Taiyi Dao Fruit

Half an hour later, Si Fan Valley completely regained its calm, and the voice transmission of Elder Tianpeng spread to every Stone House.

"From this day forward, I will enter into secluded cultivation. Unless there is an urgent matter, none shall disturb me."

Upon hearing this, the demeanour of those reflecting in Si Fan Valley varied; some were astounded, having not expected Elder Tianpeng to enter seclusion, while others linked this event to Jiang Li in anger and shock.

As for Qi Changsheng, he was the first to inhabit a Paperman and fly to Jiang Li's Stone House.

"Junior Brother, did you hear that... Junior Brother, what's happened to you?"

What came into view was a face with sunken eyes and a pale complexion. Jiang Li looked listless and judging by his appearance, he was likely not far from death.

The far from simple-minded Qi Changsheng immediately thought of something, then began to babble incoherently, "You you you... she she she! You and Senior Sister Gongsun..."

As if unable to find the right word or daring not to speak it, Qi Changsheng made a quite discordant gesture.

"Luo Yi tried to kill me, but I killed him instead. These are wounds sustained from the fierce battle," Jiang Li explained nonchalantly, passing the blame to Luo Yi.

A quarter of an hour earlier, Law Enforcement Disciples had taken a boat to the island and taken away Luo Yi's body. However, they said nothing about Jiang Li's arrangements, merely instructing him to return to Si Fan Valley to continue his reflections.

Jiang Li pondered that such an important matter should have been communicated by his dear Senior Sister Gongsun, so he didn't ask further and returned here.

Instead of waiting for his senior sister, what came was the unsolicited visit from Qi Changsheng, the living treasure senior brother.

"Really?" Qi Changsheng said, full of disbelief.

"What else could it be? Do I look like someone who gets frisky with a paper figurine?" said Jiang Li lightly.

He was definitely not someone who got frisky with paper figurines. At most, he had been frisky alongside a paper figurine.

Qi Changsheng thought about it and realized it made sense. After all, Jiang was a professional who had written two masterpieces; he was surely not going to get frisky with a paper figurine, unless Jiang Junior Brother was a pervert.

With this distraction, Qi Changsheng managed to snap out of his astonishment. He controlled the Paperman to fly onto the stone table and sighed, "Senior Tianpeng has entered seclusion, and who knows when he will emerge. It's a pity. I had hoped Junior Brother would write a few more masterpieces and exchange them for some good items from Senior Tianpeng."

"We should be content with what we have already obtained. You should focus on how to advance as an Artifact Refiner," Jiang Li replied weakly.

As he spoke, his gaze sometimes wandered and sometimes focused, as if his mind was elsewhere.

Jiang Li was trying to re-enter the Wise State.

The ability to solidify karma had allowed Jiang Li to advance in various aspects, but the former Jiang Li had never thought to study during Wise Man Time. Only after experiencing it did he understand its benefits, and naturally, he wanted to familiarize himself with the feeling while its effects still lingered, so he could freely switch his Mental State.

He must learn to switch his Mental State freely before he next met Gongsun Qingyue; Jiang Li did not wish to relive the feeling of being completely drained again.

"Forget it, I'll find another opportunity," Qi Changsheng decided after a moment's thought, abandoning the idea of staying any longer in Si Fan Valley, "I will advance first."

His sentence was almost up, and he had been reluctant to leave his patron, Elder Tianpeng, considering an escape to extend his time. Now that Elder Tianpeng had entered seclusion, it relieved Qi Changsheng of his indecision.

"Once Senior Brother leaves, please secretly deliver this letter to Outer Disciple Yang Chong," Jiang Li said, extending a letter.

"Yang Chong?" Qi Changsheng thought for a moment, "The one standing behind Luo Yi during your challenge at Wuqu Ping?"

"That's him."

"Leave it to me."

Qi Changsheng didn't ask why Jiang Li wanted to send a message to Yang Chong. Instead, he readily took on the task.

Although he seemed carefree, he was actually quite attentive and knew what to ask and what not to. All he needed to do was to do Jiang Li's request well.

Afterwards, Qi Changsheng chatted with Jiang Li for a while before controlling the paperman to depart.

Jiang Li continued to immerse himself in that state of mind that was without sorrow or joy, without desires or wants. Slowly, he grasped that feeling, and his train of thought became emptily brilliant, an indescribable sense of purity and clarity cleansing both body and mind.

His spirit was like a secluded pond, without ripples or waves, and all distracting thoughts were cleansed within, leaving only the most pure self.

"In this tranquility, Jiang Li felt his integration with the Dao Fruit deepening."

This line suddenly appeared on the Karma Collection.

Jiang Li: "..."

This could actually happen?

At this moment, Jiang Li had the same doubt as Elder Tianpeng.

It was one thing for Wise Man Time to help Jiang Li unlock his body's potential, but to deepen the integration of the Dao Fruit was something completely unexpected to him.

However, in the next instant, the clear mental state sorted through information about the Quanzhen Dao, and one of the abilities of the Dao Fruit flickered through Jiang Li's mind.

—"Seeking Truth."

The Quanzhen Dao advocated a heart free of distraction and speech, gentle and quiet, sincere and honest, with minimal thought and desire, ascetic cultivation. Jiang Li had first lost himself in the water, and now he was rediscovering his mental state, which was exactly in line with Quanzhen Dao's practice and inextricably linked to Wang Chongyang's own mental state, hence the further integration of the Dao Fruit.

Realizing this, Jiang Li set aside his stray thoughts and continued to immerse himself in the dispassionate state of mind.

Gradually, he rediscovered the joy of traversing the sea of knowledge as before, thoroughly enjoying the taste of tranquility.

Unbeknownst to him, time elapsed, and from nightfall to dawn and again to darkness, Jiang Li sat in meditation without eating or drinking for a full day and night. Yet there was no sign of withering; instead, he appeared not at all weak, his face full and healthy.

The True Qi within his body circulated ceaselessly, operating the practice on its own without the need for his own intention, naturally.

When the night deepened, Gongsun Qingyue controlled a paperman to come to the Stone House and saw such a scene.

Jiang Li sat cross-legged with a dignified aura, like a deity in a temple, without desires or wants, his aura always flowing around him, forming a faint white light around his body, and his slightly translucent skin shimmered in reflection.

"Senior Sister, you've arrived."

Jiang Li opened his eyes, his gaze as pure as a newborn's, reflecting the tiny figure of Gongsun Qingyue at that moment.

Gongsun Qingyue: "..."

The scene before her was so unbelievable that for a moment, Gongsun Qingyue didn't know what to say.

In the end, Gongsun Qingyue chose to express her greeting with action.

Her gaze intensified, and an Invisible Power touched Jiang Li's waist.

A trace of irritation immediately rose from his waist, and Jiang Li felt his kidneys send a warning, as if saying, "Don't strain any further, not a drop is left."

Yet before the kidneys could further endure the load, the True Qi inside him flowed soothingly, nourishing his organs, while Jiang Li focused his mind to subdue the desires of his Physical Body, smoothing over the irritation in one fell swoop.

"Senior Sister, the same tactic won't work on me a second time."