More than half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
「Late Yin Hour.」
The morning light had yet to break.
Guk Rusong was already standing before the entrance to Zhu Ju’s Cave Mansion.
His eyes were lightly closed and his body was ramrod straight. His aura blended with his surroundings, making him seem like a pine tree rooted firmly in the earth.
He refused to waste even a moment while waiting, silently circulating his Heart Method to refine his Innate True Qi.
"Senior Brother Guk."
After an unknown amount of time, a familiar voice called out from behind him.
"You’re here so early, as always."
"Junior Brother Xi."
Guk Rusong opened his eyes at the sound of the voice. He retracted his aura and nodded at the newcomer.
"I’m not like you, Junior Brother. I only get one day a month to receive Master Zhu’s guidance."
"An opportunity this rare is something I must naturally cherish."
Ever since he’d agreed to enter the Secret Realm on Zhu Ju’s behalf, one of his rewards had been a single day of guidance each month.
The Realm of a Dao Foundation Cultivator was profound; a casual pointer could bring him immense enlightenment. This was especially true for Zhu Ju, who was no ordinary Dao Foundation Cultivator. He was proficient in all sorts of Martial Arts and Magic, and had even mastered various legacies completely foreign to this world.
Even the slightest bit of guidance from him caused Guk Rusong’s strength to advance by leaps and bounds.
That’s why he cherished these opportunities more and more, arriving to wait outside the Cave Mansion before dawn every time.
"Same here."
Xi Chen scratched his head and sighed.
"Master is very busy. He spends most of his time in secluded cultivation, so I only get to see him two or three times a month."
"But that saying ’a great master produces a brilliant disciple’ is absolutely true. Before I took him as my master, I never imagined the benefits would be so numerous."
"Magic, Martial Skills, Cultivation Techniques..."
He sighed wistfully.
"Master’s casual pointers can bring sudden enlightenment. Things I never understood before become crystal clear, and my Cultivation naturally advances by leaps and bounds. If I had known there were such benefits to having a master, why would I have struggled to cultivate alone for so long?"
"Not entirely," Guk Rusong said, shaking his head.
"Not all Dao Foundation cultivators are the same, just as not all masters are the same. Master Zhu’s understanding and mastery of the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill are likely the best in the entire Sect. Even the Sect Leader probably can’t compare to him."
"Just because he gives good guidance doesn’t mean other seniors do."
Xi Chen had only been in the Bright Void Sect for a few years. Guk Rusong, on the other hand, had grown up there. He had seen plenty of fellow disciples whose masters were Dao Foundation Cultivators, and they didn’t necessarily all turn out to be successful.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
The ones who truly succeeded were more often those with exceptional talent who also fought tooth and nail for it.
A great master produces a brilliant disciple, but you first need an actual "great master."
And great masters...
...are actually quite rare.
HMMMM...
As the first ray of dawn appeared on the horizon, the Cave Mansion’s Array activated, and the heavy stone door slowly slid open.
A figure appeared before them.
"Master!"
"Master Zhu!"
Xi Chen and Guk Rusong immediately straightened their expressions and bowed.
"Mm."
Zhu Ju wore a serious expression.
"You two will handle your own Cultivation today. I have to go out. There’s some Hundred-Day Intoxication on the table you can have."
Without waiting for their reply, his body transformed into a streak of light and shot into the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Huh?!"
Xi Chen looked utterly astonished.
"Master just... left?"
"He must have urgent business," Guk Rusong said, his voice tinged with disappointment as he gazed in the direction Zhu Ju had disappeared.
"What a shame..."
"My one chance this month!"
...
「The Shi Family.」
Shi Chuan lay on the bed, his breathing faint. A gruesome, fist-sized wound had pierced clean through his body.
If not for his accomplished Cultivation of the Earth Evil True Body and the Spirit Talismans sustaining him, he would have already perished.
Even so, his life was hanging by a thread.
"Brother Zhu!"
Hearing the commotion behind him, Zhai Qingfeng turned and shook his head gently.
"He’s not going to make it..."
Last night, Demon Cultivators infiltrated the area near the Bright Void Sect. A fierce battle broke out after they were discovered by patrolling Sect Disciples.
It was Zhai Qingfeng’s turn to stand watch. He was the first to arrive on the scene and exterminated a crowd of the Demonic Demon People.
However, any Demonic Disciple who dares to spy on an Immortal Sect is no weakling.
Even with Zhai Qingfeng’s swift response, by the time he arrived, many disciples were already dead or grievously wounded.
Shi Chuan was one of them.
Zhu Ju stepped forward, a divine light flashing in his eyes as he assessed the man. His heart sank.
The Corpse Qi of the Celestial Corpse Sect had already seeped through the wound, invaded Shi Chuan’s marrow, and fused with his organs. Not even an Immortal could save him now.
"Martial... Martial Uncle..."
Lying on the bed, the wrinkles on Shi Chuan’s face trembled. His cloudy eyes were filled with desperate pleading.
"We have him to thank for what happened yesterday."
Zhai Qingfeng explained.
"Shi Chuan used a special technique, Divine Splitting and Thought Transformation, to simultaneously activate over a dozen different Spirit Talismans. He killed several Demon Dao Qi Refiners and blunted their assault. Otherwise, I’m afraid there would have been no one left alive by the time I arrived."
"Sigh..."
Zhu Ju sighed softly and nodded to Shi Chuan.
"Go in peace."
"I will honor my promise to you. That Cultivation Technique can still be passed down to the Shi Family’s descendants."
Hearing this.
A brilliant light burst forth from the eyes of the pale-faced Shi Chuan. His body trembled as he spoke.
"Th... Thank you, Martial Uncle."
He had been clinging to his last breath, just to hear an answer from Zhu Ju.
Now that he had his promise, that final wisp of will dissipated. His eyes dimmed, and his soul departed.
"Dad!"
"Grandpa!"
"..."
The sound of weeping filled the room.
Zhai Qingfeng shook his head. He walked out of the courtyard shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhu Ju and asked:
"He was one of the two you chose, Brother Zhu."
"Mm."
Zhu Ju nodded.
"That’s a real shame, then," Zhai Qingfeng sighed.
"He was old and his body was failing, but his methods were impressive. He could even face a Nine Acupoints Innate without fear."
"A real shame..."
"The Secret Realm will be opening soon. Our people need to set out two to three months in advance, so you’ll have to find a replacement, Brother Zhu."
’Find a replacement?’
’Who could I possibly find in such a short amount of time?’
’Even if I found someone, there’s not enough time to prepare them. How useful would they be once inside the Secret Realm?’
Zhu Ju sighed helplessly.
*
*
*
"Master."
Xi Chen slipped furtively into the study and spoke in a low voice.
"I heard you’re looking for someone?"
"Yes."
Zhu Ju looked up.
"Did Guk Rusong tell you?"
"Heh heh..." Xi Chen scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin and asked,
"Are you really looking for someone to go to the Secret Realm?"
"Yes," Zhu Ju nodded. There was no need to hide things from his only disciple.
"That Secret Realm only allows Innate Qi Refiners to enter. If you have any good candidates, you can introduce them to me."
"Master," Xi Chen said, his eyes lighting up.
"How about me?"
"You?" Zhu Ju frowned and shook his head.
"Don’t be ridiculous."
"Although only Innate Qi Refiners can enter the Secret Realm, the Spiritual Qi inside is rich, and there are Tier Two Demon Beasts."
"You’ll also encounter people from other factions, making it incredibly dangerous. Your Cultivation is still too low."
Xi Chen had officially become his disciple less than two years ago.
Although Xi Chen already had a deep foundation and had broken through to become an Innate Six Acupoints Qi Refiner after his guidance, it was ultimately still not enough.
At the very least, one needed to be a Late-Stage Innate who had opened their Seventh Acupoint.
"Master!"
Xi Chen said,
"My Cultivation may not be high, but I’m not weak. In a real fight, even Senior Brother Guk might not be my match."
"Besides..."
"I have extremely good luck!"
Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow.
’Luck’ was a mysterious, profound thing, but the higher a person’s Cultivation, the more they came to understand its reality.
Xi Chen had no Cultivators in his ancestry.
Yet he had managed to bring his younger sister onto the path of Cultivation.
By a stroke of luck, he had stumbled upon the place where a Late-Stage Innate Qi Refiner had perished. He obtained Spiritual Elixirs and Medicines that allowed him to reach the Innate Realm and open his Spiritual Acupoints. He even possessed a High Grade Spiritual Artifact for protection before he had even taken a master.
’And, not to brag, but in the Dao Foundation Realm, there were probably few masters more outstanding than him.’
’Looking back, Xi Chen had hardly made a misstep in all his years. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a favored son of heaven.’
’He was also proficient in Martial Skills and Magic.’
’His archery, in particular, was extraordinary. With a long-range ambush, he was confident he could even kill a Late-Stage Innate cultivator.’
"Xi Chen."
As these thoughts turned in his mind, Zhu Ju spoke slowly.
"Are you sure you want to go?"
"You are my disciple. While I may not dote on you, with my protection, it won’t be difficult for you to reach the Late-Stage Innate Realm. It’s even possible for you to reach Nine Acupoints Perfection or achieve the Dao Foundation."
"There is absolutely no need to take this risk."
"Master," Xi Chen grinned.
"That’s fine for me, but what about my sister?"
"I don’t want to see my sister return to dust in a hundred years. I want to walk the Immortal Path with her."
"The resources you provide, Master, are not enough for both of us."
"..." Zhu Ju stared straight at Xi Chen for a long moment before slowly nodding.
"I understand."
...
"Sect Leader!"
"Sect Leader..."
Amidst a chorus of calls, Pei Jingque, dressed in a magnificent palace robe, descended from the sky to land before Zhu Ju.
"Junior Brother?"
"Oh!"
Zhu Ju snapped out of his daze.
"What are you thinking about?" Pei Jingque asked with a smile.
"It’s rare to see you so lost in thought, Junior Brother."
"Thinking about the old days," Zhu Ju said slowly.
"Back then, I was just an Outer Sect Disciple. On my first long journey, I was also traveling with you, Senior Sister."
"Back then..."
"Senior Sister, you were the hope of our Dragon Head Lineage. Your fame was so great that everyone knew your name."
"Is that so?" Pei Jingque said, a smile gracing her lips.
"Of course," Zhu Ju nodded.
"The jewel of Dragon Head, outshining even the Flying Phoenix—that saying was about you, Senior Sister."
"Back then, to us, Senior Sister Pei was a peerless beauty. We didn’t even dare to sneak a second glance."
"..." Pei Jingque’s gaze grew distant.
"Dragon Head, Flying Phoenix... that’s all in the past."
"Let’s go!"
She flicked her finger.
A Jade Leaf floated from her sleeve and landed on the ground, where it instantly expanded with the wind until it was thirty feet long.
It looked just like a small skiff.
"Junior Brother, does this look familiar?"
"Of course," Zhu Ju nodded, his voice laced with nostalgia.
"Back in the day, Senior Sister, you piloted this very Magical Artifact to take the disciples of the Dragon Head Lineage to the nearby Marketplace."
For a moment,
it felt as though a scene from the past was playing out once more.
But things were different, after all. This time, the two of them were leading eight juniors to the Void Secret Realm.
Zhai Qingfeng and Liuu Huang’er did not go with them.
The two of them had been married for just over a year and were still in their honeymoon period. They chose to stay behind to guard the Sect against any unforeseen events.
"We will rendezvous with our fellow Daoists from the Hundred Flowers Sect first, then proceed to the Secret Realm’s location."
Pei Jingque’s gaze swept over the juniors, pausing on Xi Chen for a moment. She spoke with a hint of surprise.
"Nephew Xi is certainly brave."
Given Xi Chen’s status, he really didn’t need to join such a dangerous expedition.
"Sect Leader."
Xi Chen grinned, patting the bow and arrows on his back—personally reforged by Zhu Ju—his youthful vigor on full display.
"How many chances does a man get to risk it all?"
"I just don’t want to miss this opportunity."
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