“You can rest assured, Sect Master. I will handle this matter properly,” Fang Zaiji guaranteed, patting his chest confidently.
“My judgment is far better than Old Liu’s. I won’t make a mistake. I dare to bet that every one of these little ones is a rare cultivation genius, one in ten thousand.”
“I traveled across more than a dozen provinces just to find these few. That alone should tell you how difficult this journey was.”
Fang Zaiji sighed with emotion.
“You didn’t just abduct these children without informing anyone, did you?” Liu San’s expression darkened as he looked at the group of children crying together.
“What a joke! The path to immortality, the road to ascension—how many mortals beg for the opportunity but never get it? I am kindly leading them onto this path. Do I really need to get their parents’ permission?” Fang Zaiji rolled his eyes at Liu San, speaking as if it was only natural.
“Besides, our Medicine King Sect is still in a state of seclusion. Of course, we must act with even greater secrecy.”
Liu San was left speechless by his words.
“If Mr. Fang has chosen them, it means they share a karmic connection with our Medicine King Sect. I trust Mr. Fang’s judgment,” Xu Bai coughed lightly and made the final decision.
“This might be an opportunity for our Medicine King Sect.”
Hearing this, Liu San’s eyes lit up. “Sect Master makes a valid point.”
“In that case, taking care of these disciples will be up to you, Elder Liu. Start by teaching them the path of cultivation. Once they begin Qi Condensation…”
Xu Bai was speaking when suddenly, inspiration struck him.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he changed his mind. “When first teaching them the path of cultivation, do not mention the concept of ‘borrowing the wonders of heaven and earth to establish the Dao Foundation.’”
“Instead, only tell them to ‘forge their Dao Foundation by refining their own physical being!’”
Liu San and Fang Zaiji were momentarily stunned upon hearing this.
Neither of them was slow-witted—they immediately understood Xu Bai’s intentions.
“Brilliant! In this way, if any of them succeed in establishing their foundation, it will undoubtedly be through ‘self-foundation establishment’!” Fang Zaiji slammed the table in admiration.
However, Liu San hesitated slightly. “Sect Master, wouldn’t this be a bit…?”
Xu Bai smiled faintly. “If they truly fail to establish their foundation and completely lose hope, it won’t be too late to reveal the truth to them then.”
Seeing Xu Bai’s confidence, Liu San could only nod in agreement.
After explaining the details of “foundation establishment with One Self” to Liu San, Xu Bai suddenly asked, “By the way, why haven’t I seen Elder Jiang? I clearly sensed her returning aura.”
Fang Zaiji immediately laughed gleefully. “She got into a fight with someone and suffered a miserable defeat. She’s been deeply affected and has gone into seclusion for intense training.”
“Haha, and I heard her opponent was a woman—more beautiful than her and even mocked her. Yushan must be absolutely livid!”
“Finally, we’ll have some peace and quiet without her sharp tongue for a while,” Fang Zaiji said with an expression of relief.
Liu San’s expression, however, changed slightly. “What? This is important news, Old Fang. Why didn’t you mention it earlier? Was Yushan injured?”
His concern was evident, and he immediately set aside the task given to him by Xu Bai, flying off in a hurry to check on Jiang Yushan.
Fang Zaiji curled his lips. “I don’t get it. What does Liu San see in that woman?”
“Since Elder Jiang is in seclusion for training, the task of crafting the Endstone Plate will be left to you, Mr. Fang,” Xu Bai spoke up, interrupting Fang Zaiji’s thoughts.
“With your skills, this shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Xu Bai looked at him expectantly.
Rather than feeling burdened, Fang Zaiji was overjoyed. “No problem at all! Of course not! The Endstone Plate—it’s something that could even rival an immortal artifact! I’ve long thought Yushan’s methods were a bit too rough.”
“Sect Master, rest assured. I will handle it with great care and gentleness.”
Fang Zaiji stared eagerly at Xu Bai.
Xu Bai smiled and tossed the Endstone Plate over, handing it to him.
Without waiting for further instructions, Fang Zaiji, having obtained the treasured artifact, excitedly left on his own.
At this moment, Xu Bai finally turned his attention to the group of children gathered in the plaza.
If it were his true self present, he would surely have found their crying and noise unbearably annoying.
However, the clone of Xu Bai, looking at these noisy children before him, did not feel much impatience at all.
Instead, a sense of pity and affection welled up in his heart.
Xu Bai silently contemplated the origin of these emotions within his body.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he slowly floated down beside the children.
His ethereal, celestial-like appearance, combined with his incredibly gentle aura,
instantly captured the attention of all the children present.
They quieted down immediately, their eyes wide as they all turned to look at Xu Bai in unison.
Xu Bai warmly interacted with the children.
In just a short moment of excited chatter,
he had already learned all of their names and their respective cultivation talents.
“No wonder he was able to escape pursuit from the major sects time and time again during the ancient era. Fang Zaiji truly has some skill.”
“These children’s talents are almost on par with Zhang Haobo’s.”
“And then there’s Gu Xinghan…”
Among the children, Xu Bai noticed a name that seemed familiar.
It was the same name as the cultivator who, in his past life, was the first to issue a proclamation revealing the true nature of the Tianxuan Spirit-Locking Formation to the world.
That powerful and stirring ten-thousand-word article vividly surfaced in Xu Bai’s mind.
Looking once more at the five-year-old boy before him,
the two figures in his memory gradually overlapped.
“It really is him. Interesting.”
In his past life, Gu Xinghan was one of the leaders of the Heaven-Suppressing Society, leading countless cultivators in their struggle against Mysterious Net, yet he was never captured by the Heavenly Alliance.
His abilities were beyond doubt.
“Perhaps this boy might surprise me.”
Xu Bai gently patted Gu Xinghan on the shoulder, his smile deepening.
After a while, Liu San returned, looking somewhat dejected.
It was clear that he had not even managed to meet Jiang Yushan.
Forcing himself to perk up, he assumed a serious demeanor as he faced the children.
Thanks to Xu Bai’s earlier efforts to calm them, the children were now much more obedient.
As Xu Bai departed, they all waved enthusiastically, bidding him farewell.
Liu San clicked his tongue in amazement at the sight.
Instead of returning to Tianliang State, Xu Bai first entered a secret chamber within Longevity Valley.
A sudden thought had emerged in his mind, one he wasn’t entirely certain about.
He needed to calm his thoughts and carefully consider it.
“Should I use this body to perform the ritual and enter the Fallen Immortal Realm?”
This idea had surfaced in his mind just moments ago while interacting with the children.
For someone so kind to children, as Mr. Bai should be, just as Xu Ke had said, he was likely a “good person.”
If that were true, then what would happen if he entered the Fallen Immortal Realm in this body?