The life essence can be fused with the Immortal Armor, becoming the soul of the armor. Once it possesses a soul, the Immortal Armor’s power increases dramatically, and it is then called “Immortal Life Armor”—meaning that to become immortal, one must possess this set of battle armor.

The young man cupped his fists and knelt on the ground. “Master, your disciple has already surveyed the spiritual veins within a thousand-mile radius. As you predicted, all seventeen hidden spiritual veins within that range converge beneath that mountain peak.”

The man nodded solemnly. “And the things I asked for?”

The young man hurriedly clapped his hands together, and when he opened them, a palm-sized jade box had appeared. He presented it with both hands.

The man opened the jade box; inside was a world unto itself, neatly storing all the items he required.

Closing the jade box, he nodded in satisfaction. “Tonight is of utmost importance to me. I will set up the Azure Dragon Ten-Guard Grand Array around that mountain peak. You and your fellow disciples are to guard the perimeter. No matter who tries to force their way in—kill without mercy!”

“Yes, Master!”

The young man responded, then glanced at the patch of green light. Sarah Stone and Emily Bolton had already gotten into a scuffle, the two little girls looking delicate but both stubborn as mules. Henry Stone was sweating profusely trying to break them up, but Emily Bolton, quite unintentionally, kicked out with her little foot and gave him a black eye.

The young man couldn’t help but laugh. “Master, can this boy really help you?”

The man let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with indescribable loneliness. “Three hundred years ago, I condensed my Nascent Soul, and since then have rarely met a worthy opponent. Anyone who hears the name of the Dao Lord retreats in fear. Roaming the world, wasn’t it exhilarating? Yet after three hundred years, I remain stuck at the Nascent Soul stage. Only now do I realize that fame and prestige are fleeting. In the past fifty years, I have made no progress at all. Though Nascent Soul experts have lifespans of ten thousand years, in the end, we still cannot live as long as heaven and earth.”

He sighed again, then continued, “Lately, I have sensed that a breakthrough is near, but I have always lacked the right opportunity.”

He pointed at the disheveled Henry Stone in the green light. “...This child is my opportunity. Just one night of heart-to-heart conversation with him allowed my Nascent Soul to advance by half a grade.”

The young man was shocked, incredulous. “Half a grade in a single night?!”

The man nodded slowly. “Fenyong, if I truly manage to cultivate the Yang Spirit and ascend, you must take good care of this child. Not only to repay my debt, but perhaps in the future, when you and your fellow disciples condense your own Nascent Souls, you too will need his help.”

The young man kowtowed. “As you command.” He then asked curiously, “Master, how can this boy possess such talent?”

The man gave a wry smile. “I can’t say for sure either. Perhaps only after I cultivate the Yang Spirit and ascend to the Immortal Realm will I understand what’s going on.”

……

When Mr. Bolton called Emily Bolton home, Henry Stone brought the two little girls back. Emily Bolton’s neat double buns had turned into a messy bird’s nest, and her pale yellow pleated skirt was torn in several places—fit only to retire honorably and serve as a cleaning rag.

Sarah Stone was in even worse shape. Clearly, Emily Bolton had learned from her mother how to wield a woman’s weapons; Sarah Stone’s face and the backs of her hands were covered in scratches.

Henry Stone’s father was furious. He pulled Sarah Stone over and gave her a hard smack on the bottom.

“Waaah...”

Sarah Stone burst into tears. She was a few years older than Emily Bolton, yet had clearly lost the battle between the two girls. Already discouraged, she felt even more aggrieved after being spanked by her father, her tears flowing like a river under the moon.

Mr. Bolton felt embarrassed, glared fiercely at his daughter, said a few words to Henry Stone’s father, then cupped his hands and left with his daughter in a hurry.

As soon as Mr. Bolton left, Henry Stone’s mother snatched her daughter back from her husband and complained, “It’s enough to put on a show for Master Zhang, but you really had to hit her? Tsk tsk, look at what our little girl’s been scratched into. Come here, let Mama comfort you. There, there, don’t cry...”

This daughter-in-law had already given her future sister-in-law a good thrashing before even marrying into the family, thus gaining the upper hand in the foreseeable sister-in-law rivalry.

……

Chapter Four: Moonlight Like Jade (Part 2)

That evening, under the mediation of several highly respected village elders, the villagers’ quarrel finally reached a resolution. Henry Stone immediately agreed to enter the mountains the next day.

He didn’t know why, but he had great confidence in that man, convinced that everything would be resolved tonight.

Of course, he didn’t realize that it was because of the overwhelming aura that man exuded—before him, no problem seemed insurmountable.

After going to bed early, Henry Stone couldn’t wait for his soul to leave his body and head toward the mountain peak.

A few miles from the peak, he seemed to encounter some kind of barrier, like plunging into water—a membrane-like sensation swept over him. The mountain, which had looked utterly ordinary just moments before, suddenly transformed. Countless multicolored lights danced up and down around the peak.

The man he had seen the previous night was there, his hands moving ceaselessly. Before him, a jade box floated in midair, and as his hands moved, massive jade stones the size of coffins flew out one after another from the small box.

There were also multicolored jade beads, segments of pitch-black divine wood, dazzling white scales...