Kite

Qin Ming nodded. "Truth be told, I feel very close to you as well, Elder. Perhaps this is simply destiny." Meng Xinghai chuckled. "You brat, your skin really is thick. It's barely begun, and you're already being so eager. Well, Qingyue truly is worth it—she's exceptional." Qin Ming smiled, letting him make his jokes. A moment later, however, he shifted the topic, tactfully suggesting it was better not to make such proposals for now. From their multiple interactions, he could clearly sense that Li Qingyue would not set foot into the mortal world at present. Her presence had grown increasingly limpid and otherworldly. As the saying went, form follows mind; she was now ethereal and near-immortal, an utterly pure practitioner of the immortal path. Their current relationship was excellent—they could be called bosom friends—and if Lord Li and Meng Xinghai pushed too hard to match them up, it might achieve the opposite effect. Li Qingyun sighed, "After that child entered the outer pure land, the near-immortal path she walked became like a kite drifting into the night sky—the nearer to the firmament, the farther away it gets." He worried deeply that if the string snapped and the kite drifted off, it would vanish forever, perhaps even ending in a tragic parting. Meng Xinghai nodded. "Indeed. Qingyue is like an uncut jade that grows more dazzling the more it is polished, gradually revealing a foundation far beyond what ordinary people can imagine." A secluded clan naturally possessed insightful elders who worried Li Qingyue might sever her worldly bonds, depart from the mortal dust, and fly so high and venture so far that the night sky would swallow her whole. Dharmas were only newly burgeoning, and paths were far from perfected. The world of eternal night was fraught with the unknown and the terrifying; no one knew what truly lay in wait above that pitch-black vault of heaven. Even one near-immortal, should the kite's string snap and carry it to the deepest reaches of the night sky, might become stained with blood and plummet broken. The Li clan only hoped she remained safe and sound, that there would always be someone on this earth to anchor her, someone who could hold tight to that string. Qin Ming said, "Lord Li, there is no need to worry. Qingyue has a clear understanding of herself. She said so herself: nearing immortality does not mean severing the path by which one arrived." The matter of taking in a son-in-law was temporarily put to rest. Nevertheless, Lord Li and Meng Xinghai still shared a few details concerning Li Qingyue. In a mere span of two-odd years, Li Qingyue had already stepped into the third realm of the immortal path! She had begun to undergo "tribulation," complemented by baptism from "immortal fire," steadily transmuting her conscious spiritual light into pure yang. Such speed had truly given everyone a great fright. Some immortal path patriarchs had even begun pondering whether to have their own descendants become Dao companions with her. Certain immortal seeds had also suspected that the Eight Trigrams Furnace held something "extraordinary," coveting it greatly. They had once asked powerful figures to borrow it for study, but had come away empty-handed. Hearing this, Qin Ming's brow furrowed tightly. He strongly wished for a chance to use his Five-Colored Knife to cut down that prominent figure's descendant along with that so-called immortal seed. "For now, Qingyue has resolved those troubles on her own." "That is good, then!" After that, the mood lightened. Qin Ming politely declined Li Qingyun's goodwill; at present, it was not suitable for him to go to a secluded clan, as the path he had charted for himself did not allow him to remain in one place for long. ... Over the next two days, Qin Ming kept a low profile within Shanhe Academy without stepping outside. He spent his time studying profound techniques and succeeded in mastering the fundamentals of the Withering and Thriving Classic. Mainly, having previously cultivated the Withered Scripture, he picked it up with exceptional speed. His original plan to visit friends was paused. He had become something of a celebrity among his peers, and Kunling was currently a churning den of dragons and snakes, with countless eyes watching. Word on the street had it that none of the heavyweights had left. Furthermore, more and more people were arriving. Supposedly, an assembly of patriarchs was currently underway in the city. Heavyweights from the Newborn path, the immortal path, the esoteric path, and others were meeting to deliberate whether to unseal portions of "Ancient Kunling," where rare and precious resources lay. Of course, paramount among all matters was the Great Reclamation, which had officially been placed on the agenda! In addition, old ancestors of the ghost path and masters of ancient immortal sanctuaries had joined in, making contact with the heavyweights of each path. "Extra, extra! Patriarchs will be expounding scriptures soon!" A major piece of news erupted like a bombshell. Moreover, word got out that patriarchs would ascend the dais to preach their doctrines one after another. In an instant, Kunling City gathered the winds and clouds from all eight directions. Many grew excited, full of anticipation. Across the night mist world, upon receiving word, countless individuals rushed over at top speed astride exotic birds. That evening, Qin Ming and Wu Yaozu left their residence and headed to the neighboring Feixian Academy to attend a gathering. Two days prior, they had received invitations and hadn't refused; they were to take part in a so-called exchange gathering for young disciples. Evidently, all who could attend were extraordinary, with "genius" serving merely as the threshold. Beneath the night, Feixian Academy spanned an immense area, dotted with grand structures amidst billowing immortal mist, looking exceptionally impressive. A colossal palace built of lapis lazuli stood brightly illuminated. In the distance, many students looked on. They were surprised to find Luo Lianqing, the academy's "Immortal Flower," bustling about, directing people to set up the venue. "Sigh, everyone coming this time is a powerhouse. Only disciples of Fairy Luo's caliber are qualified to attend." Many students at Feixian Academy looked on with envy; among them were no shortage of lesser geniuses, yet they were not on the guest list. As night deepened, attendees arrived one after another. "Su Shiyun of the immortal land and Leng Feiyue of the yang land—they've arrived side by side!" some cried out in astonishment. Both were widely renowned; anyone on the immortal path knew these two immortal seeds. Soon after, Zhao Yaoting, Tang Yutian, and Cai Jingcheng of the esoteric sect arrived. All were divine seeds who had put on dazzling performances hunting demons on the plateau. "Huh? Those newcomers have sickly pale faces—what's going on?" someone noticed something strange. Some guessed their identity: they were newly emerged cultivators of the ghost path, not people of this era. Many faces shifted. In ancient times, the ghost path had been one of the evil paths most despised by the people, once provoking universal outrage and a joint crusade from many sides. "Relax. With patriarchs overseeing things, they won't stir up any waves. Word is that an old ancestor of the ghost path arrived in person, stating that they walk the orthodox path and aren't the evil cultivators who take the vicious ghost path." The appearance of ancient figures stirred an uproar; even the gathering's guests looked their way. "That's Cui Chonghe, Sun Taichu's last disciple, famed across the night mist world! He truly is handsome and otherworldly—fully worthy of a near-immortal aptitude!" When Cui Chonghe appeared, it ignited heated discussion. In the distance, many students walking the immortal path, both men and women, cast fervent gazes toward him. Kunling housed many academies and sanctuaries, and naturally, outstanding disciples had been invited, such as Xin Youdao, Lu Dao of the pure yang physique, and others. When Qin Ming appeared, numerous gazes locked onto him, causing quite a stir. Mainly, he had obtained the most auspicious beast blood during the plateau hunt; it was impossible not to draw attention. Besides staring at Qin Ming, people also talked about Xiao Wu. "The balding youth beside him is quite something too—he got more than two portions of auspicious beast blood!" Wu Yaozu's hearing was sharp, and he almost rushed over to beat someone up. He swore never to keep short hair again; this wasn't the first time he had been slandered like this. "So that's Qin Ming, a prodigy of our Newborn path!" Naturally, many Newborns were present, their eyes blazing with fervor, convinced he was bound to become a future patriarch! "He's formidable indeed, but to rise up, the road is long and arduous. It'll take at least several centuries before he can even hope to become a patriarch," an immortal path disciple commented. Then someone chimed in, saying that was assuming nothing went awry! Though the Newborns were displeased and hated hearing such talk, they felt helpless; it was the truth, a problem even the patriarchs could not resolve. Inside the lapis lazuli palace hung many exquisite crystal lamps fitted with sunstones, bathing the hall in radiant splendor. After Qin Ming and Wu Yaozu arrived, they ran into many acquaintances who came over to greet them, such as Gan Jincheng, Jiang Ruoli, and others. In truth, many more were sizing him up in secret. Within Qin Ming's field of view appeared a woman clad in purple, exceptionally striking, who took the initiative to walk over upon spotting him. He was astonished, for she was not of this era! Chu Pianran wore purple robes, her waist-length black hair fluttering with immortal grace, her brows like distant mountains, her oval face exquisite. She hailed from an ancient immortal sanctuary. Qin Ming felt a surreal sensation. This was an ancient person standing alive before him. When he had dueled her, he had initially thought he had gotten too immersed in the illusion, and that all he had seen were "scenes of the past." Chu Pianran possessed city-toppling beauty and had been renowned in ancient times—a legendary figure recorded even in certain ancient texts. Having fought Qin Ming with a sliver of conscious spiritual light, she had narrowly lost by merely a single move. "We meet again," Chu Pianran greeted him first. With bright eyes and white teeth, her slight smile packed quite a punch for the young disciples nearby, leaving them unable to tear their eyes away. "Greetings, Fairy Chu. Stepping from ancient times into reality makes it feel like a dream," Qin Ming replied, feeling a genuine sense of temporal dislocation. Reuniting and meeting an ancient person in this manner felt truly strange. "You may simply call me Pianran." Chu Pianran possessed great adaptability; even though she did not belong to this era, she had assimilated quickly after arriving in a new environment. "In that case, you can just call my brother 'Ming.' I'm Yaozu," Xiao Wu chimed in. Qin Ming hastily shooed him aside, as the boy's shameless social flex was acting up again. In truth, Qin Ming was very keen to discuss certain ancient dharmas with this woman, hoping to integrate them into the Newborn path. Chu Pianran remarked, "I truly never imagined that later generations would see a hundred schools of thought contend and ten thousand flowers bloom, with each path so brilliantly colorful." She too wanted to probe Qin Ming, for the youth's performance in combat at the same level had been extraordinarily bizarre. Thinking back, she had never lost a sword duel among her peers, yet in this era, the person before her had actually left a bloody slash across her face. In ancient times, judged by this youth's style, he would undeniably have been considered a mere drudge. Yet searching through all ancient texts, where was there ever a drudge capable of defeating an immortal? Both were eager to learn about the other's domain, and the conversation flowed warmly. Qin Ming then made no pretense, asking straightforwardly how practitioners in ancient times similar to him cultivated, and how they broke through as quickly as possible. Confident in himself, he had no need for her specific techniques; he merely wished to draw analogies, understand unfamiliar territories, and gain sufficient inspiration. Naturally, he did not hold high hopes, as they were hardly well-acquainted. Yet Chu Pianran's casual remarks sent Qin Ming into deep contemplation. He felt a critical link had been forged today. He had nearly forgotten certain advantages of his own, but now the road ahead was clear—he was ready to set out!