Daoist Yu detailed the incident at Mount Kun on the jade scroll and delivered it to Shen Lian.

　　Back then, he discovered a secret Teleport Formation. Through that, he was able to enter into the legendary Mount Kun. However, Mount Kun was full of skilled and impressive individuals. In spite of his level of cultivation, it was still impossible for him to break in without anyone realizing.

　　Initially, he wanted to bury the secret deep in his heart, and when his time was up, he would pass the secret on to the members of the Shenxiao branch. But now, he had offered the secret up to the sect for the sake of his disciple’s future.

　　Shen Lian kept the jade scroll on the second level of Taiwei Pavilion. He did not have plans to head to Mount Kun immediately.

　　He weighed his options and concluded that there were four things that needed his attention first.

　　Firstly, he wondered if he should let Choushi join the upcoming Dao assessment. After all, he had attained much and had even attained the eight transformations of Huandan ahead of everyone. He was qualified to be the Hall Master of the Good Deeds Hall and the Discipline Hall. Even if he was not good enough, he could serve as a guard at the Temple of Longevity. This would lessen the burden of his Senior Apprentice-Sister.

　　After much consideration, Shen Lian decided to let Choushi join the assessment. Judging from the martial art skills and the techniques of the disciples, it was likely that Zhao Siming would encounter Choushi in the Dao assessment sooner or later. After the defeat, it was likely that his dashing spirit would be dampened. Shen Lian could only hope that he could withstand the blow.

　　Secondly, the Bier Discourse of Dao was set to take place six years from now. For the past two times, Qing Xuan came in last due to the lack of talented individuals. Besides making a joke out of themselves, they were held in low regard by everyone. He was determined to turn things around this time. If Senior Apprentice-Brother Chen was still here, all he had to do was to attain immortality and Qing Xuan would unquestionably be able to come in first in the Bier Discourse of Dao. However, now it seemed like that would need further consideration. Fortunately, he had attained immortality. Qing Xuan’s foundation was stabilized once again. So long as nothing went wrong at the Bier Discourse of Dao, it would be an acceptable outcome.

　　Thirdly, Ye Liuyun had requested for him to obtain Jinque Jade Book from Southern Heavenly Gate. As he was unsure when would Southern Heavenly Gate appear, he would have no choice but to prioritize the Bier Discourse of Dao should there be a clash.

　　Fourthly, Chen Beidou’s threat was something that he should take seriously. With his potential, even if he were to improve significantly, he would not be able to compete against Chen Beidou without at least a hundred years of hard work. Fortunately, Chen Beidou did not plan to come after him immediately, but that did not mean that he should let his guard down.

　　Shen Lian was wary of people like Chen Beidou. It was not because of their capabilities, but their character; once they had set their mind on something, they would not give up. They would rise again after every defeat; they were determined and unmoved. This made it possible for them to find their true self. Those who were in the path of Shen were cold and emotionless. It was almost impossible to find their weaknesses.

　　He wondered how talented Sword Saint Ziwei had to be back then for her to triumph over Chen Beidou in terms of swordcraft.

　　The breeze swept past outside. The moon hung high, and two birds were dancing in the air.

　　The birds were Qianmo and Xiaoxun.

　　Xiaoxun was merely a normal bird. Even if it had spent a long time with Shen Lian at Taiyi Peak of Qing Xuan – a place shrouded in dense Qi of vitality, it was difficult for it to shapeshift. In fact, without at least a few hundred years, there was no chance that it could shapeshift.

　　However, when Xiaoxun was with Qianmo, it stole and consumed plenty of spiritual medicine. It was strong and well-built. Its beak was sharp, its feathers wide and thick; it was a loyal guard that followed Qianmo around.

　　Shen Lian focused his attention on Qianmo. After consuming a significant amount of spiritual medicine, its green feathers were shiny and smooth. When the moonlight fell on it, the moonlight dispersed into a thin veil of smoky clouds. Qianmo looked superior and otherworldly, it was inviolable.

　　As it danced, not even the beautiful twirls of Yaochi Fairies could rival its elegance.

　　This was precisely what it meant by, ‘As I danced to my shadow, I could no longer feel the mortal tie’.

　　Shen Lian could not help but to wonder, why would an extraordinary creature like Qianmo ended up so battered and exhausted back then? This was something that Shen Lian could not comprehend. He wanted to find out the truth through his calculations, but he realized that a mysterious vital force stemming from Qianmo was hiding its origins from Shen Lian. This confirmed Shen Lian’s suspicions about it being extraordinary.

　　Shen Lian was extremely familiar with the ancient books and records, and yet, he had no clue about Qianmo’s origin. The strange Qi within Qianmo could be turned into Yin Yang and five elements – a marvelous ability indeed! However, Shen Lian was unable to link it to any of the divine birds described by the rumors.

　　Noticing Shen Lian’s gaze, Qianmo flapped its wings and landed on Shen Lian’s shoulder.

　　After consuming plenty of spiritual medicine, Xiaoxun had gotten bigger and was even stronger than the eagle in the sky.

　　On the other hand, Qianmo’s size did not change at all. The spiritual medicine that it consumed and the nourishment from Shen Lian’s Taixu divine Qi seemed to be going into a bottomless pit.

　　By right, with such a significant amount of nourishment, one could create even a shapeshifted demon king. Strangely, nothing had changed with Qianmo.

　　Shen Lian turned his head and looked at Ruoxi, “Xi Er, do you have anything that you want to say to me?” Since she started cultivating the Dream Heart Sutra, she was exposed to what the Daoists called the ‘Transformation of Things’. If it was not for Shen Lian’s celestial-like state of cultivation, he would not have noticed her.

　　“Can I join the Dao assessment?” Ruoxi asked.

　　Shen Lian smiled as he replied, “You can go if you want to. Though, if you have decided to join, you need to bring home the first prize.”

　　He did not expect Ruoxi to be interested in the Dao assessment. Since she was, he decided to see what kind of powerful supernatural powers she managed to cultivate.

　　The venue for the Dao assessment and the battle of mana was right here at Taiyi Peak.

　　Shen Lian utilized his great mana and created a spacious cloud platform out of thin air. It was comparable to the celestial market hosted by Xuantong Demon King back then, if not better. With his current state of cultivation, after finding out about the Dharma of cultivation for The Forbidden Technique of Xiaozhu Clouds, he took only half a day to achieve significant attainment.

　　This was exactly what it meant to operate from a strategically advantageous position and yield twice the result with half the effort.

　　At an advanced state of attainment, mana and Dao techniques would come easily.

　　If a normal cultivator tried to rush into techniques, he might be able to attain something in the short run; more often than not, such person would end up regretting their decision when it was too late.

　　All the disciples were capable of flying, whether through riding the wind, the aid of instruments, or light travel, all of them got to the cloud platform. Upon their arrival, they saw a serene bird dancing beautifully. Its low hums had the dynamic of the mountains and flowing river. The turning points were treacherous and unexpected, heightening one’s will and spirit immediately.

　　Shoujing slung his long sword over his shoulder casually. He spoke to Shouxuan, “Senior Apprentice-Brother, at least one of us would be able to get into the top eight in the Dao Assessment at the cloud platform. It is a matter of how good are the prizes given by the headmaster.”

　　Shouxuan snorted, as though he was not concerned about what Shoujing had just said.

　　Shoujing chuckled.

　　He stared at the cloud platform and watched as their fellow disciples arrived.

　　At that moment, a person rode atop of sword gleam and came forward at a steady pace. The person was Choushi.

　　Shoujing was acquainted with Choushi, and he spoke, “Junior Apprentice-Brother Choushi seems to have improved a lot in the past three years. Among everyone here, no one would be able to match your ability to maneuver the sword.”

　　Choushi twitched his eyelids and replied, “Senior Apprentice-Brother Shoujing, you must be joking. Even though the headmaster taught me about swordcraft, but my lack of potential hindered me from achieving more.”

　　Shoujing smiled and decided that it was appropriate to not say anything. Despite his appearance, he was actually incredibly smart. As for Choushi, even though he was not maneuvering his sword at a remarkable speed, but he was moving at a precise and steady speed, as though he had measured it with a ruler. This showed the extent of control he had over his mana.

　　With his abilities, he would excel at any sort of swordcraft and Dao techniques.

　　Meanwhile, Choushi was in awe. There really were a lot of talented individuals in the sect. To think that even Shoujing, whom he did not think much of, was that observant!

　　He did not reveal the fact that he had attained the state of Huandan for fear of attracting unwanted attention and making himself a target. After all, not everyone was like the headmaster and could cultivate at an unimaginable speed. Without taking long, the headmaster became a giant tree that could not be uprooted – instead of being jealous, everyone could only bow respectfully to him.

　　Even if he managed to come in first in the Dao assessment, he would control the extent of power he revealed, and would only unleash it slowly.

　　By doing so, he could build up his reputation over a period of time instead of making a showy display of his ability.

　　After the previous incident, he was aware that he lacked remarkable potential. If he wanted to advance further, he would need to gain control of Qing Xuan. This would be the best way, as he could only hope to attain immortality with the aid of Qing Xuan’s resources.

　　Choushi felt something tugged at his heart. He heard the sound of thunder and the roar of the sword. He could not resist directing his attention to it.