Chapter 170

Li Wenying couldn't help shaking his head with a smile, leaning back against the eaves with his sword, watching as the spiritual energy cluster in the sky showed no sign of dissipating—instead growing denser and denser. He sighed, "Such a genius, how did she end up at Mount Sanqing?"

Master Xuanmiao also looked up at the spiritual energy cluster, saying nothing.

But Li Wenying's interest was piqued. "Where exactly did you find her? Does she have any siblings?"

Master Xuanmiao couldn't help recalling Pan Yue and Pan Yu, and shook his head. "Don't bother. Their family has only her with this talent."

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

Li Wenying's face fell with disappointment.

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

Down 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 Celestial Master's Mansion who had woken to watch the spectacle now knew.

The young man's eyes flickered slightly, turning toward the courtyard gate.

Zhang Zhengchang appeared in the courtyard in an instant, his face grim as he stared at the youth. "How is your injury?"

Zhang Liuyuan bowed his head. "It has improved greatly."

Zhang Zhengchang's expression darkened. "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 and turned 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—Pan Yun. She's nine years old."

Zhang Liuyuan was slightly surprised, then quickly accepted it.

Zhang Zhengchang looked at him with clear disappointment. "So many geniuses, and 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 Exile Cliff cave knew nothing—he opened his eyes suddenly in the darkness, restless and uneasy, yet unsure why. After thinking for a moment, he forced himself into meditation.

On the mountain peak, Cheng Lingzi knew everything. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the courtyard below and the spiritual energy cluster that seemed almost within reach, smiling faintly as he murmured, "Fate, indeed—fate, indeed…"

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

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 morning sun.

He cried out, "Wow! So beautiful, so beautiful—the clouds, Young Master, look!"

The boy smiled faintly. "I saw it."

The servant asked, "Young Master, shall I lay out paper for you to 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 study it carefully, then paint it properly."

The servant: "It's not far from here to Long Hushan. I think that cloud was right above Long Hushan—maybe it's their specialty. When we settle down, if it appears again, you can paint it by comparison."

But 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 phenomena bring either fortune or disaster. We have no luck to catch the fortune, so no need to go. As for disaster—better to run as far as possible." He said, "Get up and pack. 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 the Second Branch's Patriarch is at Long Hushan—won't you pay your respects?"

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

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

He held the tortoise shell silently, pondering where things had gone wrong.

He counted with his fingers, frowned. "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, then turned to his servant. "I told you Long Hushan is ill-omened. Look—I only slept one night in their realm and caught a chill. We've camped in countless places before and never had a problem."

The servant had seen him sneeze, and nodded in deep agreement. "Then let's hurry."

The boy: "Hurry, hurry."

As the master and servant fled the Hushan Realm, 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 primordial energy appeared in her palm, rolled for a moment, then vanished.

She could now summon internal primordial energy faster—almost synchronized with her thoughts.

She smiled faintly, turning inward to observe her cultivation.

Her Upper Dantian was brimming with primordial energy; she was only a step away from breaking through the Fifth Stage into the First Marquis.

Once she entered the First Marquis, she could learn to command objects and fly—free from illness, light and strong forever.

All excellent savings in effort and resources.

Pan Yun stretched happily, got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and went out to wash her face. The Exile Cliff really was a good place. With more free time ahead, she could visit occasionally.

If every visit brought this kind of progress… 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?"

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

Every day it waited in its nest until she finished washing, then got up.

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

Pan Yun opened the door and went out to look.

Outside, she saw a figure holding a sword, gazing up at the sky—his back was unmistakably familiar.

Pan Yun stopped in her tracks. "Fourth Senior Sister?"

Xuanmiao turned back to look at her. "Awake?"

Then she continued gazing upward at the sky.

Pan Yun walked forward and tilted her neck alongside her, staring at the sky. Wow, the sky is so blue today—it rivals our 26th century;

Hmm, the sun is excellent too; today will surely be a scorching day. I feel like eating ice—sinful, sinful; in the height of summer, one should drink hot water to dispel the heat.

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

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

"Observing celestial signs in broad daylight?" Pan Yun asked. "Isn't that something you do at night?"

Xuanmiao: "Night has its own way of viewing, day has its own. Besides, it's still early morning—the stars are still hanging in the sky."

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

"Two or three are enough," Xuanmiao said. "It's precisely these three stars that keep the sky from being utterly dark before dawn, illuminating the world a little, and making the sunrise even brighter."

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

Xuanmiao said: "You don't need to force yourself to understand. Just do what you want to do. How was your cultivation last night?"

Pan Yun perked up immediately. "Excellent! I've reached the Fifth Hour—my Yuan energy is full in my Upper Dantian. I feel I could kill ten oxen with one palm."

!. Read

Xuanmiao watched her silently.

"Uh, maybe only five oxen—after all, there's a gap between one ox and another, which weakens the force."

Xuanmiao 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 shelter, Fourth Sister?"

Xuanmiao: "I've offended many people too. I can protect you here 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." Xuanmiao turned her head to look at her. "You and Miao Zhen, Miao He—you must grow quickly. Better still, leave the academy before we fully break ties."

"After mastering your skills, leave—the world beyond is vast, wide enough for you to soar."

Pan Yun ventured: "Three years?"

Xuanmiao's lips curled slightly. "Then three years. Your eldest and second brothers also graduated after three years in the academy."

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

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

"But we of Mount Sanqing have no use for those," Xuanmiao said. "You aren't without a lineage. Whether it's me or your eldest and second brothers—we'll always be with you. You must learn not only what the academy teaches, but also what Mount Sanqing teaches."

"Only after graduation will you truly enter the Dao path and begin learning Mount Sanqing's deeper teachings."

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

Xuanmiao's lips curled slightly as she nodded gently. "This is the difference between having a lineage and having none. The academy teaches basics—your lineage teaches you the deeper truths."

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

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

Miao He opened the door half-asleep, eyes still closed, lazily asking: "I heard my name."

"You've got sharp ears," Pan Yun said. "We were just talking about you—I told Fourth Sister we three must graduate from the academy within three years."

Miao He blinked, stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said: "Little Master, you're awake!"

Pan Yun: …

Xuanmiao: …

Pan Yun was about to touch Miao He's forehead when Miao He suddenly hugged her, excitedly saying: "Little Master, you don't know how much of a stir you caused last night! So many people came to watch you—you nearly started a fight!"

Pan Yun's eyes widened. "I didn't know? How did I cause a stir?"

Miao He gestured wildly: "There was this huge mass of spiritual energy above your roof, swirling and swirling—it sucked all the spiritual energy from our room! Above, there was an even larger spiritual mass—it seemed to have drawn in the spiritual energy from the entire academy and Long Hushan…"

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

"You're incredibly awesome. One Yuanzhu wanted to give you a Dao name, but Yuanzhu Zhang refused. Then came this arrogant old Daoist—he also wanted to take you as his disciple. Fourth Aunt showed up, and the two nearly fought."

Pan Yun swallowed hard. "I've become a prized treasure~~"

"You're more than prized—you're irresistible," Miao Zhen said, opening the door. "Within fifty li, every human, demon, ghost, and monster was drawn out."

Seeing Pan Yun's wide eyes and growing worry, Xuanmiao said: "Don't worry—I've already ordered them not to spread word of this. From now on, no one will mention it, especially not your name."

Pan Yun: "Can they all really obey you? Aren't there enemies?"

Xuanmiao: "They won't dare speak. You're a disciple of Mount Sanqing—brilliant, gifted, outstanding. Publicizing it brings them no benefit."

Pan Yun: "True… it really brings them no benefit."

Pan Yun quickly forgot the matter, only regretting she'd remained in meditation and missed seeing everyone's astonished expressions.

Alas, missed it. Missed it.

"Fourth Sister, you're back. Where's Third Brother?"

"He's treating a patient in Changzhou," Xuanmiao said, pausing. "He can cure that illness. Though the family was rude when summoning him, they treated him respectfully afterward, so I returned first."

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

In short, she feared Pan Yun would clash with others right after leaving the mountain.

She returned both to keep them focused on study and to serve as a shield, intimidating any schemers within Long Hushan.

She hadn't expected to return just in time—to witness Pan Yun's breakthrough and the massive commotion it caused.

Xuanmiao squeezed Pan Yun's arm, satisfied. "The body conditioning on Si Guo Cliff clearly worked—your meridians and Upper Dantian have expanded, and your tendons and bones are strengthened."

"Fourth Sister, what about that conditioning formula…"

"Eldest Brother said that formula is only suitable for Si Guo Cliff. Once you leave the mountain, switch to another."

Xuanmiao pulled out three formulas, giving one to each. "These are your body conditioning 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, her toes digging into the ground in embarrassment—when Xuanmiao suddenly pulled out a handful of coins and offered them. Just as Pan Yun reached to take them, Xuanmiao's brow twitched, and she handed them instead to Miao Zhen. "Let Miao Zhen hold the money."

Pan Yun: ……

She silently withdrew her hand; it was better, to avoid accidents that might further burden the poor family.

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(End of Chapter)