Dao Sect.
On the entire Qingxiao Peak, only Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue remained. Their divine consciousnesses had been unable to exchange memories since entering Purpleleaf Town, and the occasional images they saw were disjointed and incoherent.
However, neither of them cared about this. They didn’t think anything would happen that was beyond their control, and each was more relaxed and at ease than the other.
In the Ring-Luster Domain, what demons, monsters, or ghosts could ever escape the grasp of the Dao Sect and Sword Sect?
After chasing those three troublesome disciples out, Qingxiao Peak felt exceptionally empty. Li Jin’an couldn’t sit still; normally, she could amuse herself by playfully ‘whipping’ those troublesome disciples with branches and vines. Now that this pleasurable activity was gone, she inevitably felt bored.
After sitting opposite Xie Huaixue for an entire afternoon, and having finished three steamed buns, five plates of spiritual fruits, and three cups of tea, Li Jin’an’s mouth was no longer lonely. Her spirit flared up again, and she energetically urged Xie Huaixue to spar with her once more.
“Cultivation has no end. It’s been so many days; if we don’t spar, how can we see our own progress and shortcomings? You’re still too lax. You’ve been at Integration Completion for so long without any signs of a breakthrough. It’s clear you haven’t put all your heart into the righteous path. Or perhaps, you’re afraid of losing to me?”
Li Jin’an looked utterly righteous. If she weren’t secretly plotting benefits for herself, her words might even have held some credibility.
Xie Huaixue was currently flipping through a rare book. That entire afternoon, she had calmly read, undisturbed by Li Jin’an’s incessant chatter, her eyes never once leaving the words on the pages. Because of her responsive and unperfunctory attitude, Li Jin’an, though displeased, didn’t actually lose her temper.
Hearing this, she closed the book and replied, “Mm.”
Li Jin’an’s eyes widened, her face beaming with delight. “When do we start?”
Xie Huaixue raised her eyes to look at her. “My reply meant that I know why I can’t break through to the Mahayana stage.”
Li Jin’an was first disappointed, then curiously asked, “Why?”
Foundation, inner reserves, accumulation… Xie Huaixue lacked none of these. She could completely withstand the Seven-Nine Heavenly Tribulation; it wasn’t a threshold at all. She was but a single step away from the Mahayana stage.
Everyone said that Immortal Venerable Qingxiao would break through soon, becoming the Dao Sect’s second public Mahayana stage cultivator, the previous one being Jingting Dao Lord, the Dao Sect Master.
No one believed Immortal Venerable Qingxiao would stagnate, nor would the Mahayana stage be her final destination.
If there were any cultivators capable of ascension in the cultivation world, it would undoubtedly be Immortal Venerable Qingxiao.
Thinking of this, Li Jin’an felt indignant. She was still at the late Integration stage, a distance away from Integration Completion, let alone breaking through to the Mahayana stage. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to surpass Xie Huaixue; it was just that cultivation couldn’t be rushed.
Even though she deeply disliked Xie Huaixue, Li Jin’an still acknowledged her internally. Losing to such a person wasn’t too much of a loss of face.
At such times, the actions of those three troublesome disciples became particularly despicable. What they did was not only to pull down the high-mountain flower from her altar but also to deny and insult everything that the name ‘Immortal Venerable Qingxiao’ represented.
Xie Huaixue satisfied Li Jin’an’s curiosity, calmly stating, “My heart realm is incomplete; it’s not yet time for a breakthrough.”
Li Jin’an found it hard to suppress the corners of her mouth. Didn’t this mean Xie Huaixue hadn’t shaken her off too far? I still have a chance to catch up; perhaps we could even break through together!
“Why? Aren’t those who cultivate the Emotionless Dao the most resolute in their temperament?”
“Perhaps I am the exception in the Emotionless Dao.” Xie Huaixue looked at Li Jin’an and said without hesitation.
Li Jin’an hadn’t had enough fun when she saw a small paper crane slip in through the narrow crack in the window and lively fly onto her hand.
“…It’s the Dao Lord. She’s inviting us over to reminisce.” Li Jin’an straightened her face, no longer happy. “Why do we keep receiving these inexplicable paper cranes these days! Can I just say I’m in secluded cultivation?”
Never mind why she’d want to enter secluded cultivation on her arch-enemy’s territory; she just wanted to.
Obviously, that was impossible. Li Jin’an could guarantee that if she and Xie Huaixue didn’t go, Jingting Dao Lord would absolutely come looking for them.
How to put it? Jijin Sword Sovereign was, at most, a hot-tempered sword maniac. But Jingting Dao Lord, in her earlier days, was utterly shameless. Only after becoming the Dao Sect Master did she begrudgingly cultivate self-restraint.
It wasn’t that Li Jin’an wanted to gossip about her elders, but Jingting Dao Lord was a truly bizarre person.
When Li Jin’an was still a little cub, she had once overheard a conversation between Jingting Dao Lord, Chixin Sword Lord, and Yinyue Monarch.
“What are you looking at me for? You’re living together and raising disciples, and you haven’t even formalized your cultivation partner status. What’s wrong with me joining you? I’m not here to break you two up.”
“…”
The little cub outside the door was greatly shocked, so surprised her mouth couldn’t close, and the candy in her mouth dropped out. Although her mind at the time was preoccupied with eating, drinking, and being clingy, she still knew those words sounded exceptionally strange.
When she wanted to continue listening, the people inside the room stopped talking. It was possible they had become aware of her outside the door and switched to arguing via spiritual transmission instead.
Later, there were no further developments regarding the matter. The three Monarch-ranked elders continued to interact as before, showing no flaws. Later, when Yinyue Monarch perished, Chixin Sword Lord and Jingting Dao Lord publicly ceased contact.
The little cub had secretly told Xie Huaixue about this on the same day.
Xie Huaixue paused for a moment before saying that one should not idly gossip about elders. Fearing Li Jin’an would be displeased, she added that if Li Jin’an dared to ask about it now, she’d get a beating soon.
Li Jin’an felt that her single-minded pursuit of the sword over the years, which made her seem akin to one cultivating the Emotionless Dao, was in no small part due to that mere sentence. It continued to shock her for a thousand years every time she recalled it.
The Dao Sect Master’s breadth of mind was indeed extraordinary.
Unable to resist authority, Li Jin’an could only dejectedly fly over. On the way, she actively egged on Xie Huaixue.
“Why don’t you hurry and break through, then raise your arm and call out, overthrow the tyrant, rise to power, and become the new Dao Sect Master? I’ll absolutely cheer and rally for you then, how about it?”
“Not interested.” Xie Huaixue confessed frankly.
Upon arriving at Sovereign Peak, a young Daoist attendant, who had been waiting for a long time, smilingly handed them two tokens and then bounced away.
Li Jin’an whispered to Xie Huaixue, “Do you think the Dao Lord did this on purpose, using a bun-headed Daoist attendant to mock me?”
Xie Huaixue also replied softly, “Perhaps. But there’s nothing to be done, unless you succeed in your uprising and become the new Dao Sect Master as Jijin Sword Sovereign.”
“…”
You Dao Sect people are so black-hearted!
As spiritual energy was infused into the tokens, their figures vanished, entering another space.
Small bridges over flowing streams, winding country paths, and rustic charm. Spiritual energy overflowed, making it seem like an immortal realm.
In a small courtyard enclosed by a fence, Jingting Dao Lord, sitting on a reclining chair, waved at them.
Yes, Jingting Dao Lord lived within a secret realm.
Rich big spender!
“If I don’t look for you, you’ll just pretend I’m not here, won’t you? You don’t even know to come visit this lonely old person!”
With no outsiders present, Jingting Dao Lord spoke with familiar affection.
Li Jin’an sat down and immediately swept up the spiritual fruits on the table. Hearing this, she raised an eyelid. “If you could give me all the memory stones in your hand, I’d pay my respects to you every morning and evening without fail.”
Even Chixin Sword Lord, as her master, didn’t possess as many embarrassing memory stones of Li Jin’an as Jingting Dao Lord did.
“That won’t do! These are such precious recordings; I must take them out to appreciate them from time to time.”
Li Jin’an gave a deadpan stare. This was precisely why she disliked these unreliable elders.
“Have you two made up?” Jingting Dao Lord asked with great interest.
As soon as these words were spoken, Li Jin’an sighed wearily and threw the question to Xie Huaixue. “You ask her.”
Xie Huaixue gave a graceful smile, answering beside the point: “Sect Master, I have made no progress at Integration Completion for a long time and have many doubts. I hope you will not hesitate to enlighten me.”
The tactic of changing the subject wasn’t new, but as long as it worked.
Jingting Dao Lord found the tables turned on her and helplessly began to act as a master, answering Xie Huaixue’s doubts and solving her confusions.
Li Jin’an continued to bury her head in eating, thinking, Xie Huaixue is quite useful when it comes to taking the blame and smoothing things over.
She stealthily placed a peeled spiritual fruit beside Xie Huaixue’s hand, hoping Xie Huaixue would continue to work hard.
While Jingting Dao Lord answered the questions, Xie Huaixue expressionlessly placed the spiritual fruit into her mouth, having no intention of respecting elders or caring for the young, nor did she prepare to offer the peeled spiritual fruit to the Dao Lord who was tirelessly answering doubts.
Jingting Dao Lord, on the opposite side, pretended to be blind and didn’t see, smilingly watching the two juniors say one thing but mean another.
It was still more interesting to tease juniors. The old ‘cabbages’ of her own generation were no longer fresh and vibrant, just withered and truly boring.
Two flowers blooming, each telling its own story.
Li Jin’an frowned, not yet fully awake, and raised a hand to clutch her splitting headache, hissing before slowly opening her eyes.
“You’re awake.”
A cold and clear voice came from beside her, crisp and melodious, very pleasant to the ear.
Li Jin’an’s first reaction upon opening her eyes was to look to her right side. Sure enough, she felt a sword, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Without bothering to check why her body hurt so much, she looked at the person who had spoken.
At first glance, she was stunned.
It was an exquisitely refined and beautiful woman, dressed in white, with upturned phoenix eyes, cold and aloof. Her demeanor was superb, as white as snow, and like still waters running deep.
And these eyes were quietly gazing at her.
Li Jin’an blinked, looked at the fine fabric of the white-clad woman’s clothes, then down at her own ragged, bloodstained clothes, and then at the dilapidated temple they were in. She looked around repeatedly but still couldn’t understand their current situation.
“Who are you? Who am I? I’m Li Jin’an! Where are we now?” Li Jin’an suddenly sat up, not knowing what injury she had aggravated, grimacing in pain. Otherwise, she could have continued asking.
“Xie Huaixue.”
Just these three words quieted Li Jin’an. She murmured “Xie Huaixue” and then gazed steadily at the other person. “Evoking a bright moon in the sky, illuminating my heart full of ice and snow, vast as a hundred flowing rivers. This name suits you very well.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she herself was startled. Am I someone who can blurt out poetry?
Probably not. Although she couldn’t remember anything, she firmly believed she should have no great achievements in scholarship.
“…Mm.” Xie Huaixue replied, lowering her gaze.
Li Jin’an looked at herself again. She had multiple injuries, but the wounds were properly bandaged, and the technique appeared to be that of the same person.
“What exactly happened? Why don’t I remember anything?”
She steadily gazed at the person in front of her. For some reason, even though she had lost all her memories and should rarely panic, upon seeing this person, her heart settled and found its place.
“My family suddenly met with catastrophe; my home was ruined and my family gone. My last loyal servant protected me as I fled, and as I was being pursued, you saved me. However, you also suffered severe injuries and were unconscious for three days, only just waking up.”
It was clear and concise, just too brief.
Li Jin’an blurted out, “Do you rarely read storybooks? Your words are so dry.”
Then she suddenly remembered that only this person remained in her family, and this wasn’t some storybook tale to be brought up. How could she rub salt in the wound? Li Jin’an mumbled, “I spoke out of turn; please don’t take it to heart.”
“It’s alright. I was fortunate to meet you.”
Good 👍
Uhh what just happened
What is happening