Li Chang’an had promised Elder Hun that he would dismantle the Twelve Countries established by the Cultivators and return control of the Jiuzhou Continent to the hands of the Kyushu People.

Although Lu Shang was still a Child of Destiny, he had now become Li Chang’an’s deputy, responsible for helping him coordinate matters concerning the other eleven countries outside of Great Zhou. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

At first, Lu Shang had been extremely resistant to the idea.

After all, this was supposed to be the great work he himself had yet to complete.

But now, having seen that Li Chang’an practiced the *Soul Technique* with even greater skill than he, its creator, Lu Shang finally understood the gap between them.

Compared to Li Chang’an...

...the talent he once thought was unparalleled seemed like a complete joke. Nearly twenty years of his painstaking effort couldn’t match the results of Li Chang’an’s twenty days of practice.

It was utterly despairing.

’Elder Hun was right. Perhaps the other man really is better suited to end all of this.’

Hearing Li Chang’an’s taunts and ridicule, Lu Shang would have, just a few days ago, definitely sneered and traded a few barbs in return.

But now, upon hearing Li Chang’an say his use of Soul Fire was like a caveman’s, Lu Shang couldn’t even muster the will to argue back.

His confidence had taken a massive blow.

Seeing the utterly hopeless look on his face, Li Chang’an couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

’He had to admit, he’d never get tired of this trope of crushing a Child of Destiny into silent submission. There was a certain simple, unadorned beauty to a pure power differential.’

Finally managing to stifle his laughter, Li Chang’an looked at Lu Shang again and said seriously, "Kid, want me to give you a few pointers? I’ve always been a fair and generous man. Since I got your Cultivation Method, I’ll teach you a new one that I’ve modified and supplemented myself. We can consider the score between us settled. How about it?"

A flicker of interest appeared on Lu Shang’s face when he heard Li Chang’an’s offer.

’He was the creator of the *Soul Technique*; he should have been the one guiding Li Chang’an’s practice. But now, the roles were suddenly reversed. It felt like the world had turned upside down—a true case of Reversed Celestial Spirits.’

But he had seen Li Chang’an use Soul Fire with his own eyes.

Both the precision of his control and the sheer scale of the Soul Fire far surpassed his own.

Of course, while he was incredibly tempted...

...Lu Shang was too stubborn to admit it. After a long moment, he just snorted coldly and said, "As long as you fulfill Elder Hun’s wish, there’s no score between us that needs settling!"

Seeing his reaction, Li Chang’an didn’t press the issue. Instead, he said, "If that’s how you want to play it, then don’t blame me for spreading your *Soul Technique* around without giving you a heads-up!"

At these words...

...Lu Shang’s eyes went wide. He said furiously, "You promised me! You said you wouldn’t spread the *Soul Technique* without my permission. Are you going back on your word already?"

Li Chang’an shrugged. "I did promise not to spread the *Soul Technique*!"

"But now, I’ve modified your *Soul Technique* into the *Divine Soul Chapter* of my own *Martial Scripture*. What does me spreading the *Martial Scripture: Divine Soul Chapter* have to do with your *Soul Technique*?"

Lu Shang was trembling with rage. After a moment, he stammered, "You... you... you... How can you be so shameless? You think changing the name means it’s not copying?"

Li Chang’an laughed. "Changing the name could be an homage, an inspiration, a creative collision. It’s definitely not copying!"

He continued to tease him with a grin.

Seeing Lu Shang tremble, looking like he was on the verge of exploding...

...he finally stopped messing with him.

His expression turned serious. "That’s why I’m telling you, you’d better understand this clearly. Our opponents aren’t the Twelve Countries, but the Cultivators behind them. No one knows how powerful they truly are!"

"In a situation like this, to have a top-tier Cultivation Technique capable of contending with Cultivators and then hoard it for selfish reasons... for the Jiuzhou Continent, that’s just courting doom..."

As he spoke, he took a blank bamboo scroll from the carriage, wrote down both the *Martial Scripture* and the *Martial Scripture: Divine Soul Chapter*, and handed it directly to Lu Shang. "This is the Cultivation Method I created myself, along with the *Divine Soul Chapter* I compiled by modifying your *Soul Technique*," he said. "Take a look."

Lu Shang’s face was a mask of indignation. He felt that both he and Elder Hun had been played by Li Chang’an.

He couldn’t really be blamed.

Li Chang’an had left such a deep-seated, negative impression on him that whenever he looked at the man, he was convinced he was rotten to the core.

However, when he heard that both of these were Cultivation Techniques Li Chang’an had created himself...

...Lu Shang’s curiosity finally won out over his pride. Lips pursed, he took the *Martial Scripture* from Li Chang’an and began to read it intently.

The minutes ticked by.

Lu Shang was completely engrossed in the contents of the *Martial Scripture*. The more he read, the more astounded he became.

The *Martial Scripture* itself was already extraordinary.

The Cultivation Method focusing on the body’s acupoints, in particular, was a complete revelation.

But that wasn’t even the most unbelievable part. The most unbelievable part was that the *Martial Scripture: Divine Soul Chapter*—though clearly adapted from the *Soul Technique* he had created—was several times more complete and refined than his own original version!

Lu Shang read on, completely mesmerized.

Finally, he silently and carefully tucked the *Martial Scripture* away and said nothing more.

...

As they neared Kyoto, Li Chang’an had members of White Jade City come and escort Lu Shang away.

He, meanwhile, returned to the Imperial Palace alone.

He had barely been back in the Eastern Palace for a moment...

...when the white-haired Li Lin came rushing to his door. He looked at Li Chang’an and said, "The Old Ancestor has returned from his spiritual journey to the Immortal Realm! We must hurry to the Ancestral Court to greet him!"