Aperture Opening

Aperture Opening

"Something formed in chaos, born before Heaven and Earth. Silent and boundless, it stood alone and never changed; it moved in cycles and never wearied. It could be called the mother of Heaven and Earth. I did not know its name, so I reluctantly called it the Dao; reluctantly naming it, I called it Great." Zhao Yue'er slowly recited this passage from the Dao De Jing, only to discover Li Feng had twisted his head aside and was stupidly staring at a mountain dove beneath the pine tree outside the window. She could not help but smack him hard on the head. "Listen properly, or if you suffer qi deviation and lose your life, don't blame me."

Li Feng shuddered all over and immediately sat properly. Rule Nine of a hoodlum's survival code: anything that benefited one's personal safety had to be listened to.

"The Dao gave birth to One, One gave birth to Two, Two gave birth to Three, and Three gave birth to all things. All things carried yin and embraced yang, blending their qi to achieve harmony... Before Heaven and Earth came into being, everything was chaos. The reason Yiyuan Sect is called Yiyuan Sect is because we grasp the very essence of cultivation: merging oneself with Heaven and Earth, pursuing that vast and hazy 'One' which gave birth to all things, and thus attaining the supreme Great Dao. Little Feng, listen carefully. You're daydreaming again." With a smack, Zhao Yue'er glared and struck Li Feng hard on the head again.

Little Cat gave Li Feng a deeply disdainful glance from the side and snorted through its nose. The tiger was still grumbling. If not for this brat, why would it have had to run over four hundred li of mountain paths every morning for the past ten days? And he even daydreamed while listening to the introductory cultivation formulae. He was simply the very picture of someone with no desire to improve. Even Tiger was listening earnestly. Not everyone had the chance to hear disciples of Yiyuan Sect analyze the origin of all things.

Li Feng pursed his lips aggrievedly, tilted his head, and stared blankly at Zhao Yue'er. A thought could not help surfacing in his mind: This little girl of a master is way too fierce. She definitely won't be able to get married in the future. But they cultivate immortality, so they probably don't marry... Eh, eh, eh, that's strange. Then how did the Sect Master and Second Martial Uncle get together and produce a daughter? Could the Sect Master be a householder Daoist? But household Daoists who can marry are the ones specially in charge of kitchens, aren't they? Strange, strange. Could it be that Yiyuan Sect's kitchen actually needs the Sect Master to manage it personally?

Zhao Yue'er had no idea that such messy, filthy thoughts were churning through Li Feng's head. Still, seeing that he had finally focused his attention on her on the surface, she nodded in satisfaction and explained while holding the Yiyuan Sect introductory scripture. "Therefore, Yiyuan Sect's most basic cultivation begins with qi. First, temper the body and train the inner breath; then, through broad study of Daoist texts, reach a state of communion with Heaven and Earth. One may then naturally draw Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy into the body, brew Misty Violet Qi within the Violet Palace, and once one's cultivation reaches maturity, naturally form a Golden Core. With one's life-bound Golden Core and diligent training in the Nine Revolutions Profound Art, one will eventually produce a Dao Embryo Nascent Soul. Once the Nascent Soul is achieved, one will possess a Half-Immortal Body."

The moment he heard "Half-Immortal Body," Li Feng immediately perked up and cast aside all the messy thoughts in his head. He eagerly asked, "Master, how many years does it take to cultivate a Nascent Soul? Is it difficult? Does that mean you can live forever? And fly through the clouds and ride the mist, splitting a mountain peak with one palm?"

The corners of Zhao Yue'er's mouth drooped, and she said with some distress, "How could a Dao Embryo Nascent Soul be so easy to cultivate? Senior Brother Xiao Longzi has only just achieved Misty Violet Qi, though his cultivation is somewhat deeper. And Senior Brother Xie Yuezi, whom you know, has only had a formed Golden Core for a little over ten years. As for Senior Brother Gu Lingzi, he has cultivated bitterly for over two hundred years, polishing his Golden Core countless times, yet his cultivation is still insufficient to elevate it into a Nascent Soul. Otherwise, why would he be so anxious over Candle Dragon Grass, which could lend him a helping hand?"

Li Feng froze for a moment, then threw back his head and howled miserably. "Heavens! More than two hundred years and still no Nascent Soul? Then how many years will it take this young master to become immortal and undying? ...I was counting on becoming an immortal someday, returning to Suzhou Prefecture, and giving Old Gu and Tiger Boss a good beating. Heaven has no eyes! Is becoming an immortal really this hard?"

Zhao Yue'er burst out laughing. "If immortals were so easy to become, everyone under heaven would be an immortal. Father cultivated bitterly for seven hundred years, and now he has only just entered the late Spirit Nurturing stage. His Nascent Soul can merely manifest a dozen or so forms and roam a thousand li in spirit. He is still countless degrees of cultivation away from the Spirit Severance stage, where the Nascent Soul manifests myriad forms and travels all under Heaven and Earth in an instant. How could it be so easy?"

Li Feng's entire face turned bitter. He lowered his head dejectedly. "Several hundred years? Several hundred years! By the time this young master becomes an immortal, I'll be old too... By then, Gu Cangyue, that bastard who always bullied us, will have died of old age. What revenge would there be left to take?"

Zhao Yue'er blinked and smacked Li Feng hard on the head with the scroll in her hand. "Cultivation is not for taking revenge on others. It is to embody the Heavenly Dao above and seek the ultimate state of ascension... However..." Zhao Yue'er gave a strange smile. "According to several senior brothers who were driven down the mountain to travel, the qi refining methods of the mortal world are simply rotten beyond measure. After toiling for forty or fifty years, those with good aptitude can barely step into the Houtian Realm. Compared to our methods of cultivation, they are worlds apart."

Li Feng immediately came alive. "So that means if I cultivate for just a few years, I can count as one of the top experts in the mortal world? Right, Master? Huh? Right? Heh heh, then this young master will be mighty indeed. I'll take Little Cat back to Suzhou Prefecture, and whoever I don't like, won't I just destroy him?... Damn it, then I'll snatch the Golden Dragon Gang from Niu Boss. I'll make the Golden Dragon Gang even more formidable than Cangfeng Fortress. Hahahaha!" Li Feng fell into a beautiful dream and laughed wildly.

Zhao Yue'er's beautiful face scrunched up entirely. Frowning, she snapped, "Stop dreaming in broad daylight. If you cultivate diligently, after three years in the Body Tempering Realm, you can enter the Qi Induction stage. That is when you can draw Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy into your body, the initial skill of the mortal world's Innate Realm. But if you keep dreaming all day long like this, I'm afraid you won't advance even after thirty years or three hundred years."

Li Feng excitedly stood up, then simply sprawled across the table, his head less than a foot from Zhao Yue'er's. His face was full of fawning smiles. "Master, my dear Master, tell me—if I cultivate hard, then after three years, I'll be a top expert? And if I cultivate for three lots of three years, wouldn't I be invincible throughout the world?"

Zhao Yue'er sighed and helplessly slapped Li Feng across the face. Shaking her head, she said, "How should I put this? If what the senior brothers said is true, then if you cultivate according to a cultivator's normal pace for ten years, no martial arts expert in the mortal world except those who have entered the Innate Transformation Realm will be able to surpass you in True Essence. If you can cultivate normally for twenty years, then the mortal world would probably have to gather all martial artists under heaven to deal with you. But as for being invincible throughout the world... Hmph."

Zhao Yue'er pulled out a sheet of snow-white paper and began drawing on it with a brush. "Beyond the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation, which is merely ordinary qi refining, the realms of cultivation are divided according to Yiyuan Sect's standards into the four great realms of 'Qi,' 'Core,' 'Spirit,' and 'Void.' These are further divided into twelve lesser realms: 'Qi Induction,' 'Qi Condensation,' 'Qi Transformation,' 'Core Brewing,' 'Core Formation,' 'Core Tempering,' 'Spirit Breakthrough,' 'Spirit Nurturing,' 'Spirit Severance,' 'Void Glimpse,' 'Void Penetration,' and 'Void Transformation.' Each lesser realm also has upper, middle, and lower tiers."

Li Feng was already dumbfounded. Zhao Yue'er shot him a sidelong look and continued, "As far as I know, among the hundred cultivation sects today, counting both righteous and evil paths, there are two or three at the Void Transformation stage. There are over a dozen in the Void Glimpse and Void Penetration realms. All of them have either hidden deep beneath the sea or fled far into mountain caves, no longer showing their faces in public. As for great experts who have reached or are close to the Spirit Severance stage, there are at least three hundred between the righteous and evil paths. My father, Mother, and three Martial Uncles are all at this level. There are at least a thousand cultivators in the Spirit Breakthrough and Spirit Nurturing stages, those who possess Dao Embryo Nascent Souls. These are figures who can make the earth shake and mountains tremble with a wave of their hands. There are at least three thousand who have attained the Great Dao of the Golden Core. And the rest, still cultivating bitterly in the Qi realm, number at least one hundred thousand."

Li Feng cried out, "That many? How many registered households does the Great Ming Dynasty have altogether?"

Zhao Yue'er spat lightly. "Give me a break. How long can people in this world live? Among cultivators, anyone under fifty is considered young. What does the number of mortal registered households have to do with the Cultivation World? Who knows how many old monsters have been living in seclusion for centuries... I am telling you that even if you reach the Qi Condensation stage, which is the level of the mortal world's Innate Transformation Realm and the very bottom rung of the Cultivation World, don't go dreaming of being invincible throughout the world."

"Especially aside from ancient sects such as our Yiyuan Sect, East and West Kunlun, the East Sea Dragon Clan, the Far North Aurora Immortal Realm, and the Far South Carefree Immortal Manor, the other cultivation sects have great numbers of disciples traveling the world year-round to accumulate external merit. Without Golden Core Completion and the cultivation nearly to nurture a Nascent Soul, who would dare run wild in the mortal world?"

Li Feng's head drooped helplessly onto the table as he wailed, "Heavens, there's no light ahead! I thought that after working hard for thirty-odd years, I could become an immortal. But it turns out... Over a hundred thousand cultivators toil bitterly for centuries, and only two or three reach the highest level. What a joke. I entered the wrong temple gate. Yiyuan Sect only has a dozen or so people. On average, it won't even be Yiyuan Sect people's turn to become immortals. Other sects all have thousands of people, but our Yiyuan Sect only has..." Li Feng was thoroughly crushed.

Zhao Yue'er smiled and softly rebuked him, "Nonsense. What does the number of people have to do with how many become immortals? The three old monsters with the highest seniority in Yiyuan Sect should be the only three people in the world currently close to the Void Transformation stage. That is why our Yiyuan Sect's fame spreads far and wide. Though we have few disciples, no one dares offend us. What we cultivate is the most orthodox Daoist Magic, so our achievements naturally surpass those of others."

Li Feng reluctantly recovered a little motivation and muttered, "Master, so that means I still have hope?"

Zhao Yue'er did not answer that question. She only said calmly, "In any case, I have already told you Yiyuan Sect's introductory outline. I can say that among the hundred sects and ten thousand methods under heaven, Yiyuan Sect's progress is the fastest and carries the least danger of qi deviation. Heaven rewards diligence. In other words, even Heaven favors those who strive diligently and never give up. Even if one life is not enough, what of a second or third? Master Lunzhuan of Mount Emei endured tribulation through seven lifetimes, spanning two thousand five hundred years, before finally ascending to the Western Buddhist Realm. What steadfastness, what perseverance! If you cannot even do well in the work of one lifetime, then you are fated never to become an immortal."

Zhao Yue'er rose lightly and tugged Li Feng by the ear. "This is what Mother tells me most often. I am telling it to you only in hopes that you will work harder. In more than ten days, you have learned only twenty-something characters, and all of them are the simplest kind. Your inner qi has made almost no progress. Even carrying water—if Little Cat were not chasing after you and biting you from behind, you would loaf around and cut corners. If this continues, you might as well follow Martial Uncle Miaomiao's arrangement. After using spiritual pills to make you capable, you can travel the mortal world specifically to recruit disciples for Yiyuan Sect."

Li Feng suddenly raised his head and began cursing in embarrassed fury. "Hey, hey, hey, Master! I'm your first disciple, after all. Do you have to run me down like that? You think I can only recruit disciples and do nothing else? I'm determined to become an immortal! I only want to beat up a few people... Besides, I may be a little lazy normally, but Master, you don't cultivate every day either. You take part in stealing spiritual medicine, digging up Cold Night Orchids, ruining Small Flat Peaches, and bullying Little Cat too!"

Zhao Yue'er's face instantly flushed crimson. She had meant well. Seeing Li Feng idling away every day, and truly thinking of herself as his master in her heart, she had immediately used on him the same words her mother used to scold her. But she was only four or five years older than Li Feng, and whenever there was mischief or destruction to be done, the two of them always went together. Now that Li Feng had exposed her, he had struck precisely the most embarrassing part of her heart, forcing her into ashamed fury.

The scroll in her hand smashed hard into Li Feng's head. Pouting, Zhao Yue'er shouted, "I was only kindly advising you. First, I wanted you to understand that there are countless cultivators under heaven, and who knows how many are striving diligently. Cultivation is not so easy, so I was advising you to work hard, lest Yama stand before you one day and you cannot escape even if you try. Second, I was kindly telling you that as long as you work hard, Yiyuan Sect's Daoist Magic is profound enough to let you improve day and night, so you would not lose confidence in cultivation after I dealt you such a blow. Who knew you would be a dog biting Lü Dongbin, unable to recognize a good heart? Hmph, I can't be bothered to say more to you."

"Anyway, I have already told you the introductory outline, given you the first Foundation Establishment formula in full, and even expended my own True Essence to straighten out the spiritual energy in your body. Whether you work hard is up to you." With that, Zhao Yue'er, feeling it was pointless, turned into a breeze and drifted out. She herself felt regretful and helpless. On one hand, she wanted to act grown-up before Li Feng and be his master; on the other, the two of them got up to mischief together. How could Li Feng possibly be convinced by her? Even she suddenly realized that this relationship was rather awkward. Li Feng's disobedience could not be entirely blamed on him.

Li Feng sat dazed for a while, then suddenly jumped up. "Damn it, that little girl looks down on me! I'm the dog, so you're Lü Dongbin, an immortal? Dog biting Lü Dongbin, hmph..." Li Feng suddenly muttered in a low voice, "Ai yo, but if you let me take a bite, I'd be willing enough. I'm just afraid you little girl wouldn't be willing. Heh heh..."

After chuckling strangely a few times, Li Feng abruptly shook his head. He suddenly recalled the day he had first arrived at Qingyun Flat, the majestic sight of those two great eagles soaring straight upward, and enlightenment dawned on him. He fiercely slapped himself and cursed loudly, "Fuck it, this young master refuses to believe I can't become an immortal! Once this young master becomes one before you do, I'll change that saying into 'Little girl bites Li Feng, unable to recognize a good heart!' Hahahahaha..."

After laughing smugly a few times, Li Feng kicked aside the scroll containing the introductory outline. He simply sat cross-legged atop the table, overlapped his palms, pressed his thumbs together above them, and turned his palms toward Heaven. From the front, they formed the shape of a heart. Just like that, he abruptly entered meditation.

A hoodlum's code: never let a woman look down on you. Before women, even if one had to force it, one must act like the boss. Before women, even if a hundred people stood ahead waiting to chop you to pieces while you were alone, if you were a true hoodlum with a heart of iron and the hide of a turtle, you still had to swing a brick and charge forward. Losing face before your brothers was nothing much, but you absolutely could not lose face before women. That was the sort of thing that made a man unable to raise his head for a lifetime.

Li Feng muttered to himself, "Hmph, over a hundred thousand cultivators—so what? Once I become the number one expert under heaven, just watch me kill every last one of you bastards. Then I'll make you, little girl, admit that I am invincible throughout the world."

Following Yiyuan Sect's Foundation Establishment formula, Li Feng slowly drew in a long breath. The breath went straight into his dantian, where he controlled it with divine sense and gently spun it. At once, as though gasoline had been poured into a turbocharged engine, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy packed within Li Feng's dantian sprang vibrantly into motion. Following that tiny vortex, it spun desperately. The spiritual energy continuously revolved, gradually becoming a rapid whirlpool that drew all nearby spiritual energy into motion.

After the whirlpool had revolved eighty-one times within his dantian, Li Feng directed it along the meridians marked out by Zhao Yue'er with her own True Essence, following the Foundation Establishment formula. The spiritual-energy whirlpool flowed through Li Feng's unobstructed meridians, continuously drawing in the spiritual energy transformed from medicinal herbs. After circling several times, it violently cast the energy out again. The nature of that spiritual energy immediately underwent subtle changes. The spiritual energy that had once sat stupidly piled within Li Feng's body gradually began to show signs of merging with his flesh.

This meditation session of Li Feng's lasted a full nine days and nine nights. During that time, Zhao Yue'er stormed in seven times looking for him in a huff. Yet each time, she found Li Feng seated cross-legged there. The frivolous air unique to a little rascal had vanished without a trace from his face, replaced by a solemn expression like that of an enlightened monk at the moment of extinction, seeing through all things in the world.

Zhao Yue'er was stunned. The last time she rushed in, she finally asked Little Cat in astonishment, "Little Cat, this guy, he, he, he didn't suddenly comprehend the Dao just because I scolded him once, did he? Over thousands of years, there have only been a dozen or so people across the Nine Provinces who comprehended the Dao overnight."

Little Cat too stared at Li Feng in utter astonishment, shaking its huge head furiously. How could the two of them know that Li Feng was not comprehending the Dao? He was simply risking his life—a little hoodlum's all-or-nothing desperation. It was like a street brawl, when a little hoodlum faced an enemy far stronger than himself, pulled out a brick, and charged forward. At that final moment, his face would either be twisted with ferocity or bear this very same solemn expression of seeing through everything.

To put it bluntly, it was the same as a rascal throwing all caution to the wind, smashing his own head with a brick outside someone's door and shouting desperately, "Are you giving me the money or not? If you don't, I'll die right in front of you!" That sort of behavior.

And Li Feng was exactly like that right now. By his normal level, after at most one day and one night of meditation, he would have had to rise and move about. But once that unruly, savage streak in his heart flared up, he told himself, Damn it, I have to cultivate some result, or even a little girl will dare look down on me. Wouldn't that be utterly humiliating? Someday I'll beat you, little girl, until you call me Master. Hmph, hmph, hmph... A male's vanity...

Thus, Li Feng considered nothing at all. He held his breath and drove his inner qi through his body with all his might. For a time, his mind was completely empty; the circulation of inner qi had become pure instinct. Who could have known that this happened to perfectly accord with Yiyuan Sect's supreme principle of having no distractions in one's heart and merging with Heaven and Earth?

Thread after thread of True Qi was stripped from the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. It gently swept through Li Feng's entire body, cleansing his body, which already possessed almost no impurities, and continuously strengthening every nerve, every blood vessel, and every muscle. Although the degree of strengthening was small, as long as he persisted, this would be the first step toward becoming an immortal and attaining the Dao.

And the Candle Dragon Grass Li Feng had consumed without any apparent reaction—its medicinal power, condensed into a mass, was continuously swept up by Li Feng's True Qi. A small portion of the medicinal power gradually separated and merged into Li Feng's True Qi and hundred meridians. The reason Candle Dragon Grass could help Golden Core cultivators form Nascent Souls more quickly was that its medicinal power enabled the body to communicate better with Heaven and Earth, allowing greater and stronger Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy to enter the body and catalyze the maturing of the Golden Core.

Beyond the northwestern sea, north of the Chishui River, stood Zhangwei Mountain. There was a divine being there, with a human face, a snake's body, and red skin; its eyes stood upright. When it closed its eyes, darkness fell; when it opened them, light came. It neither ate, slept, nor breathed. Wind and rain came at its command. This was Zhu Jiuyin, called the Torch Dragon... Consider the Torch Dragon of legend: when it opened its eyes, Heaven and Earth became day; when it closed them, Heaven and Earth became night. What immense power to communicate with and transform the qi of Heaven and Earth's five elements! Since Candle Dragon Grass bore the Torch Dragon's name, it naturally possessed such a trait as well.

Li Feng himself remained completely unaware, but with the aid of Candle Dragon Grass's medicinal power, his body was truly becoming extraordinarily refined. Had his cultivation not been too shallow, he could already have reached the Qi Induction stage. Compared to an ordinary cultivator, he had saved at least five years of bitter work. Naturally, Candle Dragon Grass's medicinal power was far from limited to this, but this was all Li Feng could currently bring out.

Nine days and nine nights passed. During that time, Zhao Yue'er had been so anxious that she was jumping around in a panic. Even an unparalleled genius could not circulate cultivation continuously for nine days and nine nights upon first beginning Foundation Establishment. She had long wanted to seek help from fellow disciples, but Xiao Longzi and the others had all sealed their Alchemy Rooms tightly while meditating. How could Zhao Yue'er break in? And the Five Elders of Yiyuan were currently refining a Buddhist treasure, the Lankavatara Heart Lamp, and had sealed their doors airtight as well. Zhao Yue'er could only remain here, fretting helplessly.

At last, Li Feng truly felt that his hundred meridians were filled with True Essence transformed from spiritual energy, and that he could no longer absorb it all into his dantian for the moment. Only then did he slowly stop circulating his True Qi and leisurely open his eyes. He threw back his head in a huge yawn and lazily stretched. The joints that had been stiff for nine days and nights immediately erupted in a string of crackles, while a stream of pure energy circulated through his body and vigorously cleansed him from head to toe, making him hum in comfort.

With her mouth crooked, Zhao Yue'er fiercely pinched Li Feng's cheeks with both hands and pulled them hard to either side, loudly scolding, "You're quite capable, aren't you? You sat in meditation for nine days and nine nights the first time you entered it. Do you think you're some genius? Even a genius would not dare circulate cultivation for so long the first time. Ordinary people's meridians are not opened at all; they simply cannot bear the scouring of suddenly swelling True Qi. Are you tired of living?"

Li Feng squeaked in pain like a monkey whose tail had been set on fire. Kneeling miserably atop the table, he begged indistinctly, "Master, spare me! If you keep pulling, someone will die... I, I, didn't the Sect Master say all my hundred meridians were open? How could I fail to withstand that little bit of True Qi? Wah, it hurts, it hurts, stop pinching..."

Zhao Yue'er gritted her teeth and pinched him hard for a full quarter of an hour. Both sides of Li Feng's cheeks had been pinched blue. The pain made the boy claw around wildly, and his hands happened to grab Zhao Yue'er, who was so close, several times.

Zhao Yue'er had been born and raised deep in the mountains, so she felt nothing—or rather, had no awareness of it. But Li Feng felt his hands touch two soft, lofty things. His mind instantly leaped to the scenes he had secretly watched in Suzhou Prefecture, of young women receiving customers. With a boom in his head, Li Feng shook his head, and two streams of nosebleed finally spurted from his nostrils. He had only just emerged from meditation, and the blood and qi in his body were at their most vigorous. How could he withstand such stimulation? A nosebleed was already a minor matter.

Zhao Yue'er panicked at once and cried out, "Eh? I pinched your face—why is blood flowing from your nose? Don't move, don't move." She formed a hand seal. White light flashed over her fingers, and she swept them toward Li Feng's nose.

With a miserable scream, the nosebleed flowing out of Li Feng's nose, along with the blood still inside, was frozen into ice by the Ice Seal Art. Li Feng was in such agony that he hugged Zhao Yue'er and wailed desperately, "Heavens, Master, are you trying to kill someone? If you want to kill me, don't use such a method! Just split me with a sword!" His nose had been streaming with blood moments ago, but now it was filled with ice. The cold, the freezing, the swelling—it nearly made him faint.

Zhao Yue'er panicked as well. She let Li Feng hug her and wipe the blood from his face onto her Daoist robe, saying helplessly, "Don't panic, don't panic. This talismanic charm can't kill anyone. Master wasn't trying to kill you. I'll give you two spiritual pills later, and you'll be fine. Stop yelling, stop yelling. Your voice is awful."

But Li Feng had entirely different thoughts. Holding Zhao Yue'er's soft, fragrant body, this fellow, young in age yet filthy-minded, could not help muttering, Such a pretty little girl... sob, sob, sob, and I actually got to hug her. It seems I even grabbed somewhere I shouldn't have just now. Sob, sob, sob, I'm so moved... I swear, I'll make her my wife. Master, you'll be my wife. Even if I, Li Feng, become an immortal, I'll still have you become my wife.

Li Feng even formed a perfect plan. Look, what's so good about living on this mountain? There's no fine fish or meat, no gold or jewels. Damn it, once this young master becomes invincible under heaven, I'll go establish a home and career in Suzhou Prefecture. Master, just wait to enjoy the good life with me. What is Cangfeng Fortress? By then, even the Emperor will have to listen to me.

As Li Feng's beautiful dream reached perfection, he could not help giving an odd "Heh heh, heh heh" laugh.

Zhao Yue'er narrowed her eyes, fiercely pulled Li Feng down from where he clung to her shoulders like a monkey, and heavily smacked the top of his head. "Fine, laugh all you want! Look what you've done to my clothes! You did it on purpose, didn't you?" The moon-white Daoist robe she had just changed into was now smeared with tears, snot, saliva, and nosebleed. Although Zhao Yue'er was a cultivator and not overly particular, she was still a young girl by nature and could not bear filth.

Li Feng laughed awkwardly a few times, then suddenly looked up and said seriously, "Ah, Master, let's make a bet."

Zhao Yue'er looked irritably at her Daoist robe and said grumpily, "What bet? You meditated for nine days straight like a madman. Did something go wrong with your head? Look what you've done to my clothes! I ought to punish you by making you wash my clothes later... You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

Li Feng chuckled to himself. Wash clothes? No problem. It'd be best if I got to wash even her close-fitting clothes. But outwardly, he said with extreme solemnity, "Your disciple has finally understood. Cultivation is indeed difficult, but this disciple will certainly work hard and strive to become an immortal as soon as possible. From now on, this disciple will never daydream, never slack off, and never play tricks. Even if Little Cat slacks off, I definitely won't learn from him."

Little Cat let out a disgruntled roar from the side and fiercely stroked Li Feng's backside with a huge paw, immediately smashing him to the ground. Li Feng cursed irritably a few times, climbed up in disarray, and said, "All right, all right, I didn't say you would slack off... Um, Master, in any case, your disciple will begin working hard from today onward. If your disciple can form a Nascent Soul before Master does, then heh heh..."

The moment Zhao Yue'er heard this, her competitive spirit surged. She wrinkled her nose, pointed a finger at Li Feng's nose, and brought her face close to his face, which was covered in blood and ice. "Ha, ha, ha! You can cultivate a Nascent Soul before me? I don't believe it. If I am surpassed by my disciple, where would I put my face? Especially when I am already in the late Qi Condensation stage and have cultivated a thread of Misty Violet Qi. You're several realms behind me. Can you catch up?"

Li Feng tilted his head, squeezed his completely blocked nose with his hand, and awkwardly opened his mouth to breathe in. "Then, then, let's make a bet. Whoever loses has to agree to one request from the other... If I lose, I'll kowtow loudly to you."

Zhao Yue'er's eyes rolled around several times, then she suddenly laughed. "Hahaha, so what if I agree? It's only one request. Even if you want me to steal the sect-guarding treasure, the One Yuan Pearl, for you, it's no problem. Hmph. But if you lose, I don't want you to kowtow. You're already my disciple, so what would be the point? I want you to carry Little Cat on your back and run around the entirety of Mount Hua on all fours like a little dog."

Li Feng froze and cursed inwardly, Damn it, what a vicious little woman. Running like a dog would be bad enough, but carrying such a huge tiger on my back? You want to make me lose face. But the One Yuan Pearl? It shares the same name as Yiyuan Sect. It must be a fine treasure. But what would I want a treasure for? A dead treasure can't compare to you, a living treasure.

Li Feng pondered for a moment, then nodded heavily. "No problem. It's a bet. No going back on it. Whoever goes back on it, heh heh... If I lose, I'll crawl while carrying Little Cat. But if you lose, you agree to do one thing for me."

Zhao Yue'er did not even ask what Li Feng wanted her to agree to. She simply nodded crisply. "Fine, no problem. If I lose to my own disciple, what face would I have left? But it seems you've had an aperture opening. After meditating for nine days and nine nights, you suddenly want to work hard? I'll tell you now: if you slack off or play tricks in the future, that counts as you losing too, understand?"

Li Feng nodded fiercely. "No problem. I'll definitely work desperately hard from now on. If I dare slack off, I'll admit defeat outright. Let Heaven bear witness; neither of us may go back on this."

Zhao Yue'er spat. "I would go back on it? You think I would go back on it? Hmph, in all my life, your master has never gone back on her word."

Li Feng twisted his mouth. "That's because you've never made a bet. I dare say you'll definitely go back on it then, unless you swear now. I'll swear too."

Zhao Yue'er was furious. She immediately raised her hand and declared, "With the Three Pure Ones above and the gods and Buddhas filling Heaven above, disciple Zhao Yue'er today makes a wager with disciple Li Fengzi. If he forms a Nascent Soul before I do, this disciple will agree to any one request from him and shall not go back on it. Should I violate this oath, may five thunderbolts strike my head, may my soul scatter and spirit disperse, may I enter the cycle of rebirth in the beast realm, and may I never attain deliverance for all eternity... Hah, are you reassured now? When cultivators swear by the Three Pure Ones, they absolutely do not go back on their word."

Li Feng gave several sly chuckles and raised his hand to swear as well, making an oath a hundred times more vicious than Zhao Yue'er's. Inwardly, he laughed wildly. Hahahaha, Master, I don't want you to steal the One Yuan Pearl, and I don't want you to do anything else. As long as I cultivate a Nascent Soul before you, I only want you to become my wife. Just like your mother married your father, hahaha! Then you won't need to cultivate any Nascent Soul—you can just have babies instead. Hahaha.

Zhao Yue'er snorted, and golden radiance gradually emerged from her hands. "Fine, fine. That scolding from the other day finally opened your aperture. You finally know you need to cultivate diligently. Then go carry water now. If you dare slack off, just wait and see. Little Cat, I won't even use a talisman to suppress you. Keep a close eye on him for me and don't let him slack off." As she spoke, a string of tiny lightning bolts directly struck down from the roof.

Li Feng screamed, clutched his head, covered his still-freezing nose, and ran outside. Little Cat gave a triumphant cry, strode out like a gust of white wind, and snapped its great jaws fiercely toward Li Feng's backside, forcing Li Feng to move even faster.

Li Feng howled miserably, "Damn it, you cultivators are all lunatics! Something's wrong with every one of your heads! Why make me carry water and chop wood? You don't even cook or light fires, so what do you need water and firewood for? Every time I carry water back, you dump it into the mountain streams. Every bundle of wood I chop, you throw straight into the valley. Do you take me for a laborer?... Wah, Little Cat, you're still biting, still biting! Once I succeed in cultivation, I'll burn off all your fur, skin you, strip your bones, chop off your whip, and make hotpot out of it!"

Little Cat roared even more furiously. Li Feng's cries became three parts more miserable, and the faint sound of clothing being torn drifted over.

Zhao Yue'er snorted. "Carrying water and chopping wood are tasks every beginner disciple must do. Otherwise, how will they settle their hearts and cultivate their nature? Especially since Mother said your sha qi is too heavy. If we don't properly rein in your wild nature, you really will turn Heaven upside down... But I truly can't see where you have any sha qi, when you get bullied by Little Cat and me all day. Could Mother have been mistaken?"

A strange smile appeared at the corner of Zhao Yue'er's mouth. "Naturally, the water and firewood are useless rubbish. When we refine pills, the water we use is at least thousand-year Stone Stalactites. As for firewood, we do not need it at all. We use Samadhi True Fire gathered by formations. Did you really think mortal flames could refine spiritual pills? Hee hee, he runs quite fast. Little Cat can barely catch him. Next time, I'll give Little Cat a Divine Speed Talisman to carry and see what you do then... Mm, he dared bet with me. I can't lose. I should cultivate diligently too."

With a flash of white, Zhao Yue'er dissipated into a breeze.

Over there on the mountain path, Li Feng had an axe stuck through his back and heavy water buckets hanging from his shoulders. Like a pellet shot from a slingshot, he leaped down the steep mountain trail. With Little Cat guarding him from behind, he did not fear falling off a cliff at all. He simply drew up that thread of True Qi within his body and used it according to the Foundation Establishment method. At once, he felt his body become much lighter, as though he were drifting on the wind as he flew downward.

A long howl rang out from deep within Mount Hua. "Master, just wait! You're definitely going to become my wife..."

"Little Cat, just wait! Sooner or later, I'll pluck you bald..."

"Gu Cangyue, you fucking wait for me! I'll beat you, Chief Constable of Suzhou Prefecture, into a pig's head..."