Heartache

Lin Yuan had kept to himself these past years.

Yet he got along quite well with Qingping.

Mainly because Qingping would always come over to chat with Lin Yuan whenever he had nothing to do.

He would also tell him all sorts of news from Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Aside from Qingping.

Changqing Daoist would also come visit Lin Yuan from time to time.

To Changqing Daoist, Lin Yuan was no different from his own child.

Whether Lin Yuan became a Celestial Master or not, Changqing Daoist's attitude toward him would never change.

Changqing Daoist had always harbored guilt toward Lin Yuan.

If he had arrived in time back then, Zhang Family Fortress might not have met such an end.

And Lin Yuan would not have had to live on Dragon Tiger Mountain from childhood, leading such a harsh life.

"A few days ago, the Manor Head told the four of us to go down the mountain one at a time for experience."

Qingping mentioned it casually.

The "four of us" he referred to were naturally the four Taoist Acolytes who had obtained Celestial Master Swords during the trip to the Sword Graveyard.

Though they could not compare to someone like Lin Yuan, who had been chosen by the True Martial Sword.

They were still the hope of Celestial Master Manor.

As for why they were sent down the mountain one at a time, it was to prevent extreme incidents.

For example, all four of them dying at once.

With a Celestial Master Seed like Lin Yuan having gone down the "wrong path," if even the four Celestial Phenomenon Realm seeds died.

Dragon Tiger Mountain would need at least fifty years to recover.

"Down the mountain?"

Lin Yuan was slightly curious.

In the eighteen years since his consciousness descended into this world, Lin Yuan had only been outside on the day he was born.

He had spent all the rest of his time on Dragon Tiger Mountain.

"Shanfeng Shixiong, you're a Celestial Master Seed. You're different from us—you can't go down the mountain."

At the sight of this, Qingping's scalp immediately tingled.

He was no longer a little Taoist Acolyte who knew nothing.

He understood the importance of a Celestial Master Seed to Celestial Master Manor.

Only disciples acknowledged by the True Martial Sword could become Celestial Master Seeds of Celestial Master Manor.

And every Celestial Master Seed kept the True Martial Sword at their side at all times.

If Lin Yuan went down the mountain, it meant the True Martial Sword would have to go with him.

If some accident caused the True Martial Sword to be lost, it would be an unprecedented blow to Celestial Master Manor.

The Manor Head of this generation would likely be so furious that he coughed up blood on the spot.

It was indeed serious for a Celestial Master Seed like Lin Yuan to go down the wrong path, but it would not shake the foundation of Celestial Master Manor.

At worst, after Lin Yuan died of old age, the True Martial Sword would return to the Sword Graveyard, and Celestial Master Manor would still have hope of producing the next Celestial Master.

But if the True Martial Sword were lost, then there would truly be no recovery.

Qingping could fully imagine that if Lin Yuan secretly slipped away because of him, Manor Head Azure Lord would probably want to skin him alive.

"Just kidding."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.

He was not truly an eighteen-year-old youth.

Counting all the time he had lived, Lin Yuan's actual age was probably already over fifty.

On top of that, with Heaven-Defying Comprehension, he had no need for so-called experience gained by going down the mountain.

To Lin Yuan, Dragon Tiger Mountain was the best place. It had everything to eat and drink, and it was incredibly safe.

Why would he possibly want to go down the mountain?

"That's good."

Qingping let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Oh, right, Shanfeng Shixiong."

"Lately, whenever I cultivate, I keep feeling like something is off."

After chatting for a while, Qingping brought up cultivation again.

Lin Yuan casually asked a few questions and roughly understood the reason.

"You're wrong."

"Your state of mind is wrong."

"You walk the path of Sun Limitless."

"Sun Limitless is supremely firm and supremely yang. Of the thirty-six Celestial Masters in the history of Celestial Master Manor, more than half walked the path of Sun Limitless, including the strongest First Generation Celestial Master."

"What is Sun Limitless? Supremely firm, supremely yang, and pressing forward without hesitation."

"Your state of mind has been wavering lately. You look ahead and behind before acting. Naturally, cultivating Sun Limitless will feel wrong at every turn."

Lin Yuan got straight to the point and spoke slowly.

It was not that everyone who walked the path of Sun Limitless was a reckless brute.

Rather, they needed an indomitable state of mind and a decisive temperament.

"So that's how it is."

Qingping came to a sudden realization.

He had indeed been quite excited about going down the mountain for experience. He wanted to see the outside world, but he was also worried about encountering danger.

After Lin Yuan's reminder, his state of mind immediately began to clear.

Buzz.

Qingping only felt the flow of energy within him become smooth as scorching currents surged through every limb and bone.

"Third Grade."

A moment later, Qingping opened his eyes, his expression excited.

Seizing the opportunity presented by Lin Yuan's reminder, he had actually broken through directly from Fourth Grade to Third Grade.

One had to know that the cultivation ranks in this world were divided into nine grades.

Ninth Grade was the lowest, while First Grade was the highest.

Third Grade was already among the Upper Three Grades. Even on Dragon Tiger Mountain, he could be considered one of the strong.

"Thank you for your guidance, Shanfeng Shixiong."

Qingping gave Lin Yuan a deep bow.

He knew very well that without Lin Yuan's words, let alone breaking through to Third Grade, if things continued, his cultivation might even have regressed.

"It's nothing."

Lin Yuan waved his hand, completely unconcerned.

At his current level, guiding a cultivator who had not even reached the Celestial Phenomenon Realm was nothing more than effortless.

True Martial Grand Hall.

Manor Head Azure Lord rubbed his brow, a trace of weariness flashing across his face.

The Myriad Demons Sect had been constantly causing trouble outside, yet Celestial Master Manor could do nothing against it. They could only join forces with the other Righteous Factions to suppress it as best they could.

Furthermore, the sect master of the Myriad Demons Sect had obtained the inheritance of the Original Demon Sect, greatly boosting the morale of the demonic factions.

As a result, every successive clash between the righteous and demonic paths had ended in the righteous side's defeat.

The mounting pressure truly left Azure Lord somewhat unable to catch his breath.

"It seems that the sect master of the Myriad Demons Sect really is a remnant of the Original Demon Sect. When the previous generation's Celestial Master traveled the world, he discovered traces of the Original Demon Sect, but could not find their source."

"At the time, we thought it was merely a coincidence. Now it seems that remnants of the Original Demon Sect already existed back then."

"These past years, the Myriad Demons Sect has been receiving secret support from those remnants of the Original Demon Sect."

The plump Lord beside him spoke.

As the Taoist Ancestral Court, with Celestial Master Manor as the foremost power under heaven, Dragon Tiger Mountain naturally did not lack intelligence capabilities. It quickly uncovered the Myriad Demons Sect's background.

"It's too late to say all that now."

Azure Lord shook his head. The most important matter now was how to continue suppressing the Myriad Demons Sect.

Just then.

A figure ran in from outside.

It was Qingping.

"Master, I'm already Third Grade."

Qingping spoke lightly as he shared this good news.

As Celestial Phenomenon Realm seeds of Celestial Master Manor, Qingping and the other three Taoist Acolytes had always been personally taught by Azure Lord.

Whenever any of them made progress in cultivation, they had to report it to Azure Lord immediately.

"Third Grade?"

"So quickly?"

Azure Lord frowned slightly upon hearing this.

It was not that he did not want Qingping to break through. He was worried that Qingping had used some other shortcut method.

Based on the cultivation speed of disciples who had obtained Celestial Master Swords in past generations, entering the Upper Three Grades required at least fifteen to twenty years.

Yet Qingping had cultivated for less than ten years, even counting from the very beginning.

His cultivation speed was clearly abnormal.

"His foundation is solid. I don't see any problem." The plump Lord stepped forward, carefully observed Qingping for a while, and came to a conclusion.

Only then did Azure Lord's furrowed brow relax.

"Qingping, what is the reason for your cultivation speed?"

Azure Lord was still somewhat astonished.

"Master, Shanfeng Shixiong guided me. That's why I broke through so quickly," Qingping answered truthfully.

Before this, although Qingping often received guidance from Lin Yuan, compared to the other three Taoist Acolytes, his cultivation speed had merely been a little faster.

It was still within a normal range.

Thus, Azure Lord had not asked about it, only assuming that Qingping himself had worked hard.

But this time, advancing from Fourth Grade to Third Grade would normally take five to eight years.

Qingping had crossed that threshold so easily, naturally drawing Azure Lord's attention.

"Shanfeng guided you?"

Azure Lord's tone held some astonishment.

A few casual words of guidance had allowed Qingping to enter Third Grade. His strength should have far surpassed Third Grade.

Even most Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts might not be able to achieve such a thing.

"Yes. Shanfeng Shixiong has been guiding me all these years. He's incredible. Every word he says makes everything suddenly clear to me, and then my strength improves."

Qingping's words were like thunder rolling through the ears of Azure Lord and the other Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts.

Every word he said.

Made everything suddenly clear.

And then their strength improved.

Those three statements might not seem like much.

But to experts like Azure Lord, they immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Anyone capable of this possessed an elevated perspective and an extremely profound understanding of the essence of cultivation and the essence of power.

And this had come from Lin Yuan, whom Azure Lord had completely given up on? "I also feel that Shanfeng Shixiong is very strong. Whenever I see him, it feels just like seeing Master."

Seeing Azure Lord fall silent, Qingping gathered his courage and spoke.

As soon as he said this.

The surroundings fell silent again.

Like Azure Lord? Azure Lord was a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert. Could Lin Yuan also be a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert? Entering the Celestial Phenomenon Realm before the age of twenty—none of the Celestial Masters throughout history had done such a thing.

"Could Shanfeng truly be an unprecedented genius?"

The plump Lord looked stunned and muttered to himself.

"A genius."

Azure Lord fell silent.

Then a trace of bitterness appeared on his face.

If Qingping's words were true, then Lin Yuan truly was a genius.

A genius beyond anything any of them had imagined.

But what did it matter, no matter how talented he was? Cultivating both Taiyin Limitless and Sun Limitless, the Celestial Phenomenon Realm was his limit. He could never reach the heights of the Celestial Masters throughout history.

Because the Taiyin Sun Power within his body would erupt the instant he became a Celestial Master.

"At such a young age, he already understands the essence of power to this extent. Our Celestial Master Manor..."

The plump Lord stopped halfway through.

At that moment, an incomparably painful thought surged through his heart.

Such a genius.

Why did he have to go down the wrong path?

Thank you to reader "Century Egg Lean Meat Egg Drop Soup" for the reward of one hundred book coins.

Thank you all for your monthly votes.