Chapter 24: Retrieving the Artifact, Ming Qi Emerges from Seclusion

Chapter 24: Claiming the Artifact — Ming Qi Leaves Seclusion

The young man in white had a handsome, delicate face, yet his tone felt ancient and world-worn.

"Fellow Daoist, you've finally arrived."

A faint smile touched his lips, his youthful, gentle features composed and unhurried: "This old man has been waiting a long while."

As his words fell, he raised a hand and waved lightly. A deep green streak of light shot out, looped gracefully through the air, and hovered to a stop.

Ling Xuance reached out to receive it. The rattan whip felt warm and weighty in his hand, supple yet resilient, its aura gentle and approachable. He suddenly exerted force at the wrist, unleashing the full force of his peak late-Nascent Soul cultivation in a single strike!

A violent gust swept through the chamber, spiritual energy roiling and churning, the whip's fierce crack shattering the surrounding silence!

Yet within the rattan body, dense, radiant golden Buddhist scriptures suddenly blazed into view. The Buddha's light was warm and vast, firmly sealing away all that violent spiritual power.

The rattan whip was completely unharmed—not a single scratch.

Not only that—the immense Buddhist resonance flowed back along the whip, counterbalancing the heavy, oppressive pressure, and wrapped around Ling Xuance.

Ling Xuance's heart gave a slight jolt, a deep satisfaction welling up in his eyes. Defense-heavy, offense-light—it fit Lin Yu's needs perfectly.

He eased his power, let the whip droop, and reined in his spiritual energy before speaking sincerely: "Thank you, Master, for your painstaking work. This junior is truly grateful."

The man in white's expression was calm and unruffled, speaking flatly: "Paid work, done as duty demands. No need for thanks."

Seeing this, Ling Xuance said no more. After confirming the artifact had no hidden flaws, he turned and took his leave.

The steward of Thousand Forge Workshop bowed and escorted him out the entire way, with the utmost deference, until they reached the street outside, where he stopped, clasped his hands, and watched him leave, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

Leaving the bustling heart of the forging town, Ling Xuance found a quiet, deserted bluestone alley. Once he confirmed he was alone, he opened the small world.

Ling Xuance raised his hand and handed the thousand-year ancient rattan soft whip to Lin Yu.

"This is a weapon forged just for you. It's similar to your innate vine, so you can use it to hide your natural gift later on. Come, I'll teach you how to blood-bond it."

Lin Yu nodded docilely, following Ling Xuance's instructions. A crimson bead of blood formed at his fingertip and dripped onto the whip.

The crimson mark was instantly absorbed into the whip's grain, and the deep green whip immediately glowed with a soft, warm green light.

Following that, a ring of emerald vine patterns appeared on the inside of the youth's slender, pale wrist—fine and interwoven, like natural tattoos, the soul mark of the artifact's blood-bond.

Lin Yu gave a slight mental nudge, and the green mark gave a faint flash. The whip in his hand vanished instantly; with another thought, it settled firmly back into his palm.

"It actually works." Joy lit up his eyes.

Ling Xuance reached out and gently tousled his hair, his eyes full of grave warning: "The secret realm is a mixed bag of people. If it truly comes down to the worst, be sure to use this whip to hide your innate spirit vine."

Lin Yu nodded hard, committing it to memory: "Got it, Brother Che."

The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly paused, startled, a hint of surprise flickering across his brows as he let out a soft exclamation.

"What's wrong?" Ling Xuance immediately leaned in to ask.

Lin Yu furrowed his faint brows, earnestly sensing the changes within his dantian.

"I don't know... there's a clump of green light in my dantian now."

Ling Xuance's expression turned serious at this. He raised his hand and pressed it against the youth's lower abdomen where the dantian lay, sending his thick, gentle spiritual power inside to meticulously probe the anomaly.

After a moment, his taut brows gradually relaxed, and he explained: "No problem—it's a good thing."

"This ancient vine has already nurtured a nascent spiritual consciousness. Artifacts capable of generating their own spirit are exceedingly rare in this world. It sensed your innate spirit vine, found itself naturally attuned to your soul, and has now merged and coexisted with the sapling in your dantian."

Lin Yu found this novel and closed his eyes, focusing his mind to perceive the changes within his dantian.

Among the lush, verdant spirit trees, that warm, gentle green light drifted softly, seemingly possessed of intelligence. It carefully brushed against the branches of the spirit tree, nestling close in quiet affection.

Truly feeling this closeness, a faint blush crept across Lin Yu's fair cheeks—it felt extraordinarily wondrous.

He slowly opened his eyes, lifted his gaze to the man before him, and suddenly grew curious.

"Brother Che, does your Dark Moon Sword also have a spiritual consciousness?"

Ling Xuance nodded slightly: "Mm, it does."

"I want to see it." Lin Yu's eyes were full of curiosity.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ling Xuance gently took the youth's hand and placed it over his dantian, speaking softly: "Release your spiritual sense and try to perceive it."

Lin Yu did as instructed, his spiritual sense gently probing inward.

The next instant, he clearly perceived that Ling Xuance's dantian was vast and profound. At its very center sat a miniature figure bearing an identical likeness to Ling Xuance, seated in meditation—the Nascent Soul condensed by a cultivator.

And in a far corner of the dantian, a clump of piercing, icy white light floated silently, its edge sharp and cold.

The Nascent Soul sat unmoving; the white light stood isolated in its corner—as clearly divided as strangers who would rather die than interact, with not a trace of closeness or bond between them.

Lin Yu withdrew his spiritual sense, his clear eyes filled with confusion.

He looked up at Ling Xuance, his tone carrying both bewilderment and a hint of indignation on the other's behalf.

"Why doesn't the sword spirit of the Dark Moon Sword get close to you?"

Brother Che was so good—why, why didn't it like him!

Seeing the youth feeling wronged for him, Ling Xuance let out a low chuckle and reached out to smooth the furrowed brows.

"Silly A Yu, it's fine."

"Once an artifact nurtures a spiritual consciousness, it gains its own heart and preferences. Whether it draws close or not is a matter of its own whim. As long as it doesn't betray me or oppose me, whether it likes me or not doesn't matter."

Lin Yu nodded with a semblance of understanding.

"Since we're already in the town, would you like to look around?" Ling Xuance asked softly.

The Lin Yu of today had long shed his former extreme timidity. Though he still disliked crowds and noise, and was tucked inside the small world, curiosity stirred within him, and he nodded lightly.

Ling Xuance stepped out of the small world and strolled leisurely, while his spiritual sense softly introduced the various forging ores along the street.

The stalls on both sides of the street dazzled with goods—firelight and spiritual energy interwoven, countless rare materials beyond number.

As they passed a remote stall, Lin Yu's gaze landed on a roll of translucent, lustrous, thin, and supple mermaid gauze displayed there.

"Brother Che, can I have this?" he asked softly.

Ling Xuance followed his gaze, recognized the item's origin at a glance, and immediately understood Lin Yu's intention.

Jiao Silk, a top-tier water-element treasure, is so tough that ordinary magic weapons can barely scratch it. It amplifies water-element spiritual power and reinforces protective barriers.

Ling Xuance stepped forward, about to ask the price and buy it, but the middle-aged stall keeper shook his head before he could speak.

The man wore a coarse cloth garment covered in patches, his fingertips thick with calluses, and a faint, battle-worn sword aura hung about him—clearly a sword cultivator who had spent years in grueling training.

"Friend, no need to ask the price. I'm not selling it—only trading." The man's voice was hoarse and weary. "I'm looking for just one thing: do you happen to have a spiritual herb that can heal damage to a wood-element cultivation base?"

Ling Xuance frowned slightly.

"Something that can stabilize the foundation and restore a damaged cultivation base would be ideal." Deep worry and desperate hope flickered in the man's eyes.

When he finished speaking, Lin Yu felt a stir in his heart.

His inner realm contained countless spiritual materials, carefully nurtured over the years, and he had amassed a huge stockpile of rare herbs.

After a brief deliberation, he retrieved two potent herbs for stabilizing the cultivation base, hesitated, then added two glossy, full spiritual lotus seeds.

"Brother Che, these should do."

Ling Xuance didn't know much about herbs, but he could sense the pure spiritual energy radiating from them. He handed the herbs and lotus seeds to the middle-aged sword cultivator.

"Will these be enough?"

The middle-aged man's gaze snapped to the herbs and lotus seeds. His pupils suddenly shrank, and his eyes lit up brilliantly. His hands trembling, he stepped forward, eyes instantly welling up.

"That's enough! More than enough!" His voice choked with emotion.

This Root-Solidifying Herb specialized in treating a failing cultivation foundation, and these spiritual lotus seeds—they were something you'd be lucky to ever come across!

Having appraised spiritual herbs for half his lifetime, he knew full well how precious these items were.

This deal was a total loss for the other side.

The man held out the Jiao Silk with both hands in a respectful gesture, his voice full of sincerity: "Thank you, friend! With these, my wife can be saved!"

He started to kneel and kowtow in thanks.

Ling Xuance raised a hand, using spiritual power to gently lift him back upright.

"We each got what we needed. No need to thank me."

Lin Yu looked at the weathered man, sensed the cracked, unstable Golden Core inside him, and felt a tug at his heart.

Remembering how Ling Xuance's own foundation had once been damaged, compassion rose in him. He took out a crystal jade bottle filled with a spiritual herbal essence he had refined—mild and rich in nature, perfect for healing old damage to a Golden Core.

"Brother Che, give this to him too." Lin Yu spoke softly.

Ling Xuance always went along with what he wanted.

"This is spiritual essence refined by my dao companion. Take it as a gift."

The middle-aged man took the jade bottle. The moment his fingertip lifted the stopper, the warm, pure medicinal energy soothed the restless, damaged Golden Core inside him.

He froze in place, staring blankly at the jade bottle in his hand. Years of pent-up despair and hopelessness flooded out, and he sobbed: "Such kindness... I can never repay it..."

He looked up to ask their names, but the street was empty—they were already gone without a trace. Only the evening breeze stirred the stall, leaving a faint wisp of spiritual energy behind.

After leaving the town streets and ascending into the empty sky, Lin Yu spoke softly, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Brother Che, that man's aura felt different from ours. Weird."

Ling Xuance strode through the air, his spiritual sense active as he answered softly: "You sensed right. He carries traces of demonic energy."

"D-demonic energy?" Lin Yu's eyes widened slightly, and he instinctively covered his mouth. "Is he a demon?"

"No." Ling Xuance shook his head lightly, explaining patiently: "He's human. He's just spent years around demons and slowly absorbed their aura. From the traces, his wife is probably a demon."

"The cultivation world and the demon realm have always been cut off from each other. Demons rarely set foot in the human world, and most cultivators go their whole lives without meeting one—so of course no one recognizes demonic energy. When I was young, I once strayed into the edge of the demon realm and saw one by accident."

Lin Yu nodded. He'd been in the cultivation world this long, and this was the first time he'd truly learned demons existed. It felt new and strange.

Ling Xuance traveled day and night and soon returned to the Taiyi Sect.

As soon as he got back, he went straight to Lian Hua Peak to deliver the Jiao Silk.

On Lian Hua Peak, Jin Ling was packing her bags for the secret realm expedition. Hearing that Ling Xuance had arrived, she hurried out to greet him.

"This is from A Yu for you." Ling Xuance handed over the Jiao Silk, speaking succinctly: "Wear it close to your body. You'll need it in the secret realm."

Jin Ling was stunned for a moment, then warmth flooded her heart. Just yesterday she'd been sulking, swearing she'd never bring her little martial uncle snacks again.

Her heart felt both sour and sweet, and her eyes curved into a smile.

"Little martial uncle still thinks of me."

Ling Xuance nodded slightly and added a warning: "This secret realm trip will be dangerous. Be careful in everything—don't act rashly or rush in blindly."

"I know! Thanks for the reminder, martial uncle!" Jin Ling answered seriously.

Just then, a disciple hurried over to ask about the expedition's departure plans.

Ling Xuance didn't stay longer. He turned and headed back to Xuan Yue Peak to rest.

Two days flew by, and the day the secret realm opened arrived as planned.

On the sect plaza, all the disciples had gathered. The expedition was led by Sword Peak's master, Elder Ling Yang, who was at the early Nascent Soul stage.

The team was split into two squads led by Jin Ling and Yun Yan, with twenty disciples total.

At the back of the crowd, Ming Qi stood silently in a corner, his aura dark and withdrawn, completely out of place among the energetic disciples around him.

He'd been in closed-door cultivation for years, but not only had his cultivation not advanced at all, his mind had grown restless and stifled, nearly breeding a serious inner demon.

If the Sect Master hadn't noticed something was wrong and forced him out, his seclusion would definitely have damaged his dao heart.