“I never imagined that you would resonate with the Martial Uncle’s Jade Chime.” Now that his cute little apprentice had transformed into his Junior Martial Uncle, the Fifth Elder, Xuan Ling, looked utterly devastated. “It seems I will never hear you call me Master, though Senior Sister does not sound bad either.”
“Junior Martial Uncle, say Senior Sister for me to hear.”
Chong Wuxi called out “Senior Sister” with a bitter expression, sighing as he held his chin. “A minor villain truly cannot shake the grand plot.”
Xuan Ling did not hear him clearly. “What?”
“Nothing.” Chong Wuxi sat up straight. “I was just wondering why the Immortal Venerable’s companion spirit treasure would resonate with me.”
“There are countless cultivators in the Qingyuan Realm, but only you and the Martial Uncle have awakened Light-type spirit roots. I believe that is the reason for the resonance. Becoming the Martial Uncle’s direct disciple is something countless people dream of; why are you so resistant?”
Xuan Ling glared at Chong Wuxi, her face full of frustration at his apparent inability to recognize his own good fortune.
Chong Wuxi thought to himself, I do not want this good fortune at all.
Xuan Ling pulled a chair over and leaned in. “Come now, tell your Senior Sister why you are so reluctant.”
“I am not reluctant,” Chong Wuxi lied smoothly. “I am just a bit slow. If I cannot learn the spells the Immortal Venerable teaches, will he punish me?”
“No, the Martial Uncle’s temper is”
She could not bring herself to finish the sentence with the word good. Xuan Ling felt the words stuck in her throat, her face turning red, until she finally managed to squeeze out, “Disciples like us must not discuss the Saint Sovereign in vain.”
Chong Wuxi turned his head and stared at her in silence.
The two remained speechless for quite a while until the Xuanqing Sect Leader, Xuan Su, walked in with the Fourth Elder, Xuan Mu, finally breaking the awkward silence in the room.
The Fourth Elder, Xuan Mu, was handsome, with shoulder-length black hair tied back with a ribbon. He carried himself with a casual air that completely contradicted his name. He emptied a pile of immortal-grade pills from his storage bag and produced a lotus-shaped artifact along with a scroll.
“This is a gift from your Fourth Senior Brother. This artifact is called Lotus Reflecting the Moon; it can block one fatal attack.”
“This scroll is the Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains. Before you learn to fly on a sword, this can take you anywhere you wish to go.”
“Thank you, Fourth Senior Brother.” Chong Wuxi struggled to hold the scroll, which was almost as tall as he was, while reaching out his short arms to grab the Lotus Reflecting the Moon from the table.
Xuan Ling, finding the little silver-haired boy in front of her incredibly adorable, pulled a divination board from her robes and placed it on the table. “Junior Martial Uncle, this is a gift from your Fifth Senior Sister. This is the Four Symbols Eight Trigrams Board; it can subdue all demons and evil spirits. It kills any demon it sees.”
Chong Wuxi, who was standing on his tiptoes to reach the treasures on the table, stumbled and sat down on his chair with a thud. “Kill demons?”
Xuan Ling laughed. “It kills demons, not you. What are you afraid of?”
Chong Wuxi stared at the Four Symbols Eight Trigrams Board in Xuan Ling’s hand as if it were a deadly threat. The Fourth Elder, Xuan Mu, clicked his tongue. “Junior Martial Uncle is only three years old; naturally, he cannot stand such bloodthirsty objects. You should give him something else.”
Xuan Ling’s eyes lit up, and she carefully produced a large box from her storage bag. Xuan Mu frowned and took a step back. “Put away those insects of yours! What if you scare the Junior Martial Uncle?”
Xuan Ling bared her teeth and instead handed Chong Wuxi a Water Aversion Pearl, then turned to threaten Xuan Mu. “Fourth Senior Brother, you had better be careful. My insects are used to doing as they please. There are over a thousand people in the Xuanqing Sect; they can bite whomever they want.”
Sect Leader Xuan Su ignored their squabbling, solemnly presented his own gift, and left without a word.
Seeing Chong Wuxi staring blankly at the Sect Leader’s retreating back, Xuan Ling spoke. “Do not let the Sect Leader’s stern face fool you; he is actually very good to his disciples. If you need anything, feel free to ask him.”
Chong Wuxi felt relieved and lay on the table, clutching all his received treasures to his chest. “Fifth Senior Sister, is the Second Senior Sister not currently in the sect?”
“Oh, your Second Senior Sister went on a journey; her return date is uncertain.”
“And the Third Senior Brother?”
“Your Third Senior Brother has gone into seclusion.”
Chong Wuxi gave a disappointed “Oh.” Xuan Ling, seeing through his thoughts, smiled. “Do not worry. Their treasures are all with me. When I return, I will pick out some precious items to give to you as gifts.”
“Your Third Senior Brother has a protective artifact that allows one to remain clear-headed in a secret realm and avoid being trapped by illusions. It will certainly be useful to you during the sect trials.”
“A secret realm” Fourth Elder Xuan Mu suddenly remembered something. “Junior Martial Uncle, could you describe your experience in the Immortal Ascension Ladder?”
Chong Wuxi nodded and described the experience in detail. Xuan Mu laughed helplessly. “When we went through that realm, we suffered quite a bit of physical pain. It seems the Martial Uncle’s secret realm was quite lenient toward the Junior Martial Uncle.”
Chong Wuxi pondered for a moment. “Perhaps it is because I awakened a Light-type spirit root?”
Xuan Ling handed Chong Wuxi another storage bag. “In any case, you and the Martial Uncle have a fated master-disciple bond.”
Chong Wuxi’s head began to ache whenever he heard words like fated, and there were many other things causing him headaches.
There were ten main peaks in the Xuanqing Sect. Chong Wuxi should have gone to the Jimo Peak, where the Nine Li Immortal Venerable resided, to cultivate. However, Jimo Peak was covered in snow year round, and the Immortal Venerable was in seclusion. Chong Wuxi had not yet begun body tempering and could not survive in such extreme cold.
The Sect Leader and the two elders held a small meeting to discuss where to place him.
Xuan Ling wanted to take him to Sa’die Peak, but the area was densely covered by ancient trees, blocking out the sunlight, which was not ideal for the Light-type root he had awakened.
Sect Leader Xuan Su said, “Piao Miao Peak is like spring all year round. The Junior Martial Uncle can come to Piao Miao Peak.”
Chong Wuxi blinked. “Senior Brother Chuning. Martial Nephew once told me that Piao Miao Peak is covered in snow year-round and is very cold.”
Sect Leader Xuan Su’s face turned black. “That disciple of mine often talks nonsense. Please excuse him, Junior Martial Uncle.”
Xuan Ling secretly sent a message to Chong Wuxi “Sect Leader Brother is very serious, and his disciples are quite rigid, making the entire Piao Miao Peak feel lifeless. That little brat Chuning lied to you to get you to move there just to keep him company.”
Chong Wuxi glanced at the Sect Leader’s expression, and Xuan Ling comforted him. “Do not worry; the Sect Leader will just reprimand him a bit.”
After much discussion, they decided to let Chong Wuxi stay on Piao Miao Peak to cultivate. Since he had not yet drawn energy into his body, Sect Leader Xuan Su personally brought him there on his flying sword.
Back in the modern world, Chong Wuxi often watched the birds outside his hospital window, sometimes imagining himself as a free bird soaring in the sky.
Now, flying over the mountains with endless immortal clouds beneath his feet and his robes fluttering in the air, he truly felt a sense of freedom. If he could live like this for a while, it would be worth it, even if it ended in tragedy.
No, I cannot think like that. I must be more ambitious. Chong Wuxi quickly pushed aside his desire to just lie flat and give up.
If he focused on cultivation and did not oppose the protagonist, he would never betray the sect or fall into the demonic path. In that way, the plot would have no power over him.
There was also the possibility of his cultivation surpassing that of the Nine Li Immortal Venerable.
Chong Wuxi shook his head to banish this unrealistic thought. He shouldn’t start having wild fantasies just because he was flying in the sky.
The Su Ling sword stopped at Piao Miao Peak. Xuan Su walked Chong Wuxi to a courtyard where Ye Yizhou was waiting at the entrance. Seeing Chong Wuxi, he excitedly rushed over. “Junior Martial Uncle!”
Xuan Su glared at his troublesome disciple, then bowed his head to pat Chong Wuxi’s hair before leaving with a stern face.
Ye Yizhou was used to his master’s glares and did not mind at all. He joyfully pulled Chong Wuxi to tour the courtyard. “Junior Martial Uncle, this is your future residence.”
The courtyard assigned to Chong Wuxi was situated in a bamboo forest. It was morning, and the sunlight flowed over the bamboo leaves, gilding them with pale gold. At the end of the forest was a lotus pond, and along its banks stood a long water corridor draped in flowering vines that bloomed in all seasons.
“Junior Martial Uncle, what do you think of this place?”
“I like it very much.” Chong Wuxi reached up to touch the flowering vines hanging in the air, but then he turned and saw a jade frame in the center of the courtyard that he recognized all too well.
His hand froze. “What is that?”
“It is the Immortal Ascension Ladder! Junior Martial Uncle, do you not recognize it?” Ye Yizhou tried to jog his memory. “Do you remember the long-legged snow bird in the secret realm?”
Chong Wuxi stared silently at Ye Yizhou.
Ye Yizhou scratched his head in confusion, trying to figure out what he had said wrong. The Immortal Ascension Ladder, the long-legged snow bird. Ye Yizhou looked down at the little snowy ball of a Junior Martial Uncle and suddenly felt as though he understood.
He opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it under Chong Wuxi’s fierce glare.
After a moment of silence, Ye Yizhou changed the subject. “The Master said that the secret realm is formed from a wisp of the Saint Sovereign’s consciousness. Since you share the same mutated Light-type spirit root, it will be very beneficial for your cultivation.”
“A person should not always walk the same path, nor should they always enter the same secret realm,” Chong Wuxi said gloomily.
“The secret realm changes according to your heart,” Ye Yizhou suggested. “The next time you enter, you can make the snow turn into a bird without long legs.”
Chong Wuxi gave him a blank look.
Ye Yizhou continued, oblivious. “The Master said the Saint Sovereign will be in seclusion for a very long time, so you will have to make do for now.”
In the cultivation world, a very long time was truly a long time. As long as the Nine Li Immortal Venerable did not come out of seclusion, his life was safe. Chong Wuxi breathed a sigh of relief but asked one more time, just to be sure. “Did the Sect Leader truly say that?”
“Yes,” Ye Yizhou confirmed. “The Master told me personally that the Saint Sovereign will be in seclusion for a long time.”
The Sect Leader and elders of the Xuanqing Sect were all over a century old. Having suddenly acquired a three-year-old Junior Martial Uncle, they were all absolutely delighted. As a result, Chong Wuxi spent an entire month in luxury, doing nothing but eating and sleeping.
Since he could not yet fast before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Chong Wuxi ate happily and slept soundly without any guilt. As for that jade frame called the Immortal Ascension Ladder, he had long forgotten about it.
After all, the Sect Leader had said that the Nine Li Immortal Venerable would be in seclusion for a very long time.
The night breeze was warm, and Chong Wuxi was dozing off in the moonlight when Fourth Elder Xuan Mu suddenly stormed in, scooped him up, and ran.
In his sleepy state, Chong Wuxi felt as though he had arrived in a very cold place. Suddenly, a breeze blew by, carrying a faint scent of flowers and wood, much like the fresh air one would smell when opening a window on a snowy winter morning.
Chong Wuxi opened his eyes and saw a patch of clouds stopping in front of him. He reached out to poke the marshmallow-like cloud, but it drifted away.
The cloud woke him up, and just as he was about to say something, Xuan Mu, who was standing beside him, suddenly bowed down respectfully.
Chong Wuxi looked up in a daze.
At the summit of a thousand mountains, with the bright moon hanging high, a figure emerged from the mist and clouds, stopping right before him.