As the seven strings vibrated, Yun Qingrao suddenly understood the crucial point. The bottleneck that she had always found difficult to break through was precisely her greedy obsession with "incorporating all paths."
Qing Feng appeared uninhibited, yet his actions subtly aligned with the true meaning of "the Great Dao is simple." Realizing this, she gently waved her fair hand, gathering all the starlight in the room into the Ice Soul Glazed Lamp.
Qing Feng sat cross-legged on the bluestone, his spiritual energy surging like a tide around him. A nine-petal green lotus Dharma Aspect bloomed in his spiritual consciousness, its petals gradually unfurling, aligning with the celestial calculations.
The moment the fifth jade-green lotus petal solidified, a faint smile spread across Qing Feng's lips.
Before reaching adulthood, he was already at the fifth level of Nascent Soul.
The wind carried the sound of the zither, and a hundred birds carried the glow of the sunset.
Zi Yun looked at the colorful spiritual sparrows circling the lecture platform, her usually stern sword-like brows uncharacteristically relaxed.
These spiritual birds, naturally fearful of malevolence, lingered in the Sword Pavilion's forbidden area for half a day. The auspicious aura flowing through their wings resonated with the "Nine Heavens Phoenix Beckoning Art" flowing from Yun Qingrao's fingertips, weaving a tapestry of radiant Dao rhyme above the disciples' heads.
"Immortal Yun's 'Nine Heavens Phoenix Beckoning Art' truly integrates the Way of music into the laws of heaven and earth." Zi Yun looked at the disciples who had awakened from their enlightenment, half of whom had made significant progress in their cultivation.
Her cloud-patterned wide sleeves gently fluttered, and the Scorched-Tail Phoenix Zither transformed into a stream of light, disappearing into her storage ring. The woman in plain white nodded in return: "Your esteemed sect's Disciples have clear Dao hearts, allowing them to perceive their true selves within the zither's music." The cinnabar at the corner of her eye flickered, as if she were divining some heavenly secret.
The Great Mysterious Dog, squatting in the corner, suddenly stood on its hind legs, excitedly patting the bluestone with its front paws: "This Saint has been stuck at the early Nascent Soul stage for thirty years, and today I've actually touched upon a breakthrough opportunity! If Immortal Maiden would play the zither daily..."
"Watch your words!" Fairy Su Yan lightly tapped the dog's head with her sword sheath. "Immortal Yun-shishu's 'Nine Revolutions of Heavenly Sound' consumes three years of cultivation with each performance. Even the Sect Master True Lord would need to rely on fate to request a tune." Her earlobes were slightly red as she looked at the Xuan-robed youth beside her, only to see him winking at Qing Feng.
Qing Feng suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Sister Mei, my future sister-in-law's zither skills are becoming more refined!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Su Yan's cheeks flushed, but a cheerful, clear melody emanated from the jade flute at her waist. "As for you, you're still stuck at the third level of Foundation Establishment after three months. Starting tomorrow, come listen to me play 'Purifying Mind and Universal Goodness Mantra' at Chen Shi. We can't let outsiders say that our Heavenly Sound Pavilion..."
"This junior will remember!" Qing Feng suddenly adopted a serious expression and cupped his fists. "These days, Luo-shixiong has strictly adhered to male virtue, even politely refusing soup sent by Senior Sister Furong from the Spirit Meal Hall."
Su Yan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and the jade flute in her hand suddenly rang out. The seven-foot sword cultivator instantly shrunk by half a head, then awkwardly produced a gilded food box: "My wife, try this newly refined hundred-flower honey..."
Qing Feng strolled away with his hands behind his back. An abstruse pattern quietly appeared on the fifth petal of the green lotus in his sea of consciousness; the Dao rhyme of the love tribulation was complete.
As moonlight spilled over the zither platform, the silver bell at Fairy Su Yan's waist jingled softly.
Suddenly, the sound of jade tapping the ground came from under the veranda. A youth in a flowing cloud-patterned robe leaned against a vermilion lacquered pillar and said, "The night dew has set the strings; it's time to return to the separate courtyard."
Su Yan hastily rose, her wide sleeves brushing against the teacup on the table.
Lu Ran reached out to help, but saw that the youth, who was called Luo-shixiong, had already raised his palm to support the celadon, his fingertips condensing ice-like spiritual energy: "Be careful."
Qing Feng looked at the glazed palace lantern swaying from the eaves and suddenly felt a chill on his face. Luo-shixiong pushed the teacup back to its original place, and as he turned, his robes swept across the scattered jade and qiong flowers on the ground, never once looking at anyone.
"The people from Yixian Palace always have their noses in the air." Lu Ran slammed the table, making the tea splash. "In terms of seniority, we are..."
"Music cultivators play the strings of heaven and earth," Qing Feng said, pressing down on the agitated Qing Feng. "They play the Dao rhyme, we practice killing moves. We are not on the same path to begin with."
A faint fragrance suddenly wafted from the depths of the courtyard. Zi Yun came through the moon gate, carrying a food box, her silver bracelets jingling like a spring: "Who are you gossiping about now, Immortal Maiden?"
Qing Feng immediately changed to a smiling face and approached: "I was just saying that Master's wife's smoke-and-mist dress today makes Yun Qingrao look like a crane frozen in the snow. When it comes to beauty, it still has to be Master's wife..."
"Slick-tongued." Zi Yun made to tap his forehead, but the corners of her eyes sparkled with fine light. "However, that child truly is very cold. I offered her South Sea mermaid silk, but she wouldn't even speak."
"With Master's wife personally teaching for three months, even a stone can be warmed." Qing Feng lifted the lid of the food box and secretly pinched a piece of lotus crisp. "Just like when Master pursued you back then..."
Before he could finish speaking, a sword cry came from the sky. Qin Heng landed on his sword, scattering fallen petals everywhere. He stared at the spiritual energy fluctuating around Qing Feng and exclaimed, "You actually broke through?"
"Immortal Yun just played half a movement of 'Breaking the Array Prelude'." Qing Feng swallowed the pastry and noticed Zi Yun lowering her eyes to arrange the tea set. "However, Disciple feels that Master's wife's spiritual tea is even more conducive to cultivation."
Qin Heng didn't notice anything unusual and clapped his hands in admiration: "I've long heard that Yun Qingrao's zither music is profound; she truly is like a banished immortal."
A clear clink sounded as a silver spoon touched a porcelain cup. Zi Yun suddenly looked up and chuckled softly: "Banished immortal? How does she compare to those old fogeys who used to chase after me to hear me play 'Phoenix Seeks Mate'?"
Qing Feng quietly retreated behind the corridor pillar, watching his Master freeze on the spot. The night wind swept up the scattered flowers, mixed with someone's extremely strong cry for survival: "Naturally, she can't compare to Madam's grace back then."
Qin Heng suddenly jolted, belatedly realizing he had said the wrong thing, and hastily straightened his back: "She is merely an earthly beauty, but Madam is an Immortal Maiden from the Jade Pond descended to the world."
"Oh? Your gaze wavered for half a breath just now."
"It must have been the morning dew that blurred my eyes!"
"Speaking of the past, the year I was pregnant with Yun'er, you always ran to Dan Refining Peak. Was Senior Sister Lin's alchemy room more familiar than your own sleeping quarters?"
"At that time, you were unwell during pregnancy, and I was seeking calming prescriptions everywhere."
"Seeking them to the point of visiting Dan Refining Peak three times a day?"
...
Qing Feng, squatting outside the door and holding the Xuan Dog's reins, listened to the gradually rising voices and quietly loosened the spiritual pet's collar. Master, take care of yourself; this Disciple will take his leave first.
Next year on Qingming, I will surely offer three sticks of high-grade sandalwood incense.
He flipped onto the Xuan Dog mount and galloped towards his residence.
A faint scent of elixir wafted from in front of the thatched hut, and a three-legged gilded furnace exhaled clouds and mist.
The plain-robed woman's wide sleeves flowed like clouds, and spiritual light circulated at her fingertips, causing the flames beneath the Danlu to rise and fall accordingly.
Although she hadn't cultivated the Samadhi True Fire, after Qing Feng's guidance, Yan Yi's fire control technique had reached perfection. With a second-grade cultivation, she could refine a fourth-grade Spirit Core.
Sensing the arrival, Yan Yi's hand seals remained steady. Only after collecting the elixir into a jade bottle did she turn to smooth her hair: "Is Yixian Palace's 'Nine Heavens Jade Pendant' truly wonderful music?"
"The Immortal Sect's musical masters live up to their reputation. If Senior Sister goes to listen, it might make up for the mental shortcomings in the elixirs," Qing Feng replied, leaning against the doorframe.
"And that number one beauty in the world? Is her appearance truly peerless?"
"The Spirit Transformation stage pressure is certainly real."
"I asked about her appearance!" The elixir bottle clinked lightly on the table.
"Since ancient times, so-called peerless beauties, which one wasn't a direct daughter of an aristocratic family or a powerful cultivator? If Senior Sister Lin only had Foundation Establishment cultivation, who would notice the cinnabar between her brows? It's just the halo of a strong person."
Qing Feng chuckled, playing with a quenching stone. "Just like if Senior Sister reaches Spirit Transformation, the beauty rankings in the cultivation world will probably have to be reordered."
The temperature in the alchemy room suddenly rose by three degrees. Yan Yi's eyes narrowed slightly: "If I were at the same realm as her."
"Naturally, Senior Sister would be superior." Before Qing Feng finished speaking, he suddenly saw the Dan Refining Peak glow with a red light.
"Why did Senior Uncle Su let you come back early today?" Yan Yi extinguished the furnace fire with her fingertips, the curve of her lips like a new moon rising.