Chapter 20: The Taste Is Rather Wonderful

All hearts are made of flesh, after all. Moreover, the Master of the Xuantian Sect had given her meticulous guidance and devoted care. Whether it was the lingering feelings of the original host or the present Yan Shu herself, both now regarded the Master of the Xuantian Sect as a figure akin to both teacher and father.

Startled by his words, Yan Shu hurriedly asked, “Master, what’s the matter?”

The Master of the Xuantian Sect gazed at her with a hint of helplessness. “I have already perished, you remember this, don’t you?”

Truth be told, Yan Shu had somewhat forgotten. The Master of the Xuantian Sect had been appearing before her these days, and aside from lacking a physical form, he seemed no different from the living.

Seeing her expression dim in an instant, the Master of the Xuantian Sect smiled kindly, his voice gentle: “No feast lasts forever. This wisp of my divine sense can only persist for a short while more. In the future, when you break the seal, you will need my assistance. Without my spiritual power and aura, the seal cannot be opened.”

Listening to his words and recalling the fact of his passing, Yan Shu asked gloomily, “Once the seal is opened, will you vanish as well, Master?”

The Master of the Xuantian Sect looked at her lowered, sorrowful face, wishing to pat her head but touching only emptiness.

He comforted her, saying, “Our bond as master and disciple, lasting over ten days, is already a blessing from heaven. From now on, you are Yan Shu, my youngest disciple, and the Xuantian Sect is your home.”

Yan Shu murmured her assent.

The Master of the Xuantian Sect sighed softly. “The path ahead, you must walk on your own.”

Yan Shu took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and smiled brightly. “Don’t worry, Master. I won’t let the tragedy written in the book repeat itself!”

He did not wish for her to feel too much pressure; after all, even if such dire consequences befell them, it was the Xuantian Sect’s own doing. The Master of the Xuantian Sect smiled at her. “Do your best, that is enough.”

With those words, he returned once more to the seal.

Though the Master of the Xuantian Sect rarely spoke—unless Yan Shu asked, he was nearly silent—his presence had made Yan Shu feel she was not alone.

Now that he was gone, she suddenly felt a touch of loneliness.

Yan Shu was not one to wallow in sadness. She quickly composed herself and threw herself back into cultivation.

Meanwhile, at this very moment, Xiao Jihan, who was in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes.

Today was the day Yan Shu’s inner demon acted up—one day each month for over a year, he endured the pain of his heart being gouged.

He hadn’t tried to remember, but his body recorded the agony, and every month on this day, his heart ached faintly without needing any reminder.

Thinking of the items in the mustard seed pouch, and the blazing furnace he had never used, Xiao Jihan lifted his hand to dispel the barrier, silently waiting for night to fall.

Yan Shu knew nothing of this. She was wholly immersed in cultivation.

Cultivation was, in truth, a bittersweet affair—the sensation of spiritual energy entering the body was at once numb, painful, and exhilarating. Though Yan Shu lacked much experience, she felt the sensation rivaled that of a sage’s moment of enlightenment.

According to the Master of the Xuantian Sect, the body was a vessel for spiritual energy, and the realm represented the size of that vessel.

Although Yan Shu’s realm was suppressed by the seal, it did not hinder her cultivation; on the contrary, it made her vessel tougher and her strength greater. She was confined to the Golden Core stage, but with proper cultivation, her Golden Core could rival others’ Nascent Souls.

Many believed that after the Tribulation stage came Ascension, yet only those who truly reached the Tribulation stage understood how far they were from Ascension.

The Master of the Xuantian Sect had perished on the path between Tribulation and Ascension.

Yan Shu, though suppressed now, would, once she broke the seal, possess cultivation far surpassing others at the same stage. When she reached the Tribulation stage, she would comprehend its marvels.

Yan Shu did not dwell on such distant matters; her devotion to cultivation stemmed simply from having nothing else to do.

Moreover, the taste of enlightenment was rather wonderful.

As night gradually fell,

Xiao Jihan sat quietly on his couch, gazing at the great hall, his heart beating restlessly as though anticipating something.

Time passed slowly, his handsome face devoid of expression.

Gradually, the moon rose to the willow branches.

Gradually, the moon tilted westward.

Gradually, dawn tinged the sky.

Gradually, the warm sun rose.

Xiao Jihan sat motionless throughout the night, watching that room in the great hall, until the first ray of sunlight streamed through the window, bathing him in gold. Only then did he blink.

She had not come.

His heart settled into calm.

Did this mean he could finally believe that someone in this world could truly care for him without ulterior motive?

Such a thought flickered and vanished. Xiao Jihan lowered his gaze with a cold laugh. Even if her inner demon was gone and she had given him some things, it was merely the act of a righteous person, compensation for past wrongs.

And he—why should he harbor greed?

Xiao Jihan closed his eyes once more.

Days passed.

Though Yan Shu was not in seclusion, it was as if she were. When she finally emerged from her cultivation, she realized there were less than ten days left before the opening of the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm, and she hadn’t yet spoken to Xiao Jihan.

Over a month had passed; she wondered how his favorability now stood.

Anxious, Yan Shu stepped outside.

The barrier outside had been removed; it seemed Xiao Jihan had ended his seclusion.

Yan Shu made her way to the door, peering around, but saw nothing.

Hesitating for a moment, she knocked: “Disciple, are you there? Your master has something to tell you.”

No response came from within. Yan Shu called again, but still, no response.

She thought to extend her divine sense over Supreme Peak to see if Xiao Jihan was present, but after a moment’s hesitation, she refrained. After all, she was only at the late Golden Core stage, whereas Xiao Jihan was about to form his Nascent Soul.

If she released her divine sense, he would immediately know her current cultivation.

If he still bore hatred toward her, wouldn’t she be telling him, “Hey, now I’m just a junior in front of you—come cut me down”?

Yan Shu cherished her life and wasn’t inclined to seek her own end.

So, she pretended to casually wander Supreme Peak. After exploring every corner, she confirmed that Xiao Jihan had already left.

Yan Shu’s eyes lit up—did this mean she could leave Supreme Peak and go to the Spirit Spring for a bath?

As for finding a place to hide and wait for Xiao Jihan to ascend, she no longer wished for that. First, because of the Xuantian Sect and her senior brothers, she felt a sense of belonging; second, she couldn’t endure being struck by lightning.

After confirming the location of the Spirit Spring, she waited until nightfall, then cautiously tested the path. When she found no lightning struck her, she skipped joyfully toward the Spirit Spring.