Chapter 170: Missed Opportunity

Li Wenying couldn't help shaking his head with a smile, leaning against the eave with his sword, watching the spiritual energy cluster in the sky show no sign of dispersing—instead growing denser—and he sighed, "Such a genius, how did she end up at your Mount Sanqing?"

Xuan Miao also looked up at the spiritual energy cluster, silent.

Li Wenying's interest stirred, asking, "Where did you find her? Does she have any siblings?"

Xuan Miao couldn't help recalling Pan Yue and Pan Yu, and shook his head, "Don't bother thinking about it—her family has no one else with this talent."

Pan Yue and Pan Yu barely managed martial arts, let alone cultivation.

Li Wenying's face fell with disappointment.

The three looked up, silently watching the spiritual energy cluster high above—such talent, if Pan Yun could only persevere, her future was boundless.

Below the mountain, a young man also gazed up at the spiritual energy cluster, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Zhang Zhengchang returned from the mountain in a fury; everyone in the Tian Shi Fu who had woken to watch the spectacle now knew.

The young man turned his eyes slightly, glancing toward the courtyard gate.

Zhang Zhengchang appeared in the courtyard in an instant, his face dark as he faced the youth, "How is your injury?"

Zhang Liuyuan bowed his head, "Much improved."

Zhang Zhengchang's expression turned grim, "Zhang Liuzhen is nearly recovered—if you don't get better soon, change your name back!"

Zhang Liuyuan's face changed, and he bowed his head in submission.

Zhang Zhengchang let out a cold snort, about to leave, when Zhang Liuyuan asked, "Third Elder, is this spiritual energy cluster from Liuzhen's cultivation?"

Zhang Zhengchang turned his head to look at him, sneering, "It's from a new disciple of Mount Sanqing, named Pan Yun. She's nine years old."

Zhang Liuyuan was slightly surprised, then quickly accepted it.

Zhang Zhengchang looked at him with disappointment, "So many geniuses, yet you're not one of them."

Zhang Liuyuan's heart tightened, and he fell silent.

Zhang Zhengchang turned and left.

The spiritual energy cluster high above lingered for a long time; many who woke this night found they could not sleep again.

Only Lin Jingle in the Si Guo Cliff cave knew nothing—he opened his eyes suddenly in the dark, restless yet unsure why, and after thinking a moment, forced himself into meditation.

Cheng Lingzi atop the mountain knew everything—he stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the courtyards and the seemingly near spiritual energy cluster, smiling faintly as he murmured, "Such is fate, such is fate…"

In the woods at a distance from Long Hushan, a boy gazed up at the spiritual energy cluster until the first rays of dawn appeared, when it finally faded.

But the spiritual vortex took time to dissipate; the servant beside the firepit opened his eyes, saw his young master staring blankly at the sky, and squinted upward too—immediately spotting the colorful cloud cluster illuminated by the rising sun.

He cried out, "So beautiful, so beautiful the clouds! Young master, look!"

The boy smiled faintly, replying, "I saw it."

The servant asked, "Young master, shall I lay out paper so you can paint it?"

The boy shook his head, "I've been watching it—I've memorized it in my heart. When we find a place to stay, I'll sit down and carefully paint it."

The servant said, "It's not far to Long Hushan from here. I think that cloud was above Long Hushan—maybe it's their specialty. When we settle, you can paint it again when it reappears."

The boy shook his head, "It's a rare occurrence, unlikely to happen again. Besides, we're not going to Long Hushan—we're changing course for Guangxin Prefecture."

"Ah, why not go to Long Hushan?"

"Unusual celestial signs bring either fortune or disaster. We have no luck to catch fortune, so no need to go. As for disaster, we must flee as far as possible." He said, "Quick, pack up—we leave soon."

"But young master, Guangxin Prefecture is farther if we detour—Long Hushan is closer."

"I said detour," the boy tapped his head, "Come on, leave now."

"We'll have to walk two extra days! Under the bright sky, what danger could there be? And Second Branch's Grand Elder is at Long Hushan—won't you pay your respects?"

The boy: "I'll go when it's safe."

As the boy turned to leave, Xue Taixu, who had risen early to cast divinations, consecutively drew two worst-case hexagrams.

He held the tortoise shell in silence, pondering what had gone wrong.

He counted with his fingers, frowning, "Two days ago I drew an excellent hexagram from afar—how did it turn into this after one night's sleep?"

The boy, carrying his pack, sneezed twice in a row, turning to his servant, "I told you Long Hushan is ill-omened—look, I only camped one night on their land and caught a chill. We camped everywhere else without issue."

The servant, having seen him sneeze, nodded deeply in agreement, "Then let's hurry."

The boy: "Hurry, hurry."

By the time the master and servant left Long Hushan's territory, Pan Yun opened her eyes.

Golden sunlight pierced the window paper, flooding her canopy and bed, bathing her face in light that made her features seem unreal.

Pan Yun turned her neck, then looked down at her hands—a cluster of yuan power appeared in her palm, rolled for a moment, then vanished.

She could now summon internal yuan power faster, nearly synchronized with her thoughts.

She smiled faintly, turning inward to observe her cultivation base.

Her dantian was brimming with yuan power—she was only a step away from breaking through the Fifth Hour into the First Marquis.

Once she reached the First Marquis, she could learn to manipulate objects and fly, never again suffering illness, her body light and strong.

All excellent benefits—saving money and effort.

Pan Yun stretched happily, got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and went out to wash up. Si Guo Cliff truly was a good place—now that she had more free time, she could visit occasionally.

If every visit brought such gains, hehehe…

Pan Yun walked toward her washbasin, took two steps, then froze—she whirled toward the cat's nest, frowning, "Where's Pan Xiaohei this early?"

This cat was lazy—if she didn't order it, it wouldn't move.

Every day it waited in its nest until she finished washing before rising.

Even though she woke later than usual today, it wasn't time for it to leave its nest yet.

Pan Yun opened the door and went out to search.

Outside, she saw a person holding a sword, gazing upward—his back was unmistakably familiar.

Pan Yun halted, "Fourth sister?"

Xuan Miao turned to look at her, "Awake?"

Then she turned back to stare at the sky.

Pan Yun stepped forward, tilting her neck upward beside her. Wow, today's sky is so blue—it rivals our 26th century;

Hmm, the sun is bright too—definitely a hot day. I'd like some ice… sinful, sinful—it's summer, you should drink hot water to cool down.

Pan Yun's neck ached but still saw nothing, so she asked, "Fourth sister, what exactly are we looking at?"

"I'm observing celestial phenomena. What are you looking at?"

"Observing celestial phenomena in broad daylight?" Pan Yun asked. "Isn't that for night?"

Xuan Miao: "Night has its view, day has its view. Besides, it's still early—stars still hang in the sky."

Pan Yun looked up again, "Just two or three…"

"Two or three are enough," Xuan Miao said. "It's precisely these three stars that keep the sky from total darkness before dawn, illuminating the world, and making the sunrise even brighter."

Pan Yun blinked. "Fourth sister, I think you're speaking in riddles—I don't understand."

Xuan Miao: "You don't need to force understanding. Just do what you want to do. How was your cultivation last night?"

Pan Yun perked up immediately, eager to share: "Excellent! I've reached the Fifth Hour—my dantian is full of yuan power. I feel I could kill ten oxen with one palm."

!. ead

Xuan Miao stared at her silently.

"Uh, maybe only five oxen—since you'd have to pass one ox, then another, the force would weaken."

Xuan Miao said, "Reach the First Marquis as soon as possible. Once you do, few in this academy will dare to bully you."

Pan Yun: "Can't you be my protector?"

Xuan Miao: "I've made many enemies too. I can protect you now only because I have nothing to lose—they fear I'll fight them to the death, so they step back."

"But if one day our conflict becomes irreconcilable, those I've protected will become their first targets for revenge." Xuan Miao turned her head to look at her. "You and Miao Zhen, Miao He—you must grow quickly. Ideally, leave the academy before we fully break with them."

"After mastering your skills, the world outside is vast—you can soar freely."

Pan Yun ventured, "Three years?"

Xuan Miao's lips curved slightly. "Then three years. Your senior brothers graduated after three years in the academy."

Pan Yun was still somewhat confused. "Aren't the fourth and fifth years' teachings better? Why do all senior brothers graduate after three?"

"The fourth and fifth years focus on consolidation and trials. During trials, the Long Hushan Daoists teach students special methods."

"But we at Mount Sanqing don't need them," Xuan Miao said. "You're not orphaned disciples. Whether it's me or your senior brothers, we'll always guide you. You must learn not only from the academy, but also from Mount Sanqing."

"Even after graduation, you'll truly enter the path of cultivation—beginning to learn Mount Sanqing's deeper teachings."

Pan Yun suddenly understood. "So we don't need to stay for the fourth and fifth years—because Mount Sanqing will teach us those things, and better, deeper than the academy."

Xuan Miao's lips curved slightly as she nodded gently. "That's the difference between having a lineage and being orphaned. The academy teaches basics—your lineage teaches you the deeper truths."

Pan Yun: "I understand. Fourth sister, rest assured—I'll work hard and graduate in three years."

She paused, then added, "Take Miao Zhen and Miao He with me."

Miao He opened the door sleepily, eyes still half-closed, yawning, "I heard my name."

"Your ears are sharp," Pan Yun said. "We were just talking about you—I told Fourth Sister we three will graduate from the academy within three years."

Miao He blinked, then slowly realized, quickly saying, "Little Master, you're awake!"

Pan Yun: …

Xuan Miao: …

Pan Yun was about to feel Miao He's forehead when Miao He suddenly hugged her, excitedly saying, "Little Master, you don't know how wild it was last night during your cultivation—so many came to watch, almost fought!"

Pan Yun's eyes widened. "I didn't know? How was I so dramatic?"

Miao He gestured wildly. "There was this huge spiritual energy cluster above the roof, swirling and swirling, sucking all the spiritual energy from our room—and high above, another massive cluster, as if it pulled in the spiritual energy from the entire academy and Long Hushan…"

Pan Yun's mouth dropped open. "Me? I'm that awesome?"

"You're amazing—there was a sect head who wanted to give you a Dao name, but Master Zhang refused. Then another arrogant Daoist came along, also wanting to take you as his disciple, and your Fourth Master came over; the two nearly came to blows."

Pan Yun swallowed hard. "So I've become a hot commodity~~"

"You bet—you're irresistible," Miao Zhen said, opening the door. "Within fifty li, whether human, demon, monster, or ghost, everyone came out."

Seeing Pan Yun's wide eyes, filled with concern, Xuan Miao said, "Don't worry—I've told them not to spread it. From now on, no one will mention this matter, especially not your name."

Pan Yun: "Can they all really listen to you, Fourth Sister? Isn't there still a rival faction?"

Xuan Miao: "They won't dare speak up. You're a disciple of Mount Sanqing—you're talented, outstanding, and gifted. Publicizing it brings them no benefit."

Pan Yun: "True… it really doesn't benefit them."

Pan Yun quickly forgot about the whole affair; she only regretted having been in deep meditation and missing the chance to see everyone's astonished expressions.

Alas, missed it. Missed it.

"Fourth Sister, you're back—where's Third Brother?"

"He's treating someone in Changzhou Prefecture," Xuan Miao paused. "He can cure that illness. I noticed the family was rude when they summoned him, but once he arrived, they treated him respectfully, so I came back first."

"I figured you'd be leaving the mountain soon, so I came back to check."

In plain terms, she feared Pan Yun, fresh off the mountain, would immediately clash with others.

She returned both to keep Pan Yun in check and ensure they studied properly, and to serve as a shield for the three, intimidating any schemers within Long Hushan.

She hadn't expected to return just in time—to arrive right as Pan Yun broke through, causing such a commotion.

Xuan Miao squeezed Pan Yun's arm, satisfied. "The body tempering on Si Guo Cliff clearly worked—you've expanded your meridians and dantian, and strengthened your bones and sinews."

"Fourth Sister, what about that body tempering formula…?"

"Big Brother said that formula only works on Si Guo Cliff. Once you leave the mountain, switch to another one."

Xuan Miao pulled out three formulas and gave one to each of them. "These are your body tempering formulas for the next three months—one soak every ten days. Go buy the herbs yourselves."

Pan Yun's mouth dropped open—her purse was empty, she was so embarrassed she wanted to dig holes with her toes—when Xuan Miao suddenly produced a pouch of silver and offered it to her. Just as Pan Yun reached for it, Xuan Miao changed her mind and handed it to Miao Zhen instead. "Let Miao Zhen hold the money."

Pan Yun: …

She silently withdrew her hand. Better that way—better to avoid accidents that might further burden her impoverished family.

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(End of Chapter)