“The List of Tianji Outposts”
The content was not extensive, only three pages long, even less than the cultivation notes left behind by Elder Yue.
[Liuxian Town Auction House: Ru Xu Level 2…]
[Donglai Town Cultivator Exchange: Ru Xu Level 3…]
…
“There’s even an herb market near my Hundred Flowers Sect…”
Kong Miaoke’s expression turned solemn.
In total, the Tianji outposts were scattered around the twelve sects of Donghua Territory, covering approximately twenty cultivation markets.
Novelty shops, talisman stores, duel arenas, and exchange meetings…
The number of Ru Xu and Lian Shen cultivators on duty, and the techniques mastered by the leaders, were all recorded in great detail.
Lin Shuang memorized everything at a glance.
Meng Zi, suppressing a headache, also read quickly, “Thirteen thousand spirit stones, twenty-seven thousand, fifty-four thousand…”
Many of the Ru Xu leaders at these outposts, named and identified Lian Shen cultivators, were actually listed on the Most Wanted list of the Yannie Pavilion!
They had just disappeared years ago and had never been found.
Their bounties were enormous!
Lin Shuang glanced at Meng Zi, deep in thought.
The neutrality of the Yannie Pavilion was truly worth pondering.
“Turn the page?” Meng Zi became more enthusiastic.
Xiao Qi waited until he flipped to the second page, and in an instant, his eyes widened.
[Elder List]
[Shanhai Sect, Yue Zhi who had crossed the Tribulation, Tribulation…]
Xiao Qi instantly slumped down, powerless.
Besides Yue Zhi and Wang Heng, who had been corrupted in the Shanhai Sect, there were three more Ru Xu cultivators and one Tribulation-stage elder.
[Qingshui Sect 1]
[Hundred Flowers Sect 1]
[…]
[Qi Dan Sect 2]
Lin Shuang and the others looked silently.
[They did not fully trust me. I do not know the identities of the elders from other sects. When they communicated with me, they all wore soul-altering artifacts provided by the Tianji Agency.]
[My understanding of elders in other sects is far less than that of the Shanhai Sect; I truly cannot identify them.]
At the end of the list was an addition written by Yue Zhi.
[By the time I wish to reveal that person’s name, I probably won’t be around anymore.]
[That person placed the impurities of his Dao heart into the Nine-Thousand Trials. You’ve experienced the Wang Jian level; I don’t need to explain further.]
[Additionally, a century ago, he attempted to implant his heart demons into our minds—to transfer away the ever-growing impurities in his Dao heart. This is the black Tianji token you see inside our bodies.]
[Later, this method also failed. I suspect he tried a new approach, which you’ve all seen, to separate his delusional heart. This time it was very successful, but the only drawback was that after the separation, his own power dropped drastically. However, over the past century… it’s almost time. He is about to return to his peak.]
[In fact, many people know about him. But we elders have always dared not speak of it to our disciples, nor dared to bring it up with fellow elders.]
[Because even I cannot confirm whether the person standing before me has been corrupted or is part of him.]
[Once trust is misplaced, the sect will surely suffer a major defeat.]
[All I can mention in this list is this much, and we all refer to him as—Old Man Tianji.]
[What I failed to accomplish, you try now. You don’t have much time left.]
The ink faded gradually here, soon being overwritten by the subsequent cultivation notes.
Although the transformation from peach branch back to peach seed had not yet ended, the ink on the scroll was rapidly restoring itself.
Soon, when they tried to read it again, all the text reverted back to the original “Notes on the Cultivation Techniques of Yue Zhi.”
Lin Shuang flipped through it and handed it to Meng Zi.
Meng Zi took a deep breath and solemnly accepted it.
“Old Yue.”
“You took the wrong path. Starting today, you should reflect properly down there.”
“I’ll burn paper money for you, three sheets a month, sigh.”
As he muttered, he asked, “What was that new dirty trick of Old Man Tianji he mentioned?”
Trying to rid himself of the impurities in his Dao heart, he aimed to break through the Three Realms with a pure body and ascend to immortality.
He buried the consequences of his evil deeds in the Nine-Thousand Trials, hiding them.
Then he gradually extracted his evil thoughts and planted them into people like Yue Zhi, who were just beginning to develop heart demons.
But it still didn’t work until he tried the third method.
Lin Shuang glanced at Bian Boca.
Bian Boca sighed deeply, unfolded his fan, and said, “Senior Brother Meng, Elder Yue said we must have seen him. Think, a supreme expert, a cultivator even more powerful than Elder Yue. Who have you seen, and in what forms?”
“Turn into water!” Meng Zi raised his hand.
Zhao Keran shook his head, “That day, Senior Brother Meng, after you rescued the disciples at the auction house, elders from various sects came to reward you.”
“Oh my goodness!” Meng Zi was shocked, “I completely forgot about those twelve rewards!”
Because of Yue Zhi and Wang Heng’s incident, elders from other sects had forgotten about the rewards they had promised to Lin Shuang and others.
“I must get them back!” Meng Zi slapped his thigh.
Zhao Keran held his head, “The elders who came to see you that day were only projections.”
Meng Zi was stunned.
“Actually, I can’t tell either. Was the one staying before the projection the real body, or was the one who came to see you? The cultivation levels are too different to distinguish,” Zhao Keran pondered.
Therefore, the leader of the Tianji Agency, Old Man Tianji, had a cultivation level much higher than Yue Zhi.
His projections were indistinguishable to Yue Zhi—whether they were real or not.
Lin Shuang couldn’t help but turn to look at Huangpu Yuan, who was also deep in thought.
After crossing the Tribulation, one could create projections.
Before Ascension, merging them back into one would grant the strongest power to resist the Tribulation and achieve immortality.
Before the merge, the projections could fight and cultivate independently, possessing their own consciousness and dantian, controlled by the original body.
Back in Lijiacun, she and Huangpu Yuan had discussed how to solve the problem of cultivating a hundred dantians, and at that time, they had mentioned projections.
But back then, they both disliked the idea because each dantian (projection) would have to breakthrough a hundred times, which was very troublesome.
But thinking the other way around, someone already at the peak of Tribulation or even more powerful, in order to cut off unwanted parts of himself, could easily split off a ‘part’—a projection.
During the Tribulation, merging them back would be enough.
“Ahh.”
Lin Shuang sat on the soft couch, stunned.
She never expected that the mastermind behind everything had used the very cultivation method she had discarded!
No wonder that guy hadn’t ascended even after a hundred years.
“What should we do with the list? Who should we give it to? Who can be trusted?” Xiao Qi realized the seriousness of the issue.
Some of these people were projections split off by the enemy. According to Elder Yue, these were people the enemy had experimented with over the past century. These people’s active periods must not exceed a hundred years!
Others were people implanted with the enemy’s ‘evil’ seeds. These individuals had been corrupted and infiltrated by the enemy for a hundred years or even now.
Their lifespans were hard to estimate.
They could be young disciples like Meng Zi, who were tempted and corrupted at the 6000th level if they failed to hold their breath.
Or they could be someone like Elder Yue Zhi, an ancient figure from a hundred years ago, corrupted halfway through cultivation.
Indeed, as Elder Yue said, the elders could not tell their disciples or discuss countermeasures with fellow elders.
If one of them was already corrupted or was a projection, it would mean leaking information, rendering the entire dispatched team useless.
“Viewed this way, all twelve sects are in danger,” sighed Bian Boca.
The enemy was powerful but had been lying low because splitting into projections had caused a drop in his cultivation power, hence delaying his move.
Once the enemy reached the Ascension stage, things would be different.
“Therefore, he needs tributes because he urgently needs to recover his power,” Kong Miaoke also clarified her thoughts.
“That won’t do. Once he recovers, he might be strong enough to take on three Old Yues. What should we do, Lin Xiaoshuang? You must have a plan.”
Meng Zi immediately sought help.
Huangpu Yuan pointed at the cultivation manual in his arms.
“There is a plan written right here.”
Zhao Keran nodded, “Answer the question according to the problem. He desperately tried to separate his evil heart—we find it back, and he won’t be able to ascend!”
“First, we go to the Nine-Thousand Trials and dig out the past impurities he tried to hide. Second, these ambiguous elders on the list have also been implanted with his weak evil spirits. We must bring these elders to justice and release the evil spirits! Let him be driven mad again by his own filth.”
“Third, we must find his projections and completely destroy them, reducing his power!”
Lin Shuang reached out with a gratified expression and patted her junior sister’s arm.
“Good job, junior sister.”
It saved her the trouble of explaining.
She stood up, unafraid, even showing a hint of joy.
“Don’t worry. The enemy is foolish. We don’t need to fear him.”
“??”
Are you sure?
Even Bian Boca’s lips twitched.
The elders dared not tell their disciples directly. Are you sure he’s just a foolish enemy not worth worrying about?
“I seem to have heard of Old Man Tianji somewhere,” Kong Miaoke frowned. “In the names of the founding elders of your Qingshui Sect and Shanhai Sect, there seems to be a deceased elder who was once called what kind of old man.”
Meng Zi: “!”
Meng Zi slapped his thigh and sat down.
The torch of the werewolf had finally passed from Elder Yue Zhi to the founding elders!
Only someone capable of instantly killing Yue Zhi could be traced back generation by generation from the founding elders.
Huangpu Yuan immediately pulled out the list of elder names from his spatial pouch.
Before the sects split, there were a total of twenty-three elders involved in creating the Zhenchuan and Yuanhe rivers.
Six of them successfully ascended.
One each remains alive in the current Shanhai Sect and Qingshui Sect.
The rest are all deceased.
“Old Man Tianji.”
Meng Zi’s finger moved down the jade list one by one.
“There is no one whose name contains ‘Tianji’ in it.”
“Lin Xiaoshuo, you dare to call the founding elder a fool!” he suddenly realized.
Lin Shuang smiled, “Yes, if he isn’t a fool, who else could be?”
“?”
“Cutting off his near-ascension power by himself, splitting into parts.”
Lin Shuang closed her eyes.
This was not the same as her hundred dantians, which could merge and separate at will.
This fool must have kept his projections separate for a long time to avoid exposing their connection to him.
The original body is hard to kill, with power far surpassing Yue Zhi, at least close to ascension.
Yet, he divided himself into parts… drifting apart, each independent.
Two first-stage Ningyuan projections are equivalent to one second-stage Ningyuan.
How much did he split off for people like Yue Zhi, and for his independent projections?
It meant constantly weakening himself.
“Just as junior sister said, eliminate the infiltrated elders one by one, then destroy the projections one by one. Before he even realizes it, even as a founding elder, he will soon fall to mid-Tribulation stage, early-Tribulation, late-Ru Xu, mid-Ru Xu…”
Meng Zi opened his mouth.
Xiao Qi also sat down with a slap.
What a fool!
While others strive to grow stronger… he keeps cutting himself…
“Lin Shuang, he’s even more foolish than your hundred dantians.”
“…” Lin Shuang firmly refused to admit it, “I didn’t cut myself into 100 pieces. I cultivated them!”
Bian Boca, with his charming demeanor, showed deep thought, “What Senior Sister Lin said is feasible.”
“But it sounds really scattered. How do we find them?” Meng Zi pondered.
Lin Shuang also lifted her eyes, pointing at his waist where the spatial pouch hung, “First, destroy all these outposts.”
“!”
“The corrupted elders on the list… can also be easily guessed.”
“?”
“Didn’t Elder Yue tell us through six projections?”
“?”
“Don’t the Hundred Flowers Sect already have a list of these corrupted elders?”
“!”
Bian Boca took a step back.
When? Where?
They had it?
“Those elders who had been surpassed, bullied, or treated unfairly in the past, instead of becoming dispirited, quickly improved their power… becoming like Elder Yue, from being spirited and passionate to becoming silent, reserved, and solemn.”
As Lin Shuang stopped speaking,
Kong Miaoke suddenly understood, “Senior Brother Bian, it’s just like the elite disciple records you wrote.”
Bian Boca’s pupils widened.
The Hundred Flowers Sect indeed had a list of corrupted elders!
The Hundred Flowers Sect loved collecting elite disciples’ life stories…!
Recording everyone’s sudden breakthroughs, just like he had written about Lin Shuang’s Outer Sect Number 99.
These sleeper elders could be identified by reviewing all the elder biographies collected by the Hundred Flowers Sect in the past, narrowing down the scope!
“This task will be left to you two.”
Lin Shuang assigned the task to Bian Boca and Kong Miaoke without any hesitation.
Naturally, the two of them stood up sharply.
“Alright.”
“We’ll return to our sect immediately.”
Of course, locating the werewolf elders from the biographies might have some errors or miscalculations, but it would certainly identify most of the suspicious elders.
Elder Yue’s drastic personality change was partly due to his own experiences, and partly because he had received a portion of ‘his’ evil spirit.
Finding biographies and life stories—combined with the timing of their cultivation breakthroughs—was definitely the right direction!
“Leave it to you two.”
Zhao Keran nodded.
Once again, Senior Sister had unknowingly delegated the tasks.
Evil cultivation outposts—eliminated by Yannie Pavilion assassins.
Ambush elders—located by the Hundred Flowers Sect and eliminated by each sect.
Finally, only the projections remained.
“After dealing with the first two swiftly,” Lin Shuang conservatively estimated, “we can weaken his power, at least by ten percent?”
Meng Zi: “…”
That’s a bit low.
“But that’s enough.”
Huangpu Yuan nodded.
“Ten percent is enough for the strongest to notice his weakening. If he is about to ascend, he will surely become anxious, hastening to recall his projections, speeding up the tribute offerings.”
Lin Shuang nodded. It was difficult to find a clone because they remained still. Once they moved…
Lin Shuang paused at this thought, her expression turning peculiar. “If he truly is one of the first elders, perhaps I have a way to locate his clone.”
“Eh?”
Her gaze shifted to the book titled *Shao Ke Accompanies You in Talisman Crafting* inside her Ji Zi pouch.
“I should focus on cultivation and breakthrough now.”
*
Three days later.
Above cave dwelling number 6000, a celadon vase faintly appeared under the sunlight.
As if it were the stabilizing artifact of the small world, a gentle yet powerful spiritual barrier descended from the vase.
Whenever a fairy crane or young disciple passed by, the eighteen girls sitting at the top of the vase would open their eyes from their apparent fishing, sweeping sharp gazes over each passing figure.
She did not relax for a moment.
And not only cave dwelling 6000—upon closer inspection—over one hundred surrounding cave dwellings also had fishing lines seemingly cast from the same spot.
These eighteen girls appeared to be sitting atop cave dwelling 6000, fishing, yet their fishing lines extended toward various cave dwellings.
“Where is your disciple’s badge?”
“Damn it, come here and undergo my Heart Inquiry!”
“You, come here—I must question you.”
“What is that in your hand?”
The young disciples, fairy cranes, and others tried to take detours.
However, the entire inner sect could not escape this woman’s scrutiny.
She rigorously interrogated every suspicious figure, her voice echoing across all major paths.
“Is this really our sect’s Grand Elder?”
“Chen Wu Shui has gone mad since yesterday.”
“Is the Heaven Insight Bureau of the Shanhai Sect in serious trouble? Are we in danger?”
“I’m a bit afraid to enter Zhen Chuan now. Did Lin Shuang fall into a double-layered rift, becoming a fragmented problem? Could this be a warning from Elder Yue Zhi, that as long as Heaven Insight desires, none of the nine thousand trials are safe?”
“It feels like our Qing Shui Sect is on the verge of collapse? Elder Chen Wu Shui, at the peak of Ascension Tribulation, personally came out to guard. Yesterday, I exited layer six thousand of Zhen Chuan in shock—there was a huge puddle of water on the ground.”
“Uh… Elder Shui Qian Tan has three clones, each guarding a resting cave dwelling across three layers, from layer three thousand to nine thousand.”
“Incredible.”
“I went out to buy something, and even an Elder at the Void Entry realm asked where I was going.”
Within the Qing Shui Sect, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
The disciples were cultivators, their senses naturally sharp. The personal surveillance of an Ascension Tribulation elder was like having a guardian statue at the gate, making the disciples feel something ominous was about to happen, leaving them anxious even during meditation.
The elders’ tension indicated they were currently helpless against Heaven Insight and that the enemy might arrive soon.
The more protected they felt, the more uneasy they became.
Chen Wu Shui sat atop cave dwelling number 6000, her divine consciousness effortlessly covering the entire Qing Shui Sect.
Hearing the disciples’ murmurs, her lips twitched.
She had no solution.
She couldn’t think of any other way.
The separation of Elder Yue Zhi’s clone from his main body hinted that their previous suspicions were correct, and it also suggested that even seemingly harmless elders might have been tainted by Heaven Insight.
As for those with lower cultivation, the danger was even greater.
They couldn’t identify the mole.
They could only watch and guard!
They couldn’t trust anyone else to do it—what if the other party had already been infected by Heaven Insight?
Only she and Shui Qian Tan, whom she was certain wouldn’t betray Qing Shui Sect, could be trusted to protect the sect.
Chen Wu Shui closed her eyes. Qing Shui Sect could no longer afford to lose any elder or disciple.
Although this caused panic among the disciples, it was the safest approach.
As she sighed helplessly, she heard intermittent sounds from cave dwelling 6000.
Because of the obstructing plants, the barking of over a dozen spirit hounds, and various musical tunes from sound cultivators.
And Lin Shuang’s 108 strands of divine consciousness singing different songs… critical information reached her ears, but was drowned out.
“Lin Shuang, you failed. Did I know you before?”
“Try again.”
“No… try this?”
“Never mind. You should break through another layer and make another talisman.”
“Stop playing around, Lin Shuang. I’m going crazy!”
Chen Wu Shui: “??”
*
Inside cave dwelling 6000, Lin Shuang began her cultivation according to schedule on the fourth day.
The techniques of layer six thousand and eight thousand of Zhen Chuan—or rather, Yuan He—granted innate spiritual energy like a compressed biscuit.
Each day, she took a small bite with a bit of water, and her cultivation level increased accordingly.
Normally, she wouldn’t continuously cultivate and break through layers.
Her divine consciousness was exhausted, and her efficiency was low.
But this was a special time, like final exams.
Beside her, Meng Zi also had a headache. Before his retreat, he lent her a ‘spirit stone mountain’ as stress relief.
“Just count them. Think of it as entertainment.”
Before her stood Huangpu Yuan, his expression shadowy, tall and upright, handing her a soft fur cloak with silver-tipped hairs.
“When my overall strength reached the peak of Foundation Building, I learned to craft Tier Three Spirit Gathering Talismans.”
Lin Shuang’s expression turned serious.
“I estimate that crafting a Tier Five Retrospective Talisman will require at least Soul Refining Middle Stage.”
Her hundred dantians combined needed to reach above Soul Refining Fifth Layer.
Previously, on the first day of participating in the inner sect’s lower-tier battles, she peaked at Core Formation Fifth Layer.
After the Zhao family incident, she became Core Formation Seventh Layer.
Since the Yue Zhi incident, she had received spiritual energy blessings, and her hundred dantians merging had reached the threshold of Soul Refining.
Her divine consciousness had at least entered Soul Refining Third Layer.
But it was still insufficient. When crafting the Tier Five Retrospective Talisman, her brush hesitated, her consciousness ached, and after drawing only a third of the talisman, sweat soaked her Qing Shui Sect robe.
Each time, she could only complete a third before needing to stop.
As a result, the experimental ‘Tier Five Retrospective Talisman,’ divided into three attempts, had strange effects.
—Meng Zi tried it a few times and said he saw Xiao Bai, who had always been in Zhen Chuan.
—The retroactive vision was inexplicably unrelated to him.
Lin Shuang stared at the fur cloak in Huangpu Yuan’s hand, suppressing the urge to swallow nervously.
“Da Bao.”
“Drawing it in three parts won’t work. I must reach Soul Refining Fifth Layer or higher in divine consciousness at peak strength.”
“You still don’t want me to take a bite, huh?”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”.
He turned his head, his earlobes tinged an unnatural red.
Without another word, he turned, lifted his foot, and left, even taking back the silver frost-like fur cloak he had given her.
Lin Shuang’s face drooped.
But the next moment, a divine thought brushed past her ear like a breeze, instantly clearing her mind.
“Go to the room.”
“Come in alone.”
Lin Shuang: “!”
Excitement surged!
Cultivation, relaxation, cultivation, relaxation… only then could she achieve better efficiency!
Second-floor meditation chamber.
The ink-and-wash canopy draped from the bed, swaying gently in the breeze.
In front of this bed, which easily made one nosebleed, sat a hollow jade meditation cushion carved with bamboo branches and leaves.
Approaching, one could smell the spring bamboo fragrance.
And hidden within that faint bamboo scent was a unique, fuzzy aroma.
As Lin Shuang entered, she instinctively covered her nose.
She immediately acted virtuously, obediently sitting on this five-star meditation cushion, known to clear one’s mind and enhance spiritual consciousness.
“You cultivate for an hour first.”
“???”
“Half an hour.”
“…”
Lin Shuang seriously spread out the Retrospective Talisman’s patterns, already entering meditation as she thought.
The wind blew through the window, and the carved bamboo on the cushion seemed to sway alive.
Lin Shuang’s 108 strands of divine consciousness rapidly connected with the heavens, doubling in strength, as spiritual energy from her dantian surged in!
Soon, sweat beaded on her forehead, and her lips turned blood-red.
This was the symptom of her fully activating her dantian, cultivating at maximum speed.
Her meridians, dantian, and divine consciousness all ran at full speed like tiny engines.
One strand of divine consciousness dragged over twenty streams of spiritual energy inward.
“Huangpu Yuan…”
She soon reached her limit under such high load, her fingers trembling slightly as she formed seals.
Half an hour—no more.
Even an ox in a production team wouldn’t work this hard!
She barely opened one tired eyelid, only to see a huge, fluffy tail, its end splayed out in all directions, dangling from the gaps in the ink-wash canopy.
It almost occupied the entire space in front of the bed, like the ultimate prize won after hitting the target ten times at an amusement park—a giant stuffed toy.
It was almost as tall as her.
If she hugged it, it would drag to the ground.
Placed beside her, it occupied more space than her body.
“Today it’s crimson red, huh?”
Each strand of fur seemed like a burning flame.
Lin Shuang blinked once.
She stood up, spread her arms, and threw herself into it.
“!”
Soft like cotton, yet like the finest silky fuzzy scarf…
Warmth enveloped her as she sank in.
His fur was astounding, even bouncing her body upward slightly when she collapsed into it.
Warm, fluffy, and incredibly soft, the fur surrounded her entire face, hands, and feet.
She inhaled deeply, her tense consciousness went blank.
Divine fatigue ↓↓↓
Pleasure ↑↑↑
Consciousness pressure ↓↓↓
“Continue cultivating.”
In just three breaths, the tail vanished.
A stern, ruthless voice came from within the canopy.
“You mustn’t stop until you reach Soul Refining Fourth Layer.”
“…”
*
Three days later, Lin Shuang finally stumbled out of the meditation chamber, her steps unsteady.
Dark circles under her eyes, her cheeks flushed like she had been drinking.
“Try it.”
As Zhao Keran and the others looked on in astonishment, she handed them a stack of warm, high-grade talisman paper.
These fifth-tier yellow papers emitted a faint purple aura.
The talisman patterns on them didn’t look complicated, yet a single glance seemed to show them changing.
Each time, what she saw was different from the previous ink strokes.
It was like water swirling, or wind rising from flat ground.
Xiao Qi curiously cut in line, rushing over to grab one from Lin Shuang’s hand, only to freeze.
In an instant, lightning seemed to explode in his consciousness!
With a bang, it shattered the sword techniques he had been reciting, erased memories of refining the Diamond Decree and taking the Appetite Suppressing Pill that morning…
In an instant!
It forced up a memory buried deep in his consciousness, long unrecalled.
—As if he were back at Qing Shui Sect, competing for the Spirit Spring. He was full of vigor, wiping his sword and shoes before flying there on his blade. However…
That day, he looked up and saw the frail female disciple, only at Foundation Building Third Layer, under the dazzling sunlight, her long lashes shimmering.
“Today, I’m going to work up a sweat for half an hour.”
“So, your strength—”
She pressed down on his sword, grinning, “Too light.”
Xiao Qi, holding the fifth-tier talisman, stared wide-eyed at the smiling Lin Shuang holding the other half!
“This… this is…”
He saw the day he first met Lin Shuang—his first fat-burning… no, first encounter.
Xiao Qi: “…”
He stepped back, pressing his head.
“Did you see it?” Lin Shuang asked.
Xiao Qi nodded. “I saw my past with the junior apprentice.”
Huangpu Yuan raised an eyebrow, activating the talisman in his hand.
Nothing happened. He frowned.
But soon Lin Shuang handed him an ink brush. The moment he grasped it, his jet-black phoenix eyes constricted sharply.
The inn, Prince Cheng, and her.
She had smiled at him then.
“Our mission is complete. Senior Huangpu, farewell.”
Huangpu Yuan closed his eyes briefly.
“I saw Senior too! My first time entering the small wooden house!” Zhao Keran exclaimed as Lin Shuang patted his shoulder.
Zhao Keran closed his eyes. “I saw so many fast-moving scenes from the past three years.”
Lin Shuang nodded. “Good. Then this batch was successful.”
“Alright, go call Elder Wu Shui down.”
Chen Wu Shui, who had been listening from high above for three days: “…”
Almost as soon as Lin Shuang spoke, Chen Wu Shui and Shui Qian Tan’s clones appeared in the cave dwelling.
Zhao Keran opened his mouth—truly shocking how fast a Tribulation Elder could move.
Lin Shuang didn’t seem surprised at all.
No unnecessary words.
She handed a fifth-tier Retrospective Talisman to Chen Wu Shui.
Chen Wu Shui remained silent. Should she pretend she hadn’t been eavesdropping and knew nothing, or naturally act as if she had been listening all along?
Especially when she saw Huangpu Yuan behind Lin Shuang, his expression lazy, his black hair unusually lustrous.
She coughed lightly.
Deciding to skip all the preliminary conversation.
“You want to use the Retrospective Talisman to inspect the sect’s elders and disciples?”
Chen Wu Shui thought for a moment before shaking her head.
“We, along with the Shanhai Sect, paid a fortune to purchase the twelve-volume *Shao Ke Accompanies You in Talisman Crafting*, harboring the same thoughts as you, Lin Shuang.”
Shui Qian Tan’s clone did not dissolve into water, taking a swig from the wine gourd at his waist.
This was the first time Lin Shuang had seen him since Yue Zhi’s death.
He seemed even older now.
“Girl… did Yue Zhi tell you everything?”
He hadn’t approached Lin Shuang to ask questions these past few days.
Nor had he actively sought her out to discuss the Heaven Insight Bureau or the Heaven Insight Elder.
It seemed he no longer wished to discuss the events of layer six thousand that day.
Or mention Yue Zhi again.
But ultimately, a great enemy was approaching.
Their time was limited.
Shui Qian Tan sighed bitterly. “If a Foundation Building cultivator like you could think of it, how could we Ascension Tribulation cultivators not think of it?”
“After the sect acquired this set of books, we had Elder Chen Ji, whom you’ve met, learn the Retrospective Talisman technique.”
Shui Qian Tan shook his head.
“But after learning it, we discovered that Shao Ke, after reaching Void Entry, had suffered damage to his consciousness and could no longer recall his disciples. He created this Retrospective Talisman specifically for cultivators like himself who had lost their memories.”
“This talisman’s effect only works on oneself.”
It was a medicine for amnesia patients.
Chen Wu Shui nodded slightly. “Lin Shuang, you’re thinking of having every elder and disciple in the sect hold a fifth-tier Retrospective Talisman, making them recall their entire lives? If their Dao heart is secretly tainted, they might suffer a cultivation backlash. And if they are a clone of that person, they would also recall their ‘own’ fragmented growth experiences, different from a normal person’s infancy?”
“But after we tried it once, we gave up. First, the materials for fifth-tier talismans are too expensive to provide for all the elders and disciples in the sect.”
“Secondly, the retroactive talisman made by Shao Ke has existed for a long time. That person must have devised countermeasures to neutralize the function of this retroactive talisman when creating the clone.”
As he spoke, Chen Wu Shui flicked his fingers, sending a burst of water flying like a sword, landing on the foreheads of Lin Shuang and the others.
Instantly, Lin Shuang’s consciousness wavered, and she saw a scene where she seemed not to be standing inside the cave dwelling but had just returned from an adventure outside.
She couldn’t help but look at Chen Wu Shui.
Chen Wu Shui nodded at her. “The dominance of high-level cultivators over low-level ones far exceeds your imagination.”
“A clone created during the Tribulation Crossing is much weaker than the original to prevent it from going out of control. For example, Shui Qiantan here has only reached the initial stage of Tribulation Crossing cultivation, two major levels below his original’s late Tribulation Crossing stage.”
“Under such overwhelming pressure from the original, the clone’s consciousness and memories may have been tampered with by the original. The clone mistakenly believes he is a normal disciple, born into an ordinary family or a cultivation clan, entering the sect to pursue the Dao, progressing from the outer to the inner sect, step by step becoming a disciple…”
Before the clone is recalled and merged with the original, the memories each part retains are the ‘false memories’ implanted by the original.
The clone’s power is insufficient to penetrate the illusions created by the original.
Even with a fifth-tier retroactive talisman, what comes to mind is what the person ‘forgot.’
It can only help one recall what he ‘already knew,’ but it cannot help one remember the memories hidden by a higher-level cultivator, because the latter is restricted by cultivation level.
The effect of a fifth-tier retroactive talisman neither enhances the strength of a cultivator’s consciousness nor breaks through the cultivation barrier to dispel illusions.
Shui Qiantan nodded. “Therefore, it’s useless. After we found this expensive book, ‘Shao Ke Accompanies You in Talisman Crafting,’ ineffective, we placed it in Zhen Chuan Jiu Qian for disciples to study.”
If retroactive talismans could really be used against that person,
They wouldn’t have openly displayed this scroll for anyone to exchange.
“Lin Shuang, your intention to solve the sect’s problems is commendable,”
Chen Wu Shui spoke.
“But the priority now is to improve your own cultivation. I’m sure you’ve understood the meaning behind Yueshi’s last words. The next target will be you.”
“I will do my best to protect you. Focus on breaking through.”
Focus on breaking through?
Lin Shuang’s temple throbbed.
How long was she supposed to keep breaking through?
To Tribulation Crossing, or even Ascension?
Before then, as the number one sacrificial offering of the enemy, she couldn’t even go out?
…Until she ascended or that stupid donkey ascended?
Hiding and being timid would greatly affect her schedule.
Lin Shuang waved her hand and refused directly.
“Waiting is not my style.”
Chen Wu Shui and Shui Qiantan were stunned.
Isn’t it?
You finish one schedule, then wait for the next cultivation moment before continuing cultivation.
Do you actually dare to say you are not waiting???
But as they couldn’t help but want to complain, they heard Lin Shuang speak.
“Senior Elder Wu Shui, Senior Elder Qiantan, as expected, you will definitely go ahead of me.”
Chen Wu Shui and Shui Qiantan: “???”
Is this girl saying they will die earlier!?
“You cannot protect me for my entire life. You are already at Tribulation Crossing, while I have just reached the Soul Refining stage.”
“You are much closer to Ascension than I am.”
Lin Shuang shrugged. “Therefore, you cannot protect me. And I cannot afford to wait.”
She got straight to the point. “Is the Heaven’s Insight Elder the first elder of the Qing Shui Sect?”
Chen Wu Shui and Shui Qiantan’s expressions stiffened instantly.
Meng Zi looked at their unusual expressions with a strange look.
Lin Shuang nodded. “Then it seems to be the case. You indeed have always known who your opponent is.”
Just as she had previously speculated.
Both Qing Shui Sect and Shan Hai Sect were well aware that their elders would fall into demonic paths as they cultivated.
It turned out the problem originated from the first generation.
Chen Wu Shui smiled bitterly. “We didn’t intentionally hide it.”
Sometimes, they also wanted to tell the disciples the truth.
But what use would it be for the disciples to know?
They were too weak.
At most reaching the Soul Refining stage, how could they contend against the First Ancestor who had already attained Ascension?!
The enemy was too powerful, and also your ancestor!
He understood the weaknesses of Qing Shui Sect’s cultivation techniques better than anyone!
— Would they really say such things to the disciples?
Such information would be destructive to most disciples who lacked strong willpower.
It would rob them of hope and courage to resist.
Under too much pressure, they might even suffer a backlash during their breakthrough.
Just like Yueshi, when the first ancestor appeared before him and tempted him, he followed him down the path of evil without hesitation.
“He was already recorded as deceased in the ancestral records of the Qing Shui Sect.”
Chen Wu Shui sighed.
“Later, after the two sects separated, we gradually discovered that he had faked his death.”
“By then, he had already taken on another name, the Heaven’s Insight Elder.”
“Under the identity of a wandering cultivator, he organized a group of resentful cultivators who had suffered unfair punishments and had their cultivation paths destroyed, gradually forming the Heaven’s Insight Association.”
Chen Wu Shui finally revealed the truth.
Meng Zi and Xiao Qi slowly sat down on the chairs by the tea table, actually feeling relieved.
The weight of the unknown was finally lifted!
The unknown and powerful is even more terrifying.
Once it becomes known, it’s much better, and they instantly felt more comfortable in their hearts.
Shui Qiantan looked east, as if towards the direction of the Shan Hai Sect.
“After discovering the Heaven’s Insight Association, our two sects have been continuously searching for his whereabouts, attempting to surround and eliminate him, but have always failed.”
“We understand him, and he understands us.”
“The elders we sent out never returned.”
“The first ancestors have also perished two or three. Now only remain Chen Wu Shui and the Zhou family of the Shan Hai Sect.”
“But as time passes, these two first ancestors are awakening less and less frequently.”
“Their cultivation is continuously fading.”
“As their lifespan nears its end, they still haven’t reached the peak threshold of Ascension, the Nine Heavens Thunder…”
Unable to find the Heaven’s Insight Elder, the two sects are constantly weakening.
The Heaven’s Insight Association acts recklessly, continuously absorbing sacrificial offerings to grow stronger.
The sects that emphasize Dao cultivation and follow the steps gradually fall behind the expansion speed of the Heaven’s Insight Association.
“My father, fifty years ago, sensed that his life was nearing its end, and tried to confront the enemy in a final battle.”
Chen Wu Shui lowered his head bitterly.
“But he found it impossible. In their youth, the Heaven’s Insight Elder’s cultivation was already above my father’s. He deliberately concealed himself, and my father couldn’t find his true body, not even his clone could be easily detected.”
“That’s why he had no choice but to seal himself away.”
Just as he was getting to the crucial part, everyone, including Meng Zi, were listening intently.
But—
Xiao Ai’s talisman suddenly flew out. “Sorry, Lin Shuang’s next schedule, time to daydream and space out has arrived.”
“???”
As the two elders were stunned, Zhao Keran quickly rushed out, holding a stack of fifth-tier talismans and stuffing them into their hands.
“Senior, my senior sister made talismans this time that are different from what you described. Why don’t you try them while she’s spacing out?”
Shui Qiantan was taken aback. “Huh?”
“She tried to forcefully create a fifth-tier retroactive talisman beyond her level and failed.”
Zhao Keran spoke.
“But it can still be used.”
Chen Wu Shui raised his eyebrows.
“It turned into a high imitation of the retroactive talisman.”
Commonly known as a counterfeit.
“!”
“You’ll understand once you try it,” Zhao Keran handed one to Chen Wu Shui.
Chen Wu Shui, somewhat doubtful, took the thin talisman and activated it. His Tribulation Crossing consciousness did not resist, allowing the talisman to automatically enter his consciousness.
He sensed it and then laughed. “If I hadn’t willingly allowed it, this fifth-tier talisman would have been torn apart and swallowed by my consciousness the moment it touched my consciousness, having no effect on me whatsoever.”
But just as he confidently finished speaking, Shui Qiantan reached out, attempting to snatch away another unused retroactive talisman (imitation) he was holding.
As his finger touched it, the same talisman paper he was holding.
Chen Wu Shui shuddered all over!
“This…”
“It actually works!”
Shui Qiantan: “!”
Zhao Keran nodded. “The genuine one allows one to see a review of one’s entire life, but my senior sister’s imitation has slightly inferior effects.”
“It can only help one recall corresponding scenes when touching someone they have encountered in the past.”
Shui Qiantan’s aged eyes lit up instantly.
Chen Wu Shui, not being foolish, immediately became excited. “I understand. Let my father hold this fifth-tier talisman and touch all the elders and disciples of the sect.”
“He has a thousand-year lifespan and has long forgotten much of his past, but whoever makes him recall the past must be that person’s hidden clone or true body!”
Zhao Keran nodded deeply.
Yes. Exactly.
The fastest way to solve a problem is, when you can’t figure out a question, try thinking from different directions, maybe working backward will help.
Since the clone holding the genuine retroactive talisman is useless.
Then let the living, secluded first-generation elders of the Qing Shui Sect, Shan Hai Sect, and other sects hold the retroactive talismans and touch the disciples… to see who has a connection with their past!
That person must be the clone!
Because only the clone was born from the Heaven’s Insight Elder’s original body, and has interacted with these first-generation elders who have lived for over a thousand years!
The first-generation elders know the Heaven’s Insight Elder. When they touch the clone, they will recall their past with the Heaven’s Insight Elder!
“This fifth-tier retroactive talisman has been renamed by my senior sister. It is now called the ‘Security Check’ talisman.”
“…”
“But I think it’s a bit awkward. I gave it a nickname—’It’s You, We’ve Had a Past’ talisman!”
Zhao Keran proudly declared.
Chen Wu Shui: “…”
Shui Qiantan: “…”
They looked at Lin Shuang and saw that she had indeed spaced out and was lying on a recliner, wearing sunglasses made from talismans, lost in thought.
Behind her stood Huangpu Yuan, who quickly pressed the transmission jade slip in his hand.
Inside it, the excited voices of Bian Bo Cai and Kong Miao Ke from the Hundred Flowers Sect could be heard.
“Senior, the clone has been handed the fifth-tier talisman, and the hidden elder of the Heaven’s Insight Association within the sect, we have roughly narrowed down the scope.”
“!”
Meng Zi also stood up from his seat.
“The few outposts, the Annihilation Pavilion says they are ready to act at any time, as long as the bounty is paid.”
“!!”
*
Various sects, especially the Shan Hai Sect and the Qing Shui Sect, quickly issued strange orders.
A ceremony for all disciples would be held once every hundred years!
The secluded first-generation elders, the last remaining rare treasures, were to come out and speak.
All elders and disciples were requested to attend.
Chen Wu Shui, sitting on a porcelain bottle, spoke loudly towards the water under the lake where the immortal cranes were preening.
“Father, take the fifth-tier talisman.”
“‘It’s You, We’ve Had a Past!'”
The secluded first-generation elder, Chen, who had almost forgotten his own name, awoke from the lake bottom: “…?”
Has it been too long since he last disciplined his daughter.
[Created by Lin Shuang.]
[Effect duration on Soul Refining: three months.]
[Effect on Tribulation Crossing: twelve breaths.]
[Method to extend the talisman’s effect duration: loudly recite the talisman’s nickname ‘It’s You, We’ve Had a Past!’—cultivators’ consciousness has belief power, reciting helps concentrate one’s consciousness and strengthen one’s Dao heart, extending the duration by 1-2 times.]
“Father, have you memorized the technique?”
“…”
At the entrance of the six thousandth cave dwelling, Lin Shuang sat on her homemade sofa, flying towards the inner sect management office on her sword.
“Achoo.”
She suddenly felt a bit cold, even though her inner dantian sphere had just broken through to the peak of the fourth layer of Soul Refining that morning.
Huangpu Yuan and Meng Zi both turned their gazes, but soon looked away again, continuing to play with the ‘It’s You, We’ve Had a Past’ talisman in their hands.
“Lin Xiaoshuang must have done something bad again.”
“Hmm.”
“…”
Huangpu Yuan and Meng Zi recently enjoyed playing with this talisman.
After activating it, the talisman turned into ashes.
But when they touched each other, they quickly saw scenes of their past with each other!
“Senior Brother Huangpu, hahaha, when I bought the talisman table, you were still pretending to be dead and spitting blood at Rongbaozhai! So funny!”
“…Junior Brother Meng, at that time, when you pulled out a table leg from the pouch, your expression was really amazing. Tsk tsk.”
“!”
Under the effect of the talisman, the two of them recalled their past!
Lin Shuang shook her head, not wanting to get involved in their mutual teasing.
Immature!
Zhao Keran rode on her flying sword.
They quickly arrived at the entrance of the inner sect management office.
“Senior sister, junior brother.” Xu Xiang and Xu Rui, the senior brothers, were already waiting at the entrance.
Seeing Lin Shuang and the others, they greeted them politely.
But the two stood very far apart.
One stood three steps on the green bricks in front of the management office.
The other stood six steps on the green bricks in front of the hall.
One on the left, one on the right.
“Hey, Senior Brother Xu Rui, Senior Brother Xu Xiang, you swapped your inner and outer sect disciple robes?”
Zhao Keran was curious.
Lin Shuang felt something and looked at the inner and outer sect lists in the two seniors’ hands.
Xu Xiang, outer sect.
Xu Rui, inner sect.
They had switched places.
“Yes, junior sister, because the total number of outer sect disciples and elders reached an odd number, I have moved to the inner sect management office.” Xu Rui, who liked even numbers, smiled at her.
Lin Shuang: “…”
Zhao Keran: “…”
“Yes, junior sister,” Xu Xiang also smiled at them. “You, junior sister Zhao Keran, are now entering the inner sect. Elder Li Daoye has also advanced and is now serving in the inner sect, making the number of inner sect members even.”
Therefore, he would go to manage the outer sect with an odd number.
So, how did you two actually manage to break through to the fourth and seventh layers of the Condensed Essence realm, respectively?!
Did you skip the third and sixth layers?!
Lin Shuang felt a wave of suffocation.
But still respected the two’s obsessive-compulsive disorder. “You two are happy, senior brothers.”
Xu Rui and Xu Xiang were very satisfied with the current situation.
However, after exchanging glances, they both looked away from each other’s double hairpins, double Bagua swords, and single hairpin, single Bagua sword with disdain.
“Hmph, people have two feet.”
“Hmph, people have five internal organs.”
After attacking each other, the two simultaneously leaned back, suffering ten thousand points of damage from each other, their faces showing pain.
Xu Xiang quickly formed a hand seal and left. “Fellow senior brothers and junior sisters, farewell.”
“Disciple Lin Shuang, cabin number ninety-nine has been reserved for you. Many outer sect and other sect disciples visit there frequently, so it won’t be used for other purposes temporarily.”
Then he vanished into the air.
Xu Rui finally exhaled in relief.
He gestured for Zhao Keran and Lin Shuang to follow him into the inner sect management office, saying, “Come and collect your new inner sect identification tablets.”
Lin Shuang and Zhao Keran had finally entered the inner sect of Qingshui Sect!
It would have been unreasonable to keep them in the outer sect any longer.
As Lin Shuang nodded and walked in, many inner sect disciples rushed over to watch.
“At last, Lin Shixiong… is finally one of us inner sect disciples!”
“Ancestor… this day deserves celebration!”
“Hahahaha! Finally, I won’t be stepped on by outer sect shixiongs anymore.”
The senior inner sect disciples and brothers joyfully wished to spread the news everywhere.
Soon, a crowd gathered in front of the management office.
There originally hadn’t been any ceremony; outer sect disciples entering the inner sect only needed to move in with their luggage, as the inner sect cave dwellings were already ready.
But everyone seemed to spontaneously gather to celebrate Lin Shuang (strike that, to celebrate for themselves).
“Heh, someone who doesn’t know might think it’s them entering the inner sect.”
Meng Zi looked at their exaggeratedly joyful faces and deeply doubted their level of audacity.
“Lin Shuang, look at how many people you’ve hurt.”
Lin Shuang’s lips twitched as she crossed the threshold of the management office.
The management office was almost identical to the outer sect environment.
Before the shelves filled with disciples’ records, elders’ records, and pill management treasures were desks for handling affairs.
Disciples could sit down to process their new inner sect identification tablets.
All outer sect contributions and elite disciple titles would be converted into inner sect records.
“Zhao Keran, first among outer sect elites, converted to three thousand five hundred and thirty-three inner sect contributions.”
Xu Rui held a jade slip for handling affairs, calculated for a while, then frowned.
“Hmm, I’ll give you an extra twenty-seven contributions, shixiong.”
Zhao Keran grinned, “Thank you, senior brother.”
She clenched her fist; “Indeed, making it an odd number on purpose brought surprises!”
Xu Rui handed her the new identification tablet.
“Also, you climbed to layer 1888 of Zhenchuan, so you can purchase cave dwellings below that number.”
Zhao Keran listened attentively, then quickly waved her hand, “I’ll live with my senior sister; I’ll pay her rent.”
Xu Rui nodded, “Then I won’t arrange another rental cave dwelling for you.”
“For now, you’re an ordinary inner sect disciple. Keep striving, Zhao shixiong.”
“Okay!”
Zhao Keran excitedly stood up.
Then Lin Shuang sat down.
Xu Rui looked up at the gathered inner sect disciples watching, lightly coughed, and handed Lin Shuang a brand new Xuanjin inner sect identification tablet.
“Shixiong Lin, you’ve already become an elite disciple among the lower and middle ranks of the inner sect by winning the middle and lower rank competitions.”
“Additionally, reaching layer eight thousand of Zhenchuan grants you the right to rent cave dwellings below layer eight thousand.”
“As for other outer sect contributions… zero.”
“Inner sect contributions… zero.”
The watching inner sect disciples: “…”
Lin Shuang nodded, not feeling poor at all, “Thank you, senior brother.”
She had used it all up.
The materials for making the Time Reversal Talisman and supplementing pills had been spent completely.
Senior brother Xu Rui nodded, quickly handing two more Xuanjin tablets to Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan.
“You two, from today onwards, can also enjoy the treatment of elite inner sect disciples.”
Meng Zi’s eyes lit up.
The tablet was immediately activated—
[Elite Inner Sect Treatment]
1. No need to pay the kitchen’s delivery fee for takeout;
2. Ten free phoenix rides per month;
3. Enjoy a 20% discount at Rongbaozhai;
4. Priority right to take management office tasks;
…
All the watching inner sect seniors saw this.
Their gazes toward Meng Zi were filled with indescribable envy.
But when turning to Lin Shuang, their somewhat resentful looks gradually became clear.
She deserved it.
For Meng Zi, they still harbored a bit of the wishful thinking, ‘If I had been by Lin Shixiong’s side, maybe I could have done it too,’ but facing Lin Shuang, they had not the slightest doubt.
On the very first day of entering the inner sect, she had become an elite inner sect disciple!
No, even when she was still in the outer sect, she had already obtained the qualification of an elite inner sect disciple!
They couldn’t feel the slightest jealousy or envy because they had witnessed her step by step to this day.
She truly deserved it!
“Lin Shuang, you really succeeded.”
After finishing their procedures, Xu Rui solemnly stood up.
His gaze trembled, as if recalling something.
His Bagua robe fluttered, and his Bagua sword hummed lightly.
“In the outer sect, I wanted you to become an elite outer sect disciple and participate in the twelve sect competitions of the outer sect.”
“I forced you into Zhenchuan and you escaped that day.”
A group of inner sect seniors listened in shock.
What?
Lin Shuang entered Zhenchuan to escape the outer sect competition!?
They didn’t know this!
“You said back then,” Xu Rui’s expression became extremely complicated as he recalled, “you told me making you an outer sect elite was beyond your schedule.”
“So you wanted to kill three birds with one arrow, making up for the time I wasted.”
The inner sect seniors blocked the entrance of the management office, straining their ears.
The news spread layer by layer outward to those coming later.
Lin Shuang stood calmly in front of Senior Brother Xu, nodding calmly.
Xu Rui smiled.
“Once, I thought you couldn’t do it.”
“But I didn’t expect you to actually do it, Lin Shuang. Senior brother is happy for you.”
“You, as an outer sect disciple, entered Zhenchuan, attained the status of an elite inner sect disciple, won the twelve-sect competition of the inner sect, and secured the identity of an elite inner sect disciple.”
“Thus, killing three birds with one arrow, exempting you from the two exams for inner sect disciples and outer sect elites.”
Zhao Keran was excited, nodding vigorously.
Huangpu Yuan couldn’t help lowering his black pupils to hide his smile.
Meng Zi pressed his forehead.
Lin Shuang grinned, “Yes, senior brother. I did it.”
Xu Rui responded with approval, pulling out a belated outer sect sandalwood identification tablet from his sleeve.
“Although it’s probably useless to you now.”
“But keep it as a souvenir, shixiong.”
“I hereby declare that Lin Shuang and Zhao Keran have both completed the exam to enter the inner sect as elite outer sect disciples!”
“In the future, the inner sect looks forward to more excellent performances from you!”
Xu Rui’s loud voice was deafening!
All the inner sect disciples ‘eavesdropping’ outside the management hall couldn’t help but show expressions of admiration, gratification, and yearning.
But soon their expressions twitched.
Turns out all along, Lin Shixiong hadn’t intended to come to the inner sect to bully them.
It’s all Xu Rui’s fault!
“Thank you, senior brother.”
Lin Shuang and the other four quickly completed all the inner sect procedures.
She and Zhao Keran also received inner sect robes for all four seasons.
Finally, she was wearing dark green inner lining and white gauze outer layer. No matter how you looked at it, she had taken a step up.
Elegant and ancient colors, flowing fabric.
Most importantly, cave dwelling number six thousand came with the Dust Removal Technique three times daily.
As long as standing at the cave dwelling’s entrance position and activating the jade slip of the door number, it would automatically spray to remove dust from returning disciples.
Very convenient, time-saving and labor-saving.
Lin Shuang was quite satisfied.
She had already fallen in love with the inner sect.
“Make way.”
Meng Zi led the way, preparing to return to cave dwelling number six thousand.
His headache hadn’t fully recovered yet; at least half of each day was spent continuing to struggle against the vast spiritual energy left in his body by Yueshi, absorbing and digesting it.
He couldn’t last long outside.
But as Lin Shuang was about to step onto the wide sword, not far away, an old man in plain clothes with a Daoist demeanor flew toward them through the air.
“Lin Shuang, Keran.”
It was none other than Lin Shuang’s outer sect instructor, Li Daowei, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time.
He smiled and landed on the empty space created by the disciples stepping back upon seeing him.
Li Daowei had been teaching in the outer sect for nearly fifty years.
Many disciples who entered the inner sect had taken his talisman class.
Seeing him come now, the disciples all made way respectfully, showing expressions of curiosity and surprise.
“Has Master Li really broken through to the Ru Xu stage?”
“Is he going to teach talisman classes in the inner sect?”
Li Daowei smiled and nodded to the inner sect disciples present.
“Master Li.” Lin Shuang, Zhao Keran, and others, including Meng Zi, respectfully greeted him.
Xu Rui, in the management office, quickly walked out.
“Teacher.”
Li Daowei modestly waved his hand, “No need for such a grand reception. I’m here today just to claim a cave dwelling.”
The inner sect disciples: “…”
It’s not like we came here for you!
Li Daowei quickly walked into the management hall, then suddenly remembered something and turned back.
“Lin Shuang, as I told you, I wanted to give you a reward. Although I’m no longer in the outer sect, I keep my promises.”
“Without you as my disciple, it would have been difficult for me to break through two stages and reach the Ru Xu level.”
Before Lin Shuang could say anything, Meng Zi slapped his thigh.
“Old Li, you’re still a man of your word!”
Other sects said they would thank them but no one showed up.
He still remembered.
Huangpu Yuan silently poked Meng Zi away with his sword.
Li Daowei took out a fifth-grade talisman brush and a set of books from his sleeve.
The brush was brand new but looked like an old-fashioned model.
“Lin Shuang, this is something I bought thirty years ago. Back then, I was hindered by my cultivation and couldn’t use it.”
“I know you can already draw third-grade talismans now. In the future, you will surely surpass me. Take it, hoping you can go beyond where I stand. This notebook is my lifelong experience in drawing talismans in the outer sect.”
“It’s not very impressive, at most fourth-grade. But they are occasional small gains, recorded down, perhaps helpful to you.”
Li Daowei had always had mediocre talent.
His smile showed no arrogance from breaking through to Ru Xu.
He could mostly only reach Ru Xu.
Ru Xu was an extra fate bestowed upon him by his disciples.
Lin Shuang somehow felt a deep sorrow and helpless sigh in his old eyes.
The scrolls Li Daowei brought out were just like himself, the book covers already yellowed, though without creases, the pages were old.
The thin rope binding the book was almost worn out.
Lin Shuang felt an indescribable sadness in her heart.
Rarely.
Since coming to this world… she hadn’t felt the heaviness and aging of Master Li or other instructors in the teaching hall.
But today, she felt it.
Was it because she, as a disciple, had walked ahead of them, reaching a higher place than them?
Looking back suddenly, she realized that the once towering mentors had become weak, old, and insignificant.
Lin Shuang paused slightly, then raised her hands with full respect.
She solemnly accepted the talisman insights handed over by Master Li.
In this moment, she seemed to have received the weight of Li Daowei’s ordinary yet profound legacy.
“Thank you, Master.”
One day, she would pass it on too.
At this moment, Lin Shuang’s heart was filled with firm determination.
But in an instant, as her index finger touched the book cover, her consciousness seemed to have a heavy stone fall from a thousand miles away, splashing into a calm, waveless sea!
Before her eyes, a mist of water appeared, then came towering waves!
Layer upon layer, water splashing high, countless sparkling droplets shimmering in the sunlight, colorful and dazzling!
Each droplet seemed to splash into her eyes.
Reflecting her own… childhood appearance.
‘Ninety-nine filled?’
‘Too slow, hurry up!’
‘Of these ninety-nine gifted girls, the Master used ninety-eight…’
‘He’s waking up, where’s the ninety-ninth?’
…
Lin Shuang shivered.
She looked at Li Daowei smiling amidst the towering waves.
Through the mist, she seemed to hear a voice, seemed to see a peculiar jade coffin emitting cold mist, a pair of emotionless, icy eyes slowly opening.
Looking at her, no, looking at that young… ninety-ninth girl…
…
A splitting pain, indistinguishable whether it was hers or ‘hers’.
‘Lin Shuang, be careful of those around you…’
Lin Shuang’s wrist trembled.
The scroll of talisman insights slipped from her fingertips!
Zhao Keran was startled, Li Daowei was shocked.
Meng Zi, holding his sword in surprise.
Huangpu Yuan narrowed his phoenix eyes, quickly stepping forward to catch the falling scroll!
Almost in a breath, he pressed it back into her sweat-dampened palm!
He held her hand.
His sharp nails instantly grew long, piercing into her slightly cold, curling fingers!
“Lin Shuang.”
He called out in a cold voice, steadying her drifting and rolling consciousness.
Like a root with the scent of summer lotus flowers, pressing down on the towering waves, firmly rooting her swaying spirit into the soil!
“You’re so happy just because Master Li gave you his lifelong achievements.”
“Wake up!”
“Be grateful for the gift from Master…”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage