"Apologize!"
The bone-chilling command tore from Zhou Fuyou's mouth, making the surrounding air plunge as if winter had suddenly arrived.
His eyes were locked firmly onto the boy encircled like a moon among stars.
Zhou Fuyou recognized him.
Zhou Yuhao, whose father was a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.
Yet what truly drove so many to fawn over him and curry favor was his grandfather.
Seven years ago, Zhou Yuhao's grandfather had received personal guidance from the Old Ancestor, breaking through to the Golden Core stage in a single bound. He was now a pivotal heavyweight within the family.
For that very reason, their lineage had abruptly risen to prominence.
Though young, Zhou Yuhao had clearly understood from an early age that his family was special, and he frequently threw his weight around.
Intimidated by Zhou Fuyou's sharp reprimand, he initially took a reflexive step back. But flanked by his crowd of companions, he quickly regained his senses.
What status did he hold, and what were Zhou Fuyou and his sister compared to him?
Why should he fear him?
Zhou Yuhao sneered, "Did I say anything that wasn't true? Even if a sickly invalid like her is found to have spiritual roots later on, she won't be able to cultivate anyway. Why waste effort here? If you ask me, they ought to move to Coral Town sooner rather than later—at least that would save some resources for the clan!"
The moment he spoke, his companions chimed in one after another.
"Yuhao is right!"
"People ought to know their place! Our Zhou family doesn't have many resources to begin with. Every bit should be spent where it counts most. Wasting them on an invalid like her is pure folly!"
"I heard that on top of the family bereavement compensation, they're still receiving the treatment of a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
"Zhou Qingyu doesn't deserve to cultivate alongside us at all!"
...
Voices surged with hostility, and their gazes pricked like thorns.
Zhou Qingyu's face went pale, her lips trembling.
When she looked toward several friends her own age and saw them avert their eyes, tears welled up and filled her eyes.
Instinctively, she gripped the sleeve of the boy standing before her.
"Big Brother, let's go home!"
Zhou Fuyou's chest tightened as though seized by a vice. Gently, he loosened his sister's grip.
Before she could understand what was happening, Zhou Fuyou stepped squarely in front of her, shielding her completely.
"I will say it one last time. Apologize!"
Across from him, Zhou Yuhao not only refused to apologize, but even made a mocking face.
"No, I won't! I won't! What can you do to me—"
*Thud!*
A shrill gust seemed to detonate across the square.
Before anyone could react, a figure closed the distance in a few rapid strides, charging straight up to Zhou Yuhao.
With one hand, Zhou Fuyou clamped onto Zhou Yuhao, who was a full head shorter, and with the other, he drove a slap straight into his face.
*Smack!*
"Apologize!"
The onlookers failed to respond in time; nobody had expected Zhou Fuyou to be so fast.
Even Zhou Yuhao was left stunned senseless by the slap, unable to get a word out.
*Smack!*
"Apologize!"
Only when the second slap landed did he snap back to his senses, roaring in fury, "You dare hit me?!"
*Smack!*
"My father is a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, and my grandfather is a Golden Core Master!"
*Smack!*
"Help me! Someone come help me!"
*Smack!*
Three teeth clattered onto the stone ground.
Zhou Fuyou's frigid gaze swept across the surroundings. Several children who had been about to step forward froze in their tracks.
With a cold snort, Zhou Fuyou flexed his arm and, right before everyone's eyes, hoisted Zhou Yuhao straight up by the throat.
"I ask you one last time. Are you going to apologize?"
Already a head shorter than Zhou Fuyou, Zhou Yuhao was now lifted level with his eyes.
Facing that stare that treated him like a dead man, sheer terror finally seized him. His purplish, bloated face contorted as his lips squirmed.
"I'm... I'm sorry."
*Thud!*
Zhou Fuyou released his grip, turned around, and walked away.
Zhou Yuhao collapsed onto the ground, his throat wheezing like a broken bellows. At some point, his trousers had become soaked, giving off a rank, foul odor.
He stared at Zhou Fuyou's retreating back, his eyes brimming with terror.
Unbidden, the crowd parted to make a path, watching in silence as Zhou Fuyou held his sister's hand and led her away from the square.
...
Along a path paved with bluestone slabs, the brother and sister walked at an unhurried pace.
"Big Brother, I don't want to go to the square for body-refinement drills tomorrow."
"No, you have to go. With your brother here, no one will dare bully you."
"But they..."
"Other people's opinions don't matter, as long as we live well. Strengthening our bodies and making ourselves powerful is the only thing we can rely on."
"All right, Maomao will listen to Big Brother!"
Hurried footsteps sounded from behind.
Before long, Zhou Yuqi caught up, panting heavily.
"Fuyou, how did you dare hit Zhou Yuhao just now? His family has a Golden Core Master! If you offend them, what will happen later..."
Zhou Fuyou stared coldly at Zhou Yuqi. "Was I supposed to just let him bully my sister?"
Zhou Yuqi hesitated. "B-but..."
Zhou Fuyou cut him off flatly. "There are no 'buts.' No one is allowed to bully Maomao—unless I'm dead!"
Those last four words were uttered with ironclad finality.
Zhou Yuqi stood rooted to the spot, feeling as though he were meeting this childhood friend for the very first time.
Somewhat disheartened, he made his way back home.
His mother seemed to have heard about what happened earlier and called him over, questioning him thoroughly.
Zhou Yuqi answered half-heartedly, but toward the end, an idea suddenly struck him.
"Mother, why don't you adopt Fuyou and Maomao?"
"Adopt?" When Zhou Yuqi's mother heard the word, the corners of her lips curled into a smile. "Very well. Tomorrow, Mother will go ask the Clan Head for permission."
Believing he had helped his good friend, Zhou Yuqi leaped with joy.
...
In the dead of night.
Inside the desolate Yinlü Waterside Pavilion, an ethereal silhouette floated in from the distance.
From far away, she quietly watched the young boy and girl within, an intrigued expression crossing her face.
*Master's avatar seems to have a completely different personality from Master himself.*
*He doesn't look reckless, yet he pays no heed to the consequences of acting. What's more, he's extremely radical—I even sensed a faint trace of murderous intent from him during the day.*
*He's so young; how could his character be so extreme?*
*Besides, didn't Master say he had already reached Qi Refinement? Why can't I detect the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power from him?*
Xiao Bai had only arrived today.
Traveling from the Western Continent to the Tiannan Continent was tantamount to crossing half of the Central Plains, and the vast sea between them had stretched her journey to over half a year.
Yet the moment she laid eyes on Zhou Fuyou, endless questions sprang to mind.
Just as she was pondering, a soft sound stirred beside her.
*Drip!*
*Is it raining?*
Xiao Bai looked up at the sky in confusion. The weather tonight did not look like rain at all.
When she lowered her gaze in bewilderment, a figure was already standing silently next to her.
"To visit uninvited—isn't Fellow Daoist being rather impolite?"
Xiao Bai's expression shifted drastically. She stared fixedly at the weathered figure, who was thick with the scent of twilight.
"Who are you?"
"I should be the one asking you that!"
The weathered figure turned sideways to study Xiao Bai, suspicion dawning on his face.
"This old man is Zhou Yunshen, Patriarch of the Zhou clan. You carry the scent of an old acquaintance. Are you one of Luo Chen's people?"
Hearing him state his name, Xiao Bai finally let out a breath of relief.
She nodded. "Luo Chen is indeed my master. My name is Bai Meiling."
Zhou Yunshen's suspicion was confirmed, and his gaze shifted to the two young figures illuminated by candlelight inside.
"Did you come on behalf of your master to look in on Fuyou?"
"Yes!"
"Didn't he say not to interfere with Fuyou's growth?"
Xiao Bai hesitated, then shook her head. "That is none of your concern!"
"Reluctant to speak?" Zhou Yunshen gave a low chuckle without pressing further, simply looking out over the nocturnal courtyard.
That tranquil night scene was shattered before long.
A dozen people escorted an elegantly dressed woman into Zhou Fuyou's courtyard, shouting, "Beat that little brat to death!"
Yet before they could lay eyes on the siblings, a sturdy man barred their path in the courtyard.
"Scram back!"
The crowd froze where they stood.
Someone recognized the sturdy man's identity.
"It's the Clan Head!"
Zhou Junxiao snapped sternly, "Just a squabble between children, and you adults have the gall to step forward in person? Do I need to call Zhou Xiaocheng over here?"
Zhou Xiaocheng was Zhou Yuhao's grandfather, the formidable backer the group relied upon.
The intruders scurried out of the courtyard in disgrace.
Zhou Junxiao wore an irritated scowl, but when he turned around, he saw the young boy standing beneath the eaves.
Forcing a smile, Zhou Junxiao said, "Don't be afraid. This is the Zhou clan. Your parents fell in battle for the family; no one will dare bully you. Tomorrow, come to the clan assembly hall. Second Grandfather has a few things to discuss with you."
The boy nodded gently. The cold wariness in his eyes softened ever so slightly.
In the distance, Xiao Bai remarked in surprise, "You people are interfering in Zhou Fuyou's growth as well, aren't you?"
Zhou Yunshen laughed softly. "He bears the Zhou surname, after all!"
Then he asked, "Fellow Daoist Bai, are you passing through, or do you intend to stay for a while?"
Bai Meiling hesitated before replying, "I might stay for some time."
Zhou Yunshen let out an "oh" and said, "In that case, I suggest you take up residence inside Bailu Marsh. You are a ghost cultivator, after all; lingering long among the gathering grounds of our Zhou clan could easily affect our low-stage clansmen."
Bai Meiling's heart skipped a beat. She realized he had seen straight through her true nature at a single glance.
Moreover, she had concealed herself so well earlier—how had she been detected?
Master had once said that unless a Great Cultivator searched deliberately, an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator could not possibly discover her.
Master could never be wrong!
That left only one explanation: this dying old man had undergone an unforeseen transformation.
Xiao Bai discreetly cast her divine sense toward the elder.
In that moment, though his physical body stood right before her, Zhou Yunshen seemed entirely absent from her spiritual perception—there was only an empty expanse of heaven and earth.
*Merged with heaven and earth?!*
Xiao Bai jolted in sudden realization, staring at Zhou Yunshen in horror.
She was no stranger to this state, having seen it frequently on her master.
"You!"
Zhou Yunshen smiled faintly. "Thanks to your master's grace, I have merely gained a small insight. Fellow Daoist Bai, please head to Bailu Marsh. You need not worry about Zhou Fuyou."
Xiao Bai took a long, deep look at the old man before vanishing from the Yinlü Waterside Pavilion.
...
Deep within Bailu Marsh.
Having settled in, Xiao Bai hesitated for a long while before cautiously activating the jade token Luo Chen had given her.
Soon, a voice like clanging metal resonated from the token.
"Xiao Bai?"
"Master, it is I!"
"What is the matter?"
"There is an unexpected situation with your avatar. His parents are dead, and his circumstances within the clan are poor, leading him to develop a rather extreme temperament. In my view, unless guided, such a radical disposition will not bode well for cultivation and could easily lead to an early demise."
"Mm, I understand."
"Additionally, you mentioned he had reached Qi Refinement, yet I cannot detect any spiritual power fluctuations on him whatsoever. This is rather strange."
"I understand."
"Finally, the Zhou clan ancestor Zhou Yunshen claimed that thanks to your blessing, he gained an epiphany. According to my observations, he has actually grasped law true intent and quietly stepped into the late Nascent Soul stage."
"Oh? Any other news?"
"No, that is all."
"Treasure the remaining two chances. This jade token can transmit voice only three times."
"Understood!"
Ending the brief exchange, Bai Meiling looked at the jade token, which had dimmed by a third, and exhaled softly.
Though there were surprises, everything remained within control.
Meanwhile.
Millions of li away from the Tiannan Continent, amidst the azure void, Luo Chen looked at the jade token in his hand with surprise.
The jade token he had bestowed upon Bai Meiling was no ordinary voice transmission jade token. Crafted using unique techniques, it contained three partitioned strands of his divine sense, which allowed cross-continental transmissions over immense distances.
Each use consumed one strand permanently.
He had previously cautioned Xiao Bai to activate the token only under exceptional circumstances.
For her to burn through an opportunity so quickly—could something extraordinary have occurred?
With a thought, the corresponding divine sense returned into his sea of consciousness.
In an instant, he absorbed the intelligence Xiao Bai had transmitted.
"Parents dead, an extreme and radical disposition?"
"No perceptible spiritual power fluctuations?"
"Zhou Yunshen grasped law true intent and entered the late Nascent Soul stage?"
Luo Chen muttered the three pieces of news, an intrigued look appearing on his face.
His avatar had clearly entered the path of cultivation, yet emitted no spiritual power fluctuations. With a brief thought, Luo Chen arrived at the answer.
It was likely caused by the Ming Water Spring Eye!
Before Zhou Fuyou was born, Luo Chen had dispersed the Ming Water Spring Eye and fused it into the boy's body.
With this exotic treasure within him, whenever the avatar willed it, it served as the greatest concealment under heaven. Barring Soul Formation mighty figures, virtually no one could discern his exact cultivation realm.
As for the law true intent Zhou Yunshen had comprehended...
Luo Chen pondered for a moment and traced that back to the Ming Water Spring Eye as well.
He himself specialized in fire methods, yet had managed to comprehend Water Origin from the Ming Water Spring Eye back then. Zhou Yunshen specialized in water methods, so in close proximity, he naturally had a chance to grasp Water Origin.
His judgment was sound: ever since his avatar Zhou Fuyou's birth, Bailu Marsh had experienced unending rain year-round, which was the influence of the Ming Water Spring Eye.
Once Zhou Fuyou's cultivation realm advanced in the future, this outward influence would be brought under control.
Zhou Yunshen's epiphany of Water Origin was indeed an indirect result of the avatar's presence—in other words, it truly could be considered "thanks to Luo Chen's grace."
However, this mattered little. Zhou Yunshen was well advanced in years; even though Luo Chen had helped extend his lifespan by several years in the past, it was not enough for him to sprint toward the Soul Formation realm.
On the contrary, it would bring certain benefits to his avatar's growth.
What truly occupied Luo Chen's thoughts was his avatar Zhou Fuyou's temperament.
"Extreme? Radical?"
"Is it the result of losing both parents in a sudden catastrophe, or is that his innate nature?"
"Will this radical temperament interfere with reclaiming his life soul in the future?"
Muttering to himself, Luo Chen fell into contemplation.
To be safe, what he ought to do was employ subtle means to covertly influence the avatar, facilitating the retrieval of the life soul down the road.
Yet artificially imposed measures could easily be detected by others.
Ultimately, Luo Chen chose to hold back.
"If I can suppress and refine ghosts and gods, why should I fear a mere avatar!"
Chapter 1031