Chapter 1075: Artificial Eye, Stone Heart

The welcome banquet was not grand at all. In fact, it could even be described as simple to the point of austerity.

Apart from the host, Qi Xuansu, and the guest, Shangguan Ya, there were only three others present: Han Yongfeng, Ke Qingqing, and Lu Yuting. These three were Qi Xuansu’s trusted aides. Although Lu Yuting was from the Taiping Sect, she could be trusted.

Being part of a sect did not mean that one’s loyalties lay with it. Everything was intermingled, just like how Wang Jiaohe could not be trusted, even though he was from the Quanzhen Sect.

For Lu Yuting, there was no benefit in being loyal to the Taiping Sect. Li Changge would never give her special treatment since there were too many who had already pledged allegiance to him. But Qi Xuansu was different because he lacked foundation and manpower. Following him was a gamble, but if the bet paid off, she would rise to the top in one leap.

The best way to stand out was to serve someone not yet established. That way, she could quickly become part of the inner circle. In contrast, great powers were usually brimming with talent, so competition was fierce, with no room to rise.

Lu Yuting had been a marginal figure in the Taiping Sect who rarely got to see Li Changge. But after serving Qi Xuansu, she could directly participate in important decisions. She was now promoted to Chief Superintendent of a Huasheng Hall branch. Even setting aside her life debt to Qi Xuansu, for the sake of her own future, she would remain loyal to him.

The Lu family was also happy to see this happen because large families were adept at betting on multiple sides. That was how they endured through generations. Though the Lu family was a vassal of the Li family, that did not stop them from placing a few side bets elsewhere. Since Lu Yuting had built a connection with Qi Xuansu by chance, the Lu family turned a blind eye to it and allowed her to pursue it.

After all, there was no harm in building more bridges.

The Li family might appear dominant now, but who could say for sure until the very end? What if—by some stroke of fate—Qi Xuansu was blessed by the Primordial Daoist Ancestor and the Holy Xuan, and through a twist of destiny, all Three Prodigies fell from glory, leaving him to reap the spoils? When that time came, the Lu family would have to rely on Lu Yuting.

That was the survival instinct of great clans. They had the confidence to take risks and cushion failure. They would never put all their eggs in one basket. In contrast, those from humble origins had no chance to make mistakes. They could only pick a single path and follow it to the end. If they won, they could soar. But if they lost, they could not recover from it.

The same rule applied everywhere. If Zhang Yuelu lost, the Zhang family would still remain. If Li Changge fell, the Li family would still endure. If Yao Pei lost, the Yao family could still move on. Even if all three of them were to fail, they could still become Deputy Grand Masters or Virtuous Great Sages with their family’s backing. However, Qi Xuansu did not have such assurance. If he lost, that would be the end. There was no path of retreat. After all, a pawn could only move forward and never take a step back.

That was the reason Sage Donghua employed Qi Xuansu.

After they each took their seats, Shangguan Ya removed her veiled hat, revealing her true face.

The intact half of her face was truly beautiful, no less stunning than Li Qingnu’s. But the other marred half was equally terrifying.

Han Yongfeng had already seen it before, so he was not surprised. On the other hand, Ke Qingqing and Lu Yuting were visibly startled.

Shangguan Ya clearly did not care about her looks nor about other people’s opinions. The reason she wore a veil was to avoid drawing attention. After all, her unique appearance made it difficult to keep a low profile. The only reason she removed it now was for convenience.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu had already raised his cup for a toast. He showed no hint of surprise at her appearance, not even the slightest lift of his brow. Instead, he said, “Daoist Shangguan, you’ve come a long way. Allow me to drink to you.”

Shangguan Ya lifted her cup to clink against his, then downed the wine in one gulp.

Ke Qingqing and Lu Yuting, unaware of Shangguan Ya’s true identity, heard Qi Xuansu address her repeatedly as “Daoist Shangguan,” so they fell into the same misconception as Han Yongfeng, assuming she was a Daoist disciple. The Daoist Order was vast, with 30 million disciples—Daoist believers and Spirit Guards included. So it was only natural to not recognize everyone.

Strictly speaking, the Eight Tribes were indeed Daoist disciples. They had merely departed from its institutional hierarchy, not renounced Daoism itself. They still recognized the Primordial Daoist Ancestor and the Holy Xuan.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Shangguan Ya set down her cup and said, “Madam Qi often speaks of you, Second Deputy Qi.”

“Oh?” Qi Xuansu smiled faintly. “What does she say about me?”

Qi Xuansu was not afraid of revealing her existence. After all, she had been the one who purchased his new house in Taishang Place. Anyone who investigated would find the truth easily enough. The key was whether anyone dared to check. After all, Madam Qi was linked to the Earthly Preceptor, so to investigate her was to essentially declare war on the entire Quanzhen Sect.

Shangguan Ya replied, “It’s clear that Madam Qi takes great pride in you. She considers you her greatest accomplishment.”

Ke Qingqing, Han Yongfeng, and Lu Yuting exchanged glances. They had long heard whispers that Second Deputy Qi had an adoptive mother with a formidable background, so much so that even Sage Donghua treated her with respect. That connection was key to Qi Xuansu’s rapid rise to high office at such a young age. Otherwise, no matter how talented he was, he could never have climbed so fast.

From their conversation, they gathered that the Madam Qi they mentioned was Qi Xuansu’s adoptive mother.

Qi Xuansu was slightly surprised upon hearing this. After all, Madam Qi rarely praised him, so he had not expected that she would act so differently in front of others.

Perhaps, when Madam Qi had first chosen him, she had never expected him to rise this swiftly.

Qi Xuansu murmured absently, “I see.”

The artificial eye hidden behind Shangguan Ya’s lens turned slightly, flickering with a faint light, as though she were scanning her surroundings.

The Eight Tribes considered themselves the heirs of the ancient Creation Project, even more so than Huasheng Hall. They were also far more radical. Shangguan Ya’s artificial eye was no mere ornament. It was filled with profound mechanisms, with capabilities surpassing even the Banished Immortal’s Eye of Providence.

At that moment, Shangguan Ya had two visions—one of the ordinary world and another that allowed her to see one’s aura and qi.

Each person radiated a distinct color, and from the depth or faintness of that hue, she could discern the extent of their cultivation.

Han Yongfeng glowed a shade of red, signifying that he was a Martial Arts Practitioner. His color was slightly pale, nearing bright red yet not fully so, with traces of orange remaining. This meant that he had not yet become a Heavenly Being but was likely at the ninth level of the Guizhen stage.

Lu Yuting radiated a light green hue, marking her as a Diviner. Her color was somewhat faint, indicating that she was still at the Guizhen stage.

Ke Qingqing shone with an earthy yellow of a Qi Refiner. Her cultivation was slightly lower than the other two, though given her youth, that was to be expected.

Beyond these, Shamans radiated gold, while Rogue Cultivators were white.

Banished Immortals were black, symbolizing the color of the sky.

Shangguan Ya had assumed Qi Xuansu’s aura would be black, like that of a Banished Immortal.

Yet to her astonishment, Qi Xuansu’s body radiated six intertwining colors—red, white, green, black, yellow, and gold. Though each hue varied in intensity, combined, they all surpassed the level of a Xiaoyao-stage Heavenly being.

It was the first time Shangguan Ya had ever witnessed such a sight, so she was completely stunned.

In the entire Daoist Order, there were only two manmade Banished Immortals. Huasheng Hall possessed one Longevity Stone Heart, but it had never been granted to anyone. Instead, it was preserved under a tight seal as a model for study and imitation. Li Changge’s Longevity Stone Heart was an heirloom passed down through his family, while Qi Xuansu’s originated from the Lingshan Paradise.

Given Madam Qi’s numerous identities, she would never have disclosed such secrets to the Eight Tribes. Thus, even Shangguan Ya herself failed to recognize it at first glance.

But the Eight Tribes, being direct heirs of the ancient Creation Project, held secrets far beyond the reach of others. Moreover, as a Deputy Leader, Shangguan Ya knew more than most. Soon, she instinctively connected the dots. Unable to restrain herself, she probed deeper, seeking to peer further into Qi Xuansu’s essence.

So Shangguan Ya increased the power output of her artificial eye. The glow from it grew stronger, but the light was absorbed by the lenses of her spectacles, showing no visible changes.

The six-colored aura enveloping Qi Xuansu was further dissected. An invisible hand seemed to peel away the layers of light, revealing the very core within.

Finally, Shangguan Ya glimpsed a fragment of the truth.

At Qi Xuansu’s chest was a stone brimming with an ancient aura, its surface carved with countless totemic patterns.

The stone was alive, beating like a heart. However, it was not exactly like a heartbeat. It followed an unfathomable rhythm in endless, cyclic motion.

There was no doubt that it was a work of extraordinary craftsmanship.

Looking closer, she saw illusory acupoints on the stone, forming false body spirits. It was an imitation so convincing it mimicked the body spirits of Martial Arts Practitioners. At the same time, it served as the Middle Dantian of a Qi Refiner, bridging the Upper and Lower Dantians and even partially fulfilling the role of the Upper Dantian.

This was far beyond Shangguan Ya’s comprehension.

Yet, this sight reminded her of an ancient legend. In ancient times, the Wuist healers could save a life by replacing a person’s heart with a stone. So long as the one whose heart was replaced believed that the stone heart was real, it would function like a living organ. But if the illusion were ever shattered, or if someone exposed the truth that their heart was false, the stone would revert to a lifeless object, and the person would die instantly.