As he was pondering, Aksai suddenly looked at Yelia with a hint of expectation in his eyes.
He leaned forward slightly and asked.
"Yelia, my dear, I rember sothing. When I first made so progress in Spirit cultivation, the Everwood Farmland offered that guideline book about Spirit bloodlines.
"Later, it pushed toward the Qi cultivation path. And when I broke through the Foundation Establishnt realm, it guided into the Aether World—Acarnis—where I learned the Aether path.
"Now that I’ve broken through the Core Formation realm, shouldn’t the Everwood Farmland Artifact—or you, as its Artifact Spirit—give sothing similar? Maybe a Third Order Spirit cultivation technique that suits ?"
For a mont, Yelia simply blinked at him. Then she smiled softly and shook her head.
"My liege, those earlier arrangents were all set by your ancestor, Al Everwood. He made plans that would help his descendant and rightful heir understand the different paths, but he never intended to control your future choices. He only wanted to guide you enough so you wouldn’t stray too far in the beginning."
She folded her hands behind her back as she continued.
"Besides, he could never predict what kind of Spirit Root Aptitude his heir would have. So how could he plan everything down to the smallest detail? And... this is just the Core Formation realm. It feels huge to you right now, but in the grand sche of cultivation, it is only one step."
Aksai’s expression turned thoughtful. He sat back, listening as Yelia spoke.
"I am certain," she said, "that my previous master must have left behind so crucial things for you. So may be revealed when you reach the Nascent Soul realm... or even higher. But right now, you may not be completely capable in his eyes yet to receive them. Sotis, those things can harm you instead of benefitting you if they were given to you at the wrong ti.
"As such, you must choose your own Spirit cultivation technique. A gentle push at the right ti is helpful, but giving too much too early becos poison. It harms growth more than it helps."
Aksai let out a quiet sigh, but he nodded in understanding. He rubbed his chin for a mont, lost in thought, before lifting his gaze toward Yelia again.
"I see... so this ti, I need to make my own choice." He paused, thinking over his options. "In that case... I guess I have to revisit Haan Di’s capital."
He stood up slowly from the throne-like chair, his eyes turning distant.
"The White Mountain City," he said. "Looks like I’ll be going back there soon."
***
A few days later. Neutral State Haan Di. Mainland. Dadangar Subcontinent.
Hour of the Tiger. (08:00 AM - 09:00 AM)
Aksai stepped through the tall white gates of White Mountain City, the identity token in his hand glowing faintly as it allowed him inside.
The mont his foot crossed the boundary, a quiet wave of nostalgia washed over him. The air here carried a dry, familiar chill, and the faint scent of mountain herbs drifted from the vendor stalls near the entrance.
He looked around slowly.
It had been many years—decades, really—since he last visited. This was only his third or fourth ti in White Mountain City, but the first ti felt like a lifeti ago.
Back then, he had been a young cultivator trying to step into the Foundation Establishnt Realm. He had arrived broke and desperate... and ended up staying for more than four years.
He rembered those days clearly. Selling Flesh Pumpkins from Everwood Farmland in secret, passing them off as demon beast at just so he could afford als, stays at the inns, and cultivation materials.
It was such a crude use of the Everwood Farmland’s resources even back then, but it kept him alive. And in those long years, he had made connections—real ones. The kind that grew slow, like seeds pushed deep into the soil, only to rise later as sturdy trees.
Those deals, those friendships, had built the foundation for the trade network he had today. Because of that effort, Erald Cove Island’s products were now famous across Haan Di.
Auction houses fought to include his goods in their listings, and regional markets paid high prices for anything bearing the Erald Cove seal. The Bacchus’ Blessings Wine had beco so renowned that even the Core Formation Lords from the Big Five Sects had engaged in bidding wars many tis in the neutral state.
Walking through the outer district now, Aksai noticed how so things had stayed the sa. The narrow stone streets, forever busy with carts. The sll of frying food mixed with the mountain wind.
The loud shopkeepers calling out their daily offers. But there were new things too—taller buildings, glowing runic signs, and more cultivators in the crowd than he rembered. It was probably due to the growing unrest within the Wild Devil Lands nearby.
THE Spirit farr kept his cultivation tightly suppressed, acting as nothing more than a stable Foundation Establishnt Expert. It was easier to move unnoticed this way.
Aksai walked slowly, letting the mories guide him. He passed the old bathhouse that had once let him in for free because he repaired a broken spirit boiler using his elentary talisman. The herb shop where he used to trade pumpkin slices for low-grade spirit stones had expanded to three storefronts.
He gave the place a small smile before turning toward the central district.
The central district was busier, packed with rchants and cultivators from every direction. Auction houses stood like tall towers. Beast stables filled the air with their deep, growling hums. The trade halls buzzed with movent, and Aksai was sure that at least one or two people were selling items he had shipped from Erald Cove.
He didn’t approach any of his old connections. He didn’t need to. Right now, he simply wanted to walk, observe, and take in the city that had once taken him in.
===
AN: The White Mountain City was first introduced in Chapter 172.
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