Before going into seclusion, Zhao Ling had personally given Zhao Wuji a Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission Token. As long as Zhao Wuji used it to send a message, Zhao Ling would instantly sense it.
Over the years, Zhao Wuji had never used the token, fearing it might disrupt his father's breakthrough.
To them, father and son, Zhao Ling's advancement to Mahayana meant more than anything else. It was the highest priority. Even when plotting against Lin Ya, Zhao Wuji would rather spend half his fortune to enlist Li Heng than disturb his father.
But now… Li Heng had died a miserable death. Zhao Wuji couldn't help but worry that he might be next.
He sent the message, but anxiety gnawed at him.
What if his father was in a critical stage of advancement and couldn't be interrupted?
What if the message went unseen, and by the time his father emerged, his own corpse was already cold?
Just as panic began to swell, the token lit up. The transmission connected instantly.
Zhao Ling's deep voice came through, full of joy. "Wuji? You truly are my son. Right as I broke through to Mahayana, your message arrived. It must be fate!"
Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up immediately.
What? After all these years, his father had finally broken through the bottleneck of the Tribulation stage and entered Mahayana?
"Father! That's incredible!" Zhao Wuji couldn't help but let excitement creep into his voice.
Mahayana!
Even though strength could vary greatly between Mahayana cultivators, simply reaching that realm made one a peerless force in the mortal world.
Even in Qingxiao Pavilion, a Mahayana cultivator could speak with authority.
Zhao Ling was in a very good mood. Laughing, he said, "After so many years of accumulation, I've finally broken through. Wuji, get ready. Come to Qingxiao Pavilion. With my current strength, I should qualify for an elder's seat. Once that's secured, bringing you into Qingxiao will be a simple matter."
The Holy Lands had strict standards for accepting disciples. Without reaching Mahayana, even recruiting a student required going through sect testing. Zhao Ling had long considered taking Zhao Wuji as his direct disciple, bringing him into Qingxiao Pavilion for cultivation.
After all, the resources outside the Holy Lands were no match at all. But Zhao Wuji's talent was simply too lacking. He didn't meet even the most basic criteria to enter the Holy Land. And among the four Holy Lands, Qingxiao Pavilion had the strictest rules—so strict they bordered on inhuman.
So for now, Zhao Wuji had no way of entering.
Zhao Ling had reluctantly arranged for him to join a mid-tier sect in the nearby Canglan Kingdom.
Zhao Wuji didn't need that sect's techniques or resources. His father could provide those directly. But with Zhao Wuji's level of aptitude, only in a mid-tier sect could he stand at the top. In a top-tier sect, he wouldn't even be able to suppress his peers.
Zhao Ling, as a devoted father, just wanted his son to live freely and without hardship. He had thought that placing Zhao Wuji in a minor sect like Tianxing would be perfect. The position of Sect Master should have been within arm's reach.
But unexpectedly, even after stacking the deck in his son's favor, there was someone named Lin Ya in Tianxing Sect who kept Zhao Wuji firmly under his thumb.
Even the Grand Elders of Tianxing Sect supported Lin Ya as the next Sect Master.
His son, forced to bow his head in a mere mid-tier sect?
That was something Zhao Ling could never accept.
So, he made it simple. Lin Ya was gravely injured and lost any chance of progressing further.
Zhao Ling knew the Grand Elders probably suspected he had a hand in the injury.
But what could they do?
Still, he didn't want to push things too far. He had warned Zhao Wuji not to strike Lin Ya again. The man was already crippled. It would be enough to wear him down, then use sect rules to drive him out entirely.
To Zhao Ling, Lin Ya's situation was barely a footnote.
Tianxing Sect was a tiny place, just a playground for Wuji.
The real goal was always to bring him to Qingxiao Pavilion.
Now that Zhao Ling had broken into Mahayana, his influence in the sect would grow. He could take disciples without going through tests.
That was why he had thrown himself into secluded cultivation for years.
Not just for his own sake.
But for Zhao Wuji's.
The higher a cultivator's realm, the harder it became to produce offspring. Zhao Wuji had been born when Zhao Ling had first stepped onto the path of cultivation, and he might well be his only child.
For this son, Zhao Ling had planned every step, worried over every detail, just like any ordinary father.
And now…
He had done it.
He was Mahayana.
He could bring Zhao Wuji into Qingxiao Pavilion without resistance.
Zhao Ling was in excellent spirits.
But after the initial burst of joy, Zhao Wuji gave a bitter laugh. "Father, I'm afraid… I can't leave."
"…What do you mean?" Zhao Ling paused, then said, "Are you blaming me for not contacting you all these years? Wuji, I only wanted to break through sooner, so I could bring you to Qingxiao. Once you're here, I'll guide you personally. Imagine it—father and son, both in Mahayana. Wouldn't that be glorious?"
Zhao Wuji shook his head. His voice was heavier now. "I understand everything you've done for me, Father. Truly. But… I've run into a bit of trouble here."
Zhao Ling chuckled. "Trouble? Whatever trouble you've run into can't be that serious. What, more clowns jumping out again? Don't worry. I'll come in person. I'll take you to Qingxiao myself, and while I'm at it, I'll squash those little clowns for you."
With his recent breakthrough, Zhao Ling felt unstoppable.
What kind of trouble could Zhao Wuji be facing? Something a flick of his finger couldn't fix?
Zhao Wuji's smile only grew more bitter. He lowered his voice. "It's like this. One of the people involved… appears to be the Sect Master of Kunlun Sword Sect. Along with his head disciple, Cang Li."
Zhao Ling: "???"
He rubbed his ears instinctively.
What the hell?
Did he hear that right?
The Sect Master of Kunlun Sword Sect?
How could Zhao Wuji possibly provoke someone like that?
In theory, he shouldn't even have the chance to see them, let alone offend them.
Zhao Ling was just about to scold him for talking nonsense when Zhao Wuji took a deep breath and continued, "There's also someone calling himself Qing Yun. He appears to be a Grade Nine alchemist."
Qing Yun…
Zhao Ling went blank.
If it was that Qing Yun, then there was no 'appears to be' about it.
One of the three Grade Nine alchemists of Xuandan Gate—an incomparably famous figure.
"And then there's another one. Not quite as famous. Seems to be from the Beastmaster Sect. Senior title sounds like 'Liu Li,'" Zhao Wuji added honestly.
At this point, he didn't dare hide a single thing, afraid his father wouldn't fully grasp the scale of the crisis.
Zhao Ling clutched his chest.
Liu Li…
Wasn't that the Mahayana beastmaster known for being the most gifted in the sect's history?
Most cultivators needed thousands of years to reach that level.
It was said that Liu Li had needed only five hundred.
Back then, it had set a record.
Who knew how many more years had passed since then? By now, her strength could only be described with one phrase:
Unfathomably deep.
Zhao Ling's voice trembled. "So… how exactly did you manage to offend all of them?!"
Was his son cursed with some strange talent?
Even he himself, Zhao Ling, would struggle to simultaneously offend that many giants of the cultivation world.
You'd have to be insane to provoke them directly.
Zhao Wuji couldn't be that foolish… right?
===
Hey there! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
If you've been following my translations for a while—or even if you just stumbled across one of the novels I work on—you might've noticed that I sometimes drop a link in the comment section of certain chapters. That link usually leads to my personal glossary, where I explain some of the more complex terms and concepts related to cultivation.
But I realized something recently… maybe some of you are reading through the app, not the web version, and copying links there can be a hassle (´･ᴗ･ ` )
So! I decided to upload the glossary directly to my Webnovel account. You can now find it right on my profile, titled:
🌸 The Xianxia Handbook: A Guide to Cultivation and Beyond 🌸
This way, it's easier for you to access, and I can keep updating it whenever I come across new terms, concepts, or explanations I feel are worth sharing. Whether you're new to cultivation novels or just want to deepen your understanding, I hope this helps enhance your reading experience. (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ
I highly recommend adding it to your library and giving it a read—even if you're already a seasoned xianxia reader. Why? Because the handbook includes everything from foundational terms you've probably seen a hundred times, to deeper insights and uncommon concepts you might not have explored yet. It's also a great refresher if you ever feel confused by a term mid-chapter.
The content is a mix of information I've gathered from various sources and my own interpretations after reading way too many cultivation webnovels (∠｀ω´) 📚
For example:
-I wrote an entire section called "The Evolution of Cultivation and the Diversification of Paths", where I explore how cultivation branches beyond just "martial" or "spiritual" types. I also touch on 法修 (Fǎxiū) as spell-based cultivators, 剑修 (Jiànxiū) for weapon users, 音悦修 (Yīnyuè Xiū) for sound cultivation, 道修 (Dàoxiū) for Path-focused cultivators, and 魔修 (Móxiū) for demonic ones. Plus, side paths like talisman masters, beast tamers, and more.
-You'll find discussions on Five Spiritual Roots (五灵根, Wǔ Líng Gēn) and how they're viewed differently in different novels—some say it's the worst, others say it's the best.
-I also dive into Heavenly Tribulations, how they vary depending on the cultivator's path, and what that means for progression.
Basically, I try to "make it make sense" by piecing together bits of knowledge scattered across tons of novels. I've rarely seen any story explain all of this in a consistent and logical order, so I figured... why not try myself?
That said, everything in the handbook reflects my personal understanding, even if I reference or quote from other sources. I try to keep things neutral, general, and easy to understand—especially since different authors interpret terms in very different ways.
You'll also find clarifications for common misconceptions, like:
-Dual Cultivation isn't always about sex—it actually has two forms: one intimate (yes, that one), and one non-intimate focused purely on energy exchange.
-Terms like human furnace or cauldron (炉鼎, lú dǐng)
-Concepts like Takeover or Soul Piercing (common transmigration tropes), which I cover in Chapter 23: Spirit/Soul/God (神, Shén) & Divine Sense
-The Hierarchy of Worlds, the difference between practitioners vs. cultivators, Martial Arts vs. Cultivation, and other common worldbuilding tropes like sects, clans, realms, and more.
All in all, this version is way more comprehensive and accessible than the old comment-linked glossary, so I really recommend you check it out! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧