Daoist Grandmasters

Within a secret chamber in a side hall of the Jade Void Palace, upon a spotless white jade floor, sat a fiery-red cushion carved from red jade. A bright-eyed, white-toothed young girl of exquisite features, beautiful beyond compare and dressed in Daoist robes, sat upright atop it with her hands joined before her chest in the standard posture for qi refinement.

If Zhou Qing had been there, he would certainly have recognized the girl as none other than Ling Ruoshui, whom he had rescued from Mitsui Taro, only to toy with him again in Las Vegas afterward.

At that moment, misty clouds swirled above Ling Ruoshui's head. The clouds faintly bore five colors and took the shape of lotus flowers, gathering and dispersing by turns. Every half hour, the five-colored clouds grew denser, their hues clearer and brighter. The spiritual energy around her was gradually drawn into Ling Ruoshui's body, transforming into five-colored clouds that drifted above her head. After an unknown length of time, the clouds finally solidified and ceased moving, steadily forming three fist-sized, multicolored lotus flowers that radiated five-colored light in all directions. With a long inhalation, the three lotus flowers slowly sank into Ling Ruoshui's crown and vanished.

A faint clear radiance flickered over Ling Ruoshui's entire body, while the light in her eyes grew even brighter, her gaze nearly tangible. Clearly, her cultivation had advanced greatly. With a sharp cry, Ling Ruoshui shot into the air and swept out both hands. Five streams of immortal energy surged forth, forming azure pillars of light over a zhang long and as thick as teacups, blasting toward the white jade floor.

"You're fooling around again!" A blue figure flickered, and an old Daoist suddenly appeared in the sealed chamber from nowhere. He wore a blue cloth Daoist robe, with the hair of a crane and the face of a child; the skin on his face was as smooth as an infant's. The old Daoist rubbed his hands together, and a breeze swept out soundlessly, blowing against the five incoming pillars of light. Without the slightest sound, the seemingly steel-hard pillars scattered at the touch of that breeze, turning into specks of azure dust that fell upon the white jade floor before disappearing.

"This Jade Void Palace is the supreme immortal estate opened by our Kunlun Patriarch, Primal Celestial Venerable. In remembrance of our Patriarch's supreme divine powers, no spells are permitted within the Jade Void Palace. Have you forgotten?" the old Daoist shouted at Ling Ruoshui.

"Master! Why are you shouting so loudly? You scared me half to death. I just forgot for a moment!" Ling Ruoshui landed and muttered at the old Daoist. This old Daoist was none other than Gan Jizi, the current head of Kunlun. His cultivation was truly unfathomable. Along with Shu Mountain Elder Taoist Lingxu, Mao Mountain's Taoist Kaiyang, Dragon Tiger Mountain's Daoyi Tianshi, and XZ* Living Buddha, he was known as one of the Five Grandmasters of the world. It was said that Gan Jizi's cultivation stood firmly at the top, only one step away from breaking through into the immortal realm of Spirit Refining and Returning to Emptiness, where the physical body became undying.

Though Gan Jizi's cultivation was profound, he was helpless when it came to this disciple of his. Shaking his head, Gan Jizi's normally placid eyes suddenly flashed with brilliant light as he carefully examined Ling Ruoshui. Then he said joyfully, "Excellent! Your aptitude truly is remarkable. You have comprehended the first volume of the Supreme Clarity Purple Mansion Immortal Manual so quickly. Though the spiritual energy in this Jade Void Palace is a hundred times denser than outside, it is still no small feat." Gan Jizi kept stroking his half-foot-long beard beneath his chin, nodding in praise.

"Master, I still don't have a Flying Sword. I want one, like my brother's. It looked so amazing when I saw him flying on his sword!" Seeing Gan Jizi nodding to himself, Ling Ruoshui seized the chance to make demands.

"Sword cultivation is a side path and an unorthodox way. Though its progress is swift and its killing power great, the slightest carelessness can injure others and oneself. Its foundations are also extremely unstable; once one reaches profound realms, the chances of qi deviation are quite high. Back then, I only taught your brother the Flowing Ripple Sword and the path of sword cultivation because he sought rapid success. You should not learn it. Those who cultivate the Dao value a peaceful state of mind. Why learn Daoist arts so heavy with killing intent?" Gan Jizi launched into a lengthy lecture, but judging from Ling Ruoshui's expression, it probably went in one ear and out the other.

"I don't care. I want to fly on a sword." When her demands failed, Ling Ruoshui immediately clung to Gan Jizi and began acting spoiled.

"Flying on a sword? Even if you had a Flying Sword, you still couldn't do it! Your current cultivation is only around the middle to late stages of drawing in qi; you are still just a little short. Besides, the Supreme Clarity Purple Mansion Immortal Manual I taught you is Kunlun's secret transmission. Even your brother was never taught it. Who knows how many times more profound it is than sword cultivation, and its spells are extraordinarily exquisite as well. It contains the miraculous earth-shrinking art of <Phoenix Soars a Thousand Miles, Master Hu Shrinks the Earth>. Once you cultivate it to a profound realm, you can cross a thousand miles in an instant—far surpassing the art of flying on a sword." Gan Jizi had long since become immune to Ling Ruoshui's coquettishness and remained unmoved.

"Master! Fine, I don't need the Flying Sword, but you have to give me a powerful magic treasure to protect myself, right? I was ambushed by that little Japanese devil this time because I had no treasure to defend myself with." Ling Ruoshui's eyes rolled half a turn. Seeing that acting spoiled would not work, she immediately came up with another plan.

"That is true, but how did you escape afterward? That little Japanese devil's arts may be beneath notice, but there are formidable figures among them as well. You said someone saved you—who exactly was he? Why didn't you explain clearly? Let us see which sect he belonged to. He was surely no ordinary person! We should thank him another day." Hearing Ling Ruoshui say this, Gan Jizi grew suspicious.

Whenever Ling Ruoshui thought of the matter, Zhou Qing made her teeth itch with hatred. Now, hearing that Gan Jizi wanted her to thank him, she nearly exploded with rage. Yet she could not lose her temper before Gan Jizi, so she said through gritted teeth, "Yes. Once I go down the mountain, I'll go properly 'thank' that person!"

"By the way, Master, have you heard of a Heavenly Dao Sect among our Daoist sects?" Ling Ruoshui suddenly remembered that she had gone up the mountain to ask her master to teach her immortal arts precisely so she could greatly increase her strength and settle accounts with Zhou Qing. Yet she now realized she did not even know who Zhou Qing really was. She vaguely remembered Zhou Qing seeming to say that he was the sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, but she had no idea what kind of sect it was or where its mountain gate lay, so she asked Gan Jizi.

How could she have known that the Heavenly Dao Sect had simply been fabricated by Zhou Qing himself and had not yet spread through the cultivation world? Although Gan Jizi was knowledgeable and well-traveled, familiar with Daoist immortal arts, secret Buddhist and Daoist methods, demonic Dao techniques, devilish arts, and even quite a bit of Western magic, he was still baffled by this Heavenly Dao Sect.

"I've never heard of such a sect! There are only the Five Elements Sect, Pure Yang Sect, Yin Talisman Sect, and Dunjia Sect! How could a Heavenly Dao Sect suddenly appear in the cultivation world?" The old Daoist muttered to himself, utterly lacking the bearing of a grandmaster.

Seeing Old Daoist Ganji muttering there, Ling Ruoshui suddenly recalled a few clues and asked, "Then, Master, are there any sects especially skilled in formations? For example, something like the Five Elements Tracing Formation?"

Old Daoist Ganji was taken aback. "Sects skilled in formations? The path of formations borrows the immense power of heaven and earth, placing little emphasis on one's own cultivation. Thus, Daoist sects centered on formations declined long ago. The only sect still skilled in formations is the Dunjia Sect. Could they have saved you? But from your tone, he seemed to be a young man. Though the Dunjia Sect is mysterious within the cultivation world, your master has dealings with several of its Elders and sect masters. They are all old men; there are no young people among them! The Five Elements Tracing Formation is not some extraordinary formation either. Quite a few people in the cultivation world know it. He was likely a young expert from some Daoist Sect."