The Small Floating Island, known to everyone as a mobile secret realm, was indeed the residence of the Wise Ming Immortal Sovereign.

There were even rumors that it was a part of the Void Realm.

But it turned out that it was Wise Ming Immortal Sovereign who had actually carved it out himself.

To think he would hide in this mobile space to avoid the world?

No wonder Yue Ming Dao Sovereign referred to him as a “spineless fellow”…

Discussing the past, Yue Ming’s interest was piqued, and he didn’t mind revealing more.

“Calling him a spineless fellow is not unfair. While other Dao Sovereign’s disciples were actively considering ways to save humanity or delay the coming catastrophe, he only stole a piece of the Void Realm and ran away, calling himself a wise star. The title of ‘Wise Ming’ was also self-given.”

Yue Ming continued rambling, while Fifth Lingyu remained even more silent.

He had not expected the mighty figure he once admired to be so disparaged by Yue Ming Dao Sovereign, which left him feeling somewhat nuanced.

Then Yue Ming changed the topic and glanced at Fifth Lingyu, “However, despite Wise Ming being spineless, he did have quite a few treasures and decent cultivation. This generation has indeed declined more and more, and even people like him are now gone.”

“You have seen his notes, so you must have some understanding of certain secrets. You originally wanted to choose the Azure Lotus inheritance?”

Fifth Lingyu nodded. “But it seems that the Azure Lotus Light Pillar rejects my entry.”

“Of course it will reject you. Some things are either there or they aren’t. Aren’t you aware of this? Otherwise, why would you have turned around and killed that Qin girl?”

Qin Ruqing had long been wary of Fifth Lingyu.

She might not be surprised by Fifth Lingyu’s attack on her, but she did not anticipate the real reason behind Fifth Lingyu’s actions.

But this did not escape the two Dao Sovereign, Fusheng and Yue Ming, who were watching everything.

Inheritance, in the narrow sense, refers to the techniques, secret manuals, ultimate skills, rules, and will related to a particular Dao.

However, the same inheritance can produce vastly different results when handed to different people.

Some people cultivate it well, while others might not even achieve as much in ten years as someone else in just a few days.

The reasons for this vary: talent and comprehension, personal alignment with the Dao, and most directly, the “Dao Artifact.”

Every Dao needs a specific support, known as a tool.

A Dao Artifact that perfectly matches a certain Great Dao is also called a Dao Body.

A person with a Dao Physique, when receiving an inheritance that aligns with their Dao, can be said to rise straight to the heavens, achieving ascension without difficulty.

Because, in a certain sense, this person is the chosen one of this Dao, fully in harmony with its rhythm and essence.

Fifth Lingyu was not lacking in comprehension, but if he wanted to cultivate the Azure Lotus, he was missing the most crucial element—the Dao Physique.

Thus, it was clear why he was interested in Qin Ruqing.

Seeing Fifth Lingyu being exposed and remaining silent, Yue Ming smiled and spoke directly:

“You want to kill her, and neither I nor the other Dao Sovereign will stop you. However, it seems you currently lack the strength to kill her with one blow. Otherwise, you would have succeeded outside earlier.”

“Now she is in the midst of her opportunity, and it’s likely that once she emerges, you will no longer be able to defeat her. So, do you still stick to your original choice?”

“Considering your alignment with my Dao, I will give you another chance to choose.”

Yue Ming suddenly raised his voice, his eyes flashing with a tangible killing intent.

“Disciple of the Original Dao, member of the Celestial Clan, Fifth Lingyu, will you choose the Azure Lotus or the Dark Abyss? Answer truthfully!”

Fifth Lingyu remained silent, resembling a statue from the side.

After a long while, he stood up directly.

With his hands hanging down and long sleeves adorned with golden embroidery flowing, he slowly lifted his gaze.

In his eyes flashed a killing intent similar to Yue Ming’s aura.

Seeing this, Yue Ming’s full red lips curled into a smile, and he leisurely said, “Good!”

…

On Qin Ruqing’s side, under the guidance of Immortal Venerable Shaozhen, she had finally mastered the Storm Cloud Thunder Technique completely.

Shao Zhen was very pleased with Qin Ruqing’s progress.

The more she taught, the more she felt it was a pity that such a promising disciple could not become her own apprentice.

However, due to the pride of an Immortal Venerable, she could not let this disappointment show to the younger generation.

Instead, she maintained her composure and said:

“Not bad. The Storm Cloud Thunder Technique you use now finally looks the part. If it were at the previous level, you would be embarrassed to say it was taught by me.”

Tch~

Qin Ruqing scoffed inwardly.

If her previous learning had really been that poor, Shao Zhen would have probably started reprimanding her for stealing techniques.

There was no way she would have personally taught her otherwise.

It seems that arrogance is a trend that has persisted from ancient times to the present.

Understanding the nature of arrogance, Qin Ruqing kept her thoughts to herself and sweetly said, “Indeed, it’s all thanks to the guidance of Immortal Venerable!”

Shaozhen gave her a sidelong glance, her lips curling up, and after a light cough, continued:

“Although you have mastered the Storm Cloud Thunder Technique, to fully unleash its power, you must contract the Purple Electric Wind Thunder Fire. So, we should move on to the main topic.”

Qin Ruqing’s expression became serious.

The contracting was finally about to begin!

“Demonstrate the most proficient set of techniques you can perform with the Golden Mist Soul Fire. Don’t hold back; the barrier in this space is impregnable with your current strength,” Shao Zhen said, arms crossed.

Qin Ruqing nodded and complied with Shao Zhen’s request.

Her proficiency with fire was indeed much greater than with wind and thunder, and the result this time was significantly more impressive.

However, Shao Zhen showed no sign of delight, instead wearing a thoughtful expression.

Qin Ruqing wondered if there was still some problem.

After pondering for a while, Shao Zhen looked at Qin Ruqing and said:

“Previously, I was only concerned with the technique you used, but now I’ve discovered that your Golden Mist Soul Fire does not resemble normal Golden Mist Soul Fire. It seems to have some issues.”

The fire has issues?

Qin Ruqing hesitantly replied:

“Um, perhaps it’s due to my Dao Physique? My Dao Physique comes with a native divine fire. When I refined the Golden Mist Soul Fire initially, the divine fire automatically fused with it. Later, this fire also absorbed many ancient spirit crystals and lightning tribulation power…”

Qin Ruqing felt a bit embarrassed as she spoke.

It seemed that she had indeed stuffed quite a lot of things into her small divine fire.

The main issue was that her Dao Physique’s divine fire seemed to have a strong tolerance, able to consume almost anything, even ice spirit crystals that were contradictory to its attribute.

Thus, without realizing it, she had fed it a lot.

Qin Ruqing thought she had found the root of the problem.

However, Shao Zhen shook her head: “I had already sensed that your Golden Mist Soul Fire was mixed with other flames. What I wanted to point out is another issue—you haven’t truly contracted the Golden Mist Soul Fire.”

“It seems you’ve used your powerful and unique Dao Physique to directly refine it, or rather, subdue it. So, this isn’t a true contract.”

Qin Ruqing was stunned.

She had thought the problem was with the mixed elements in the Golden Mist Soul Fire, but it turned out the issue was with her own self.

She had never truly contracted it?

“Was it the power of the Dao Physique that directly suppressed the Golden Mist Soul Fire?”

It sounded like she had forced the fire to work for her.

Qin Ruqing hesitated and said, “But I didn’t feel any difficulty using this fire?”

If it were “forced labor,” the fire should have protested, right? She felt it was quite easy to use.

Shaozhen smiled and lifted her lips slightly. “You just said that the fire you’re using is not purely the Golden Mist Soul Fire but a flame mixed with your Dao Physique’s innate divine fire. Although I don’t know of any Dao Physique’s innate fire that can suppress Heavenly Fire, I do know that innate fire naturally belongs to your body. In other words—using your own arm, you wouldn’t feel awkward.”

Qin Ruqing: “……?”

She felt like her understanding was being overturned! She was so shocked she didn’t know how to react.

The Lotus Fire used to be her proudest possession!

And now she was being told she hadn’t even signed a contract?

Seeing Qin Ruqing’s stunned expression, Shaozhen chuckled and continued calmly, “The reason Heavenly Fire is called Heavenly Fire is that it has spirit. Your Golden Mist Soul Fire’s spirit is in a dormant state due to being forcibly suppressed. If you want to contract with it, you must truly awaken the spirit of the Soul Fire.”

Qin Ruqing’s expression changed as she took a few moments to accept this fact.

Gritting her teeth, she immediately sat down cross-legged and said seriously to Shaozhen, “Immortal Venerable, how do I find its spirit? I’ll contract with it right away, ah no, I mean, form a contract!”

“Each type of Heavenly Fire has an unpredictable temperament. Contracting with it isn’t so easy,” Shaozhen reminded.

This wasn’t to discourage Qin Ruqing but to state an objective fact.

After all, contracting with Heavenly Fire was rare even in ancient times.

Such celestial spiritual objects are naturally reluctant to submit to humans.

Shaozhen had only become a top-ranking general under the Dao Sovereign Fusheng after contracting the Purple Lightning Cloud Fire.

Qin Ruqing maintained a serious expression and didn’t intend to say more.

Regardless, she was determined to get to work.

She couldn’t believe that with her current strength, she couldn’t even subdue a Heavenly Fire.

If that were the case, she wouldn’t need to go to the Sixth Domain, let alone become a Dao Ancestor.

“Immortal Venerable, I’m ready!” Qin Ruqing declared loudly.

Seeing Qin Ruqing’s determined look, Shaozhen said no more and began guiding her:

“Concentrate on your Dantian, find the source of the fire within you, then use your heart to sense and try to communicate with and awaken it. If you see a white light, enter it directly. You should be able to find the Soul Fire Spirit inside.”

Following the Immortal Venerable’s gentle and guiding voice, Qin Ruqing’s consciousness sank to her Dantian and she began to sense.

It might sound strange, but this was the first time Qin Ruqing seriously felt her own fire.

All along, the fire, like her blood, had been something that operated spontaneously without needing control.

She wouldn’t deliberately sense how her blood flowed, so naturally, she wouldn’t think about where her fire was hidden in her body or how it operated.

Upon deliberate sensing, she found that her fire didn’t merge immediately as she had assumed before.

Instead, there was a process of separation and merging?!

When the fire wasn’t being summoned, a small flame qi group formed in her Dantian’s Qi Sea.

This qi group seemed to have divided into two parts unconsciously!

When she needed to summon the fire, the part belonging to her innate fire would synchronize with her consciousness and start operating first.