Chapter 60

“This is so fun!”

With a giant pork knuckle in her arms, Shen Xian’er ran gleefully through a field of colorful butterflies, giggling as a group of clumsy little white tigers followed her around like fluffy ducklings.

Han Luo stood nearby when Xiaobai—stunned—finally blurted out, “How… how are you doing this?!”

She stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her. With just a wave of his hand, Han Luo had altered the very world around them—something only legendary immortals were said to be capable of. Yet he wasn’t even in the Foundation Establishment stage!

Han Luo put his hands behind his back, tilted his chin up at a 45-degree angle, and said with all the seriousness of a child caught red-handed, “I’m actually the reincarnation of an Immortal Emperor. This kind of trick? Mere parlor magic.”

Xiaobai froze.

For just a split second, she almost believed him.

“Wait—no! I get it now!” she exclaimed. “You’re using the insights you gained from that vision—those phenomena—and merging them into your Trapped Immortal Array. That’s how you’re projecting everything we’re seeing now!”

Han Luo nodded in approval. “Smart girl. Not bad.”

Xiaobai’s theory was spot on.

What she didn’t know was that he had also used the power of the Ancient Bronze Mirror to embed the essence of the phenomena into the array. Everything they were seeing—the phoenixes, tigers, dragons, and beasts—was technically an illusion… yet not entirely fake.

The forms were hollow, but each illusion carried a hint of genuine divinity. Maybe, after a few thousand eras, if the Trapped Immortal Array were to somehow survive, those illusions might one day become real.

Of course, by then, Han Luo would likely have turned to dust in some forgotten corner of the world.

Still, for now, these projections were enough to enhance the power of the Trapped Immortal Array. With the phenomena integrated, it now rivaled the strength of a fourth-grade formation.

“Incredible… truly incredible,” Xiaobai murmured, shaking her head in disbelief.

From the side, Peak Master Wudao suddenly laughed—an uncharacteristically loud and hearty laugh. “Fascinating… truly fascinating!”

With that, he turned and left, his robe fluttering behind him.

“Senior Brother,” Shen Xian’er called out as she ran over, sucking on a lollipop. “Why is Master laughing like that? Did someone steal his candy?”

Han Luo chuckled. “Who would dare?”

“Yeah!” she huffed, waving her chubby little fist. “If anyone dares to take Master’s candy, I’ll beat them to a pulp!”

BOOM! BOOM!

A hundred meters away, an ancient tree exploded into splinters.

“Ah!”

Shen Xian’er stared at her own hands, wide-eyed. She hadn't expected herself to be that strong.

“Let’s stay put on Luoxian Mountain for now,” Han Luo quickly said. “No leaving until you’ve learned to fully control your strength. I don’t want you accidentally turning someone’s senior brother or sister into a pile of mush.”

“Okay, Senior Brother… but uh, when’s dinner?” she asked, still licking her lollipop like nothing had happened. “I’m starving!”

Han Luo sighed helplessly.

Even now, after completing all seven rounds of spirit cleansing and surpassing most Foundation Establishment cultivators, Shen Xian’er was still a diehard foodie.

But her success wasn’t just a personal milestone—it was a major breakthrough for Han Luo.

First, her case gave him firsthand data and experience to prepare for his own future spirit cleansing.

Second, it confirmed that his Spirit-Cleansing Array worked flawlessly without any negative side effects—meaning it was viable for others too.

But he wasn’t in a rush to use it on himself.

Inventions had to be tested multiple times in varied conditions. True excellence required repeated trials, meticulous notes, and ongoing refinement.

And for his next test subject, he chose the most loyal companion he had—none other than Jiutong.

Of all the creatures in the world, Jiutong was the one Han Luo trusted most.

Why?

Because they’d long since formed a soul contract.

Just like Shen Xian’er and Xiaobai, Jiutong was bound to Han Luo’s will—incapable of defiance.

“Jiutong, your turn.”

Han Luo fed him a perfect-grade Spirit-Cleansing Pill, then pointed toward the twelve-petaled lotus. “Get up there and start refining.”

Jiutong practiced the same Falling Immortal Art, so the process was streamlined.

As the lotus began to rotate, Jiutong sat in place and entered cultivation. Four hours later, the pink lotus shifted into an earthy yellow hue, indicating his affinity for the earth element.

Due to his lower talent, Jiutong took significantly longer than Shen Xian’er, but Han Luo wasn’t surprised. He made a note of it in his journal and began pondering further optimizations for the array.

The next day, they moved on to Jiutong’s second round of cleansing.

It was quickly becoming apparent how important talent was in this process.

While Shen Xian’er had completed seven rounds effortlessly thanks to her seven-elemental spiritual root—one of the rarest in existence—Jiutong struggled.

In fact, saying Jiutong had poor talent was an understatement.

His aptitude was so bad, it was laughable.

But that didn’t matter.

Because Han Luo had long since anticipated this and raised Jiutong with the care of a celestial emperor raising a divine beast.

He’d used high-grade spiritual gathering arrays to nourish Jiutong’s body. Even his food contained rare substances meant to slowly modify and enhance his physical foundation.

And Jiutong had never disappointed.

From a scrawny mongrel, he’d grown into a formidable spirit beast. Despite his dopey expression, even someone like Chi Xiao might struggle to defeat him now.

After all, Jiutong was the only one who had survived three consecutive attacks from Han Luo himself.

Still, despite the praise, Jiutong did run into serious difficulty during his sixth spirit cleansing.

His innate limitations created immense resistance—but he powered through using sheer willpower.

Watching him grit his way through, Shen Xian’er was so moved she cried, swearing to share her most beloved dishes with Jiutong.

Only Xiaobai didn’t seem touched. She glared at Jiutong like he was her mortal enemy.

Jiutong, unfazed, waddled closer with his tongue lolling out and his goofy grin, wagging his tail like the big, dumb sweetheart he was.

“Get away from me, you mutt!” Xiaobai hissed, unsheathing her claws in warning.

“Woof!” Jiutong barked happily, leaning even closer.

“You’re stepping on my tail—ugh, so annoying!” she snapped, shuffling away.

“Woof woof!”

Jiutong scooted even closer, grinning like the world’s happiest idiot.

“You’re just like your stupid master…” Xiaobai grumbled, utterly fed up.

Meanwhile, Han Luo had no choice but to pause Jiutong’s cleansing for now.

He knelt down, rubbing the loyal mutt’s head gently.

Jiutong didn’t say anything, but Han Luo could feel it—he wanted to grow stronger. That desire came from the soul itself, and it couldn’t be faked.

“Don’t worry, Jiutong. With me here, you’ll finish all seven rounds. You just need a little more time.”

Han Luo stroked his chin thoughtfully, then turned his gaze toward Shen Xian’er.

A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes, and the corners of his lips curled upward with sinister intent.

Clearly, he had another ‘experiment’ in mind.