MSBITRS Chapter 73 V2

“No. I lost.

No matter how you look at it, I lost.

I was injured by Changshou’s talisman techniques and had to recover for over a month. Meanwhile, he remained unscathed.

In truth, he deliberately held back to spare the Dragon Palace from embarrassment.

I came here today to settle this matter and personally thank him.”

His words were heartfelt.

A Du Xian Sect elder smiled and said, “Jiu Wu, go summon Changshou.”

“…Yes,” Jiu Wu replied, lowering his head. Without hesitation, he turned and flew toward Little Qiong Peak, already formulating a plan.

The elders of the sect would certainly not want to see their disciple lose a match.

If Ao Yi seals his cultivation at the same level that Changshou is faking—Nascent Soul Stage, Fourth Rank—then once the duel begins, Changshou’s true cultivation would be exposed in front of the Heavenly Immortals from both sides. Wouldn’t that bring disgrace to Du Xian Sect?

I must persuade Changshou to drop his disguise and give it his all in this fight!

Jiu Wu made up his mind, reached into his robes, and pulled out a few precious treasures, planning to hand them to Changshou so he could refine them on the way.

However, what Jiu Wu didn’t expect was…

He came up empty-handed.

Sweeping his divine sense over the area, he found only Ling’e meditating inside the thatched hut by the lake. Around the pill room, the spiritual energy seemed calm and undisturbed—but Jiu Wu knew better.

The dangers hidden within… He understood them well.

Jiu Wu dared not step into the formation. Instead, he hovered over the pill room and gathered his immortal power, shouting at the top of his lungs:

“Changshou!”

“Changshou—!”

Inside the pill room, “Li Changshou” was lying on a recliner, seemingly taking a nap.

However, the real body of Li Changshou was hidden in a secret underground chamber, sitting in a meditative posture with eyes closed.

His focus and attention were directed far away, more than 10,000 miles away, fully immersed in his paper avatar…

If anyone attempted to break into the outer formation, the jade token in his hand would instantly alert him, allowing him to awaken in an instant.

This was one of the major weaknesses of his paper avatar—once it left his divine sense range, he had to dedicate his full attention to it.

Jiu Wu called out twice with no response, breaking into a cold sweat as he paced back and forth anxiously in the air.

From the hut, Ling’e poked her head out. Remembering her senior brother’s instructions, she quickly called out:

“Uncle Jiu Wu!

My senior brother is in seclusion for a life-and-death breakthrough!”

Hearing this, Jiu Wu stomped his foot on the clouds.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!

Why would he choose this moment to enter seclusion?!

What do I do now?!”

Ling’e was about to ask more, but before she could, Jiu Wu had already sped off on his cloud.

A life-and-death seclusion was when a cultivator faced a critical bottleneck and shut themselves off completely. They wouldn’t emerge unless they succeeded—or perished.

If Changshou was truly in such a state, then there was no choice but to accept it. That explanation alone should suffice.

But as an official of Du Xian Sect, Jiu Wu couldn’t help but overthink things…

‘If I simply tell them that Changshou is in seclusion, wouldn’t it seem like he’s avoiding the fight?

And why would a mere Nascent Soul cultivator be in life-and-death seclusion?

That would surely displease the prideful elders of our sect.

What should I do?

I’m also bound by my oath and can’t reveal any of Changshou’s secrets…

Wait—

The formation!’

The formation array outside the pill room of Little Qiong Peak was designed by Changshou himself and set up by his junior sister. It could technically be considered a display of Changshou’s formation skills.

Jiu Wu’s eyes lit up with an idea.

Returning swiftly to the Du Xian Hall, he arrived alone, causing the gathered elders to frown slightly.

The once lively discussion fell into silence.

“Jiu Wu, what happened?”

The thin, white-haired Vice Sect Master Zhong Yu asked calmly. “Why isn’t the disciple here?”

Jiu Wu bowed his head and replied, “Vice Sect Master, today is unfortunate. Changshou has entered life-and-death seclusion in an attempt to break through. I did not dare to disturb him, lest it cause him to lose focus and go astray.”

Zhong Yu stroked his beard, chuckling. Looking toward the gathered disciples of Jie Sect, he sighed, “I must ask for your understanding. Our disciple Changshou has been diligently cultivating and is currently in seclusion.

Perhaps His Highness Prince Ao Yi could choose another disciple for his sparring match?”

Nearby, the recently arrived Youqin Xuanya, clad in red robes with a greatsword on her back, took half a step forward, ready to accept the challenge immediately.

But before she could speak, her master discreetly pulled her back.

At the same time, Jiang Jingchan, who had arrived with her, furrowed her brows as she glanced at the sword hanging from Ao Yi’s waist.

Jiang Jingchan sensed the fluctuations of a powerful spiritual treasure.

Ao Yi stepped forward again, hesitating for a moment, his expression conflicted.

Coming to Du Xian Sect to challenge that guy was a plan he had deliberated on for a long time.

And now, the words had already been spoken.

He had even told his senior brothers that he carried a mental shadow because of this past defeat.

Simply switching to another opponent was not an option…

His plan could not be disrupted!

“How long will his seclusion last?”

Ao Yi asked in a low voice before continuing, “Then I will wait outside the sect until he emerges after his breakthrough.”

The gathered elders and cultivators in the hall were taken aback by his determination.

Jiu Wu, watching carefully, noticed that one of the elders was about to speak—likely to order him to wake Changshou up.

Cough!

Before that could happen, the short Daoist quickly stepped forward, bowing deeply as he spoke:

“Vice Sect Master, esteemed elders, and honored guests,

Although Changshou is in seclusion, his true talent does not lie in spell techniques.

Rather, his specialty is… formations!”

Carefully considering how to avoid violating his past oath, Jiu Wu calmly explained how Changshou had designed the formation arrays of Little Qiong Peak, with Jiu Jiu handling their construction. He then proposed an alternative method for the duel…

‘Changshou, this is the best I can do for you.’

…

Moments later, a cloud drifted over Little Qiong Peak.

Two Heavenly Immortal elders from Du Xian Sect, accompanied by the Jie Sect elder Yuan Ze and two young female cultivators, stood on the cloud to observe from a distance.

Han Zhi watched Ao Yi’s back with concern and asked softly, “Is Little Martial Uncle skilled in breaking formations?”

“Not to worry.” Elder Yuan Ze waved a hand. “This formation doesn’t seem all that profound. How could it possibly trap Brother Ao Yi?”

Han Zhi covered her forehead with her hand, exchanging a worried glance with the other young woman beside her.

Below them, Jiu Wu led Ao Yi to the perimeter of the formation outside the pill room.

Jiu Wu gestured politely, then stepped inside alongside Ao Yi…

And at that very moment—

Far away in Linhai Town, the paper avatar of Changshou immediately turned and hurried to a nearby inn, renting a secluded room with various protective formations. He quickly set up additional layers of defenses before sitting cross-legged as if meditating.

Holding a few porcelain bottles in his hands, the paper avatar closed its eyes.

And in an instant, Li Changshou’s consciousness snapped back to his real body.

Who was breaking into his formation?

A quick sweep with his divine sense—

Li Changshou’s forehead darkened with frustration.

…

What in the world was happening now?

And due to the delay before he could return his consciousness, Ao Yi had already stepped inside with Jiu Wu—

The first thing they saw was a wooden sign…

【Lost your way?】