Wen Jingzhi crouched there without moving.
Shu Xin was completely baffled now.
A man’s heart was as unfathomable as the sea.
What was wrong with him this time, her spoiled young master?
Shu Xin let out a long sigh and simply sat down cross-legged as well, waiting to see what kind of trouble Wen Jingzhi intended to cause.
So it was a contest of patience, was it?
Shu Xin was in no hurry either. She obediently sat there and meditated.
If the Sword Spirit saw this, it would be moved to tears. The number of times this young lady was willing to sit down quietly and cultivate could be counted on one’s fingers.
The two of them simply entered a stalemate.
There was no sense of time in cultivation.
Perhaps three days had passed, or perhaps five.
Still, it probably had not been very long, because Shu Xin felt she could continue meditating.
“Hey, hey, what’s going on?” Shu Xin opened her eyes after hearing the sound of someone collapsing.
When she looked up, she saw Wen Jingzhi lying completely motionless on the ground, unconscious.
What was she supposed to do now?
Shu Xin scratched her head, then decided to take Wen Jingzhi away and return to the Questioning God Sect first. It was better than leaving him in this shabby cave.
There was so much empty space throughout the Questioning God Sect. She could find any place at all for him to curl up in, and it would still be better than this.
With that thought, Shu Xin dragged Wen Jingzhi onto the “Hold” sword and flew straight back to the Questioning God Sect.
Before Shu Xin had even entered the Questioning God Sect’s territory, the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book came flying out to greet her.
Thank goodness—Shu Xin was finally back.
It truly could not stand staying with the Sword Spirit any longer.
Without Shu Xin there to keep it in check, the Sword Spirit had become a veritable demon king. The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book was only a simple artifact spirit that could not even speak. How could it possibly be a match for the Sword Spirit?
If Shu Xin had not returned soon, the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book might have sold off everything it owned.
[Shu Xin, you heartless, accursed woman! How dare you abandon me for so long… Wait a moment. Why did you bring someone back?]
The Sword Spirit flew over and circled Shu Xin twice. Only after confirming that she was completely unharmed did it relax. Then it noticed that someone was lying unconscious on her sword.
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book hesitated for a moment and did not approach. Instead, it transformed into a line of words.
[This person is steeped in demonic aura, but the demonic cultivation technique he practices feels very familiar to me.]
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book was fairly restrained.
The Sword Spirit, on the other hand, had no such reservations and answered bluntly, [Of course it feels familiar. Ten thousand years ago, there was a devil among the demonic cultivators who became a great scourge. He specialized in devouring other people’s cultivation and spiritual roots, using slaughter to nourish his battle prowess. He nearly defeated all those Earthly Immortals before one of my sword wielders finally killed him. Wen Jingzhi practices that very Heaven-Stealing Transposition technique. Back then, my sword wielder believed that it was the only technique capable of allowing a mortal to defy fate and change his destiny, so he could not bring himself to destroy it. He is its only inheritor in this world.]
[To have cultivated it to this level, this person’s will must indeed be exceptionally firm.]
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book clearly knew something about the matter and did not resist as strongly anymore.
After all, only mortals could cultivate this demonic technique.
And although the person Shu Xin had brought back was surrounded by a dense demonic aura, the karmic debts and sins weighing upon him were actually fewer than those of an ordinary righteous cultivator in the Immaculate Realm. He was an unusually restrained demonic cultivator.
He simply looked somewhat familiar.
When he had been Situ Jian, Wen Jingzhi had visited the Questioning God Sect. But at that time, the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had not paid much attention to him, so naturally it did not recognize him now.
“Don’t worry. He has already passed through the Three Winds and Four Fires. He’s only being obstructed by demonic energy at the moment, so he should recover after some time.” Shu Xin was not entirely certain herself. “Sword Spirit, do you have any ideas?”
[No.] The Sword Spirit thought about it as well before continuing, [Since he has already passed the most difficult trial, all he can do now is wait. His cultivation has already reached the Immaculate Realm. Once he completely digests all the cultivation he absorbed afterward, the demonic energy will naturally disappear. Find somewhere to settle him first.]
Shu Xin nodded. With the Sword Spirit’s help, she settled Wen Jingzhi in her own room.
There was no other choice. Of the entire Questioning God Sect, only her room had the greatest number of restrictions and the most powerful formations. It also contained all sorts of spirit stones she had obtained through trickery and deceit. One could say that spiritual energy gathered there in abundance, making it a true paradise for immortals.
Shu Xin was not the sort of person who would make things difficult for herself.
Her dwelling had everything one could possibly need, and the spiritual energy was so dense it was almost tangible.
On top of that, the Sword Spirit and the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had personally set up restrictions around the place. Even a cultivator in the Mahayana stage—or an Earthly Immortal—would need to spend quite some time breaking through them.
With such arrangements, even giving the place to an Immaculate Realm cultivator in one of those orthodox sects or demonic sects would have seemed extravagant.
Naturally, hiding Wen Jingzhi here was the best option.
Shu Xin had just let out a sigh of relief and was preparing to rest when the Sword Spirit smacked her directly across the back.
“Ow! What are you doing?” Shu Xin had not even sat down before being struck, and she immediately grew irritated.
[Look at Wen Jingzhi—he’s already reached the Immaculate Realm!] The Sword Spirit was exasperated by her lack of progress. [Now look at you. Can’t you break through a little sooner and save me some worry? As my sword wielder, how can you possibly fall behind others?]
Here we go again.
The Sword Spirit had started lecturing her once more.
“Do you want me to end up like Jingzhi just for the sake of cultivation? Sword Spirit, Sword Spirit, you really don’t understand the principle that haste makes waste.” Shu Xin tried to reason with it.
[I don’t care. You must break through to the Immaculate Realm immediately.] The Sword Spirit shamelessly dug in its heels. [You absolutely cannot be weaker than that little fox. Otherwise, I’ll go shave down that little fox’s cultivation and knock him back to the Grotto-Heaven Realm.]
Heavens, was there even any reasoning with this thing?
Shu Xin felt a headache coming on.
Just then, the entire Questioning God Sect suddenly began to tremble.
“Huh?” Shu Xin blinked. “Could this reaction mean that something has finally happened on Master’s side?”
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had already flown over to Xu Guan.
The Sword Spirit sensed the disturbance as well and nodded.
[It seems Xu Guan has grasped some sort of path and has also begun entering the Three Winds and Four Fires. That must be why there’s a reaction from the rear mountain of the Questioning God Sect. Wonderful. Your master is about to reach the higher realms too, and you’re going to fall behind once again.]
No matter what world she was in, Shu Xin always seemed to encounter people who were passionately devoted to urging others to study and cultivate.
The corner of Shu Xin’s mouth twitched. She hurriedly steered the conversation back on course. “Let’s not talk about that. If Master is about to begin his breakthrough, those orthodox and demonic sects will definitely react. Sigh. Don’t worry. After this, I’ll have no choice but to break through too.”
She picked up her sword.
“What do you think—should I break through while fighting someone? Compared with boring meditation, I prefer the look of despair and disbelief on an enemy’s face when they see me break through right in front of them.” Shu Xin grinned.
[As long as you’re willing to break through, everything is negotiable.]
The Sword Spirit’s principles were remarkably flexible.
The disturbances near the Questioning God Sect were naturally sensed first by the people of the Everlasting Dao Sect.
Among them, the current sect leader, Master Yushan, sensed it most clearly. He had only recently advanced to the Mahayana stage, after all.
“Interesting. Over the past year, who knows how many Wugou-realm cultivators from various sects have been meditating in seclusion, attempting to break through to the final Mahayana position. Who would have thought that the first to show signs of success would be Xu Guan of the Divine Inquiry Sect?” Master Yushan mused. “Still, it isn’t surprising that it’s him.”
The Wugou realm sounded pleasant enough. It emphasized perfection of the Dao heart, divine soul, and physical body, allowing not the slightest flaw.
But put less pleasantly, the Wugou realm was a cocoon that trapped cultivators within it.
Most Wugou-realm cultivators were practically imprisoned in that cocoon.
They wanted to break through, yet found no path ahead. But if their Dao heart wavered and their cultivation fell, they would never be able to return to their former realm.
Thus, the only thing they could do was continuously temper their Dao hearts, divine souls, and bodies in the hope of making their cultivation more stable.
In doing so, they were effectively making their cocoon even thicker.
Therefore, the longer one remained in the Wugou realm, the more troublesome it became to break through to the Mahayana stage.
Someone like Master Yushan had known from the moment he advanced to the Wugou realm that he was destined to become a Mahayana cultivator. He therefore did not live in constant trepidation like the other Wugou-realm cultivators. He merely stabilized his cultivation a little, paid little attention to worldly affairs, and quietly waited for the right time.
But what about the Wugou-realm cultivators in the other orthodox sects and demonic sects?
They spent hundreds or even thousands of years polishing their cultivation until not the slightest flaw remained. As a result, when they wanted to break through, they first had to shatter their own shackles.
As for the key to doing so, unless a cultivator who had broken through beyond the Wugou realm explained it to them—such as a Mahayana cultivator, an Earthly Immortal from their sect, or an artifact spirit with a long lifespan and vast knowledge who took the initiative to tell them—none of the Wugou-realm cultivators would ever think about breaking through in the future.
All they would do was desperately stabilize their cultivation. How could they ever consider what came after?
That was the difference between sect foundations.
Although the Divine Inquiry Sect had fallen into decline, it possessed the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book, so its foundation was no weaker than that of any powerful sect.
Master Yushan gave a slight wave of his hand and sent a strand of divine sense to Ning Weixuan.
It was indeed a pity that Xu Guan of the Divine Inquiry Sect was making a breakthrough.
But how could one allow another to snore beside one’s bed?
The Divine Inquiry Sect bordered the Longevity Dao Sect. There absolutely could not be another Mahayana cultivator there!
One after another, the other orthodox and demonic sects also located the source of the disturbance.
“It’s the Divine Inquiry Sect. Xu Guan?”
“That fellow is only three hundred years old, yet he’s already attempting to break through to the Mahayana stage? He’s young and doesn’t know his own limits.”
“On the contrary, when Wugou-realm cultivators attempt to break through to the Mahayana stage, the younger and more vigorous ones often have an advantage. It’s not surprising that it’s him.”
“Still, we’re certainly not the ones who are most anxious.”
“Xu Guan becoming a Mahayana cultivator would actually be a good thing! If the Divine Inquiry Sect is willing to submit to us, then with them restraining the Longevity Dao Sect, we would have everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
“Indeed. The Longevity Dao Sect is growing increasingly ambitious. Having another stumbling block right next door would definitely benefit us.”
After the leaders and elders of the Myriad Dao Sect, the Carefree Dao Sect, and the Nine Heavens Dao Sect discussed the matter, they decided to send two or three Wugou-realm elders to the Divine Inquiry Sect to take a look.
If Xu Guan of the Divine Inquiry Sect was attempting to break through to the Mahayana stage, the Longevity Dao Sect would certainly be the first to grow anxious, and it would be the sect most greatly affected.
With that in mind, they could accept Xu Guan becoming a Mahayana cultivator.
In fact, they even intended to lend him a hand.
With Xu Guan as a Mahayana cultivator and the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book, which was comparable to an Earthly Immortal, the Divine Inquiry Sect would be able to contend with the Longevity Dao Sect for a time. Then the other sects could sit back and reap the benefits.
They had heard that only Shu Xin remained behind at the Divine Inquiry Sect, while all the other disciples had been sent away.
It seemed they had made preparations long ago.
Then they would send out disciples from their own sects who had connections with Shu Xin as well.
When Qu Yougu heard the news, he almost thought he had misheard.
“Master, what did you say?” Qu Yougu asked again.
“The sect has decided that we will visit the Divine Inquiry Sect together with the other elders. At a critical moment, we may even help Xu Guan and assist him in achieving the Mahayana stage.” White Crane Dao Lord’s face had already split into a broad smile. “The sect master even said that if the Divine Inquiry Sect is willing to form an alliance with us and have Shu Xin become your Dao companion, then a marriage between our two sects would demonstrate our sincerity.”
Naturally, White Crane Dao Lord deserved some credit for this proposal as well.
The leader of the Myriad Dao Sect had listened to White Crane Dao Lord describe the past between Qu Yougu and Shu Xin. He had also heard that the two were of similar age and comparable in aptitude and cultivation, and that Shu Xin was destined to become the next sect master of the Divine Inquiry Sect. He immediately understood what White Crane Dao Lord meant.
Indeed, trying to force the Divine Inquiry Sect to submit to the Myriad Dao Sect at a time like this would seem like taking advantage of its misfortune.
The people of the Divine Inquiry Sect had always been unyielding. They might not agree to such a proposal.
But if they phrased it differently—if they had the future sect master marry their sect’s Dao heir—then once the time was right, the Divine Inquiry Sect would naturally become an asset of the Myriad Dao Sect.
To put it more bluntly, if Qu Yougu and Shu Xin became Dao companions and had children who inherited the Divine Inquiry Sect, wouldn’t the Divine Inquiry Sect effectively become the property of the Myriad Dao Sect anyway?
It was indeed an excellent way to slowly devour the Divine Inquiry Sect without bloodshed.
The leader of the Myriad Dao Sect immediately approved the proposal.
White Crane Dao Lord’s old face flushed red, but he did not truly regret it.
It would probably be difficult for his disciple to get together with Shu Xin. But if this was elevated to the level of sect affairs, and such a heaven-sent opportunity had now appeared, perhaps the two of them really did possess a destined bond!
Upon hearing his master’s words, Qu Yougu’s face turned bright red.
“M-Master, becoming Dao companions with Fellow Daoist Shu and all that… I… I’ve never thought about it,” Qu Yougu stammered.
“Oh? Is that so?” White Crane Dao Lord could see through his disciple’s thoughts perfectly and deliberately said, “If you’re unwilling, then I’ll tell the sect master and have him send one of the other Dao heirs instead. Our Myriad Dao Sect has Dao heirs of every sort.”
White Crane Dao Lord rose as if to leave.
But Qu Yougu caught him by the hem of his robe.
“Master… this disciple is willing to follow the sect’s arrangements.” Qu Yougu lowered his head, not daring to look at White Crane Dao Lord. Yet only he knew the joy surging through his heart.
So this was the feeling he had for Fellow Daoist Shu?
Qu Yougu realized it only belatedly, but he was also glad that he had been born into the Myriad Dao Sect.
This would be good for both them and their respective sects.
Fellow Daoist Shu… she shouldn’t refuse, should she?
At the same time, in the demonic sects—
“Xu Guan? Hahaha, interesting. The Longevity Dao Sect will probably make a move now.”
“Whether it’s Xu Guan or anyone else, why are they all cultivators from the orthodox sects? Have we demonic cultivators really fallen this far?”
“Go! Go to the Divine Inquiry Sect and join in the excitement. Better yet, I hope none of those orthodox sects can produce a single Mahayana cultivator!”
…
Before the disturbances began, Shu Xin had already secretly joined forces with the Book Spirit and Sword Spirit. They knocked out all the servants and recruited cultivators throughout the sect, then sent them directly to a place several thousand li away from the Divine Inquiry Sect.
On the one hand, it was to prevent them from being implicated and captured by others as leverage against her.
On the other, she was worried that some of them might be turned by other sects and work from within to plot against the Wenshen Sect.
Now, the Wenshen Sect was practically deserted, making it seem unusually spacious.
The Sword Spirit and Book Spirit had gone to set up the formations, leaving Shu Xin as the only one with nothing to do.
When she had nothing else to occupy her, she would wander around and practice her swordsmanship, or return to check whether Wen Jingzhi had woken up.
She was living a remarkably leisurely life.
It was like the calm before the storm.
“Jingzhi, you really know how to pick your timing.” Shu Xin came to where Wen Jingzhi was lying and reached out to poke his cheek. “Everything outside is a complete mess, while you’re having a nice long sleep. When you wake up, you’ll find that you’ve become a cultivator of the Immaculate Realm. Your luck is truly something else.”
“Just look at you. You’re already in the Immaculate Realm. If you could wake up and give me a hand, I wouldn’t have to work so hard.” Shu Xin’s complaint was only half-serious.
Although Shu Xin was looking forward to the battle ahead, she also knew that things could not possibly develop exactly as she wished.
Her master’s breakthrough to the Mahayana stage had already been discussed among them, and they believed it was highly feasible.
The Wenshen Sect was weak enough that the Daoist sects and demonic sects would not all come running to deal with them. Instead, many would want to help them, borrowing their strength to deal with the Longevity Dao Sect.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The Wenshen Sect knew this, and so did the other sects.
A storm was brewing.
Who knew how long this moment of peace would last?
Shu Xin sighed and prepared to leave.
Just then, a hand caught hold of her sleeve.
Wen Jingzhi, who had been lying on the bed, opened his eyes.
This time, his eyes were no longer covered by demonic energy. His pupils had merely become deep and unfathomable, with wisps of demonic energy occasionally leaking from them.
Still, he looked much better than before.
“Jingzhi, you’re awake?” Shu Xin was stunned. This was far sooner than the three to five years the Sword Spirit had said he would need to remain unconscious.
Wen Jingzhi did not answer. He simply held Shu Xin’s hand earnestly, rubbed his face against it, and stared at her without blinking.
“Jingzhi?” Shu Xin waved a hand in front of his face.
Wen Jingzhi’s eyes followed her hand back and forth.
“Oh no, don’t tell me he’s become an idiot.” Shu Xin slapped her thigh. “Sword Spirit, Sword Spirit, come over here and take a look. What kind of demonic technique did you teach him?”
How had a perfectly normal person ended up being trained into an idiot?
The Sword Spirit flew over in a panic. After taking one look at Wen Jingzhi, it was just as baffled.
It was a sword spirit, not a demonic cultivator. How was it supposed to know what was wrong with this unlucky child?
Normally, it had seen plenty of people whose personalities changed or who became cruel and bloodthirsty after demonic energy entered their bodies. But Wen Jingzhi’s current condition was something it had never encountered before.
[He probably hasn’t fully regained consciousness yet, but he still has enough awareness to respond to you.] The Sword Spirit immediately shifted the blame. [Did you say something to him?]
Shu Xin suddenly felt a little guilty.
She had merely asked Wen Jingzhi whether he could wake up and help her.
It had just slipped out.
“Jingzhi, give me your hand.” Shu Xin demonstrated what she meant.
Wen Jingzhi immediately clasped both hands around hers and even smiled at her.
“Jingzhi, take two steps.”
Wen Jingzhi instantly pressed close to her, standing tightly against her side.
“See? He’s a little clingy.” Shu Xin had no choice but to gently push him away so that he would not stick so closely to her.
The Sword Spirit called out as well, but Wen Jingzhi did not react.
[Looks like he only responds to you.] The Sword Spirit gave a mocking laugh. [You wanted him to help you, didn’t you? Isn’t he exactly what you wanted? This is pretty good, actually. I’ll disguise him so no one recognizes him. That’ll be enough.]
They could simply pretend that he was some hidden expert from the Wenshen Sect.
“Huh? Is that really what’s happening?” Shu Xin felt that something was off, but she could not put her finger on it.
[It definitely is.] The Sword Spirit could not possibly admit that it had no idea what practicing the Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Technique would do to a person. But after spending so long with Shu Xin, it had become extremely skilled at shifting the blame. [After all, you’re the only person in this world who can be considered family to him. Of course he’ll only listen to you.]
“…I think you’re just dumping the blame on me.”
The Sword Spirit refused to acknowledge this.
It was Shu Xin’s problem, clearly.
“Heh.” Shu Xin could not be bothered to argue with it at a time like this. “So how are you going to disguise him?”
[That’s easy. Plenty of people will be coming to the Wenshen Sect. We’ll toss him into the crowd of demonic cultivators and give him a different appearance. Who could possibly recognize him?] The Sword Spirit spoke with complete confidence. [As long as you communicate with him remotely and tell him what to do, he’ll do exactly as you say.]
“That sounds like it might work.” Shu Xin thought about it and realized that this was probably the only option.
It was better than leaving Wen Jingzhi lying here forever.
Since he had already regained a little awareness, perhaps he would recover on his own after some time.
They could treat it as rehabilitation.
[All right, then. What would you like him to look like?] The Sword Spirit was practically itching to get started.
“Hmm, make him look the way he did when he was younger.” Shu Xin’s eyes lit up. “I really miss how he looked back then. He even used to obediently call me ‘Sister.’ Unlike now. Sigh, he’s gotten far too good at pretending. I can’t even tell what he’s thinking anymore.”
The Sword Spirit was speechless.
Its sword master was truly remarkable in certain ways.
She was completely hopeless when it came to matters of the heart.
But of course, the Sword Spirit was firmly on Shu Xin’s side. Whatever Shu Xin did was right. Others could accommodate its sword master if they knew what was good for them. Who did they think they were to criticize her?
The moment the decision was made, the Sword Spirit got to work.
It immediately transformed Wen Jingzhi into the way he had looked in his youth—a boy of sixteen or seventeen.
“I think he could be even younger.” Shu Xin rubbed her chin, feeling that he was still a little too tall.
Besides, Wen Jingzhi could still be recognized in his current appearance.
[How does he look the same at all? He’s completely different, all right?] the Sword Spirit said irritably. [Isn’t this the age that best matches your tastes?]
It was the perfect age: his features were delicate enough to be mistaken for either a boy or a girl, yet he still had the air of a young man. He looked almost absurdly beautiful.
He was entirely different from the cool, handsome man Wen Jingzhi would later become.
Even someone very familiar with Wen Jingzhi might need a moment to recover upon suddenly seeing this younger version of him.
With the Sword Spirit changing his clothes as well, he instead looked like a demonic cultivator from the Joyful Union Sect who had mastered some secret art of preserving his youth.
Shu Xin could not help clicking her tongue in admiration. She walked around him twice, thoroughly appreciating the sight.
“I have to say, clothes really do make the man. What did Jingzhi used to wear? It made him look far too mature. How old was he back then? He looks much better like this.”
If you didn’t treat him like a child every day, would he have dressed himself in such a mature and solemn way?
The Sword Spirit desperately wanted to say this out loud.
“All right, all right.” Shu Xin thought it over and decided that she could not demand too much. At the very least, he was pleasing to look at like this, and she would be happier seeing him around.
Wen Jingzhi silently watched Shu Xin interact with the Sword Spirit.
Wen Jingzhi: I’m here too.
