Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

“Cheep-cheep!”

An extremely sharp and excited cry exploded within the stone chamber.

Shadow abruptly sprang up from the stone pillar in the corner, transforming into a streak of black lightning that landed with pinpoint precision on Su Ming's shoulder.

She hopped back and forth excitedly on his shoulder, rubbing her hard beak incessantly against his cheek.

Because of the deep connection through the blood contract, the massive feedback from heaven and earth during Su Ming's Core formation had partially channeled back to Shadow through the bond.

Her pitch-black feathers had become even sleeker and glossier, their metallic luster almost dazzling.

What caught Su Ming's attention even more was that in her wild golden eyes, the second pupil ring that had been barely visible before was now completely solidified, clearly encircling the outer edge of the pupil and emanating a chilling ancient aura.

A ghostly blue glow lit up in the air without warning.

Lin Yu's soul body drifted out from the Xuantian Ring and hovered in midair.

Lin Yu stopped in place.

He first looked at Su Ming's calm, unfathomable eyes, then swept his gaze over the immense spiritual pressure surging within Su Ming's body, restrained yet palpable.

He opened his mouth as if to ask something—whether any danger had occurred during Core formation, why Su Ming's divine sense fluctuations had fallen into almost complete stillness for a moment.

But in the end, he asked nothing. He simply clasped his hands slowly behind his back and sized up his disciple from head to toe.

A brief silence settled over the cave dwelling.

A moment later.

"The Golden Core is complete."

Lin Yu's tone was extremely calm, betraying not a single ripple of emotion.

He paused, then—extremely rarely—spoke two words in an exceedingly formal tone.

"Congratulations."

Su Ming was taken aback.

He looked at the familiar old man hovering in midair.

Ever since they met in the dilapidated temple of the Great Xing nation, whether Su Ming made his first talisman, broke through to Foundation Establishment, or achieved results at the Repair Hall...

The Master's evaluation had always been a casual "not bad" or a barbed, sarcastic remark.

This was the first time Su Ming had ever heard the word "congratulations" from Lin Yu's mouth.

Su Ming didn't explain what illusions he had seen in the inner demon tribulation. He didn't mention the cold, greedy "fake Lin Yu" or how he had found the blade to cut through the fog of confusion amidst his fear.

Some words need not be spoken aloud.

Su Ming lowered his head slightly and reached out to gently calm Shadow, who was still hopping around excitedly on his shoulder.

Then he raised his head again and met Lin Yu's gaze.

On that usually expressionless face, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted, forming an exceptionally gentle curve.

"Thank you, Master," Su Ming said softly.

The light of Lin Yu's soul body flickered almost imperceptibly. Then he snorted coldly and turned away.

...

In the dim stone chamber, the flame of the ever-burning lamp swayed faintly.

Su Ming sat cross-legged on the cold jade bed, his eyes slightly closed. His breathing was long and steady, each inhale and exhale seemingly in sync with the pulse of the rocks surrounding the cave dwelling.

This was his first day after forming the Core.

He sank his divine sense into his dantian, where the round Golden Core—golden all over with fine formation lines inscribed on its surface—rotated slowly in a profoundly mysterious rhythm. No longer the surging torrent of liquid spiritual energy from the Foundation Establishment stage, the spiritual energy radiating from the Golden Core was heavy as mercury yet clear to the very bottom.

Su Ming slowly opened his eyes and slowly raised his right hand.

He extended his index finger slightly and traced a light arc in the air. Without using any talisman paper or grinding cinnabar, pure ghostly blue Golden Core spiritual energy flowed from his fingertip, leaving a condensed, solid trail of light in the air.

With a flick of his wrist, he continued tracing.

In a single breath, a structurally rigorous basic "Solidify" character took shape in the void.

Before, during the Foundation Establishment stage, when he tried to draw talismans in the air, the spiritual energy would be assimilated and dispersed by the laws of heaven and earth the moment it took form, lasting at most two or three breaths.

But now, the ghostly blue "Solidify" character hung quietly in midair, its glow so stable that not a single flicker appeared. Only after a full ten breaths did it dissipate into specks of spiritual light with an extremely faint popping sound.

"Like an extension of my own arm." Su Ming withdrew his right hand and looked at the empty void, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Not far away in midair, the ghostly blue light twisted slightly.

Lin Yu's soul body hovered there, his hands tucked into his wide sleeves. He watched Su Ming's smooth, flowing movements just now, his surface as still as an ancient well, but the glow deep within his soul body flickered at a high frequency.

He wasn't marveling at Su Ming's control over spiritual energy. He was replaying the scene of Su Ming cutting through the illusion during the inner demon tribulation.

The fear of being possessed by a remnant soul was an instinct etched into the bones of every low-level cultivator. That feeling of powerlessness when facing an unknown old monster was enough to crush most geniuses who prided themselves on their unwavering Dao heart.

But this young man before him had, amidst his deepest fear, used the purest logic and an almost stubborn sense of trust to grind that seemingly invincible inner demon into powder.

"This kid's temperament..." Lin Yu muttered to himself, "is as tough as a stinking, stubborn stone from a latrine pit. He doesn't seem like a mortal under thirty at all."

Lin Yu didn't say these words aloud. His soul body merely sank slightly, and he let out a very brief, sharp snort.

Just then, a rustling sound suddenly came from the straw nest in the corner of the stone chamber.

"Cheep——!"

A crisp, full-throated cry shattered the peace of the cave dwelling.

Shadow burst out from the straw nest. Her pitch-black feathers reflected a cold, metallic gleam in the lamplight. Though her body hadn't grown larger, a careful sweep with divine sense would reveal surging torrents of stellar force flowing within her slender flesh and bones.

Her double-ringed golden pupils rolled around, seemingly thrilled by the newfound power suddenly within her.

The next moment, Shadow flapped her wings violently.

"Whoosh!"

Not even an afterimage of her wingbeats appeared in the air. The law of the "Edge" character rune had already flowed through her body. She turned into a black arrow, shooting straight toward the outermost soundproofing array of the cave dwelling, apparently wanting to test if she could pierce straight through the invisible barrier.

"Bang!"

A heavy, muffled explosion echoed through the stone chamber.

The light barrier of the soundproofing array flickered violently, ripples spreading out like water rings.

And the black "arrow" flew back at a speed even faster than her charge, tumbling through the air over a dozen times before landing with a "thwack," sprawled out on the bluestone slab in front of Su Ming.

Her two claws twitched in the air, the golden double rings in her eyes had turned into spiral patterns like mosquito coils, and a very weak "gurgle" came from her throat.

"Pfft——"

Lin Yu's soul body shuddered violently in midair. He couldn't hold it in and let out a loud, mocking laugh.

"This brainless feathered beast." Lin Yu looked at the dazed Shadow on the ground, his voice full of undisguised mockery. "Did you really think that just because you got a bit of stellar force, you could ram headfirst into that composite soundproofing array I improved seven times? Even a third-tier Ironclad Rhinoceros would break two horns charging into that. Who exactly does it inherit this stubborn head problem from?"

Su Ming couldn't help but let out a wry smile. He reached out, pinched the back of Shadow's neck with two fingers, and lifted her up.

An extremely gentle thread of water-attributed spiritual energy flowed from his finger into her body, confirming that her bones weren't damaged and she had merely been stunned by the recoil force. Only then did he gently place her back in the straw nest.

"She just doesn't know how to hold back her strength," Su Ming shook his head. "Once she wakes up, I'll have her catch rock rats on the rear mountain of Formation Peak for a few months to temper her temperament."

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