Failed… He hadn’t started his soul-formation yet, but master already thought he’d fail?

　　Mo Tiange was silent for a long time. She couldn’t tell how she was feeling about this.

　　A long while later, she said, “Master, when I met the two Deification seniors back then, I obtained a batch of several millennium-year-old spiritual plants. However, I still can’t use them yet due to my current realm, so I’ve left them on the shelf. If Senior Martial Brother Shoujing needs them, they might as well be used to concoct medicinal pills. Presumably, they’d be helpful in his soul-formation.”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe looked up to stare at her; his gaze seemed to contain an unfathomable meaning. “Several millennium-year-old spiritual plants? A batch? Spiritual plants that are more than a thousand years old aren’t easy to obtain at the moment—you’re willing to take them out?”

　　Mo Tiange smiled. “Ever since I came to Xuanqing School, the school’s never been stingy with my disciple rations. It can even be said that of all the treasures I now have, more than half of them came from the school. Without the school or you, Master, I’d be nothing at all. If Master thinks it’s necessary, I’ll naturally take them out.”

　　“Oh…” Mo Tiange couldn’t tell whether the expression on Lord Daoist Jinghe’s face was disappointment or gratification. He seemed to take some time to think before he eventually shook his head. “No need. That brat’s always been careful, and I’ve also analyzed things for him. His preparations are already much more than required. If he still fails despite all of this, then we can only say he’s out of luck. Besides, you should also prepare for your own core-formation. From what Master remembers, your pill-concocting is also quite good, isn’t it?”

　　Mo Tiange hesitated for a moment before she answered: “Disciple’s pill-concocting skills are just ordinary.”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe unexpectedly laughed. “Girl, you’re too modest! Considering that you never went looking for concoctions masters to help you concoct pills, I already know your pill-concocting skills definitely surpass those of our school’s concoctions masters. As for your core-formation, Master will prepare Dustless Pills and the like for you. However, you still have to cultivate until you reach the peak stage of Foundation Building realm, so there should still be about a dozen to twenty years’ time—you can prepare as you see fit. If you need something but cannot get it, you just need to tell me.”

　　“Thank you, Master.” Mo Tiange felt grateful. This master of hers had never been stingy with external matters. The school had its own rules regarding Dustless Pills and the like; as long as a disciple reached the peak stage of the Foundation Building realm, they might receive some. However, since her master said he’d get them for her, he’d definitely get her more than her assigned portion.

　　After a moment of thought, Lord Daoist Jinghe spoke again: “This time, you don’t have to go all out regarding magic formation on the main peak. Master already went into the magic formation and did some exploring. That formation’s extremely powerful. Although there’s no life-threatening dangers inside, you’ll most likely suffer some injuries. Now, your core-formation is right around the corner; don’t get hurt if you can, or just don’t get in if you’re not sure—otherwise, your gains won’t make up for your losses.”

　　“I understand,” Mo Tiange answered compliantly. A moment later, she asked again: “Master, you let me travel around outside before I try to form my Gold Core. What about Senior Martial Brother Shoujing? Why doesn’t he, who’s been in Closed Door Meditation for more than thirty years, need to travel around before he forms his Nascent Soul?”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe was toying with a small magic weapon in his hands. When he heard her question, he looked up and stared thoughtfully at her. “I say… Why do you seem to keep asking about that brat today? You weren’t someone who liked to inquire about others much before…”

　　“Oh…” Mo Tiange’s eyes shifted around, but she soon stated her innocence: “Master, you’re overthinking things. Aren’t I doing this because Zhenji’s with him now? If Senior Martial Brother Shoujing can succeed in forming his Nascent Soul, Zhenji’s status would also rise along with his.”

　　“Really?” Lord Daoist Jinghe cast her a sideways glance. Zhenji was only in the early stage of the Foundation Building realm now. It’d take him at least another ten to twenty years to advance to the middle stage; he was still very far away from the Core Formation realm—did he really need a Nascent Soul master?

　　“Of course!” Mo Tiange insisted, “Master, tell me quickly!”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe answered carelessly: “That brat always wants to settle everything by himself. In fact, with his mental state, there shouldn’t be any issues in forming his Nascent Soul. If his heart hadn’t encountered a demonic barrier, I wouldn’t worry…”

　　“Demonic barrier?”

　　“Never mind,” Lord Daoist Jinghe immediately circled around the topic. “The most important thing in forming one’s Nascent Soul is to pass the obstacle we know as the Inner Demon. Many people never realize they have Inner Demons, leading to failure in their soul-formation. Considering how rash that brat is now, he’s obviously been entrapped by a demonic barrier. That’s why I’m worried.”

　　“…” Mo Tiange could naturally sense Lord Daoist Jinghe wasn’t telling the truth. However, this matter was significant, so it was to be expected he wouldn’t tell her about it. More importantly, she’d been beating around the bush and saying all this only to see if Senior Martial Brother Shoujing mentioned the medicinal pill matter to their master or not. Master’s reaction seemed very normal, so it seemed Senior Martial Brother Shoujing hadn’t spilled the beans. In addition, she purposefully mentioned the two Deification cultivators. If questions arose in the future, she could completely explain the origins of the materials for those medicinal pills.

　　Upon thinking about those points, Mo Tiange looked for a reason to leave. “Xiaohuo’s just burned the medicinal fields; I’m going to go back first to see if Xiuqin and the others have finished tidying up.”

　　“Hey? Didn’t you say you wanted to chat with me? We’ve just talked for a bit—why do you want to leave already?”

　　“I’m done chatting,” Mo Tiange said without looking back as she went to the back.

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe, who was left behind alone, muttered, “These children… One is even stranger than the other.”

　　Now that she confirmed there were no problems, Mo Tiange regained her pleasant mood. Once she reached Mingxin Residence, however, she found that Ruan Mingzhu was still standing there.

　　The woman, whom Mo Tiange thought was arrogant and tyrannical, was now standing in a daze. She stared blankly at those busy maids inside Mingxin Residence; her gaze was filled with a sense of loss.

　　Ruan Mingzhu seemed to be startled when she saw Mo Tiange coming over.

　　As for Mo Tiange, she saw that Ruan Mingzhu seemed to not want to greet her, so she also didn’t say anything and proceeded directly into Mingxin Residence.

　　Nevertheless, Ruan Mingzhu suddenly called out behind her: “Martial Uncle Mo.” When she had no other emotion in her voice, she sounded a lot cuter.

　　Mo Tiange turned around. “Martial Nephew Ruan, is there something the matter?”

　　Ruan Mingzhu bit her lip. She hesitated for a long time before she finally spoke: “Martial Uncle Mo, could you come to Zhili Building and chat with me for a bit?”

　　Mo Tiange was stunned; she almost thought she misheard Ruan Mingzhu. Is this really Ruan Mingzhu? This woman heard me calling her “Martial Nephew Ruan” but she showed no reaction at all, and she even still invited me for a visit with a tone that carried a hint of pleading?

　　“Martial Uncle Mo?” Ruan Mingzhu called out again. The pleading in her voice became even stronger. “I… None of them want to talk to me. I just want to find someone I can talk to…”

　　Mo Tiange turned around to look at her own courtyard. Xiuqin and the others were still as busy as bees. It wouldn’t be much issue if the place was just dirty; a few simple spells could settle the matter. The trouble was that the two spiritual beasts also flattened the medicinal fields, so they’d presumably need some time to sort things up. Mo Tiange debated the matter for a moment but eventually yielded. “Alright.”

　　Ruan Mingzhu was happy to hear her answer. She then set forth to lead the way. “Martial Uncle Mo, let’s go.”

　　Mo Tiange followed behind her, walking towards Zhili Building while keeping her guard up. Although Mo Tiange didn’t think Ruan Mingzhu could do anything outrageous to her, Ruan Mingzhu was, after all, a person famous for her domineering nature, and there was practically nothing she didn’t dare to do.

　　Zhili Building wasn’t far from Mingxin Residence. Like Mingxin Residence, it was pretty much a small courtyard, but the things inside it were much more lavish.

　　Ruan Mingzhu invited Mo Tiange to come inside then clumsily led her into the small sitting room and asked her to sit.

　　Mo Tiange saw that she did everything without a single mistake. Obviously, Ruan Mingzhu was also well-mannered—it was just that she was accustomed to being domineering, so she never bothered with manners. However, Mo Tiange then saw her also taking a seat, and she couldn’t help but feel rather speechless—Ruan Mingzhu didn’t even offer her a cup of tea. Although Foundation Building cultivators like them no longer ate mortals’ food, having tea was just a kind of habit and moreover, it was a must while receiving guests.

　　“Martial Uncle Mo.” Ruan Mingzhu, who sat across her, said with a lowered head, “I left the school for sixty years to a remote place, so I have no understanding of the matters inside the school. Could you please tell me about them?”

　　Mo Tiange faintly asked, “What do you want to know?”

　　Ruan Mingzhu finally raised her head to look at her. “For example… when you joined the school, why grandmaster accepted you as his disciple and so on.”

　　Mo Tiange shook her head. “It’s been almost forty years since I entered the school. As for matters like why he accepted me as his disciple, I think you might as well ask your grandmaster in person.”

　　Ruan Mingzhu stared at her with an astonished expression. “Could it be that your aptitude’s extremely good? What was your cultivation level like when you joined the school?”

　　“It’s just average,” Mo Tiange said perfunctorily, “I hadn’t built my foundation when I entered the school. At that time, I obtained Foundation-Building Pills bestowed to me by master, so I succeeded in building my foundation.”

　　“Forty years…” Ruan Mingzhu muttered, “Forty years, from the Aura Refining realm to the late stage of the Foundation Building realm… Grandmaster, no wonder…”

　　Upon seeing Ruan Mingzhu’s expression changing continuously as if there was a fierce struggle inside her heart, Mo Tiange said faintly, “Martial Nephew Ruan, everyone has their own fortune—it’s not something we can change on demand.”

　　What Mo Tiange said caused Ruan Mingzhu to suddenly snap. She slammed the table, shouting: “You think I’m not as good as you?!”

　　Mo Tiange raised her gaze and gave her a cold stare.

　　Ruan Mingzhu seemed to realize her overstep, so she immediately showed a smile. “Martial Uncle Mo, I’m sorry… I…”

　　This young miss was actually apologizing to others?! Mo Tiange raised her eyebrows.

　　“Never mind. Martial Nephew Ruan, do you still have anything you want to talk about? If you don’t, I want to return to Mingxin Residence.”

　　“Martial Uncle Mo, don’t go!” Ruan Mingzhu pleaded. “I… I… I just lost my mind for a second and said the wrong things—don’t leave me here by myself…”

　　Ruan Mingzhu looked pitiful, but at the same time, she also looked like she was struggling to hide her resentment, causing Mo Tiange to feel amused. “Then what do you want to talk about? You can talk a bit quicker.”

　　Seeing as Mo Tiange’s expression was easing up again, Ruan Mingzhu finally remembered to pour her a cup of tea. After a moment of flustered hustling and bustling, a cup of tea was finally presented to her. “Martial Uncle Mo, please drink some tea.”

　　Mo Tiange nodded, though she frowned slightly when she saw the tea. This young miss almost flipped the table over trying to pour tea—she actually couldn’t even do this simple thing… Mo Tiange couldn’t help but sigh. If she was Lord Daoist Jinghe, she really wouldn’t know what kind of headache she’d have.

　　“Martial Uncle Mo,” Ruan Mingzhu, who sat opposite her with a lowered head, said dejectedly, “I really don’t understand… Why does everybody keep saying I was wrong? Fine, let’s say I was wrong, but why did no one ever tell me I was wrong before now? No matter what I did, grandmaster never said I did anything wrong. He said it recently, but he’s no longer willing to pay attention to me.”

　　She looked crestfallen as she spoke: “I don’t understand. I really don’t understand. All of them are ignoring me—what should I do? During the sixty years I was in Yungang, there wasn’t a single day I didn’t want to go back. Every day, I waited for grandmaster to summon me back, but he never did. It was such a rare occasion for the school to send out Summoning Talismans… I could finally come back, but they’re all ignoring me now…”

　　At this point, she lowered her head to the table and began weeping in misery.

　　Mo Tiange watched her cry for a while. In the end, she couldn’t help but sigh and say, “Martial Nephew Ruan, have you never thought about… relying on your own self?”

　　Ruan Mingzhu’s weeping suddenly stopped.

　　Mo Tiange continued on: “Why do you need my master and Senior Martial Brother Shoujing to pay attention to you? When you were in Yungang’s branch courtyard, no one took care of you, but no one treated you harshly either—you could obviously cultivate well there, couldn’t you?”

　　Ruan Mingzhu raised her head, but she seemed to be in a daze. “All of them ignored me. What would I cultivate for? What would be the point?”

　　“…” Mo Tiange was simply at a loss for what to say. “Could it be that you cultivate just so others pay attention to you?”

　　“I…” Ruan Mingzhu seemed bewildered.

　　Mo Tiange felt both helpless and amused. This woman was obviously twice her age, but why did she feel like she was educating a child?

　　“Do you really not feel even the slightest bit of joy from cultivating? In that case, what’s your goal in this life? Simply living? Living a completely unrestrained life? Letting master pamper you? And then just waiting until you pass away one day? You yourself don’t even know what you want to do, so where does the joy in your life come from?”