A grey, dirty humanoid object fell on a remote mountaintop at Clear Spring Peak. It sneakily looked all around. After verifying that no one was around, it clasped its hands and started to make a set of hand seals. Now that the outermost restriction was opened, it finally walked through the stone door.

　　As soon as it entered the door, it shouted out loud, “Xi’er! Where are you?!”

　　It continued to walk on a stone path into the main hall, where it skillfully chose another stone door and performed another set of hand seals. That stone door was opened, and what greeted it was an elegant but gloomy face.

　　Nevertheless, the moment that face saw it, an astonished expression instantly appeared.

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe carelessly wiped his face and consequently caused it to become even darker and dirtier.

　　Qin Xi really couldn’t hold back, so he furrowed his brows and asked, “What have you done? How could you turn yourself into this?”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe looked down to see his own appearance but soon sat down in front of Qin Xi with the same unconcerned attitude as before while pointing at Qin Xi’s nose. “I became like this for you!”

　　“For me?” Qin Xi skeptically raised his brows. He absolutely didn’t believe what Lord Daoist Jinghe said. Did he not know what kind of virtue this master had? It had been years since his master called his name. He always called him “brat.” For him to suddenly call his name so tenderly, it was most likely because he did something that could make people feel torn between tears and laughter; he probably came to boast.

　　Sure enough—

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe looked left and right. Having confirmed that there were no other people in this Immortal’s Cave, he leaned close to Qin Xi and said in an exaggeratingly secretive tone, “It was for you! I just had a fight with old man Zhenyang for you!”

　　“…”

　　“Brat! What do you mean by that face?!” Lord Daoist Jinghe pushed up his sleeves. “I just fought him for your sake; don’t you even feel touched in the slightest?”

　　“You better tell me what happened first,” said Qin Xi calmly.

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe, who was forced to get back to the point, glared at him for quite a while. However, he eventually couldn’t help but proudly report his success. “Old man Zhenyang’s disciple wanted to rob you of your wife, so I had a fight with the old man.”

　　“… My wife?” Qin Xi slowly asked, “Since when did I have a wife?”

　　“Aiya, you still don’t want to admit it?” Lord Daoist Jinghe cast a glance at him with a “you don’t have to feel embarrassed” expression. “It’s Tiange! I know you still don’t want to talk about this now, but it doesn’t matter. I won’t tell this to anyone, take your time…”

　　He automatically stopped before he could finish talking since Qin Xi’s expression turned so gloomy as if it was covered by a dense, black cloud. “Master!”

　　“What?” Lord Daoist Jinghe intended on stroking his beard, but in the end, he only managed to grab a handful of ash. He then patted his hand on his own clothes, causing black ash and soil to fly all over the room.

　　Qin Xi glared angrily at him but said nothing. After an eternity, his expression finally eased down. “Master, instead of being idle and having nothing to do, you better take a trip out and travel around. Now your cultivation level is high enough, so you should look for some fated chances and think about how to make a breakthrough into the late stage.”

　　His voice sounded very calm. The intention behind his words also sounded like he was being considerate for his master’s sake. Nevertheless, the storm brewing inside those words could also be heard clearly. Hearing Qin Xi using this kind of tone, Lord Daoist Jinghe couldn’t help but shrink his body, but in the next second, he once again argued confidently as if justice was on his side. “Stinky brat! What kind of attitude is that? I got into a life or death fight for your sake and I even lost my reputation, but you’re actually going to talk to me like this?!”

　　Qin Xi felt he was already restraining himself, but upon hearing those sentences, the fire in his heart could no longer be controlled and went amok. The expression on his face involuntarily became very stern. “Master, even if you want to mess around, you should know the limit!”

　　Upon hearing what Qin Xi said, Lord Daoist Jinghe, who still didn’t know where the limit was, once again stomped his feet in anger. “You actually think I’m messing around!? Y-y-you… Stinky brat, if it isn’t because you’re so awkward, would I need to watch over your wife for your sake? I’m telling you…”

　　“Who told you she’s my wife?” Qin Xi couldn’t help but shout, “You actually took this non-existent matter seriously! You’ve been alive for more than 800 years; what happened to your brain?!”

　　Having lived for more than 800 years but still being despised by his junior, Lord Daoist Jinghe might not have known where his brain went, but he certainly knew his self-esteem was heavily injured. He took some effort to make his expression fierce then he shouted, “Smelly brat! Do you really think I have no idea what’s going on in your head? Ever since you were a child, your temperament has always been like this. You obviously want something badly, but you’ll never admit it! If I don’t monitor the situation on your behalf, you can go and cry about it in the future!”

　　When Lord Daoist Jinghe shouted like that, he indeed looked like an elder. Unfortunately, Qin Xi wasn’t buying it. “Stop thinking that you’re always right! I’m not attached to her in the slightest!”

　　“Ha!!!” Lord Daoist Jinghe sneered. He stared at Qin Xi with a very sharp gaze and said, “If you’re not attached to her, why are you hiding your identity from her? Why were you unwilling to see her these past two years? Why are you cultivating like your life depends on it? I’m the one who raised you; everybody else might not know about those complicated thoughts of yours, but I’m very aware of them!”

　　“You didn’t tell her who you were because you didn’t her to see you as an elder! You’re unwilling to see her and are cultivating like crazy because your pride was injured by that Deification ancestor of hers! In the past, you felt it was always you who took care of her, but in front of her ancestor, you suddenly became nothing but a small ant. You thought you seemed to have lost the qualification to harbor any feelings towards her, so you started to cultivate like crazy—brat, you always think Master is unreliable, but I’m telling you—good or bad, I’ve lived for 800 years. To me, you’re still too naïve!”

　　Although Qin Xi still didn’t say anything after Lord Daoist Jinghe finished speaking, his expression became even gloomier. He knew his master had always been childish despite his old age, but what he said now made Qin Xi feel as if the secrets in his heart were exposed right at his most vulnerable moment and were laid bare in the open without the slightest cover. He also felt as if his weak spot was ruthlessly pierced with needles—it was painful, yet he couldn’t reach the wound.

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe took a deep breath before continuing. “This damn temper of yours! When anything happens, you always keep it to yourself, always thinking you can handle it by yourself. However, I still have to tell you this—this kind of matter… if you miss out, your chance will be gone forever. It’s okay if you don’t want to admit it now; I’ll watch over this matter for you, but you also mustn’t be a hypocrite. Master just doesn’t want you to regret it later!”

　　Qin Xi still didn’t say anything and simply glared angrily at Lord Daoist Jinghe. Nevertheless, when he heard the latter part of Lord Daoist Jinghe’s speech, his gaze unconsciously softened. He dropped his gaze, but his expression was still stiff as he seemed to be thinking about something. After a long time, his somewhat hoarse voice came through: “Stop being self-righteous; my diligent cultivation is unrelated to this matter!”

　　“Unrelated?” Lord Daoist Jinghe moved towards him with a smile. “Brat, do you think I wouldn’t realize that you have something troubling your heart? There must be something about the matter from last time that you still haven’t told me, and that thing has presumably injured your self-esteem?”

　　Even though Qin Xi remained silent, there was a slight change in his expression and his fists were tightly clenched.

　　The way he looked now made Lord Daoist Jinghe retreat and heave a soft sigh. He then spoke with a soft voice he never used before, “Xi’er, you can blame me for not teaching you about this kind of matter properly. Ever since you were a child, you’ve had a staunch heart. Aside from cultivating, you basically never thought of anything else. You were very young, yet you were already as calm as an old man. At that time, I indeed thought you were born to cultivate. It’s only now that I realize it wasn’t at all the case.”

　　“You never got yourself entangled in anything because you never cared. But once you care about something, that will be your downfall. Your journey on the path of cultivation is going too smoothly. Don’t glare at me. Even though you’ve also been through numerous dangerous situations, you’ve never experienced a mental tribulation; you’ve never tasted failure.”

　　“Although I’ve always taken care of you ever since you were little, you’ve never liked to depend on me. All these years, you cultivated until the Core Formation realm, which was the result of your own hard work and wasn’t really attributable to me. It’s precisely because of this that you’re always very confident in yourself and very prideful. Your pride causes you to always expect yourself to achieve the best and never let anything or anyone affect you. This kind of attitude in the past always allowed you to achieve more than anyone else. However, you never knew that excessive pride would cause you to lose your life!”

　　Qin Xi only looked down and said nothing.

　　This unruly master of his had never given such a long speech and never used such a soft and concerned tone before. However, he was too spot-on – so spot-on that he couldn’t say anything to refute.

　　“Xi’er, if you continue on like this, you’ll create an Inner Demon yourself,” Lord Daoist Jinghe said while letting out a long sigh.

　　Qin Xi pursed his lips. “I’ll take care of this.”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe shook his head. “I know you don’t want to rely on me, but for some things, I, an old monster who’s lived for more than 800 years, can see more clearly than you do. I don’t know what you’re conflicted about in your heart, but I know that girl is the cause. Therefore, I earnestly want to remind you that if you can get her, your Inner Demon will naturally disappear.”

　　“She’s not an item.”

　　Qin Xi’s tone sounded somewhat stubborn, but Lord Daoist Jinghe just laughed upon hearing it. His laugh wasn’t the unruly, mischievous kind; rather, it sounded a bit indulgent and pampering. “I’ve said so much, but you actually only focused on that point. Brat, you’re really done for!”

　　Qin Xi said nothing and lowered his head but after that, he didn’t move at all.

　　After taking out a handkerchief to wipe his face clean, Lord Daoist Jinghe said slowly, “In fact, that girl is indeed pretty good. She’s gone through a rough life, so she understands self-respect and self-improvement. Although she hasn’t grown enough yet, as long as she continues tempering herself, she will definitely become successful with time. Besides, she really does suit you. You don’t like ruckus; she’s very calm. You only like cultivating; she also has a firm Dao Heart. But, the most important thing is that you admire her. People like you… For you to suddenly fall in love with some woman is simply impossible. You have to start with admiration. The more you admire someone, the more you’ll care for her. The more you care, the easier it will be for your heart to feel moved. You always looked down on women before, but now, you emphasized that she isn’t an item. Brat, can’t you just admit that she’s a special person in your heart?”

　　When Lord Daoist Jinghe finished talking, Qin Xi still remained silent. However, Lord Daoist Jinghe felt very happy. “It’s been years since I last saw you so awkward. Seeing you like this, Master suddenly feels a sense of accomplishment!”

　　His sentence finally made Qin Xi look up. He shouted resentfully, “Master!”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe was currently enjoying himself, so he ignored the expression on Qin Xi’s face. “Don’t get angry. Other people’s kids usually have some kind of youngster emotional problems when they’re in their teens or twenties. You, however, only have such problems when you’re already more than a hundred years old—such a rare thing to come by!”

　　Qin Xi’s anger flared up even more. Although he didn’t say anything, he clenched his fists even tighter as if he wanted to punch Lord Daoist Jinghe. Of course, he certainly wouldn’t do such an unfilial thing like beating up his elder. Nonetheless, he didn’t mind driving him out!

　　Noticing that Qin Xi couldn’t hold back his anger for much longer, Lord Daoist Jinghe cleverly stopped while he was ahead. “Alright, let’s not talk about that. Let’s just earnestly discuss the feasibility of Dual Cultivation. Brat, you’ve already practiced the Pure Yang Technique you got from that Deification senior up to the third layer, haven’t you? Your Pure Yang Aura will become more and more flourishing, so the difference between you and people with a Pure Yang Constitution isn’t that dramatic. Your Art of Three Primordial Cycles has already reached the extreme Yang phase, so to neutralize the two auras, you only lack extreme Yin, am I correct?”

　　After he saw Qin Xi nod with hesitation, Lord Daoist Jinghe continued on: “Let’s first talk about the Art of Three Primordial Cycles. This cultivation technique is closely related to the Distant Past. Ancient cultivators thought the three primordial auras were the origin of the world; the three units were an integral whole and could naturally become part of the Great Dao. According to what you said, this cultivation technique is the most suitable for a breakthrough into the next realm, but the requirements to practice it are very strict. Without obtaining the three primordial auras and without the completion of the three units, achieving the Great Dao would be impossible. You already have the extreme Yang to neutralize the two auras now and only require extreme Yin. I really find it hard to believe you don’t know that performing Dual Cultivation with a female cultivator with a Pure Yin Constitution is the easiest as well as the safest method to obtain extreme Yin aura.”

　　Qin Xi was still silent, but Lord Daoist Jinghe didn’t force him to talk. He just proceeded to say, “Let’s talk about the Pure Yang Technique again. In the past, when you accidentally obtained the Yang Spiritual Bead, I already told you that this kind of unique treasure would make your Yang aura flourish and might even change your constitution. Now that you also obtained the Pure Yang Technique, what I said before has been realized at last. Your constitution is turning into Pure Yang Constitution, so if you perform Dual Cultivation with someone with a Pure Yin Constitution, you’ll certainly benefit greatly!”

　　By the time his speech was finished, the room was in complete silence.

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe stared at Qin Xi, apparently waiting for him to make a decision. Nevertheless, Qin Xi’s expression was stiff, and he didn’t say anything.

　　After a long time, Qin Xi finally spoke: “I don’t want to perform Dual Cultivation just for the sake of getting some kind of benefit, not even for my cultivation or to avoid an Inner demon.”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe laughed, completely unsurprised by his answer. He then patted Qin Xi’s shoulder, feeling rather helpless. “Brat, I’ve told you before, excessive pride will cause you to lose your life but you still…”

　　“So what? What’s the fun in relying on a woman to form my Nascent Soul?”

　　“… Ay~!” Lord Daoist Jinghe shook his head. However, he suddenly asked another question, “In that case, I’m asking you—if not for cultivating or avoiding an Inner demon, do you really not want her?”

　　This time, instead of waiting for Qin Xi’s answer, he properly tidied himself up and returned to Shangqing Palace in a refreshed mood, looking incomparably bright and neat—how could he, who looked brilliant his whole life, possibly let his disciples and grand-disciples see his dirt-covered appearance? Luckily, this brat hadn’t accepted any disciples yet and furthermore was in Closed Door Meditation at the moment, so there wasn’t a single person in the vicinity of his Immortal’s Cave.

　　A long while after Lord Daoist Jinghe left, a soft murmur was heard inside the Immortal’s cave: “At least… not until I form my Nascent Soul…”

　　—

　　Qin Shoujing!

　　Bai Yanfei gnashed his teeth and cast a spell with all his might.

　　The sky-high old tree in front of him broke apart with a crash then fell to the shrubbery below. Now that his mood had improved a little, Bai Yanfei found a spot and crouched down to rest.

　　He had always been a very arrogant person. After all, he felt it was justifiable for him to have a bit more arrogance.

　　He was born in a royal family in the secular world. As a noble crown prince of Yan Country, he lived a life of luxury ever since he was a child. When he was ten years old, a master immortal came to the palace. He brought immortal’s techniques with him and wielded various unique and mighty laws, showing him that immortals really existed in this world.

　　He felt very envious, so he pestered that master immortal, wanting to worship him as his master. Unable to persuade him to stop and also because he was the crown prince, the master immortal reluctantly examined his spiritual roots. To the master immortal’s surprise, he actually possessed a single spiritual root, rarely seen in a century!

　　The master immortal was overjoyed by this sudden turn of events and immediately reported back to his school. In fact, this master immortal was only a part-time disciple who obtained permission to leave the mountain and wanted to return to the secular world to enjoy a high position and great wealth for some time. Unexpectedly, he found a single spiritual root genius for the school! Because of this, he benefited greatly—he was accepted as a formal disciple and was even bestowed a Foundation-Building Pill.

　　After that, the divisional elder of that master immortal personally came to Yan Country and brought Bai Yanfei back to Mount Taikang. He was then told to worship the Head Grand Supreme Elder as his master and would henceforth be personally taught by him. By then, all glory, splendor, wealth and rank from the secular world no longer attracted him. He abandoned his crown prince identity as well as those envious gazes of his imperial father and brothers and became Xuanqing School’s Head Grand Supreme Elder’s advanced inner disciple.

　　When he was just a mortal, he was the crown prince of a country. When he became a cultivator, he was the proud disciple of a great late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. With this kind of fate, was there any reason for him not to be arrogant?

　　As expected, due to his terrific aptitude, he was able to progress on the path of cultivation smoothly. Making a realm-breakthrough, foundation-building… these were difficult for others and extremely dangerous, but he was able to do them almost effortlessly.

　　Nevertheless, he still had his unhappy moments. For example, every time the female disciples in the school talked about male disciples, they first asked, “How’s Martial Uncle Shoujing?” or “How’s Senior Martial Brother Shoujing?”

　　He was very much dissatisfied! What was so amazing about Qin Shoujing? Building his foundation at the age of twenty, forming his Gold Core at the age of seventy-eight? Being the disciple of Lord Daoist Jinghe? Having elegant looks?

　　Regarding looks, he’d seen how that Senior Martial Brother Shoujing looked like and it was nothing special. Bai Yanfei believed he was also outstandingly attractive and didn’t lose to Qin Shoujing at all! As for status, he was Lord Daoist Zhenyang’s last disciple, so was he worse than Qin Shoujing? Lord Daoist Zhenyang was a great late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator; his cultivation level and identity were higher than Lord Daoist Jinghe’s! Furthermore, regarding cultivation level, wasn’t Qin Shoujing older than him? Qin Shoujing’s aptitude was nothing but double spiritual roots, far worse than his!

　　In summary, Qin Shoujing was just born about a hundred years earlier than me. Give me a hundred years’ time and Qin Shoujing won’t even be worthy of holding my shoes!

　　Of course, these were just casual thoughts Bai Yanfei used to have. Every time Qin Shoujing was mentioned, he only felt unhappy. Now, however, he was fuming with rage, itching to blast him away just like he did to that tree.

　　In fact, he wasn’t really infatuated with Senior Martial Sister Mo. Bai Yanfei just thought—how could such a young and promising heroic youngster who had both talents and looks like him have no beauty by his side? That Senior Martial Sister Mo had a high enough status, her cultivation level was also pretty good, her looks were excellent, her age was also close to his, and most importantly, she had a gentle nature—she wasn’t as boring as Senior Martial Sister Wu of Green Phoenix Peak, and she wasn’t as unruly as Junior Martial Sister Jiang of Drifting Cloud Peak. Furthermore, her abilities in handling things weren’t bad, so she would surely have no problems in becoming a good wife and caring for her husband.

　　However, who would’ve thought that after much effort and finally finding someone that fit his requirements, Qin Shoujing would meddle and become his roadblock!?

　　Who was Qin Shoujing? Qin Shoujing was just a guy who couldn’t compare to him! Qin Shoujing’s cultivation level was indeed higher than his, but it was only because Qin Shoujing had the advantage of being born about a hundred years earlier than him!

　　This wouldn’t do! He mustn’t be defeated by Qin Shoujing! Senior Martial Sister Mo was who he chose to be his Dual Cultivation partner; how could he let Qin Shoujing snatch her away? Too shameless!

　　Since he had long planned to woo Senior Martial Sister Mo, he definitely had to get her and let Qin Shoujing know that he, Bai Yanfei, was the most talented young man in the entire school!

　　With these thoughts in mind, Bai Yanfei, who was sitting on a tree stump, started to laugh mischievously.