Martial Cultivator

Although the Infatuation Daoist Temple and the Myriad Heaven Palace both belonged to Daoism, the two sides respectively follow the Longevity Dao and the Great Peace Dao. It would not be an exaggeration to say their paths were clearly divided.

Historically, there had never been a temple master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple preaching in the Myriad Heaven Palace, so naturally, there had also never been a palace lord of the Myriad Heaven Palace going to the Infatuation Daoist Temple to preach the Dao.

“The way Temple Master is handling things, I’m afraid it might not be very appropriate.”

Li Yu gave a bitter smile and said, “It’s fine for Temple Master to stay in the mountains for a while, but if you intend to preach the Dao, does the Infatuation Daoist Temple know about this?”

Yun Jianyue looked at Li Yu curiously and asked somewhat curiously?, “Am I not the Temple Master?”

Li Yu was stunned.

Yun Jianyue smiled and said, “Since this humble daoist already oversees the Infatuation Temple, then matters like this are up to this humble daoist. Daoist Li need not worry.”

Although Li Yu listened to Yun Jianyue’s assurance, his heart still surged with emotion, like a still lake rippling continuously, unable to calm down.

After that, he could not say much more and could only lead the young Temple Master through the mountain gate. After personally selecting a quiet little courtyard for this young Temple Master, just as he was about to leave, Yun Jianyue smiled and asked, “I have something to ask Daoist Li.”

Li Yu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Yun Jianyue.

“Is Zhu Xia still on the mountain? This humble daoist has some friendship with her, and wonders if I could see her.”

Previously, when Zhu Xia went to Infatuation Temple, it was actually Yun Jianyue accompanying this Saintess of the Myriad Heaven Palace to stroll around Infatuation Temple’s mountain. The two had a fairly good relationship. Now that he had come to Mount Xi, Yun Jianyue naturally wanted to see that adorable young girl.

Li Yu looked troubled.

Yun Jianyue furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “Did something happen?”

Li Yu sighed and softly said, “Not just Temple Master, even this penniless daoist and the others haven’t seen Little Junior Sister in a long time. Although she’s on the mountain, she refuses to see anyone.”

Yun Jianyue thought for a moment and asked directly, “This humble daoist heard that some days ago Chen Chao came to Mount Xi, is it related to him?”

Li Yu nodded and said frankly, “Little Junior Sister expressed her feelings to Commander Chen at the time, but the outcome wasn’t very good.”

Yun Jianyue said softly, “So it’s trouble over love.”

......

......

At dusk, Yun Jianyue walked out of the quiet little courtyard, carrying a bag in his hand, strolling slowly around Mount Xi. Li Yu had already said that during Yun Jianyue’s days at Mount Xi, he could go anywhere except the Three Thousand Storeys.

As for the Palace Master of the Myriad Heaven Palace, he had been in seclusion these days. Li Yu originally wanted to summon him, but Yun Jianyue refused. He was only here to seek the Dao, not for anything else. Let the Palace Master remain in seclusion; no need for him to come out.

Moreover, Yun Jianyue did not want them to disrupt the current state of things for his sake. What he wanted to see was the ordinary life of the Myriad Heaven Palace.

Halfway up the mountain, this Infatuation Daoist Temple Master stopped beneath a pavilion and opened the bag in his hand. A fragrant aroma wafted out.

He quietly waited for that adorable young girl to appear, but this time he was mistaken. Yun Jianyue waited for a full hour, but the girl never showed up.

He frowned slightly and finally realized the severity of the situation. That girl who loved eating more than anything else was now uninterested in food, she must be feeling truly miserable.

So Yun Jianyue left the pavilion and began walking around the mountain. He did not know how long had passed when he saw a girl sitting beside a stream, her back to him, quietly sobbing.

Yun Jianyue slowly walked over, sat beside the girl, and said softly, “Who’s dropping little pearls?”

The girl did not respond, only lowered her head. Tear after tear fell into the stream. Countless fish had long gathered there, and as soon as the tears hit the water, they scrambled to swallow them up.

Yun Jianyue looked at the girl who was clearly thinner and more haggard than when they last met. He sighed lightly and spoke gently, ”I heard from Daoist Li that when Chen Chao left, you still told others firmly that it didn’t matter if he didn’t like you, that you liked him, and that was enough. So how did things end up like this?”

The girl had her head lowered. Catching a whiff of the food aroma on the young man beside her, and seemed to regain a bit of energy, but her mood was still low. ”I... just didn’t want him to feel bad about not liking me. I’ve always felt guilty... But I like him, and he doesn’t like me. I just cant be happy.”

In this world, the best thing is when the one you like happens to like you back. The worst is when you like someone who did not feel the same.

Yun Jianyue handed her the food from his arms and said, ”But if he doesn’t like you, what can you do?”

The girl did not take it, only choked up, ”That’s exactly why I’m sad, because I can’t do anything.”

For a moment, Yun Jianyue did not know what else to say. Every word from the girl was so simple and straightforward, but that was exactly what made it difficult, he did not know how to respond.

”Yun Jianyue, do you think he’ll change his mind?”

The girl suddenly raised her head and looked at the young daoist in front of her.

Yun Jianyue looked at the girl beside him, wanting to respond gently. But in the end, he could not bring himself to sugarcoat it. After a moment of thought, he could only speak honestly: ”As far as I see it, Chen Chao is very unlikely to change his mind. The girl he likes isn’t you, and she never will be.”

Such honesty was painful. But if he did not speak the truth, Yun Jianyue would feel even worse.

Giving someone hope, if that hope truly existed, that would be fine. But the scariest thing was when hope only existed in your own heart, and you kept clinging to it, lying to yourself again and again.

Yun Jianyue could not help but reach out and gently ruffle Zhu Xia’s hair, saying softly, ”You’re still so young. You’ll meet many people in the future. Maybe you’ll meet someone who suits you better. If you keep drawing your own prison, you’ll spend a lifetime in pain.”

To Yun Jianyue and Chen Chao, Zhu Xia had always been like a younger sister. It was because her nature was so innocent, untouched by the filth of the world - pure in a way that was rare, and hard not to like.

Zhu Xia cried, ”But I just like him. And he just doesn’t like me. And I just feel awful.”

Yun Jianyue sighed. Some things could not be talked through, you had to figure them out yourself. If you could not, no one else could help you.

”I’m not persuading you to stop liking him. Liking someone is one thing, but you still have to live your own life. You can’t just suffer to the point of not eating or drinking. If Zhu Xia doesn’t like food, are you still Zhu Xia?”

Once again, Yun Jianyue offered the food to her. This time, Zhu Xia hesitated for a moment before finally taking it.

”I brought it specially for you. Try it.”

Zhu Xia took out the food and took a small bite. A bit of light returned to her eyes.

Yun Jianyue sat beside her, watching with a quiet smile.

”Yun Jianyue... why did you come to Mount Xi...?”

The girl asked in a muffled voice.

Yun Jianyue smiled. ”To see you. And to see Mount Xi while I’m at it.”

The girl frowned. ”What’s nice to see at Mount Xi?”

Yun Jianyue answered softly, ”I’m wondering that myself. But now that I’m here, it’s looking a lot better than the Infatuation Daoist Temple.”

”Your Infatuation Daoist Temple has those beautiful sunrise clouds, Mount Xi doesn’t!”

Zhu Xia pouted.

Yun Jianyue smiled. ”I know. But Mount Xi has something the Infatuation Daoist Temple doesn’t.”

After saying that, he looked up at the sky and murmured, ”It seems we’ve taken the wrong path.”

......

......

After the grand court session ended, the Divine Capital unexpectedly quieted down.

What had happened at court that day was enough to set the entire Divine Capital ablaze with discussion, but surprisingly, everything remained calm. It was like a beast that had just devoured a colossal creature and was now silently digesting it.

As for the young Lord Warden Commander at the very center of the storm, since court was dismissed that day, he had returned to his bamboo building once again. On the first day, he went back to diligently tempering his body. Over the past days, he had done many things. It had actually been quite a while since he had last done this, and as the saying goes - cultivation is like rowing against the current, if you don’t make progress, you’ll regress. Chen Chao understood that the moment you let go, it was hard to tighten that string again.

After tempering his body, Chen Chao changed into a clean set of clothes, sat cross-legged on the boat, and began circulating the qi within him. White mist flowed through his entire body, and then he spent quite a long time trying to integrate the complex mix of auras within him - that great daoist sage’s legacy, the sword qi from Sword Mountain, and the white mist itself. These did not belong to the same cultivation system. Fully integrating them would be a long process, not something achievable through slow refinement alone.

It required Chen Chao’s insight, to find his own method.

He spent more than ten days immersed in it. He looked inward, tracing the flow of qi through his meridians. He transformed into a stream of qi himself, following the currents.

He hoped to discover problems through this process. In the end, he had indeed uncovered quite a few. Eventually, Chen Chao turned into human form again, a small rowboat appearing under him, flowing along his meridians.

The ”river” beneath him looked clear, but on closer inspection, it actually had three distinct colors - sometimes blending, sometimes clearly divided.

Chen Chao stood on the boat in silence, deep in thought.

......

......

Another ten days later, Chen Chao gradually came to a realization: if he wanted to fully integrate the three types of auras, he would need to refine them.

To do so, he would have to build a furnace and guide these auras into it, refining them successfully, then reintegrating them into his meridians.

But this method was incredibly dangerous. If he failed, he would be crippled, or worse, die on the spot.

Yet Chen Chao hesitated for only a moment before deciding to proceed.

The demon race was already stirring, who knew when they might begin marching south. Even though a Nepenthe Realm could already be considered a powerhouse, it would not be enough in the coming war.

With that in mind, Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and raised a hand. The ”river” beneath him suddenly left its ”riverbed” and surged toward him.

At the same time, Chen Chao arrived at the most critical acupuncture point in his body and, with his will, constructed a massive cauldron.

Endless aura surged into the cauldron.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, Chen Chao’s aura was rapidly decreasing.

In just half a day, he had already fallen back into the Great Beyond.