Chapter 213 - 124: A Prized Disciple and a Journey to Longxiang

Chapter 213: Chapter 124: A Prized Disciple and a Journey to Longxiang

When Xuzhuang shattered the vortex in the sky, Daoist Zhang was waiting in mid-air. He watched from afar as Xuzhuang, in mere moments, slew a Nascent Soul Venerable and returned to his side an instant later. Stunned, he cupped his hands and managed to say, "Uncle..."

Xuzhuang materialized, nodded slightly, and said, "Nephew Zhang, let’s head down first."

A shiver ran down Daoist Zhang’s spine. He said, "Uncle, your divine might is..." He got halfway through his congratulations before Xuzhuang waved his hand dismissively. He then complied, "Yes, Uncle." Only then did he follow Xuzhuang down from the clouds, returning to the front of the True Form Temple’s Hall of Councilors.

At that moment, the members of the True Form Temple were still waiting before the hall. Seeing Xuzhuang and Daoist Zhang descend, they shouted in unison, "Disciples... greet the Uncle."

Xuzhuang glanced around. He saw that there were many more Golden Core Cultivators than before he had left. He gave a nod of acknowledgment and then strode into the hall.

Just as Daoist Zhang was about to follow, a few of the more senior Golden Core Cultivators hurried forward and asked, "Sect Leader, has Uncle driven that scoundrel away?"

Daoist Zhang was suddenly struck by an inexplicable feeling. He said, "That scoundrel was slain by Uncle. He perished on the spot."

"What?" Nearby, Wen Ning heard this, his mouth falling slightly agape. He counted on his fingers and muttered, "That... That was less than a quarter of an hour."

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar. The junior brother with the upturned eyes said, dumbfounded, "He killed a Nascent Soul Venerable in a quarter of an hour?"

The female disciple who had spoken up earlier tutted in amazement. "Grand Uncle... his Divine Techniques are truly beyond a disciple’s imagination."

Seeing everyone chattering on, praising his unparalleled divine might and boundless Divine Techniques, Daoist Zhang shook his head and said, "Alright, now that the matter is settled, you should all disperse."

The disciple with the upturned eyes said anxiously, "Sect Leader Uncle, I have long admired Grand Uncle. May I be permitted to pay him a visit?"

Seeing that the others were about to chime in, Daoist Zhang quickly said, "Uncle has only just returned to the sect. It is not a good time to disturb him. Another day, when he has leisure, you may visit him at his residence one by one."

Hearing the Sect Leader’s words, the disciples could only cup their hands in agreement. As the crowd began to disperse, Daoist Zhang noticed a young Daoist with a conflicted expression standing fixedly among them. A feeling of pity rose in his heart, and after a moment’s thought, he said, "Dengxiao, come with me."

Everyone was startled by his words. When they saw the Sect Leader had called Qin Dengxiao, they all understood. No one argued; instead, they quickened their pace and soon dispersed.

Qin Dengxiao had intended to refuse, but seeing the situation, he could only bow and follow Daoist Zhang into the hall. Seeing that Xuzhuang had already taken the seat of honor, they both bowed in greeting.

Xuzhuang’s gaze fell, and as if he hadn’t seen Qin Dengxiao at all, he called to Daoist Zhang, asking, "Nephew Zhang, how much longer until the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly?"

Daoist Zhang cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to Uncle, the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly is in fourteen months."

"It seems my calculations of the time between the two realms were not off." A day in both the Celestial Waterfall Realm and the Profound Yellow Realm was counted as twelve two-hour periods, so the difference was not significant. Xuzhuang nodded slightly and asked again, "Were there any important matters in the sect during my absence?"

Seeing this, although Daoist Zhang felt a pang of pity for Qin Dengxiao, he could only reply, "Reporting to Uncle, in your absence, the sect has been thriving..."

"With two provinces as our resource base, the number of our disciples has surpassed our peak. However, the spiritual energy within the sect is now insufficient to support them, so we’ve had to temporarily halt the recruitment of new disciples..."

"Currently, the sect has a total of nineteen Golden Core Cultivators. Additionally, there are about a dozen other disciples whose cultivation is complete and are waiting for the great medicine, or are arduously striving for a Top-grade Golden Core..."

As Daoist Zhang continued his report, Xuzhuang nodded to show he understood. When he reached this point, Daoist Zhang couldn’t help but glance at Qin Dengxiao. Only then did Xuzhuang seem to notice Qin Dengxiao as well. He smiled faintly and called out, "Dengxiao."

Qin Dengxiao, who had been standing by with his hands at his sides, quickly raised them in a salute and responded, "I am here."

Xuzhuang nodded in acknowledgment and pointed to the armchair beside the table. "Have a seat and we can talk."

Qin Dengxiao said, "With an elder present, how could I overstep my bounds? I can just stand and answer."

Xuzhuang smiled. "It seems you hold some resentment toward me."

Qin Dengxiao said quickly, "I do not."

"Oh?" Xuzhuang said in surprise. "You do not, or you dare not?"

"I do not," Qin Dengxiao said firmly.

"HAHAHAHA." Xuzhuang laughed loudly, then pointed to the armchair again. "Then why aren’t you sitting?"

"This..." Qin Dengxiao hesitated for a breath, then said, "In that case, I will overstep my bounds." Only then did he sit down on the edge of the armchair.

Xuzhuang nodded and said slowly, "Before I returned to the Profound Yellow Realm, I said that if you could pass my test, I would give you the opportunity to return to the Profound Yellow Realm with me."

Qin Dengxiao respectfully acknowledged this. Xuzhuang then asked, "I broke my promise. Do you truly not resent it?"

Qin Dengxiao was silent for a moment, then replied, "After Grand Uncle left, I was indeed extremely confused, because I didn’t know how I had failed to pass the test. But I felt absolutely no resentment."

Xuzhuang said, "What if I told you there was no test, that I was simply in a hurry and forgot I’d said that?"

Hearing this, Qin Dengxiao felt as if he had just heard the answer he had been agonizing over for so long. However, instead of feeling resentful, the gloom in his heart lifted. A smile appeared on his face as he cupped his hands and said, "With Grand Uncle’s level of cultivation, how could you possibly forget such a thing?"

Xuzhuang laughed heartily. "If that’s the case, why are you smiling instead of feeling resentful?"

Qin Dengxiao’s spirits lifted. "I was incredibly worried that I had failed to pass your test. Now that you’ve said this, how could I not understand? This itself is the test you’ve given me!"

"Oh?" Xuzhuang said, intrigued. "You seem very confident. What if your guess is wrong?"

Qin Dengxiao smiled. "Then a personage of Grand Uncle’s stature surely wouldn’t be stingy with compensation for me."

Hearing this, Xuzhuang burst into laughter, pointing a finger at Qin Dengxiao. "Ah, Dengxiao..."

Qin Dengxiao cupped his hands. "I am here."

"Good," Xuzhuang said. "I’ve made you waste nearly twenty years. What compensation do you want?"

"This?" Qin Dengxiao was taken aback. His own confidence suddenly faltered. He hesitated for a long while before saying, "I do not know what compensation to ask for. I boldly ask Uncle to decide for me."

Xuzhuang propped his chin on his hand, pretending to think for a few breaths. "In that case, I’ll give you two options."

"First, I can take you as my disciple. I will use a Secret Technique to help you form a Middle Grade Golden Core and guarantee your Divine Techniques will be boundless, surpassing all others of your generation."

"This..." Qin Dengxiao’s mouth opened and closed. Seeing this, Xuzhuang smiled faintly and continued, "Hmm... If you are ambitious enough to reach Nascent Soul, it’s not impossible that you could one day ascend to the position of this realm’s Grotto Heaven master."

"What!" At these words, both Daoist Zhang and Qin Dengxiao were shaken. But Xuzhuang acted as if he didn’t notice and continued, "As for the second option."

"The second option is to give you the chance you’ve always dreamed of: to be brought back for Profound Yellow Cultivation. I’ll be honest with you. Even in the main sect, achieving a Top-grade Golden Core is a difficult task that stumps thousands of disciples. Even if you go to the Profound Yellow Realm, forging a Top-grade Golden Core will not necessarily be any easier than it is now. Consider your choice carefully."

With that, he fell silent, watching Qin Dengxiao’s struggle with a faint, unreadable smile.

On one hand was a boundless future with Xuzhuang as his backer, the chance to master immense Divine Techniques, and even the opportunity to ascend to the pinnacle of a realm. On the other was the ethereal and incredibly difficult path to a Top-grade Golden Core—an option with no other benefits besides being brought back to the Profound Yellow Realm.

Xuzhuang had expected Qin Dengxiao to struggle with the decision for a long time. Unexpectedly, Qin Dengxiao only pondered for a few breaths before seeming to let go of something. He cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to Grand Uncle, I choose the second option."

Xuzhuang asked, "Are you sure?"

Qin Dengxiao said firmly, "I am not yet eighty years old. I still want to try for a Top-grade Golden Core."

"Good!" Xuzhuang clapped his hands in praise. "Since you have such ambition, I’ll give you both options!"

Qin Dengxiao was stunned. "Grand Uncle, you mean...?"

Xuzhuang said leisurely, "Just as I said before, I can take you as my disciple and bring you back to the Profound Yellow Realm to cultivate. If you fail to achieve a Top-grade Golden Core, you still have the option of using the Secret Technique to form a Middle Grade Golden Core..."

Qin Dengxiao listened carefully, a smile suddenly appearing on his face. He cupped his hands and replied, "I have already made my choice. Grand Uncle, please end the test now."

Hearing this, Xuzhuang laughed again. He pointed at him and suddenly asked, "What was it you were calling me?"

As if struck by inspiration, Qin Dengxiao prostrated himself on the ground, performing a full kowtow of three bows and nine head-knockings. "Disciple Qin Dengxiao pays his respects to Master!"

Xuzhuang accepted the ceremony with a smile, then said, "Dengxiao, I see you are cultivating the ’Primal Qi Refining Scripture’ passed down by Senior Brother Daochen?"

Qin Dengxiao replied, "Yes, Master."

Xuzhuang nodded and flicked a finger. A streak of white light shot into Qin Dengxiao’s forehead. "This is a part of the main sect’s true transmission, the ’Tai Su One Qi Scripture’. The ’Primal Qi Refining Scripture’ was derived from it, so switching your cultivation should pose no difficulty."

Overjoyed, Qin Dengxiao bowed. "This disciple thanks Master for bestowing this technique!"

"Cultivate well. If you have any questions, you may come and ask me at any time." Xuzhuang waved his hand. "Go."

Only then did Qin Dengxiao rise. "I will obey Master’s decree." He then bowed to Daoist Zhang before leaving joyfully.

Daoist Zhang, who had witnessed the entire exchange, couldn’t help but feel happy for Qin Dengxiao. He bowed to Xuzhuang and said, "Congratulations, Uncle, on gaining such a fine disciple."

Xuzhuang gave a nod of acknowledgment and then asked about other sect matters. Daoist Zhang answered each question in turn. Finally, Xuzhuang asked, "During my absence, were there any more letters from the Dragon Image Sect?"

At this, a wry smile appeared on Daoist Zhang’s face. "Shortly after you left, Uncle, the Dragon Image Sect sent a letter. After I replied according to your instructions, they continued to send a letter once a year. Even that Fellow Daoist Chao has come to visit in person several times, and they’ve delivered invitations for you, Uncle..."

"Mm," Xuzhuang said, unsurprised. "Bring all the letters for me to see."

Daoist Zhang took a bundle of letters and invitations from his sleeve and handed them to Xuzhuang. Xuzhuang casually flipped through them, a smile gracing his lips. "It seems the Dragon Image Sect’s situation is indeed more precarious than the outside world imagines."

A flicker of understanding showed in Daoist Zhang’s eyes. He asked, "Uncle, you mean to say...?"

Xuzhuang smiled without answering, sweeping the letters and invitations into his sleeve. "Since the Dragon Image Sect has humbled themselves to invite me so many times, I might as well take a trip to the Dragon Image Domain."

Hearing this, Daoist Zhang quickly said, "But Uncle, you’ve only just returned to the sect. You must be weary from your travels between the two realms..."

"It’s no matter." Xuzhuang smiled faintly. With a shimmer of his body, he deployed his Three Elements Residence in the World Technique body, summoning an identical incarnation. The incarnation took two steps forward, gave Daoist Zhang a slight bow, and then exited the main hall. It shot up into the sky as a stunning rainbow, broke through the clouds, and vanished into the distance.

Daoist Zhang was stunned. "That is..."

"Just a technique body."

The mountain gates of the Five Domains Great Sects were all located within Grotto Heavens. Although Xuzhuang was confident, he wasn’t so arrogant as to risk his own skin. Sending a technique body was the most prudent course of action.

Besides, given the subtlety of Xuzhuang’s Three Elements Residence in the World Technique body, he had no fear of the Dragon Image Sect seeing through the deception.

With a faint smile, Xuzhuang rose leisurely to his feet. He straightened his robes and said, "Well then, I’ll return to my Grotto-estate to rest for a while. If there are any sect matters that require my decision, you can come find me then."