Chapter 134: Meeting the Old Man Again

Meeting the Old Man Again

Since Seeing Tianlu was born, he had never been far from Master Wang. Although he was very tempted, he was also attached to his master. Seriously considering Ruan Ci's invitation, he hesitated, "Still... still not going. When the Master says I can go, I will go out with Miss Ci again."

The two went all the way to the Seven Star Cottage. Although they hadn't seen each other for ten years, they didn't feel estranged. For Seeing Tianlu, the days without playing with Ruan Ci were like standing still. Every day, he only worked in Master Wang's library, and naturally, he had to cultivate for a little while occasionally. But demon cultivators had long lifespans and were different from human cultivators, so they weren't as diligent in cultivation as human cultivators and were often good at slacking off. Those like the Tiger Servant whose cultivation improved quickly were anomalies.

Because of this, although they had been apart for a long time, it felt as if they had just met yesterday. The two talked about things after Qin Qin Qin Fengyu came out of seclusion. Seeing Tianlu said, "Miss Yu has been in seclusion for decades to stabilize her realm, I'm afraid she's about to go out to do things. The core disciples in our Shangqing Sect are almost all in seclusion when they return to the sect. Once they come out, they are either traveling or running errands. In any case, the further away from their teachers, the better. Only after forming a Nascent Soul do they settle down and return to the mountain."

Because they talked about Zhou Zhou Zhou Yanqing, whom Lin Lin Xianen wanted to take as a master in the Changyao Baoguang Heaven, he had already gone into seclusion to form a Nascent Soul shortly after returning to the mountain from Southern Zhuzhou. Now that more than forty years had passed, there was still no movement. Seeing Tianlu laughed, "This is not strange. There are barriers before forming a Nascent Soul, and one must be perfect to fuse the precious medicine. But what this barrier is, only one knows oneself. Perhaps Young Master Zhou is in seclusion in name, but is actually secretly going out to perfect the barrier, just not letting outsiders know."

Ruan Ci now had four cultivation techniques in her heart. The techniques of Qu Qu Pingting, Fifth Cang, and Ling Yuan could all at least reach the Nascent Soul realm. But regarding the barriers from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and even Golden Core to Nascent Soul, they were all described very briefly. Therefore, she still knew nothing about breaking through the barriers and couldn't help but ask Seeing Tianlu. Seeing Tianlu shook his head, "This is what we often call the barrier of knowledge. The barrier from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core is okay, it's just some illusions blocking the Dao. The barrier from Golden Core to Nascent Soul is naturally known after the cultivator's Golden Core is perfect. Before that, if one hears about a kind of barrier, this barrier will never descend. Therefore, no matter what sect in Langhuan Zhou Tian, it is strictly forbidden for cultivators to teach this knowledge. If violated, one will immediately become an enemy of the Zhou Tian, and I'm afraid even the sect of origin will be uprooted."

Ruan Ci couldn't help but be stunned and asked, "Then if someone were to organize all the barriers and spread them everywhere, or force all cultivators to learn them, what would happen?"

Seeing Tianlu said without hesitation, "Since all the barriers are known, then no barriers will descend, and the cultivation will never be perfect. That means the Golden Core cultivators of this generation, and even the disciples below, are all cut off from the Dao. One can only try to remove the influence of this book and raise a new generation of disciples. This will be a great catastrophe for the old disciples, and also a great opportunity for the new disciples."

Even Ruan Ci, who loved to argue the most, could only nod silently at this time. The biggest rule of Langhuan Zhou Tian was that there was no safety at all. Everyone knew this, but instead, they had to find a relatively peaceful path in this turmoil, so that all living beings would not fall into endless fighting and sinking—it was precisely because they knew that in the Zhou Tian, even if blood flowed like a river, no high-level cultivator would pay any attention, so the cultivators were so careful.

She now gradually knew why most grotto-heaven cultivators didn't take action themselves, but drove their disciples to fight. Just like the Poison Sect grotto-heaven, which really had the ability to poison most mortals and low-level cultivators in the Zhou Tian, grotto-heaven cultivators also had the ability to cut off the Dao path of an entire generation of disciples through this evil method of spreading barriers. Langhuan Zhou Tian was packed with so many grotto-heaven cultivators, like many adults squeezed into a small room. It could be said to be very crowded. If they were to tear each other apart, they might even tear down the house. Therefore, they could only change to competing for invisible fortune in the aura field.

For a moment, she couldn't help but sigh, "If Langhuan Zhou Tian didn't have this layer of Dao rhyme barrier and could communicate with the outside world at will, I'm afraid the game in the aura field would be a hundred times more complicated."

Seeing Tianlu laughed, "According to the records in the classics, in those great heavens without the protection of Dao rhyme, the Dao Ancestors of all parties play games, and the heavenly demons are watching, with fighting happening every day. The number of people who die in one day might be more than those who die in Langhuan Zhou Tian in a year. In such a place, except for the World Sect and the Prosperity Sect, other sects are afraid that they are in danger, and mortals who are not protected by the great sects can only struggle to survive."

The two talked about the anecdotes in the old papers from all over the world. Ruan Ci suddenly thought of another thing and thought, "Wang Wang Panpan once told me that to advance from grotto-heaven to Dao Ancestor, one must clarify oneself and understand the coming and going. So my background must be explored one day. Is this also a barrier for advancement? If she told me, would I not encounter this barrier again? Or is there some other reason?"

In any case, since there was a barrier of knowledge, this matter should not be discussed. After all, in Seeing Tianlu's heart, Ruan Ci was an artifact cultivator, and there was no barrier for advancement. When the cultivation was reached, it would naturally happen, so there was no need to worry about talking about it. But Ruan Ci was still a somewhat orthodox cultivator, just using the techniques of the intent-cultivator when breaking through the barrier. If she knew too many barriers and gave herself a few problems, and her cultivation couldn't be perfect for a long time, that would be terrible. She didn't know if there would be any strange changes when she condensed the core, like twelve turns of core condensation or something. If there were such changes, the last three turns would definitely have to be cultivated by herself, and she couldn't rely on the help of others.

Then she thought, "Having said that, I don't know how to condense a grotto-heaven from a Nascent Soul. At that time, there won't be a sword seed to give birth to a soul to help me."

When Sister Sister Xie Yan left, the cultivation of the sword seed she cut off, in Ruan Ci's estimation, was at most the middle stage of Nascent Soul. After all, her late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, no matter how extraordinary, couldn't swing this sword into the air and take the lives of many Nascent Soul peers with equivalent cultivation in an instant. In fact, the sword Sister Sister Xie Yan left should have used the power of Donghua. Ruan Ci made a note in her heart, and if she had the chance in the future, she would ask Wang Wang Wang Panpan if Sister Sister Xie Yan's combat power had reached the grotto-heaven level when she left, even though her cultivation was only Nascent Soul.

She also thought, "I didn't understand anything before, but now I understand a little. After forming the core in the future, I must think carefully about what happened to me in Southern Zhuzhou. There seem to be many unreasonable things, but I have no time to be distracted by this now."

She had many thoughts in her heart, but Seeing Tianlu didn't notice anything. He told her some interesting stories about the little bear Yingying, and then talked about the Sect Master's lineage, "Although the Sect Master has many disciples, most of them are not in the sect now, either in seclusion or out on errands. I don't know how many disciples we will see on this trip, and whether the Sect Master will give Miss Ci any treasures."

Ruan Ci laughed, "Oh, I see. Master didn't see me, so he sent me to see the Senior Brother. So that's how it is. He originally said he would give me some magic tools, but they were never sent. Now that I want to protect Sister Rong, he told me to go to the Seven Star Cottage to pay respects to the Sect Master, which is to be sure that the Sect Master, for the sake of face, will have to give me a few magic tools."

Seeing Tianlu's eyes widened, and he said in disbelief, "Is, is it really like this? I didn't know at all! The Master is so far-sighted!"

Seeing Ruan Ci giggling, he finally understood, and was so angry that he clenched his fists, stomped his feet, and pouted, "Miss Ci is teasing me again. I, I won't be good with you anymore. The anecdotes I know, I won't tell you any of them!"

Ruan Ci hurriedly pulled him to her side to comfort him. The two huddled together, whispering endlessly. The flying car traveled slowly for most of the day before landing in front of the Seven Star Cottage. Ruan Ci got out of the car and submitted her post to pay respects. Before long, a few slaves stepped forward and smiled, "Miss Rong is in seclusion, preparing for the trip to the Cold Water Marsh. But Miss Ci came at the right time. The Great Master came to find the Master to play chess, so please go and meet them."

Mentioning the words "Great Master," the arrogant Heavenly Fate Cloud Seed in her sea of consciousness jumped, as if very happy. Ruan Ci was slightly stunned, then followed the grotto-heaven beauties forward. Seeing Tianlu was extremely nervous, following behind Ruan Ci, his steps hesitant, but he had no way to escape, and finally stepped toward the two high-level cultivators step by step.

This time the Sect Master didn't meet her in the main hall, but had someone lead the two to a garden with lush flowers and trees. The Seven Star Cottage didn't seem to have sea tides or islands, mostly buildings. Ruan Ci tasted it carefully and only felt that this place was indeed not as vast as the Purple Void Heaven, not like the inner landscape of a high-level cultivator like the Sect Master. It seemed that the Sect Master's natal grotto-heaven was indeed used for other purposes. This heaven and earth were like the name, just a small courtyard.

Master Wang was not there, and she hadn't heard that these two elders had mastered sensing techniques, and Ruan Ci was holding the Heart-Clearing Mantra, so her thinking was much bolder than usual. She knelt and saluted, then stood behind Master Chu, her eyes rolling around, looking at the chessboard for a while, and then secretly sizing up the two great cultivators. It wasn't that she didn't dare to look openly, but today these two cultivators were both in their true bodies. Looking too carefully could easily hurt her spiritual sense.

The Sect Master's true body was not as young as the clone she had met before, about twenty years old, and his appearance was the same as that clone. Ruan Ci had only seen him once before, and that time the Sect Master was extremely cold, so she had a bad impression of the Sect Master, until later the Purple Void Heaven received many benefits from the sect, and then her impression improved slightly. The old man at the chessboard was far from old in his true body, about forty years old, but Ruan Ci couldn't describe his appearance. All the eyes cast toward this Master Chu seemed to be swallowed. Among all the cultivators she had seen, only the Dao Ancestor made her unable to remember his appearance before. The old man was the first grotto-heaven cultivator who could do this.

Master Chu was gentle in nature, concentrated on placing a piece, and smiled at Ruan Ci, "Have you learned to play Go now?"

Ruan Ci said truthfully, "After entering the sect, I was indeed very busy. I have played less than ten games, as if I don't know how to play."

Master Chu nodded, "Before Golden Core, it is indeed running around, without such leisure. After forming the core, it will be much better. By then, you will eventually master one of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, otherwise, how will you pass the long years."

Ruan Ci thought, "Perhaps it will be like this after grotto-heaven, and I can't say for sure that I won't, but it definitely won't be like this during the Golden Core period. If I have leisure, I'd rather go play with spiritual beasts."

She ultimately cared about Master Wang, so she didn't say this. Master Chu looked at her a few times and smiled, "Disciple, let's seal this game of chess for now. I'll play a few games with this little barbarian girl first to see if her chess skills have improved."

He called Ruan Ci a little barbarian girl, and Master Wang called Ruan Ci a little pig. This master and disciple were the same, not cultivating any mouth virtue. But Ruan Ci was not in a hurry today. Seeing Tianlu had been taken to the garden to play, and she had plenty of time to consume with the old man. She also wanted to cooperate a little to make up for the act of shattering the old man's chessboard when she didn't know the situation. She sat down opposite the old man cooperatively. Master Chu rolled up his sleeves, looking like he was going to do a big job, and said to Ruan Ci, "I know you must want to lose a few games to me to take care of my face. But I don't like my opponent to let me win on purpose when I play chess, so today I will set some stakes."

He pointed a few times at the edge of the chessboard, and three strange flowers fell down. Master Chu said, "If you win a game against me, you can pick a flower and take it away. If you can't pick even one, then for this trip to the Cold Rain Marsh, the Seven Star Cottage will not send anyone, just let you and your sister go, and the rest of the protection personnel will be arranged by yourself. What do you think?"

Ruan Ci couldn't interrupt the elder's speech. For the sake of Master Wang, she let Master Chu speak until now, and finally had a chance to speak. She picked up a chess piece and said, "You old man, you always like to talk to yourself. I play chess with you to take care of your face, but I never said I would lose to you on purpose. Even if there are no stakes, I will play with you very seriously."

She rolled her eyes at Master Chu, and Master Chu couldn't help laughing, saying to the Sect Master, "Look at Wang Wang Shengyu, she has been spoiled to the point of being lawless."

The Sect Master said, "It's all learned from the Master. Our lineage has always been indulgent and doting on disciples, always raising disciples without distinction of superior and inferior."

As far as Ruan Ci knew, the Sect Master's ability to keep his current position was inseparable from Master Chu, but he didn't show much respect when talking to Master Chu. Ruan Ci felt that what he said was really reasonable. They were already grotto-heaven cultivators, yet they didn't respect their master. This was also including himself.

Master Chu heard this from the Sect Master and was not angry, but smiled happily and said to the Sect Master, "What are you implying? Fortunately, I only took you and Wang Wang Shengyu as disciples in my life, otherwise, I don't know how lively it would be. Even if there are only two of you, this one thinks I favor that one, and that one thinks I favor this one. Where can I go to reason?"

Although these two were grotto-heaven masters, their conversation was full of fireworks, without any airs. When Master Wang saw Ruan Ci, his posture was more sufficient. Ruan Ci thought to herself, "Looking at the way they talk, Master Chu clearly favors the Sect Master more. The Master's style, I think, is not very compatible with them. The Sect Master also said the Master doesn't distinguish between superior and inferior. Hmph."

She heard Master Chu call Master Wang "Wang Wang Shengyu" and felt very fresh, secretly covering her mouth and laughing a few times. Master Chu misunderstood her meaning and said to Ruan Ci, "Look, how ridiculous is this? Alas, my two disciples have been spoiled, and the eldest disciple has raised one, and also spoiled it. I wanted to take a third one—but it hasn't been initiated yet, and it's spoiled again. Don't be spoiled by your Master, otherwise, our Shangqing Sect really can't withstand this tossing."

Ruan Ci rolled her eyes a few times and asked, "What is called spoiled?"

Master Chu shouted "Bad," "If you ask like this, you already have bad intentions."

He, however, cast the matter to the back of his mind in an instant, laughing, "Let Sheng Yu worry about it. His fate with disciples in this life is just like mine—truly not great. At least Hui'er managed to take in your cousin; she is a sensible, obedient disciple. As for you, if you don't stir up trouble in the future, that will be a great blessing."

Ruan Ci heard him say over and over again that Master Wang's master-disciple fate was not good, and couldn't help but want to retort a few words, but thought of herself just squeezing Master Wang, her face couldn't help but turn red, and she said, "Oh! Play chess, play chess! So many words!"

The old man laughed, "Then, why don't you take out your chess piece?"

He flicked his sleeves, and an ancient and elegant chessboard appeared on the table, with two boxes of chess pieces shining beside it. The white box had a faint connection with Ruan Ci. Ruan Ci was slightly stunned, took out the Heavenly Fate Cloud Seed, and couldn't help but glance at the Sect Master. The Sect Master said indifferently, "Hearing the Junior Brother talk about you, you are the most daring, but it turns out to be nothing more than this."

Ruan Ci was the most unable to be provoked. She immediately took out the Cloud Seed and threw it back into the box. She only felt that the connection between the two became faint, and the Cloud Seed could no longer obscure the inner landscape. Even in the aura field, her aura was fully exposed, and a soaring sword energy rushed to the sky, straight to the bucket, vaguely responding to the Zhou Tian's fortune, stirring the wind and clouds, just like when Sister Sister Xie Yan showed her sword at the top of Langhuan. Above the Shangqing Sect, it attracted faint gazes and attention, but it was separated by the mountain gate array and the grotto-heaven obscuration, looking blurry and difficult to distinguish the true face.

I don't know when, the Heart-Clearing Mantra was washed away by the sword energy and quietly disintegrated. The twelve white jade Dao foundations stood proudly, the spiritual energy on the pool surged, steaming like Qi, and the spiritual sense on the pool was like the sea, reflecting each other with the wide pool water. If it weren't for the lack of grass and trees by the pool, who could say this was the inner landscape of a Foundation Establishment cultivator? The two great grotto-heavens couldn't help but show a look of surprise. After looking at each other for a while, Master Chu laughed loudly, pointed at Ruan Ci, covered her sharp aura, picked up a black piece, and smiled, "Play chess, play chess—this time, I won't let you go first!"

Saying this, he placed a piece, but there was a faint look of caution, obviously treating Ruan Ci opposite him as a worthy opponent.

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Updated, I will send you the red envelope for the previous chapter in a while~

Who do you think will win the chess game between the old man and Xiao Ci?

Speaking of which, in order to use the app conveniently, I ordered an Android tablet because I want to play some retro old games and download an emulator, which is most convenient on Android. Although I am an Apple family user, and because of the security, privacy, and synchronization, I will continue to use Apple mainly, but it seems I have already seen the decline of iOS...

Now there are about six chapters in the draft, the rhythm is relatively slow, mostly some daily life of cultivation. Although it is said that writing is like looking at a mountain and not liking flatness, perhaps from the perspective of layout, should it be adjusted... But I wrote this for my own happiness! Every time I consider making trade-offs in some content, I feel very happy when I think of this! Hehehe!

Today for lunch, I had mixed vegetable soup~!

. Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me between 2020-10-24 11:51:02 and 2020-10-25 12:08:49~

Thanks to the little angels who cast hand grenades: ingrideagle (1);

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Wu Wu Mingya, Half-Acre Square Pond, Three Coins of Stone Decision, The Carefree Little White Horse, Tile Pieces, After the Rain, Yu Yu Wan Yao (1);

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Da Da Da Donggua 49 bottles; Jiu Liang, Feng Feng Qingqing, Qinghe Yuege 20 bottles; 531836 18 bottles; Taoze Erila 15 bottles; Mogu, 34443803, Xinyouweichen, Leishibaobao, Xiao A Mi 10 bottles; 29351605 bottles; Maizi, Cheng Bi 1 bottle;

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard! ===== CHAPTER 135 =====