The Student Surpassed the Master, Shocking His Master; Far from the Mortal World

That night, the sky was clear and the moonlight shone brightly over the entire Qingfeng Mountain.

The moonlight, like water, poured down, covering the bamboo courtyard and bluestone, washing the grass and trees clean, dispelling all the noise and clamor, creating an exceptionally beautiful night scene that is rare to see in several years.

Chen Du sat quietly on the futon, his mind clear and focused, silently comprehending the Dao. All around him was utterly silent, save for the soft rustling of bamboo leaves.

Suddenly, a soft creaking sound was heard, and the silent courtyard gate was gently pushed open.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Moonlight streamed in through the crack in the door, spreading a frosty white carpet across the ground. Master Xuanwei, dressed in a plain Daoist robe, bathed in the soft glow of the Xuanwei, carried a pot of aged homemade wine and slowly walked into the courtyard.

The pale moonlight bathed his white hair at the temples, making the centenarian Daoist appear even more peaceful and serene.

Xuanwei remained silent, and sat down at the stone table opposite Chen Du. He gently placed the ancient wine pot on the stone surface, then with a flick of his wide sleeve, he took out two rough porcelain wine cups and carefully filled them with clear rice wine.

The aroma of the wine was delicate, spreading gently and blending into the evening breeze and moonlight.

The master and apprentice sat facing each other in silence, raising their cups to drink together.

This wine is a homemade rice wine passed down through generations at Qingfeng Temple. It is mild and elegant on the palate, without any harshness, but its character is deep and lingering. It goes down the throat silently, and only after it has been swallowed does a long-lasting warmth slowly emerge, leaving a pleasant aftertaste.

A few cups of sake washed away the silence of time and also eased the tranquility between master and disciple.

"Want to spar with me for a couple of moves?"

Xuanwei suddenly put down his wine cup, stood up gently, and spoke in a calm tone, yet it contained a hint of long-held expectations and a sense of relief.

Chen Du raised his eyes, looked at his master, nodded slightly, and stood up in response.

The two moved to the open space outside the courtyard and stood facing each other under the moonlight, several feet apart. Their auras were both contained within their bodies, with not a trace of sharpness leaking out.

A gentle night breeze caressed their clothes, and the moonlight cast its glow, illuminating two slender figures, one old and one young.

Before Chen Du could make a move, Xuanwei had already stepped forward.

His figure flickered, instantly transforming into a fleeting azure shadow. His movements were ethereal and effortless, seemingly ordinary, yet they carried the refined Dao Resonance of the Early Stage Twelfth Realm.

The palm strike was heavy and deep, with Dao patterns faintly visible. It was neither fierce nor violent, but as steady and solid as a mountain, aiming directly at Chen Du's face.

This palm strike appears simple and unadorned, without any fancy moves or earth-shattering power, yet it is the ultimate manifestation of Xuanwei's hundreds of years of accumulated Daoist cultivation.

The cultivation of the Early Stage of the Twelfth Realm is refined and pure, the laws are restrained, and every inch of power is extremely perfect. It seems plain, but in fact it contains billions of tons of power.

Facing his master's powerful palm strike, Chen Du did not retreat even half a step, standing as straight as a pine tree and as steady as a rock.

He simply raised his right hand slightly, his five fingers slightly curled, and casually flicked it.

There was no loud noise, no sword light, and no burst of surging spiritual energy.

Two completely different forces of the Great Dao collided silently in the void.

A very faint tremor emanated from the air, like wind falling on still water, almost imperceptible.

In the next instant, Master Xuanwei took three steps back, his shoes scraping against the bluestone ground, before finally coming to a steady stop.

He looked down at his slightly numb palms, his inner Dao Resonance slightly disordered. Then he looked up at the boy standing motionless in the moonlight, and his eyes were suddenly filled with extremely complex emotions—shock, realization, and a faint sense of melancholy.

"Again."

Xuanwei spoke in a deep voice, his mind now completely composed.

This time, he held nothing back.

A burst of azure Dao Resonance erupted from his body, and he unleashed the full power of his Early Stage Twelfth Realm cultivation to its Peak Stage. Layer upon layer of palm strikes covered the sky, continuous and relentless, like a tidal wave sweeping across the land and a long wind piercing the sun, crushing down on Chen Du.

Each palm strike carries the orthodox laws of Daoism, combining the real and the illusory, and possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities, fully demonstrating the profound foundation of a thousand-year-old cultivation.

No matter how fierce the attack, Chen Du remained standing still, as immovable as a mountain.

He continued to rely solely on his single palm, raising it, deflecting the force, and blocking the attack with slow, unhurried, and fluid movements.

Each time he raised his hand, it precisely struck the openings and weaknesses in Xuanwei's attack; each time he struck, it steadily deflected the layers upon layers of the power of the laws.

The more Xuanwei fought, the more turbulent his heart became.

He suddenly had an extremely strange feeling that he was not fighting against a person, but playing chess against an unfathomable mirror of the Heavenly Dao.

No matter how fast or slow his moves are, or how tricky his angles are, no matter how he changes his tactics or how aggressively he attacks, Chen Du always blocks all paths forward half a step ahead.

All his Dao Resonance, all his palm strikes, and all his laws, when they landed on his opponent, were like a mud ox sinking into the sea, silently and completely dissolved.

Dozens of moves passed in the blink of an eye.

Xuanwei withdrew his palm strike, retreated swiftly, and landed steadily on the spot.

He was slightly out of breath, his chest rising and falling gently. He gazed at the young man, who remained upright and steady in the moonlight, showing no signs of fatigue, and remained silent for a long time.

The soft moonlight fell between the two, outlining two strikingly contrasting figures.

One back is slightly hunched, bearing the marks of time; the other stands tall and straight, concealing the sharpness of heaven and earth.

After a long silence, Xuanwei's hoarse voice finally rang out, revealing the truth in a single sentence:

"Your Self Star seems to be far more powerful than that of a typical 12th-realm Self Star."

Chen Du nodded silently, without denying it.

There's no need to hide this. When one reaches a certain level, the Dao Resonance will naturally manifest, and it cannot be concealed from a discerning master.

Xuanwei gazed intently at him, her eyes filled with complex and profound emotions, and slowly revealed the deeper truth:

"Your Self Star possesses extremely abundant energy. The laws governing you have long since been completely integrated into the star's origin. Your Dao power is unified, and your laws share the same origin, becoming inseparable."

When you stand still, you conceal all your sharpness and power, like a solitary star in the silent deep sky, unremarkable, and no one can recognize your true form.

"But once you make a move, the endless Calamity Qi of heaven and earth will flow with your single thought and move with your single intention."

He sighed softly, each word a heartfelt lament. "I have cultivated for thousands of years, deeply exploring the path, enduring countless trials, yet the Self Star have condensed is no bigger than a fist, confined to a tiny space. But your star... I probe it with my Divine Sense, it is vast and boundless, its boundaries imperceptible."

After saying that, Xuanwei turned around and returned to the stone table, sat down, and poured himself a cup of clear wine.

Chen Du also took his seat, sitting opposite his teacher under the moonlight, listening quietly to his teacher's words.

"Do you know what my biggest takeaway from our fight was?" Xuanwei picked up his wine cup, took a small sip of the clear wine, his gaze open and clear, devoid of resentment or jealousy. "It wasn't that your strength surpassed mine, nor that your speed was faster. It was your Dao, your laws."

"My laws are cultivated through the Dao Resonance of Pure Breeze, an orthodox tradition spanning millennia. They may seem profound, but in the end, they are merely mountain streams. Your laws, however, are the sedimentation of countless eons, the tempering of life and death, the boundless ocean."

"Every wisp of Dao power and every law I unleashed was completely swallowed up within your Dao Domain, not even causing a ripple."

He looked up at Chen Du and said frankly, "You don't even need to use your full strength. You only need to use your power to suppress my domain, and you can defeat me in one move."

The rough porcelain wine cup landed softly on the stone table, making a soft sound.

"Du'er, I can no longer teach you."

Xuanwei's tone was calm, yet carried a heavy sense of relief and melancholy, "Actually, I had already given up on teaching you years ago, but my obsession hadn't faded, so I didn't point it out. I always wanted to see you mature a little more, and protect you a little more in peace."

Chen Du parted his lips slightly, as if about to offer words of comfort.

Xuanwei gently raised her hand to stop him, her smile warm, "No need to feel guilty, no need to feel uneasy."

"Throughout my life, I have cultivated the Tao, without wife or children, without worldly ties. My greatest fortune is to have you as my disciple. My greatest wish is to see you break through barriers, surpass others, reach the pinnacle of the Great Tao, transcend our school, and far surpass all those who came before."

"The farther you go, the higher you fly, the more gratified I am as your teacher."

He paused slightly, then turned to look at the bright moon on the horizon, his gaze distant, carrying a soft, indescribable sigh:

"But you've moved too fast, so fast that... this mere Qingfeng Ancient Temple is almost too small to contain your path, too small to contain your future."

The evening breeze rustled through the bamboo, shattering the moonlight that filled the courtyard.

The master and disciple sat facing each other in silence, saying nothing more.

The wine pot on the stone table was empty, with the last bit of wine swirling gently in the cup, reflecting the bright moonlight. It was quiet and still, telling the story of the years and the bond between master and disciple, and the vast difference in the paths of life.

Xuanwei slowly put down the cold wine cup. The evening breeze swept across the sky, shattering the moonlight on the ground.

He suddenly looked up and asked softly, "Do you know where your senior brothers have gone?"

Chen Du shook his head slightly.

In recent years, he has secluded himself in his bamboo courtyard, meditating and cultivating himself, almost ignoring worldly affairs and external matters.

He never paid any attention to the comings and goings of people in the temple or the changing fortunes of the secular world, so naturally he knew nothing about them.

"Zhao Yuanshan has come down the mountain."

Xuanwei's tone was extremely calm, revealing neither sighs nor regrets, only a kind of ordinary peace that comes with the passage of time.

He left last spring. He had spent decades in seclusion at Qingfeng Temple, gazing at the mountains day and night listening to the bamboo, but he could no longer bear the tranquility of the temple and said he wanted to see the bustling world.

"I didn't stop him." Xuanwei sighed softly, his gaze falling on the dark mountains in the distance. "Young people naturally yearn for the vastness of the world."

The path to enlightenment is serene and solitary, and Daoist temples are quiet and austere. Yet, the mortal world is bustling and full of turmoil, and in our youth, everyone longs to experience it firsthand and make their own mark.

He paused briefly, his voice as soft as a night breeze rustling through bamboo:

"Not only Yuanshan, but your second senior brother left the temple and went down the mountain the year before last, and your fifth senior brother left the year before last. Even the younger junior brothers of several generations have left the mountain gate one after another."

Some rushed to the Capital, hoping to enter the imperial court and gain fame and fortune; some traveled across the land, seeking opportunities to attain Immortal Dao; some, captivated by the pleasures of the mortal world, were thus plunged into the vicissitudes of life.

"Even a grand Qingfeng Temple could not ultimately hold the hearts of the people."

Xuanwei picked up his wine cup again, gazing at the remaining wine gently swirling within. His eyes reflected the lonely moon, as if he were speaking to himself, or perhaps sighing softly:

"Through the vicissitudes of ten thousand years, Qingfeng Temple has always remained the same. Those who come seeking knowledge come in an endless stream, but those who can truly take root here, endure poverty, and withstand eternal solitude are ultimately few and far between."

He looked up, his gaze fixed on the boy under the moonlight, and softly asked the most crucial question:

"Now that all my fellow disciples have scattered and descended the mountain, what about you? What are your plans?"

Chen Du did not hesitate for a moment; his voice was clear and firm, each word resounding:

"I will not leave. The hustle and bustle of the mortal world is of no benefit to me. Qingfeng Temple is much better. I am willing to stay here and continue my cultivation."

A simple sentence, without the slightest hesitation or wavering.

Xuanwei stared at him blankly, remaining silent for several breaths.

The next instant, he suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter!

The hearty laughter pierced the quiet night, causing the bamboo leaves in the courtyard to flutter down, instantly breaking the tranquility of the bamboo courtyard.

He raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the bluestone table, causing the remaining wine in the cup to splash out and scatter specks of moonlight.

"Well!"

He said "good" twice, all the pent-up frustration in his chest dissipated, and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

After a long while, the laughter gradually subsided, but the smile on their lips never faded.

I originally thought you also wanted to enter the world and make your way in the world.

Xuanwei slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with satisfaction and emotion. "You are the youngest, but your cultivation has already surpassed the entire Ling Dynasty, reaching the Twelfth Realm and condensing the endless star Dao Fruit."

With your current strength, the outside world is brimming with opportunities and prosperity, a truly enchanting place. Anyone else would have already been tempted by such a sight.

"Only you remain true to your original aspirations, content to remain solitude."

He looked intently at Chen Du, his words extremely earnest. "Among cultivators in the world, there are countless people with exceptional talent and extraordinary cultivation. But the higher one climbs, the harder it is to maintain one's original heart."

Those who can endure solitude, uphold their Daoist principles, and remain unmoved by worldly vanities are rare indeed, perhaps one in a million. Your character far surpasses that of all your fellow disciples.

After speaking, Xuanwei slowly stood up, brushed the wine stains off his robes, and walked calmly toward the courtyard gate.

As he reached the threshold, he paused slightly, stopped, and turned his head to look back at the boy in the bamboo courtyard.

The moonlight fell on the white hair at his temples, gentle yet desolate.

"Stay put."

This sentence, compared to all the casual conversation just now, was exceptionally solemn and earnest.

"Qingfeng Temple may seem small and remote from a distance, in this vast world, there are very few places left where you can peacefully cultivate your spiritual path, free from strife and disturbance."

The words had been spoken.

Xuanwei raised his hand and gently pushed, and the wooden door closed softly.

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance, slowly disappearing into the depths of the quiet mountain path.

The noise has subsided, and the wind has fallen silent.

Once again, only Chen Du remained in the vast bamboo courtyard.

The wine pot on the stone table was empty, the remaining wine was slightly cold, and the moonlight silently blanketed the courtyard.

Chen Du sat quietly beside the stone, raised his hand to pour out the last drop of wine from the cup, and slowly drank it down.

The wine is cold, but my heart is at peace.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, his mind filled with endless Dao Resonance, and began to delve into the profound meaning of the sixth sword of the Heavenly Tribulation Nine Swords.

The night at Qingfeng Temple is utterly still.

It was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of bamboo leaves detaching from branches and gently falling to the ground; it was so quiet that you could hear the silent rhythm of the flow of the Daoist Dao Resonance and the rise and fall of the Calamity Qi.

All was silent; only he remained, guarding this tranquil mountain, steadfast in his Daoist heart, patiently awaiting the completion of his sword.