“Ding! Congratulations to the Host for intercepting the Opportunity of the Son of Destiny, Jiang Yan. You have been awarded 2000 Luck Points.”
Yun Shu woke up to find herself lying in a dimly lit cave.
A man sat by a bonfire. Noticing Yun Shu getting up, he pointed to a vessel beside her and said, “Water.”
Yun Shu looked beside her. The kettle contained a crystal-clear liquid that indeed looked like water, but she did not drink it immediately.
“Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your help. My name is Shu Yun, a Disciple of the Yunxiu Sect. May I ask your name and which Sect you belong to, Fellow Daoist?”
“Zhou Fan, Luoyun Temple Master.”
“Luoyun Temple? Is it the Luoyun Temple near the Xuanyuan Dynasty?”
“Yes.”
“Isn't the Luoyun Temple Master Yun Wuxin? Are you trying to deceive me, Fellow Daoist?”
“Your information is outdated. Yun Wuxin was the previous Master.”
“Why did Yun Wuxin abdicate to you? Did something go wrong with her Cultivation?”
Seeing Shu Yun so concerned about Yun Wuxin, Zhou Fan immediately asked.
“You know Yun Wuxin?”
Upon hearing this, Yun Shu was silent for a moment before admitting, “To be honest, I just deceived you, Fellow Daoist.”
“My true name is Yun Shu, the current Sect Master of the Yunxiu Sect. Yun Wuxin and I are both from the Immortal Cultivation Yun Family, and she is my childhood friend.”
There were some things Yun Shu didn't say. Not only were she and Yun Wuxin childhood friends, but they were also rivals.
In the Family academy, they would always compete for first place in every assessment. After their Spiritual Roots were tested at the age of 18, they chose to join two Sects far apart from each other.
For hundreds of years, they often exchanged letters, always mentioning their current Realm at the end of each letter.
But ever since Yun Wuxin mentioned to her over a decade ago that an interesting Fan Realm Disciple had arrived at Luoyun Temple, Yun Wuxin had stopped sending her letters.
The name of the Disciple mentioned seemed to be Zhou Fan.
“Yun Wuxin's Cultivation is going smoothly, there are no problems. Since achieving Yin and Yang harmony with me, she has gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of Emotion. When I left Luoyun Temple, she was already preparing to Breakthrough to the Soul Transformation Realm.”
Zhou Fan spoke truthfully, but Yun Shu immediately reacted to his words.
“Soul Transformation Realm? Yun Wuxin only advanced to the Late Stage Nascent Soul Realm less than a century ago, why would she Breakthrough to the Soul Transformation Realm?”
“And Yin and Yang harmony? Did she become your Dao Companion? Didn't she say that she would dedicate her life to seeking the Dao and not be moved by mundane affections?”
“How can the word 'emotion' distinguish between Immortal and mortal?”
Zhou Fan calmly said, “Immortals are also people. As people, they have seven emotions and six desires. If one discards even their own emotions and refuses to face them, how can one face the Great Dao directly?”
Yun Shu was speechless. She lowered her gaze and remained silent for a long time, then suddenly said, “I wish to Cultivate with you, Fellow Daoist, for a period. Would you be so kind as to accommodate me?”
“Sect Master Yun, why do you say that?”
“Previously, when I fought with that Green Phosphor Winged Lion King, I used a fifth-tier Spell beyond my Realm to kill it. Because my Cultivation was low and my understanding of the Concept was not deep enough, I suffered a backlash from using a technique beyond my Realm.”
Yun Shu confessed, “Now I have no Qi left in my body, and my Divine Sense is also recovering, so I cannot easily use it. It will take at least several months to recover.”
“Since you, Fellow Daoist, are Wuxin’s Dao Companion, you must be a trustworthy person. I hope you can look after me for a period. Once my Cultivation recovers, I can repay you with a Low Grade Magic Treasure.”
“There’s no need for a Magic Treasure. Since you are Wuxin’s friend, it’s nothing to help with a small favor.”
“It just so happens that I have some free time recently. Would you, Fellow Daoist, be willing to find a secluded place in this Demon Beast Mountain Range and build a simple hut to live in with me?”
“Build a simple hut to live in… Good, Yun Shu thanks you, Fellow Daoist.”
After drinking all the water in the kettle, the two left the cave.
On the way, Yun Shu followed behind Zhou Fan. She looked at his tall back and asked.
“May I presumptuously ask, are you a Body Refinement Cultivator, Fellow Daoist? Has your Cultivation reached the fifth tier?”
“I Dual Cultivate both Magic and Body. As for my Cultivation, why can Sect Master Yun tell that I am at the fifth tier?”
Upon hearing this, Yun Shu was surprised. “I cannot perceive your Cultivation, Fellow Daoist, but I know the rules for succession of the Luoyun Temple Master.”
“Since you, Fellow Daoist, could become the new Luoyun Temple Master, you must have had a battle with Wuxin and emerged victorious.”
“Wuxin has been immersed in the Late Stage Nascent Soul Realm for many years, rarely encountering an opponent within the fourth tier, so I speculate that your Cultivation has reached the fifth tier.”
“Sect Master Yun guessed the result correctly, but not the process.”
Zhou Fan smiled, “When I fought with Wuxin, I suppressed both my Body Refining and Qi Refining Cultivation to the Early Stage of the fourth tier.”
“Currently, the outside world still doesn't know that I have reached both fifth-tier Qi Refining and Body Refining. I hope Sect Master Yun will keep this secret for me.”
“Both, both fifth-tier?”
Yun Shu's lips parted slightly. She could feel that the life force on Zhou Fan was very vigorous, and his age might even be younger than hers.
“May I ask, Fellow Daoist, how many years have you been Cultivating the Dao?”
Zhou Fan did not answer immediately. Strictly speaking, he only began Cultivating the Dao after he turned seventy, and now he was over ninety years old.
Cultivating for over twenty years and reaching the fifth tier in both Qi Refining and Body Refining, few people would believe it if he told them.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Fan chose a more tactful way of saying it, “I am now approaching one hundred years old.”
“One hundred? Three hundred, or five hundred?”
“One hundred years old.”
Yun Shu was stunned. She felt that Master Zhou was joking.
But then, Yun Shu recalled the content of Yun Wuxin’s letter.
It stated that Zhou Fan had ascended from the Fan Realm over ten years ago, and the highest Cultivation in the Fan Realm was only the first tier.
Master Zhou had not lied to her; he had indeed Cultivated to a level far beyond hers in such a short time.
How exactly did Master Zhou Cultivate? Yun Shu was very curious.
Over the next few months, Yun Shu basically stayed with Zhou Fan.
Except for every evening, when Master Zhou would be in another thatched hut, achieving harmony with Yuesu, who actively desired mugwort, throughout the entire night.
Yun Shu was initially a bit resistant to this behavior. She asked Zhou Fan if he hadn't become Dao Companions with Yun Wuxin; why was he still achieving Yin and Yang harmony with others?
Upon hearing this, Zhou Fan stated that Yun Wuxin didn't mind such things, and moreover, the Great Dao he Cultivated was the Yin and Yang Great Dao.
So every night, he seemed to be indulging, but in reality, he was more deeply comprehending the Yin and Yang Concept, he was Cultivating.
Yun Shu outwardly believed him, but that very night, she used her partially recovered Qi and Divine Sense to send a message to Yun Wuxin, who was hundreds of thousands of miles away, urging her to come quickly, as Zhou Fan was here achieving Yin and Yang harmony with other women.
Yun Wuxin, upon learning of Zhou Fan's news, rushed over half a month later.
She casually ridiculed Yun Shu a few times, saying she could get so injured fighting a fourth-tier Yao Beast.
Then Yun Wuxin and Zhou Fan became inseparable. For the next seven days, the sounds from the adjacent three people were incessant.
Yun Shu felt relieved. She gazed at the clouds in the sky, as if she understood even more what the Concept of Cloud meant.
Effortless and carefree, naturally unfurling and receding.
Since they were so happy, she would just let them be.