The kidneys were of the water element, and their radiance was black.

Refining the kidneys helped strengthen one’s spirit and consolidate one's innate foundations.

A dazed look flashed across Su Yi’s face, then disappeared. When he thought about his night of contemplation, he couldn’t help but smile.

With divine sense, he could comprehend the subtle intricacies of heaven and earth. This naturally came with the possibility of gleaning enlightenment into the Dao!

This was far stronger than ordinary bitter cultivation. Barriers broken through in this way would have a natural correspondence with the Dao, and the resulting foundations were naturally extraordinary.

Alas, enlightenment in the Dao could be found but not sought…

Su Yi silently examined the changes to his cultivation. I’m a fourth-level Grandmaster, and I’ve nourished four types of spiritual Dao Light. Both my foundations in the Grand Dao and my combat prowess have reached new heights. 

If I can refine the Spiritual Radiance of the Five Aggregates upon becoming a fifth-level Grandmaster, my cultivation will undoubtedly undergo a qualitative transformation!

In the Grandmaster, or Inner Furnace Realm, one tempered the five major organs, the “inner furnaces.”

The first four levels were a series of gradual accumulations. Reaching the fifth level was different. Once all five major organs had been tempered and nourished, Grandmasters were like carp leaping over the dragon’s gate or serpents metamorphosing into dragons.

That was the moment they reached the true peak of the Grandmaster Realm!

And possessing Five-Colored Spiritual Radiance was equivalent to having the firmest foundations possible. Upon cultivating to the Xiantian Martial Ancestor realm, one could condense “Dao grade” xiantian qi!

Xiantian qi was the root of Xiantian Martial Ancestors’ cultivation. Different martial artists’ xiantian qi varied enormously!

These disparate levels could be divided into upper, middle, and lower grades, which were further divided into nine ranks.

Ordinary Xiantian Martial Ancestors, when they first condensed their xiantian qi, had lower grade xiantian qi. As their cultivation progressed, and after relentless tempering, the quality of their xiantian qi would transform.

However, even if they tempered it to the limits of their potential, they could never surpass “lower-grade, first rank.”

Some of the stronger Xiantian Martial Ancestors produced mid-grade xiantian qi.

Their ranks included some of those who’d fallen beneath Su Yi’s sword, like the Firedome and Cloud-Scraping Kings.

Similarly, the upper limit of mid-grade xiantian qi was “mid-grade, first rank.”

Only those with transcendent talent could produce upper-grade xiantian qi. Their ranks included people like Mountain-Subduing King Mu Xi, and Ning Sihua, as well as those Xiantian Martial Ancestors who emerged from cultivation factions. Most such experts produced xiantian qi of this level. 

Similarly, the limit of upper-grade xiantian qi was “upper first rank.”

A few days ago, when he fought in the Cloud-Scraping Army’s camp, You Xinglin of the Great Qin’s Profound Moon Temple saw Su Yi as a whetstone. His goal was to produce said upper first-rank xiantian qi.

Xiantian qi of this level represented the peak of power within the Anāsrava Realm.

However, in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, there were rumors of yet another level: the practically mythical Dao-grade Xiantian Qi!

This type of xiantian qi contained the charm of the Dao and elemental energies. It was as profound as could be.

Between now and the ancient era, those who successfully refined xiantian qi of this level were rare indeed.

Dao grade xiantian qi was Su Yi’s goal, and he already wasn’t far from reaching it.

….

After a while, Su Yi leisurely rose, put away his wicker chair, and stared into the dim light of dawn. “Let’s go.”

With that, he sauntered off, out of the run-down temple and into the rain. The air was clear, fresh, and pleasing to the heart and mind.

Qing Wan traveled alongside him. One man and one ghost strolled through mountains and rivers, each finding their own amusement.

…..

After leaving Ptarmigan Ridge and traveling another three hundred miles, he’d reach the Jade Capital, the Great Zhou’s imperial city.

Su Yi noticed that this stretch of path was significantly busier. Other travelers were a common sight on both the little footpaths between the mountains and the wide official roads.

Some were armored warriors, while others were merchants or traveling scholars… They came in all stripes, but all were hurrying in the direction of the Jade Capital.

To the mundane inhabitants of the Great Zhou, the Jade Capital wasn’t just the imperial city; it was also the most affluent and prosperous place in the empire. 

To cultivators, the Jade Capital was a city of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, with experts as numerous as trees in the forest.

But to Su Yi, it was just another mundane city.

Because of his status post-reincarnation, he had a grudge with the Jade Capital’s Su Family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had any interest in visiting at all. 

He was much more interested in lands of opportunity like the Eight Great Yao Mountains.

On a remote stretch of mountain path.

Su Yi looked up and into the distance. After traveling another few dozen miles, he’d reach the banks of the Qinglan River.

The Qinglan River was the largest river in the White Province, and it stretched across a thousand miles. The waters were wide, and the current was rapid. 

Upon reaching the opposite bank, he’d only have to travel another hundred miles before reaching the Jade Capital!

“Young Lord, are you perhaps headed toward the riverbank?” Suddenly, a swarthy woodman walked up and asked with a hearty grin.

Su Yi glanced at him. “That’s right.”

“Then do you need a ferry?” asked the woodman.

“Naturally,” said Su Yi.

The woodman smiled. “I just so happen to have a ferry. If you’re willing, all you need to do is give me a thousand gold, or alternatively, ten tier-two spirit stones as travel expenses. Then, I’ll personally man the oars and see you to the other side of the river.”

“A thousand?” exclaimed Su Yi. “How is that any different from highway robbery?”

The woodman grinned. “I won’t lie to you: this old man is indeed here to rob you.”

“Oh?” Su Yi looked around, then said, “The mountainous wilderness is indeed a good place to accost travelers and rob them.”

Since departing the Imperatorial Provincial Capital, Su Yi had encountered no shortage of robbers and thieves, so this didn’t come as much of a surprise.

The woodman said sincerely, “Young Lord, if you offer up your treasures, I’ll ensure that you reach the other side of Qinglan River alive.”

“And if I refuse?” asked Su Yi with a laugh.

The woodman scratched his head and sighed. “That would be rather troublesome. Lately, I’ve encountered a few others like you. They thought that, with their cultivations, they had nothing to fear, and that I was just a petty thief ignorant of the danger. But in the end…”

He flashed Su Yi a simple, honest grin. “All of them are dead. Even the mighty Grandmasters are now nothing but dry bones rotting in the wilderness, while I… am still alive and well.”

Su Yi smiled and said, “So long as you answer me and tell me whether you really have a ferry or not, I don’t mind giving you a few spirit stones.”

The woodman’s eyes lit up. “This old man naturally wouldn’t lie to you!”

“Where’s the boat?” asked Su Yi.

The woodman extended his hand. “First, give me the spirit stones.”

Su Yi took out a tier-three spirit stone and was just about to hand it over when a feminine shout rang out. “You can’t give it to him!”

A delicate figure then whooshed up to Su Yi.

She was a young woman in a blue shirt, with beautiful features and a valiant bearing. Two saber sheathes hung from her thin waist, one on each side.

First, the young woman glared at Su Yi and said crisply, “You look smart, so how could you be so muddle-headed? You know this guy is a highwayman, so why trust him?”

Then, without even waiting for Su Yi to respond, she fixed her gaze on the woodman. Her beautiful eyes were icy as she said coldly, “This is my friend. If you don’t want to die, scram!”

The woodman’s eyes flashed, and he looked the girl up and down before laughing heartily, “Little girl, stepping in, sabers drawn, upon witnessing an injustice is admirable, but not if you lose your life in the pro—"

That was all he managed to say before an arrow shot out of the distance.

Whoosh!

It struck like lightning, tearing through the air and piercing the woodman’s left shoulder. The terrifying impact sent him flying backward. 

“Dammit!” The woodman’s expression shifted dramatically. The moment he stabilized himself, he turned and fled into the mountains.

The young woman was just about to give chase when the white-robed youth stopped her. “Junior Apprentice Sister, don’t push a criminal into the corner.”

The white-robed youth looked heroic, upright, and dignified. He carried a longbow, and he had a quiver full of arrows on his back. The arrow was obviously his work.

The young woman said in displeasure, “Senior Apprentice Brother, why didn’t you kill that thief just now?”

The white-robed youth said in exasperation, “That was a Grandmaster! How could I kill him so easily?”

As he said this, he put away his bow, turned to Su Yi, and clasped his fist with a faint smile. “Young Lord, we meet again. I didn’t startle you just now, did I?”

Su Yi shook his head. He’d met both the young man in white and the pretty young woman at a restaurant earlier on his journey, but they didn’t know each other. They’d only met once before.

The young woman glanced at Su Yi, and she immediately started jabbering. “How could you trust a highwayman like that? Don’t you realize that if you gave him a spirit stone, he’d assume you had even more treasure on you? There’s no way he’d let you go so easily.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but find it funny. There was no doubt about it; the young woman thought him a fledgling leaving the nest for the first time. 

He couldn’t be bothered to explain anything, either.

“Enough. You’re just inexperienced; it’s understandable. How about this? Going forward, let’s travel together. That way, we can look after you along the way,” said the girl, generously waving him over.

The young man in white smiled. “You’re headed to the Jade Capital too, right? There’s no reason we can’t travel together. My junior apprentice sister and I aren’t particularly strong, but we can handle the thieves along the way, no problem.” 

Su Yi didn’t refuse.

No matter what else he might say, this pair was good-natured, and they had a strong sense of justice. When they encountered someone in trouble, they took the initiative to help out even though the victim was a stranger. This was rare and precious.

“Let’s go. When we get to Autumn Waters Crossing, we can take a ferry and cross the Qinglan River together,” said the girl. She then led the way ahead.

The young man in white smiled at Su Yi. “Young Lord, if you please.”

Just like that, the three of them started traveling together.

However, although the two young sectmates didn’t know it, the woodman they’d injured with an arrow earlier only made it about a thousand meters into the woods before dropping dead for no apparent reason. 

And a thousand meters just so happened to be the limit of Su Yi’s divine sense!

You dare try and rob me? How could I possibly let you leave alive?

“Young Lord, where are you from? What’s your name? What are you going to the Jade Capital for?” As they walked, the young woman peppered him with questions. She had a valiant bearing and a straightforward nature. She was young and pretty, and extremely vivacious. 

Su Yi couldn’t help but think of Wen Lingxue, and when he next looked at the girl, his gaze was much softer than before. “I’m going to the Jade Capital because there’s something I have to do there. As for my name… Better not to say it.”