Watching the Mountain

'Why does it feel like this Flying Immortal Stream was created just for Shen Wuchen?'

Xu Ran shook his head, casting aside the distracting thoughts. He then looked at Ye Qingyue and asked:

"If that's the case, why don't you just have Wuchen teach you? He could help you while you two grow closer."

He felt it was quite a romantic idea, and Ye Qingyue surely understood that as well.

Ye Qingyue shook her head and said, "While I don't plan on hiding that matter from him forever, I can't tell him right now. It might affect him. Therefore, I need an open and legitimate reason to switch my cultivation method."

"The Flying Immortal Stream was created by you. After I become your disciple, it will be perfectly natural for me to switch."

She paused for a moment after speaking. Then, her pretty face flushed red, and she lowered her head slightly, saying shyly:

"He's already surpassed me in his Cultivation Realm, and I know I'll never catch up to him in that regard. But in all other matters, I want to be the one on top of him."

Xu Ran was momentarily stunned by her demeanor. 'Good heavens. As expected of someone from the Little Witch's clan. She's not afraid to say anything, and she's certainly ambitious and thinks big.'

In response, he could only offer her his blessing. "In that case, as your master, I will lend you a hand. I hope you can achieve what you've set your mind to."

"Thank you, Master," Ye Qingyue said solemnly.

After a simple discipleship ceremony, he said to Ye Qingyue, "I'll tell Wuchen about this. He'll be in charge of teaching you. You won't blame your master for being irresponsible, will you?"

Hearing this, Ye Qingyue covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled. She bowed slightly to him and said, "Thank you for your care, Master. Your disciple is eternally grateful."

Xu Ran nodded slightly. As Ye Qingyue was leaving, he called out to her and asked, "In the time after you were injured, did you ever feel any resentment in your heart?"

Regardless of the reason, the fact remained that her path of cultivation was severed because of Shen Wuchen.

If not for the existence of the Flying Immortal Stream, she might not have been able to get very far in this life. For someone of her talent and aptitude, this was undoubtedly a mismatch.

Hearing Xu Ran's question, Ye Qingyue looked at him and burst out laughing. "Master, I bet you've never been in love, have you?"

A sweet smile appeared on her face as she said, "If my feelings for him were just ordinary liking or love, then I would have certainly resented and blamed him after finding out my cultivation path was cut short."

"But now, I'm already too deeply in love with him."

She looked at Xu Ran, the corners of her eyes overflowing with a sweet and blissful feeling. "Master, if you truly fall in love with someone, you'll understand. The moment you fall in love with them, you no longer belong to yourself. Your every thought is of him."

After she finished speaking, she bowed slightly to Xu Ran again, then turned and walked into the Cave Mansion with the uniquely light and cheerful steps of a young maiden.

With every step she took, the corners of her mouth curled up a little more. Her eyes shone with a joyful and bright emotion, as if she were anticipating his reaction when he found out she had become his senior sister.

'It's sure to be interesting.'

As she thought about it, she couldn't hold it in and let out a laugh.

It was a cheerful and sweet laugh, the kind that only a young maiden could have.

Xu Ran watched the direction Ye Qingyue had gone, falling into silence.

He recalled what Ye Qingyue had just said and pondered it. If it were him, if his own cultivation path were to be ruined because of someone else, would he be willing to accept it?

He thought about it carefully for a long time, but in the end, he gently shook his head.

'Although I've chosen to walk the path of emotion, I feel I can't be like Ye Qingyue. On my path of emotion, the first person I love is myself. I feel no shame about this; I've never been a selfless person.'

'Loving myself first, and then loving others—that's enough.'

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It seemed that ever since Ye Xingchen's departure had made Xu Ran feel the difficulty of cultivation, everything around him had also started to become difficult.

No sooner had Ye Qingyue started specializing in the Flying Immortal Stream due to the hardships of her cultivation path...

...than Teacher Qing Xuan arrived with his daughter to see Xu Ran.

This was the first time Xu Ran had ever seen Teacher Qing Xuan's daughter. Every time he had visited Teacher Qing Xuan before, she was never there. Perhaps Teacher Qing Xuan had been intentionally keeping her hidden.

Qing Li. She was a woman with the same disposition as his master's wife—gentle and serene—only she was more petite and delicate in build.

She wore a simple, cream-colored dress, and her beautiful hair was soft and smooth. She stood there silently, quiet and polite, like one's own little sister, making you want to praise her.

'Her smile must be very gentle,' the thought flashed through Xu Ran's mind.

"Teacher, what brings you here?" After they exchanged greetings, Xu Ran's gaze lingered on Qing Li for a moment before he slowly asked his question.

Qing Xuan True Monarch nodded at him and then began to speak slowly:

"This child, Qing Li, has just broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "She is following the Flying Immortal Stream that you created, so I brought her to meet you."

"The Flying Immortal Stream?" Xu Ran exclaimed in surprise and doubt.

Teacher Qing Xuan was a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and his wife was a Core Formation Master. With their resources, how could their daughter possibly need to resort to the Flying Immortal Stream path as early as the Foundation Establishment Stage?

As if sensing Xu Ran's confusion, Qing Xuan True Monarch took the initiative to explain:

"Her aptitude is average. Most importantly, she doesn't know what path she wants to walk and is unable to achieve Bright Heart Illuminating Self. Even we cannot help her with that."

"If we hadn't given her a Lifespan Extension Pill before, she might not have even had the chance to walk the Flying Immortal Stream path."

As Qing Xuan True Monarch spoke, he sighed, his expression complex and his emotions unreadable.

He glanced at Xu Ran's reaction and said, "I know what you're thinking, but talent and aptitude aren't necessarily inherited. Just because the parents are exceptional doesn't mean the child will be. No one can control such things."

"Besides, she can't find her own path. Even if I wanted to help her, my hands are tied."

"I came to see you this time, firstly, to let you two meet. It's been so long, and I haven't arranged for you to meet yet. That's my fault. I hope you don't mind."

"Secondly, I also came to thank you. If it weren't for the Flying Immortal Stream you created, I might have lost my daughter."

As he said this, Qing Xuan True Monarch let out a long sigh, filled with a lingering sorrow.

Seeing this, Xu Ran didn't know how to describe his own feelings. At that moment, he once again felt the profound difficulty of cultivation.

Even a great cultivator like Teacher Qing Xuan, a Nascent Soul True Monarch, had to personally come and thank him for the sake of his daughter's cultivation. One could only imagine how much harder it was for ordinary people in the world.

He felt that he was lucky. Along his path, he had met Senior Sister Yue and Teacher Qing Xuan. The appearance of these many benefactors had not only granted him a peaceful cultivation environment, free of any threats so far, but had also made his own cultivation journey incredibly smooth.

However, at this very moment, he also realized a problem.

He hadn't felt any sense of urgency before because Yue Qingyu had granted him a three-hundred-year Earth Longevity Pill. This allowed him to justifiably remain in the Qing Xuan Sect and cultivate in peace.

But upon careful calculation, his cultivation speed was actually extremely slow. At his current pace, after breaking through to the Purple Mansion Stage, he would definitely have no hope of reaching the Golden Core Stage before his "lifespan ran out."

This was especially true since he had comprehended a Dual Realm. While this would allow him to form a Golden Core when he underwent Core Formation, it would also become a shackle, increasing the difficulty of his breakthrough.

Core Formation was already difficult, and for a person of mediocre aptitude like him to have comprehended a Mental Realm meant only for geniuses, it became even more so.

When that time came, he would have no choice but to quietly withdraw from the Profound Pure Sect and go into seclusion elsewhere.

This was also the reason why he had been unwilling to revert to his youthful appearance before. He wanted to keep a specific look in reserve, so that if the day came when he had to leave the Profound Pure Sect, he could appear to others with that identity.

Now that he had learned a method to alter his appearance and aura from Senior Sister Yue, the issue of his appearance was easily solved.

But if he really had to leave the Profound Pure Sect, he felt lost and uneasy. The current situation in the Cultivation Realm was already unclear; where could he go after leaving the Profound Pure Sect?

Besides, there was still no telling when Little Xiyue would hatch from her shell.

He had people he knew here, too. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he really didn't want to leave.

Therefore, there was only one thing he could do: cultivate diligently and break through to the Golden Core Stage before his apparent lifespan ran out.

Only then could he stay in the Profound Pure Sect for longer.

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