In a flash, scolding voices rang out from the crowd, all cursing Lee for lacking propriety and disturbing the immortals. People strained their voices yelling vigorously, fantasizing the immortals inside the convent would hear and take pity, guiding them onto the immortal path.

Hearing the curses and scolding from thousands of people, Lee was unmoved, the corners of his lips curving up arrogantly.  

The young Daoist observed Lee's strange appearance and then saw his nonchalant reaction. He softly exclaimed in his heart, realizing this person was not simple.

Before he knew it, Lee's face was full of fawning smiles, blossoming like an old chrysanthemum. He repeatedly nodded and bowed obsequiously, flattering: "Immortal child do not blame me! I did not intend to disturb the immortals' cultivation! It is only that I have an important matter to seek an audience with the honored immortals!"

The Daoist child froze, his expression turning ugly. He glared fiercely at Lee and was about to close the gates.

A strange and extraordinary fragrance drifted over. The Daoist child only felt the fragrance rapidly infuse his body, like a gentle stream moistening his five organs and six entrails.  

The Daoist child slowly turned his head, his gaze falling upon the translucent crystalline stems and leaves in Lee's hands. His neck gradually flushed red and he pointed at the stems and leaves, voice trembling: "This... this is an immortal herb?"

"Indeed." Lee straightened his back and handed over half a stem leaf to the Daoist child, profoundly smiling: "This little one is willing to present immortal herbs simply for the sake of seeing the honored immortals' faces."

The Daoist child stared fixedly at the aromatic stem leaves in his palm. He looked complicatedly at Lee: "Wait here."

Having said so, the Daoist child shut the gates and rushed into the convent. 

The scolding stopped and a buzz of discussion sounded outside the Green Pear Convent. The crowd looked at Lee with eyes full of envy and respect. Lee temporarily had the feeling of blissfully soaring into the clouds.

"Shuro, oh Shuro, you really fail to see a diamond in the rough! Calling such immortal herbs merely passable. If you could set aside your pride and personally present these immortal herbs to the immortals backing you, your future prospects would undoubtedly be limitless! What a pity, what a pity, still too young in the end!" 

Lee narrowed his eyes smugly. Though he spoke as such, his heart was bleeding. These were immortal herbs, after all, the legendary flesh mending and bringing dead men back to life immortal herbs. He was about to use them to curry favor from the immortals, and moreover, he was uncertain whether the immortals could cure his strange injury to restore his cultivation.

"Fox Magistrate?"

A low exclamation of uncertainty sounded from the crowd.

Not only had Lee's cultivation dropped to the Great Core Realm from his opponent's strike, his appearance had also become freakish - his neck was three inches longer than an ordinary person's, his cheekbones highly protruded, his cheeks were gaunt, yet his body was very bloated with a large belly and thick waist, looking just like a laughable fat crane.

Glancing to the side, Lee loftily nodded. Although his looks had changed, those familiar with him in the past could still vaguely recognize him. Having immortal herbs to rely on, Lee no longer needed to keep sneaking around either.

"He's really the Fox Magistrate who awed the martial world across the two lakes over ten years ago?"

"That's right. Back then on the grand Tera martial arts leaderboard, although below the half-step Realm of the Unbound, he was ranked in the top ten for a time."

"What happened today then? First the Tera legend, then Fox Magistrate, Tera's hidden world martial arts masters from years past are surprisingly all appearing in Caelius Capital."

The intermittent discussions from several martial artists entered his ears. Lee was secretly smug.

"Fox Magistrate also somehow obtained immortal herbs, truly enviable!"

"But the most enviable still belongs to the Tera legend."

"Do you all know, Marcio had previously sought the Way and asked the immortals for guidance, and was once rejected from the sect gates." Although his talents are unparalleled, all the immortal sects unanimously judged he has no fate with the immortal path in this life. The supreme genius Marcio must have been greatly setback then."  

"Otherwise, how could he be called the Tera legend."

Lee listened hazily, only understanding one thing - the conclusion reached by all the immortal sects was the same as what Shuro had said before, the Tera legend Marcio could no longer make any more progress in this life.

That brat Shuro had actually guessed right, no wonder he nearly fooled Marcio. 

Lee was secretly shocked.

Footsteps sounded from the convent, drawing nearer from afar.

Lee's heartbeat quickened, his expression continuously changing. With immortal herbs from the South Desolation River Lord's abode, plus the "flattering horse stance" he had cultivated over the years, as long as he could curry enough favor with the immortals, perhaps he could not only restore his cultivation but even take a step further to accomplish what even the Tera legend Marcio hadn't - set foot onto the immortal path.

At this time, the sighing voices of several martial artists drifted over again.

"I wonder which eminent figure this Master Chuan is, to actually break through the immortals' prophecy!" 

"Although a legend, without Master Chuan's guidance, I'm afraid the Tera legend would have difficulty continuing his legend."

"With just some words of guidance, he allowed Marcio to condense Primal Energy and embark on the immortal path. I heard this Master Chuan is a figure from Caelius Capital, truly living up to the saying, the greatest hermit hides in the marketplace!"

"Master Chuan guided to immortality with a single word. The winds of Caelius Capital will likely change."

In the cold winter, large beads of sweat actually rolled down Lee's forehead! 

Master Chuan... could they be talking about... Shuro?

Standing rigidly at the convent gates, Lee's lips turned blue and trembled slightly. Scenes from the River Lord's cave dwelling continuously flashed through his mind.

"To change fate, you must first shatter the qi core."

The youth had said thus in the lightless River Lord's cave dwelling.

Marco did not believe him, and Lee believed him even less. Although Lee admitted before that Shuro's "lecture" had once enthralled him, the moment Shuro spoke his last sentence, Lee immediately sobered up.

This Shuro is a huge swindler!

Shatter the qi core? How is that possible? Once the qi core shatters, cultivation is ruined!

The footsteps from the convent grew increasingly close, yet Lee was like he had just crawled out of Rouge River, drenched all over in sweat. His legs shook like sieves, his complexion continuously changing.

A face surfaced in his mind.

What kind of face was it? One part is nonchalant and breezy, seven parts arrogant and unyielding. When wisdom showed through his eyes, it was as if holding the ultimate principles of heaven, earth, and myriads of things, yet also slightly more bewitching, like an old demon who had experienced thousands of years occasionally descending into the mortal world, playing around in the red dust.

How could a fifteen-year-old youth suddenly possess such a temperament? Even if he was an immortal sect disciple it would be impossible! From this perspective, how could he possibly be a common outer sect disciple?

Master Chuan who guided me to immortality with a single word... guided to immortality with a single word... instead of relying on the nearby Master Chuan, I ran over here with immortal herbs... I really am a dumbass!

Lee trembled. He felt every pore on his body happily about to explode, suddenly moved to tears with the urge to roar towards the sky.

The footsteps from within the convent were right before him, yet Lee did not hesitate to jump off the stairs. Under the dazed gazes of over a thousand pilgrims, he turned and fled into the night, swaying like a fat goose.

When Lee returned to the York family's secondary mansion, the long night was coming to an end and the snowless sky was lemon green.

Carefully walking into the backyard, Lee saw a scene that caused his eyeballs to protrude in shock.

A youth around seventeen or eighteen sat cross-legged. His body was as hard as cast iron, rugged and angular, emitting a glossy black luster. Dense black qi surged out of his Baihui acupoint atop his head, swaying like snakes, frightening to behold.

Lewis?How did he become like this?

Lee was frightened out of his wits.

He sensed an unfamiliar aura from Lewis, as well as power far exceeding Lewis's former Small Core Realm cultivation.

Great Core Realm?

Lee's back shivered.

Although Lewis had the great returning pellet obtained from Pang Guan, he still required forty-nine days to dissolve the cultivation base. Yet only one day had passed and he already broke through to Great Core Realm?

"The red sun will soon rise, Yin and Yang alternating! Lewis, visualize heaven and earth, generate thoughts, transform into the black flood dragon coiled under the bottomless abyss with ten thousand Zhang tall mountains on its back at the dark depths, go swallow the first ray of dawn!"  

A familiar voice sounded. Lee was horrified, only now discovering Shuro standing under that withered tree in the yard. He had stood there for a long time, snowflakes covering his shoulders. If not for speaking out, perhaps Lee would not have noticed him.

His cultivation improved again!

Staring at Shuro's silhouette, Lee swallowed his saliva. After all, he himself was once a first-class expert at the Great Spiritual Realm. That day at the River Lord's cave dwelling, he could still perceive Shuro's level to be between the Small and Great Spiritual Realm.

Yet now, the feeling Shuro gave Lee had suddenly become illusory and intangible, blurry, as if he could not be noticed if not deliberately sensing. This could only mean that although Shuro did not break through his realm overnight, his cultivation had once more risen, already comparable to the Great Spiritual Realm!