Chapter 144 - 99: Hundred Thousand Mountains Cultivation Realm and Mortal Realm

Chapter 144: Chapter 99: Hundred Thousand Mountains Cultivation Realm and Mortal Realm

Inside Li Yinsheng’s room.

Shangguan Ling’Er sat opposite Li Yinsheng, looking as though she wanted to speak but hesitating.

Li Yinsheng looked at her with a strange expression.

This Miss Shangguan had claimed she was bored and wanted to come over for a chat. Yet, after sitting down, she remained completely silent, wearing an expression that said she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.

"Miss Shangguan," Li Yinsheng couldn’t help but say, "although we have only known each other for a short time, we share similar interests. If you have something on your mind, feel free to speak directly."

Hearing Li Yinsheng speak, Shangguan Ling’Er finally seemed to make up her mind.

"It’s really nothing. I just feel like you treat that junior sister of yours a bit too well." A trace of curiosity appeared on her face. "I’ve seen masters doting on their disciples or elders doting on their juniors, but there always has to be a reason, right?

"Those masters who dote on their disciples usually do so because the disciple has outstanding talent or perfectly suits the master’s legacy.

"Family elders doting on juniors is often because the junior is excellent enough, or at least excels in certain aspects.

"To tell you the truth, when I was with my family, they poured resources into me from a young age. No one in my generation could compare to me. After I came to the Sect, my master also spared no effort in nurturing me."

Shangguan Ling’Er lightly stroked her hair. "But that is because I possess an extraordinary Innate Root Device. Both my family and my master nurture me as a future Immortal.

"I am very clear about this myself, and I am also confident that becoming an Immortal won’t be a difficult task for me.

"But... what is going on with you and that junior sister of yours?"

Li Yinsheng wasn’t surprised. He smiled and said, "Does Miss Shangguan mean that Xiaoyu’s Root Device is too poor and not worth nurturing?"

"It’s not that she isn’t worth nurturing. Xiaoyu is a good child," Shangguan Ling’Er said, choosing her words carefully. "But... she doesn’t have a Root Device after all. Her talent can practically be considered the worst grade.

"Even though you have done Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins for her, at most, it only equates to half a low-grade Root Device. In any normal Daoist Temple, she wouldn’t have been accepted as a disciple.

"Giving her some extra resources so she can achieve some success in her Cultivation, and letting her learn an Artifact Refining Skill so she can establish herself—I think that’s very normal. After all, Xiaoyu is indeed adorable and deserves to be treated well.

"But you’ve given her too much. Many of the things you’ve given her are items that the geniuses with good Root Devices in various Daoist Temples are far from qualified to receive."

Li Yinsheng nodded slightly. "Does Miss Shangguan feel that I am pampering Xiaoyu a bit too much by giving her the Fire Seed?"

"It’s not just the Fire Seed; it’s also all the other things you’ve given her..." Shangguan Ling’Er looked at Li Yinsheng, hesitating for a moment before finally asking the question she was most curious about. "You haven’t fallen for that little girl, have you? Even though she looks decent, she wouldn’t be considered top-tier in beauty no matter which Daoist Temple she is placed in, right?"

No matter what standard was used to judge Mu Xiaoyu, she could only be considered pretty and sweet, still falling far short of breath-taking beauty.

Shangguan Ling’Er looked at Li Yinsheng with suspicion. "Or is it that you just like this kind of unripe little girl? She hasn’t even fully developed yet."

Li Yinsheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Miss Shangguan and his Martial Uncle truly were best friends; they asked practically the exact same questions.

However, he didn’t find it strange for Shangguan Ling’Er to ask this.

Rather, from any outsider’s perspective, the way he nurtured his junior sister was so good that it seemed a bit abnormal. Given how poor his junior sister’s talent was, it was only natural to suspect he had ulterior motives.

He thought, "Can you two not immediately jump to that kind of conclusion? I don’t like little girls either! I prefer women with good figures, and Xiaoyu is as flat as a washboard! Besides, she’s already at this age and has only developed this much. It’s highly unlikely she’ll have much room for growth in the future."

The true reason was not something he could share with outsiders, but he absolutely wouldn’t let others slander him by claiming he had feelings for a little girl who wasn’t even sixteen yet.

His, Li Yinsheng’s, aesthetic tastes tolerated no slander!

Therefore, he had no choice but to talk nonsense with Shangguan Ling’Er.

"Miss Shangguan, stop teasing me," Li Yinsheng said, shaking his head. "Could it be that in your eyes, I am a lecher?"

Shangguan Ling’Er shook her head decisively.

"The main reason I nurture Xiaoyu is that, despite her lacking talent, she possesses a natural resilience. Furthermore, I believe that she isn’t truly devoid of a Root Device.

"Does Miss Shangguan think there are many people who could endure the agonizing, burning pain of the initial Fire Seed Refinement?"

Shangguan Ling’Er shook her head. "Probably not many."

"Also, over these past four months, you have seen for yourself how hard she works on her Cultivation, Miss Shangguan. Let me ask you, out of all the Daoist Temples, how many disciples can work as hard as she does?"

"Probably even fewer," Shangguan Ling’Er shook her head again.

"With Xiaoyu’s firm Dao heart, how can that not be considered a type of Root Device?" Li Yinsheng said.

"That... does make sense, but..." Shangguan Ling’Er was slightly swayed.

"Moreover, Miss Shangguan, think about the matter regarding the Black Stone. I believe Xiaoyu’s sense of smell must be different from ordinary people’s.

"Although this doesn’t directly benefit her Cultivation, being able to smell things that even a Daoist cannot—you can’t say that doesn’t count as a Root Device, right?" Li Yinsheng added.

Shangguan Ling’Er hesitated, then nodded.

"And the Black Stone along with the Ancient Peach Sacrificial Spirit also proves that she indeed possesses some blessed fortune. Otherwise, Shanli Xuanzhen Peak isn’t far either, so why did no one discover it for hundreds of years until she became a Beginner and encountered this opportunity?" Li Yinsheng said.

"That is also... undeniable," Shangguan Ling’Er said.

"Although my junior sister hails from the mortal world, she joined our Xuanzhen Temple, possesses a firm Dao heart, harbors unique abilities, and carries some blessed fortune," Li Yinsheng said. "Her talent is merely slightly lacking.

"If she is nurtured properly, it’s not impossible for her to achieve great success in the future."

Shangguan Ling’Er pondered seriously for a moment, then nodded. "True. Perhaps I place too much importance on Root Device and talent, and inadvertently ignore the roles of the Dao heart and serendipity."

Pausing for a moment, she asked curiously, "Speaking of which, you said this girl hails from the mortal world?

"Looking at her demeanor, although she’s somewhat naive and quirky as a Spirit Monster, deep down you can tell she is quite well-mannered and cultured, possessing a bit of noble air. She definitely isn’t from an ordinary family. What is her background in the mortal world?"

"I remember her father calling himself something like Prince Wuwei of the Dayong Mortal Dynasty. He was also a General and an Inspector for the imperial court, and seemingly the head of a large clan."

Li Yinsheng casually replied, "I didn’t ask for the details, but with that string of titles to his name, being a Commandery Prince, as well as a General and an Inspector, his status probably isn’t low."

After arriving in this world, the farthest he had ever traveled was to the Bamboo Forest Peak of the Huang Bamboo Temple. Naturally, he had never visited any Mortal Dynasty.

Therefore, his understanding of the mortal world only came from occasional chats with other Cultivators.

Under the Zhengyang Dharma Vein, there were also quite a few Cultivators who hailed from the mortal world. Possessing a Root Device, they were taken into the temples after being discovered by various Daoist Temples.

"A Commandery Prince of the Dayong Dynasty?" Shangguan Ling’Er paused in surprise. "Then there was no need to specifically send his daughter to the Xuanzhen Temple, right?"

"Huh?" Li Yinsheng was startled. "What do you mean by that, Miss Shangguan?"

"I’ve heard of the Dayong Dynasty. It’s located to the northwest of the Hundred Thousand Mountains and has a vast territory. It is quite a sizable dynasty," Shangguan Ling’Er explained. "With the sheer size of the Dayong Dynasty, finding a few Loose Cultivators shouldn’t be difficult."

"Are there Loose Cultivators in the mortal world?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"For a Grand Daoist, your knowledge is truly a bit..." Shangguan Ling’Er couldn’t help but laugh. "Of course there are Loose Cultivators in the mortal world, they’re just not commonly seen.

"Loose Cultivators are also restricted by the surrounding Orthodox Dao major Sects. They are not allowed to interfere too much with the mortal world, nor can they blatantly show themselves in front of mortals. Acts such as directly ruling or even harming mortals will be immediately suppressed by the major Sects.

"However, if they merely enjoy some mortal Tributor offerings and keep a low profile, it won’t attract any punishment."

Shangguan Ling’Er smiled. "Actually, every Daoist Temple will have some Cultivators who feel their path to the Immortal Dao is hopeless and become disheartened, choosing to head to the mortal world to spend the rest of their lives."

Li Yinsheng nodded, gaining some understanding.

"So it’s still a bit strange that Xiaoyu’s family would send her to the Xuanzhen Temple," Shangguan Ling’Er said. "Given a Commandery Prince’s status and resources, finding a few Loose Cultivators for his daughter to practice with shouldn’t be difficult."

"How is the Cultivation of those Mortal Loose Cultivators?" Li Yinsheng asked curiously.

"Naturally, none of them are particularly strong," Shangguan Ling’Er said. "But finding a Loose Cultivator in the mortal world to take as a master would save them from having to send their daughter all the way into the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

"Perhaps it’s because he looks down on Loose Cultivators. With his status, he naturally knows that the Loose Cultivators muddling along in the mortal world are vastly inferior compared to the Sect Daoist Temples in the Cultivation Realm," Li Yinsheng said.

"That’s true, and she just so happened to join the Daoist Temple of you, a Grand Daoist. It truly is a tremendous blessing for a mortal," Shangguan Ling’Er smiled.

"Originally, with her Root Device, even if she sought a Loose Cultivator in the mortal world to take as a master, she would only have been able to rely on throwing around gold and silver as a Tributor."

Li Yinsheng shrugged his shoulders, making no reply.

Truth be told, when Prince Mu first arrived, Li Yinsheng was probably indeed inferior to many Mortal Loose Cultivators.

Meanwhile, in her bedroom, having just finished her Cultivation, Mu Xiaoyu glanced at her reflection in the Copper Mirror, noting that she was still perfectly proportioned, and nodded in satisfaction.

She thought, "I cannot get fat. I must persevere. Otherwise, when I go back home later, Mom and Dad won’t even recognize me.

"Speaking of which, it’s been about eight months since I came up the mountain. I’ve already become a Cultivator, but I don’t know when I’ll have the time to go back and show Mom and Dad.

"Plus, I can also let Mom and Dad taste the snacks from the Cultivation Realm; they are much tastier than the ones at home!"

Back inside Li Yinsheng’s room.

"Speaking of which, situations where the Immortal and Mortal are completely segregated, like the Hundred Thousand Mountains and the surrounding Mortal Dynasties, are actually not very common," Shangguan Ling’Er said. "In many places, major Cultivation clans and Immortal Dao Sects live intermingled with mortals.

"Often, from the places where mortals live, they only need to look up to see the location of the Immortal Sect Mountain Gate."

"Could it be that Miss Shangguan’s family is not in the Hundred Thousand Mountains?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"They aren’t," Shangguan Ling’Er smiled. "My home is in the sea."

"In the sea?" Li Yinsheng was somewhat surprised.

"Mhm," she nodded. "The Taihao Immortal Sect and the Dharma Vein are in the mountains. As for my home... you could say it’s on an island, quite far from here."

"I see. No wonder you know about things outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains, Miss Shangguan," Li Yinsheng said.

"It’s just that you know too little," Shangguan Ling’Er said bluntly. "You aren’t even very clear about the matters within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, are you?"

Li Yinsheng remained silent for a few seconds. Although he didn’t want to admit it, his knowledge was indeed somewhat lacking, probably about the same as that of ordinary disciples from other Daoist Temples.

Never mind the affairs of the entire Cultivation Realm within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he didn’t even have much understanding of the other Dharma Veins.

"How can a dignified Grand Daoist act so ignorant and ill-informed?" Shangguan Ling’Er smiled. "Let me tell you about it, so you don’t embarrass yourself in front of outsiders later."

Li Yinsheng immediately began to listen attentively.

Then, Shangguan Ling’Er’s very first sentence left him stunned.

"Truth be told, these Hundred Thousand Mountains should actually be considered the territory of the Demon Race. We are the newcomers here."