A Pawn's Passage

A lakeside courtyard stood outside Jinling Prefecture, remote and seldom visited.

This courtyard belonged to the Fengxian Hall, warded with formations specifically meant to confine and investigate high-ranking Daoists of special status.

Li Changge resided here during his period of investigation. Apart from being unable to leave the courtyard, he faced no other restrictions. He could wander the grounds, read, play music, write, or paint. After all, no one believed the Junior Imperial Preceptor would take his own life.

At present, the courtyard was under Yao Pei’s authority. To legitimize her role in the investigation, her post was adjusted to Deputy Hall Master of Fengxian Hall, transferred from her former position as Assistant Palace Master at the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. It was a lateral move that required no additional merit.

As usual, Yao Pei visited the courtyard daily, holding a battle report from Fenglin.

After her identity was verified by the Spirit Guards, Yao Pei soon met Li Changge.

Though suspended from duties, Li Changge still carried the grace befitting of his nickname.

The two sat across a table. Yao Pei placed the battle report on the desk and pushed it toward Li Changge.

Li Changge picked it up and read it but said nothing.

“Any thoughts?” Yao Pei asked, her tone softer and more human than before.

Instead of answering directly, Li Changge said, “Daoist Yao, if I hadn’t injured you back at Wuxing Mountain, would we not be making our mark on the Fenglin battlefield right now?”

“Perhaps.” Yao Pei did not give a definite reply. “Had I not needed time to recover, I wouldn’t have missed the Fenglin campaign. Then someone else would be handling your review now.”

Li Changge set down the report. “Zhang Juquan’s case has been settled. At most, I can be detained for seven more days on a charge of negligence.”

Yao Pei replied, “The word ‘detained’ is a bit heavy. We are merely asking you to remain in designated times and places to cooperate with the inquiry.”

“With only the two of us here, there’s no point in quibbling over words, is there?” Li Changge leaned back in his chair. “Daoist Yao, you came here today with a Fenglin battle report. What’s your true intent? It’s best to speak plainly.”

Yao Pei said, “Qing Xiao and Tian Yuan are winning repeated victories in Fenglin, while you’re stuck here cooperating with the investigation. Don’t you wish to return to the battlefield sooner?”

Li Changge did not hide his thoughts. “Of course, I wish to. Daoist Yao, will you let me off this once?”

Yao Pei replied, “Letting you go is also letting myself go. As you said, you can only be kept for seven more days at most for a negligence charge over a prisoner’s suicide, and you cannot be convicted. You’ll likely just get a demerit. As the person in charge of this review, I have the authority to reduce the remaining seven days to two, or even one, so you may return to Fenglin early. That way, I too may be free of this duty. Perhaps we’ll even travel aboard the same ship.”

“I injured you at Wuxing Mountain. Surely, you won’t be nice to me for nothing. So why don’t you state your condition?” Li Changge smiled faintly.

Yao Pei said, “Since you’ve mentioned the battle at Wuxing Mountain, then I’ll be straightforward. I’m very curious. What is truly different about a manmade Banished Immortal? You don’t have to answer. I won’t force you.”

“There’s nothing worth hiding,” Li Changge replied. “The manmade Banished Immortal is the greatest achievement of the outer elixir faction. The key is the Longevity Stone Heart. This much is already known, so there’s nothing new to reveal. I assume you want to know the differences between a manmade Banished Immortal and a natural-born Banished Immortal.

“I can tell you clearly that the two are not the same. If they were, there would be no need to distinguish between them. As you already know, the Rogue Cultivator lineage arose as a byproduct of the failed creation project to mass-produce Banished Immortals through human effort. Thus, being a Rogue Cultivator is the foundation to becoming a manmade Banished Immortal.

“The cultivation level of the Rogue Cultivator lineage determines the ceiling of all other lineages. Take myself for instance. My Rogue Cultivator lineage is at the Xiaoyao stage, so the maximum level of my other lineages is also the Xiaoyao stage.”

Yao Pei could have learned of the manmade Banished Immortal through other channels, yet it was nothing compared to hearing the firsthand account of someone who bore the Longevity Stone Heart.

Yao Pei asked, “I have a question. Suppose your Martial Arts Practitioner lineage is only at the Guizhen stage, while your Rogue Cultivator lineage is at the Xiaoyao stage. When you use your Martial Arts Practitioner lineage, is it at the Guizhen stage or Xiaoyao stage?”

Li Changge answered without reservation, “It’s the Xiaoyao stage. As I’ve said before, the Rogue Cultivator lineage is the true core and the main lineage. All other lineages manifest their strength according to the Rogue Cultivator lineage. So, even if my Martial Arts Practitioner lineage is only at the Guizhen stage, I can still exert the power of the Xiaoyao stage.

“However, if the Martial Arts Practitioner lineage is only at the Guizhen stage, I won’t have the body spirits of a Xiaoyao-stage Martial Arts Practitioner even though I can exert the blood qi and fist intention of the Xiaoyao stage. I can only gain body spirits after I’ve reached the Xiaoyao stage of the Martial Arts Practitioner lineage. The same holds true for later stages.

“Furthermore, this effect, where all five lineages align with the Rogue Cultivator’s cultivation level, only manifests after attaining the Five Elements Origin Realm of Banished Immortals. With all five lineages complete, they can transform into one another and use those in excess to fill what is lacking. Before this point, each lineage stands apart and can’t align with the Rogue Cultivator main lineage. If I’m not mistaken, Tian Yuan has already gathered all five lineages and attained this divine ability.”

Yao Pei said thoughtfully, “I understand now. The Rogue Cultivator lineage is your true foundation, and the levels of your other lineages merely affect which mystical abilities you can wield.”

Li Changge nodded. “That’s right. The Rogue Cultivator lineage is the only one that cannot be directly elevated by the Xuan Jade.”

“Directly?” Yao Pei asked in doubt.

Li Changge explained, “But the Rogue Cultivator still benefits indirectly from the Xuan Jade because the Xuan Jade still elevates the levels of the other lineages. Since the Rogue Cultivator lineage incorporates all the other lineages, the rise of any lineage affects it and increases the Rogue Cultivator’s cultivation level. That’s why my cultivation level rises when I absorb a Xuan Jade.”

Yao Pei asked again, “With the Li family’s power, you should have all the Xuan Jades you could ever want. Why haven’t you reached the Wuliang stage yet?”

“Because it takes a while to digest these Xuan Jades,” Li Changge replied. “I absorbed five pieces of Xuan Jade at once, so I must digest all five simultaneously. Since all five lineages must advance together, it’s inevitably slower. Until they’re fully digested, I cannot absorb more, and hence why I cannot reach the Wuliang stage yet. Tian Yuan, however, takes in one piece after another. His five lineages are uneven, so he always has extra space to digest, allowing him to keep absorbing more. That’s why it’s only natural that he reaches the Wuliang stage earlier.

“But once I finish digesting those five, I’ll free up five slots at once and can then absorb five more simultaneously. At that point, I will surpass Tian Yuan.”

“I see,” Yao Pei murmured, finally gaining a more intuitive grasp of the manmade Banished Immortal.

She finally asked, “So it seems the manmade Banished Immortal is far stronger than a natural-born one?”

Li Changge answered calmly, “The manmade Banished Immortal has fixed gains and flaws, everything is set in stone, unlike the limitless potential of a natural-born Banished Immortal. It may appear as if we possess the Banished Immortal lineage, but only its true essence, Joyous Cloud Shield, and Tribulation Substitute. However, a natural-born Banished Immortal is capable of much more than that. Your true strength lies in your unmatched learning ability. Where others struggle to master a single perfected method, you can master two and create new ones yourselves.

“You may think I’ve learned much, but it isn’t so. My methods are either borrowed from Spiritual Statues or mimicked from the Taiping Qingling Sutra. Tian Yuan is likely the same. In truth, neither of us has mastered many perfected methods. Even after reaching the Wuliang stage, we’ll at most only have cultivated two. That’s no different from a Qi Refiner or a Martial Arts Practitioner.

“But you and Qing Xiao are different. Qing Xiao is already at the Wuliang stage and has likely mastered four perfected methods—the Cihang Sword Sequence, the Zhang family’s Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method, the Earthly Preceptor’s Six Void Tribulations, and even the long-lost Dragon-Tiger Sword Technique.

“The most critical point is that external power always has its limit. Being a manmade Banished Immortal is a dead-end road. After reaching immortality, the Xuan Jade becomes useless, so progress is nearly impossible. But the natural-born Banished Immortal still has vast potential after immortality. Among all lineages, they stand as the most likely to survive a heavenly tribulation.”

Yao Pei nodded. “Thank you for answering my doubts.”

Li Changge suddenly asked, “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already stepped into the Wuliang stage?”

Yao Pei did not hide it. “It’s a blessing in disguise. Like the Westerners say, what doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger.”

“Is this the peculiarity of the Great Witch bloodline?” Li Changge asked.

Yao Pei neither admitted nor denied it.

Li Changge sighed. “So it seems I’ve become the last among the four of us.”

Yao Pei snorted. “That has never been a real problem for someone like you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Li Changge said with a smile. “By the way, when can I leave this place?”

Yao Pei retrieved a pre-written closing statement from her magical receptacle, set it on the table, and pushed it across with her hand on the cover. “Take a look. If you have no objections, sign it and stamp your seal on it, then you may leave.”

“Efficient as always, Daoist Yao.” Li Changge smirked.

He opened the file, carefully read the document line by line, then took out a brush and ink and signed his name.