The night raid on the royal court continued.

Bai Zisheng held a long spear, charging like a dragon, while Mo Hua supported him from behind. Together, the two brothers, switching between offense and defense, were unstoppable. They cut through the chaos of the royal court’s army like a long rainbow, pressing onward…

The mountains and plains of Dahuang flashed past their eyes. They didn’t know how far they had traveled, but there were no barbarian soldiers, no Dao soldiers, no Yu Hua Zhenren, or the various noble families’ prodigies around them anymore.

Only the vast darkness and the biting cold wind remained.

A faint crescent moon hung in the sky, and all around them stretched miles of yellow sand.

Empty and desolate, not a soul in sight.

The excitement of the battle receded, replaced by a wave of exhaustion. Their injuries seemed to have worsened.

Bai Zisheng couldn’t help but collapse into the yellow sand. His eyelids felt heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he had slept. When he opened his eyes again, Bai Zisheng found a small, warm blanket draped over him.

Looking up, he saw a bonfire burning nearby.

The flickering flames illuminated Mo Hua’s handsome face, giving it a reddish glow.

Mo Hua was intently roasting meat. The sizzling sounds and the alluring aroma of the barbecue filled the air, creating a very cozy atmosphere.

Bai Zisheng felt a little lost in thought.

It was as if time had flowed backward.

Back twenty years, to the days when he traveled with his master, his younger sister, and his junior brother.

At that time, the people he was closest to and loved the most were by his side. They were carefree all day long, and there were always fights to be had. When they were tired, they would find a patch of grass and sleep deeply. When they woke up, they would find their junior brother roasting meat for them.

Those days were the happiest of his life.

Only in occasional dreams could Bai Zisheng revisit those scenes, his heart filled with a wistful bitterness.

Looking at Mo Hua roasting meat by the bonfire, and at Mo Hua’s face, which was both a little unfamiliar and very familiar, in the flickering firelight, a sense of unreality suddenly arose in Bai Zisheng’s heart. He felt as if he was still dreaming.

Once the dream ended, everything would disappear again.

The bonfire, his junior brother—everything would vanish.

He would still be alone, struggling in the vast Dahuang, being plotted against, surrounded, constantly fleeing, constantly fighting…

“Senior Brother, are you awake?”

Suddenly, a clear and gentle voice interrupted Bai Zisheng’s thoughts.

He slowly came back to his senses, then vaguely felt the pain in all his limbs, the cold night, and the chilling desert wind.

Bai Zisheng realized, “It seems… it’s not a dream…”

Memories slowly returned, and a tremendous joy suddenly surged in Bai Zisheng’s heart.

He really wasn’t dreaming; he had truly found his junior brother…

Bai Zisheng tried to sit up, but suddenly let out a gasp, feeling the pain of broken meridians in his body.

“Don’t move,” Mo Hua quickly said, then handed him a bottle of pills. “Take the medicine first. Your injuries haven’t healed, and you fought for a while, so they’re quite serious now…”

Bai Zisheng took the pills, poured out a few, and swallowed them.

The medicinal power was instantly refined, nourishing Bai Zisheng’s body. His injuries also slowly began to recover.

Seeing this, Mo Hua felt envious. A good physique truly was good; just a few pills, and the injuries were like a passing hallucination.

Bai Zisheng felt much better after taking the pills. His gaze involuntarily fell on the roasted meat in Mo Hua’s hand.

Mo Hua handed him the roast meat. “It’s freshly roasted, try it.”

Bai Zisheng took the roast meat and tasted a bite. The fragrant and spicy flavor, so familiar from memory, brought a hint of moisture to his eyes.

Mo Hua was startled. “You’re not crying, are you?”

Eating roast meat can make you cry with emotion?

Bai Zisheng’s little burst of sentimentality vanished, feeling a bit annoyed. He couldn’t help but say coldly, “It’s not as good as before…”

Mo Hua smiled and handed him a flask of wine.

Bai Zisheng took it, took a sip, and frowned. “Why is it still sweet?”

Mo Hua said, “Just make do with it.”

So Bai Zisheng ate the spicy roast meat and drank the sweet fruit wine, as if he had returned to his childhood. The bitterness and hardships of the world melted away, and his body and mind felt warm and cozy.

Mo Hua also took a skewer of roast meat, nibbling on it himself, taking a bite of meat, then a sip of the fruit wine he carried with him. He squinted slightly, feeling incredibly content.

The days since entering Dahuang had been too busy, mentally and physically taxing.

It had been a long time since he felt so relaxed.

Between the vast heavens and earth, there were no tribal wars of the wilderness with their intricate schemes, no famine, no Hua family, no Dao soldiers—only two long-lost senior and junior brothers, who had escaped great danger, eating meat and drinking wine together.

After eating for a while, Mo Hua suddenly looked at Bai Zisheng and asked curiously:

“By the way, Senior Brother, how did you end up in such a miserable state?”

“Are you disliked in the Bai family?”

“How did you end up coming to Dahuang alone?”

“Does the Bai family really not care if you live or die?”

“Are you really that unpopular?”

Mo Hua rattled off a string of questions.

Bai Zisheng couldn’t help but choke, feeling like he had been struck by many arrows in the chest. He couldn’t help but glare at Mo Hua.

This kid really doesn’t distinguish between friends and foes when he’s annoying people…

However, seeing Mo Hua’s curious expression, Bai Zisheng couldn’t help but sigh again and slowly said:

“I told you when I was little, didn’t I?”

“I don’t like the Bai family. I don’t like any of them, neither the elders nor my peers. The Bai family doesn’t really welcome me either…”

Mo Hua nodded. He vaguely recalled his Senior Brother saying something like that.

“Later, my Changsheng Fu shattered…” Bai Zisheng continued, “After returning to the Bai family, I was even more unwelcome.”

“That previous Changsheng Fu was painstakingly acquired by my mother from the high-ranking members of the Bai family.”

“Changsheng Fu are rare treasures in any noble family. My mother getting one for me had already offended many people. Then I broke the Changsheng Fu, which was a huge disaster. My mother couldn’t say much either, and the other Bai family disciples naturally looked at me with hatred and anger…”

“Over time, I became like a detested ‘outsider’ in the Bai family.”

Bai Zisheng’s tone was calm, yet tinged with indifference.

Mo Hua, however, felt a little guilty. “Senior Brother, the Changsheng Fu was because of me…”

Bai Zisheng shook his head and smiled, “What nonsense are you talking about? I couldn’t stand that bird Saint Son, so I used the Changsheng Fu to blast him. Although my Changsheng Fu was destroyed, wasn’t that bird Saint Son’s Undying Fu also blasted away by me? One fu for one fu, it’s not a loss…”

“What’s more, you’re my junior brother, and I said I’d protect you…”

Mo Hua’s expression was silent.

Then he remembered that when the Saint Son tried to capture him, to save him, it wasn’t just his Senior Brother who detonated his Changsheng Fu.

His Junior Sister also seemed to have destroyed her own natal Changsheng Fu…

A pang of pain went through Mo Hua’s heart. He couldn’t help but ask again, “Then… what about Junior Sister? Where is Junior Sister now…?”

Bai Zisheng shook his head and sighed, “I don’t know either…”

“Don’t know?”

“Yes,” Bai Zisheng said, “After Zixi’s and my Changsheng Fu shattered, Mother separated us. I stayed in the Bai family, cultivating with the clan’s instructors, while Zixi was sent to Daozhou to study at the Daoist academy there. I haven’t seen Zixi in a very long time…”

Bai Zisheng sighed.

Mo Hua nodded.

Then he thought for a moment. Although he knew he shouldn’t ask, that asking might reveal certain karmic connections, he couldn’t help but slowly utter those two words:

“Master…?”

Bai Zisheng’s heart also trembled, and he said with a bitter expression:

“I don’t know either. Master’s coffin… is sealed by Mother, and she won’t let anyone see it, and I also…”

Mo Hua’s eyes dimmed a little.

Bai Zisheng looked at Mo Hua and asked:

“Do you… want to see Master?”

Mo Hua nodded, saying nothing, but his expression was clearly dejected.

It had been a very, very long time since he had seen Master.

Bai Zisheng rarely saw Mo Hua looking so dejected. He also knew that Mo Hua was Master’s youngest disciple, and also Master’s most beloved disciple.

Even he and Zixi combined could not compare to how much Master doted on this junior brother.

Therefore, he could better understand Mo Hua’s sadness.

But Master’s matter involved too high a level; he was powerless and didn’t know how to comfort Mo Hua.

In the dark night, the atmosphere became a little heavy, with only the occasional crackle of the bonfire.

After an unknown amount of time, Mo Hua finally came back to his senses, realizing the atmosphere was a bit too serious. He put aside his melancholic thoughts and asked Bai Zisheng:

“Senior Brother, do you know Hua Zhenren?”

Bai Zisheng was startled, his eyes filled with anger. He nodded and said, “Hua Zhenren is despicable and shameless.”

“He tricked you?”

“Yes.” Bai Zisheng said, “When I first entered Dahuang, I met Hua Zhenren by chance. He said he had some ties with the Bai family, considering himself my elder, and could guide me in my experience. At first, I didn’t believe him, but he had a kind face, took good care of me in many ways, and even pointed out some crucial cultivation insights to me. Over time, I let my guard down.”

“Who knew this Hua Zhenren harbored malicious intentions from the start? What he coveted was actually my bloodline…”

Bai Zisheng’s eyes turned cold as he spoke.

Mo Hua nodded and remarked:

“Senior Brother, you are still too young, too inexperienced. You don’t know the dangers of the cultivation world and the treachery of human hearts. Let me tell you, when a boy travels outside, he must learn to protect himself, otherwise, he will surely be targeted by all sorts of strange people…”

Bai Zisheng was speechless. “You’re younger than me.”

Mo Hua, looking like a sly little fox, spoke with the air of an experienced elder:

“I may be a few years younger than you, but I have far more experience. Traveling north and south for so many years, what kind of demons and monsters haven’t I seen? People like Hua Zhenren, the moment he smiles, I know he’s definitely got something nasty brewing inside…”

Bai Zisheng’s mouth twitched, feeling a mixture of amusement and exasperation. The resentment he felt earlier had unknowingly vanished.

“By the way,” Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, and he immediately became gossipy, “Didn’t they say… you had a thing with the Dahuang demoness?”

Bai Zisheng was startled. “What Dahuang demoness?”

Mo Hua said, “The most beautiful woman in the Dahuang royal court.”

Bai Zisheng frowned. “Who?”

Mo Hua was stunned. “You don’t know?”

Bai Zisheng looked puzzled. “Why would I know?”

Mo Hua said, “Didn’t Hua Zhenren say you had a thing with the Dahuang royal court’s most beautiful woman and leaked Dao court secrets, which is why they were hunting you?”

Bai Zisheng frowned and said, “This is the Dahuang war, it concerns the overall situation of the Dao court, how can it be a game? Every day on the battlefield is a bloody struggle, only victory, defeat, life, and death, and the tempering of cultivation. Where would there be any beautiful women?”

“Furthermore, how could a beauty from the royal court possibly be on the front lines?”

Mo Hua took a deep breath, his heart filled with speechlessness.

So the Hua family just purely framed him?

In this day and age, is spreading rumors really just a matter of opening your mouth, without needing any evidence?

The crucial thing is that everyone believed it…

I actually believed it too…

Mo Hua pursed his lips, reflecting on himself.

Mainly, this “rumor” fit people’s psychological expectations too well. Hua Zhenren, it seemed, was also a master at manipulating people’s minds. I should learn from him next time.

But on second thought, it made sense. Someone like Senior Brother could never be someone whose judgment was clouded by lust.

Mo Hua nodded and then said, “Then why didn’t you clarif—”

Mo Hua stopped mid-sentence.

It was impossible to clarify.

Clarifying would be useless; everyone only believed what they wanted to believe. Even if his Senior Brother clarified, no one would believe him.

Moreover, with Senior Brother’s “clumsy mouth,” he couldn’t clarify it anyway.

In fact, he probably wouldn’t even bother to say much. If they want to kill, then kill; if they want to fight, then fight. Why so much nonsense…

Mo Hua couldn’t help but sigh.

No wonder Hua Zhenren wanted to frame and slander his Senior Brother.

Strong in power, yet stubborn in speech—he was a living target for slander.

Bai Zisheng looked at Mo Hua, then suddenly frowned. “Mo Hua, are you talking bad about me in your head?”

Mo Hua was speechless. “At a time like this, how did you suddenly get smart?”

Bai Zisheng said, “I don’t know why, but looking at your face, I just suddenly felt that way…”

Mo Hua sighed.

“Close to vermilion, one is stained red; close to ink, one is stained black.” Even foolish Senior Brother has become smarter by being around him…

The two then chatted aimlessly for a while.

As the night wind grew colder, Mo Hua roasted more meat, sharing it with Bai Zisheng while casually asking:

“By the way, Senior Brother, why did you come to Dahuang for training?”

Bai Zisheng said, “I need to form my core in Dahuang.”

“Form your core?” Mo Hua was a little surprised. “How haven’t you formed your core yet?”

Bai Zisheng said, “My Changsheng Fu shattered, which affected my foundation a bit, so it was delayed for some time.”

Mo Hua looked somewhat ashamed.

Bai Zisheng comforted him, “Don’t take it to heart. It’s just a Changsheng Fu. If it’s shattered, it’s shattered, it’s no big deal.”

Mo Hua sighed inwardly, then asked, “Then why don’t you form your core in the Bai family? Why do you insist on coming to Dahuang?”

Bai Zisheng took a bite of meat and said, “I need to go to the royal court to temper my grade with the Longchi.”

Mo Hua paused. “What?”

“Longchi, temper grade,” Bai Zisheng repeated, then looked at Mo Hua and surprisingly asked, “You don’t know?”

Mo Hua nodded blankly.

Now it was Bai Zisheng’s turn to be speechless. “You don’t know? Then why did you come to Dahuang?”

“I…”

I… came to unify the wilderness, improve people’s livelihoods, and build up Dahuang…

Mo Hua couldn’t say these words, so he could only say, “I just… saw it was lively here, so I followed along to mess around…”

Bai Zisheng sighed. He didn’t know whether his junior brother was smart or stupid.

Mo Hua gradually caught on. “So, those other prodigies are also here for this… Longchi?”

Bai Zisheng nodded. “Of course. Within the noble families, this is common knowledge. Otherwise, those prodigies wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to surround and kill me.”

Because having one less strongest competitor was a huge boon for all of them.

Mo Hua thought it over and became a little angry:

“Good heavens, these rascals from Qianxuezhoujie… and here I thought we had some friendship! They have something good going on and they don’t tell me anything…”

Bai Zisheng looked at Mo Hua and quietly said, “Junior Brother, are you… unpopular too?”

“That’s absolutely impossible!” Mo Hua asserted, “I’m very popular. In Qianxuezhoujie, everyone loves me.”

Bai Zisheng didn’t believe him one bit.

“So what is this Longchi, tempering grade…?” Mo Hua asked.

Bai Zisheng said, “I’m not exactly sure, I only know it’s a very ancient core-forming inheritance from the Dahuang lineage. It uses the Longchi to nourish vital energy and refine spiritual energy. This way, when forming the core, it can record the number of spiritual energy cycles within the body, which is the total amount of spiritual energy, maintaining the total amount of spiritual energy unchanged, so that the core grade won’t drop.”

“The grade won’t drop?” Mo Hua was startled.

Bai Zisheng nodded. “Yes.”

“Oh, well, that probably doesn’t have anything to do with me then…”

Mo Hua shook his head.

Other prodigies, with top-grade, high-mid-grade, or upper-lower-grade spiritual roots, might fear a drop in their core grade, and it would be understandable for them to preserve their grade when forming the core.

As for him, with a mid-lower-grade spiritual root, he was already a half-baked cultivator. Whether his grade dropped or not didn’t really matter.

It wasn’t worth making a big fuss, going to great lengths, and expending so much effort just to prevent a grade drop.

Knowing about this Longchi and grade tempering really didn’t seem to matter…

This wasn’t prepared for him in the first place.

Mo Hua felt relieved.

Bai Zisheng didn’t say anything more when he saw Mo Hua didn’t care.

Moreover, his injuries hadn’t healed after all. After chatting for a long time and eating and drinking his fill, he felt a bit drowsy.

Mo Hua told his Senior Brother to rest well and they would travel tomorrow. He himself also wrapped himself in a blanket and lay in the desert sand, preparing to get some good rest.

He had been traveling for so long, and he was quite tired.

Lying in the blanket, listening to the wind and sand blowing past his ears, Mo Hua dozed off for a while but couldn’t fall asleep.

Bai Zisheng’s words echoed in his ears again:

“Using the Longchi to refine spiritual power…”

“When forming the core, record the number of spiritual power cycles within the body…”

“Maintain the total amount of spiritual power unchanged, and the core grade won’t drop…”

As he pondered, a flash of insight struck Mo Hua. He suddenly opened his eyes and sprang up with a jolt.

Record the number of spiritual power cycles!

Maintain the total amount of spiritual power!

Keep the core grade unchanged!

This Longchi grade tempering wasn’t unrelated to him; on the contrary… it had a huge connection to him!

Because his natal item was the Twelve Meridians Taotie Linghai Formation!

Mo Hua’s heart was shaken as he couldn’t help but frown and ponder:

“I can also go to the Longchi to temper my grade, using the natal spiritual power increased by the Taotie Linghai Formation… to temper my own Golden Core…”

“Transform the spiritual power increased by the Taotie Linghai Formation into my own spiritual power cycles, then use the Longchi to ‘falsify’ a higher grade record with the amplified number of spiritual power cycles… thereby tempering a higher core grade…”

“For me, this wouldn’t even be Golden Core tempering, but rather…”

“Golden Core ascension!”

(End of chapter)