As it was merely a formality, Shen Lian, of course, would not disagree with it.
“I, as the disciple, agree,” Shen Lian nodded as he spoke.
Gu Caiwei smiled. She had never formally acknowledged someone as her disciple before. Even though she was doing it on behalf of her master, she still found it quite interesting. With a wave of her sleeve, a teacup that was steaming hot appeared out of thin air. She passed it to Shen Lian and gestured for him to pass it to her.
Shen Lian did not know what to feel about this. Qing Xuan emphasized on being natural and was not fraught with rules as such. However, he had to play along with Apprentice-Sister Gu if he were to learn the techniques from her.
Respectfully, he delivered the tea to her. On behalf of her master, Gu Caiwei drank the tea merrily.
Shen Lian bowed as a gesture of gratitude for the kindness of his master.
“From now on, we would be Apprentice-Brother and Apprentice-Sister of the same branch. On the path of cultivation, we should always lend a hand to each other,” said Gu Caiwei.
“This portrait did not look like this originally, and it used to be the face of Grandmaster Qingshui. When the founding master attained Dao, the portrait was repainted into this. Our master asked the founding master about it, and she said that this was the “Taixu” of Qingshui. Junior Apprentice-Brother, why don’t you take a guess, what was the founding master’s intention?” She queried as she pointed at the portrait.
Shen Lian pondered for a while, and replied, “Taixu, physical appearance, could it be that the founding master understood Dao through the clouds and water?”
“Actually there is no answer to this question. The founding master had never explained about it. Just that the master asked me about this question back then, which is why I am asking you about it today. Back then, the master had actually attained the state of Huandan, and it was Nine Transformations no less. Even though Senior Apprentice-Brother Chen is talented, he is still not as good as our master. If it wasn’t for the difficulties faced when cultivating the Taixu Strategy, it could well be considered as the best technique in the world,” said Gu Caiwei.
By right, she should be addressing Chen Jianmei as Uncle-Master, as he was then a Huandan cultivator, and was not the same as before. However, she addressed him as Senior Apprentice-Brother given their long relationship.
In the end, she who usually was gentle and refined spoke with a hint of pride.
Shen Lian knew that the cultivation of Taixu Strategy was going to be difficult, but he still did not know where the difficulties lie. There were plenty of talented people in Qing Xuan, and yet those who managed to cultivate the Taixu Strategy to the state of Huandan were limited to the Grandmaster, the founding master, and his current master, Biyun.
“Senior Apprentice-Sister, what is the difference between “Taixu Strategy” and the other cultivation of Dao techniques? Why is it so difficult?” He asked.
Shen Lian knew that the path of cultivation was about the connection between one, and the heaven and earth, and the understanding that one derived from it. Even if there were varying levels of difficulty, the difference should not be that drastic, to the point that almost no one could cultivate it.
The usual gentleness faded from Gu Caiwei’s face, and she got slightly serious. “The cultivation techniques in this world focus on power. Just as Senior Apprentice-Brother Yan’s “summoning of wind and rain”, and Senior Apprentice-Brother Chen’s demon-slaying sword, or even Uncle-Master Hong’s “The Solution of Ziwei Dong Mystery”, upon the successful cultivation of these skills, every conceivable possibility would be taken into account, and there are more like these, and it is impossible to put them into an exhaustive list.
What they are learning encapsulated the theories of the world, which is why at the end of the cultivation process, longevity awaits them. However, if they were to transcend the heaven and earth, what they learned would not be enough.
On the other hand, the “Taixu Strategy” that we are cultivating would enable us to transcend beyond heaven and earth in the end. We could even transcend beyond the mortal world. This is why it was so hard, and even if the founding master did not face the trial back then, she could not be considered to have cultivated the Taixu Strategy to its highest state. Words simply do not do justice to the principles behind this, even though I have not attained much with regards to the Taixu Strategy, I can show you what it is about,” said Gu Caiwei.
Of course, the demonstration did not take place within the hall, else it would be a blatant disrespect and usurpation to the founding master.
The cliffs outside of the hall were wide and broad, and no one was around. The wind blew, and the Qi of vitality was thin, but everything was just the way that they should be.
Shen Lian followed Gu Caiwei out of the door, and he saw her standing on the edge of the cliff. She stood at ease, and her sleeves danced to the wind. It looked as though she was standing alone in this whole wide world.
Gu Caiwei looked out of place, and she really stood out from the surroundings; it was as though she did not belong to this world.
Shen Lian thought of Chen Jianmei, Yan Bugui, and Sanwen Daoist. Besides Chen Jianmei who attained the state of Huandan, none of them were able to give Shen Lian such a special feeling.
It was not as though Gu Caiwei had a strong spiritual pressure, but it was just that his spiritual sense was telling him that Gu Caiwei would not win the battle.
Gu Caiwei’s voice was light, and it fell on Shen Lian’s ears. “Junior Apprentice-Brother, I heard that you are quite good with the Dao of Talisman, you can unleash at me everything that you are capable of,” she said.
Shen Lian was not hesitant. He did not look down on Gu Caiwei simply because that she was a female.
However, he exercised great caution in the beginning. He drew an arc in the air, and the Qi followed his instruction as though it was his arm. He made contact with a Wind Talisman, and the wind was manipulated by him to serve as a blade. It flew at a high speed.
Mid-air, one could see a green blade of wind. It was green because it contained the condensed form of Shen Lian’s mana.
Gu Caiwei saw the blade of wind and waved her sleeve. The blade of wind disappeared.
Shen Lian had attached his mana on the blade of wind, and yet he could clearly felt that the blade of wind had disappeared. At the same time, the Qi of vitality on Gu Caiwei was not fluctuating intensely.
The sound of thunder could be heard on the cliff, and suddenly the sand gathered, or the long sword broke through the sky; there were many variations of it all at once.
In the beginning, Shen Lian still held back. Towards the end, he tried everything that he knew and he gave it his best. However, all Dao techniques that contained mana or sword aura were useless against Gu Caiwei, it was as though she was unaffected by any kind of techniques.
In the end, Shen Lian had tried everything he knew besides the “Being and Non-Being of Sword Aura”.
Of course, he did not use the Deity Vanquishing Sword as well. After all, the injury on one’s heart and soul could not be undone, and even if it was unlikely that Gu Caiwei would be hurt, he was not about to take the risk.
Moreover, they were not in an actual battle; Gu Caiwei was merely trying to show him the Taixu Strategy.
Shen Lian had microbeads of sweat on him. The usage of all these different skills was actually taking a toll on him.
The way Gu Caiwei undid his skills were fascinating, and there was no sign of battle on the cliff.
Lastly, Gu Caiwei walked over. “I only know the basics of Taixu Strategy. However, you can never hurt me with the Daoist techniques nor martial arts that you have cultivated. If you have entered the state of Huandan and have a certain level of cultivation, most of the techniques in this world would be useless against those who cultivate the Taixu Strategy like us,” she said.
“What happens after I attain longevity through the Taixu Strategy then?” Shen Lian had doubts in his mind and asked without thinking twice. If Gu Caiwei had blocked all of his Dao techniques with some other means, he might be able to identify something. However, she did not do anything besides waving her sleeve. She did not even use a Talisman, nor did she chant any runes. There was not even any noticeable ripple in the mana and Qi, and that was all it took to undo his Dao techniques and Talismans. Gu Caiwei had not even attained the state of Huandan, and she was already so unpredictable. Shen Lian wondered what kind of power one would have after Huandan, or even as an immortal Zhenren.
Gu Caiwei did not respond to this question directly. “Back then, Grandmaster Qingshui enjoyed quite the reputation and had made a lot of strong enemies. Once, a group of users of supernatural powers attacked her, and she defeated all of them all by herself. At that time, the Grandmaster had not even completed her Taixu Strategy yet,” replied Gu Caiwei.
From the way she talked about the Grandmaster, it was obvious that Gu Caiwei idolized her. Even a lady as gentle as her was excited by the thought of a woman overpowering the cultivators in the world.