Chapter 353: Could This Really Be What My Senior Uncle Said?!

Xiang Jianzong.

In a remote corner of the inner sect, within a simple courtyard surrounded by a fence.

A large rooster with vibrant feathers strode along the edge of the fence, head held high.

Deeper inside, an elderly man with white hair, utterly ordinary in appearance, leaned against a bamboo chair beside a wooden table, a small yellow dog curled up beside him.

There were also some unfinished bamboo cages and winnowing baskets.

It was Min.

In his hand he held a mobile phone, like any ordinary elderly man, tapping slowly on the screen with one finger.

After a long while, a look of hesitation appeared on his face.

Hmm~

He sighed, closed the messaging app, turned off the screen, and put away his phone.

"What a tragedy…" he couldn't help muttering again.

He reached for an unfinished bamboo basket beside him and resumed weaving.

These Daoists from the Central Continent…

Are truly hard to fathom.

If not for what the demon race did back then, Huo's conduct would never have become so extreme and erratic.

As he thought of past events, his withered, wrinkled hands never stopped, and soon a finely crafted bamboo basket was complete.

The sunlight spilling from the horizon now carried a hint of dryness.

He set down the bamboo basket, picked up the large white ceramic mug beside the table, opened the lid, and took a sip.

He gazed into the distance.

Considering the time, the child should be arriving soon…

As he thought this, Min had not yet set down his mug when a figure arrived outside the courtyard.

Since the fence was taller than she was, she reached out, grabbed the top, pulled herself up, and leaned over to peer inside.

Seeing the figure within, she waved cheerfully: "Elder."

"Jiu Yu has come." Min set down his mug.

Indeed, this person was Chi Jiu Yu.

It was all because she'd been injured on a previous mission, and the doctor had advised her to rest.

But she was a restless soul, so she wandered around the inner sect and eventually found this place.

"Come right in."

"Got it!"

Chi Jiu Yu didn't use the gate; she pushed off with both hands and vaulted straight over the fence.

She landed lightly. The rooster, strolling along the fence edge, glanced at her, snorted, and turned away.

Hey!

You really are!

She glared at the rooster twice, then decided not to bother with it, stepping over to the other bamboo chair beside the table and sitting down.

"Elder's weaving another basket, huh."

This wasn't rudeness—Elder had told her to be casual!

"At my age, I like doing this to pass the time."

Min pushed the plate of spirit fruits toward her.

He genuinely admired this lively junior, though her flighty nature…

Isn't it normal for a child to be mischievous?

"Not planning any missions lately?"

"Ah, it's because Yunlu is about to reach Jin Dan, so as her senior, I naturally need to keep an eye on her."

Chi Jiu Yu picked a purple spirit fruit she'd never seen before from the plate.

Crunch!

Oh!

So delicious!

"Also, I just reached Soul Transformation—I need time to settle and consolidate."

Many of the terms Chi Jiu Yu used were new to Min.

Fortunately, he'd learned quite a bit through the Spirit Net recently, so he understood her meaning.

"You have excellent talent; moving slowly is fine, but never rush." Min warned, then smiled, "Old men get talkative. You already know all this—I won't repeat it."

"I know, I know, Elder's just looking out for me!"

She wasn't some ungrateful fish.

She took another bite of the fruit.

"Say, Elder, you must be from the same era as my Master and Senior Uncle, right?"

She'd asked her senior recently, and even her senior referred to this Elder as "Elder."

So he must be a true Elder!

Hmm…

That sounds a bit tangled.

"Something like that."

"What were they like back then?" Chi Jiu Yu asked, brimming with curiosity.

"Aren't there many biographies of the Xiang Jianzong and Master Jianzun in the Xiang Jianzong?"

"Don't even mention it—those biographies are clearly all artistic embellishment."

The biographies even claim the Master Jianzun was aloof and refined, untouched by worldly desires!

But as the Master Jianzun's direct disciple, she felt the author of that book deserved to be hung from a tree and whipped!

Just like how her master once hung himself from a tree and spun like a top.

"I don't know much about the Master Jianzun—he's probably not as familiar to you as you are to him, Brother Dao…"

Brother Dao!

Definitely a powerhouse like Elder Huo.

"When I first met him, my impression of him was indeed much like what the biographies describe."

Chi Jiuyu precisely tossed the fruit pit into a bamboo basket nearby for trash, then scratched his head.

"But I feel my uncle is quite gentle."

In the biographies and historical records she'd read, her uncle was utterly fierce and rakish, and extremely…

emm…

Sharp and dazzling.

Yes!

Exactly sharp and dazzling—a classic sword cultivator, brimming with sharp, martial energy!

But after actually interacting with him, she discovered her uncle was actually quite gentle, yet not rigid, and carried a calm, unhurried demeanor.

It was very different from her expectations.

Of course, she liked this kind of uncle!

"That's now. Back then, Brother Dao…" Min paused, as if weighing whether to speak. After all, he was Brother Dao's favorite disciple—probably fine.

"He once said something."

Chi Jiuyu held her breath, gripping her hands tightly.

"When heaven and earth collapse, I shall stand alone with one sword."

Holy shit!

Chi Jiuyu felt her scalp go numb.

No way—could that really have been said by her uncle?!

Min smiled faintly and shook his head, yet sighed inwardly.

Only those who lived through that turbulent, unstable era could grasp the true weight of those words.

After a long while, Chi Jiuyu finally came to her senses, wanting to ask more but unsure how to begin.

!. read

"I don't know much about Brother Dao either. If you're truly interested, you can ask your senior sister."

"Oh, alright, Elder."

Then the two chatted for a while longer.

Getting along with elders…

Chi Jiuyu was extremely good at this—otherwise she wouldn't dare be so reckless in daily life.

So when she left, cheerful Min even gave her that big rooster.

…………

Evening.

Outer Sect Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, Jin Dan Comprehensive Service Center.

Compared to the previous Foundation Establishment Comprehensive Service Center, the Jin Dan Comprehensive Service Center was overall more spacious—and not a single building.

Instead, it was nestled among mountains.

Across the leveled-open area stood row upon row of pure white, semi-circular structures, like the Starry Sky Simulation Training Ground.

Each structure was a separate Jin Dan chamber, usable by only one person at a time.

Any Xiang Jianzong disciple could use it once for free.

Disciples ranked on the Foundation Establishment List could use it three times for free—a small reward for top performers.

But among those who made the Foundation Establishment List, almost no one had attempted Jin Dan more than twice.

Even if the first attempt failed, the second always succeeded.

Chamber No. 75.

A strange fragrance filled the waiting area, tantalizing and making even the Xiang Jianzong disciples in pure white uniforms standing guard at the entrance swallow their saliva.

"Jin Dan is something you must never rush—take it step by step, steady your mind…"

Chi Jiuyu held a thermos box, explaining key points and essentials of Jin Dan cultivation to Zhang Yunlu.

Though she'd explained these things multiple times before, she repeated them again now.

And Zhang Yunlu listened very attentively…

Though it would've been better if she hadn't been doing the same thing as those Xiang Jianzong disciples.

Indeed, that strange fragrance came from Chi Jiuyu herself.

Li Ke sat nearby, on a chair against the wall.

Since her senior wasn't here, she naturally had to keep an eye on things.

She was the only person present unaffected by the fragrance.

After a while, Chi Jiuyu finally finished all her instructions.

"I'll work hard, Ye Shijie."

"Mm-hmm!"

Immediately, Zhang Yunlu walked to the counter with the completed application form.

After verification, a tall, slender, beautiful Nascent Soul cultivator stepped out and led her inside.

Chi Jiuyu watched until their silhouettes vanished completely from view.

Only then did she turn and hurry toward Li Ke, handing him the thermos box.

"Oh? So thoughtful—you brought me food," Li Ke laughed.

"Pfft! This was for Xiao Yunlu!" Chi Jiuyu sniffed her own forearm, her whole face scrunching up. "Hold it for me—I'm going back to bathe and change clothes."

This smell was beyond repair—even Cleansing Technique couldn't remove it!

"The smell on you isn't something a bath and new clothes can fix."

"Huh?"

"I'm curious too—where did you even get a Phoenix?"

The Divine Mechanism Refining Pavilion does keep Phoenixes, but they're astronomically expensive.

Those alchemists usually pick up fallen Phoenix feathers as fire sources for forging.

"Phoenix? What Phoenix?" Chi Jiuyu was baffled.

With her current wealth, she could barely afford Phoenix feathers.

"The smell on you? That's only from eating Phoenix meat."

Li Ke held the thermos box in one hand and propped his chin with the other.

"What did you eat today?"

"Today I visited my senior. Before I left, he gave me a big rooster. I thought Xiao Yunlu just reached Golden Core, so I stewed it to replenish her Qi..." Chi Jiuyu answered instinctively.

Then she suddenly realized what she'd said—and gasped.

"Holy shit! That was a Phoenix!"

Li Ke stared at her strangely. "Didn't you notice anything strange when you ate it?"

"Umm… 'delicious' counts, right? And that senior called my Master 'Brother Dao'—I figured his pet rooster must've been special!"

But this was a Phoenix?

It didn't even taste as good as the food I ate at Ling Yin Fang before!

"So this is Phoenix meat? Feels weaker than the fish Master Lingzu made when I went to Ling Yin Fang with my Master..."

Li Ke: "..."

Maybe you should listen to what you're saying.

Then again, it makes sense—this person is great at flattering elders, so every time she mooches off them, the spiritual items she gets are always top-tier. (End of chapter)