Perfected Tianning: You Almost Became the Disciple of the Sect Leader Today!

That night. Several li from Four-Eyed Daoist's cottage, along the path through a barren woods toward Ren Family Town a hundred li away, Four-Eyed Daoist guided thirteen clients with a bewildered expression, looking at Shi Shaojian walking ahead to his left, yawning. He then turned his head to look at Liu Xiu, who walked behind the Black Jiangshi to his right rear. Strange—he suddenly felt that something was off. Eldest Senior Martial Brother clearly told the two of you to stay behind to help an injured patient like me drive corpses. But if you stayed to help, why am I still the one driving them all by myself? Why does it feel like your help amounted to nothing at all? With the soul-calling lamp hanging against his chest, Four-Eyed Daoist looked blankly at the two useless helpers. He instinctively glanced forward at Shi Shaojian, who completely ignored his martial uncle and only looked down his nose at him whenever he spoke. Then he looked toward Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu had a wonderful attitude, was very well-behaved, and spoke so pleasantly most of the time. Moreover, Liu Xiu was easy to talk to! The only problem was that Four-Eyed Daoist had a nagging feeling that if he tried to order Liu Xiu around, he might end up with a swollen mouth from a bad fall just like Daoist Qianhe. *Forget it. I'd better just power through it myself!* Just as Four-Eyed Daoist was thinking this helplessly, Liu Xiu spoke up: "Martial Uncle, would you like the Black Jiangshi to lead the way for you?" "Ah, well... wouldn't that be improper?" Four-Eyed Daoist instinctively started to decline; after all, doing so would diminish his dignity as an elder. "It's fine. You're injured, Martial Uncle, and shouldn't overexert yourself. Besides, anyone can lead corpses..." "...Right!" *The way you put that... sounds rather weird!* *Also, what were you doing for the past several li? Did you forget I'm a patient?!* Four-Eyed Daoist nodded, complaining silently in his heart. Just as he unhooked the soul-calling lamp from his chest, he froze, staring at Liu Xiu, who suddenly seemed different yet again. Focusing his gaze, he looked with uncertainty at the faint wisps of dark-greenish thunder flashes flitting through Liu Xiu's pupils. "You... you condensed the thunder seed for the Yimu Yin Thunder?!" "What? You broke through already?!" *Old bastard, I'm your actual son!* *He's not your son, yet you keep giving him private tutoring!* Ahead of them, Shi Shaojian—who had been reading a picture book by the moonlight—instantly lost all interest in his book. He spun around, eyes wide with shock as he stared at Liu Xiu. "It was just a fortunate breakthrough. Since Water generates Wood, I naturally went with the flow and condensed the Yimu thunder seed. Right now, it's barely twenty percent formed!" Liu Xiu replied with a smile. Reaching out with his right hand, his fingers cupped slightly into a palm, and he struck outward from a distance toward a patch of grass beside a roadside tree. *Whoosh—* Unlike the black, sludge-like thunderbolts of Gui Water Yin Thunder, this time a dark-green lightning bolt erupted from Liu Xiu's palm. It possessed an inherent entangling nature. Even without Liu Xiu actively directing it, the dark-green Yimu Yin Thunder wrapped itself around the grass. *Swish—Boom—* The constriction and detonation happened in a single instant. The grass shattered into tiny fragments that scattered in the wind, demonstrating the full potency of Yimu Yin Thunder. In truth, over the past few li, Liu Xiu had not only used Water generating Wood to condense twenty percent of the Yimu Yin Thunder seed; he had also managed to gain initial mastery over the *Shangqing Embryonic Origin Qi-Locking Trace-Concealing Mysterious Method*, which allowed him to conceal his cultivation and techniques. He had no choice—he had to learn it. Along the way, far too many birds, beasts, and insects had tried to approach him. While those creatures bore no ill will toward him, the thought of bugs crawling all over him disgusted him. That was the downside of having the talent of focusing qi to achieve ultimate suppleness. Of course, the talent had its perks too. For example, his comprehension had vastly improved! That was precisely why he had managed to condense the Yimu Yin Thunder seed and master the *Shangqing Embryonic Origin Qi-Locking Trace-Concealing Mysterious Method* over just a few li. Amid these thoughts, Liu Xiu snapped back to attention, and Four-Eyed Daoist regained his composure as well. Giving Liu Xiu a thumbs-up, he remarked with clear envy, "Fine talent!" "It's merely passable..." Liu Xiu smiled, taking the soul-calling lamp from Four-Eyed Daoist's hands. He hung it onto the Black Jiangshi, which hopped over the moment he beckoned. Then, before Shi Shaojian could react, Liu Xiu said, "Senior Brother, the reason you haven't condensed the Yimu Yin Thunder yet must be because you want to build an unshakable Dao foundation, right? I take it I haven't guessed wrongly?" "Mm... that's right. As expected, you understand me, Junior Brother. As the saying goes, a ten-thousand-foot tower rises from flat ground. Junior Brother, you're breaking through too quickly..." *Damn old bastard, just you wait. Once my Hegemon Body awakens...* Shi Shaojian seethed internally. He could not understand why the old man kept privately coaching Liu Xiu behind his back when Liu Xiu wasn't even his son. The incident with Liu Lao'er had made him realize that Liu Xiu probably wasn't his biological younger brother. As for why he was so certain Shi Jian had tutored Liu Xiu again? Simple: he himself had barely condensed half of his Gui Water Yin Thunder seed, and Liu Xiu's natural talent was supposed to be worse than his! Logically, there was no way Liu Xiu could have condensed a second thunder seed faster than him. Clearly, the old man had given Liu Xiu special instruction. In fact, it had probably happened just now while he was engrossed in his picture book—the old man must have slipped Liu Xiu some pointers when he wasn't looking! *Just you wait, old bastard. I will prove myself...* With a sullen expression, Shi Shaojian put away his picture book, took out the *Shangqing Jade Pivot Palm-Thunder Secret Instruction* that he always carried on him but rarely read, and began flipping through it. Four-Eyed Daoist didn't dwell on much; he merely wore a strange look as he watched Shi Shaojian solemnly convince himself of his own lie, then lowered his head and hunched his shoulders, fighting back laughter. "Haha... Cough, cough, cough... Sigh, my injuries are still too severe!" Four-Eyed Daoist chuckled twice, then quickly coughed to cover it up. "Humph. Your own life is an absolute mess, yet you have the nerve to take an apprentice..." Shi Shaojian, who never catered to anyone, scoffed coldly. He said this mainly because he thought of the patched clothes Jiale had worn year after year, and that one set of new clothes he had begged eight years for. "..." *Senior Brother, you really talk like a spoiled brat!* *Then again, he really is one!* Liu Xiu paused, shooting a peculiar look at Shi Shaojian. Shi Shaojian didn't look at Liu Xiu; he only spared a glance at the stunned Four-Eyed Daoist before turning away to read his book by the moonlight, tossing a line toward Liu Xiu as he walked: "You don't bird him!" "Senior Brother..." *You truly are a genius!* Translating the line and realizing Shi Shaojian was telling him to ignore Four-Eyed Daoist, Liu Xiu spoke up helplessly. Shi Shaojian gave a cold snort, looked away, and walked ahead, using the moonlight to study the *Shangqing Jade Pivot Palm-Thunder Secret Instruction*. As for Liu Xiu's disobedience, he took note of it. For now, in light of how pitiful Liu Xiu's past had been, he would let it slide. Mm, there wouldn't be a next time! "???" *My own martial nephew insulted me?* *And then he insulted me in a foreign tongue?!* Once Four-Eyed Daoist realized what had happened, he instinctively rolled up his sleeves to beat Shi Shaojian, but Liu Xiu held him back. "Humph!" *It's not like I don't have money! I just don't like spending it!* Understanding what Shi Shaojian meant, Four-Eyed Daoist glared furiously at Shi Shaojian ahead, feeling that the boy had been completely spoiled rotten by Eldest Senior Martial Brother. Besides, he was rich! He had an entire chest full of... Mm, he had no money. He was very poor! Four-Eyed Daoist's expression instantly reverted to normal. His anger flared fast and cooled just as quickly, since he knew what Shi Shaojian was getting at. He was looking down on his poverty! Just as he was about to grumble to Liu Xiu about Shi Shaojian, he discovered Liu Xiu was gone, causing his eyes to widen instinctively. "???" Four-Eyed Daoist glanced back and saw Liu Xiu talking with Miss Su, who had appeared for the fifth time. Rolling his eyes, he turned back, pushed up his glasses, and looked at Shi Shaojian walking ahead. He didn't mean anything bad; he just wanted to find a chance to let this martial nephew experience some tough love. With that thought, he let out a chuckle. The moment Four-Eyed Daoist laughed, Shi Shaojian turned and looked at him like he was an idiot. Infuriated, Four-Eyed Daoist rolled up his sleeves... only to scratch an itch, then looked at Liu Xiu, who had returned to his side. His meaning was simple: Why didn't Liu Xiu hold him back?! Liu Xiu shrugged and spread his hands, whispering, "I couldn't stop you!" "???" "I don't know mind reading. But I can sense the shifts in your emotions!" Liu Xiu said. After gaining initial mastery over the *Seven Emotions Undisturbed Emptiness and Stillness True Incantation*, he could faintly perceive others' emotional states even without the Favorability System's assistance. Even if someone kept a stone-cold poker face, he could vaguely detect their emotions and deduce their thoughts. "???" *Are you sure you don't know it?* Four-Eyed Daoist blinked in bewilderment at Liu Xiu, then furrowed his brows and looked at Shi Shaojian ahead, deciding against teaching his martial nephew a lesson after all. It wasn't because he feared his Eldest Senior Martial Brother Shi Jian; rather, Four-Eyed Daoist had always respected him the most. On top of that, before leaving today, Shi Jian had passed down a heaven-defying technique—the *Three-Light Primordial Magnetism Body-Refining Art*, which enabled even those without an innate affinity for lightning to cultivate thunder arts. Considering this—no, even without considering it—he couldn't possibly lay a hand on Eldest Senior Martial Brother's son, Shi Shaojian! With that in mind, Four-Eyed Daoist ignored Shi Shaojian, who had turned away looking like a victor, and looked back at Liu Xiu. Before he could speak, Liu Xiu said: "Understood!" "???" Seeing Liu Xiu nod, Four-Eyed Daoist froze, asking in an uncertain whisper, "You really understand what I mean?" "Of course. Weren't you telling me to teach my senior brother more about how to conduct himself?" Liu Xiu asked softly, tilting his head in confusion. "..." *You really don't know mind reading?!* Four-Eyed Daoist stared blankly at Liu Xiu, who merely shook his head, prompting Four-Eyed Daoist to give a deadpan nod. Mm, he got it. Liu Xiu definitely knew mind reading! Also, this Liu Xiu was quite a bit like Shaojian in his own way! With a sullen face, Four-Eyed Daoist watched Liu Xiu. Seeing that Liu Xiu was only looking at the jade pendant in his hands, he didn't disturb him, quietly following beside the hopping corpses while staring ahead at Shi Shaojian. It wasn't that he had changed his mind; rather, he suddenly realized that the saying 'the more you swallow your anger, the more furious you get upon reflection' was absolute truth! While Four-Eyed Daoist mulled over his thoughts, Liu Xiu, looking down at the protective jade pendant Miss Su had given him, raised an eyebrow as he listened to the voice of the narration cheat. [Jie-jie-jie! You caress the jade pendant in your hands. On the surface, it is a gift from Miss Su, but you know full well it is a protective magic treasure personally refined for you by the Su City God. Remembering how the Su City God secretly spied on you multiple times, fury surges within your chest, and the goodwill deep in your heart proliferates wildly. You resolve to cultivate the *Qi-Devouring Spirit-Seizing Art*, derived from the *Heaven-Burial Earth-Destruction Great Demonic Art*, using the Su City God's divine power within this protective jade pendant to invade his divine soul. When your soul-snatching succeeds, you shall take command of the City God's divine office, utilizing the fortune of the Underworld and the endless incense of the mortal domain to nourish your own cultivation, ultimately sweeping through the masters of all sects and reigning supreme over the cultivation world! Reigning supreme over the myriad cultivation realms!] "..." *He's my prospective father-in-law, for heaven's sake!* Liu Xiu muttered inwardly. He hung the pendant—shaped like a white jade safety buckle—around his neck, tied it securely, glanced back into the distance, and then looked away. Liu Xiu had withdrawn his gaze, but several hundred meters behind them, the Su City God, who was busy persuading his daughter to return home, thought in surprise, *Did that brat see me?* *Impossible. I don't believe it!* Shaking off distracting thoughts, the Su City God continued trying to coax his foolish daughter: "Stop walking him off... he's gone. Hurry and come home with your father..." As the Su City God was pleading, the former Martial Clerk appeared with an expression of mingled shock and delight. "My Lord, wonderful news! That esteemed lord said the young miss can prepare for resurrection! He even asked how an aura of Innate Pure Yang Qi suddenly appeared on her tonight..." "???" *An aura of Innate Pure Yang Qi?* The Su City God was taken aback. He instinctively looked toward Liu Xiu several hundred meters away, recalling the pure, immaculate aura Liu Xiu had exuded that evening. Raising an eyebrow, he declared, "Why, of course that comes from a supreme treasure passed down through our Su family for centuries! Back in the day, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of my great-grandfather was also an esteemed City God..." "???" *Didn't you say just the day before yesterday that you'd forgotten your grandfather's name?* the Warden Clerk muttered inwardly, yet he put on an enlightened expression and chimed in, "Oh, oh, oh! So it was that Pure Yang Elixir left behind by the ancestor! To think the young miss would have such profound fortune—I truly thought that elixir pill was a fake!" "Indeed, even I didn't expect it!" *Good lad, well done, well done!* The Su City God nodded with a chuckle, glanced in Liu Xiu's direction, and then looked at the Warden Clerk. Everything remained unspoken between them. Miss Su's beautiful eyes flickered with brief confusion, and she nodded softly. "..." "Come, come, let's head home. Father will make the arrangements for your resurrection. Once you're back among the living, you and that lad will have to put in some effort to give me a few grandsons... Hahahahaha!" The Su City God laughed heartily. As he rode back in his sedan chair, he raised an eyebrow and looked at the trees lining the road. Carved into the trunk of each tree was the poem Liu Xiu had recited earlier—the one beginning with 'A maiden of the Su family named Wan'er...' The poem itself was important, but what mattered even more was the signature inscribed at the end: *Left by Liu Xiu, second disciple under Shi Jian, sixty-ninth generation disciple of Maoshan.* "My Lord, it seems the young miss will have no trouble succeeding you as City God..." Outside the sedan chair, the Warden Clerk—formerly the Martial Clerk—walked alongside it, looking at the verse on the trees as he spoke to the Su City God. With a poem penned by the disciple of Shi Jian—who was currently rising in prominence throughout the cultivation world—as Miss Su's endorsement, her succession to the City God post would be far easier and smoother. "It's just a poem. I could write one too..." The Su City God pursed his lips, though he knew his own verses wouldn't carry nearly the same weight as Liu Xiu's. He looked helplessly at his daughter, who was still glancing back down the road, and wondered in bewilderment, *Just what is so good about that lad...* Several hundred meters away, Liu Xiu knew nothing of this. Savoring the familiar aura that had suddenly manifested, he stopped in his tracks. Not only did he stop, but Four-Eyed Daoist and Shi Shaojian halted as well, and even the corpse-leading Black Jiangshi froze in place. The next instant, a drop of dew rolled off a roadside tree leaf, suspended itself in midair, and instantly expanded into a water screen. The figure appearing within the water screen was none other than Shi Jian! "Master!" ×2 "Eldest Senior Martial Brother!" "Mm." Shi Jian nodded slightly, gesturing for the three to dispense with formalities. He frowned at Shi Shaojian, who was scowling at him with a dark face. Feeling that he hadn't shocked the boy enough last night, Shi Jian withdrew his gaze and activated the Primordial Concealment-Form Art to block Shi Shaojian's sight. "???" *Old bastard, you...* Shi Shaojian trembled with rage, glaring wide-eyed at the blurred screen before his eyes. Then, his eyes widened even further as an unavoidable, searing white bolt of lightning struck out from the water screen. *Just you wait. You just wait...* Though struck by the lightning, Shi Shaojian did not let out so much as a whimper. Trembling with cold fury, he sat cross-legged on the ground and seized the opportunity to circulate the searing white lightning into cultivating the *Shangqing Jade Pivot Palm-Thunder Secret Instruction*. This action caused Shi Jian to feel a flicker of surprised gratification. Then, another arc of searing white lightning flashed out. "!!!" *Damn old bastard, you, you, you...* Sensing it coming, Shi Shaojian snapped his eyes open, only to see yet another arc of searing white lightning hurtling toward him! As the lightning entered his body, Shi Shaojian still didn't utter a sound, glaring furiously at the blurred water screen as he desperately drove both the *Shangqing Jade Pivot Palm-Thunder Secret Instruction* and the *Hegemon Body Three-Light Primordial Magnetism Art*. Four-Eyed Daoist, whose vision had not been blocked, watched all of this clearly. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he instinctively wanted to look down. But when Shi Jian's gaze swept over, he immediately straightened his posture with a solemn face. "Master, are you still at Maoshan?" Liu Xiu asked without dwelling on the sight. Across the water screen, Shi Jian gave a slightly embarrassed hum of affirmation. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a pity you didn't see it—and an even greater pity that your master held back in time. Otherwise, Ah Xiu, you would have become the disciple of the sect leader today..." A woman's voice drifted over, and the water screen shifted, revealing the pretty face of Perfected Tianning alongside Shi Jian's awkward cough. "???" ×2 *Disciple of the sect leader?* *Is Master founding a new branch of Maoshan?!* *Wait... held back in time?!* Sensing he had caught the key point, Liu Xiu turned in surprise to look at Perfected Tianning. Four-Eyed Daoist was completely baffled. Across the water screen, Shi Jian coughed and explained, "That was an accident!" "Oh, I know. But even if it wasn't an accident, it wouldn't have mattered. If you had truly helped the sect leader ascend to immortality today, we wouldn't even have had time to celebrate before pushing you forward as the next sect leader! What a pity you stayed your hand!" Perfected Tianning said with a laugh, then briefly recounted what had happened, including the scheme to lure out those demons and evil spirits. At this point, Perfected Tianning spoke to Liu Xiu with a faint sigh: "What a fine grand-disciple you are. To think you couldn't even trust me!" She was naturally referring to the fake precious scripture. She didn't believe Shi Jian would ever pull off a stunt like forging the *Jade Pivot Precious Scripture* to trick her. Thinking back and forth, only Liu Xiu could have been behind it! "That was my idea!" Shi Jian offered, trying to take the blame. But Perfected Tianning didn't listen, keeping her gaze fixed on Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu gave an embarrassed laugh. "Hehe, Grandmaster's discerning eyes see all. This disciple was merely worried that Master might fall prey to deception on his way back to the Main Altar. After all, what if he ran into some formidable demons and ghosts along the road..." "Heh..." Perfected Tianning gave a soft laugh and didn't press the matter further. Still, she really wanted to say that even though she had handed the *Jade Pivot Precious Scripture* to Heavenly Bright True Person without Shi Jian's consent, she and several martial brothers had already planted restrictions on it—they weren't afraid of Heavenly Bright True Person welshing on his end at all. She didn't dwell on that either, merely recounting the story behind becoming the 'disciple of the sect leader.' It had occurred during the sealing of the mountain to subdue demons. When a few demons and evil spirits found themselves cornered under the onslaught of Shi Jian and the others, they resolved to drag someone down with them. But instead of targeting Shi Jian, they chose to employ a Life-Transferring Technique to drag Heavenly Bright True Person down into death with them. It was only because Shi Jian had reined in his power in the nick of time, promptly withdrawing the great divine ability of primordial magnetism... Otherwise, they would have been attending a funeral feast tonight! Perfected Tianning's tone was brimming with regret. Four-Eyed Daoist felt as though he had heard something he shouldn't have and quickly looked down, intently studying the ants on the ground. Liu Xiu acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. Some words were meant to go in one ear and out the other—taking them seriously would be a mistake. Moreover, if Heavenly Bright True Person was this annoying yet had held the position of sect leader for so many years, it proved one thing: Heavenly Bright True Person was exceptionally powerful! His strength was formidable enough to withstand everyone's dislike. Thinking this, Liu Xiu looked toward the slightly embarrassed Shi Jian. "Master, when will you be returning?" *And what about my reward? Where is the reward for turning in the new thunder arts...*