Entering a State of Insight

Back on Shuntian Island, Yue Qianchou realized he had forgotten to ask Yuechu where to retrieve the Spirit Stone from Thousand Mile Lake. There was no point in going back to ask now; although a small silver ball had been secretly placed in Wood Lady Mu's stronghold, with Bi Changchun present, he dared not play the trick of suddenly disappearing and reappearing. He would have to wait until that day to find out.

In the days that followed, besides tending to the Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit, Yue Qianchou paid his respects to Bi Changchun every morning and evening. The old man sat cross-legged, not even opening his eyes, only giving a soft "hmm" to indicate that he understood. In fact, Bi Changchun didn't restrict his freedom at all. As long as he took good care of the Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit, he could do whatever he wanted and go wherever he wanted. However, he still didn't dare to leave the Demon Ghost Domain, since he hadn't been allowed to leave.

Of the surrounding houses, the one where He Li live now belonged to him. So he often loitered around Bi Changchun's door, hoping to strike up a conversation. However, Bi Changchun was like an old monk in deep meditation, sitting there without moving an inch. Yue Qianchou was anxious! Now that he had already become Bi Changchun's master, he had to get some real knowledge out of the old man, such as his cultivation Method Formula, which were what he coveted most.

Imagine, over two thousand years ago, before this old fellow even reached the Spirit Transformation stage, none of the top experts from various sects in the Cultivation World could withstand three moves from him. And then there's his ability to split mountains with a single sword strike—learning just one of those skills would be enough for him to show off. Even if we take a step back, he could at least get one of the spiritual treasures from the Four Great Families that we met last time! But Bi Changchun just sat there, and he dared not disturb him except under the pretext of paying his respects.

At the beginning of the month, he arrived at Wood Lady Mu's stronghold again, sword in hand. When she learned he had come because he didn't know the location of the Spirit Stone retrieval site, Wood Lady Mu, with a strange expression, told him the location. She then served him a bath together. Lying in the bath, he made a decision: he instructed Wood Lady Mu to spread the word that the Spirit Stone retrieval site would henceforth be located at this stronghold. Wood Lady Mu was naturally pleased; frequent contact with the disciple of the Punishment Envoy was definitely a good thing.

While getting dressed, Yue Qianchou asked, "Didn't you say last time that someone was going to give me a gift? Has it arrived yet?"

The naked Wood Lady Mu, who was helping him put on his clothes, laughed and said, "They said there's no need for me to trouble myself; I'll present it to you personally when I see you, sir."

"Are you afraid you'll intercept their things?" Yue Qianchou asked.

"No, that's not it. Even if I were to intercept it, they know I wouldn't dare. They probably just want to meet with you, sir, and express their feelings," Wood Lady Mu said with a smile.

"Nonsense." Yue Qianchou snorted, having a good grasp of what those demons and monsters were thinking—they simply wanted to become acquainted with the Punishment Envoy's disciple. He decided to grant their request and said, "Wood Lady Mu, pass on the message: those who wish to see me should come to you at the beginning of next month."

The Wood Lady Mu was dressing herself, laughed and said, "With you saying that, things will get lively here. I reckon all three hundred Demon King and three hundred ghost kings will come without exception." Then she suddenly frowned and said, "Sir, won't this make too much of a commotion? What if Punishment Envoy?"

Damn it! It's good that he's unhappy. I haven't even had a chance to talk to him. I'd prefer he come looking for me. Yue Qianchou's eyes darted around, and he waved his hand, saying, "It's okay, whatever happens, just push it all onto me. Just say I'm the one who summoned them." Speaking of the Demon King kings all coming here, Yue Qianchou thought of the cunning Yu Ji. He wondered if she would still come now that her husband was dead. He guessed she would!

"I understand." Wood Lady Mu gave him a meaningful look. If it were the old He Li, he would have been cautious and would never have dared to say such a thing.

Wood Lady Mu had already instructed someone to retrieve the Spirit Stone that Yue Qianchou wanted from the Thousand Mile Lake. Yue Qianchou threw the Spirit Stone into his Storage Bag and rushed back to Shuntian Island, only to find that Bi Changchun was still sitting there cross-legged with his eyes closed, seemingly resting. It was unclear how long he would remain seated there.

After loitering around for several days, I grew a little impatient and gave up on lingering at his door. I took out a jade tablet and went to the edge of the island to study it. It recorded the movement trajectory of the Four Directions Star Chart. Since I was idle anyway and it wasn't easy to steal it, I decided to see if I could summarize Method Formula similar to the Star Flame Fire Art. I had previously speculated that the star map contained five attribute Method Formula, but it was still a process of trial and error, and I didn't know if that was even possible.

Bi Changchun knew about Yue Qianchou's wandering around during this time even without opening his eyes. With his cultivation level, he could detect even the slightest movement of an ant on the island. He became curious about Yue Qianchou's behavior. After finishing his work during the day, the kid would just wander around with his hands behind his back, catching a couple of fish to grill and eat, and occasionally catching some birds or beasts to grill, then asking him if he wanted some. It was both funny and exasperating, so Bi Changchun ignored him. Besides, the wine in Yue Qianchou's Storage Bag seemed inexhaustible; he was using it to quench his thirst.

He would fall asleep as soon as it got dark, snoring loudly and sleeping soundly until dawn. He would get up and run to the lake, sticking his butt out and doing some strange things, then strip naked and jump into the water for a swim, catching a fish for breakfast. After eating, he would go to work in the garden where the Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit grown. He lived this way day after day, never once cultivating. If everyone were like him, there would be no need for cultivation. It's truly a mystery how he managed to reach the late Core Formation stage at such a young age.

Actually, Bi Changchun didn't know that Yue Qianchou himself didn't want to be so idle. The key was that ever since he absorbed the Azure Flame, the core in his Dantian seemed to have gained sentience, able to refine Spiritual Qi and cultivate on its own. If he were to sit down and cultivate diligently, it would be faster to let nature take its course. In reality, he only needed to occasionally use a Spirit Stone to absorb Spiritual Qi. Given all this, why would he still need to sit there and cultivate honestly? Plus, he didn't dare steal any, so naturally he was bored out of his mind. That's why he did some morning exercises, swam, and ate some snacks—otherwise, he'd be lonely!

Which of the Four Directions Star Chart should I study first? Yue Qianchou sat by the lake, shaking his head in thought. His gaze paused slightly as he looked at the lake. In his previous life, he knew that the five elements were water, wood, fire, and earth, and water was located in the north. If he wasn't mistaken, the northern star chart should be related to water. This large lake was perfect for verifying his guess.

Bored out of his mind, he found a way to pass the time. He immersed his Divine Sense in the northern star chart recorded on the jade tablet, calmly studying the changing trajectories of the star chart... He sat there for a while, losing track of time. The moon rose and set, the stars sank, and before he knew it, it was dawn of the next day, yet he was still sitting there in the same posture.

He usually worked in the morning, but even when the sun was high in the sky, he was still deep in thought with his eyes closed, having entered a certain state. This strange phenomenon immediately caught Bi Changchun's attention. Bi Changchun, who was sitting cross-legged in the room, finally opened his eyes, revealing an expression of disbelief. He vanished from his spot and silently appeared in front of Yue Qianchou, scrutinizing him with bright eyes.

With his eyes closed, Yue Qianchou's expression kept changing. Sometimes he would smile like a child, sometimes he would frown and think deeply, and sometimes he would relax his brows and nod slightly, as if he understood something.

Bi Changchun was utterly shocked. Having cultivated for over two thousand years, he possessed Yue Qianchou knowledge. Yue Qianchou before him had clearly entered a state of profound comprehension, something that was extremely rare and precious for a cultivator. A single moment of enlightenment could benefit them for a lifetime. It was a state that was difficult for ordinary cultivators to enter; it was usually only seen in cultivators with exceptionally high talent.

For example, he himself was already exceptionally talented among his peers. When he broke through to the Spirit Transformation stage at over three hundred years old, he experienced a state of profound enlightenment. Three hundred years later, when he progressed from the early Spirit Transformation stage, he experienced it again. After another five hundred years, this state of profound enlightenment appeared once more, helping him break through to the late Spirit Transformation stage. However, after reaching the late Spirit Transformation stage, more than a thousand years passed, and this state of profound enlightenment that he longed for never appeared again. As his lifespan approached, he had no choice but to seek external methods, and he was willing to risk entering the 'Eastern Pole Sacred Land' to find the method for breakthrough and ascension.

He broke through to the Spirit Transformation stage at three hundred years old, reached the mid Spirit Transformation stage at six hundred, and ascended to the late Spirit Transformation stage in a total of one thousand one hundred years. His talent was absolutely outstanding among his peers. At the same time, he understood that this was inseparable from his own arduous cultivation. However, this young man who spent his days aimlessly wandering around had actually entered the realm! Even with his own high talent, he only had this fortuitous opportunity at three hundred years old, but how old was this kid?! Was it talent or fate?

How could this be? I've never heard of such a thing! Bi Changchun shook his head and smiled bitterly, his gaze falling on the jade tablet in Yue Qianchou's hand. He wondered to himself, could there be something strange about this jade tablet?

He raised his hand to take a look, but then lowered it again, shaking his head slightly. If it had nothing to do with the jade tablet, taking it would surely wake him from this state of being so lucky, and might ruin the only fortuitous opportunity he could have in his life.

It's hard to obtain what one desires, and one shouldn't harm others; this is the will of Heaven. Heaven's will is such, and one cannot defy it! Bi Changchun looked up at the sky, sighed softly, and recalled his often-quoted phrase, "If Heaven has feelings," yet this favor from Heaven hadn't descended upon him for a long time, but instead upon his own disciple. A twist of fate—was this the will of Heaven...?

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