Yuan Lian looked into her father’s weary eyes and, after a moment of silence, said, “Father, this time after coming out of seclusion, I feel something different from before.”
Dao Ji finally smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes curving up, making him look like an ordinary old man in front of his daughter. “Child, who wouldn’t notice? It’s a good thing.”
Yuan Lian seemed a bit conflicted. She could pour out her heart to Dao Ji in a way she couldn’t even with Cang Hai. “…Do you really think it’s a good thing?”
This change was something she had sought, but now that she had it, she felt a bit uneasy. It was like a half-blind person who had seen things blurry for years suddenly seeing much clearer one day. Of course, it was a good thing, but…
Dao Ji didn’t even need Yuan Lian to finish her sentence to understand her worries, but he didn’t think it was a bad thing either. His daughter was naturally a favored child of the heavens. She lacked nothing in wealth, status, talent, or fortune, nor in care and love. What she lacked was the ability to perceive all of this.
When Yuan Lian was young, Dao Ji had once opened the gates of the Supreme Heavenly Palace, which hadn’t been opened for a long time, to find playmates for her. Various sects and families scrambled to send people to the palace, both boys and girls, from toddlers to young adults in their twenties, all sorts of people. Anyone who seemed even slightly suitable wanted to join the fun.
In fact, the children who could get close to Yuan Lian had been carefully selected. They were of similar age, gentle in nature, and well-mannered, repeatedly instructed by their families and teachers to be respectful yet approachable to Yuan Lian, not overly flattering. The topics of conversation were carefully chosen to avoid mistakes. Everyone tried various ways to please the beloved daughter of the God King and the young Jade Immortal.
At that time, Dao Ji was in the main hall, not showing himself, but he used his divine sense to constantly monitor the situation with his daughter. He watched as Yuan Lian sat upright on a small stool, holding a small pillow he had given her that gathered spiritual energy for sleep. Surrounded by people, she listened expressionlessly to the chatter around her, as if she wasn’t the one being showered with affection and care.
She only responded out of courtesy, showing no other emotions, neither happiness nor dislike. Because Dao Ji had instructed her, she obediently sat there without moving, completely unmoved by the goodwill of her peers.
Dao Ji felt heartache at that time. This was everything his daughter should have had, something that would bring joy to anyone else, yet Yuan Lian couldn’t feel it, making it all meaningless. Dao Ji dismissed everyone because such companionship was merely a task arranged by her father for Yuan Lian, bringing no joy and becoming a burden.
After so many years, Yuan Lian had finally filled in a little of what she was missing, and Dao Ji was naturally pleased to see it. As for whether his daughter would be hurt by this—he thought it overestimated Yuan Lian’s emotional threads. She had a completely different mindset from those split souls. Besides the position of God King, she could have anything she wanted in the Three Thousand Worlds and the entire Divine Realm. She fully understood everything she possessed, making her even harder to move emotionally. Such a “heart of stone,” if it were easily troubled by emotions, would indeed be a strange thing.
He told Yuan Lian, “Go out and take a walk, meet those you’ve seen before and those you haven’t. You’ll have completely different insights.”
Yuan Lian didn’t really think she would be “troubled by emotions.” She was just shaken by the various, complex emotional lives experienced by those split souls. After all, people always have doubts and awe about things they haven’t experienced.
After leaving the Supreme Heavenly Palace, she didn’t return directly to the Immortal Mansion but rode the wind slowly back. However, thinking carefully, within the range of Buzhou Mountain, there wasn’t even a mosquito, so it didn’t seem to achieve the purpose of “going out for a walk.” So she descended through the clouds.
Besides Buzhou Mountain, the place she was most familiar with now was the Wanyi Sect. So even if she wandered aimlessly, she subconsciously wandered above the Wanyi Sect.
It was a coincidence that today was particularly lively there. Yuan Lian looked down casually and saw that in the outermost part of the Wanyi Sect, on the Crane Stopping Mountain, there were scattered groups of people struggling to climb to the top.
This familiar scene immediately reminded Yuan Lian of the trial she underwent when she joined the Wanyi Sect in the Canghai Realm as “Yun Lian.”
In short, it was about building a road straight to the top of any mountain in the outer sect, setting up three to five obstacles and a few trial arrays to test one’s character, and then giving this ordinary road an equally ordinary name, like “Path to Immortality,” “Heaven Ascension Path,” or “Immortal Trial Path,” for the new disciples to climb. Whoever could successfully reach the top would pass the trial and move on to the next round of testing.
Nine out of ten sects did this, really lacking in novelty.
Just as Yuan Lian was about to lose interest and look away, a conflict arose directly below her.
*
Chang Songzhu was utterly shocked when she realized she had been abandoned by her companion. Just now, her companion, who had been supporting her, was too exhausted to continue. In a daze, he staggered to the side of the path, twisted his ankle, and was about to fall off the Immortal Trial Path.
They had been informed from the start that this Path to Immortality relied on the Crane Stopping Peak but had formations set up. For them, the seekers of immortality, it was a suspended mountain path. The path wasn’t narrow; four or five people could walk side by side with room to spare. However, once someone fell off, they wouldn’t die but would be considered eliminated.
Chang Songzhu instinctively tried to pull her companion back, but her own strength was already at its limit. After pulling him up, she couldn’t keep her balance and immediately fell to the side.
Fortunately, she was quick-witted and, as she fell, quickly grabbed the edge of the step, dangling precariously in mid-air.
Chang Songzhu breathed a sigh of relief, but the situation was still dire. She had already exhausted too much of her strength and feared she wouldn’t last long.
Just as she was about to be grateful for having a companion, she saw him hesitate for just a moment before turning and running away.
He had been gasping for breath, looking like he was about to collapse, but now he ran away at a surprising speed, leaving Chang Songzhu behind.
Chang Songzhu was so angry she could roll her eyes to the sky, but now wasn’t the time to be angry. When she spent time and used all her strength to try to climb back up, her fingers were already bruised and about to give out.
She couldn’t help but feel despair, thinking all her hard work and struggles had been in vain, wasting her best opportunity.
Unwilling to give up, she looked up and suddenly saw someone standing above her…
Chang Songzhu didn’t even get a clear look at the person before shouting, “Fifty spirit stones! Please, fellow cultivator, pull me up!!”
The person above didn’t respond, so Chang Songzhu gritted her teeth, “Seventy, seventy spirit stones!”
This was all she had, and saying it made her heart bleed. But she also worried the person above might think it was too little or have ill intentions and kick her down to reduce competition.
Just as she was thinking this, she nervously and laboriously lifted her head, seeing the person crouch down to look at her, raising a hand as if ready to pull her up.
Chang Songzhu suddenly felt energized and didn’t even need help. She eagerly reached out with her other hand to grasp the person’s hand.
Then she shivered, almost letting go and falling.
She felt like she was holding a smooth piece of jade, cold and hard, completely different from what she had imagined.
The owner of that hand seemed surprised when she grabbed it, then slowly and steadily pulled her back onto the Immortal Trial Path.
Chang Songzhu collapsed on the ground, panting heavily for a while before she recovered. Only then did she have the strength to look at the person who saved her.
She first saw the hem of a skirt covering the person’s shoes, a flash of surprise crossing her mind—a woman with such strength? Then she looked up, seeing the white skirt with gold patterns, a slender waist, a long, white neck… and then that stunning yet cold face came into view.
She was utterly stunned for a long time, staring blankly at the person’s face, unable to say a word, before finally coming to her senses.
Chang Songzhu staggered to her feet, instinctively wiping her mouth before speaking, “Beauty… oops! No, benefactor… I can’t thank you enough. Once I get out and earn some spirit stones…”
“Mm.” Yuan Lian didn’t say she didn’t want them, just reminded, “Aren’t you going to keep going?”
Chang Songzhu suddenly realized—the Immortal Trial Path wasn’t limited in numbers, but it was limited in time!
Without another word, she was about to continue, but after taking two steps, she stopped again, turning back with a conflicted face, awkwardly asking, “Do you, do you want to walk with me…”
Yuan Lian found this child interesting but still refused, “I won’t help you.”
“No, no!” Chang Songzhu, seeing how the person had pulled her up, knew she had great strength. As long as she wasn’t troubled by heart demons, climbing the Immortal Trial Path would be easy. But she wasn’t after that, quickly saying, “As long as you don’t harm me…”
Yuan Lian looked into her eyes, and Chang Songzhu felt her tongue loosen, her true thoughts spilling out, “You’re really beautiful!”
Yuan Lian paused, “…Hmm?”
Chang Songzhu didn’t notice anything wrong, feeling embarrassed but continuing, her voice like a mosquito’s, hoping Yuan Lian wouldn’t hear, “I just think looking at your face… I have the strength to walk a few more steps…”
Yuan Lian, of course, heard it and was speechless.
—This was indeed a unique compliment.
Thinking this, but in the end, she didn’t know why, she actually allowed Chang Songzhu to follow behind her.
Yuan Lian (calmly): “I’ve heard plenty of compliments, I won’t make an exception for this.”
*Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or watered me with nutrient solution between 20220817 35:58:02~20220819 05:59:33~