Little Yun Shan ignored Zhao Li, and Lin Lan laughed, teasing him.
When Zhao Li heard Lin Lan's words, he was delighted. He had no experience raising children, so he immediately handed Yun Shan over to Lin Lan, hoping Lin Lan would take good care of him.
Lin Lan nodded, not surprised. Even if Zhao Li truly took him as a disciple, most of the time it would likely be him, the grandmaster, doing the teaching. Of course, he was planning to personally guide him anyway, so he naturally wouldn't refuse.
But seeing Zhao Li's strange smile, he shook his head and chuckled:
"Just focus on cultivating, kid. I'll handle these trivial matters. From now on, I'll be relying on you!"
Zhao Li chuckled and said:
"Master, what are you saying? With your Dou Venerate strength and status as a Rank 8 Alchemist, where wouldn't you be treated with the highest respect?"
Lin Lan was noncommittal:
"The luckiest thing in my life, I fear, was meeting you early on. Little Li, you are truly remarkable!"
Lin Lan spoke from the heart. When the Zhao Family first came to the Danyuan Sect, he only went out of consideration for the friendship with the older generation. If he had made a different choice back then, he might have lost such an excellent disciple.
Seeing Lin Lan express his emotions so directly, which was rare for him, Zhao Li felt a stir in his heart. He could vaguely sense that his Master had changed a lot since returning this time, seeming to cherish the things around him even more.
He became serious and said sincerely:
"Meeting Master is my true fortune."
Without Lin Lan, Zhao Li's path of cultivation would have been much slower. Perhaps he wouldn't have met Wang Chen and obtained the inheritance, and when he went to the Central Plains, he wouldn't have encountered the Ruins, experienced the Spirit Emperor possessing him, and gained a deep understanding of the Power of Heaven and Earth.
They achieved success together.
That's how people are. Throughout a long life, they will encounter many choices. Each choice will lead to a different outcome, but they are interconnected, and ultimately, through various choices, they reach the end.
And what is called success is making suitable choices in one choice after another, accumulating bit by bit, and then erupting one day, achieving fame and success.
Seeing Zhao Li's solemn expression and genuine emotion, Lin Lan reached out and patted his shoulder, repeating "Good" several times:
"Good, good, good! With such a disciple, what more could a master ask for!"
He paused slightly, reined in his emotions, and changed the subject:
"Take this time to prepare well. At the Succession Ceremony, let those old fellows open their eyes and see just how monstrous my disciple, Lin Lan's disciple, is."
He was full of pride.
Then, without waiting for Zhao Li to say anything, he took Little Yun Shan and left, like an ordinary, kind old man doting on his grandchild, full of smiles.
Zhao Li looked at the harmonious scene before him, a sense of satisfaction rising in his heart.
He had cultivated all this way precisely so that these happy times wouldn't be like fleeting clouds, gone in an instant.
"Master, don't worry, your disciple won't lose face for you."
Zhao Li called out to Lin Lan.
Lin Lan's steps paused slightly, but he didn't speak, continuing to tease Little Yun Shan as he descended the mountain.
Zhao Li had never disappointed him.
...
Three months later, Danxia Mountain had changed dramatically.
Danxia Peak still stood among the mountains, but several other peaks had appeared around it, like stars surrounding the moon, enclosing Danxia Peak in the center.
Between each peak, there was a walkway spanning the void, strengthening the connection between the mountains.
Among the mountains, peach blossoms were red, willows green, late cherry blossoms vibrant, and a faint floral fragrance permeated the air; small bridges spanned flowing water, a gentle breeze swayed the lanterns and wind chimes hanging from the eaves and trees, emitting crisp sounds, as if the mountain forest was cheering.
On the ancient paths and between the walkways, people walked in twos and threes; in the deep forests and among the mountains and rivers, water flowed murmuringly, and calls echoed up and down...
Clouds and mist swirled, like a celestial realm.
At the summit of Danxia Mountain, Lin Lan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down, taking in the entire mountain forest, his heart filled with shock:
"Little Li, just how many tricks do you still have up your sleeve!"
"It's just some insignificant stuff, not worth mentioning."
Zhao Li was humble with his words, but looking at the greatly changed sect, he was quite satisfied.
He had moved several peaks, partly to prepare for the ceremony in a few days, but it wasn't just a simple expansion of the Danyuan Sect's area.
He used this to set up a Grand Formation, changing the Danyuan Sect's Feng Shui Environment. Normally, it would subtly calm the minds of the disciples throughout the Danyuan Sect, making them more focused whether cultivating or practicing Alchemy; if there were external enemies, it could be actively activated. Even if he and Lin Lan were not present, as long as the invaders were not Dou Venerates, they could be resisted.
Lin Lan resisted the urge to smack Zhao Li and rolled his eyes at him:
"Look how capable you are. I just told you to expand the space a bit casually, I didn't tell you to make it so complicated."
He hadn't expected that his casual remark about inviting more people and making it as grand as possible would lead Elder Wu and others to spread the news throughout Great Qian, with even several surrounding Empires sending people. To avoid any awkward situations, they had to temporarily expand the area, and he had entrusted this matter to Zhao Li.
"Isn't it because I was afraid of losing face for Master?"
Seeing Lin Lan's feigned calm demeanor, Zhao Li chuckled, then looked at the guests arriving one after another and sighed:
"You old man have a big reputation. Look, not many of them know me; they're all here for you."
Although the Succession Ceremony hadn't started yet, people were already arriving. Those who had the most interaction were usually aware of Lin Lan's prestige. As for Zhao Li, if he wasn't the one succeeding, no one would even bother to learn about him.
"You kid, when I was your age, I was still a junior genius. You, on the other hand, quietly became an old monster-level figure."
In just about twenty years, Zhao Li went from a fledgling youth to a powerful Senior whose back he couldn't even see. Lin Lan himself thought it was unbelievable, let alone others.
He paused slightly and said,
"You really should make a name for yourself and become famous across the Continent."
He knew that Zhao Li had been steady and mature since he was young, and didn't strive for fame or fortune in his cultivation. Despite his immense strength, he remained a nobody. He felt that this was the perfect opportunity to help Zhao Li gain recognition.
Zhao Li fell silent. When he first transmigrated and discovered this world where one could possess great power, he also wanted to roam the world with a sword, doing as he pleased.
But the very first time he traveled far from home, he encountered a major boss. Hun Tiandi's formidable strength had always weighed heavily on Zhao Li's mind. An attack, which had been blocked countless times, nearly killed Zhao Li, almost becoming a shadow in his heart and putting him under immense pressure.
Later, after learning that as long as he kept a low profile, he would eventually become a peak expert, Zhao Li became even more afraid of being found by the Soul Clan and falling in the darkness before dawn.
He was struggling with his thoughts.
"Forget it, let fate decide. I, a mighty Two-Revolutions Dou Venerate expert, am actually so cautious. It seems I've gone a bit too far."
Zhao Li didn't say anything more. He wasn't going to deliberately hide anymore.
Perhaps it was because he had a partial God's Perspective and knew the true top-tier power on the Continent that he had always subconsciously suppressed himself.
What he sought in cultivation was clearly freedom and spontaneity, but looking back on these years, he was either hiding in the Pill Tower or hiding on the Eastern Continent. If he went out looking like this now, who among the people he had met over the years would even know him?
"Although being cautious is good, being this overly cautious is almost like giving up eating for fear of choking. It's completely contrary to the purpose of cultivation."
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