Satisfaction grew in Xiaoyao Zi’s eyes, and she praised loudly: “Good! Good indeed, ‘those whose way is not firm, whose hearts are not sincere, whose intentions are not set.’ This old Taoist’s trace of divine consciousness has flowed within this formation for exactly ten thousand years. Every five years when the Azure Cloud Formation opens, many with high aptitude are encountered. Yet not a single person has been able to see through the essence of this formation.”

The old man leapt down from the crane, smiling with kind eyes and a benevolent expression: “Fortunately, today there is finally someone who has spoken the essence of this formation – firm in the way, sincere in heart, set in intention. Only then can one ascend as if walking on level ground. But those in the world with such temperament are few and far between. You…”

Xiaoyao Zi’s aged eyes sparkled with vigor as she looked Liu Changning up and down, her gaze lingering for a moment around the little black bird in her arms before quickly moving away.

She burst into laughter: “A rare talent seen once in ten thousand years. This ancestor will wait for you in the upper realm!”

Liu Changning met her gaze, their eyes locked, and the two smiled at each other. The old man saw through her divine consciousness that didn’t match her body in one glance, but smiled without speaking. She rummaged in her bosom and took out a white pearl about the size of a fist, glowing all over.

Tossing it to Liu Changning, she said meaningfully: “Young friend, take this. Consider this modest gift as a meeting present from me.”

After speaking, the old man didn’t wait for Liu Changning to respond. She leaped onto the flying crane, and with a clear cry, the person and crane quickly disappeared without a trace.

The white pearl was transparent all over. As soon as it came into contact with Liu Changning’s body, it transformed into a beam of white light, gradually seeping into her body.

Liu Changning’s eyes showed repeated surprise. She cupped her hands towards the distance in thanks.

However, her mind received Ancestor Pei’s scolding voice: “Close your eyes and adjust your breath, embrace unity! This is a soul-stabilizing pearl. Xiaoyao Zi has given you an enormous benefit. I guess she must have seen that your divine soul and body’s cultivation levels don’t match. This object must have great use, hurry and adjust your breath on the spot.”

Liu Changning narrowed her eyes. After hearing Ancestor Pei’s words, she didn’t dawdle and sat down on the stone steps, closing her eyes.

The ancient cultivation world was different from the cultivation world of her original self. Because of the rich immortal spiritual energy in the ancient cultivation world, there were countless rare treasures. She had only seen items like the soul-stabilizing pearl in ancient books back then.

Yet she never imagined that one day she would actually obtain a legendary soul-stabilizing pearl.

Her body bathed in the white fluorescence emitted by the pearl.

As the fluorescence completely entered her body, an endless stream of true qi began to circulate on its own, and the Nascent Soul within her body continuously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy.

Liu Changning found herself seemingly entering a state of unity between heaven and man. As true essence filled her four limbs and hundred bones, she could clearly feel all the surroundings.

The azure sky, the clear white clouds, the cultivators still struggling to climb on the stone steps, every breath, every flare of nostrils, she could clearly sense.

And the little black bird in her arms, she could even feel the vigilant aura around it. Its bean-sized eyes looked up at the platform not far away, its long beak opening and closing, actually chanting incantations.

Soon, a transparent halo appeared around them, seemingly a protective shield, blocking all probing gazes falling on them outside the shield.

There was no time to observe the little black bird’s situation. At this moment, she seemed to have merged with all the scenery within this formation. Every leaf, every stone step, every cloud became her eyes, nose, and ears, transmitting all the growth of everything within the entire Azure Cloud Formation into her mind.

This feeling of the body connecting with the earth, the vigorous vitality of nature fusing with emotionless Dao methods, Liu Changning fell into a magical sensation. It was as if everything happening in the entire world merged with her Dao method into a single rhythm.

For the first time in her Dao method, she understood what it meant to be without emotion yet with emotion. Air, white clouds, flowing water, people, all had emotions, harmonious yet not abrupt.

This was her Dao!

Liu Changning’s entire being bathed in this bizarre enlightenment. As her Dao method operated, her divine consciousness, which was already at the late stage of tribulation transcendence, expanded once again.

The spiritual energy in her body rapidly rushed into her four limbs and hundred bones. Originally, this body had been refined by the Nascent Soul and was no different from her body in her first life, but it was not her original body after all.

Initially, she had attached to and reborn in this beggar’s body a quarter-hour after its death.

Even though over the years it had been continuously cleansed by spiritual energy, the body and divine soul still couldn’t completely adhere. Now, after absorbing the soul-stabilizing pearl, not only did she eliminate the obstacles between her divine soul and body, but by coincidence, she entered a state of unity between heaven and man.

The Dao method formed its own system and spontaneously gained new insights. Liu Changning only felt that with the rapidly circulating spiritual energy, the meridians in her body widened once again. She had actually entered the Nascent Soul stage in one go through the state of unity between heaven and man.

After Pei Yuanshao laid down the concealment spell around Liu Changning, he turned back to check on her condition.

This look made his bean-sized eyes instantly shine with rays of light. He widened his eyes, feeling the invisible spiritual energy all entering her body, becoming more and more surging, forming a transparent ball of energy.

His long beak moved, making creaking sounds. He couldn’t help but curse quietly: “Granddaughter, are you a monster? It’s only been a few days, and you’re about to advance again?”

As he spoke, a look of melancholy appeared on his bird face. He took out a light shield out of thin air, muttering incantations, and covered it over both their heads before finally sighing in relief.

He turned back and glared at Liu Changning resentfully, saying with exasperation: “Troublesome dog, have you looked at where we are now? There are all Nascent Soul stage cultivators in front of the water mirror. The ancestor’s concealment spell can only hide half of the heavenly secrets. Now you’re about to advance, with such a big change in spiritual energy. Wanting to hide from the eyes and ears of Nascent Soul stage cultivators… How could it be so easy? Poor ancestor, wasting a celestial artifact…”

While the little black bird was speaking with a disgusted face about the painful waste, his divine sense had already explored outside the light shield, directly rushing up the cloud stairs to investigate the scene at the trial grounds above.

The trial grounds were halfway up the mountain, with mist and clouds swirling around.

At this moment, the disciples of various major sects were standing properly behind the purple sandalwood chairs where their sect elders were seated, but the ten Nascent Soul stage elders were not sitting at the front.

They had all gathered in front of the water mirror not far ahead, arguing incessantly.

“Why isn’t she moving?”

“What’s this? Getting a benefit and then sitting in meditation on the spot? How can she come up to pay respects to a master if she doesn’t climb up?”

“It’s killing this old Taoist! Even Senior Xiaoyao Zi said she’s a once-in-an-age talent. Is she sitting cross-legged on the stone steps not planning to enter the ten major sects? Or does she want to pay respects to Senior Xiaoyao Zi as her master?”

“That’s great! Our Xiaoyao Sect has always advocated for natural creation. To pay respects to our sect’s founding ancestor as master would make her our ancestor, and in the future, this woman will definitely be of one mind with our Xiaoyao Sect.”

“Bah, Xiao Zui, you shameless old Taoist! She hasn’t even come up yet, how do you know she’ll pay respects to your sect as master?”

“You…”

The ten thousand-year-old women argued and fought, their faces flushed with excitement.

Pei Yuanshao’s divine sense floated to the water mirror. There was nothing unusual in the mirror; the woman in white robes sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, and the surrounding spiritual energy showed no abnormalities.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew his divine sense.

Due to the use of spiritual power, the Xuanbing true essence that Liu Changning had transferred to him was quickly depleted.

His whole body felt feverishly hot. Pei Yuanshao moved uncomfortably, then moved again, but the heat didn’t subside at all.

The bird’s body bathed in white light, quickly transforming into human form. As they were now inside the light shield, outsiders could only see the illusion of Liu Changning holding the little black bird, so there was no great issue with him changing into human form.

Because of the intimate bodily contact in the past few days, having absorbed quite a bit of Xuanbing true essence, his skin had gradually shed some of its fiery redness, and his entire person now appeared a dark red color.

At this moment, the spiritual energy around the female cultivator before him had already become stable. Pei Yuanshao roughly estimated that she was stabilizing her cultivation level, so he didn’t disturb her. However, the heat in his body was unbearable, so his entire naked body moved closer.

Although he couldn’t absorb the true essence, by clinging to her body, the Xuanbing true essence overflowing from her was enough for him to extinguish the out-of-control flames of earth fire and lava within his body.

Shamelessly, he moved forward, straddling her body.

His legs wrapped around her slender waist, creating friction between cold and heat.