Chapter 501: Master Lingji

A streak of black light cut through the churning clouds and mist of the Endless Great Mountains, traced an arc, and landed in a mountain hollow.

The black light touched the ground, revealing the burly figure of Chu Qiushan. He wore a coarse blue shirt, but his hair had clearly been carefully groomed, held in place atop his head by a wooden hairpin with meticulous precision.

Chu Qiushan walked slowly forward. Emerging from the dense forest, he saw a thatched cottage by a clear stream. A vegetable patch had been cultivated in front of the cottage, planted with verdant Chinese cabbage. A man dressed as a farmer was weeding the patch.

Chu Qiushan walked over and actually cupped his hands in a salute to the farmer.

He was the dignified Sect Master of the Taiyi Sect; why, then, did he feel the need to bow to an old farmer?

Chu Qiushan said, "Mr. Chu, a month ago, when I came to visit, you said the Ancestor was in seclusion for a month. I wonder if the Ancestor has emerged from seclusion today?"

Hearing this, the old farmer did not turn his head. With his back to Chu Qiushan, he used the hoe in his hand to weed out a few wild grasses by his feet, tossed them out of the vegetable patch, and only then turned his head to glance at Chu Qiushan, saying unhurriedly, "By the calendar, he should be out today. Follow me into the valley and see."

"I have troubled you, Mr. Chu." Chu Qiushan remained very respectful.

Afterward, the old farmer leaned his hoe against the doorway of the thatched cottage and led Chu Qiushan around to the back of the house.

The two walked in silence. After passing along the dense forest for a stretch, they climbed over a small, barren hill, then followed the slope down, soon entering another patch of Deadwood Forest.

One could feel the difference the moment one entered this Deadwood Forest.

The withered branches, fallen leaves, and withered grass were permeated with a faint mist, and the barren trees gave one an extremely similar sensation. The two walked through this forest for a while, yet the scenery before their eyes seemed as if it hadn't changed at all.

Because the situation in every direction—front, back, left, and right—was identical, and coupled with the pervasive mist, it was as if there were no such thing as direction within this Deadwood Forest.

Chu Qiushan followed closely behind the old farmer. Even though he was a powerhouse of the Dongming Realm, he dared not be arrogant at this moment; he knew that if he were to lose track of the old farmer, he would never be able to walk out of this forest on his own.

This Deadwood Forest appeared ordinary, but in reality, it was filled with Formation Technique everywhere, and it had been set up by the Ancestor himself. All eight Array Eyes had Seed Character rubbings; not only could Divine Sense not penetrate them, but even Law Power would be shrouded and suppressed.

Chu Qiushan did not know how long he had been following the old farmer. This forest seemed boundless. He had walked through this forest countless times, but he felt that the route the old farmer took was different every time.

At first, Chu Qiushan thought the old farmer was afraid he would memorize the path and was deliberately taking him on a detour, but later he realized that was not the case.

It was not the old farmer who was changing, but the forest itself.

When the forest changed, the path to exit it naturally changed along with it.

Suddenly, the old farmer in front stopped abruptly and said softly, "We're here!"

Chu Qiushan also paused behind him. Before his eyes, all around were still dead wood, fallen leaves, withered grass, and thin mist; he could see absolutely no other scenery.

Just then, the old farmer suddenly reached into the back of his waistband and pulled out a ruler. The ruler appeared to be made of brass and had some age to it, covered in verdigris.

The surface of the ruler was engraved with several ancient, profound symbols, and the pits of those symbols were likewise covered in verdigris.

The old farmer suddenly coughed, held the ruler high in his hand, waved it toward the southeast, waved it toward the southwest, waved it toward the due south, and then threw the ruler in his hand directly toward a spot between the southeast and due south.

With a clatter, the copper ruler seemed to fall to the ground.

At that very instant, the thin mist all around began to dissipate slowly, and the few dead trees before them, like phantoms, also vanished along with the dissipating mist.

Chu Qiushan was shocked to discover that he and the old farmer were already standing at the entrance of a certain valley.

In the center of the valley entrance stood a two-meter-tall ancient Stone Tablet. On the massive stone tablet, only a single ancient, profound symbol was carved, its lines mottled.

Although Chu Qiushan did not know the specific content of this symbol, nor did he know how to pronounce it, he knew it was a Seed Character.

And the copper ruler that had been in the old farmer's hand was now at the foot of the Stone Tablet; the ancient, profound symbols on the ruler and the Seed Character on the Stone Tablet seemed to share some kind of resonance.

The old farmer walked over expressionlessly, picked up the ruler, tucked it into his waistband, and said, "Let's go, enter the valley."

Chu Qiushan followed the old farmer into the valley and walked straight to a cave, only to see the stone door of the cave tightly shut.

The old farmer turned to look at Chu Qiushan and said, "I said he would emerge today; you wait here. If the stone door doesn't open today, just come back in a few days."

Hearing this, Chu Qiushan cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks, Mr. Chu."

The old farmer gave a slight cupped-hand salute to Chu Qiushan, then turned and walked out of the valley.

Chu Qiushan watched the old farmer leave the valley before sitting down at a stone table not far from the cave. The stone table was covered in fallen leaves, but beneath the leaves was a Black and White Endgame.

Chu Qiushan remained motionless, but the fallen leaves covering the board rose without a breeze.

The leaves were swept away, and the true appearance of the chess game was revealed.

Chu Qiushan stared at the endgame, a look of deep contemplation appearing in his eyes.

Just then, the stone door behind him emitted a rumbling tremor.

Chu Qiushan turned his head and immediately stood up. He saw the stone door open, and a figure walked out from the dark cave. He assumed the person walking out was the Sect Ancestor, Lv Yinlin, and was just about to salute when he suddenly felt that the person's figure was vaguely thinner than the Ancestor's.

Chu Qiushan hesitated for a moment, and the person had already walked out of the cave. Under the sunlight, Chu Qiushan was suddenly startled—it was Gu Daoling!

Gu Daoling also saw Chu Qiushan standing by the stone table and immediately cupped his hands with a smile: "Senior Brother Chu, I saw you the moment I walked out; this is quite a coincidence."

There was a faint trace of fatigue on Gu Daoling's face.

Chu Qiushan immediately understood that the Ancestor had been in seclusion for a month because he was inside with Gu Daoling.

Chu Qiushan's gaze shifted, and he returned the salute, saying, "It is Junior Brother Gu! Junior Brother is still concerned about the Ancestor after all. When we met outside Shenyun Prefecture last time, I only mentioned it in passing, yet Junior Brother really did come."

Gu Daoling said, "What is meant to come will come. I am from Qingzhou and studied here. That point will not change in ten thousand years."

Gu Daoling was speaking for effect; Lv Yinlin was right there in the cave, and these words were meant for Lv Yinlin to hear.

As soon as Gu Daoling finished speaking, a faint cough suddenly came from deep within the stone cave.

Chu Qiushan and Gu Daoling exchanged a glance; naturally, it was not convenient for them to chat much in front of the Ancestor's cave.

Gu Daoling said, "Senior Brother Chu, I will not disturb your audience with the Ancestor; I shall take my leave. May we meet again by fate!"

Chu Qiushan said, "When we meet again, I hope your cultivation has advanced further!"

Gu Daoling laughed freely and walked away slowly. He reached the Stone Tablet at the valley entrance and entered the mist-filled Deadwood Forest.

Walking into the Deadwood Forest in reverse, there was no obstruction, and one could go straight out of the valley. Only after Gu Daoling walked out of the Deadwood Forest did he transform into a streak of black light and shoot toward the horizon.

Chu Qiushan straightened his clothes, walked slowly to the entrance of the cave, cupped his hands, and bowed: "Ancestor, Qiushan has come to pay his respects!"

After a pause of about one breath, a voice sounded from within the stone cave: "So it is Qiushan. Come in!"

Chu Qiushan straightened up and walked in slowly. Deep inside the stone cave, a fluorescent light shone, emitted by some strange mushrooms on the stone wall.

In the fluorescent light, he saw Lv Yinlin wearing a Daoist robe, sitting there and sipping clear water.

Chu Qiushan immediately knelt down.

Lv Yinlin said in an aged voice, "Rise."

Chu Qiushan stood up and looked cautiously toward Lv Yinlin, only to see that at this moment, the crane-haired and youthful-faced Lv Yinlin had a heavy look of exhaustion on his face.

Lv Yinlin had long since achieved success in his cultivation; for him to feel tired, it was definitely no ordinary matter.

And he and Gu Daoling had been in seclusion in this stone cave for a full month; clearly, this month had been very draining for Lv Yinlin.

A deep sense of envy welled up in the bottom of Chu Qiushan's heart. He envied Gu Daoling very much.

Although he did not know what the Ancestor had done for Gu Daoling, it was clearly a very important matter. For the Ancestor, a great cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm, to show such heavy exhaustion on his face, it was definitely no trivial matter.

But Chu Qiushan also knew very well that for such things, envy was useless. He had to rely on himself to break through to the late stage of the Dongming Realm to have the qualifications to stand by the Ancestor's side again.

After taking a few sips, Lv Yinlin put down the Bamboo Tube in his hand and asked, "Qiushan, what brings you to see me?"

Chu Qiushan said, "Ancestor, a little over a month ago, an incident occurred. It was a Sect inner disciple who was forming their vortex in the Elder Council."

Lv Yinlin remained silent, waiting for Chu Qiushan to continue. He knew that Chu Qiushan would never dare to disturb him with such trivial matters.

Chu Qiushan continued, "This child's vortex formation once triggered a Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide."

Lv Yinlin raised his head, his gaze flickering. "Triggered a Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide?"

"Exactly!" Chu Qiushan affirmed.

Lv Yinlin smiled slightly. "I didn't even trigger a Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide when I formed my vortex." "In the Jiuzhou Continent, it seems there is only one person recorded to have triggered a Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide during vortex formation, right?"

Chu Qiushan said, "Yes, only one person."

The smile that flashed across Lv Yinlin's face seemed to carry a hint of something strange. "Master Lingji of the Dharma Image Temple!"

Chu Qiushan said, "Master Lingji is now a great virtuous one of the Original Spirit Realm. He is also the only Original Spirit Realm cultivator in Jiuzhou, the number one person in Jiuzhou!"

Lv Yinlin laughed, "Could it be that Heaven favors my Taiyi Sect so much that it has produced a little Lingji within my Taiyi Sect?"

This time, Chu Qiushan did not respond. Because at this moment, he could not quite grasp the true meaning behind Lv Yinlin's tone and smile. And at such times, his principle was to be sparing with words, not asking or answering unless necessary.

Lv Yinlin indeed looked at him and asked, "The person you mentioned, under whose tutelage are they?"

Chu Qiushan said, "Zhu He!"

Lv Yinlin paused slightly, then continued to ask, "When they were in the Yougu test, what was the result?"

Chu Qiushan said, "Half a step away from stepping onto the Altar."

"Half a step away from stepping onto the Altar?!" Lv Yinlin's gaze flashed, and he said, "Is his name Duan Rong?"

"Exactly!" Chu Qiushan said, "Ancestor has a good memory!"

The results of the Yougu test that day, the files of the few people who crossed the Red Line, and the file of Duan Rong who was half a step away from stepping onto the Altar, had all been sent to this deep valley by Chu Qiushan.

It was just that this was already three or four years ago, yet Lv Yinlin could remember it without forgetting.

A look of keen interest appeared on Lv Yinlin's face, and he suddenly said, "Tell Zhu He to bring Duan Rong to see me!"

"Yes!"

On Tie Feng Mountain, within the Tower Forest.

After Su Bairong's corpse was covered with a white cloth and carried away, the crowd still walked with stiff steps to the open space in front of the Tower Forest.

The Instructor was already urging them to spar, and soon, the dense sound of iron weapons clashing rang out all around.

Xiao Yu sat at the edge of the dense forest, calming her emotions for a while. Just as she stood up, another person walked over. It was a middle-aged woman wearing an ill-fitting old skirt, her hair somewhat disheveled.

She looked at Xiao Yu and asked, "You don't have a sparring partner either, right? Shall we pair up?"

Xiao Yu's gaze tightened. She recognized the person before her; after all, she had been in the Tower Forest for almost a year, and she was familiar with the faces of the people inside.

Xiao Yu frowned and said, "Didn't you already have a sparring partner?"

A look of disgust flashed across the middle-aged woman's face, and she said, "That guy kept looking at me lecherously, I don't want to spar with him anymore."

Hearing this, Xiao Yu turned her head to look, and sure enough, she saw a man not far away looking over here; it was indeed the woman's original sparring partner.

Seeing Xiao Yu's gaze, the man immediately dodged behind the figures of people sparring.

A look of hesitation appeared on Xiao Yu's face.

Seeing her hesitation, the middle-aged woman said, "Sparring partners are meant to be paired voluntarily. Su Bairong is dead, don't you have no one to spar with either? What are you still considering?"

Xiao Yu could not help but sigh, looking at the middle-aged woman with a dim gaze. She knew that the woman before her had already been in the Tower Forest for a full ten years.

She was not picky about sparring partners; she was just afraid! Was she also going to stay in this Tower Forest for ten years? Could she really stay for ten years? She suddenly thought of Su Bairong again. Perhaps she wouldn't last ten years before she also wanted to go home...

Thinking of this, Duan Rong's smile seemed to flash before Xiao Yu's eyes, but that smile was like a painting stained with oil, already somewhat blurred...

And at this moment, behind the middle-aged woman, the Instructor was looking over here with a cold gaze.

Xiao Yu knew that if she did not have a sparring partner for three consecutive days, the Instructor would lock her in the tower, where she would not see the light of day, until someone else also lacked a sparring partner, only then would they let her out.

Xiao Yu looked at the somewhat worldly middle-aged woman and silently nodded.

Seeing that Xiao Yu had agreed, the middle-aged woman smiled, slowly drew the blade in her hand, and said, "Come on! You'd better take it easy!"

Xiao Yu did not understand what the middle-aged woman meant by "take it easy," but the Instructor was watching, so she also drew her blade, and the two began to spar there.

After a few moves, Xiao Yu realized that this woman was actually incredibly unskilled.

Xiao Yu finally understood what she meant by "take it easy."

The two had just practiced a few moves when the middle-aged woman suddenly said, "Stop, stop, stop for a moment."

Xiao Yu stood holding her blade, looking at the woman with a puzzled gaze, only to see her glance behind her and smile, "The Instructor has walked to that end; let's wait until he walks over before we spar again."

After saying this, the woman walked brazenly to a stone at the edge of the dense forest and sat there to rest.

Xiao Yu stood there, stunned; she did not react for a long time.

After a long while, Xiao Yu looked at the woman and said, "Practicing like this, when will you ever get out of the Tower Forest?"

Hearing this, the woman looked at her with a smile and said, "You still want to get out of the Tower Forest?" "It's fine, after all, it's only your first year. In another two or three years, you won't think that way anymore."

Xiao Yu froze there, her body trembling slightly. The woman's smile pierced her like a knife.

(End of this chapter)