

He had ushered her through the gates of the immortal Sect, earning her karmic gratitude.

The suffocating pressure upon him noticeably receded. Leng Mei shifted her gaze to Li Daotu: "Martial Nephew Li, are the boy's words true?"

Li Daotu cupped his fists, his expression solemn: "Reporting to Martial Aunt Leng, this matter is absolutely true. Changshou was indeed Ling'er's guide on the Dao."

In this moment, Li Daotu naturally shielded Xu Changshou.

"So that is how it is!"

Dawning comprehension flashed across Leng Mei's features.

Young and entirely ignorant of the Dao, Li Ling'er had anchored herself to her guide, Xu Changshou. She did not comprehend that he was merely a Miscellaneous Disciple, his status as distant from hers as the mud from the heavens.

Had he not served as her guide, their paths would never have crossed in this lifetime.

"Ling'er, come here!"

Leng Mei took Li Ling'er by the hand, drawing her close with a gentle tone: "Once you enter Taiyi Peak, you shall forge new bonds. You may forget this person. He is but a Miscellaneous Disciple; the two of you belong to entirely different worlds."

"No!"

Li Ling'er shook her head with fierce stubbornness: "Master, I will absolutely never forget Brother Changshou. Brother Changshou treats me the best..."

Leng Mei’s brow furrowed: "Nonsense. Having bowed to my tutelage, he must address you as Martial Uncle. From this day forth, you are forbidden from calling him brother!"

"But, he is Brother Changshou..."

"Ling'er, hold your tongue."

Li Ling'er opened her mouth to argue, but Li Daotu immediately barked an order to stop.

Li Ling'er pouted her lips: "Great-grandfather, why won't you let me call him Brother Changshou?"

Li Daotu rebuked her sternly: "A nation is bound by laws, and a clan by rules. You have bowed to Martial Aunt Leng; in the hierarchy of the Sect, you are Changshou's Martial Uncle. You must not subvert the ancient hierarchy."

"Hmph!"

Li Ling'er scoffed, turning her head away in a fit of childish pique, refusing to look at anyone.

"Alright, alright!"

Leng Mei smiled faintly, stroking Li Ling'er's hair in appeasement: "Ling'er, if you wish to call him brother, then so be it."

To placate her precious disciple, Leng Mei was forced to yield half a step.

She keenly understood that in Li Ling'er's innocent eyes, even a Golden Core almighty might hold less weight than this lowly Miscellaneous Disciple.

She had to humor the girl. If Li Ling'er truly harbored resentment and a rift formed between master and disciple, the consequences would be dire.

In Leng Mei's lofty view, Xu Changshou was but a fleeting shadow in Li Ling'er's long life. As she aged and her cultivation inevitably eclipsed his, Li Ling'er would naturally cast this Miscellaneous Disciple aside without a single word of prompting.

"Truly? Thank you, Master!"

Li Ling'er’s face instantly bloomed into a radiant smile: "Master, does this mean I can visit Brother Changshou to play?"

"Ah..."

Leng Mei pondered for a brief moment before decreeing: "I shall permit you to meet once every three months."

The girl was still fiercely tethered to Xu Changshou. Severing their bond completely would inevitably breed demons in her heart and stunt her cultivation progress.

A meeting every three months would suffice; the chasm of time and status would naturally erode their connection.

"Only once every three months!" Li Ling'er pouted, severely dissatisfied with this meager allowance.

Leng Mei chuckled softly: "Ling'er, when you walk further along the Dao, you will understand your master's painstaking intentions. The day will come when you yourself look upon this Miscellaneous Disciple with disdain."

"Never!"

Li Ling'er shook her head, declaring with absolute conviction: "I will never despise Brother Changshou. Never ever."

Hearing those words, a flicker of profound complexity crossed Xu Changshou's face.

The chasm in their cultivation realms would only widen into an unbridgeable abyss. Would she truly never look down upon him?

Thinking this, Xu Changshou shook his head inwardly. He did not even believe it himself. Once Li Ling'er became a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator, how could she possibly trail behind him like a shadow, calling him 'Brother Changshou'?

"As you wish. Junior Brother, proceed with the apprenticeship ceremony."

Leng Mei gave a subtle shake of her head, her gaze tinged with mockery at the girl's mortal naivete.

Huang Tianlang rose with a booming laugh: "Martial Niece Ling'er, quickly serve tea to your master."

"Master, please drink this tea!"

"Excellent, excellent! My good disciple!"

"The rites are complete. Give thanks to your master!"

The tea offered, Li Ling'er kowtowed deeply to Leng Mei once more.

"Ling'er, this Low Grade Magical Artifact, the Hunyuan Ribbon, shall be my introductory gift to you."

Leng Mei tapped her Storage Bag, and a three-chi crimson silk ribbon floated gracefully into Li Ling'er's waiting hands.

"Thank you, Master."

"We leave!"

With a sweep of her wide sleeves, Leng Mei swept Li Ling'er up, tearing through the air into the firmament.

Such was the terrifying might of a Golden Core Grand Cultivator. Bypassing the need for Sword Riding, she commanded the very void to take flight.

Watching Leng Mei's silhouette vanish into the sea of clouds, Xu Changshou fiercely clenched his fists within his sleeves: Leng Mei, when this penniless Daoist condenses a Golden Core, the humiliation suffered today shall be repaid in blood!

In that fleeting instant, the killing intent in Xu Changshou's eyes crystallized into an unbreakable Dao heart.

He would not only achieve Foundation Establishment, but he would forge a flawless Golden Core.

Even if his bones were ground to ash and his soul scattered, he would carve his path forward.

"Martial Nephew Li, congratulations! I have matters of the Dao to attend to and shall not linger."

"Junior Brother Li, until karmic winds reunite us."

"Junior Brother Li, farewell!"

Huang Tianlang and the remaining elders spilled into the courtyard, summoning their flying swords to streak across the heavens like shooting stars.

The crowd dispersed.

Xu Changshou retreated to his desolate courtyard and instantly entered strict Secluded Cultivation.

After two and a half months of Secluded Cultivation, Xu Changshou emerged from seclusion, secured a leave of absence from Li Daotu, and journeyed straight toward Pingyang Market.

Two thousand li west of the Green Immortal Sect lay a minor trading hub, forged through the uneasy alliance between the Green Immortal Sect and the Joyous Union Sect.

Known as Pingyang Market, it served not merely as a bazaar for cultivators, but as an immortal waystation. Moored within its bounds were massive, swift long-distance flying boats capable of traversing the vast void to distant Sects.

Such monumental flying boats were strictly forbidden within the borders of the Green Immortal Sect itself.

Indeed, no Sect in the sweeping wastelands possessed the sheer hubris to anchor an inter-sect flying boat at their own gates.

The risk of annihilation was too immense.

Should a rival faction commandeer a swift long-distance flying boat for a sudden siege, the defending Sect would be slaughtered before the protective arrays could even awaken.

Thus, bound by the iron laws of survival, Sects invariably positioned these aerial behemoths at least a thousand li from their core territories.

Situated in close geographic proximity, the Green Immortal Sect and the Joyous Union Sect shared jurisdiction over a single flying boat route, splitting the astronomical spiritual wealth it yielded down the middle.

During the bloody foundation of Pingyang Market, the two towering Sects had waged brutal skirmishes in pursuit of maximum profit.

Order now reigned over Pingyang Market, though it was a fragile peace. Disciples of the two factions frequently clashed in lethal duels over resources.

By unspoken decree, the bloodshed was restricted to the younger generation. The ancient monsters stayed their hands; at most, a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator might intervene to suppress the chaos.

Though killing intent constantly simmered beneath the surface, the carnage remained tightly leashed, preserving a hollow illusion of harmony while daggers were drawn in the shadows.