Yuan Lian pursed her lips, “It’s not calculated like that. Although the lower realm’s spiritual energy isn’t as abundant as here, they have masters to guide them. From a young age, they aren’t lacking in heavenly materials and earthly treasures, so naturally, they seem stronger than you…”
This was indeed the truth. The greatest advantage of the Divine Realm was its abundant spiritual energy, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. Many immortal herbs and spiritual medicines that couldn’t survive in the lower realm grew more easily here.
But the problem was, without a teacher’s guidance, no matter how dense the spiritual energy was, one wouldn’t know how to utilize it quickly. And without a sect’s protection, one wouldn’t dare to easily touch the heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
In Yuan Lian’s view, Chang Songzhu was just like her name—resilient like pine, and tough like bamboo. She didn’t lack the courage and talent to move forward; what she lacked was a capable sect to enlighten her spiritual acumen.
Chang Songzhu listened to Yuan Lian’s words and laughed foolishly, “You’re right.”
Yuan Lian continued, “You’re not far from crossing the Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, you won’t necessarily be worse than others.”
“Huh?” Chang Songzhu was shocked, “But, but I just reached the late Qi Condensation stage a few days ago…”
Yuan Lian glanced at her, and Chang Songzhu immediately corrected herself, “But I will definitely cultivate diligently and won’t fall behind!”
“…Practice the sword technique from earlier again. I’ll watch you.”
After all, she was just a beginner. Even if she remembered the moves, she wasn’t proficient. Yuan Lian didn’t blame her much, just had her repeat the practice over and over.
Under Yuan Lian’s gaze, Chang Songzhu repeatedly practiced with the Evergreen sword. Because there were always flaws, she ended up practicing until dawn.
Fortunately, she was already in the late Qi Condensation stage, so she managed to endure the whole night without rest. Finally, she heard Yuan Lian say, “This time, it’s quite proficient. Your efforts weren’t in vain.”
She was instantly overjoyed, as if hearing celestial music.
“Alright, you can go now,” Yuan Lian said calmly, “Now let’s see who can practice better than you.”
Chang Songzhu didn’t expect Yuan Lian, who seemed aloof and otherworldly, to have such a strong competitive spirit, even extending it to herself. She couldn’t help but feel amused and touched, “Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you today.”
“What does it have to do with me?” Yuan Lian said, “Save that promise for when you have a personal teacher.”
“Yes! Yes!” Chang Songzhu playfully bowed, “Master, your disciple obeys.”
It was just a joke, but Yuan Lian took it to heart, looking her up and down, thinking: This unmanageable personality really resembles that disciple of hers who only has a name.
After sending Chang Songzhu off to do her morning exercises, Yuan Lian was alone again. She originally wanted to leave Wanyi Sect directly, but she was somewhat reluctant and didn’t know where to go, so she decided to stay a bit longer.
She wandered through the mountains without a fixed direction. One moment she was on Wangchen Peak, the next she was on Chongling Peak, and after a few more steps, she found herself on Banchi Peak.
This was the residence of the Wanyi Sect’s successive leaders, with numerous defensive and investigative formations layered within. Yuan Lian didn’t bother to conceal herself, so as soon as she entered the mountain, Yan Hang noticed her.
However, he didn’t appear immediately—he was always the one thick-skinned enough to visit Buzhou Mountain, never expecting Yuan Lian to come on her own.
Yan Hang thought there was a mistake in his formation and didn’t react immediately.
By the time Yuan Lian stood at the top of Banchi Peak, gazing at the scenery below, Yan Hang’s figure finally appeared beside her.
Suppressing his surprise and excitement, he bowed and said, “Master, your presence brings glory to Banchi Peak.”
Yuan Lian nodded.
Yan Hang sensibly stood with Yuan Lian for a while, but eventually couldn’t bear the silence. Observing Yuan Lian’s expression, he held back from speaking.
Instead, Yuan Lian slowly took in every inch of the scenery from the peak to the foot of the mountain, explaining, “I was bored staying at Buzhou Mountain, so I wanted to take a walk. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Yan Hang was slightly surprised. He cautiously glanced at Yuan Lian, noticing her calm demeanor, but unlike before, she seemed to have a subtle warmth.
Recalling previous rumors, he pondered for a moment and asked, “I heard you were in seclusion for cultivation. Could it be that you’ve made great progress?”
Yuan Lian withdrew her gaze, first shaking her head, then saying, “Not entirely without gain, but…”
Although Yan Hang called Yuan Lian his master, it was more of a nominal title. In fact, he was much older than Yuan Lian. He single-handedly turned the tide for the declining Wanyi Sect, so he wasn’t as straightforward and reckless as he appeared. He was experienced and perceptive, genuinely grateful to Yuan Lian, and often sensitive to her changes.
Yan Hang flicked the dust off his whisk, bowing, “Master, you’ve only been an Immortal Venerable for seven hundred years. There’s no need to rush.”
“Rush?” Yuan Lian was puzzled by his conclusion, “Why do you say that?”
Yan Hang smiled, “I see your demeanor is different from before. Why are you worried instead of happy?”
Yuan Lian was slightly stunned, subconsciously relaxing her furrowed brow. She thought for a long time before softly saying, “I don’t know… As you said, I shouldn’t be in a hurry.”
But for some reason, it felt like there was a voice urging her to speed up her advancement—even though she had nearly endless lifespan to complete this final step.
If now, her emotional threads were somewhat complete, and she had a competitive spirit, that would be understandable. But before, her desires were quite shallow. From childhood, whatever she wanted, her father could find for her. If it was impossible, she wouldn’t insist and would soon forget about it.
Was she originally this eager for cultivation?
“Master, you are blessed. The supreme position is just the icing on the cake,” Yan Hang said firmly, “That position is just a matter of time. If you worry about it, isn’t it putting the cart before the horse?”
Such sincere advice made Yuan Lian look at Yan Hang with some curiosity, “You’ve become much more stable now…”
Yan Hang was momentarily stunned, then instinctively adjusted his specially chosen attire, “Look at you saying that. I’ve been the sect leader for so many years; naturally, I’m different from before.”
Yuan Lian saw him now dressed in a robe interwoven with white and gold, sleeves fluttering, his face full of righteous immortal aura, acting quite the part in front of her. Comparing it to last month when she saw him scolding his disciples for being useless, she really didn’t know how to evaluate it.
Seeing Yuan Lian’s relaxed expression and subtle smile, Yan Hang knew she was in a good mood and took the opportunity to chat more, “You rarely leave the Immortal Mansion. Is there something important you need to entrust to me?”
He was just making small talk. Most of Wanyi Sect was within Yuan Lian’s divine sense range. If she really needed to find Yan Hang, a simple divine sense transmission would suffice; there was no need for the Immortal Venerable to come in person.
Yuan Lian spoke honestly, “Father instructed me to go out more.”
She lowered her eyes, feeling a bit down, “But after leaving Buzhou Mountain, I don’t know where to go.”
Yan Hang didn’t need to be told to understand Dao Ji Shenwang’s intentions. Yuan Lian Xianzun had everything she wanted, except for personal experience. Before, she was still naive, and even if she witnessed tragic or cruel events, she might not gain any insight. Instead, she might appear indifferent due to a lack of empathy.
But from Yan Hang’s brief observation, her emotional fluctuations towards people and events were much more apparent now. All those experiences would surely enhance her state of mind, greatly benefiting her cultivation.
Yan Hang’s mind raced, realizing this was a great opportunity to strengthen their relationship. He quickly came up with an idea and said, “That’s easy. The vast Divine Realm has countless good places to visit. But since you came to Wanyi Sect first, you happened to catch a coincidence.”
Yuan Lian looked at him.
This was clearly a sign of curiosity, and Yan Hang felt more confident, “In a short while, it will be the once-in-a-century Hundred Sect Assembly, hosted by Wanyi Sect this time. During the sect competition, the best disciples from each level will be selected to meet Dao Ji Shenwang. You know, Lan…”
Yan Hang paused, then corrected himself, “That person has advanced further now. The Forbidden Demon Cave won’t miss the chance to show off, and Sword Mountain… Wang Dingfeng recently acquired a genius disciple, said to be a once-in-a-millennium sword prodigy. If we’re not careful, we might embarrass ourselves in front of the God King.”
The winners of the sect competition before the Hundred Sect Assembly, aside from the rewards within their own sect, would receive several heaven-grade spirit pills from all the sects to enhance their strength and make a name for themselves in front of the God King.
And although Dao Ji rarely left his residence, he had many resources and was always generous, willing to support the younger generation. Every Hundred Sect Assembly, he would give many benefits to the young people who came to see him, including magical treasures, cultivation methods, and spirit pills. Combined, it wasn’t uncommon for a cultivator below the Earth Immortal stage to advance a major level.
Therefore, every assembly was a fiercely contested opportunity.
“This time, the situation isn’t as favorable as before,” Yan Hang said frankly, “We haven’t had any outstanding disciples in nearly a hundred years, and since the competition is held on our own turf, if none of our disciples are selected… it would be a great loss of face.”
Each competition was an established assessment, evaluating the quality of disciples under each sect. If they passed, it was fine, but if their shortcomings were obvious, it would greatly affect future resource distribution among the sects.
Moreover, for the entire Wanyi Sect, Dao Ji Shenwang was Yuan Lian Xianzun’s father. With that connection, he would pay some attention to Wanyi Sect. If no one from Wanyi Sect qualified to meet him… Yan Hang could handle it, but the others in the sect might not have such thick skin and would likely die of shame.