Before long, Zhang Jian left Iron Immortal Temple with Daoist Tianxu, but when Qi Yi arrived, Iron Immortal Temple was in ruins.

Blood flowed like rivers here, and all disciples of Iron Immortal Temple had died in battle while the Observatory Master, Daoist Tianxu, was nowhere to be found.

This turn of events left Qi Yi speechless for a long time.

He only showed deep sorrow on his face.

...

Zhang Jian took Daoist Tianxu to a temporary courtyard in front of Dragon-locking Dam.

Soon after, the two of them left the courtyard; Daoist Tianxu concealed himself and left Jixian County. With Iron Immortal Temple under attack, many disciples perished at the hands of three demons, leaving Daoist Tianxu indignant. Especially after gaining intel from the Black Tiger Demon, suggesting the three demons might be related to some entities within the city.

Daoist Tianxu couldn't swallow this grievance and was preparing to investigate secretly.

Zhang Jian also obtained some desired information from Daoist Tianxu, mainly wanting to converse with this cultivator.

Regarding many cultivation issues, he harbored doubts, which was not beneficial for him, as they accumulated in his mind, needing to be expressed.

Such as what is a Life Palace, and how one can map the Life Palace.

The next step after the Nourishing Spirit Stage is to map the Life Palace, determining one's Life Pillar as the foundation to achieve the Supreme Dao Foundation, but he hadn't yet found any leads.

Regrettably, Iron Immortal Temple's legacy wasn't complete, and Zhang Jian hadn't gained much.

Daoist Tianxu had lingered at the Nourishing Spirit Stage for decades, relying on Water Grinding Skill to continuously refine his spiritual power, hoping to find an opportunity to glimpse his Life Palace, seeking to forge his Dao Foundation amidst the Celestial Secret.

Besides, Zhang Jian had additional gains; upon showing interest in Iron Immortal Temple's Flying Sword Technique, Daoist Tianxu graciously gifted this Daoist technique to him as gratitude for saving his life.

At this time, Zhang Jian held a short sword in his hand. This Flying Sword Technique was comprehended by Daoist Tianxu from this short sword.

This item also happened to be a vital treasure of Iron Immortal Temple's legacy.

Currently, the short sword was covered with densely packed scripture, which was Ancient Golden Script that Zhang Jian recognized.

"It's not fake!"

After careful study, Zhang Jian knew this was definitely not fake.

However, after partially studying it, Zhang Jian furrowed his brow. This Flying Sword Technique had high requirements, needing a certain swordsmanship foundation before mastering it.

He currently lacked a foundation in swordsmanship, meaning he had to start from scratch.

Yet, looking further down, Zhang Jian's eyes brightened as he saw a glimmer of hope.

The Flying Sword Technique, like the Small Wind and Thunder Technique, could be split into two directions: one being the Lung Gold Sword Talisman, the other the Sun and Moon Sword Technique.

One focused inward, condensing Lung Gold Qi to nurture the Sword Talisman. Once successfully cultivated, this Sword Talisman could unleash Sword Qi, cutting gold and slicing iron, extremely sharp.

One focused outward, harnessing the Sun and Moon Spirit, and practicing Sun and Moon Swordsmanship externally. This Sun and Moon Swordsmanship, when combined, was unparalleled in close combat.

Only when internal and external aspects merged into one could the Sword Embryo be cultivated, completing the Flying Sword Technique.

Not mentioning the Sun and Moon Swordsmanship for now, the Lung Gold Sword Talisman was worth trying.

If successfully cultivated, thousands of Daoist Talismans could transform into thousands of Sword Qi, extremely sharp.

Zhang Jian was very interested, even thinking this could effectively compensate for his weaknesses in close combat.

Zhang Jian previously sought to cultivate the Ten Thousand Wood Technique from the Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan magic, but progress was mediocre. The Flying Sword Technique was a significant supplement to his defensive technique deficiency.

After all, as long as the attack power is strong enough, it can compensate to some extent for the flaws brought by lacking defense techniques.

"Additionally, the Thunder Walking Technique shouldn't be neglected; the Flying Sword Technique can complement the Thunder Technique, preventing the flaw of having a singular attack ability easily countered!"

Zhang Jian was secretly delighted.

However, in Zhang Jian's cultivation plan, Small Wind and Thunder Technique remained the priority, followed by the Lung Gold Sword Talisman, Sun and Moon Sword Technique, and Soul Purification Spell.

Of course, spiritual power remains the foundation, which Zhang Jian can't neglect.

Time was tightly arranged.

Zhang Jian was somewhat sighing.

Actually, cultivators are the real masters of time management. To complete so many projects, which is a long-term process, requires a great deal of time.

This is given his extraordinary talent; if replaced by ordinary people venturing into the Gate of the Great Dao, they would inevitably struggle and ultimately fade among the masses.

...

Three days later, the gate of Qi Mansion was bustling with carriages.

The day finally arrived for the birthday celebration of Third-Class General Wei Yuan, Qi Yi, in Fengyang County, drawing the attention of the whole county's east region.

Meanwhile, inside the mansion, internal competition unfolded as Qi Mansion's many children, nephews, sons-in-law, and numerous relatives and friends gathered in one hall as the birthday greetings began.

Daqian placed great importance on birthday ceremonies, traditionally emphasizing the Five Blessings: longevity, prosperity, health and peace, love of virtue, and a good end; with longevity being the foremost blessing and respected across generations.

Among these, birthday greetings were most significant, during which children and younger generations must offer generous gifts while relatives and friends present tokens of respect.

At this moment, in the main hall of Qi Mansion, Qi Yi and the elderly lady were dressed in festive red and beamed with joy.

Already performing was a graceful noblewoman, her face adorned with smiles with several charming young boys beside her each presenting gift boxes.

Beside them stood a tall young lord, cheerful and elegantly dressed in silk.

This granduncle hailed from a noble family in Haojing.

"Father's grand birthday celebration prompted a hasty visit by your daughter, barely managing to prepare a modest gift. Zhuyun prepared a White Jade Ruyi for Father as a longevity gift, symbolizing auspicious blessings. My husband and I wish Father and Mother a long and prosperous life, and flourishing generations for the Qi family."

After a brief pause, the eldest Qi daughter wore a faint smile, glancing at the elderly lady and said:

"Besides, knowing Mother's fondness for treats, I specially arranged someone to prepare fresh dates from Shanyang County, new tea from Dongling County, golden carp from Jixian County, roasted beef from Jiuqu County, and sap from Shu County…"

In the hall, many friends and relatives turned their attention to this couple, as each mentioned gift, although not worth a fortune, was rare, but more commendable was the thought.

Zhang Jian was among the crowd, discerning as this granduncle eloquently narrated, people's views of her clearly shifted, noting several uncles pulled their faces.

While Qi Yi and the old lady Qi Qian gazed at this granduncle with utter satisfaction.

Next, a tall noblewoman stepped forward, the second granduncle of Qi Mansion, clearly of a quick nature.

She came solo, accompanied by a maiden.

That was Wu Family cousin Wu Qing'an.

"Father, Mother, knowing Father's fondness for flowers post his military service, I had my husband personally request friends to collect some rare and exotic plants, hoping Father likes them, including Emperor Peony from Chang County, Thousand-year-old Imperial Chrysanthemums from Northern Wilderness, and various exotic flora from the depths of Barbaric Region, most notably, two Evergreen Pines.

These were personally sought by my husband from renowned scenic spots."

"These two Evergreen Pines stand at 1.8 meters tall, wishing the elders longevity akin to unaging pines and prosperity like the endless stream of the East Sea!"

Outside, strong servants immediately carried two giant pine trees forward, and those exotic plants filled the outer courtyard, albeit appearing somewhat wilted in the sun.

Zhang Jian watched this scene, especially sensing slow spiritual power surges from the two tall pine trees.

His eyes rippled as he scanned the expressions of others, quietly shaking his head — this was too intense of a competition.

This left other aunts quite embarrassed, seeing many aunts and uncles with unpleasant expressions.

Third, it was the turn of Zhang Qi, ranked third, his mother.

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