Qin Ruqing mentally mapped out the timeline.

Dao Sovereign Fusheng’s use of the artifact occurred around the time when humanity had suffered a major defeat but before the final decisive battle.

The two Dao Sovereign had decided to use a sacrificial method to activate a death trap, dragging the Beast Emperor to perish together.

However, this would deplete humanity’s resources, potentially leading to the extinction of humanity’s Dao tradition.

To preserve hope, the Fusheng turned to the highly reputed artifact passed down from the master.

He was the only all-around genius of the previous era and naturally adept at crafting.

He divided the artifact into two, each serving as an inheritance for two great Dao Family traditions and used as a trial and selection ground.

“So, the other half of the artifact also forms a spirit?” Qin Ruqing naturally inferred.

“I don’t think so,” the now solidified spirit, resembling a cloud, made a gesture that seemed like shaking its head. “My birth was already an accident.”

“The higher the grade of the artifact, the easier it is to cultivate a spirit, but conversely, it is harder to give birth to a spirit.”

“Oh, a balance of rules,” Qin Ruqing immediately understood and commented calmly.

The spirit, however, stared at her, hesitantly saying, “You are very close to the essence of the rules; your understanding reaches the core… but it’s still not enough.”

Not enough?

Qin Ruqing’s heart stirred slightly.

She listened as the spirit continued, “You clearly have all the conditions for a significant breakthrough in power, but you seem ignorant and unable to utilize your treasures. You should seek a systematic way to utilize these fundamental powers.”

“… A systematic way to utilize these fundamental powers.” Qin Ruqing remained silent for a while after hearing this, then asked a question she didn’t expect to address:

“Do you truly understand what you’re saying?”

This peculiar question indeed stumped the spirit.

It paused to think and then shook its head. “I don’t know. I said this instinctively when I saw you; you give me that impression. Some things you still don’t know how to use, but if you ask me to specify what… I can’t say.”

Qin Ruqing thought to herself, as expected.

The spirit’s words were not without impact.

On the contrary, it directly addressed her doubts of late—despite being seen as nearly omniscient by her third sister Qi Rong, she still felt a sense of inadequacy and powerlessness in her abilities.

After hearing the spirit’s confused yet insightful words, she felt as if struck by lightning and instantly found a lead, feeling that she was just one step away from the truth.

The feeling was intoxicating. In the next moment, Qin Ruqing wanted to grab the artifact spirit, shake it wildly, or control it, demanding that it tell her what primal power was and how to systematically harness it.

But her past experiences instinctively warned her—there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

If these secrets about primal forces could be easily explained by an artifact spirit, then how did it end up in its current state? Why would it need someone like Qin Ruqing to save it?

So, she asked calmly, partly to ground herself, “The things you’re talking about—do you understand them yourself?”

The answer was aligned with reality.

Everything the artifact spirit mentioned came from its instincts. It was a part of the rules itself, and it had a significant origin, so it was normal for it to know many things.

However, when it came to explaining those things, it stammered and couldn’t articulate them clearly.

To say she wasn’t disappointed would be a lie, but Qin Ruqing quickly adjusted her mindset.

To have received guidance to this extent, this trip was already worthwhile.

She refocused her gaze on the artifact spirit, then suddenly lifted her chin and said, “What’s your relationship with the Lu Clan? Why have you been staying in their territory without leaving? Do you know which family currently practices the most orthodox Xuanming Dao lineage in the mortal realm? Why don’t you connect with that family?”

“You mean the current Celestial Feng Family, right? I know about them,” the artifact spirit replied, unsurprised.

“They are an Celestial Clan, aren’t they better than staying with the Lu Clan? Or does the Lu Clan provide you with something more beneficial than what I’ve offered you?” Even now, Qin Ruqing subtly hinted at her own contributions.

The artifact spirit, unbothered, shook its head naively. “Oh, not at all. In human terms, my relationship with the Lu Clan is that they proactively feed me so I won’t starve to death. Without them, I wouldn’t starve either, but it’s better than nothing. As for why I don’t go to the Feng Clan, honestly, it’s the same for me no matter where I am. My condition wouldn’t improve much. The Lu Clan takes decent care of me, so I’ve been too lazy to move.”

So, the artifact spirit wasn’t unwilling or unable to leave—it just couldn’t be bothered.

Qin Ruqing breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it had no deep ties to the Lu Clan, there was no great favor binding the spirit, which was crucial since a natural spirit like this one would never go against the rules of the world.

Her fingers tapped unconsciously on her knee as if she’d made up her mind.

She stood up, her expression turning from casual to solemn as she looked at the artifact spirit.

“Artifact spirit, I have something to say to you,” Qin Ruqing began.

The spirit seemed puzzled—they had been talking the whole time—but it still chose to listen attentively.

“I don’t expect you to belong to me, but let’s clarify one thing: my priority with you should be the highest,” Qin Ruqing stated confidently.

“You are a spirit born of nature itself. You should know how precious the spiritual essence I provided you is. The amount I’ve given would require at least three months of recuperation for my Dao Physique” Qin Ruqing raised three fingers.

“I believe you owe me a great favor. I’m being blunt, but I have a task to fulfill here, and I don’t want to deceive you. If you agree that I’ve genuinely helped you, would you be willing to grant me some conditions?”

Unlike her past self, who often relied on conversational tactics, Qin Ruqing was now being unusually direct.

And that was precisely her intention.

She believed that with such objective facts before her, all she needed to do was clearly express her needs to this pure spirit of nature.

True to form, the artifact spirit didn’t seem upset. Instead, it nodded repeatedly (its swaying motion was likely the equivalent of a nod), saying, “You did put in a lot of effort to help me. It’s reasonable for you to make requests. Go ahead; as long as I can do it.”

Qin Ruqing’s lips curved slightly. “I’m here on behalf of the Celestial Feng Clan. They’ve inherited the most orthodox Xuanming lineage. But you know, the trial grounds are part of this legacy too. Without you, the legacy is incomplete. So, they hope you will return to the orthodox path, leave the Lu Clan, and be managed by the Feng Clan… Of course, this condition is negotiable. I’m merely providing a window for dialogue between you and them.”

“As for myself…” Qin Ruqing paused, her gaze sharpening. “My condition is that on the day I need you, you will come with me! For now, you can remain with the Lu Clan.”

“These are my terms. Do you agree, artifact spirit?”

The artifact spirit had been listening quietly the whole time, and when Qin Ruqing called its name, it murmured softly.

Qin Ruqing thought it was hesitating, but to her surprise, the next moment, it cheerfully responded:

“You are the Azure Lotus descendant—you’re right!”

“I’m willing to follow you… Perhaps I was meant to follow you all along.” The last sentence was almost inaudible.

The spirit’s voice then rose with enthusiasm, “You have spiritual essence, and that’s the only thing that truly benefits me. Following you is my best chance!”

Qin Ruqing couldn’t hide her surprise as she sized up the spirit with a new perspective.

“I didn’t expect such a small being to have such vision.”

“You’re right!” Qin Ruqing lifted her chin slightly, her lips curling into a confident and proud smile. “Following me is your best chance!”

“The artifact spirit has awakened.”

As Qin Ruqing left the trial grounds and steadied her feet, she said this to the guards stationed beside the lotus pond.

The high-ranking members of the Lu family were not here, as it was normal for someone in the trial grounds to spend several days or nights there, so they had only sent a few guards.

By now, night had fallen, and the two guards—a man and a woman—were sitting cross-legged in meditation.

They were startled by the sudden voice and immediately jumped up.

“Who’s there!”

It was dark, and they could only see Qin Ruqing’s eyes illuminated by the moonlight.

Her sudden appearance was more eerie than reassuring.

The female guard picked up a staff-like artifact and pointed it at Qin Ruqing, her voice lacking in strength but stern nonetheless. “Are you a person or a ghost? How dare you intrude into the spirit-feeding clan’s territory!”

Spirit-feeding? Qin Ruqing raised an eyebrow. “The Lu family is feeding spirits and still afraid of ghosts?”

She took a deliberate step forward, and as she moved, two lotus lanterns lit up around her, breaking through the darkness with a breathtaking glow. “Take a good look at who I am.”

The guards, initially on high alert, relaxed as the lotus lanterns illuminated Qin Ruqing’s face.

The guards exclaimed, “The Qin family’s prodigy?”

Qin Ruqing asked, “Is that what you call me?”

The female guard elbowed her companion and bowed respectfully. “Fairy Ruqing.”

Since Qin Ruqing had come with the Feng family’s delegation and held the identity card of a celestial-grade guest, according to their rules, they had to show respect.

“Fairy Ruqing, you… you’re out? What did you just say? How is the artifact spirit?” the guard asked uncertainly.

With the hearing of a cultivator, she had clearly heard Qin Ruqing say, “The artifact spirit has awakened.”

However, this news was so shocking that it was hard to believe that something the Lu family had worked on for decades could be accomplished by just one person overnight.

“I said the artifact spirit has awakened,” Qin Ruqing repeated generously, then calmly watched the two guards as they stared blankly, their faces gradually showing excitement.

As they eagerly prepared to send the message to the clan, Qin Ruqing smirked mischievously and added, “I was the one who awakened it.”

The space seemed to freeze.

After a long while, the guards finally looked up, their faces displaying immense shock—perhaps even “fear” would be a more fitting description.

As a result, the high-ranking members of the Lu family were jolted awake in the middle of the night by this news, including the Feng family members still in the trial grounds.

Testing could wait, but the artifact spirit’s matter was the priority.

The Lu clan patriarch, with his ornate forehead marking and leaning on his staff, remained silent for a moment before speaking. “Did Qin Ruqing say that the artifact spirit was awakened?”

“Yes,” Qin Ruqing replied calmly.

The Lu family members immediately became restless.

The patriarch raised her hand to signal them to be quiet and fixed his gaze on Qin Ruqing, continuing to ask, “It was awakened by you?”

“Yes,” Qin Ruqing confirmed without hesitation, accompanied by a smile.

Finally, someone couldn’t hold back.

Judging by his attire, he seemed to be one of the Lu family’s priests, though his rank was unknown.

“Qin Ruqing should be careful with her words. Such an important matter cannot be believed on mere words alone; evidence is required.”

“Evidence? I will certainly provide it. But you’ll have to wait until everyone is here.” Qin Ruqing said leisurely.

“Everyone” naturally referred to the Feng family.

The high-ranking members of the Lu family were displeased.

If this turned out to be true, it would be impressive.

If false… they should know the consequences of being deceived.

Seeing Feng Qinxue and the Feng family arrive, Qin Ruqing finally smiled and greeted them.