Ambition for the World

The next morning, on the southern slope of Tea Mountain.

Shen Leling sat cross-legged on a piece of bluestone, silently reciting the Daoist Scripture to cultivate.

The path of cultivation was divided into Qi Refining and Absorption Cultivation. The former relied on comprehending Heaven's Will, while the latter was heavily dependent on resources.

She was originally a monster from the wilderness, but after cultivating the Shen Family's Jade Flower Scripture, she became a Qi Refiner. Her efficiency in absorbing the essence of the sun and moon was extremely high, eliminating the need for absorption.

Qi Refiners only needed to master a scripture, use it for contemplation, and recite it quietly every day. Half an hour of this practice could increase their Dao cultivation by one day.

This meant increasing their comprehension of the Great Dao, thereby breaking through their current realm sooner.

Dao cultivation was like carving footprints on the path of seeking the Dao. It accumulated day by day and could never be interrupted. Otherwise, only a great secret technique could make up for the missed progress.

To date, Shen Leling had twenty years of Dao cultivation.

"Ahhh..." Yan Nu, lying beside her, suddenly woke up and yawned.

He had actually woken up from his swoon last night, but because he hadn't slept well for several days, he had fallen back asleep.

"Don't move around too much. I can't believe you didn't end up crippled with your back broken like that! Hahahaha... I painstakingly reconnected all the meridians in your body, so be careful not to break them again." Shen Leling chuckled.

"Are you the monster sister?" Yan Nu recognized her when he heard Shen Leling's voice.

Shen Leling truly looked like a beautiful older sister now, with skin as clear and white as jade, and features so exquisite they seemed carved.

"It's me... Hehe, am I pretty?" Shen Leling smiled enchantingly, like a rare flower blooming for the first time, like beautiful jade with a rosy hue, stunningly beautiful.

"You're pretty! But didn't you say you were going to abandon me?" Yan Nu said in surprise.

"You..." Shen Leling felt a pang of annoyance.

That night, she had indeed said she wouldn't bother with Yan Nu anymore. Who knew he would break free from his shackles on his own and even fight his way through Tea Mountain Fort.

She truly valued talent and had always wanted a martial artist follower, but she had never found anyone trustworthy. Now, she finally had a simple-minded, highly talented young man who treated monsters as normal people. Of course, she didn't want to let him go.

"Huh? My stomach is sewn up. I remember twisting my lower back until it broke. Did you heal me? Thank you, you saved my life again." Yan Nu felt himself over, though his body was still covered in countless terrifying, gruesome scars, they were only skin-deep. His internal bones, muscles, and organs were already more than half healed.

Yan Nu sniffed the air, detecting a strong medicinal scent mixed with a fresh fragrance. He wondered how many good medicines had been used on him.

Shen Leling said playfully, "Hmph, it's good that you know! If I hadn't saved you, you would have died long ago! You made me use up all my medicine!"

"Some of them were precious spiritual medicines. You have to compensate me!"

Yan Nu was wearing nothing but a torn pair of pants. He skipped the gesture of reaching for a pouch and said frankly, "I have no money."

Shen Leling chuckled, "I know you have no money, so you have to become my slave to repay your debt! You'll do whatever I tell you to do!"

Yan Nu remained silent and looked in the direction of Tea Mountain Fort.

"Heehee... I brought you out, so don't even think about going back. You killed Zhang Family members, and you'll be dead if you go back!" Shen Leling preempted Yan Nu, fearing he might say something about returning to his Grandpa.

However, Yan Nu simply said, "So many martial artists died at Tea Mountain Fort. Who will protect everyone when there's a war in the future?"

"Ah?" Shen Leling was taken aback, then burst out laughing.

"Tea Mountain Fort is just one of the estates under the Zhang Family. They have many subordinate troops and disciples; there will be plenty of people to send to manage it."

"Even if the entire Zhang Family were wiped out, there would still be families like the Sun Family or the Li Family to take over the fortified manor. There's also the annexation between powerful clans. You don't need to worry about governing the people!"

"Instead, you should worry about yourself. They must be looking for you everywhere right now!"

"Are they going to stop at nothing until they kill me?" Yan Nu felt like he was dying from pain, so he circulated the Great Emperor White Jade Scripture to nourish his body. He felt uncomfortable all over unless he used up his Qi vortex.

Shen Leling rolled her eyes, "Nonsense! You killed so many people from the Zhang Family and even destroyed their heirloom. The Zhang Family will definitely not let you go."

Yan Nu said seriously, "I can't die. I want to live forever!"

Seeing his seriousness, Shen Leling raised an eyebrow, "Oh? You want longevity?"

"Hahaha... Don't even think about it. You're of low birth and have no immortal bone. Longevity is impossible for you."

Yan Nu was stunned, "I just want to live until peace arrives. Grandpa said that as long as I live well, I will eventually see peace."

"Peace... Heh, judging by the current situation, you won't live to see it in your lifetime," Shen Leling said coldly.

"Why?"

Shen Leling shook her head, "To achieve peace, at the very least, the realm must be unified. However, the Divine Continent is currently in chaos. Warlords are carving up the land, noble clans are autonomous, rebels are everywhere, and evil spirits are rampant."

"In addition, the Xianbei, Qiangqu, Tufa, Demon Rong, and Yuwen, five great Hu barbarian clans, are sweeping across the land. It's an unprecedented era of great turmoil!"

"The Imperial City is being besieged by the Xianbei clan. The Sima Family can barely protect themselves. I fear the nation is on the verge of collapse."

"Peace? Just wait and see!"

Yan Nu didn't quite understand, but he said with sudden realization, "So, unification will bring peace... Sister, let's go unify the realm!"

"Pfft... Hahahaha!" Shen Leling almost choked with laughter.

"Who do you think you are, aspiring to conquer the realm!"

Yan Nu said frankly, "I'm a commoner."

"You know you're a commoner!" Shen Leling covered her mouth and laughed. "Someone as straightforward and foolish as you, if it weren't for my mercy, how many times would you have died?"

"At best, you can only be a martial man, or at most, a general. Unless you follow the right person and assist a wise ruler in unifying the realm, you might actually see peace."

Yan Nu excitedly asked, "Who is the wise ruler? Take me to find him."

Shen Leling discovered that this kid was a climber, completely ignoring any sense of propriety.

She quickly waved her hands and said, "Alright, alright, what's the point of us worrying about this, one a monster, the other a lowborn!"

"I just want to become an immortal. As for you, just follow me closely. I'll teach you ultimate skills, and you'll serve me!"

Yan Nu pondered for a moment and said, "You saved me, and I will repay you, but can you go to Ji River?"

"Why go to Ji River? I just escaped from there. Let's go south!" Shen Leling stood up. "Ah, I know, you're going to find your Grandpa again, right?"

Yan Nu nodded honestly, "I don't believe Grandpa is dead. I must find him!"

Shen Leling knew his stubbornness. Her eyes rolled, and she giggled, "Okay, I'll take you to find him. If we can't find him at Ji River, we'll look elsewhere until we do! How about it?"

"Okay!" Yan Nu nodded repeatedly.

Shen Leling added, "But you have to listen to me on the way!"

"Got it!"

Seeing Yan Nu happily agree, Shen Leling also smiled, thinking how easily he was fooled!

Dealing with straightforward people like Yan Nu, you just have to trick them.

"Hurry up and circulate your Qi to rest. After another two days of recuperation, we can set off."

Yan Nu eagerly said, "I can set off now!"

"No! Lie down and circulate your Qi to heal. You absolutely cannot leave any after-effects," Shen Leling said sternly.

"Okay... But I'm hungry." Yan Nu licked his lips.

Shen Leling smiled faintly, "Don't worry, you won't go hungry following me!"

She opened her mouth and spat out a peach pit, which fell into the soil.

She formed a hand seal, and a faint green light gathered on the tip of her index finger. The light was soft and hazy, scattering into the air and instantly transforming into a cloud of mist.

The mist enveloped the soil, gradually seeping in. In a short while, seeds in the ground took root, sprouted, and broke through the soil.

The tender sprouts grew larger and larger, rising and strengthening at a visible speed. In about fifteen minutes, a small peach tree about nine feet tall had grown.

Yan Nu was stunned. He had grown up farming and had never seen a plant grow so fast.

"So fast! Grandpa and I worked hard for more than half a year in the fields to get a harvest, and you planted a tree in an instant."

Shen Leling was quite proud, "Hehehe... It's nothing! It's just a spell for rapid plant growth. Compared to true miracles like dead trees coming back to life and flowers blooming in an instant, it's just a small trick."

"Oh, so it's a small trick." Yan Nu suddenly understood.

"..." Shen Leling pouted, realizing she shouldn't have been so unnecessarily modest!

"It's not over yet! Fruit Ripening Technique!"

Shen Leling blew another breath at the peach tree. The moisture nourished it, causing the branches and leaves to quickly blossom and bear fruit. Within a dozen breaths, the peach tree was laden with ripe fruit.

She picked a large, tempting peach, took a bite, and her mouth was filled with juice. She ate with great relish.

Yan Nu also quickly picked two and ate them heartily.

"Sister, I want to learn this!"

Shen Leling picked another peach and said, "I told you, you can't cultivate, so naturally, you can't learn spells."

"Only noble families can nurture immortal bones. The minimum requirement is that the family must have been scholars for three generations."

"Cultivators, cultivators, they must first be 'scholars'!"

"Don't look at me. Monsters are different! Most are enlightened by the Dao. Among all things in the world, besides you humans, how many possess spiritual apertures? To be precise, every monster is one in ten thousand!"

Yan Nu said "Oh" and asked, "If cultivators are so powerful, why don't they help with farming? That way, no one would go hungry."

Shen Leling was stunned for a moment, then laughed amusingly, "Hehehe, do you think the Emperor farms with a golden hoe?"

"Huh?" Yan Nu asked curiously, "Does the Emperor farm with a golden hoe?"

"..." Shen Leling pointed at him, unable to speak for a long time. Then, she took a deep breath and formed a Calm Heart Incantation.

She felt refreshed and her mind was as calm as still water.

Only then did she say, "Immortals are those who enter the mountains to cultivate the Dao. They all dwell in remote, secluded mountain forests, truly seeking to distance themselves from the mundane and attain purity."

"Do you expect these free spirits to farm for mortals? Isn't that ridiculous?"

"Is it ridiculous?" Yan Nu was stunned.

"Isn't it ridiculous?" Shen Leling pointed at him. "Cultivators refine Qi, absorb, comprehend the Dao, travel, practice spells, and study supernatural abilities... Which of these isn't filled with profound principles and endless joy? Why waste time on farming?"

"Even if it's farming, it's about cultivating rare flowers, planting exotic fruits, and tending gardens to nurture heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and to refine elixirs."

Yan Nu asked, "What's the ultimate goal?"

"To seek ascension to immortality, to live forever without dying! To be unaffected by great calamities when the world closes, and to possess myriad transformations when the world opens!" Shen Leling looked up at the sky, her heart filled with longing.

Yan Nu listened with great interest, "And then? And then?"

"And... and then?" Shen Leling was taken aback.

Yan Nu asked strangely, "If you live forever and never die, don't you have anything else to do?"

"Of course, it's to travel the Northern Sea in the morning, rest in Cangwu at night, explore the Eight Directions, and be free and unfettered."

"Oh, so just traveling and sleeping? I can do that too. What's the point of longevity then?"

"..." Shen Leling fell silent. She really hadn't thought about what she would do after becoming an immortal.

Yan Nu muttered, "So, immortals are just idle people?"

"You... what do you know! Immortals have their own joys! Mortals will never understand! With immortality, you naturally have plenty of time to think about what to do! You're just saying sour grapes because you can't have them!"

Before Yan Nu could ask more, Shen Leling couldn't stand him anymore and stuffed a peach into his mouth.

"Are you full yet? If you're full, hurry up and heal!"

Sorry.