“Of course, that is not what I meant. In any case, do not misunderstand your Junior Martial Uncle.”
Zhong Wuxi shook his head. “Master must have his own reasons.”
“If only my group of unfilial disciples were half as obedient as you,” Xuan Mu said, his heart aching. “If you were not already attuned to Junior Martial Uncle’s jade chime, I would certainly take you as my closing disciple.”
Zhong Wuxi smiled brightly. “When the top is not upright, the bottom is crooked. It must be because you are so carefree and unconventional every day that you have spoiled all the disciples of Zhuiyun Peak.”
“Oh, you little snowball, how dare you mock your senior brother? In that case, you can forget about getting this Spirit-Ice Iron!”
Zhong Wuxi turned his head and stared at him in silence.
Pinned by his Junior Martial Brother’s sparkling apricot eyes, Xuan Mu finally succumbed to the pressure and corrected himself. “Big Snowball, the Sixth Elder of the Xuanqing Sect is a magnificent, indomitable Big Snowball.”
Zhong Wuxi retracted his gaze. “Senior Brother, you misunderstand. I have never cared about such things.”
Xuan Mu remained silent.
He quickly changed the subject. “Take this piece of Spirit-Ice Iron back with you. Once you form your Gold Core, you can forge your own sword.”
“My senior brother has calculated that you will surely form your Gold Core within a year, becoming the youngest Gold Core cultivator in the entire Qingyuan Realm!”
Zhong Wuxi looked at him mournfully. “Zongzheng Lan and I are both at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment, yet I am two years his senior.”
Xuan Mu shrank his neck, shivering as he clamped his mouth shut.
“The Spirit-Ice Iron is wonderful, but I cannot accept this gift.” Zhong Wuxi touched the mysterious, cold-glowing mountain of iron. “Master not teaching me sword techniques must have his reasons. In any case, I will learn whatever Master teaches me.”
Xuan Mu felt regretful. “But an innate spirit body is most suitable for sword arts. Perhaps one day, after reaching the Spirit Transformation stage, you might even nurture a sword spirit.”
“Senior Brother, the mutated Light Spirit Root is also very precious.”
“That is true.” Xuan Mu nodded. “There are as many cultivators in the Qingyuan Realm as there are hairs on a cow, but only you and Junior Martial Uncle have awakened the supreme mutated Light Spirit Root.”
He pulled a stack of talisman paper from his qiankun bag. “All my treasures have been given to you as birthday gifts; these are all the new talismans I have made. Times are not peaceful at the foot of the mountain, so take all of these with you.”
Zhong Wuxi stiffened. “Are there demons causing chaos?”
“Not entirely demons.” Xuan Mu looked at him. “In the Great Desolation of the Northwest, there is a tree called the Ruomu. It has green leaves and red flowers, and it bears fruit every sixty years.”
“Consuming one Ruomu fruit increases one’s cultivation by ten years, driving countless cultivators to scramble for them.”
Zhong Wuxi was puzzled. “Many of the immortal herbs Master gives me can increase cultivation by fifty years, and some even by a hundred.”
Xuan Mu said helplessly, “You cannot compare Junior Martial Uncle to ordinary cultivators. The herbs he gives you are priceless treasures that cannot be found even if one seeks them; ordinary cultivators could risk their lives nine times over and still fail to obtain them.”
“But Senior Brother, apart from the Xuanqing Sect, there are two other major sects, four gates, and seven schools comprising the top-tier powers of the Qingyuan Realm. Can they not obtain precious spirit herbs?”
“Naturally, they can.” Xuan Mu thought for a moment. “I forgot to tell you earlier. The Ruomu fruit is precious for two reasons. The first is the ten-year cultivation boost, and the second is the Sect Grand Competition hidden behind the fruit.”
Zhong Wuxi understood. “The Grand Competition is held every sixty years, and the Ruomu fruit belongs to the winning sect?”
“New disciples from all sects can participate. The results determine the allocation of cultivation resources for the next sixty years.” Xuan Mu smiled. “The winning sect also receives medicinal pills and spirit beasts provided by the Xiling Dynasty.”
Zhong Wuxi thought of the little phoenix. “No wonder Zongzheng Lan joined the Xuanqing Sect.”
“In three years, the Ruomu tree will bear fruit. Sects are fighting openly and covertly, and the demons are restless.” Xuan Mu sighed. “I feel this trip is dangerous for you all, but the sect rules set by our founder cannot be violated.”
Zhong Wuxi was perfectly calm. “As long as one has the Dao in their heart, the world is a peach blossom spring. Do not worry, Senior Brother; I have already thought of a way to deal with the danger.”
“Master, Senior Brother Xuan Mu says this trip down the mountain is fraught with danger,” Zhong Wuxi said, following behind Yin Jiuli. “I have not yet formed my Gold Core. What if I encounter wicked people I cannot defeat?”
“The Snow Cloud Ribbon is very useful, but it is so precious.” Zhong Wuxi touched the white ribbon on his wrist. “By the way, how many of your Snow Cloud Ribbon clan are there? How many spirit beasts in total?”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon spoke up. “Only my mother and me, but my mother has already ascended.”
Zhong Wuxi was stunned. “Spirit beasts can ascend?”
“Of course! From what rock did you tumble out, Master, that you do not even know this?” The Snow Cloud Ribbon wanted to say more but fell silent under the gaze of the white-robed Immortal. “In any case, there are no other Snow Cloud Ribbons in the Qingyuan Realm.”
“Innocent is the man, but guilty is the treasure. If others know I possess such a rare spirit beast, they will surely kill me to take it.”
Zhong Wuxi trailed behind Yin Jiuli, muttering, “Master, what should I do?”
“The word kill is inauspicious.”
Zhong Wuxi hurriedly shut his mouth, terrified of jinxing himself.
Yin Jiuli turned to look at the little tail trailing behind him and performed a hand seal. A crisp bird call echoed as an incredibly beautiful snow bird flew through the winds of Jimo Peak and landed before Zhong Wuxi. Its wings were pure white, and it had a tuft of crimson feathers on its forehead.
“This is a Flame-Ice Beast, an ice-and-fire dual-element spirit beast.”
Zhong Wuxi circled the bird. “Master, it…”
Yin Jiuli formed a hand seal, and a faint white light enveloped the beast. When the light faded, the Flame-Ice Beast’s size had diminished, and its legs had shrunk significantly.
Zhong Wuxi turned his head and stared at Yin Jiuli in silence. The white-robed, ink-haired Immortal stood beneath the pear tree, ethereal and transcendent. Actually, his Master had done nothing wrong; it was clearly his younger self who had cried and made a fuss for a small spirit beast, specifically one with short legs.
Zhong Wuxi was moved. “Master, you actually remember what I said when I was young.”
Yin Jiuli glanced at him indifferently. “Hmm.”
“Then you shall follow me down the mountain for training.” Zhong Wuxi happily stroked the beast’s pure white wings. “Master, can it take human form like the Snow Cloud Ribbon?”
“Of course not; look at how dull it is!”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon glared viciously at the beast, vowing to teach this inferior creature that dared to compete for its owner’s affection a lesson. It masked its aura and cast a small spell, but the dull bird did not react.
Zhong Wuxi tilted his head. “Flame-Ice Beast is a bit of a mouthful. How about I call you Xiao Xue?”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon had to be hidden, and his own mutated Light Spirit Root also had to be concealed. Since Xiao Xue was an ice-and-fire beast, Zhong Wuxi realized, “Master, you want me to disguise myself as having an ice-and-fire dual spirit root?”
Yin Jiuli nodded slightly.
“Although the Ice Spirit Root is also a mutated root, it is not as rare as the Light Spirit Root.” Zhong Wuxi ignited a green flame in his palm. “Disguising a Fire Spirit Root is no problem either.”
“Besides, there is Zongzheng Lan, whose Phoenix Heaven-Fire is very powerful.”
Before Zhong Wuxi could finish his sentence, the Flame-Ice Beast suddenly walked up to him and bowed.
Zhong Wuxi was at a loss. “Master…”
“This dull bird is acknowledging its master!” The Snow Cloud Ribbon sulked and dived into the qiankun bag; it did not want to see this scheming bird currying favor with its master.
“So that is it.”
Zhong Wuxi climbed onto Xiao Xue’s back carefully. Although the beast had shrunk, it was still quite large; one flap of its wings stirred up a current of air. Zhong Wuxi was swept up by the current, only to fall into a cool, calm embrace.