Chapter 233: Abstract Painter Jiang Li

【Task Issued: The Cloudwater Secret Realm, which opens once every hundred years, is about to activate. Only Golden Core–stage cultivators may enter. Talents will gather like fish crossing a river—too many to count. Inside the secret realm lies a spiritual herb known as “Boundary-Breaking Grass,” which can help you awaken your Heavenly Spiritual Root in advance. Please obtain the “Boundary-Breaking Grass” within the Cloudwater Secret Realm.】
【This task cannot be abandoned.】
【Task Rewards: One tub of medicinal bath to aid in awakening the Heavenly Spiritual Root, one Mind Control Gu, one set of Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Technique.】

“Boundary-Breaking Grass?”

Jiang Li was a bit surprised. Boundary-Breaking Grass only worked on cultivators at Nascent Soul level or below. It could help break through a minor stage without side effects, but it could only be used once. He hadn’t expected it to be capable of awakening the Heavenly Spiritual Root.

The Heavenly Spiritual Root was self-concealing, disguised as Five-Element Roots on the surface. Only by reaching the Nascent Soul stage with Five Roots could its true nature be revealed, allowing one’s cultivation to soar, unmatched by peers of the same stage.

But reaching Nascent Soul with Five Roots was unbelievably difficult—it required willpower and luck in equal measure.

Throughout history, cultivators who discovered they had Heavenly Spiritual Roots all achieved extraordinary things. The most famous of them was the 72nd Human Sovereign, Jiang Li.

“If one could use the Heavenly Spiritual Root at the Golden Core stage, their foundation would be terrifyingly solid. Reaching Nascent Soul would be a breeze—and their battle power would far exceed the early-stage Nascent Soul level!”

Jiang Li felt this system task would be greatly beneficial to him!

“I already awakened my Heavenly Spiritual Root during the Foundation Establishment stage, so no worries.”

Back then, when Jiang Li was forced into a desperate situation during Foundation Establishment, he had to burn his spiritual roots. Miraculously surviving, he forcibly awakened his Heavenly Spiritual Root. That helped him immensely in the early stages of cultivation.

Jiang Li bought a scraggly weed-like herb from the system store—it looked unimpressive but was indeed Boundary-Breaking Grass.

The system gave no prompts.

“Figures. Looks like I have to get it from the secret realm.”

Jiang Li had once explored the Cloudwater Secret Realm with Yu Yin and was very familiar with it.

The Cloudwater Secret Realm had been left behind in the Nine Provinces by an Immortal skilled in the Dao of Painting. This Immortal Painter hadn’t left a lineage, so the secret realm was seen as his inheritance.

Jiang Li had passed through the realm and ultimately obtained the painter’s legacy.

But before that, the painter’s divine thought had wanted to evaluate Jiang Li’s skill in the Dao of Painting.

As for Jiang Li’s painting… whether or not it belonged to the abstract school was unclear, but it was definitely abstract.

The painter’s divine thought looked at it from every angle, and just couldn’t figure out what Jiang Li had drawn.

“…Is this an elephant or a wild boar?” the painter’s divine thought asked, unsure.

“I drew Yu Yin,” Jiang Li answered honestly. Yu Yin, standing nearby, nearly exploded.

She and Jiang Li had tied for first place, but only Yu Yin passed the test—Jiang Li was deemed unqualified.

Thanks to Jiang Li going first, the painter’s divine thought was extremely satisfied with Yu Yin.

It had been hundreds of years since Jiang Li had seen Yu Yin use painting. He wasn’t sure whether she’d let it go or had been practicing quietly.

“These task rewards are… interesting.” Jiang Li eyed the last two items—one Mind Control Gu, and one Dual Cultivation Technique.

Recalling the last task was to visit the Gu Immortal Secret Realm to help him find a Dao companion, it was obvious how the Dual Cultivation Technique was meant to be used.

As for the Mind Control Gu, every time Jiang Li saw that thing, he couldn’t help but think of some rather indecent uses.

Jiang Li was certain that whatever the system thought the use was, it definitely wasn’t what he was imagining.

“Maybe the problem is my mindset. I’ll reflect.”

Jiang Li concluded that his thoughts had been corrupted by Ma Zhuo and his wife.

“Maybe it’s best to just expel them.”

…

Just like the task description said, the opening of the Cloudwater Secret Realm was a major event. It was always a gathering of geniuses, but now that the spatial channels were connected, even more talented cultivators than usual had come.

For example, Jiang Li spotted a former envoy of the Dharma Body Sect, genius cultivator Li Er.

“This little fox is kind of interesting. Are you from the Beast-Taming Sect?” Li Er was enthusiastically eyeing the little fox on a Golden Core cultivator’s shoulder.

The white fox arched its back and bared its teeth, trying to scare Li Er off.

“I am Qin Luan, a direct disciple of the Dingfeng Temple under the Great Zhou.”

“Wow, then your luck is amazing. Even the Beast-Taming Sect doesn’t have such high-grade spirit beasts.” Li Er chuckled. A Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox that had reached the Fusion stage—the Beast-Taming Sect couldn’t afford to raise something that powerful.

“Brother Li, where are you from?”

“What’re you doing here?” Jiang Li patted Li Er on the shoulder.

Li Er jumped in shock. Someone had managed to sneak past his tribulation-stage divine sense—he thought he’d seen a ghost.

Turned out it was Jiang Li.

Jiang Li’s disguise technique wasn’t particularly advanced—anyone at tribulation stage or higher could see through it.

“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for the painter’s divine thought? Don’t forget you have a wife,” Jiang Li said, eyeing Li Er suspiciously.

The painter’s divine thought manifested as a stunningly beautiful woman from a southern water town—gentle and soft. Many cultivators became infatuated after encountering her and kept trying to return to the secret realm.

Too bad the Cloudwater Secret Realm only allowed Golden Core cultivators. Those who entered a century ago were either dead or had long since advanced past that stage.

Besides that reason, Jiang Li couldn’t think of why else Li Er would be here.

What high-level cultivator would bother with a place like this?

“What’re you talking about? I’m devoted to Cheng’er!” Li Er protested, then sighed. “Our wedding anniversary is coming up, and I broke the keepsake she gave me.”

“What keepsake?”

“A Ten-Thousand-Year Crystal Glazed Coral Tree.”

“…Didn’t that species go extinct?”

“Exactly. Cheng’er had the last one, and now it’s gone. So I figured I’d paint a fake one using the Dao of Painting to fool her. But thinking it through, there’s no one in the Nine Provinces with painting skills good enough to fool my wife. I figured I might as well ask the painter’s divine thought for help.”

Li Er’s wife, Cheng’er, was the Dragon King of the Western Sea’s younger sister—a real dragon, in the Fusion stage. Sure, the Nine Provinces had a few Fusion-stage cultivators proficient in painting, but Li Er had no confidence they could fool his wife.

He really regretted not learning the Dao technique “Return the Wind, Reignite the Flame.” If he had, none of this would’ve happened.

“You could try asking Yu Yin. She’s probably good at painting,” Jiang Li suggested.

Li Er didn’t think much of the idea. “You think she’d help me keep it secret? More like she’d tell Cheng’er directly.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Get lost.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Looking for Boundary-Breaking Grass.”

Li Er gave Jiang Li a weird look. Was he crazy about leveling up? That herb only worked for cultivators under Nascent Soul. And here Jiang Li was, already in Mahayana.

If Boundary-Breaking Grass worked on Mahayana cultivators, Li Er swore he’d eat it every day like rice.

“Human Sovereign.” Yuan Wuxing was the first to recognize Jiang Li—just a hunch.

“Late-stage Nascent Soul. Not bad.” Yuan Wuxing’s cultivation had skyrocketed—not just because of talent, but likely also due to lucky encounters while traveling across the Nine Provinces.

Qin Luan’s team kept growing: Yuan Wuxing and his disciples, Song Ying, the little white fox, Aguna.

“Mr. Jiang.” After Yuan Wuxing’s reminder, Qin Luan and the others realized the unassuming man was actually a disguised Human Sovereign.

The little fox’s eyes went wide.

Even when she ruled the Qingqiu Kingdom, she hadn’t run into the Human Sovereign this often.

“You interested in the Dao of Painting too?” Jiang Li asked Qin Luan.

Yuan Wuxing interrupted: “He doesn’t know sh*t about painting. The most he’s done is draw a map on his blanket when he was a kid.”

Qin Luan argued back: “Who says I don’t know painting? I can draw a perfect circle freehand!”

Yuan Wuxing sneered, “Yeah? I can beg for alms freehand too.”