Chapter 61
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Bai Lige was about to look again, but he saw Pei Yunshu open his eyes.
He quickly closed his eyes again, afraid of being mistaken for a shameless playboy by Yunshu.
Pei Yunshu didn’t notice Bai Lige. He lowered his head to check his collar but found nothing unusual. A cool breeze blew from the collar, causing a shiver.
It seemed that the collar had been blown loose by the wind. Without thinking too much, Pei Yunshu adjusted his collar and closed his eyes again.
This was a critical moment for achieving the nascent soul stage, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted.
However, after a short while, another gust of wind brushed against his hair, and a strand of hair fell onto his lips. The tickling sensation was unbearable, so Pei Yunshu reluctantly stuck out his tongue to lick away the hair.
But as his tongue made contact with the hair, he felt something cold and unusual.
Furrowing his brow, Pei Yunshu carefully extended his tongue a little further. The strange, sticky, and warm sensation continued.
He withdrew his tongue, but the strange feeling persisted. Pei Yunshu sat upright, a perplexed expression on his face.
After five days of muddling around, had he developed such strange illusions?
***
Reaching the nascent soul stage was a significant achievement in the world of cultivation. Many individuals struggled for hundreds of years to break through the Golden Core stage, but only a few could advance to the nascent soul stage.
Even some elders of the Shanshui Sect were only in the later stages of the nascent soul realm. Pei Yunshu’s master, Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master, was only at the Nascent Soul stage.
Within the Shanshui Sect, attaining the nascent soul stage allowed one to possess their own mountain peak and the ability to accept disciples if they wished. First Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Brother, who all had exceptional talents, had already achieved the golden core stage, with the nascent soul stage within their grasp.
Although the nascent soul stage appeared to be just a step away, it actually required thousands of steps to reach it.
Pei Yunshu’s talent was not the most outstanding among his senior brothers, and his cultivation was not the deepest. However, he was the first to reach the nascent soul stage. He had gained a hundred years of cultivation for free, which allowed him to catch up in terms of cultivation. Yet, he felt like he had immense strength but didn’t know how to use it, and his state of mind was still at the Golden Core stage. This misalignment was unacceptable.
They were deep underground, where the strange phenomena of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning were blocked outside the secret realm. If cultivating to the stage of nascent soul, it may take only a few days or as long as several months or even years.
In the end, breaking through the inner demon is a crucial step in the nascent soul process. Almost everything one fears and is terrified of will manifest in the inner demon. Facing these terrifying experiences is necessary, and if one can successfully overcome the inner demon, then they can achieve nascent soul. If the inner demon cannot be overcome, it will become a permanent disaster. Even if not killed, the cultivator will be severely harmed by the backlash of the inner demon.
Bai Lige and others were well aware of the dangers of nascent soul. When they talked about protecting the law, it meant not allowing outsiders to disturb Pei Yunshu and being prepared with elixirs. If something goes wrong, they will promptly use elixirs to save the person.
Hua Yue remarked, “Beauty Yunshu rarely leaves the mountain. If he encounters an inner demon, could it be related to the incident where I lost my tail?”
Bai Lige responded, “You’re overestimating yourself.”
Hua Yue, without further discussion, took out a large pillow and a blanket. “I’m just a little fox who hasn’t achieved human form yet, so I can’t help much with guarding Yunshu. You guys take care of it. I’ll also sleep for five days. When I wake up, I should be able to transform like Yunshu.”
“When Yunshu opens his eyes, he’ll see my breathtaking beauty, and his mood will undoubtedly be great.”
With that, Hua Yue climbed into the blanket and quickly fell asleep, having consumed a pill that induced deep slumber.
Bai Lige, noticing the gaze of Young Master Qingfeng, turned to him and said seriously, “If you’re in a hurry, we can take turns.”
Young Master Qingfeng, after a moment of silence, replied, “I thought he was just joking.”
Bai Lige widened his eyes in surprise. “How could you think that? I’m always serious.”
Young Master Qingfeng turned his gaze back to Pei Yunshu. With his abundant spiritual energy and aura, it seemed that Pei Yunshu had indeed stumbled upon a great opportunity just by sleeping for five days.
…No matter how you look at it, it all feels a bit ridiculous.
But, whatever. It’s better to be safe than sorry. After all, it’s just five days of sleep.
***
Pei Yunshu held the hand of an old child and climbed up step by step.
The old child couldn’t help him; all he could do was encourage him, saying, “Little Junior Brother, even though Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master is strict, having you climb the mountain by yourself is also beneficial for your Dao heart.”
Pei Yunshu, with a determined expression, replied, “Yunshu understands.”
He painstakingly climbed step by step, his short legs making it quite difficult. When he got tired, he would use both his hands and feet, continuing to crawl upward little by little.
By the time he finally reached Wuzhi Peak, his exposed skin was covered in cuts and scrapes from the sharp rocks.
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master came over, his face expressionless but with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. “Though you’re just a child, your Dao heart is firm.”
Pei Yunshu looked up at his master, who was also looking at him, his face showing a trace of a smile. He approached Pei Yunshu, picked a dried leaf from his hair, and said, “I forgot to give you the formal apprenticeship ceremony. Your father entrusted you to me and specifically asked that I preserve your surname.”
Pei Yunshu nodded. “I understand.”
From his sleeve, Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master took out a piece of pure white warm jade. In his hand, the jade exuded a celestial and Daoist air. “This jade is your apprenticeship gift.”
Pei Yunshu accepted the white jade from his master. His hands were too small, so he needed both of them to hold it. He stared at the warm jade for a while before saying, “Thank you, Master.”
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master led Pei Yunshu into the mountain. From that point on, Pei Yunshu was quiet and single-minded, focusing solely on cultivation. When he couldn’t hold a sword steadily, he practiced swordsmanship a thousand times each morning. After finishing his sword practice, he concentrated on refining his mental techniques and Daoist arts. Every day, he didn’t waste a single moment. It was as if he were being chased by a fierce beast, and he couldn’t stop practicing.
Day by day, year by year, Pei Yunshu diligently built his foundation and quietly achieved the Golden Core stage.
Although he wasn’t close to his master, Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master, or his fellow disciples, they lived on the same mountain peak. They occasionally crossed paths, but when they did, they merely nodded and continued on their way.
Ten years passed, and Pei Yunshu had quietly established his foundation and then successfully formed the Golden Core.
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master came to see him personally, his eyes showing a mix of happiness and worry. “Why are you pushing yourself so hard, Yunshu?”
Pei Yunshu pursed his lips and thought for a moment. “I can’t waste time.”
He didn’t know why he felt this way, but a sense of urgency was always with him. He continued to practice relentlessly. His swordsmanship was already at a high level, but it wasn’t enough. His cultivation wasn’t enough.
However, he didn’t know when it would be enough.
“But your cultivation is already very high,” Ling Ye, the sect leader, said, “In addition to cultivation, what’s more important is your Dao heart. If your state of mind can’t keep up, no matter how high your cultivation is, you won’t achieve anything.”
Pei Yunshu listened attentively and nodded earnestly.
The sect leader talked with him for a day, and on the second day, he ordered that no one should disturb Pei Yunshu and sent the sect’s treasured materials to him.
Pei Yunshu returned the materials, saying, “Elder Sect Uncle, I need to close up for a while. I won’t need these items.”
This seclusion lasted for five years.
When Pei Yunshu emerged from seclusion, he had reached the later stages of the Golden Core realm, with a stable cultivation level and a calm demeanor.
With just one glance, it was evident that his Dao heart was firm.
His senior brothers were waiting for him outside, and each of them looked different now. When Pei Yunshu saw so many people, he couldn’t immediately identify who was who among them.
“Junior Brother,” one of them stepped forward and pointed at a junior disciple who appeared to be in his teens, “This is your junior disciple, Yunwang. Junior Brother, this is your elusive Fourth Senior Brother.”
Junior Brother approached, studying Pei Yunshu carefully and then smiling sweetly. “Fourth Senior Brother.”
Pei Yunshu nodded in response, took out a magical item from his sleeve, and said, “I missed giving you the formal apprenticeship gift, so consider this as compensation.”
Junior Brother Yunwang accepted the gift with a smile, and the people who had come with him laughed, watching Pei Yunshu with amusement. One of them said, “Junior Brother’s items are all excellent. Junior Brother, you should treasure them.”
Pei Yunshu knew this was one of his three senior brothers, but he hadn’t seen them much before. Now, five years had passed, and he couldn’t identify which senior brother this was. He could only smile and say nothing.
After leaving seclusion, Pei Yunshu was still unwilling to be complacent. However, this time it was different. During his daily sword practice in the morning, his junior brother would often pass by. He didn’t interrupt Pei Yunshu but sat on the side, watching him practice. When Pei Yunshu finished, his junior brother would hand him a handkerchief and some warm water, then ask Pei Yunshu to teach him how to control a sword.
Pei Yunshu was meticulous in his teaching, but the junior brother would often daydream, and after Pei Yunshu had explained everything, he wouldn’t remember a word.
Sometimes, a few senior martial brothers would accompany the junior brother when he came. Pei Yunshu wasn’t particularly close to them, so he would sit in silence on the side, listening to their laughter while quietly circulating his spiritual energy through a cycle.
A senior brother asked, “Junior brother, you’ve never been down the mountain. Aren’t you curious about what’s below the mountain?”
Pei Yunshu replied, “Never.”
Although he had some interest in the outside world, he didn’t have the time for it. The sense of urgency pressed on him; even this conversation with his senior brothers seemed like a waste of time to him.
In just a few days, when the junior brother and the senior brothers came to find Pei Yunshu again, they were told that he had entered seclusion once more.
This time, the period of seclusion was much shorter than before. When Pei Yunshu came out of seclusion, Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master had summoned his disciples and ordered them to descend the mountain to investigate why there were so many rogue cultivators in the area.
As soon as Pei Yunshu came, the junior brother’s gaze was fixed on him. After Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master had finished speaking, the junior brother turned to their master and said, “Master, please let your disciple accompany them.”
“But with your low cultivation, how can you go?” Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master asked.
The junior brother pointed at Pei Yunshu and said, “Fourth Senior Brother has just come out of seclusion. He can go with the disciples. Isn’t Master worried?”
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master looked at Pei Yunshu and reluctantly agreed, saying, “If that’s the case, Yunshu, you must protect your junior brother well.”
Pei Yunshu nodded and said, “Disciple understands.”
His aura remained calm, unwavering, like a still pool of clear water, undisturbed by external influences.
When they descended the mountain, the five senior brothers needed to split up, with two heading south and three going north. At the foot of the mountain, one senior brother asked, “Junior Brother, who are you going with?”
Junior Brother reached out to hold Pei Yunshu’s hand, but Pei Yunshu placed his hand behind his back and looked at him with a sidelong glance.
“I’m going with Fourth Senior Brother,” the junior brother put his hand down, looking a bit dejected. “Senior Brother, do you not like others touching you?”
Pei Yunshu nodded.
One senior brother chuckled and asked Pei Yunshu, “Fourth Junior Brother, who are you going with?”
It didn’t matter who, anywhere was fine, but they needed to leave as soon as possible. Pei Yunshu replied, “Anyone is fine.”
With these words, the expressions on the faces of his three senior brothers subtly changed. It was a mixture of disappointment and relief, perhaps accompanied by other emotions, but Pei Yunshu couldn’t discern them.
After that, Pei Yunshu, along with his junior brother and Third Senior Brother Yunman, headed to Qinghe City. Yunman said they were going to the lake to fetch some drinks, but Pei Yunshu shook his head and said, “Let’s first investigate the situation regarding the rogue cultivators.”
Yunman smiled and said, “In that case, we’ll skip the food for now. After we figure things out, I’ll take you all to enjoy the delicious food in Qinghe City.”
That day, they investigated the reason for the gathering of rogue cultivators near the base of the Shanshui Sect. However, the next morning, all the rogue cultivators had left the area.
Pei Yunshu and his fellow senior brothers returned to the mountain, continuing their dedicated cultivation. After some time, a young boy informed him, “Senior Brother, the rogue cultivators from before were originally from the Flower Brocade Sect.”
Pei Yunshu looked up and listened intently.
The young boy continued, “These rogue cultivators have now attracted the attention of a powerful demon, who seems to have killed the three-tailed fox and drained its blood to uncover a hidden chamber in a secret realm. They also killed the fox spirits within the secret realm, which angered the guardian of the secret realm, who came to confront them.”
The boy continued, “Senior Brother, can you believe how tragic it was for the three-tailed fox? They didn’t even spare the lives of three of its own kind. This Flower Brocade Sect is truly ruthless.”
Pei Yunshu remained silent for a while, sighed, and said, “The one who came to confront them, was it a powerful fox demon?”
The boy replied, “It’s rumored to be a formidable ghost demon.”
“No matter how formidable, it’s still a ghost demon,” Pei Yunshu shook his head. “Everyone knows the weaknesses of ghost demons.”
He concluded and closed his eyes to meditate in peace.
A few days later, the boy returned to him and said, “Senior Brother, you were right. The ghost demon has been suppressed by a Buddhist cultivator and will soon turn into smoke, disappearing from this world.”
Pei Yunshu remained motionless. When the boy thought he wasn’t interested, he heard Pei Yunshu softly say, “En.”
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