Stone chamber.
Zhou Yi circulated his mana, and the Rivers and Mountains Cauldron appeared in his hand out of thin air.
With a light toss, it swelled against the wind until it stood as tall as a man, then smashed viciously into the stone wall.
Boom!
The earth shook and the mountains trembled as shattered stones flew everywhere.
A huge crater appeared in the cavern wall, with spiderweb cracks spreading two or three zhang in every direction.
"Even in its initial refinement, it has such power. Cultivators truly cannot go without Mystic Items. The difference is like a martial arts expert being armed with heavy firearms!"
Zhou Yi refined the Rivers and Mountains Cauldron with his essence blood. He could wield it as easily as an arm, changing its size at will and smashing it wherever his thoughts reached.
"Still, it consumes too much mana!"
In barely a dozen breaths, more than half the mana in Zhou Yi's body had been depleted. Just as he was about to retrieve the cauldron, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He immediately leaped up and landed inside the Rivers and Mountains Cauldron.
This way—
The Rivers and Mountains Cauldron flew through the air, carrying Zhou Yi along with it. It was slower than qinggong, but he had truly left the ground behind!
"Unfortunately, this isn't artifact flight. It can only count as riding it."
Before the mana in his body ran dry, Zhou Yi drew the Rivers and Mountains Cauldron back into his abdomen to nurture it.
With the slow, steady nourishment of mana over time, the Blood Refinement of Spirit Weapons would gradually grow stronger. It would become tightly linked to its master's flesh and blood, while the mana needed to wield it would also be greatly reduced.
"Even if the spirit weapon grows slowly, one day, it will become a true Rivers and Mountains Cauldron."
"One cauldron to suppress mountains and rivers, sun and moon, heaven and earth!"
Zhou Yi had placed great hopes on the Rivers and Mountains Cauldron. Once he obtained spiritual materials and treasures, he would refine them into the cauldron. Even if it took thousands or tens of thousands of years, it would eventually transform into the strongest supreme treasure beneath heaven.
"Now that I have a Mystic Item, even an Innate Grandmaster couldn't withstand the power of one blow from this cauldron. Can I finally let loose a little?"
"No! I'm only at the second level of Qi Refinement. In the Cultivation World, I'm no more than an ant."
Zhou Yi swiftly strangled that dangerous thought in its cradle, repeatedly warning himself that keeping a low profile was the kingly path, and only caution could lead to longevity!
He pushed aside the massive boulder blocking the cave entrance.
A dim mist shrouded the mountains, while the cold wind howled and made his Daoist robe snap and flutter.
Zhou Yi used qinggong to bound through the air, following the forest path down the mountain.
For ten years, he had never once entered the mortal world. When thirsty, he drank spring water; when hungry, he roasted wild beast meat. He had truly become an ascetic cut off from the world.
Pengshan County was not far away. Using qinggong, a round trip would take only one or two hours, but Zhou Yi had deliberately used this to temper his state of mind.
"Masters are lonely! Only those who can endure tedium and solitude can achieve the true Great Dao of longevity!"
Zhou Yi cultivated amidst the dust and clamor of the mortal world, yet he would not allow himself to sink into it. Standing apart from the world, he watched the changes of the court and the transformations of seas into mulberry fields from an observer's perspective.
This time, the contrast between his distance from the mundane world and his experiences within it gave rise to many faint insights.
Wandering the mortal world could preserve one's humanity, lest one become a cold stone.
Secluding oneself beyond the world could strengthen one's Dao heart and protect one's Longevity Dao Fruit.
Half an hour later, he could already see the official road ahead.
The bustling chatter of passersby and the rolling of carriage wheels gradually reached Zhou Yi's ears. It was as though soundproof glass had suddenly shattered, and a silent image became real in an instant.
At this moment—
Zhou Yi ought to have composed a Daoist poem to express the insights in his heart, so as to appear suitably immortal and ethereal.
Unfortunately, he lacked learning. He had wracked his brains all the way down the mountain for dozens of li and only managed the disjointed line, "One day, I return to nature," unable to come up with anything more.
So he simply threw back his head and let out a long howl.
"Old Devil Zhou has returned!"
Startling an entire forest of birds into flight!
The tenth year of Jinglong.
Laba Festival.
Bai Estate.
Winding corridors, pavilions, artificial hills, and strange rocks—one of the most prominent mansions in Shenjing.
In recent years, Emperor Jinglong had relied heavily on the imperial clan. Many royals held important posts. Prince Anhua served as Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison, wielding immense authority, and even his only legitimate daughter basked in the reflected glory.
As for the former commander, Sun Xiangming, he had been beheaded before the public last year for embezzling one hundred thousand taels of military pay, while his entire family had been exiled to the northern frontier as penal soldiers.
After all, he had once rebelled. The emperor's mercy was already evident in sparing his nine clans from execution!
Following Chancellor Zhang's final letter, Emperor Jinglong employed relatives and meritorious nobles to contend against the civil and military officials.
The emperor mediated between them, ensuring neither the east wind overwhelmed the west wind nor the west wind overwhelmed the east wind. His throne had already become as steady as Mount Tai.
Dawn had barely broken.
Chen Jinyu had gone early to Rongning Hall to pay her respects. After chatting with Princess Rongchang for a while, she returned to her own small courtyard.
The plum blossoms in the courtyard had bloomed.
The flowers were white tinged with red, their petals smooth and translucent. Perhaps because the soil around the plum tree was fertile, a delicate fragrance could be smelled from afar, seeping straight into one's heart and spleen.
Chen Jinyu sat on a stool by the window, gazing at the plum blossoms in the courtyard as she closed the Military System in her hands.
"Miss, there's wind. Put on a cloak!" Her maid, Luzhu, came over carrying a dark-green cloak.
The young masters and misses of Bai Estate all had the standard retinue. Besides a wet nurse from childhood, they had four instructing matrons, two senior personal maids, and five or six lesser servant girls to sweep and clean.
Chen Jinyu was merely living under the Bai family's roof, but she was greatly favored by her adoptive parents and thus received the same treatment.
At that moment—
Several voices exchanged greetings outside the door.
"Greetings, Momo!"
"Qingmei, is Miss here?"
"She is!"
A moment later, an old woman strode in angrily. She was Chen Jinyu's wet nurse.
She was over forty, dressed in a blue cloth shirt, her wrinkled face like tree bark.
"Miss, those whores in the kitchen are utterly outrageous. I went to ask for a bowl of Laba porridge, and there was none. But the moment Second Master's maid went to ask, they immediately brought out a food box. I've lived with no face at all..."
The old woman wailed dryly a few times. Seeing Chen Jinyu's indifferent expression, her voice gradually softened.
Once she had stopped, Chen Jinyu waved a hand. "Nanny Hu, go collect my portion of Laba porridge. You may leave."
"Ah? Miss, I..."
Nanny Hu's face twitched at those words, and for a moment she did not know what to say.
A chill flashed through Chen Jinyu's eyes. Nanny Hu felt the temperature in the room suddenly drop by several degrees. Shivering, she hurriedly retreated.
"That greedy old hag."
Luzhu pursed her lips and could not help muttering. Her voice was just loud enough for Chen Jinyu to hear.
"You should leave as well."
Chen Jinyu shook her head slightly. Because her adoptive parents favored her so greatly, she spent the longest time in Rong'an Hall when paying respects, for instance, and her adoptive father always brought back delicious food and entertaining trinkets whenever he went out.
Their value might not equal a single meal at the estate, but the meaning they carried made the true young masters and misses feel envy.
When envy accumulated, it became jealousy!
"If only I had been born a man!"
Chen Jinyu continued reading the Military System. This military treatise, which she had begged her adoptive father to find for her, recorded the military structure of the Fengyang Kingdom. It was a secret military manual unavailable to any but Shenjing's foremost households.
She immersed herself in the book's campaigns and troop deployments. As for fighting household battles with the estate's young masters and misses?
Utterly boring!
Chen Jinyu knew she was only a dependent. Sooner or later, she would leave Bai Estate. Why make things difficult for her adoptive parents?
Night fell.
The north wind swept across the earth.
The branches outside the window swayed, their shadows cast upon the paper like ghosts and demons.
Creak!
At the faint sound, the sleeping Chen Jinyu abruptly awoke. Her eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness.
"Since you have come, why play the gentleman thief perched upon the beam!"
As she spoke, several glimmers shot out, followed by the sound of them thudding into wood.
"What a fierce little girl. Your hand is far too ruthless."
A figure dropped from the beam. His hair was snowy white, yet his complexion was rosy as a child's. His dark blue Daoist robe had worn pale with age, as though it had not been changed in countless years.
"Breaking into a woman's bedchamber—by law, you may be killed without question!"
Chen Jinyu flicked her hand again, sending three more streaks of light flying. Only then did their form become clear: silver needles as fine as ox hair.
"Your technique is not bad, but unfortunately..."
The Old Daoist spoke neither quickly nor slowly. He neither dodged nor moved, allowing the silver needles to fly toward three fatal acupoints: the philtrum, the heart, and the lower yin.
"...evil cannot triumph over righteousness. What a waste of such fine talent!"
As his words fell, the three silver needles could no longer advance even a fraction. They hung rigidly in midair, as if frozen by an invisible force.
Chen Jinyu's face turned slightly pale, and she could not help crying out.
"An Innate Grandmaster!"
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