After Hua Jing finished finding a room and settling down, she returned to the hall to hear the next instructions her master had for her. Jiang Yun had already formed a training plan; as his disciple, the one thing she specifically needed to learn was the Law of Time.
Though early-stage cultivators cannot freely wield the Law of Time, they can still learn the basics and perceive its flow as long as they possess a glimmer of Qi. However, if that were the case, the individual in question would need a level of comprehension far surpassing Jiang Yun’s own. Jiang Yun had first learned the law under extremely favorable conditions: he had been in an enclosed space saturated with the Law of Time, accompanied by a journal outlining profound insights. This had allowed him to begin his study even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Even though Hua Jing was also at the Foundation Establishment stage, she now had Jiang Yun, a master of the law, to personally guide her. Jiang Yun believed that with his expertise, even a monkey could learn the basics of time from him.
When Hua Jing returned, Jiang Yun told her they would begin with the Law of Time. He lectured her on the foundational insights, and after a thorough explanation, he used his own power to surround her with the temporal law, instructing her to try and feel its presence. This was not a short process, but several days later, Hua Jing finally sensed a trace of the law. This earned her immediate praise from Jiang Yun, as it had taken him several times longer to achieve the same feat. He theorized that because Hua Jing had lived on Earth—where the concept of time was a constant, everyday reality—the law came more naturally to her.
After she sensed the trace, Jiang Yun instructed her to return to her residence to study until she could consistently perceive the Law of Time. Seeing her leave, Jiang Yun was left alone again. Everyone else in the sect was busy with their own tasks, such as cultivating or teaching their disciples. Jiang Yun decided to rest for a few days, enjoying the relative slowness of life before deciding on his next move.
As the days passed, Jiang Yun marveled at his own freedom. His whole life had always been driven by a goal, a constant struggle to survive and advance. Now that he had reached the pinnacle, everything was effortless; he no longer needed to chase goals. While he lacked aptitude for alchemy, weapon crafting, array formation, or talisman making, he no longer required those skills, as he was already at the peak of power. Even when he was still climbing the ranks, he hadn't needed them because he possessed the Law of Time. If he needed resources, he would simply accelerate the aging of a rare herb, making it incredibly old and valuable. He could then use the herb for a breakthrough or trade it for whatever else he required. In combat, the Law of Time was his greatest weapon and his most reliable trump card. He had no plans to learn those crafts now; it would be a waste of his time.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, news traveled slowly. Only recently had word spread through the region that the Thunder God Sect and the Flaming Phoenix Sect had been destroyed. Furthermore, the Flaming Phoenix Sect’s former territory had been occupied by a small group led by a seemingly young man. The name "Jiang Yun" had begun to circulate, and people were busy gossiping about exactly who this mysterious man was.
Among the crowd, a tall, imposing girl with red hair passed by and heard the news. The name felt familiar, making her curious if it was who she thought it was. The power described was undeniable; she remembered that the person she knew was unfathomably strong. He was a man who easily defeated any opponent who stood in his way. The red-haired girl approached a stranger who was discussing the rumors. "Can you describe what this person looks like?" she asked.
The stranger, seeing such a beauty, answered immediately, "I haven't met him personally, but from what I've heard, he is a young man with long black hair, and he is quite tall."
The description matched the person in her memories. She thanked the stranger and decided to see for herself if this was the man she had been looking for. Following the rumors, she headed toward the Invincible Cloud Sect.
Several days later, the red-haired girl arrived high above the sect, observing the grounds. After finishing her reconnaissance, she entered the sect to see if the person was truly there. Jiang Yun, who was still enjoying his leisure time, saw a feminine figure approaching. Feeling no hostility, he decided to wait and see who was coming to visit.
After a short while, the woman arrived. Looking around, she spotted a man lying comfortably on a chair. She walked closer, preparing to greet him, but upon seeing his face, she stopped in her tracks, stunned. It was him—the person she had been seeking. After hundreds of years, she finally saw him again. Back then, when Jiang Yun ascended to immortality, she thought she wouldn't see him for a long time—not until she ascended herself. But hundreds of years had passed, and even with plentiful resources, she was still only at the Integrating Soul realm, far from the levels required to ascend. Hundreds of years simply aren't enough to reach the ninth level of Mahayana without a massive amount of luck.
Jiang Yun, still lying in his chair, raised a hand and looked at the red-haired woman. She looked familiar, but he couldn't figure out who she was. Unable to identify her, he asked, "To what do I owe the honor of a visit from such a beauty?"
The red-haired woman snapped out of her daze and replied, "I was curious if the person being talked about in the rumors was who I thought it was. Fortunately, I was right. Do you still remember me? I know I have changed quite a lot since we parted ways."
Jiang Yun, embarrassed, grew quiet. He studied the woman, searching through his memories to identify who this person might be. After an uncomfortably long silence, he finally gave up and decided to ask, "Unfortunately, I cannot remember who you are. Would you be so kind as to reveal who you are?"
The red-haired woman looked saddened, but she nevertheless replied, "I am the orphan girl you took in back then. I am Ning Nuo."
After hearing the name and description, Jiang Yun finally remembered who this girl was. Back then, after parting with Liu Yin, a few years had passed, and Jiang Yun was still traveling around looking for opportunities to break through and ascend.
One day, he came across a dying little girl in the forest. Jiang Yun wasn’t cold-blooded; he decided to save her, and after a few days, she finally woke up. This prompted Jiang Yun to ask where her home was and where he should take her back. The girl didn’t answer; instead, she sat quietly. This made Jiang Yun guess that she didn’t have a home and perhaps didn’t have parents either.
Jiang Yun had seen many such cases in this cruel world and decided to take her to the nearest town for safety. Then, telling his plans to the girl caused an unexpected reaction from her. The girl grabbed onto Jiang Yun tightly, not letting go. This confused Jiang Yun, as he had saved many children like her before, but never did they stick so tightly to a stranger, not worrying about their own safety.
This made Jiang Yun ask, "What’s wrong?"
After a long silence, the girl finally managed to whisper, "I want to stay with you."
This caused Jiang Yun to be even more confused. After all, who follows a stranger they have met for such a short period of time? Jiang Yun wasn’t one to pry, but this strange situation left him curious, so he decided to ask, "Why come with me? Can you explain the situation you are in?"
The girl, after another long period and seeing Jiang Yun had no intention of leaving, finally calmed down and let go. She started organizing her thoughts and finally spoke: "I am Ning Nuo. I come from a small family suffering from poverty and have barely enough to eat. Not long ago, my village suffered a severe famine, and my family, finally unable to hold on anymore, decided to sell me off to a slave trader. I, unable to stop it, was forced to go with the slave trader and haven’t seen my family ever since. I wasn’t particularly close to my family; instead, I was like a girl being readied to be sold for a bride price or connected with a more powerful family. I had a brother, so my family didn’t worry about having an heir, so I was just an extra in the family. The famine was just a way for them to sell me off early."
After saying that, Ning Nuo teared up but continued: "My life with the slave trader was far worse than anything I had experienced before. He traded me to be obedient and punished me with beatings, trying to make me a decent commodity to sell. After much beating, I got used to it and became more obedient. This was until the day finally came when I was about to be sold. When I found out, I started to panic, as the one I was being sold to had several other slaves with him who were badly injured, looking far worse than I did. So, I decided to risk it and run away."
"Finding my opportunity, I managed to escape, but not long after, the slave trader noticed my clumsy escape and, after a short chase, caught up to me. What followed was a severe beating, as the slave trader was beyond angry. The slave trader wanted to use me as an example of what happens when someone tries to escape. After the slave trader was finished, I was half-dead, and the slave trader decided to abandon me, as it would be too much effort to treat my injuries to prevent me from dying and being sellable. The cost far exceeded the gain, and he decided to dump my body in the forest. That’s why you found me here, and soon after being dumped here, I passed out."
Listening to this story, Jiang Yun felt that this girl was much more unfortunate than he used to be and didn’t know what to do with her. He then decided to ask, "What do you plan to do now?"
Ning Nuo replied, "May I follow you? I can’t survive by myself, and you are the only person who showed such kindness to me. You are definitely a good person, using so many resources to save a dying person and allowing me to go back without repayment. Please let me stay with you; I will try not to be a burden."
Jiang Yun sighed, and after some thought, he decided to take the girl with him, at least for a while. He didn’t have much time left before he ascended anyway; helping and taking a little girl along wouldn't change his journey much. So, taking her along for the time being wouldn’t be too bad. Finishing his thoughts, Jiang Yun gave Ning Nuo his confirmation. Ning Nuo showed a joyful look and thanked Jiang Yun heavily. Jiang Yun then told Ning Nuo to rest up, and they would leave tomorrow. Ning Nuo obediently went to sleep, and Jiang Yun did the same. Even though he didn’t need to rest much as a Mahayana realm cultivator, sleeping is sometimes good for the mind.
The sun rose and the next day arrived; Jiang Yun and Ning Nuo set off to continue their journey together. The journey with Ning Nuo, which Jiang Yun had thought would be short, ended up being far longer than he could have anticipated.