The illness had reached an incurable stage, no medicine could provide relief!

Shuro's final words resonated in Lee's ears like the deafening toll of a giant bell.

"Are you joking with little Lee?"

Lee suppressed the frantic pounding of his heart and asked in a trembling voice.

Never had his gaze held such desperate pleading. His pale face wore an ingratiating smile that now appeared most disturbing.

"No, I'm quite serious," Shuro turned his head away, ceasing to pay Lee any heed as he idly sorted the medicinal herbs.

Lee's heart plummeted into an abyss. He staggered back four steps, the light in his eyes dimming as his face was suffused with despair.

Nothing in this world inflicted more excruciating agony than this sudden plunge from the heights of hope into the miry depths of dejection. Even the battle-hardened Lee found such a blow impossible to withstand.

Rage overwhelmed his heart, Lee's whole being seemed mired in mud, burdened by mountains, stifled to the point he could barely draw breath.

"How I hate..."

Lee threw back his head and spewed a mouthful of blood. Tears streamed down his withered cheeks as he wailed in anguish.

Yet gradually, after expelling that blood, Lee felt his heart and mind grow tranquil, worldly worries dissolving like clouds. He experienced an unprecedented sense of ease and liberation unlike any he had known these past ten years.

"Consider this blood a lesson for your fickle duplicity," a youthful, cold voice sneered.

Lee started, halting his cries as he wiped the tears from his cheeks, eyeing Shuro in surprise.

"This malignant blood has opened a channel to release the congested qi in your abdomen. With this outlet, Purging Toxin Decoction may work even better." Shuro stated matter-of-factly.

Lee's body shook violently. He stared unbelievingly at Shuro, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart. Swallowing with some difficulty, he rasped, "Does this mean...I can still be saved?"

"No cure," Shuro didn't let Lee spiral into despair again. "You won't regain your original appearance. However, after taking the prescription, you'll likely recover your former abilities."

"Why did you think I had you buy all those items today? The herbs are supporting ingredients to neutralize toxicity and maximize the potency of Purging Toxin Decoction."

"The cauldron is essential for decoding the medicines. Though not immortal herbs, these are superior to common plants. Only the right vessel can ensure perfect results."

"Even the fans and charcoal are indispensable for pill refinement..."

Lee gazed at Shuro, an inscrutable emotion shimmering in his eyes.

In his half-century of life, he had known the brilliance of commanding tens of thousands, and the humiliation of being trampled underfoot by the masses. He believed himself worldly and detached, impervious to anything that might stir his heart.

Yet now, looking at the impassive youth before him, Lee felt a surge of unprecedented poignancy, like the sun breaking through clouds. He could restrain himself no longer.

Lee fell to his knees in the snow and prostrated himself deeply before Shuro.

His eyes were reddened with brimming tears, his voice choked with emotion, "Shuro's life-restoring kindness, Lee shall never forget!"

"Lee's fickle duplicity meant only to exploit Shuro to gain proximity to the Immortals. Yet Shuro does not reproach me, merely repaying grievance with virtue. How worthless am I compared to Shuro's benevolence!"

"Henceforth, little Lee vows wholeheartedly to serve Shuro with utmost loyalty!"

Should I violate this oath, may I never be reborn!"

Lewis watched this scene with stirred emotions.

This time, Lewis made no sarcastic remarks about Lee's lack of integrity.

Having embarked on the path of cultivation and gained power himself, Lewis could well imagine the agony of losing it and the gratitude of having it restored.

The legendary Tera Fox Magistrate, who ranked among the top ten masters below Half-Step Transcendent for ten consecutive years, was once the talk of the town in the world of martial arts. But like others, even if one's temperament changes drastically, and the pride of yesteryear fades, learning to bow and scrape, fawn and flatter, how can one's heart ever truly submit to another? Even when facing the legend of Tera, Lee only felt awe, nothing more.

Looking at Lee, Shuro's mind grew tranquil. He had a strong intuition that this man's heart had been completely won over.

This intuition stemmed from the Nine-Dragon Sovereign's over two thousand years of experience.

If it had been the Nine-Dragon Sovereign, subduing someone wouldn't have required such trouble; a simple prohibition stamped into the sea of consciousness would have sufficed.

Compared to the Nine-Dragon Sovereign, Shuro's methods were less vicious. But if not for this approach, how could he have won Lee's wholehearted sincerity?

"Use Nineteen Powder as the main ingredient. Bake it for one day until it turns ash brown, then grind it into powder. When the time comes, combine it with the other medicinal ingredients I had you buy, and stew them in a cauldron for a day and night. The resultant pale yellow liquid, taken at noon and dusk, can dispel blood stasis and release the true qi stored in your blood vessels, gradually restoring your former martial prowess."

Shuro tossed the medicinal herbs to Lee and spoke.

Catching the herbs, Lee froze for a moment, then looked up at Shuro, somewhat confused. "Shuro means for me to concoct the medicine myself?"

"Of course! Can't even handle such a small task yourself? And you said you wanted to serve me like a dog or horse. Turns out you were just kidding around with me?" Shuro said coldly.

Lee was taken aback, then smiled wryly after a while. "My dear Shuro! Concocting immortal elixirs and miraculous remedies is the specialty of you cultivators! Asking a mundane mortal like me to do it, what if I botch the divine herbs by accident?"

"Concocting immortal elixirs and miraculous remedies? Heh heh, herbs of this level are still far from qualifying. Those pill concoction methods used by cultivators aim to extract the herbs' essences to the maximum extent, ensuring the pill formula's purity." Shuro flicked his sleeve and pointed at the herbs. "As for these, the mundane methods of decocting medicinal ingredients will suffice."

Lee broke out in a cold sweat, feeling the weight of the herbs in his hands grow unbearably heavy. He hesitated, looking awkward.

Shuro paid him no more attention. The main event coming up was the birthday banquet for Old Lady Yu in a month. During this time, he would go into secluded cultivation to maximize his strength improvements.

After taking just two steps, an invitation slipped out from Shuro's waistband.

With a flick of his wrist, Shuro pinched the invitation between two fingers.

"Warden City?"

Shuro recalled this invitation found on Leonard's corpse. The three characters of Warden City rang vaguely familiar to him.

"Little Lee, what kind of place is Warden City?" Shuro casually asked.

"Warden City?" Lee's gaze shifted to the invitation in Shuro's hand. His pupils instantly contracted as he cried out in shock, "So Warden City really exists!"

"What, even the great Fox Magistrate has never been there?" Shuro asked in surprise.

Old Lee's face reddened. He laughed drily, "Young Master Shuro is unaware that Warden City has always been the most mysterious place in the martial world. Heh heh, just like how the Fox Magistrate is a legend among mundane mortals, Warden City is also a land of legends in our eyes."

"Oh? How?" Shuro's interest was piqued.

Lee stroked his beard and gazed up at the sky, as if reminiscing about something - the very image of someone who had seen much of the world. Passionately, he said, "Speaking of which, the first time I heard of Warden City was before I'd even entered the martial world, when I was 17 and had just passed the imperial exam. That was also when legends about me, the Fox Magistrate, started to spread..."

As Lewis was not deeply versed in the affairs of the martial world, hearing Lee's words made his face fill with anticipation.

"Stop right there. I'm not interested in your stories. Just tell me what kind of place Warden City is." Shuro interrupted bluntly.

Lee was left hanging. He smiled awkwardly, "Actually, the reason Warden City is so legendary is because it transcends the martial world. To gain entry into Warden City, you'd need at least the cultivation base of a Half-Step Transcendent. It is said that in Warden City, you can encounter many Half-Step Transcendents, Transcendents, cultivators, and even ghosts and monsters. Some are people of the Great Tera Nation, while most come from beyond the borders of the Great Tera Nation."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"As for what lies within Warden City, legends are filled with all kinds of hearsay. But as long as you possess sufficient wealth, you can buy anything you desire in Warden City."

"The specifics, Lee is unclear about. After all, with my limited cultivation, I have no fortune of entering Warden City."

"In summary, although Warden City is in Caelius Capital, in a sense, it transcends Caelius Capital."

Lee tried his best to explain in detail, but his knowledge was limited after all. The more Shuro listened, the more curious he grew.

"After Old Lady Yu's birthday banquet passes, I shall go explore Warden City." Shuro thought to himself.

"That's right." Lee eyed the invitation in Shuro's hand, a look of admiration on his face. "I've heard Warden City issues five types of invitations. With an invitation, one may enter regardless of cultivation level, but there is a time limit, otherwise one will miss the chance."

"There's even a time limit?" Shuro examined the invitation. This invitation shone a lustrous gold, yet was completely blank.

His mind stirred, Shuro channeled a wisp of true qi, circulating it to the tip of his finger, then tapped the edge of the invitation with a crisp ding.

Ripples spread, golden light burst forth, and invisible seals on the empty invitation began to undulate and emerge one by one.

"The Summons of Five Cities, Caelius Capital of Yin River, 17th of the 2nd month, be there or never."

Reading these twelve characters, Shuro felt a chill in his heart, as if on cue - he suddenly heard an eerie voice by his ear.

"Shuro, do you believe ghosts exist in this world?"

Glancing back, he saw the speaker was Lee. Shuro glared fiercely at him.

The 17th of the 2nd month? The birthday banquet was on the 24th of the 2nd month. It seemed he wouldn't make it there in time.

What a pity, Shuro thought. Although extremely curious about Warden City, compared to Old Lady Yu's banquet, the latter was the most pressing matter at hand.

Walking towards the secret chamber, Shuro heard Lee boasting to Lewis.

"The Summons of Five Cities, Caelius Capital of Yin River. Heh heh, that man didn't lie to me after all those years ago. Warden City is not of the mortal realm."

"Then, where is it?"

"Hmph, isn't it obvious? As the invitation states clearly, Caelius Capital of Yin River - that is, it's in the Yin River! Let me tell you, don't have nightmares now. That Yin River is where ghosts and monsters dwell!"

"I see."

Shuro shook his head. In the memories of the Nine-Dragon Sovereign, ghosts and monsters did exist. But real ghosts were quite different from what mortals imagined them to be.

"I heard that senior say thirty years ago, Warden City comprises five starkly different ghost cities of Yin River, each corresponding to one of the five elements."

Lee's bragging continued to drift over. Shuro's footsteps suddenly halted as he was about to enter. His pupils sharply contracted as a poem flashed through his mind.

"The celestial Caelius Capital, twelve floors and five cities!"

"Could the five cities in the Nine-Dragon Sovereign's poem refer to Warden City?"

"The celestial Caelius Capital... Caelius Capital is clearly of the mortal realm, yet it's described as celestial. Could it be because compared to the ghost cities of Yin River, lofty Caelius Capital is like a city in the heavens?"

A memory surfaced in his mind.

The memory belonged to the Nine-Dragon Sovereign. Unlike those regarding martial arts, it was rather fuzzy.

"As expected! The Nine-Dragon Sovereign did not come to Tera by chance. What he sought also had to do with Warden City."

For some reason, this memory did not fully manifest. Whatever could compel the lord of the immortal court, ruler of 330,000 miles of territory, to drag his last shred of divine will across billions of miles, the treasure must have been unimaginably remarkable!

If I could obtain that treasure, wouldn't my odds of winning at the birthday banquet be even higher?

Shuro's heart stirred with excitement.

In the blink of an eye, over twenty days have passed.

On the seventeenth of February, there is a tradition in the Tera Kingdom called the Ghost Offering Festival.

Legend has it that on this day, the ghost gate of Yin River opens, and after midnight, all kinds of ghosts and monsters will walk out from the ghost gate, stepping into the mortal realm to visit their relatives and friends.

Therefore, on this day, every household hangs long bright lanterns, pastes paper guardians on their doors, and prepares garlic, mirrors, incense, and candles to ward off ghosts and monsters. Of course, there are a few exceptions. One is the imperial palace, the abode of the Son of Heaven, where the royal aura is strong, and there are hermits guarding it, so ghosts and monsters dare not intrude.

The other place is the Caelius Capital York family residence.

As the only female hermit in Greater Tera, Lady Kuixi has just turned one hundred years old. For a hermit with a life expectancy of two hundred years, she is in her prime. Her centennial birthday banquet is in two days, and the York family residence is busy with preparations, welcoming guests back and forth, too preoccupied to care about any Ghost Offering Festival.

Compared to the bustling York family main residence, the York family secondary residence in the West Ward is deserted, with not a single guest arriving to congratulate them that morning.

In previous years, Lady York's birthday banquets attracted ministers and merchants to both the main and secondary residences. However, this year, on the occasion of Lady York's centennial birthday, while the main residence is as lively as ever, the secondary residence has become so desolate.

"This is outrageous! A bunch of fair-weather friends!"

In the Azure Cloud Hall of the secondary residence, a tall, thin middle-aged man looks indignant.

"Jordy is clearly trying to crush us," another shorter but sturdy middle-aged man says with a cold laugh, also looking grim.

The Jordy they refer to is the master of the main residence, the patriarch of the York family, and Third's grandfather.

In fact, they are well aware that the real person orchestrating everything and targeting the secondary residence is the Third Young Master. But for the uncles of John, the young master of the secondary residence, to admit that a junior far surpasses them in ability and cunning would be a blow to their pride.

There are only three people in the Azure Cloud Hall: the two young masters and the elderly master of the residence, Josper, seated on a python leather armchair.

"How many have left?" Josper asks expressionlessly, playing with two iron pellets the size of pigeon eggs.

"Just a few?" The tall young master gives a wry laugh. "Far more than that. Eight stewards, nine maids, seventeen guards... Most disheartening is even Faithe left without saying goodbye! Hmph, women are so fickle, forgetting their roots. She's clearly forgotten how my late father promoted her against convention."

"When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact? It's only natural Faithe chose to leave," the stocky young master says in an odd tone. "The main residence struck preemptively this time, cutting our legs out from under us. They clearly intend to put us to death."

There are only the three of them in the Azure Cloud Hall.

"Enough!" A cold light flashes in Josper's eyes as he says coldly, "Focus on weathering the storm before us first. Are those candidates prepared?"

"All ready," the tall young master replies hesitantly. "But although they've taken the five elixirs, they remain at the Lesser Void Spirit Realm. None show signs of breaking through to the Greater Void Spirit Realm."

"No worthy successor, no worthy successor," Josper sighs regretfully, his expression turning complex. After a long pause, he says, "Bring that eight hundred year old python gallbladder, grind it to powder, and have them ingest it."

"Master!"

"You can't!"

The two young masters cried out simultaneously.

"What's wrong with it?" Josper shook his head. "This is an all-or-nothing gambit. If we fail, this treasure would be meaningless anyway. If we succeed, I can always return to Warden City. Who knows, I may find another heavenly talent."

"That python gallbladder is the last hope of our lineage," the tall young master argued.

"It's in the third compartment under the bookshelf in my study. Go get it," Josper waved dismissively, as if a burden had lifted.

Just as his voice fell, a sinister raspy laugh drifted in from outside the hall.

"I'd heard the master obtained a treasure in Warden City meant to help one breakthrough to hermit. So it was an eight hundred year old python gallbladder! How true that one leaves Warden City empty-handed. Hahaha... Such a treasure surely ought to be gifted to Lady York!"

The voice echoed out dozens of yards in an instant, heading toward the treasury in the study.

The three in the Azure Cloud Hall changed color simultaneously.

"It's Third Young Master's steward, Leo!"

A yellow flash went by as Josper activated an earth escape art, transforming into a flying mountain shooting after the voice.

Two auras at the half-step hermit realm rippled out, sensed by all in the secondary residence with any skill.

In the backyard, beneath a withered tree, Lewis opened his eyes.

They were filled with tortoise shell cracks, chilling to behold. He blinked, and his pupils returned to normal, but an arcane aura lingered about his visage unlike any ordinary person's.

"Young m-master's martial prowess is f-formidable!"

Lewis didn't stutter when talking to himself, only when speaking to others.

During these twenty-odd days, he had cultivated the Mystic Tortoise Diamond Sutra day and night without rest. He could clearly feel his blood and qi growing stronger, and his strength increasing with it. With a flick of his finger, he could shatter ice within ten paces.

Lewis didn't know he was practicing an immortal art. Shuro never told him, and Lee wouldn't say much either, so Lewis thought it was just a special internal martial art.

Just then, with a humming sound, a powerful current of energy gathered into a fierce wind, blasting over from the front hall.

With a thought, the Mystic Tortoise Diamond Sutra automatically activated within Lewis!

Clang!

Concentric rings of arcane tortoise shell markings emerged on Lewis's body, like talismans or armor, radiating an aura of primordial vastness.

Lewis's bearing changed abruptly. The awkward, silly youth was gone, replaced by a boulder weathered over centuries, or a tortoise crouched unmoving.

The shockwaves from the two hermits' clash bore down on him.

The true qi contained in them far exceeded ten thousand catties. None below the Greater Void Spirit Realm could withstand it.

The shockwave hit Lewis and refracted sunlight into an immense fan-shaped expanse, churning turbulently with knife-like edges.

For an instant, with just his Skin Refinement realm mortal flesh, Lewis forcibly withstood the aftermath of two half-step hermits' powers, standing firm as a mountain!

Mere moments later, Lewis's body convulsed wildly, feet sinking into the muddy snow, eyes bloodshot, cheeks twitching, skin and muscles vibrating at a rapid rhythmic frequency.

"Reached my limit..."

A muted yet proudly disdainful voice sounded from the convulsing figure.

A withered hand materialized in the air before Lewis, gently flicking, sweeping, then flicking again. The gigantic fan-shaped shockwave was flung skyward.

In less than a month, Lee was also a changed man.

His appearance was unchanged, still resembling a potbellied heron. But his eyes, bearing, even tone of voice had undergone an earth-shaking transformation. Compared to his fame decades ago, his manner was even loftier, more...arrogant.

"Cultivation must progress step-by-step. No one can become fat in one bite."

Lee crossed his arms behind his back and said sagely to Lewis with narrowed eyes.

Lewis nodded silently, but Lee's tone shifted as he continued smugly, "Of course, there are exceptions. Such people stay hidden until they make a shocking debut. After lying dormant for over a decade, they accomplish their goals overnight, destined to shake the realm." He laughed loudly.

Hearing this blatant self-flattery, Lewis couldn't help rolling his eyes. But then, electric radiance flashed from Lee's triangular eyes like two gleaming silver daggers, streaking over the snow and leaving only afterimages.

Eyes shooting virtual lightning—the sign of a half-step hermit!

Lewis's heart jolted, then showed joy. "Lee, you broke through!"

"Naturally," Lee smiled slightly, stroking his beard.

He spent half the day concocting pills, half ingesting them, and another day refining them.

Three days later when Lee awoke from meditation, he felt his blood and qi had expanded astonishingly. In a flash, his inner breath turned to true qi, circulating through his extraordinary vessels in an instant, breaking through his bottlenecks to successively reach the Lesser and Greater Emptiness Spirit Realms. With his power regained, Lee was ecstatic, but what he didn't expect was for his true qi to continue surging forward, soon filling his Mystic Battle Aperture, effortlessly breaking through his previous bottleneck to reach the half-step hermit level.

Though Lee had fantasized about advancing further, when he actually took a stride that spanned an entire realm, he was dumbfounded, then delirious with joy.

A half-step hermit could match a thousand riders and leap thirty yards high, easily living past a hundred. Such figures were rare in the Tera Kingdom, numbering at most fifty—the supreme masters. From now on, he, Lee, was one of the top fifty experts of Greater Tera!

Aside from prestige, becoming a half-step hermit meant receiving the royal family's edict permitting him to establish his own house and lineage, leaving his name in history.

Just as Lee was lost in boundless fantasies, a cold voice sounded in his ear.

"Little Lee, are you trying to draw everyone here?"

Lee's laughter stopped abruptly, his expression shifting as he reflexively turned and slapped out with his palm.

When he saw who it was, he tried to pull back but it was too late.

Bang!

A muffled thud.

Though both had half-step hermit power, their deliberate restraint meant the impact lacked the scale of the earlier clash in the front hall. But it was still a tremendous force of tens of thousands of catties. The air around them warped, then shattered like bursting ice and snow!

Step, step, step, step...

Lee staggered back five steps, each imprinting the snow deeply, the last even leaving a hole in the ground!

Looking up sharply, meeting Shuro's unmoving gaze, Lee felt chilled inside, his earlier elation gone.

After nearly a month, Lee was shocked to find that even as a half-step hermit, he still couldn't see through Shuro's cultivation.

"Just from breaking through to half-step hermit, you're letting it go to your head?"

Virtual lightning flashed in Shuro's eyes, startling Lee and Lewis.

The two bolts were yin and yang, water and fire! The right eye's gleam was icy cold like moonlight. The left was scorching true fire like the sun.

Same virtual lightning in the eyes, yet manifesting two completely opposed auras—even Lee had never heard of such a thing.

Moments later, the bizarre radiance faded, and Shuro's eyes returned to normal. The aura around him likewise disappeared, his whole being becoming utterly ordinary, brilliance hidden, energy restrained to an extreme low.

He's concealed his level again to Lesser Emptiness Spirit... To think the young lord can forcibly hide two realms of power. How does he do it?

By now, Lee was no longer as shocked as before. A prodigy who could cross the Immortal River with a word—how could he not possess such miraculous abilities?

"Lee wouldn't dare! Congratulations to the young lord for leaving seclusion, your skill has greatly increased!"

Lee's face was covered in an obsequious smile as he stood with folded arms and hunched deferentially.