"Correct!" Liu Changdie's expression grew complicated as he said softly, "The technique I cultivate is the [Dao Profound Continuance Divine Scripture]. I obtained it from the cave dwelling of a fallen high-level cultivator. It reaches the sixth grade and is accompanied by spiritual qi known as [Profound Locking Dao Metal Qi]. It is born from [Profound Dao Stored Metal] under the Supreme Yang's illumination. Not only is it extinct today, it had already vanished even in the Middle-Age!

"At the time, I had never seen anything so extraordinary. I seized the technique at once and regarded it as a supreme treasure. After cultivating it, its power remained completely restrained. No one could see anything unusual. To ordinary people, I merely appeared to have a decent Immortal Foundation...

"I was young then and could not discern my own Dao. I only knew it was high-grade and valuable, so I dared not reveal it. I used another Immortal Foundation name as a cover, spent heavily to purchase several corresponding dharma artifacts, and from then on relied on them for all techniques, pretending to follow a different Dao...

"I remained cautious for many years, all the way until I broke through to the Purple Mansion Realm..."

He continued in a low voice, "Ximing, do you know of the two metals beyond the Three Metals?"

Li Ximing's heart jolted. Everyone knew of the Three Metals: Geng, Dui, and Xiao. As for the other two, the Li Family did not know much, but neither were they completely ignorant. When Li Zhouwei had visited Li Qinghong at the Thunder Pool, this matter had been mentioned.

Li Qinghong's status was special, and she could no longer meet members of the Li Family freely. However, Li Zhouwei had later relayed her words to him, Back then, the True Monarch of the Wang Family took away Unified Metal, which was one of the Two Metals. These two Daos have been severed for many years. They are difficult to cultivate and impossible to verify. Over the past thousand years, those who reached the Purple Mansion Realm through these Daos could be counted on one hand. All were prodigies who mistakenly entered this dead end and perished in the early stages of the Purple Mansion Realm!

Li Ximing stood there in a daze and said, "You cultivate [Unified Metal]?!"

The moment Li Ximing spoke the words [Unified Metal], it was clear he was taken by surprise. Liu Changdie was briefly stunned, then shook his head with a sigh. "Ximing, you are well-informed. It seems you know quite a bit... Though I do not cultivate [Unified Metal], I practice one of the Two Metals as well, [Stored Metal]."

"[Stored Metal]..."

Li Ximing was filled with indescribable emotion. Fuxun, standing nearby, sighed silently, clearly having known this long ago. He turned his head aside and said nothing. After a brief silence, Li Ximing asked, "Could it be that the inheritance you obtained back then... only contained this single divine ability?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Liu Changdie nodded and said softly, "Indeed, and it goes far beyond that... In today's world, even the Foundation Establishment Realm methods for the Two Metals are harder to find than ordinary Purple Mansion Realm techniques of standard Dao lineages!"

Li Ximing frowned deeply and asked, "How could it come to this..."

Liu Changdie let out a long sigh as he replied, "Because by the time the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao first came into being, the Two Metals could no longer be cultivated. Which Dao lineage would bother to study a Dao that cannot be practiced at all? At most, a few unwilling to give up would try to modify it. How could such things be preserved through time?"

At this point, he could no longer remain calm. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Thinking back now, how could relics from before the Middle-Age have such simple formations? How could someone like me have obtained them so easily? This was a scheme. I do not know whose scheme it was, but what a grand and imposing one!"

Li Ximing froze for a moment, then everything became clear to him.

He must have obtained some opportunity, perhaps like Lingyanzi back then, tied to some extraordinary existence. That made it difficult to interfere directly. Acting against him would be inappropriate, yet they also feared potential consequences...

So they created a so-called remnant of a predecessor, left behind treasures extremely valuable for Embryonic Breathing and Qi Cultivation Realms, and dropped a portion of the [Stored Metal] technique as bait to test him openly!

Indeed, even someone as mild-tempered as Liu Changdie could not help but speak coldly now, "This portion of the technique follows a Dao already severed. Let alone core disciples, even ordinary Purple Mansion Realm cultivators do not know of it... They might even think it extremely valuable. How could a mere Embryonic Breathing Realm or Qi Cultivation Realm minor cultivator possibly refuse it?

"Afraid I would not take the bait, they even presented such a high-grade technique. [Profound Locking Dao Metal Qi] is also something born continuously from [Profound Dao Stored Metal] under sunlight. For those who have it, it is endless. For those who do not, it is as precious as the heavens...

At this point, he suddenly stopped speaking. Both of them were very young Purple Mansion Realm cultivators. Even someone like Li Ximing, who had little ambition, still harbored thoughts of crossing the Purple Mansion Threshold. How could he accept having only a single divine ability in this lifetime? The bitterness in his heart was hard to express.

Only Fuxun could not bear to watch and said with a sigh, "There is always a way forward. If no one has succeeded in a thousand years, perhaps the key lies with you... Do not be so pessimistic..."

The group had already returned to Xipo Kingdom as they spoke. They settled in the same pavilion from before. Night had fallen, and the surroundings glowed with five-colored brilliance.

Fuxun poured wine for Liu Changdie. The man drank it in one gulp and said in a low voice, "You do not understand. The fall of countless prodigies over a thousand years did not happen without reason... I cultivate the [Dao Profound Continuance Divine Scripture] and have gained some opportunities along the way. Now that I possess Purple Mansion Realm divine ability, I can sense the Unified and Stored Metals. Only then did I come to understand certain truths."

"The two Daos of Unified and Storage already had occupants in their positions. Those two True Monarchs left early for the Outer Heavens. Not everyone possesses the magnanimity of Tianwu, who allowed successors to ascend. These two instead sought to preserve their Fruition Attainment, so that if something unforeseen occurred in the Outer Heavens, they might return through rebirth. Thus, the two True Monarchs activated their methods together and linked their Fruition Attainments...

"Metal Virtue has three known virtues, Geng, Xiao, and Dui. The remaining two are the Two Metals. Unified Metal is the metal that gathers and stores, while Stored Metal is the metal that is stored. The two True Monarchs merged their Fruition Attainments, drawing each other into Dao Fruits. They actually stored the Fruition Attainment of Stored Metal within that of Unified Metal, as if it were an object!

"And so it is done. The stored metal is contained, and the storing metal completes its storage. Locked and bound together, they form the [Unified-Stored Interlocking Seal]. Who can attain it? Who can attain it? It is as difficult as ascending to the heavens!

"To speak frankly, after the [Unified-Stored Interlocking Seal] was formed, it became far more insurmountable than a severed Dao. It cannot even be converted away. Anyone seeking Dao attainment must not only secure their position, but must, by their own strength, separate the intertwined Fruition Seats of these two Daos, something even True Monarchs have failed to undo for thousands of years."

He let out a somewhat mocking laugh.

"As for how difficult it is, there is no need for me to explain."

Liu Changdie truly lived up to being someone with great opportunities. He regarded both the human and the demonic creature as his closest companions, and now that he had revealed all these secrets in one breath, both Li Ximing and Fuxun were left so shaken they could not speak.

Only after Liu Changdie drank several cups in succession and emptied an entire pot did Fuxun finally sigh and say, "I have always heard that there are Three Metals in this world, and took it as a given. I never imagined the crux lay here!"

Having vented, Liu Changdie gradually calmed down. With a self-deprecating smile, he said, "I no longer wish to return to Jiangnan... Still, the divine ability of [Stored Metal] has many wondrous uses and can often help Ximing. What I have cultivated is [Treasury Beam Silver]. Leaving other things aside, opening certain formation vaults or nurturing stores of golden quintessence... none of that is a problem.

"I have no family. Even if I once did... they have long since passed. After wandering this world for a hundred years, I stand alone. My path is severed, and I carry only trouble with me. I cannot serve at your command, but if you need to make use of certain abilities, come to me."

Li Ximing could only offer quiet words of comfort, sighing inwardly for him. He knew Liu Changdie would never return to Jiangnan. He abandoned his earlier thought of asking him to examine the [Zhaoguang Profound Purple Spirit Formation] and simply said, "You two wait here. I will make a trip back to Jiangnan."

Fuxun was naturally full of anticipation. He escorted Li Ximing out of Xipo Kingdom, then returned on the wind. Seeing Liu Changdie still drinking in the pavilion, he could not help but sigh. "It is rare to see you speak so much!"

Liu Changdie merely shook his head. Only after Li Ximing had left did he finally let his emotions show, his eyes filled with loss and unease as he said, "In this life, I achieved divine ability and gained five hundred years... yet I cannot return home, and all my kin and friends are gone. If Ximing had not reached the Purple Mansion Realm, I would have remained at this far end of the world, dealing with demonic creatures until old age and death..."

He only spoke half of what he felt. In his heart, he thought of the rich and fulfilling hundred years of his previous life, with children by his side. After a long while, he finally said, "This divine ability... is indeed a heavy price to pay!"

Fuxun poured him another cup of wine. Instead of sorrow, he smiled and said, "Is that not so? For the sake of divine ability, I would dig my father's heart out of his corpse to refine pills. Not just refine it, I would consume the rest as well. What more needs to be said of anything else?

"The fact that you can think this way today may well be because your Dao is severed. Otherwise, why would you compare at all? The Dao, divine ability, Fruition Attainment... these are things of immense weight, heavier than anything else in the world!"

————

Great void.

A brilliant Radiant Light condensed into the size of a person, streaking through the great void like a shooting meteor. It left behind only a faint, barely perceptible trail of flame. But within that light, a fist-sized apricot bird soared.

After leaving Xipo Kingdom, Li Ximing traveled through the great void. As he moved, he raised his hand and summoned the [Red Pheasant Surging Radiant Flame]. Watching the fist-sized bird settle in his palm, he stirred his thoughts and linked it with his spiritual sense. A faint trace of excitement flowed back to him.

"It truly is full of spirituality..."

With just a glance, he quickly gained a clear sense of it.

If I use the [Red Pheasant Surging Radiant Flame] to cast techniques and generate fire arts, I will not need to split my attention. It already possesses a basic level of intelligence, though it cannot be considered true spiritual sense... It cannot cultivate techniques on its own...

As for burning away baleful forces, it will be quite useful. If I had possessed the [Red Pheasant Surging Radiant Flame] when I fought Helian Wujiang earlier, I would not have needed to take the [Qilin Radiance Illumination Pill]. A single sweep of this flame would have sufficed.

With [Valley Wind Leading Fire] granting him exceptional control over flames, Li Ximing quickly formed a plan.

Since it is highly spiritual, I should choose Radiant Fire spell arts that can persist over time. Once cast, I can leave the remaining control to the [Red Pheasant Surging Radiant Flame] and immediately move on to other spells...

With a flick of his hand, the red bird formed by the [Red Pheasant Surging Radiant Flame] vanished. He brought two fingers together and held them upright before him. Instantly, two clusters of spiritual flames rose at his fingertips.

They were none other than the [Red Pheasant Surging Radiant Flame] and the [Profound Fire of the Three Phases' Guard]. Spiritual flames were rare, yet they were often overbearing. It was not unheard of for someone to possess two, but the Fire Virtues were not fully compatible. To unleash a qualitative transformation in battle required immense mastery.

However, True Fire and Radiant Fire were closely related. As he gradually activated [Valley Wind Leading Fire], the two flames began to rotate and intertwine, responding to one another. Li Ximing's eyes lit up. He immediately closed them and examined the sensation carefully.

After a long while, he pondered inwardly, [True Fire] and [Radiant Fire] truly complement each other. Otherwise, how could that great demonic beast of True Fire have written those words... There must be a crucial key within this...

Li Ximing was not completely ignorant of True Fire and Radiant Fire, but his understanding was still rather shallow.

Using a single fire against an enemy was straightforward, differing only in its effects and the strength of one's mana. But when True Fire and Radiant Fire were used together, their interactions created countless variations. Against different divine abilities, different opponents, and different weaknesses, the balance and intensity between the two fires had to be adjusted accordingly. Achieving maximum power required not only adaptability but also extremely high mastery.

But Li Ximing possessed [Valley Wind Leading Fire]. His control over fire had reached an exquisite and near-limitless level. He did not need deep mastery to judge. Given a bit of time, he could simply test combinations and refine them step by step. Looking at the two spiritual flames at his fingertips, he began to think, If that is the case... I do not need to overthink it. As long as, in battle, both fires land on the enemy's body, or they use a single dharma artifact or divine ability to resist both at once, I can use [Valley Wind Leading Fire] to finely control the two fires continuously and unleash devastating damage.