Chapter 232 – Li Zixuan Exits Seclusion, Secret Edict From the Imperial Capital Family!

Jianghai Martial Arts Academy.

Dusk had arrived.

The sky was ablaze with brilliant sunset clouds as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Wind blew from afar, sweeping past the stone chamber at the Back Mountain. The birch forest rustled and surged, accentuating the quiet desolation…

Elder Li and Lin Mofeng stood beside the birch forest, eagerly waiting.

“Teacher, last night there was unusual Sword Qi activity from the Back Mountain. Calculating the time, Xuan Xuan should be emerging from seclusion soon.”

Lin Mofeng leaned against a birch tree. “Why is there still no movement?”

“Don’t worry, remain calm. Have faith in your Shimei.”

Elder Li stood with his hands behind his back several meters from the stone door, appearing composed with the demeanor of an enlightened master, though his palms were drenched in sweat.

Internally, he was utterly panicked.

One must understand.

Breaking through beyond the Innate Realm was extremely difficult, akin to scaling the heavens.

Before Li Zixuan entered seclusion,

Elder Li had privately estimated that she was roughly at the early to mid-stage of the Innate Realm. If her seclusion succeeded, she might directly advance to the late stage, touching the threshold of Grandmaster!

A realm he had spent most of his life striving to achieve.

Now, Li Zixuan had accomplished it at such a young age…

“The younger generation surpasses the old…”

Elder Li shook his head with a sigh, feeling somewhat bittersweet. “Being accepted as a disciple under the Sword God was truly Xuan Xuan’s destined fortune—a great opportunity that is hard to come by.”

“Yes, Shimei is exceptionally talented.”

Lin Mofeng rubbed his hands together, somewhat nervously saying, “And last night’s sword resonance came at just the right time. For her, wasn’t it also an opportunity?”

As he spoke, he looked at Elder Li. “Not having seen her these past few days, I’m really curious to see how far Shimei has progressed.”

“Relax! Keep an ordinary heart about it.”

Elder Li said solemnly, waving his hand with an air of nonchalance.

After speaking,

He straightened the wrinkled corner of his clothes, then smoothed the hair at his temples, maintaining the elegant demeanor of the older generation.

“…”

Lin Mofeng fell silent.

He glanced at Elder Li’s Tang suit beside him—immaculate, strikingly new, even the hair at his temples meticulously groomed.

Clearly, it was all carefully planned!

And this is called an ordinary heart?

Who was it that got up at the crack of dawn, put on their finest formal attire, and came straight to wait outside the stone chamber, ignoring even the news of last night’s sword resonance?

Completely devoted to waiting for Shimei to emerge from seclusion…

And you have the nerve to tell me to relax?

“Teacher, really…”

Lin Mofeng thought to himself, both amused and exasperated, but he couldn’t bring himself to expose it, so he redirected his attention to the stone door.

Just as his thoughts wandered,

The afterglow of the setting sun at the horizon dimmed.

Suddenly!

Hum!

The Array Formation on the stone door faintly cracked.

A thread of Sword Qi effortlessly pierced through the formation!

The heavy stone door shattered with a roar, turning into dust and dissipating. Li Zixuan, dressed in plain clothes with a graceful figure, slowly stepped out. Her cool countenance reflected the moonlight, her beauty absolute.

“She’s here…”

Lin Mofeng quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in salute. “Congratulations, Shimei, on your successful breakthrough.”

“Xuan Xuan, congratulations!”

Elder Li also stepped forward to offer his felicitations, smiling with relief. “I didn’t expect you to emerge from seclusion so quickly. The younger generation surpasses the old, indeed…”

As his words fell,

Li Zixuan turned her head blankly, looking at the two before her, and nodded faintly.

“Mm, thank you, Senior Brother and Teacher, for your kindness. It was merely by chance.”

Her eyes were cool and calm, as if her emotions had faded, and even her speech felt detached, like a cold, sharp sword exuding an aura that kept others at a distance.There are still too many matters to attend to.

Consolidating her cultivation, eliminating the Heretical Cultists… Time was too pressing, leaving no room for social niceties.

In a daze, Li Zixuan suddenly understood why her master and senior brother had chosen to live in seclusion for cultivation.

“Teacher, Senior Brother Lin, if there’s nothing else… I should return to consolidate my realm…”

“Hmm…”

As her voice faded, Elder Li and the others nodded in understanding. It was only natural that Li Zixuan, having just emerged from seclusion, needed to stabilize her condition.

After exchanging brief pleasantries, she left the Back Mountain alone, frowning in contemplation as she walked solitary toward home.

Leaving only Elder Li and Lin Mofeng standing in place.

“That girl Xuan Xuan… seems more withdrawn than before,” Elder Li sighed as he watched her receding figure, transmitting his voice to Lin Mofeng. “It appears the Sword God’s death has affected her more severely than anticipated. Who knows when she’ll recover from this.”

“Indeed, the impact is significant. But teacher… isn’t this also a form of tempering?” Lin Mofeng shook his head, comforting in a low voice. “If you think carefully, hasn’t Shimei’s cultivation path been too smooth? She’s barely encountered any bottlenecks.”

“Oh?” Elder Li frowned upon hearing this, carefully recalling before showing a trace of realization. “That does seem true. After becoming the Sword God’s disciple, Xuan Xuan crossed cultivation thresholds far too easily… Mo Feng, are you concerned about how this affects her mental state?”

“Exactly, that’s precisely what I mean,” Lin Mofeng nodded. “Life isn’t meant to be smooth sailing. Only through experiencing both favorable and adverse circumstances can one reach truly higher realms. Previously, Shimei progressed too smoothly. The Sword God Senior’s death now serves as her trial.”

“True, but this foolish girl is also pitiful…” Elder Li sighed. “Who knows how she’ll react when she learns the Arrow God is her Martial Uncle… Ah…”

“Well, teacher, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Shimei in the coming days.” Lin Mofeng changed the subject, also sighing. “I must leave Jianghai tomorrow, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to guide her anymore.””

“You’re leaving?” Elder Li was startled, instinctively asking: “Where to?”

“Returning to the Imperial Capital,” Lin Mofeng replied. “I’ve delayed in Jianghai too long these days. There are matters requiring my attention back there. My apologies…”

“Is that so? Well, you’ve been away long enough—it is time to return.” Elder Li showed emotion. During the critical Beast Tide battle, had Lin Mofeng not intervened as a Grandmaster, the Star Beasts would have likely breached the city walls long ago. This goodwill deserved to be celebrated by all citizens regardless.

“Teacher, rest assured. If anything changes in Jianghai City in the future, just call me directly.” Lin Mofeng and Elder Li walked along the shaded path, speaking slowly. “No matter where I am, I’ll surely travel thousands of miles to return and contribute my modest strength to Jianghai City.”

“Good, Mo Feng, you’re truly thoughtful.” Elder Li smiled upon hearing this. “You may return with peace of mind. Now that the Beast Tide has been quelled and those Heretical Cultists have successively fallen to the Sword God Senior’s disciples, Jianghai has become completely peaceful…”

After these words fell, Lin Mofeng pondered for a moment.

“…Let’s hope so.”

Actually, there were still some things he hadn’t mentioned.

The main reason for urgently returning to the Imperial Capital this time was largely due to receiving a secret letter from the family, ordering him to return immediately.

There was no time to delay!

Previously, he had repeatedly postponed his return to deal with the Beast Tide, which had already caused great dissatisfaction within the family.

If he continued to delay any further, they would likely send someone to capture him and directly confine him.

“But… why exactly?”

Lin Mofeng frowned in thought.

He found it somewhat hard to understand.

When the family’s letter first arrived, he had thought it was due to the Beast Tide and the Heretical Cultists, and that the family was concerned about his personal safety.

But the problem was…

Now that both major threats had disappeared…

Why was the family… urging him even more urgently?

“Strange.”

Lin Mofeng looked at the traffic flowing down the street ahead, feeling a sudden increase in pressure, as if a storm was brewing.

The family had extensive sources of information and access to a wide range of news, far beyond what he could piece together through mere speculation.

Only by returning to the Imperial Capital could he fully unravel this mystery.

……

……

Fuhai District.

At home.

Dinnertime.

Today’s dishes were relatively light: water spinach, cold soybean sprouts, scrambled eggs with tomatoes… Qin Yang and Xiaobai sat facing each other at the dining table, scrolling through their phones, each watching short videos to accompany their meal.

“Master, this servant is full. Please take your time eating!”

Xiaobai, holding her small bowl, jumped down from the high chair, clattered to the kitchen to wash the dishes, and then plopped back onto the sofa.

She had even managed to put on a pair of glasses somewhere, pretending to be studious as she lay on the sofa, swinging her fair, lotus-root-like legs, and opened her phone to study something…

Completely absorbed!

“Why aren’t you playing games today?”

Qin Yang, seeing this, laughed and said, “It’s normal for you to play games after a meal to relax. Feel free to play.”

“No way! This Fairy has other things to do~~”

Xiaobai hummed excitedly, swiping through her phone screen and checking her shopping cart.

Over the past few days, she had watched many review videos and learned a lot, bringing her one step closer to becoming a professional game booster. She was committed to loving the work she did.

She was already thinking about configuring a higher-spec computer.

A few minutes later.

She got up and trotted over to Qin Yang’s side.

“Master, can this servant discuss something with you?”

Xiaobai shook his arm, acting coquettishly. “Do me a favor, please….”

“What is it? Tell me first.”

Qin Yang remained unhurried, picking up some water spinach and putting it in his mouth. “We’ll talk after you tell me.”

“Well… it’s just…”

Xiaobai lowered her head, tapping her fingers. “This Fairy plans to configure a computer…”

“You want to configure a computer?”

Hearing this, Qin Yang glanced at Xiaobai and frowned. “Didn’t I already give you a phone?”

“The phone isn’t quite enough.”

Xiaobai shook her head like a rattle-drum, hugging her phone and opening the online shopping page to show Qin Yang. “Master, this servant wants this one. Buy it for me, please…. Anyway, there hasn’t been much going on in the city lately.”

“Let me see.”

Qin Yang glanced at the price.

Around five thousand.

Since being promoted to Manager, he had been enjoying a leisurely life and wasn’t short on money. He didn’t mind letting Xiaobai do as she pleased.

Getting her a computer…

Would save her from pestering him in the future. Actually, it wasn’t a bad idea.

Thinking this.

Qin Yang put his phone on the sofa and leisurely headed downstairs.

“Place the order yourself with your phone. I have things to do later, so don’t come downstairs to disturb me.”

“Okay, Master!”

………

A short while later.The Courtyard was bathed in the gentle moonlight, its silver glow spilling across the ground.

Qin Yang found an open space and sat cross-legged on the ground, then summoned his Alchemy furnace while checking the materials Li Qinghe had given him.

He was preparing for Alchemy.

“For Xia He’s wedding, I should at least give something as a token of my regards.”

Although Xia He had said it was just a formality—no need for expensive gifts, his presence alone would suffice—Qin Yang reconsidered.

Just a formality?

“Then I’ll simply make it a modest gesture.”

………

(End of Chapter)