Faced with the gun, Shui Miao dared not resist and could only obediently return to his room.
“Uncle Lin, what exactly do you mean by this?” Shui Miao focused all his spiritual power, his nerves tense, while secretly resolving in his heart to study spiritual techniques more thoroughly in the future, so he wouldn’t be helpless again in an emergency.
The grim situation made Shui Miao painfully aware of his own weakness.
Facing the gun, Shui Miao dared not resist and could only obediently walk back to the room.
“Uncle Lin, what do you mean by this?” Shui Miao channeled all his immortal energy, his nerves taut. He secretly vowed to himself that he would take the time to study the use of immortal energy later, so that he wouldn’t be left helpless in another emergency.
The dire circumstances made Shui Miao acutely aware of his own profound weakness.
He had to learn earth escape, illusion techniques, and mind-control spells.
Even more applications of magic.
At this moment, Shui Miao thought of Wu Ai, but unfortunately, Wu Ai had already returned to the underworld of Fengdu.
“Put down your guns, all of you!” Old Master Lin frowned at his bodyguards and shouted, “You fools! Brother Shui Miao is my honored guest. I hadn’t finished speaking—I only asked you to stop him, yet you pointed guns at him? Do you all have a death wish? Get out! All of you, get out!”
Hypocrite! Shameless!
Shui Miao cursed inwardly. This old bastard actually thinks I’m an idiot, putting on a show in front of me. How utterly despicable.
As the bodyguards retreated, Old Master Lin quickly apologized with a smile, “Shui Miao, please don’t blame me. I came all this way to find you, but you were in such a hurry to leave. In my panic, I gave a reckless order, and my men acted out of line. I’m truly sorry! I just can’t shake this bad habit of acting rashly when I’m anxious. Please, sit down, and let’s talk properly?”
Old Master Lin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, making it difficult to discern his true intentions.
Shui Miao had seen enough and secretly swore that he would never help anyone who had allowed a gun to be pointed at him again.
After a pause, Shui Miao looked at Old Master Lin and shook his head. “I really can’t think of anything to talk about. It seems like you don’t believe a word I say.”
“I do believe you! Of course, I believe you. As long as it’s the truth, I’ll always believe it.”
Old Master Lin approached Shui Miao, intending to soothe him and persuade him to sit down.
But Shui Miao, being young, couldn’t hide his emotions. He waved Old Master Lin away and walked directly to the window, looking outside. “If you have something to say, please ask quickly. I don’t like beating around the bush. And please, stop playing games with me. I’m not an idiot, nor am I a three-year-old child who can be swayed by sweet talk. Just tell me your purpose directly.”
Even an idiot could sense Shui Miao’s attitude.
Old Master Lin was momentarily taken aback but quickly smiled again. “I know you resent me for keeping Qing’er away from you, but—”
“Get to the point,” Shui Miao interrupted.
Old Master Lin frowned. “Shui Miao, there’s no need to be angry. What just happened was a misunderstanding. Can’t I just apologize?”
“Fine! Since you refuse to speak, I’ll say it for you.” Shui Miao turned around, staring into Old Master Lin’s eyes while channeling all his immortal energy to sense his thoughts. “You heard rumors that I’ve attained enlightenment through cultivation, but you didn’t quite believe it. So, under the pretense of seeking medical treatment, you came to verify it yourself. But you couldn’t bring yourself to ask directly, so you’ve been beating around the bush and trying to cozy up to me. What you didn’t expect was that I detest you. Now that things have escalated, you’re trying desperately to salvage the situation, but the more you try, the more I despise you.”
“Why do you despise me?” Old Master Lin looked genuinely puzzled.
“Good question!” Shui Miao nodded. “But the answer is simple: because I admire sincere, compassionate, and kind-hearted people, while you are nothing but a selfish old man.”
“…”
Hearing this, Old Master Lin was stunned.
After more than ten seconds of silence, Old Master Lin suddenly smiled faintly. “Well, I didn’t come here today to discuss life or morality. I just want to know if you truly have real abilities—whether I can entrust my daughter’s happiness to you.”
“You want to see real skills? Fine!”
Through his spiritual sense, Shui Miao detected that Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang had just left the infirmary and were walking down the corridor toward him. At the same time, a group of assassins was also heading toward the infirmary. The situation was urgent, so Shui Miao immediately channeled all his fire-based immortal energy. Red fire energy separated from his dantian and appeared in his hand, though it looked more like a red mist than actual fire.
How could he transform it into real fire, controllable at will?
As Shui Miao stared at the red mist, he wished he had a master to teach him.
“What is this?”
Curious, Old Master Lin reached out a finger to touch the red mist…
Annoyed by the interruption, Shui Miao thought bitterly, *Burn, you bastard!*
“Whoosh!”
The moment Old Master Lin’s finger touched the fire energy, it burst into raging flames, instantly engulfing his entire body.
“Ah!”
Terrified, Old Master Lin screamed, dropping to the ground and rolling around frantically.
The door suddenly opened, and two bodyguards peeked in.
Seeing this, Shui Miao grew anxious and thought, *If only I could use fire to drive these bodyguards away!*
Miraculously, following his will, the flames instantly left Old Master Lin’s body and enveloped the more than ten bodyguards outside, turning them all into human torches in an instant.
“Excellent!”
Shui Miao felt a surge of excitement—he had finally figured out how to control the flames!
But as his hatred faded and joy took over, the flames automatically extinguished, and the fire energy condensed back into a red mist.
“I understand now!”
It dawned on Shui Miao that mindset and intention were the keys to controlling immortal energy.
With anger, immortal energy becomes aggressive—the angrier one is, the stronger its offensive power.
With a calm mind, immortal energy also becomes gentle. Even fire, under a peaceful mindset, becomes harmless.
Looking up, Shui Miao saw that Old Master Lin and the bodyguards had been scorched by the flames. Their clothes were wrinkled, their eyebrows singed off, and their hair curled and matted together. The bodyguards, in particular, were in so much pain that they writhed on the ground, moaning and unable to touch their burns.
Compared to them, Old Master Lin’s injuries were relatively light.
Seemingly forgetting his pain, Old Master Lin stared at Shui Miao in stunned silence, his eyes seeming to say, “Mother of heaven! Am I dreaming? So immortals really do exist in this world!”
※※※
“Boss! That girl up ahead looks like Lin Qing’er!”
“Yeah, it’s her!”
A group of assassines reached the corridor, and two underlings spotted Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang leaving the infirmary and heading north.
“Capture them alive!”
The boss waved his hand, and several underlings immediately gave chase.
Hearing footsteps, Da Shuang turned around…
“Ah!”
“It’s them! Sister Lin, run!”
“Haha! You can’t escape!”
The assassins were fast and had already closed in behind Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang. It was too late for them to run.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
But at that moment, numerous fireballs suddenly shot down the corridor, striking the assassins and igniting them in roaring flames. The assassins stumbled around, screaming in agony.
Seeing this, Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang were shocked but quickly turned and fled.
Inside the office, with a flick of his will and a shake of his arm, Shui Miao recalled all the flames, which transformed back into fire energy and returned to him.
Old Master Lin watched, dumbfounded.
Not stopping there, Shui Miao applied the same principle of the five elements’ mutual restraint. He channeled water-based immortal energy to envelop Old Master Lin, encasing him in a large bubble of water. Under Shui Miao’s guidance, Old Master Lin’s burns healed rapidly, disappearing completely in the blink of an eye. Shui Miao then withdrew the water energy.
Old Master Lin looked at his body in disbelief, touched his face, and suddenly grabbed Shui Miao’s hand, trembling too much to speak.
In a desperate attempt to redeem himself in Shui Miao’s eyes, Old Master Lin suddenly began slapping his own face, repeatedly saying, “I was wrong, I’m selfish, I deserve to die!”
Shui Miao had expected this outcome.
Once they witnessed immortal energy, they inevitably turned into obedient grandsons.
Shui Miao shook his head, pulled Old Master Lin’s hand down, and without a word, turned to leave.
But Old Master Lin knelt down, clutching Shui Miao’s leg, and begged, “Master, please accept me as your disciple! I’ll listen to everything you say from now on. I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong!”
“Uncle Lin, if you act like this, I’ll only think less of you. You say you know you were wrong, but where exactly did you go wrong?” Shui Miao helped Old Master Lin up.
Old Master Lin blinked and muttered, “Selfishness? Lack of compassion?”
“Think carefully. What you need now is peace of mind and true self-reflection, not desperately trying to become my disciple just because you’ve witnessed immortal power.” Shui Miao paused and sighed meaningfully. “If a person can always maintain a clear mind, they won’t make mistakes. If you can clearly recognize your problems now, it’s not too late—even for the next life.”
With these words, Shui Miao turned and left.
This time, Old Master Lin followed him to the door but didn’t try to stop him again.
“Close your eyes. I’ll heal your burns, but I hope you take today’s events as a lesson.”
Standing in the middle of the corridor, Shui Miao channeled water-based immortal energy to heal the bodyguards’ injuries. Then, he summoned metal-based immortal energy, compressing all their guns into a lump of scrap metal…
“Clang!”
The metal ball fell to the corridor floor. As the bodyguards opened their eyes, they were astonished to find their severe burns completely healed.
Having caught a glimpse of the mystery of harnessing immortal energy, Shui Miao was filled with exhilaration!
But then a sudden thought occurred to him: What would happen if he combined all seven types of immortal energy—yin, yang, and the five elements?
Even more, he needed to master various applications of spiritual arts.
At this moment, Shui Miao thought of Wu Ai, but unfortunately, Wu Ai had already returned to Fengdu, the capital of the underworld.
“Put down your guns, all of you!” Grandpa Lin frowned at the guards and shouted angrily, “Fools! Shui Miao is my honored guest. Before I’ve even spoken, you dared to point guns at him—do you all want to die? Get out! All of you, get out now!”
Hypocrite! Despicable!
Shui Miao inwardly cursed, feeling that the old man was treating him like a fool, putting on a show right in front of him—it was infuriating.
The guards left, and Grandpa Lin quickly approached with a forced smile: “Shui Miao, don’t blame me. I came all this way to find you, yet you were in such a rush to leave. In my anxiety, I gave the wrong orders, and my men acted recklessly. I’m really sorry. This bad habit of mine—always acting in haste—just won’t go away. Please, sit down and let’s talk calmly?”
Grandpa Lin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, making it hard to discern his true thoughts.
Shui Miao had seen enough and inwardly vowed that he would never help anyone who had dared to point a gun at him.
After a pause, Shui Miao looked at Grandpa Lin and shook his head: “I really can’t think of anything worth discussing. It seems like you don’t believe a word I say.”
“Believe? Of course I believe you, as long as it’s the truth.”
Grandpa Lin approached Shui Miao, trying to coax him into sitting down.
But Shui Miao, still young and unable to hide his emotions, immediately waved him off and walked directly to the window, staring outside as he said, “Please get straight to the point. I dislike beating around the bush, and don’t try to play games with me. I’m not an idiot, nor am I a child—I won’t lose my sense of direction just because you flatter me. Please state your purpose clearly.”
His attitude was obvious even to a fool.
Grandpa Lin was momentarily stunned, but quickly smiled again: “I know you resent me for keeping Qing’er away from you, but…”
“Please, get to the point,” Shui Miao interrupted.
Grandpa Lin frowned slightly, “Shui Miao, you really don’t need to be angry. That was just a misunderstanding. Won’t an apology from me suffice?”
“Fine! Since you won’t speak, I’ll say it for you,” Shui Miao turned around, stared directly into Grandpa Lin’s eyes, and used his spiritual power to sense the old man’s thoughts as he spoke: “You heard rumors that I’ve attained spiritual cultivation and didn’t quite believe them, so you came here under the pretense of seeking treatment to verify it yourself. But you couldn’t bring yourself to ask directly, so you tried to cozy up to me with small talk. You didn’t expect that I actually despise you. Now the situation has worsened, and you’re desperately trying to salvage it—but the more you do, the more I despise you.”
“Why do you despise me?” Grandpa Lin asked, puzzled.
“Good question!”
Shui Miao nodded, “But the answer is simple—I appreciate sincerity, compassion, and kindness. Yet you are nothing but a selfish man.”
…
Hearing this, Grandpa Lin was stunned into silence.
After about ten seconds of silence, Grandpa Lin suddenly smiled faintly: “Hehe, I don’t want to discuss life or morality with you today. I just want to know if you truly have the ability to ensure my daughter’s happiness.”
“You want to see real ability? Fine!”
Under his spiritual perception, Shui Miao noticed that Lin Qing’er and Dashaung were leaving the infirmary and walking down the corridor toward him, while the group of assassins was also heading toward the infirmary. The situation was urgent. Without hesitation, Shui Miao activated his fire-element spiritual power. A red mist of fire-element energy emerged from his dantian and appeared in his hand—though it looked like red mist rather than actual flame.
How could he turn this mist into real fire that he could control at will?
Looking at the red mist, Shui Miao couldn’t help but wish he had a master to guide him.
“What is this?”
Curious, Grandpa Lin reached out a finger to touch the red mist.
Seeing Grandpa Lin interfering, Shui Miao felt annoyed and thought bitterly: Let this bastard burn to death!
“Whoosh!”
As soon as Grandpa Lin’s finger made contact with the fire-element energy, it burst into roaring flames that engulfed his entire body!
“Ahh!”
Startled by the sudden fire, Grandpa Lin screamed and rolled on the floor in panic.
At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and two guards peeked in.
Seeing them, Shui Miao grew anxious and thought: If only I could burn these guards away!
Amazingly, the flames responded to his thoughts, instantly leaving Grandpa Lin’s body and engulfing the more than ten guards outside, turning them all into human torches in an instant!
“Great!”
Shui Miao was thrilled—so this was how the flames were controlled!
But as his anger faded and excitement replaced it, the flames automatically extinguished, and the fire-element energy gathered back into a red mist.
“I get it now!”
Shui Miao suddenly understood—the key to controlling spiritual power lay in one’s mindset and intent!
Only when angry did the spiritual power become aggressive. The angrier he was, the more powerful the attack.
When calm, the spiritual power also became peaceful. Even fire, under a calm mindset, would not harm others.
Looking up, Shui Miao saw Grandpa Lin and the guards all scorched and disheveled—clothes wrinkled, eyebrows burned off, hair singed and stuck together. They sat on the floor in pain, wanting to touch but too afraid to do so.
Compared to the guards, Grandpa Lin was relatively lightly injured.
Seemingly forgetting the pain, Grandpa Lin stared at Shui Miao in shock, his eyes silently screaming, “Momma mia! Am I dreaming? So gods really exist in this world!”
※※※
“Boss! That girl ahead looks like Lin Qing’er!”
“Yeah, that’s her!”
A group of assassins had reached the corridor. Two of the underlings spotted Lin Qing’er and Dashaung exiting the infirmary and walking north.
“Capture her alive!”
The leader waved his hand, and several underlings immediately chased after Lin Qing’er.
Hearing footsteps, Dashaung turned around—
“Ahh!”
“It’s them! Run, Lin sister!”
“Haha! You won’t escape this time!”
The assassins were fast, quickly closing in behind Lin Qing’er and Dashaung, who were already too late to run.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
But just then, a barrage of fireballs suddenly shot down the corridor, slamming into the assassins. The flames erupted instantly, and the group of killers were engulfed in fire, running around in panic and screaming in agony.
Seeing this, Lin Qing’er and Dashaung were shocked and immediately turned to flee.
Inside the office, Shui Miao willed the flames to return, and all the fire instantly transformed back into fire-element spiritual energy, flying back to him.
This sight left Grandpa Lin speechless.
Faced with the gun, Shui Miao dared not resist and could only obediently walk back to the room.
“Uncle Lin, what do you mean by this?” Shui Miao channeled all his immortal energy, his nerves taut. He secretly vowed to himself that he would take the time to study the use of immortal energy thoroughly, so he wouldn’t be left helpless in future emergencies.
The grim situation made Shui Miao acutely aware of how weak he truly was.
He had to master earth escape, illusion techniques, and mind-control spells.
Even more, he needed to learn how to apply a wider range of magical arts.
At that moment, Shui Miao thought of Wu Ai, but unfortunately, Wu Ai had already returned to the underworld in Fengdu.
“Everyone, lower your guns!” Old Master Lin frowned at the bodyguards and scolded loudly, “You fools! Brother Shui Miao is my honored guest. I hadn’t finished speaking—I only asked you to stop him, yet you pointed guns at him? Do you all have a death wish? Get out! All of you, get out!”
Hypocrite! Shameless!
Shui Miao cursed inwardly. This old bastard actually thinks I’m an idiot, putting on a show right in front of me. How utterly despicable.
As the bodyguards retreated, Old Master Lin quickly apologized with a smile, “Shui Miao, please don’t blame me. I came all this way to find you, but you were in such a hurry to leave. In my panic, I gave a reckless order, and my subordinates acted out of line. I’m truly sorry! I just can’t shake this bad habit of acting impulsively when I’m anxious. Please, sit down. Can we talk properly now?”
Old Master Lin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, making it difficult to discern his true intentions.
Shui Miao had seen enough. He silently swore to himself that he would never help anyone who had allowed a gun to be pointed at him again.
After a pause, Shui Miao looked at Old Master Lin and shook his head. “I really can’t think of anything to discuss. It seems like you don’t believe a word I say.”
“I do believe you! Of course, I believe you. As long as it’s the truth, I’ll always believe it.”
Old Master Lin approached Shui Miao, intending to coax him into sitting down.
But Shui Miao, being young, couldn’t hide his emotions. He waved Old Master Lin away and walked directly to the window, looking outside. “If you have something to ask, please be quick about it. I don’t like beating around the bush, and I’d appreciate it if you stopped playing games with me. I’m not an idiot, nor am I a three-year-old child who can be swayed by sweet talk. Please state your purpose directly.”
Even an idiot could sense Shui Miao’s attitude.
Old Master Lin was taken aback for a moment but quickly laughed it off. “I know you resent me for keeping Qing’er away from you, but—”
“Get to the point,” Shui Miao interrupted.
Old Master Lin frowned. “Shui Miao, there’s no need to be angry. What just happened was a misunderstanding. Can’t I just apologize?”
“Fine! Since you refuse to speak, I’ll say it for you.” Shui Miao turned around, staring directly into Old Master Lin’s eyes while channeling all his immortal energy to sense his thoughts. “You heard rumors that I’ve attained enlightenment through cultivation, but you didn’t quite believe it. So, under the pretense of seeking medical treatment, you came to verify it yourself. Yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to ask directly, so you’ve been beating around the bush and trying to cozy up to me. But you didn’t expect that I’d dislike you. Now that things have escalated, you’re trying desperately to salvage the situation, but the more you do, the more I despise you.”
“Why do you despise me?” Old Master Lin asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Good question!” Shui Miao nodded. “But the answer is simple: I appreciate sincerity, compassion, and kindness. You, however, are nothing but a selfish old man.”
“…”
Hearing this, Old Master Lin was stunned.
After more than ten seconds of silence, Old Master Lin suddenly smiled faintly. “Heh, I didn’t come here today to discuss life philosophies or morality. I just want to know if you truly have remarkable abilities—whether I can entrust my daughter’s happiness to you.”
“You want to see real skills? Fine!”
Through his spiritual sense, Shui Miao detected Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang leaving the infirmary and walking down the corridor toward him. At the same time, a group of assassins was also heading toward the infirmary. The situation was urgent. Shui Miao immediately channeled all his fire-based immortal energy. Red fiery energy separated from his dantian and materialized in his hand, though it appeared as a red mist rather than actual flames.
How could he transform it into real fire, controllable at will?
As Shui Miao stared at the red mist, he wished he had a master to teach him.
“What is this?”
Curious, Old Master Lin reached out a finger to touch the red mist…
Annoyed by the interruption, Shui Miao thought bitterly, *Burn, you bastard!*
“Whoosh!”
The moment Old Master Lin’s finger touched the fire-based immortal energy, it erupted into raging flames, instantly engulfing his entire body.
“Ah!”
Terrified, Old Master Lin screamed, dropping to the ground and rolling around frantically.
The door suddenly swung open, and two bodyguards peeked in.
Seeing this, Shui Miao grew anxious. He thought, *If only I could use the fire to drive these bodyguards away!*
Miraculously, following his will, the flames detached from Old Master Lin and enveloped the more than ten bodyguards outside, turning them all into human torches in an instant.
“Excellent!”
Shui Miao felt a surge of excitement. So, this was how flames were controlled!
But as his hatred subsided and joy took over, the flames extinguished on their own. The fire-based immortal energy condensed back into a ball of red mist.
“I understand now!”
It dawned on Shui Miao that mindset and intention were the keys to controlling immortal energy.
With anger, immortal energy became aggressive—the angrier he was, the more destructive it became.
With a calm mind, the energy also turned peaceful. Even flames under a tranquil state could be harmless.
Looking up, Shui Miao saw that Old Master Lin and the bodyguards had been scorched by the fire. Their clothes were wrinkled, their eyebrows singed off, and their hair curled and matted together. The bodyguards, in particular, were in so much pain that they writhed on the ground, too afraid to touch their burns.
Compared to them, Old Master Lin’s injuries were relatively mild.
Seemingly forgetting his pain, Old Master Lin stared at Shui Miao in stunned silence, his eyes seeming to say, “Mother of heaven! Am I dreaming? So, immortals really do exist in this world!”
※※※
“Boss! That girl up ahead looks like Lin Qing’er!”
“Yeah, it’s her!”
A group of assassines reached the corridor. Two underlings spotted Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang exiting the infirmary and heading north.
“Capture them alive!”
The boss waved his hand, and several underlings immediately gave chase.
Hearing footsteps, Da Shuang turned around…
“Ah!”
“It’s them! Sister Lin, run!”
“Haha! You can’t escape!”
The assassins were fast, already closing in on Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang. It was too late for them to run.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
But at that moment, numerous fireballs suddenly shot down the corridor, striking the assassins. Instantly, raging flames engulfed them, sending them crashing around in agony.
Shocked, Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang turned and fled.
Inside the office, with a flick of his will and a shake of his arm, Shui Miao recalled all the flames, transforming them back into fire-based immortal energy.
Old Master Lin watched, utterly dumbfounded.
Not stopping there, Shui Miao applied the principle of the five elements’ mutual restraint. He channeled water-based immortal energy to envelop Old Master Lin, encasing him in a large bubble of water. Under Shui Miao’s guidance, Old Master Lin’s burns healed rapidly, disappearing completely in the blink of an eye. Shui Miao then withdrew the water-based energy.
Old Master Lin looked at his body in disbelief, touched his face, and suddenly grabbed Shui Miao’s hand, trembling so much he couldn’t speak.
In a desperate attempt to redeem himself in Shui Miao’s eyes, Old Master Lin began slapping his own face, repeatedly apologizing and calling himself selfish and deserving of death.
Shui Miao had expected this outcome.
Once they witnessed immortal energy, they inevitably turned into obedient grandsons.
Shui Miao shook his head, gently pulling Old Master Lin’s hand down. Without a word, he turned to leave.
But Old Master Lin knelt down, clutching Shui Miao’s leg, and begged, “Master, please accept me as your disciple! I’ll listen to everything you say from now on. I know I was wrong, truly wrong!”
“Uncle Lin, behaving like this only makes me think less of you. You say you know you were wrong, but where exactly did you go wrong?” Shui Miao helped Old Master Lin to his feet.
Old Master Lin blinked and murmured, “Selfishness? Lack of compassion?”
“Think carefully. What you need now is peace of mind and true self-reflection, not desperately trying to become my disciple just because you’ve witnessed immortal powers.” Shui Miao paused and sighed meaningfully. “If a person can always maintain a clear mind, they won’t make mistakes. If you can clearly recognize your problems now, it’s not too late—even for the next life.”
With those words, Shui Miao turned and left.
This time, Old Master Lin followed him to the door but didn’t try to stop him.
“Close your eyes. I’ll heal your burns, but I hope you’ll take today’s events as a lesson.”
Standing in the middle of the corridor, Shui Miao channeled water-based immortal energy to heal the bodyguards’ injuries. Then, he summoned metal-based energy, compressing all their guns into a lump of scrap metal…
“Clang!”
The metal ball fell to the corridor floor. As the bodyguards opened their eyes, they were astonished to find their severe burns completely healed.
Having caught a glimpse of the mystery of harnessing immortal energy, Shui Miao was filled with exhilaration!
But then a whimsical thought struck him: What would happen if he combined all seven types of immortal energy—yin, yang, and the five elements?
Faced with a gun, Shui Miao dared not resist and could only obediently walk back to the room.
“Uncle Lin, what do you mean by this?” Shui Miao channeled all his immortal energy, his nerves taut. He secretly vowed to himself that he would take the time to study the use of immortal energy later, so that he wouldn’t be caught helpless in an emergency again.
The grim situation made Shui Miao clearly realize just how weak he truly was.
He had to master earth evasion, illusion techniques, and mind-control spells.
Even more, he needed to learn how to apply a wider range of magical arts.
At that moment, Shui Miao thought of Wu Ai, but unfortunately, Wu Ai had already returned to the underworld city of Fengdu.
“Everyone, lower your guns!” Old Master Lin frowned at the bodyguards and shouted sternly, “You fools! Brother Shui Miao is my honored guest. I hadn’t finished speaking—I only asked you to stop him, yet you pointed guns at him? Do you all have a death wish? Get out! All of you, get out!”
Hypocrite! Shameless!
Shui Miao cursed inwardly. This old bastard actually thinks I’m an idiot, putting on a show in front of me. How utterly despicable.
As the bodyguards withdrew, Old Master Lin quickly apologized with a smile, “Shui Miao, please don’t blame me. I came all this way to find you, and you were in such a hurry to leave. In my panic, I gave a rash order, and my men acted recklessly. I’m truly sorry! I just can’t shake this bad habit of acting impulsively when I’m anxious. Please, sit down. Can we talk properly?”
Old Master Lin wore a superficial smile, making it difficult to discern his true intentions from his expression.
Shui Miao had seen enough. He silently swore to himself that he would never help anyone again who had allowed a gun to be pointed at him.
After a pause, Shui Miao looked at Old Master Lin and shook his head. “I really can’t think of anything worth discussing. It seems like you don’t believe a word I say.”
“I do believe you! Of course, I believe you. As long as it’s the truth, I’ll always believe it.”
Old Master Lin approached Shui Miao, intending to coax him into sitting down.
But Shui Miao, being young, couldn’t hide his emotions. He waved Old Master Lin away and walked directly to the window, looking outside. “If you have something to ask, please be quick. I don’t like beating around the bush. And please, stop playing games with me. I’m not an idiot, nor a three-year-old child who can be swayed by sweet talk. Just state your purpose directly.”
Even an idiot could sense Shui Miao’s attitude.
Old Master Lin was taken aback for a moment but quickly laughed it off. “I know you resent me for keeping Qing’er away from you, but—”
“Get to the point,” Shui Miao interrupted.
Old Master Lin frowned. “Shui Miao, there’s really no need for you to be angry. What just happened was a misunderstanding. Can’t I just apologize?”
“Fine! Since you refuse to speak, I’ll say it for you.” Shui Miao turned around, staring directly into Old Master Lin’s eyes while channeling all his immortal energy to sense his thoughts. “You heard rumors that I’ve attained enlightenment through cultivation, but you didn’t quite believe it. So, under the pretense of seeking medical treatment, you came to verify it yourself. Yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to ask directly, so you’ve been beating around the bush and trying to cozy up to me. But you didn’t expect that I’d detest you. Now that things have escalated, you’re trying desperately to salvage the situation, but the more you try, the more I despise you.”
“Why do you despise me?” Old Master Lin seemed genuinely puzzled.
“Good question!” Shui Miao nodded. “But the answer is simple: because I appreciate sincerity, compassion, and kindness. And you? You’re nothing but a selfish old man.”
“……”
Hearing this, Old Master Lin was stunned.
After more than ten seconds of silence, Old Master Lin suddenly smiled faintly. “Heh, I have no intention of discussing life philosophies or morals with you today. I just want to know whether you truly possess remarkable abilities—whether I can entrust my daughter’s happiness to you.”
“You want to see real skill? Fine!”
Through his spiritual sense, Shui Miao detected that Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang had just left the infirmary and were walking down the corridor toward him. At the same time, a group of assassins was also heading toward the infirmary. The situation was urgent. Shui Miao immediately channeled all his fire-based immortal energy. Red fiery energy separated from his dantian and materialized in his hand, though it appeared as a red mist rather than actual flames.
How could he transform it into real fire, controllable at will?
As Shui Miao stared at the red mist, he wished he had a master to teach him.
“What is this?”
Curious, Old Master Lin reached out a finger to touch the red mist…
Annoyed by the interruption, Shui Miao thought resentfully, Burn, you bastard!
“Whoosh!”
The moment Old Master Lin’s finger touched the fire-based immortal energy, it erupted into raging flames, instantly engulfing his entire body.
“Ah!”
Terrified, Old Master Lin screamed, dropping to the ground and rolling around frantically.
The door suddenly swung open, and two bodyguards peeked in.
Seeing this, Shui Miao grew anxious and thought, If only I could use fire to drive these bodyguards away!
Miraculously, following his will, the flames instantly left Old Master Lin’s body and enveloped more than ten bodyguards outside, turning them all into human torches in seconds.
“Excellent!”
Shui Miao felt a surge of excitement—he had finally figured out how to control the flames!
But as his hatred subsided and joy took over, all the flames extinguished automatically. Strands of fire-based immortal energy gathered back into a ball of red mist.
“I understand now!”
It dawned on Shui Miao that mindset and intention were the keys to controlling immortal energy.
With anger, immortal energy becomes aggressive—the angrier one is, the stronger its offensive power.
With a calm mind, immortal energy also becomes gentle. Even fire, under a peaceful state of mind, becomes harmless.
Looking up, Shui Miao saw that Old Master Lin and the bodyguards had been scorched by the flames—their clothes wrinkled, eyebrows singed off, and hair curled and matted together. The bodyguards, in particular, were in so much pain that they wanted to touch their burns but didn’t dare, howling in agony on the floor.
By comparison, Old Master Lin’s injuries were lighter.
Seemingly forgetting his pain, Old Master Lin stared dumbfounded at Shui Miao, his eyes seeming to say, “Mother of heaven! Am I dreaming? So immortals really do exist in this world!”
※※※
“Boss! That girl up ahead looks like Lin Qing’er!”
“Yeah, it’s her!”
A group of assassines reached the corridor. Two underlings spotted Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang leaving the infirmary and heading north.
“Capture them alive!”
The boss waved his hand, and several underlings immediately gave chase.
Hearing footsteps, Da Shuang turned around…
“Ah!”
“It’s them! Sister Lin, run!”
“Haha! You can’t escape!”
The assassins were fast and had already closed in behind Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang. It was too late for them to run.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
But at that moment, numerous fireballs suddenly shot down the corridor, striking the assassins. Instantly, raging flames engulfed them, sending the assassins crashing around in agony.
Seeing this, Lin Qing’er and Da Shuang were stunned but quickly turned and fled.
Inside the office, with a flick of his intention and a shake of his arm, Shui Miao recalled all the flames, which transformed back into fire-based immortal energy and returned to him.
Old Master Lin watched, utterly speechless.
Not stopping there, Shui Miao applied the principle of the five elements’ mutual restraint. He channeled water-based immortal energy to envelop Old Master Lin, encasing him in a large bubble of water. Under Shui Miao’s guidance, Old Master Lin’s burns healed rapidly, completely vanishing in the blink of an eye. Shui Miao then withdrew the water-based immortal energy.
Old Master Lin looked at his body in disbelief, touched his face, and suddenly became so emotional that he grabbed Shui Miao’s hand, trembling too much to speak.
In a desperate attempt to redeem himself in Shui Miao’s eyes, Old Master Lin suddenly began slapping his own face, repeatedly saying, “I was wrong, I’m selfish, I deserve to die!”
Shui Miao had expected this outcome.
Once they witnessed immortal energy, they inevitably turned into obedient grandsons.
Shui Miao shook his head, gently lowered Old Master Lin’s hand, and without a word, turned to leave.
But Old Master Lin dropped to his knees, clutching Shui Miao’s leg, and begged, “Master, please accept me as your disciple! I’ll listen to everything you say from now on. I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong!!”
“Uncle Lin, behaving like this only makes me think less of you. You say you truly know you were wrong—then tell me, where did you go wrong?” Shui Miao helped Old Master Lin to his feet.
Old Master Lin blinked and muttered, “Selfishness? Lack of compassion?”
“Think carefully. What you need now is peace of mind and genuine self-reflection—not desperately trying to become my disciple just because you’ve witnessed immortal powers.” Shui Miao paused and sighed meaningfully. “If a person can always maintain a clear mind, they will not make mistakes. If you can clearly recognize your problems now, it’s not too late—even for the next life.”
With these words, Shui Miao turned and left.
This time, Old Master Lin followed him to the door but did not try to hold him back.
“Close your eyes. I’ll heal your burns, but I hope you’ll take today’s events as a lesson.”
Standing in the middle of the corridor, Shui Miao channeled water-based immortal energy to heal the bodyguards’ injuries. Then, he summoned metal-based immortal energy, compressing all their guns into a lump of scrap metal…
“Clang!”
The metal ball fell onto the corridor floor. As the bodyguards opened their eyes, they were astonished to find their severe burns completely healed.
Having caught a glimpse of the mysteries of harnessing immortal energy, Shui Miao was filled with exhilaration!
But then a sudden thought struck him: What would happen if he combined all seven types of immortal energy—the dual forces of yin and yang and the five elements?
To regain Shui Miao’s favor, Grandpa Lin disregarded everything and suddenly began slapping his own face, shouting, “I was wrong! I’m selfish! I deserve to die!”
I knew it would come to this!
Once they witnessed spiritual power, they all inevitably became obedient grandsons.
Shui Miao shook his head, gently pulled Grandpa Lin’s hand down, said nothing, and turned to leave.
But Grandpa Lin suddenly knelt and hugged Shui Miao’s legs, begging: “Master, accept me as your disciple! I’ll obey you forever! I was wrong! I truly was wrong!!”
“Uncle Lin, your actions only make me despise you more. If you really admit your mistake, then tell me—what exactly did you do wrong?” Shui Miao hurriedly helped Grandpa Lin up.
Grandpa Lin blinked, muttering: “Selfishness… lack of kindness?”
“Think again. What you need now is to calm your mind and truly understand yourself. It’s not just because you’ve seen the path of immortality that you’re desperately trying to become my disciple,” Shui Miao paused, then sighed meaningfully, “A person who maintains a clear mind will not make mistakes. If you can now clearly recognize your own flaws, it’s not too late for you to change in this life.”
After saying this, Shui Miao turned and walked away.
This time, Grandpa Lin followed him to the door but didn’t cling to him anymore.
“Close your eyes. I’ll heal your burns, but I hope today’s events serve as a lesson to you all.”
Standing in the middle of the corridor, Shui Miao activated his water-element spiritual power, healing the burns of the more than ten guards. Then, he activated his metal-element spiritual power, condensing all their guns into a single ball of scrap metal…
“Clang!”
The metal ball fell onto the corridor floor. The guards opened their eyes in shock, realizing that their severe burns had completely healed!
Experiencing the mysteries of spiritual power for the first time, Shui Miao felt exhilarated!
But then, a sudden thought struck him—what would happen if he combined and used all seven types of spiritual power—yin, yang, and the five elements—simultaneously?
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