Inside Aotian’s cave, Rihai and he were sitting together on one side of a tea table.

On the other side, Shen He stood behind a chair, with Liu Taixuan seated in front of him.

The old ghost looked as he always did: imposing shoulders, a vibrant red mane as if it had been forged in the flames of a volcano, observing everything with his intense and serious crimson eyes.

But Aotian was not fooled by the outward appearance.

The old man’s eyes seemed, in a certain way, softer and deeper. His temperament more controlled and his shoulders lighter, as if an invisible weight had been lifted from them.

Moreover, his level of danger had also undergone a tremendous change, which made Aotian’s mouth struggle not to twitch.

He often created missions to assess situations, especially when he sensed something was different. The test mission simulating him attacking Shen He and the old man with all his avatars in an attempt to kill them produced a danger level that made his eyes narrow.

[Danger Level: Fatal]

His previous strategy, that is, his trump card to deal with a weakened soul, could no longer work.

And that previous trick was to use the powerful ancestor of the Heritage Pavilion, Zhao Wenming, with his ability Soul Challenge, to confront him in an illusory world.

There, he could use his own combat perceptions, along with those inherited from Lei Yun, to drag Liu Taixuan into a prolonged battle while controlling a body identical to the old man’s. 

Even though time inside the Soul Challenge passed much faster, the soul outside was constantly burning away. Only a few seconds would be enough for Aotian to counterattack with his other avatars and exhaust the little energy remaining in that soul.

Yes, from the beginning his trump card against Liu Taixuan had been exploiting the old man’s limitations to win by playing dirty. But apparently that small trump card could no longer be used.

That left him with only his ultimate trump card, but fortunately Old Liu was no longer an enemy, so it would not have to be revealed yet.

But one thing was certain: his avatars, and thus his first trump card that had already been sufficient before, had not weakened. Therefore, the problem, of course, came from the other side.

“Congratulations on your breakthrough, old man,” Aotian said suddenly with a smile, startling everyone in the room.

“Huh?!” Old Liu widened his eyes in surprise. “How did you—?!”

Before finishing, he swallowed his words and glanced toward the empty space behind the couple, where the two ancestors remained hidden.

He could feel that the two were much stronger than before. During the Dao sermon, it was only when he advanced half a step into the Mahayana realm that he sensed them again. At that time, they had been hiding up in the sky.

Earlier, Liu Taixuan had thought that perhaps he had been so focused on the sermon that he didn’t notice the ancestors arriving. But now, judging by the fact that even he, at his current realm, needed to search carefully before detecting the faint fluctuations in the void where they were hiding, it was clear that those two had grown much stronger.

‘No… not grown. But recovered. Their cultivations and memories are truly returning. They must have sensed my strength and informed the boy—that’s how he knew about the breakthrough.’

Old Liu pondered with firm thoughts, understanding the “truth” of the matter.

Rihai, on the other hand, did not have thoughts and calculations as complex as those of her great-grandfather and her husband.

“Grandfather, you became a Mahayana?!” she asked, shocked and excited, not doubting her husband.

“Ahem!” Old Liu coughed into his fist and waved his hand, half embarrassed, half proud as he saw the light in his granddaughter’s eyes. “Well, it doesn’t count as a complete breakthrough.”

His chest puffed out slightly, betraying how happy he was to show off to her, even though his words left her confused.

“Not complete?” She frowned at his words, her blue eyes full of doubt.

“It can be said that I have broken through, but due to the lack of a physical body and my own vitality, I could not fully complete the breakthrough. At the same time, it cannot be said that I am still a Tribulation Transcendent,” the old man explained with a sigh, making Rihai widen her eyes, unsure how to react.

“So… it both is and isn’t?” she asked, not fully understanding how such a cultivation realm worked.

At that moment, Aotian spoke.

“It can be said that he entered half a step into the Mahayana realm. In that sense, he is invincible against Tribulation Transcendents and below, but he is still not as strong as a Mahayana. It’s something like a transitional realm, but one that approaches infinitely close to entering the next realm,” he explained, based on the logic of the various xianxia novels he had read, while finally understanding what level Liu Taixuan was at that moment.

Half a step into a realm is a common trope in the books he read in his past life. Sometimes it is treated as its own realm in some stories, other times merely as a state marked by the inability to advance completely into a new realm in a single step. The old man’s case fell into the second.

Liu Taixuan looked at him in surprise and nodded lightly, confirming the boy’s words. But his impression of the Infinite Dao Sect rose once again.

He judged that apparently there had already been records of cases like his in that sect in the past, and the boy’s description had been perfect for his current state.

“Hmm! I also call my current state that, half a step to Mahayana. What the boy said is correct. And this old man… would like to thank the sect for allowing me to listen to the sermon, which allowed me to clearly see the path ahead. And… also apologize to you, boy, and to all the elders whom I suspected.”

“I was blind and ignorant of much of the world, and in my folly, I misjudged your good intentions. I hope you can forgive me—or at the very least, grant me the chance to make amends.”

Liu Taixuan spoke softly and sincerely, lowering his head, leaving everyone surprised by his sudden apology.

He didn’t find it strange that the name “half step”—a term he himself had coined for his state—was the same one Aotian had used.

In the cultivation world, it was normal for names to arise proactively for things. For example, cultivation realms actually had uniform names not because they spread among cultivators from different regions, but probably through intervention from the world itself. When someone tried to name something, the world silently whispered the correct name of things, without anyone noticing.

Because of this, it was very difficult to enter a region and find something with a different name for an item that already existed on another continent. Of course, very difficult did not mean impossible. People could still deny that influence and name things however they wished, but they rarely did so.

Thus, the human language used in that world was unified, but it was not called Chinese or anything like that, even though the characters resembled it. Instead, it was called the Human World Language.

The language of beasts was called the Beast World Language.

And these languages, despite having different pronunciations, possessed identical words in sense and meaning. The name of an herb, in human language, composed of the words Transcendent, Sky, and Lotus, in the language of beasts would be the same, only expressed through roars instead of words.

That was why it was so easy for beasts and humans to communicate through spiritual intent, through images and sensations. Learning each other’s languages also did not present many problems.

It was not like on Earth, in Aotian’s past life, where different languages had different forms of expression, vocabulary rules, sayings, and other structures that made understanding a second language difficult.

Back in the present, with Rihai understanding that such an advancement was still something very positive for Liu Taixuan, she smiled happily.

“Congratulations on the breakthrough, Grandpa!” she celebrated happily, circling the table and running to hug him.

The old man materialized using his energy and gladly accepted his granddaughter’s embrace.

It was the first time she had hugged him, and because of that his heart filled with happiness. At that moment, he was even happier than when he had broken through during the sermon.

Liu Taixuan, while feeling his heart warmed by his granddaughter’s sincere happiness for him, discreetly raised his head and saw Aotian smiling gently at them, which softened his heart toward the annoying boy even more.

‘He’s not… entirely bad,’ he murmured to himself, smiling slightly as well.

The old man knew that since he had stopped antagonizing the boy and started accepting him, his granddaughter, who previously seemed a little distant from him, had also begun to approach.

He did not blame her. After all, he was a grandfather who had not been present in her life, while it had been the boy who supported her and gave her hope and love in her lowest moment. So it was normal that she could not accept him while he unjustly antagonized her husband.

But fortunately, that day all the barriers seemed to break with his simple and sincere apology.

It was not that Rihai was cold-hearted toward her own family. On the contrary, she had long wanted to grow closer to her grandfather and had defended him on several occasions in front of her husband. But the constant suspicion of the stubborn old man also tired and irritated her.

Rihai trusted her husband completely and knew he would never harm her, but she simply could not make her great-grandfather see that.

And she also understood Aotian for not flattering her grandfather, because he knew he was being wronged and had no intention of enduring it in silence.

Fortunately, that phase seemed about to end, because that day Aotian’s and the sect’s words had finally been proven true to Liu Taixuan, eliminating all previous suspicion.

Thus, at last things seemed to have taken the right direction.

Aotian smiled when he saw that and easily accepted the old man’s apology.

First of all, he himself was not exactly a saint and constantly almost drove the old man to death with anger whenever he irritated him. Thus, the poor ghost almost became a punching bag for him to vent his frustration.

Secondly, Liu Taixuan was the last direct family member of Rihai still “alive.” Now that he finally regretted his past actions, it was better to simply let the past go, since no real harm had been done.

In truth, he didn’t completely dislike the old man, who had merely been overprotective of his granddaughter, a girl with extremely valuable spiritual roots. And since that granddaughter happened to be Aotian’s wife, it was clear he had little reason to blame the grandfather for protecting her.

In fact, he even approved of such behavior, since he himself was also a fierce defender of Rihai.

Seeing his wife’s smile, Aotian felt that everything had been worth it.

Moreover, he had also gained a lot from the old man’s breakthrough, because it served as proof that the theories about cultivation he had proposed were correct.

And as if all the gains Aotian had already obtained were not enough, Liu Taixuan slowly released his granddaughter after the long hug and turned to him with a serious face.

“Boy… is your invitation for me to join the sect still standing?”

…

While Aotian received a new elder and, in turn, the feedback of a true Mahayana—not the flawed prototypes like Lei Yun’s—on the other side of the sect, a small red kitten with a crown of horns trotted happily through the Beasts Pavilion, its tail swishing with delight.

As he passed by, whether beasts or disciples, everyone slightly bowed to him, looking at him with admiration.

Especially the female disciples, who almost drooled when they saw that powerful little cutie passing by.

Red Tiger’s status was special in the Beasts Pavilion. He was basically the holy son of the sect’s beasts.

His majestic official position was: Sect’s Honorary Apprentice Guardian Beast.

Although the name was long and basically a joke by Aotian, it was still a symbol of status, showing that he was in the preparatory stage to become the sect’s guardian beast one day in the future.

And why didn’t he return to his intimidating Blood Tiger form, even while far from his master?

That was because he had discovered that in his real form, disciples and beasts, although admiring him, were filled with fear. They did not dare look directly at him; most lowered their heads and quickly moved away, since his real form exuded a very violent, aggressive, and bloody aura, giving everyone chills and making them believe he could attack at any moment.

On the other hand, in his cat form, everyone looked at him only with admiration, impressed by his gallant beauty.

Some even gave him cultivation pills as tribute (snacks), others served him like servants (brushing his fur), and many shouted in admiration and happiness in his presence because of his powerful and untamable aura (because of his extreme cuteness).

He was basically the king of beasts and humans there, and no one dared to block his path. Everyone simply stepped aside, while he inspired admiration, exuding his majesty.

While walking, he suddenly stopped when he saw an elder, his eyes lighting up. Without hesitation, he ran toward him, his paws a blur with his speed.

“Hey, Bear, have you seen that idiot Snake?” he asked excitedly as soon as he arrived.

Elder Bear, surprised to be addressed, turned toward him and smiled, raising his hand and pointing behind the tiger without saying a word.

The poor kitten, who had been full of excitement and arrogance, instantly froze when he felt a powerful aura emerge behind him.

A hand then grabbed his neck and lifted him up, turning him around and leaving him face to face with a man with dragon horns and golden eyes.

“Stupid tiger, what did you just call me?”

Elder Snake, who had just arrived, asked with a smile, looking amused at the kitten while releasing the pressure of his aura and bloodline. This made the little beast tuck his tail between his legs and lower his ears pitifully.

But although his body was honest, his mouth was not.

“I-I idiot! That’s what I called you! All you know is using your bloodline to pressure me?! Come fight me without your bloodline… and without cultivation… with your hands and feet tied… and unconscious, if you have the courage!” The tiger bared his small fangs and growled, though he trembled uncontrollably under that pressure.

At first, he had only wanted a fight without using bloodline pressure. But then he realized he would still lose against Snake’s cultivation alone. So he suggested no cultivation—but even then, his physical strength wouldn’t be enough. Then the idea came to tie the elder’s hands and feet, but even then, he didn’t dare.

Finally, after thinking it through more carefully, he concluded that the only way he might actually have a chance was if Snake lay down and let him attack.

Elder Snake rolled his eyes at the tiger, clearly amused.

“Of course, I accept,” he said, smiling mischievously.

When the tiger’s eyes lit up, Snake continued:

“But first, you have to let me kick your butt until you reincarnate… without even thinking about running.”

Those words froze the tiger for a moment. Then he hissed furiously at the elder—the only thing he could do in response.

“Damn it, Snake! You’re only taking advantage because your bloodline’s better than mine. Hurry up and take me to Big Sister! My master said she’ll help me improve my bloodline. After that… err… soon… in a few years, I’ll kick your butt.”

That was as far as he could go: threatening and arguing verbally, while leaving room to retreat. He was a strategic tiger.

“Sure, sure.” Snake laughed, unable to keep a straight face.

Then he stepped into the void and vanished, carrying Red Tiger by the scruff of his neck.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep