"What else don't you understand?" Chen Qingxuan's voice rippled through the vast white Sea of Consciousness, carrying a calmness that seemed to see through everything.
Qian Renxue furrowed her delicate brows. Her golden eyes brimmed with an eager, determined thirst for knowledge.
She tipped her head up slightly and looked at Chen Qingxuan's translucent figure. "Master, I understand the five Body Tempering realms described in the Primordial Nirvana Sutra."
"But what about the parts that come after—refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit to return to the void, refining the void to unite with the Dao, and building the foundation to become an immortal? What do they mean?"
She recognized every word, but strung together, they made no sense to her at all.
Chen Qingxuan began to explain slowly, his voice clear and steady. "All living beings in this world can be divided, broadly speaking, into two kinds."
"First, mortals. Second, immortals."
"Humans are but one kind of mortal among the myriad living beings."
"Among mortals, there are warriors and cultivators."
"Warriors focus on Body Tempering. They pass through five great realms: Meridian Training, Blood Refining, Skin Refining, Bone Refining, and Organ Tempering. With each successive stage, they temper their bodies and build a solid foundation."
"When the body has reached perfection, they can break free of the shackles of mortal flesh and enter the realm of cultivators."
He paused, his gaze passing over Qian Renxue's intent little face, then continued. "The path of cultivation has four major realms."
"Refining essence into qi means condensing the power of the blood and essence within the body into pure primordial qi."
"Refining qi into spirit means using primordial qi to nourish the Divine Soul until it grows vast as a river of stars."
"Refining spirit to return to the void means allowing the Divine Soul to transcend the body and touch the realm of the Void."
"Refining the void to unite with the Dao means merging the Divine Soul with the laws of heaven and earth, so that every movement accords with the Dao Aura."
"These four realms correspond to four great stages: Qi Refining, Incarnation, Returning to the Void, and Unity with the Dao. Each stage has nine levels, making thirty-six levels of transcendence in all."
At this, his voice lifted slightly. "Each level is a realm, and each realm is a world of its own. Every breakthrough reshapes you from the ground up, making you utterly different from who you were before."
"Only thirty-six levels?" Qian Renxue pouted. A hint of disdain flashed in her golden eyes, and her little face wore a childish pride.
"We Soul Masters have a hundred levels! From a level-one Soul Scholar to becoming a god at level one hundred, we have to absorb a Soul Ring every ten levels and endure all kinds of trials. That's much more complicated."
She lifted her chin slightly, as though declaring that the Spirit Hall's cultivation system was the most profound in the world.
Chen Qingxuan merely smiled faintly. "My disciple, one day you'll understand that these two cultivation systems are worlds apart."
"Though Soul Masters can make rapid progress by relying on Soul Rings, they are ultimately constrained by the laws of heaven and earth, like dancers performing in shackles."
"The path of immortality cultivates the self and seeks transcendence. One day, you can leap beyond the rules and roam freely between heaven and earth."
Qian Renxue blinked, her golden eyes full of curiosity. "Then, Master, what realm have you reached?"
"Your master once reached the realm of a Golden Immortal," Chen Qingxuan said.
"Condense a golden core within the body, and the golden core can lead straight to the Great Dao."
"What is the Great Dao?" Qian Renxue pressed.
Chen Qingxuan shook his head gently. "There's no point in saying more. When your cultivation reaches that realm, you'll understand."
Qian Renxue nodded, only half understanding. "Oh..." Her drawn-out reply carried a hint of disappointment.
Chen Qingxuan changed the subject, fixing his gaze on her. "Xiao Xue, are you planning to impersonate Xue Qinghe of Heaven Dou and gradually seize control of the Heaven Dou Empire?"
Qian Renxue nodded instinctively and replied in a bright voice, "Yes. Take control of Heaven Dou, then bring it under the Spirit Hall to strengthen the Spirit Hall—that's our grand plan."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she clapped a hand over it. A flicker of alarm crossed her golden eyes, as though she'd just let slip some earth-shattering secret.
She looked up at Chen Qingxuan, her voice trembling slightly. "Master, how... how did you know? That's the Spirit Hall's highest secret!"
"I've seen your memories, so of course I know," Chen Qingxuan replied calmly.
Qian Renxue's cheeks instantly flushed as red as ripe apples, even the tips of her ears turning crimson.
She hurriedly covered her face with both hands. Her muffled voice came through her fingers, tinged with embarrassment, anger, and hurt. "Master, you're awful! Xue'er... Xue'er doesn't like you anymore!"
Then she took several quick steps backward, crouched down, and let her golden hair fall over her face. Her shoulders shook slightly.
"Ahem." Chen Qingxuan cleared his throat. His expression remained perfectly composed. "I only looked at the parts related to your identity and your plans. I didn't look at any of your personal affairs."
He was telling the truth. He hadn't paid attention to little things like how Qian Renxue sometimes sneaked off to cry.
If she pressed him, he could even swear on his former master's name.
"Really?" Qian Renxue slowly raised her head, revealing a pair of golden eyes glistening with tears.
"Really. I didn't look at any of it." Chen Qingxuan's tone was firm, and his gaze was open and honest, without the slightest hint of evasion.
Only then did Qian Renxue stand up. Her little mouth was still pouting, and there was a hint of petulance in her expression. A trace of hurt remained in her golden eyes. "Then, Master, from now on, you're not allowed to look at my memories without my permission!"
Chen Qingxuan nodded. "Agreed."
He turned back to the matter at hand, his gaze sharpening slightly. "Now, do you still intend to keep pretending to be Xue Qinghe?"
Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment. Her small frame straightened, and some of the childishness faded from her face.
Determination shone in her golden eyes. "Master, this is the Spirit Hall's grand plan. It concerns the Spirit Hall's future. I can't let my own whims make me abandon it."
Chen Qingxuan looked at her, his gaze piercing through every disguise and reaching the deepest part of her heart. "Is this because you want to prove something to her?"
"To prove your worth, to prove that her decision back then was wrong, to prove you're better than she is?"
At the word "her," Qian Renxue's eyes instantly reddened. Crystal-clear tears welled in her golden eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
She bit down hard on her lip until it turned pale. Her voice caught with a sob, though defiance still rang through it. "I... I just want to make the Spirit Hall stronger..."
"I just don't want Grandpa to have to worry about the Spirit Hall anymore..."
"I just want her to see that I'm not a child who can only hide behind Grandpa..."
"I can do it. I can do it better than anyone..."
Her voice grew quieter with every word, thick with hurt and resentment, and her small body trembled.
Chen Qingxuan's gaze softened, and his voice gentled. "In my eyes, you're already the best."
"You don't need to prove your worth to anyone, and you certainly don't need someone else's approval to define you."
"You are who you are, Qian Renxue—one of a kind."
Qian Renxue lowered her head, her golden hair hiding her expression. Only the slight trembling of her shoulders betrayed how she felt.
The clouds in the Sea of Consciousness stirred gently, as if accompanying her hurt with a quiet melody, or perhaps silently comforting her.
Chen Qingxuan sighed softly. There was some helplessness in the sound, but even more indulgence. "Sigh, so be it. You're my disciple, after all. Since you've made up your mind, let your master help you this once."
Before you continue