Having swallowed a hard-boiled egg and finished a bowl of preserved egg and lean meat congee, Hua Yi became quite animated, declaring, "We've eaten all the preserved eggs at home! We won't have any more of this stuff to eat from now on!" "What's there to be excited about in that?" Ye Wen found it very strange; surely, this should be cause for sorrow! Soon, a delicious delicacy on Mount Shu would be gone.

Instead, Hua Yi pointed at Li Xiaoyao and said, "This way, Xiaoyao has another task assigned to him!"

Only then did Ye Wen understand the implication! And Li Xiaoyao was actually delighted, stating he would improve the hard-boiled egg recipe, turning it into a preserved egg, and making sure that during the cooking of the congee, the medicinal properties wouldn't dissipate but would instead merge with the rice porridge, making it easier for people to digest and absorb.

"Xiaoyao... you should be researching elixirs, not food!" Although Ye Wen desperately wanted to speak to Xiaoyao earnestly on this matter, hearing Li Xiaoyao’s reply, "It’s all food anyway, what’s the difference!" filled him with a sense of futility, and he immediately abandoned the idea.

After they finished eating, the disciples dispersed to attend to their own matters. Wei Hong took Liu Fushun to the Scripture Pavilion to begin the day's teaching duties. After the teaching concluded, Wei Hong would then guide Liu Fushun in cultivating the Qing Jian Mi Juan.

As the Chief Steward, Liu Fushun had served Wei Hong and possessed some rudimentary martial skills, though nothing profound. Now that he had obtained such an advanced cultivation method, without guidance from a truly skilled person, practicing it alone might lead to no significant achievement even if he practiced until his death.

Furthermore, to ensure Liu Fushun could successfully master the Qing Jian Mi Juan, Wei Hong even gave his own portion of the "hard-boiled egg" to Liu Fushun, moving the old eunuch to tears every morning while eating breakfast. This left everyone speechless, but thankfully, the old eunuch did not dine with them, thus sparing them the daily spectacle of an overly dramatic, soap opera-like scene.

After some time had passed, it was unclear whether it was due to Wei Hong's excellent instruction or the efficacy of the hard-boiled egg, but Liu Fushun finally managed to gain a foothold in the Qing Jian Mi Juan. What lay ahead would depend on how far he could progress on his own—in this area, even Wei Hong could offer limited assistance, at best offering oversight to ensure his close associate did not rush his cultivation and suffer a deviation of Qi.

Compared to Liu Fushun, things were much simpler for Steward Zhou, whose foundation was already excellent. Ye Wen inquired about Steward Zhou’s own practice of the Zhou Family Hundred Battles Heart Sutra, gaining a detailed understanding of every characteristic of the technique. Afterward, Ye Wen decisively selected the Absolute Domain for Steward Zhou to cultivate.

The Zhou Family Hundred Battles Heart Sutra was the unique core technique passed down in Steward Zhou's family. This method possessed formidable endurance and considerable explosive power. When used in a battle formation, its might was significant, but it demanded extremely high physical fitness from the practitioner. At first glance, it bore a resemblance to the Qing Long Yin of the Dongfang family.

However, the Zhou Family's technique was more suited for the battlefield and lacked any particularly distinct special effects, unlike the Qing Long Yin, which, upon activation, emitted a dragon's roar that could stir the souls of listeners.

Concurrently, the Zhou Family's Half-Moon Stance and the Azure Wolf Slaying Moon Saber Technique were also excellent saber methods. Ye Wen praised them after inspecting them, especially noticing that the power of these two techniques was not capped; if Steward Zhou’s cultivation base could advance further, these two sets of saber techniques could unleash even more formidable might.

To put it plainly, this was a set of saber techniques centered around the individual. The saber techniques themselves had no fixed upper limit to their power; how much strength could be exerted depended entirely on the user.

Moreover, when the Half-Moon Stance was executed, streaks of saber light resembled the crescent moon hanging high in the heavens, perfectly embodying both beauty and practicality.

In addition, Steward Zhou habitually used a straight saber, which is commonly known on Earth as the Tang Dao—the precursor or original form of the Japanese katana (though, with development, the Japanese sword and the Tang Dao gradually evolved distinct differences). Ye Wen possessed several of these weapons, having salvaged them from the Immortal Palace in the South Sea.

Because the Kunlun Sect Master had subdued many people from the Island Nations back then, he had a large collection of these items. However, few in the sect used them, so he only gave a counterfeit Qianben Sakura to Zhang Ling. Now, it seemed a suitable wielder had finally appeared.

However, Ye Wen was in no hurry to bestow a magical artifact upon Steward Zhou. After all, Steward Zhou had done nothing since joining Mount Shu, and giving him a magical artifact immediately would seem improper and might cause discontent among other disciples. Therefore, he decided to wait until Steward Zhou earned some merit before bestowing the artifact upon him.

Standing in the open training ground, Li Xiaoyao and Claire watched from the side. In the center, Chris and Wei Hong were both cultivating the Absolute Domain. Chris was cross-training in the Absolute Domain after reaching a certain level with his Seven-Colored Dou Qi, whereas Steward Zhou was starting from scratch.

Chris, having a strong foundation, progressed quickly in his cultivation. Moreover, having spent considerable time with Zheng Ying and Zhang Ling, he was well-versed in this particular technique, allowing him to effectively coach Steward Zhou’s practice.

Ye Wen stood nearby, primarily as a precaution. After all, Chris himself might reveal various issues at any moment, and Ye Wen was there to keep watch. However, based on observations over the past few days, he realized he wouldn't need to be overly cautious in the future. Although Chris was a man, he possessed a meticulous mind and was not naturally reckless; Ye Wen surmised he was unlikely to cause any major trouble.

If it were Claire or Tommy, he wouldn't be so certain!

For this very reason, until Chris confirmed that he could cultivate both powers simultaneously and merge them, Ye Wen would not permit those two to practice in the same manner.

As for Zheng Ying and Zhang Ling? Their primary task currently was learning artifact crafting. Ye Wen was already preparing to draft a relatively simple artifact design blueprint for the two of them to practice on—provided he could first complete the entire curriculum on artifact manufacturing, allowing him to present the design reasonably and boast, "It's just something I fiddled with in my spare time!"

Claire watched the two sparring and suddenly asked out of boredom, "By the way, I heard Steward Zhou was some high official. Just how high was he?"

"That..." Li Xiaoyao was also clueless about these matters and didn't know Steward Zhou’s standing in the imperial court. In the end, he directed his gaze toward Ye Wen.

Ye Wen did know, having casually learned about these things while chatting with Wei Hong: "Before resigning, Steward Zhou was the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard!"

"What position is that?" Claire still couldn't grasp what these titles meant.

Ye Wen considered for a moment and finally offered a rough comparison: "Roughly equivalent to a Military Region Commander!" Claire gasped. While she didn't fully understand ancient official titles, she certainly understood this very modern designation—the highest commander of a military region was a general-level officer! She hadn't expected this unassuming old man to have such a significant background.

"Additionally, after Steward Zhou retired from office and returned home, Wei Hong bestowed upon him the honorary title of Grand Commandant!" Ye Wen had learned of this during a casual conversation when Wei Hong had teased Steward Zhou with it. It was then that Ye Wen realized that in the Nine Provinces world, the position of Grand Commandant was no longer one of real power, mostly serving as an honorary title conferred upon meritorious retired officials—a mere empty title, perhaps granting slightly better pension benefits.

"What does that mean?"

"It's equivalent to posthumously awarding the title of Marshal!" In ancient times, the Grand Commandant, at its peak, was a high official overseeing all military affairs. But because the authority was too vast, its power was gradually eroded, until the Wei family took power, by which time it had become a purely nominal title.

However, the title of Marshal was still quite impressive. Claire now dared not look down on this inconspicuous old man, which was also related to her upbringing. Furthermore, having worked in law enforcement after coming of age, she naturally had more familiarity with such matters.

What about Li Xiaoyao? He didn't care if you were a Marshal or an Emperor; as long as you were one of their own! What? Not one of them? Then it depended on whether you were an enemy. If an enemy, just squash them flat with one strike, regardless of their identity!

After observing for a while longer and offering some guidance on Steward Zhou’s cultivation, Ye Wen left the training grounds and resumed his daily wandering. This time, however, he did not linger in the front areas but instead headed toward the back mountain.

Although the architecture of Mount Shu had multiplied over decades of development, expanding the complex's range, due to the original design, this back mountain retained its original appearance and had not been covered by structures.

Of course, given Mount Shu’s original trajectory of growth, the inner court might soon be re-planned, demolished, and relocated further into the back mountain. But because of Ye Wen’s return and subsequent actions, these efforts were no longer necessary—Mount Shu would probably not recruit disciples on a large scale anymore. In the future, they might only take in young individuals who were compatible or exceptionally gifted, perhaps adding only a few people over decades or centuries. Currently, Mount Shu still had plenty of empty space, enough to accommodate several hundred more people. Thus, no large construction projects were needed.

Ye Wen was quite satisfied with this situation; preserving more of Mount Shu’s original appearance suited his sensibilities better, as it retained the air of immortal cultivation.

"If Mount Shu were rebuilt to look like a space fortress... it would certainly be imposing, but it would lack the ethereal quality of immortals!" Ye Wen recalled a rare dream he had the previous night. In the dream, Ye Wen stood atop a completely transformed, mechanical Mount Shu, laughing wildly as he faced the wind.

Mount Shu flew forward furiously, ignoring the numerous immortals attempting to stop it, rushing straight outside the gates of the Heavenly Court. Then, Ye Wen waved his hand, and the entire Mount Shu transformed into a gigantic mechanical warrior. The arms formed a colossal main cannon, and after a brilliant flash of light, nothing remained.

Upon waking, Ye Wen was puzzled as to why he would dream of such a thing. Perhaps his contemplation of building things had driven him to obsession? While bewildered, he also found it amusing, yet he felt absolutely no desire for such a scenario to actually come to pass.

Setting aside whether the Heavenly Court would truly be reduced to rubble after a single shot, such an act would probably mean Mount Shu could no longer remain in the Immortal Realm. They would have to flee into the cosmos in their flying vessel, leaving behind a terrifying legend to be recounted by future generations—and perhaps cursed as well.

After indulging in these whimsical thoughts for a moment, Ye Wen noticed his pet Garfield leisurely strolling about. Its not-so-long tail was held high, and its round little head was tilted upward—perhaps this habit stemmed from its small stature, always remaining the size of a kitten, forcing it to look up at everything.

"Garfield!"

Upon being called, the small cat turned to look at Ye Wen, raised a front paw in a wave, and gave a soft "meow" as a greeting!

"..."

Although Ye Wen had witnessed this scene more than once, he still found it exceedingly odd.

"Where did that lazy bear go?"

When the kitten heard its master ask about his friend, it pointed vaguely with the raised front paw, then let out another "meow!" as an answer.

Following the direction Garfield pointed, Ye Wen looked over and saw that the kitten was pointing directly at the floating mountain he had arranged for Li Xuan a few days prior.

However, that small mountain was no longer recognizable from how it looked just days ago. It had originally boasted quite a bit of flora and grass, but all of it was now gone.

The mountain was covered in a thick layer of snow and exuded an intimidating cold aura. The entire peak seemed to have transformed into a snowy ridge, and even the adjacent floating stone platforms serving as bridges were piled with snow.

Ye Wen was stunned upon seeing this. He hadn't expected Li Xuan's cultivation practice to create such a dramatic effect. Although the mountain was small, its area and volume were considerable, including a quite spacious flat region—otherwise, it couldn't accommodate residents, could it? If this mountain were dumped into the sea, it would make a fine resort island. He hadn't anticipated that Li Xuan's practice would transform the environment of the entire mountain so thoroughly.

It was only autumn in the Immortal Realm, yet the island was like the deepest part of winter, or perhaps even colder than the deep winter! Such a place was not conducive to living. While this scene reminded Ye Wen of the Changbai Immortal Realm where he had lived for a long time, he held no particular nostalgia for that environment.

And yet, in this very place, one creature seemed exceptionally delighted.

The white bear, which had inexplicably come to the Immortal Realm with Ye Wen and the others, had been unable to adapt to the overly temperate environment, lying around listlessly day after day. Even so, it felt uncomfortably hot. Now, seeing the snow made it ecstatic; it frolicked in the snow, occasionally rolling over, showing none of the solemn grandeur of a giant bear.

"It looks... like a dog..."

Ye Wen was speechless concerning this shameless and self-unaware white bear. However, he was very intrigued by Li Xuan, who could alter the environment of an entire small mountain.

"Has Li Xuan succeeded with this display? Or is he close to success?"

With such a massive upheaval, Ye Wen would have thoroughly scorned Li Xuan if he had ultimately produced nothing. But Li Xuan did not give him the chance. Just as Ye Wen was speculating, the cold aura on the small mountain suddenly receded. In that instant, Ye Wen had the illusion that even time had frozen and paused for a moment. Subsequently, a far more biting cold air erupted from the floating mountain. The snowflakes blowing from the peak almost turned this entire region into winter. This exaggerated spectacle immediately made Ye Wen realize: Li Xuan had succeeded!

A figure leaped down from the small mountain, trailing behind a sheet of crystal-clear, icy cold energy that shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight. Then, after a pivot in mid-air, the figure drifted lightly toward Ye Wen.

In the blink of an eye, a figure descended slowly from the sky. Li Xuan reappeared before Ye Wen.

Ye Wen looked up and noticed that Li Xuan was still the same Li Xuan—the countless wrinkles etched on his forehead and his hair, white as snow, all indicated that Li Xuan had not yet crossed the threshold of an Earth Immortal.

Yet, the Li Xuan before him was not the same one who had just arrived in the Immortal Realm. Although Li Xuan's body was still old, a faint, crystal-clear radiance pulsed beneath his aged skin, making him look like a translucent block of ice.

This single detail confirmed Li Xuan's success. He had discovered a method to temper his physical body and had initially mastered it. At the very least, Li Xuan’s current physical condition was much stronger than it had been a few months ago, allowing him to unleash his formidable cultivation power fully without worrying about his body being unable to withstand it.

"Congratulations, Sect Leader Li!" Seeing that Li Xuan had truly managed to create such a cultivation method, Ye Wen felt deeply impressed! After all, Li Xuan was different from Ye Wen. Ye Wen had the Qian Kun Mian Ti as a blueprint; his task was merely to prune and modify an existing technique—not to make it more complex or powerful, but simpler.

Li Xuan, however, had created an entirely new set of cultivation mantras from thin air, one that not only had to meet the requirements Ye Wen had laid out but also align with the characteristics of his own cultivation method. This was no small feat!

Ye Wen wouldn't have found it strange if Li Xuan had spent two or three years in seclusion. He hadn't expected Li Xuan to succeed so quickly—only a few months?

"Are there so many geniuses in this world?"

To his surprise, Li Xuan shook his head and replied, "I actually discovered it by chance. My sect's Ice Soul Cold Art inherently possesses a set of formulas for tempering the physical body, but those sections of the mantra were discarded by previous generations! I merely retrieved what was once cast aside."

Ye Wen paused, surprised by this twist of events. He felt a touch of curiosity but refrained from prying, as it involved another sect's profound art.

Fortunately, Li Xuan had no intention of concealing it. He simply explained, "I learned this only after stepping down as Sect Leader, by examining our sect's historical records. The records stated that the Ice Soul Cold Art originally came with a set of mantras for the Ice Soul Cold Body, but successive generations found it too difficult to focus energy on both practices simultaneously—it was easy for neither to reach profound heights, so they abandoned it to focus solely on the Ice Soul Cold Art!" "Furthermore, even if the Ice Soul Cold Body was practiced, it didn't seem to offer any exceptional benefits, so this method faded away. I was simply fortunate enough to find some fragmented mantras within a vast collection of historical scrolls and have spent this time piecing those fragments together."

Though he spoke lightly of it, Ye Wen still considered Li Xuan remarkable for being able to master the technique from just scattered phrases. If Li Xuan had the complete set of mantras, would he already be an Earth Immortal?

However, hearing this, Ye Wen became curious: Is the Ice Soul Cold Art, perhaps like the Phoenix Nirvana Fire Art, an immortal-grade cultivation method? And how did these two martial arts spread to the mortal realm?