“How would I know this person’s name? The letter didn’t say.”

Fudao Shanren pointed at the silver light that was already gradually dissipating and rolled his eyes.

He began sighing again: “Disciple, oh disciple, this Hengxu Laoguai is Master’s lifelong enemy ever since I set foot on the cultivation path! This person is treacherous and cunning, commits all manner of evil, does wicked deeds, and deceives young girls…”

Speaking to this point, he suddenly stopped.

It seemed he had said something wrong…

“Ahem.” After coughing once, Fudao Shanren’s face didn’t even redden slightly as he said seriously, “In any case, this is currently the greatest tumor in all of Jiushijiu Zhou, yet he still occupies the title of first person—truly outrageous! Disciple, you must strive to succeed!”

His words were earnest and heartfelt.

What Jian Chou wanted to hear wasn’t this.

After Fudao Shanren said he didn’t know, she disappointedly lowered her eyes.

Foundation Establishment in ten days.

A disciple was taken recently.

It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it?

Jian Chou kept trying to comfort herself, but the words “practices dao with his left hand” kept striking her heart, making the hatred in her heart surge.

“Master, is Hengxu Laoguai very formidable?”

Jian Chou slowly exhaled and asked in a somewhat trembling voice.

Fudao Shanren snorted coldly with a displeased expression: “He’s more formidable than me by just this much!”

He extended his little finger and lightly pinched off just a tiny bit.

This expression and gesture were the same as when he said his talent battle disc was bigger than Jian Chou’s by one cun.

Jian Chou immediately knew the real answer.

She didn’t expose him and asked again: “What kind of person is he?”

“Quite a formidable person. Jiushijiu Zhou is divided into four domains: South, North, Central, and Extreme. The Central Domain is in the middle with countless sects, and Hengxu Laoguai is the leader of Kunwu Mountain, the foremost sect in the Central Domain. But it’s nothing special—not as good as me.”

Speaking to the end, Fudao Shanren was afraid of being seen through by his disciple and hastily added this line.

“That is quite formidable…”

Kunwu Mountain, Hengxu Laoguai, the first person of the first sect in the Central Domain?

Could it be him?

Jian Chou’s thoughts churned in her heart, but she felt only a chill.

“What about… Foundation Establishment in ten days?”

“…”

Fudao Shanren’s face immediately turned green.

“Foundation Establishment in ten days, Foundation Establishment in ten days! This mountain dweller doesn’t believe it! Back when I was extraordinarily talented and emerged from nowhere, Foundation Establishment still took me a full hundred days. The saying ‘Hundred-day Foundation Establishment, breaking through worldly dust’ spread throughout Jiushijiu Zhou refers to me! Now, Hengxu Laoguai must be deliberately creating this sensation to suppress me!”

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that he was right.

Fudao Shanren nodded with a face full of certainty as he looked at Jian Chou: “It must be this way! Foundation Establishment in ten days is simply impossible!”

Jian Chou still remembered that after Qi Refining illuminates the battle disc, only then can one seal the disc for Foundation Establishment.

Fudao Shanren claimed that back then, his battle disc was more than one zhang and one cun. Even if that one cun was a lie, Jian Chou still believed it couldn’t be too far off. Even so, it took him a hundred days to achieve Foundation Establishment, yet this legendary “practices dao with his left hand” person could do it in just ten days.

She wouldn’t deceive herself like Fudao Shanren, thinking this was fake.

If this person really was Xie Buchen, recalling her heart’s swaying when riding the wind and wielding the sword, Jian Chou could understand why Xie Buchen would be willing to abandon everything to seek immortality and ask about the dao.

Unfortunately, understanding didn’t mean not hating.

Past events flashed through her heart one by one, and a small flame rose from somewhere within.

Ten days.

“Master, how long does it normally take for people to achieve Foundation Establishment?”

“Fast ones take several months, slow ones take several years, and some people can never achieve it in their lifetime, having no affinity with the dao.” Fudao Shanren answered casually.

A bitter feeling rose in her heart.

Jian Chou suddenly laughed softly, not even knowing why herself.

“What are you laughing at?” Always feeling something was strange, ever since he had complained earlier, Jian Chou had been acting odd. Fudao Shanren couldn’t help feeling guilty. “I don’t think you’re a bad disciple. Anyway, this mountain dweller is someone who values karmic connections. I saved you, so we have a connection; that’s why I took you as my disciple. Master doesn’t look down on you…”

Fudao Shanren had never been good at comforting people, yet he could even say things like “doesn’t look down on you.”

Jian Chou looked at him quietly for a long while. Though her mood had a strange melancholy, the words she spoke made Fudao Shanren fall backward in anger.

“Master, this disciple doesn’t look down on you either.”

“…”

Fudao Shanren inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled.

I’ll endure, I’ll endure, I’ll endure with all my might!

Endure…

Endure my ass!

I really can’t stand it!

This is going too far—this bad disciple is going too far!

“Waaaah, you’re going too far! What do you mean you don’t look down on me? With your talent, my taking you as a disciple is a blessing you couldn’t ask for in eight lifetimes, yet you dare look down on me! Is there any justice left in this world?”

At this moment, Fudao Shanren suddenly remembered Hengxu Laoguai’s letter and began beating his chest and crying to the heavens.

“Look at the disciple that person took—Foundation Establishment in ten days, Foundation Establishment in ten days! Then look at my discipline—what kind of situation is this? Ten days have passed, and she doesn’t have a trace of cultivation!”

“Master.”

Jian Chou called out flatly.

Her voice wasn’t loud, but Fudao Shanren acted as if he hadn’t heard, going to hold the big white goose: “How am I so unlucky to have taken such an unfilial disciple? Other people’s disciples achieve Foundation Establishment in ten days, while my disciple is still a powerless mortal after ten days, oh dear…”

“Master… Master!”

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched severely. She finally couldn’t stand it and raised her voice to shout.

“Eh?”

Fudao Shanren, who had been crying energetically, suddenly turned back to look at Jian Chou.

He said indignantly, “Why are you still calling me? I’ve never seen anyone so disrespectful to an elder!”

“Master says that in ten days I have no cultivation at all, but this disciple wants to ask—what has Master taught this disciple in these ten days?”

Jian Chou’s expression was flat.

“This… this…”

Fudao Shanren’s old face turned red as he remembered his complaints just now…

Suddenly, he felt…

Somewhat guilty.

“Gulp.”

Lightly swallowing saliva, Fudao Shanren’s eyes darted around nervously: “Well… Master has been busy, hasn’t he?”

“Busy traveling, busy eating chicken legs, busy holding the big white goose, busy looking at beauti—”

Thinking of that last word, Jian Chou really couldn’t say it as it would insult her master’s dignity. Seeing that she had said half of it, she forcibly swallowed the rest back.

“In any case, Master, what face do you have to praise other people’s disciples?!”

Other people’s disciples are always better, but you have to see what kind of master they have!

Jian Chou’s heart was already somewhat collapsing.

Similarly, Fudao Shanren’s heart was also collapsing at this moment.

Cursed loose tongue!

Before criticizing others, he should have properly examined what he himself had done.

However, it’s never too late to mend the fold after the sheep are lost.

Fudao Shanren hurriedly comforted Jian Chou: “Don’t be anxious, don’t be anxious. This time it’s Master’s fault, but didn’t Master already explain the reason to you? I already said there wasn’t enough spiritual energy. Master was just angry for a moment—how could I think you’re inferior to Hengxu Laoguai’s left-handed disciple? Look—”

When mentioning Hengxu Laoguai’s left-handed disciple, Jian Chou felt another stab of pain in her heart.

She didn’t know how many left-handed cultivators had been taken as disciples by cultivators ten days ago in Jiushijiu Zhou, and she didn’t dare to think about it.

Fudao Shanren reached out and pointed toward the mountain below. Jian Chou followed his gaze.

Fragrant grass and beautiful trees, with birds chirping.

Qingfeng Nunnery was on the mountainside of Dai Mountain. Simple, light gray-white low walls passed through the forest, revealing vague traces.

Jian Chou could faintly see the nunnery gate with a plaque reading “Qingfeng Nunnery.”

Below is Qingfeng Nunnery. The master has business to attend to and needs to go down to handle something. Now this place has gentle and abundant spiritual energy, and few people come to this cliff. Master will teach you the oral formulas, and you can cultivate here while waiting for Master to finish his business and return.”

She somewhat couldn’t believe it: “Really?”

“Would I lie to you?”

Fudao Shanren’s eyes widened—he was displeased.

He beckoned with his hand, bringing his right hand’s two fingers together like a blade and lightly tapping the Wu Sword floating in mid-air. With a “swoosh” sound, the Wu Sword flew back and embedded itself three feet in front of Jian Chou.

Rustling, the sword body entered the rock, stirring up a small cloud of dust.

“Open!”

Fudao Shanren frowned and glared, making another hand seal while exhaling forcefully with a great shout.

“Clang!”

Jian Chou heard what seemed like the sound of bells and drums in her ears. The qi and blood in her body surged, and she almost couldn’t withstand it.

She looked ahead intently and saw a deep blue light circle rising gradually with the Wu Sword as its center, finally closing at a height of three zhang above the ground, forming a deep blue light barrier.

At this time, the red sun was setting in the west, and the remaining sunlight spread across the ground.

The deep blue light barrier had a brilliant color. In the gradually darkening sky, amidst the cawing of flocks of dusk crows, it gently expanded and contracted like a pulse.

As if…

This deep blue light barrier itself had life and could breathe.

Jian Chou couldn’t help holding her breath.

Fudao Shanren was already accustomed to this and said: “Enter inside, sit cross-legged, and close your eyes.”

“Yes.”

Jian Chou followed his instructions and walked over. The moment she stepped into the blue light, she encountered no obstruction. The Wu Sword stood quietly embedded in the ground before her. Though it was a wooden sword, it could break through this hard rock.

Perhaps this was the charm of seeking immortality and asking about the dao?

The chaotic thoughts in her heart quickly dispersed as Jian Chou sat cross-legged.

Fudao Shanren didn’t enter but said, “So-called cultivation is using a mortal body to communicate with heaven and earth. Heaven and earth have qi, called spiritual energy, contained within all things, which only those with spiritual perception can see. Mortals cannot see spiritual energy and thus cannot cultivate, unless there are great talents between heaven and earth who can comprehend some heavenly dao and discover spiritual energy; otherwise, cultivation is fundamentally impossible. Now, Master will open your spiritual eyes.”

The so-called “opening spiritual eyes” is also called “opening spirit sight.”

Jian Chou sat quietly. Fudao Shanren flicked his finger, and a dark light flew from his hand, instantly reaching Jian Chou’s brow. It wiggled its tail and drilled inside, immediately disappearing.

At the same time, Jian Chou’s brow also furrowed.

She felt something cool sliding into her brow—indescribable and unclear, but her spiritual platform became extremely clear for a moment.

The thing that entered was like a clear spring, constantly washing through her mind.

Jian Chou suddenly felt drowsy, as if half-dreaming and half-awake.

She felt wind blowing past her, distant and near bird sounds that she could hear, the fragrance of green grass in the air, and the faint smell of cooking smoke…

No.

There was something else.

Jian Chou couldn’t say exactly what it was. They seemed to suddenly appear in her perception—some fine and thin, some in clusters, as if constantly flowing like clouds, some high, some low.

Inexplicably, Jian Chou had a desire to touch them.

At her thought, those things automatically drew closer to her.

Jian Chou could sense that as they approached, her entire body relaxed, a natural kind of relaxation that was intimate and natural.

Those things flowed in through the pores of her skin, through the qi points around her body, through her brow, her palms…

She felt like a transparent bottle—as long as the cork was removed, it would continuously absorb things from outside.

The wind seemed to grow stronger, and her body seemed more full and substantial.

Jian Chou felt warm and cool all over her body.

Contradictory sensations appeared almost simultaneously.

She couldn’t describe exactly how it should be described…

They were very obedient. After entering, they followed certain pathways, flowing through her body like swimming in a river.

Jian Chou’s closed eyes didn’t open.

Outside the blue light barrier that contracted and expanded like breathing, Fudao Shanren maintained his finger-flicking posture without moving an inch.

At this moment, his mouth had opened wide enough from shock to fit an entire egg.

He stared blankly at Jian Chou within the Wu Sword’s domain, feeling his throat tightening repeatedly.

Crazy…

How is this possible!

How is this possible!

Isn’t this girl the same as him, with a one-zhang talent battle disc? How could she have such heaven-defying talent!

Fudao Shanren was about to go mad!

The sun had long since sunk into the valley. Between heaven and earth was complete darkness. Fierce winds howled on the cliff, making the flowers, trees, and grass on the cliff tremble wildly.

Only that three-zhang round deep blue light barrier remained motionless, still contracting, expanding, and breathing continuously.

The spiritual energy on Qingfeng Mountain was like a gathering, continuously surging toward the light barrier, with Jian Chou sitting cross-legged in the center.

Beneath her, that one-zhang round battle disc slowly rotated at a constant speed.

The central point of the battle disc—

Tianyuan.

It was gradually changing from dim to bright, even continuously growing larger.

Points of faint starlight emanated from Jian Chou’s body, then scattered like motes of dust, falling onto the crisscrossing, continuously rotating battle disc.

The moment the starlight fell, the nearest Kunxian on the battle disc would emit a burst of dazzling light, then dim.

That point of starlight would be absorbed into the Kunxian and gradually flow along the Kunxian, slowly converging toward Tianyuan.

The closer to the center, the more brilliant the starlight became, as if Jian Chou was sitting on a nebula.

The mountain wind lifted Jian Chou’s smooth hair, and points of starlight like fireflies illuminated her porcelain-white cheeks.

The converging nebula gradually descended, with brilliant light twinkling and flickering.

On the dark cliff, tree shadows swayed. The big white goose had already turned its neck around and hidden it behind itself, seeming to be sleeping soundly. Fudao Shanren stood in this fierce mountain wind, his eyes surprisingly bright, his withered body as vigorous as an old tree.

At this time and place, the whole world was dark.

Only before his eyes—

A brilliant galaxy!