At this moment, Second Uncle stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sea of clouds before him as he slowly said, "Judging by how you peeped at the Azure Feather Immortal Sect's women bathing, your Silver Dragon Hand must have already reached minor mastery. That should be thanks to the Crimson Flame Dragon Lion's bone fragments, but it has a serious drawback."
"What drawback?" Zhou Qing's heart immediately tightened, and he asked instinctively.
Second Uncle suddenly turned around with a grin, his face wearing the look of someone whose scheme had succeeded. "Caught you, didn't I! Those Crimson Flame Dragon Lion bone fragments were something I suggested you buy after disguising myself as your Third Senior Brother. I even taught you the proper way to use them."
Zhou Qing was stunned, then instantly understood.
"You tricked me?"
Second Uncle clicked his tongue and sighed. "So you recognized me from the start after all. That only makes this old man more curious, but don't you dare tell me the answer. I want to puzzle it out properly."
Zhou Qing was briefly infuriated. His advantage had turned into a disadvantage in an instant.
What an old fox!
Second Uncle said, "Enough, back to the matter at hand. The Silver Dragon Hand you practice is merely the first half of the Silver Dragon Art. There is also a second half, called the Silver Dragon Step. One step can span the distance, comparable to shrinking the earth to an inch."
As soon as he finished speaking, Second Uncle lightly raised one foot. Zhou Qing saw a silver afterimage constantly darting between the mountain peaks, so swift that his eyes could barely keep up.
"Well?" In the next instant, Second Uncle appeared beside him again, as though he had never left.
Zhou Qing's mouth went dry. Sure enough, Second Uncle was also proficient in the Silver Dragon Hand.
He immediately cupped his hands and bowed. "Please teach me, Senior."
Second Uncle smiled faintly. "The Silver Dragon Step was lost long ago. Many people do not even know there is a second half. I will first teach you the mnemonic and see how much comprehension you possess."
"Calm your breath and guard the dantian, focus your thoughts upon your toes, tread the path of yin and yang, let your body whirl with heaven and earth..."
Zhou Qing dared not entertain the slightest stray thought and hurriedly memorized it in silence.
"Remembered it?" Second Uncle asked.
Zhou Qing closed his eyes and savored it once more before nodding.
"Good. Follow me through it once!"
After saying that, Second Uncle grabbed Zhou Qing with one hand and stepped directly into the air.
Zhou Qing's eyes widened as he watched the silver Dao patterns left behind each time Second Uncle set foot down, continuously trying to comprehend their mysteries.
After half an incense stick of time, Second Uncle looked at Zhou Qing with a beaming smile.
"With opportunities, a touch is enough. Slowly feel your way through the rest afterward. Oh, are you pursuing the Azure Feather Immortal Sect's Sect Master?" Second Uncle suddenly asked.
Zhou Qing, who had been immersed in the wondrous intricacies of the Silver Dragon Step, abruptly came back to his senses and hurriedly waved his hands. "Senior, please do not misunderstand. There is absolutely no such thing."
"If you're pursuing her, then pursue her. What's the big deal? This old man supports you!" Second Uncle immediately raised his brows, revealing a lecherous look.
Zhou Qing gave an awkward smile. He had just received a benefit from the man, so he truly could not bring himself to curse him.
Second Uncle continued, "I'm telling the truth. Junior Sister Profound Abyss is quite good-looking, and now she is the master of a sect. More importantly, she is still a virgin to this day."
Zhou Qing's mouth fell open at once.
Wait, had he just called her Junior Sister Profound Abyss?
It seemed he truly had stayed at the Azure Feather Immortal Sect before.
Second Uncle suddenly said in a mysterious tone, "I heard Azure Flame Dao Palace's Si Kong Yan is pursuing her, but he probably has no hope in this lifetime. Do you know why?"
"Why?" Zhou Qing asked instinctively.
Second Uncle burst into laughter. "And you said you had no improper thoughts about Profound Abyss Immortal. Why else would you care so much?"
Damn it, he set another trap for me, didn't he.
You old reprobate.
Zhou Qing felt that before such an old fox, he truly could not say a single word too many.
However, after teasing him, Second Uncle became serious again.
"Junior Sister Profound Abyss has actually been waiting for someone all along, and she is about to pass away!"
At those words, Zhou Qing's face filled with shock.
How could such a beautiful mature woman simply be about to pass away?
Had her lifespan run out, or was there another reason?
And who was she waiting for?
A former lover?
Don't tell me that person is you?
Zhou Qing opened his mouth, but fearing another trap, he simply chose not to ask. You'll definitely tell me anyway.
Sure enough, Second Uncle looked Zhou Qing up and down and could not help clicking his tongue in praise. "You learned your lesson so quickly. Not bad, not bad."
Then, Second Uncle turned his gaze toward the sea of clouds once more and said leisurely, "Your master, Mo Xingjian, must have told you about my affairs already. It can't be helped. This is simply my nature. No matter what others think, I find it quite refreshing."
"When I decided to fake my death and leave the Azure Feather Immortal Sect, that girl had only recently joined the sect. But she seemed to have contracted an illness, and had no choice but to cultivate one of the sect's forbidden arts. This art could save her life and let her progress by leaps and bounds, but it completely severed her future path."
"In other words, her current realm can never rise again. She can only slowly exhaust her lifespan and die. No, she should lose her lifespan even faster than those at the same realm."
"I never expected that after so many years, she would actually become the Azure Feather Immortal Sect's Sect Master. Truly remarkable. Some time ago, I also saw her from afar. Though she appears no different from ordinary people on the surface, she has in fact nearly reached the point where the oil is spent and the lamp is dying."
After Second Uncle finished speaking, he let out a long sigh.
At this moment, Zhou Qing could not help asking, "With your vast knowledge, Senior, you should be able to save her, shouldn't you?"
Second Uncle shook his head. "I can't save her. If she wants to live, there is only one way."
"What way?"
"Dual cultivation!"
"Dual cultivation?" Zhou Qing froze.
Second Uncle chuckled. "That's right, dual cultivation. Remember what I just said? She has been waiting for someone all this time. Only by dual cultivating with that person can she break the forbidden art, help her break through, increase her lifespan, and continue living."
"The person she is waiting for is..." Zhou Qing asked curiously.
Second Uncle said, "Someone with Three Flowers Gather on the Crown."
Zhou Qing blinked, seeming not to understand.
The moment Second Uncle saw Zhou Qing's expression, he understood. Helplessly, he said, "I truly do not know how Old Mo taught his disciple. You do not even know such basic common sense. Fine, I'll educate you."
Second Uncle cleared his throat and said, "You know about realms like Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul, right? But when a Golden Core shatters and a Nascent Soul condenses, different types of Nascent Souls can emerge—for example, the Purple Mansion Nascent Soul, Yang God Nascent Soul, Limitless Nascent Soul, Myriad Phenomena Nascent Soul, and so on. There are more than a hundred kinds in all."
"Different Nascent Souls possess different abilities, and they also determine how far a cultivator can travel on their future path."
"When you have time, you can visit the Scripture Pavilion and find books on the subject. In short, the cultivation world divides these Nascent Souls into four grades: heaven, earth, mysterious, and yellow. Of them, the Heaven-Grade Nascent Soul is naturally the strongest. Those who possess one are not only invincible among their peers, but so long as they do not fall, they can almost certainly become towering figures in the future."
Zhou Qing listened silently. In truth, he had never really learned about these things. After all, he had previously been only in the Qi Condensation Realm, and such matters had been far too distant for him.
Second Uncle continued his explanation. "Heaven-Grade Nascent Souls are the rarest, with only ten types in total. The one ranked first is the Three Flowers Nascent Soul."
Hearing this, Zhou Qing finally understood why Profound Abyss Immortal had remained alone for so many years.
How could it be easy to wait for someone with a Three Flowers Nascent Soul?
The odds were simply far too small.
If a sect produced someone with a Three Flowers Nascent Soul, that person would be a future towering figure, a guide capable of leading the sect to rise. They would have to be hidden away with the utmost care.
A tree that rises above the forest is the first to be battered by the wind; after all, there were simply too many people with envious eyes.
Therefore, finding someone with a Three Flowers Nascent Soul was harder than climbing to the heavens.
Before you continue