The technique of Yi was one of the paths Shen Lian set for himself. It was also his first step to try on destiny.

　　Regardless of Daoism, Buddhism, demons, or the various school of thoughts, the last stage of cultivation was not the thirst for strength. It was pointless for the celestials to opt for pure strength. There were many stars in space that was stronger than a celestial. Anyone of the stars had the strength to destroy the earth. This was something unachievable by any celestials.

　　However, a celestial that was able to see through the subtle path of revolving would be able to find a way to destroy the stars. Even those stars which never dim had no chance against the real, powerful celestial.

　　Therefore, strength and power may not be the same.

　　From this point of view, Shen Lian was ahead of Emperor Xia. This was because Emperor Xia seeks strength as the true power and deems himself as undefeatable. Hence, there was an obstacle ahead of him that would be difficult for him to overcome. Nonetheless, if Emperor Xia conquered everything with strength, he could keep up with a Daoist master and Buddha.

　　As a result, it was hard to explain any loss or gain in this world but, Shen Lian understood that by doing things that are suitable for him and cultivating spells that fitted him, he would not regret it even though he might not succeed.

　　Hence, Shen Lian would not judge the decisions that Guzhu made even though his attitude and actions proved that he was not suitable to enter the Qing Xuan Daoist Sect.

　　This did not mean that Guzhu would not achieve anything but instead, his diligence would bring him success if he survived.

　　Based on Shen Lian’s prediction, Guzhu would lead a long, and better life. His future accomplishments would enable him to obtain more methods of cultivation and to build a new nation. Nonetheless, he would not be able to break out from the cycle of life and death and hence would not escape death.

　　This observation was a unique experience as Shen Lian may have understood the state that Lu Jiuyuan was in. As Lu Jiuyuan combined with the Qing Xuan Star and formed a body, he probably could see the destiny of most people. This form was way above the mortal creatures of Qing Xuan. It was a special being which could not be described with Taiyi.

　　Lu Jiuyuan did not exceed Taiyi but instead, it was just a different state of cultivation. For example, a common person who claimed the throne would not be treated as a normal human being as he was entrusted with the power given by the country.

　　This meant that there would not be any advancement for the nature of life.

　　If one managed to practice and cultivate to Taiyi, that would be a different level playing field.

　　As Shen Lian deciphered this, he understood the segregation of Daoism into nine states. There were no segregations between the celestial beings, because it was not necessary to attain the state of heavenly immortals and Taiyi after obtaining immortality.

　　However, it was not easy to break out from this circle. This was because, as one followed the authentic cultivation of Xuanmen, the path eventually leads to heavenly immortal, Taiyi, or an even higher state.

　　These states were the paths taken by the ancestors. Then, they left Dao formula for the disciples to follow suit. Hence, it slowly formed a pattern that was hard to reform.

　　This was unless one gave up cultivation and practice what was known and returned to the cycle of life and death to look for a new path. Having said that, the new path might be harder than the previous one.

　　The highest form of Xuanmen was the Daoist Master, while for Buddhism, it was the Buddha. These were the real unbeatable. Nonetheless, for the demon realm and the other sages, there was no prominent representative like the Daoist Master or the Buddha.

　　This may be the reason why both Daoism and Buddhism adhere to the authentic path of cultivation, it had been proven that those paths could lead one further.

　　In a blink of an eye, one month had passed. The snow in Qing Xuan Cave started to melt. Shen Lian stopped his meditation and wondered about. He could be seen by many Wuzhong Clan as he frequently hiked up and down the mountain.

　　Most of the people respected the celestials but rarely got in touch with them.

　　This was an exception for Ah Lian and her daughter. Her daughter stuck by her side.

　　Shen Lian seemed to like the little girl too and named her, Fuhao. Ah Lian liked the name too.

　　That day, the sunset and the snow flowed to the east. The cold air was particularly dense. Ah Lian met Shen Lian in the temple. She felt something unusual so she queried, “Celestial, what brought you here?”

　　Shen Lian smiled lightly and said, “There is someone trying to kill me but he won’t succeed. However, he knew some martial arts that could hurt the both of you. Since both of you were devoted and I am not heartless, I cannot be indifferent. Hence, I came to give this to you.”

　　Ah Lian had lots of questions in her head, like who would want to kill the celestial. Suddenly, Shen Lian’s hand was holding a lotus-like lamp and the lamp flew towards her.

　　Shen Lian’s voice appeared beside her ears, “This object has consciousness. It can protect the both of you from getting hurt. No spells needed as it works with just your sincerity.”

　　Suddenly a clear thought passed through her mind and she realized that she was sleeping by the tabernacle in the temple. She woke up because her daughter was playing with her hair.

　　The arrival of Shen Lian was just a dream. Immediately, she realized that it was not. There was a lotus-like lamp in front of the tabernacle. There was no lamp wick, no lamp oil but it gave out a warm feeling.

　　The celestial did visit her. It was his methods that made it abstruse. It seemed like a dream but it was not one.

　　Fuhao also saw the lamp. She wanted to hold it but Ah Lian stopped her, “My dear daughter, this will be used to save your life. Do not play with it.”

　　However, even though she studied the lamp for a while, she still could not figure out how to use it. She remembered Shen Lian mentioning to use her sincerity.

　　Little did she realized that this special lamp was made using the strength of the incense. This was an instrument from the path of Shen. Hence, the power of this instrument depended on the sincerity of the devotees.

　　Shen Lian was enigmatic while doing things. He might have a better instrument to give to Ah Lian but the lamp was the most suitable thing. Only people who were willing to help themselves were the ones that deserved help from god.

　　The next day, Wuzhong Clan and Ah Lian witnessed something magical. The mountain that the celestial stayed on was still white even though all the snow melted.

　　This was because, within a night, all the trees turned to white plum blossoms, covering the mountain.

　　“The plum blossoms thrive in the wintery forest, not mingling with the plums and the peaches to be reduced to secular. Suddenly, a hint of fragrance started to spread and dispersed into the universe bringing spring.” Shen Lian told the poet while enjoying the scenery. The scenery mentioned to Shen Ruoxi before he left Shen Family was easily achievable.

　　During that time, he was a mortal. It was different then that he was immortal. Although he was still Shen Lian, the past occurrences were over.