Past Like Smoke

"The Monster Alliance, hmph! That's just a made-up name by a bunch of minor monsters. I've met that Tianxuan Blood Demon before; it's just a monster that absorbed the dead, malevolent energy from underground by absorbing centuries of filth. Our Kunlun immortal arts are specifically designed to counter such yin, evil, and impure energies. However, the one behind it is very troublesome! How could a monster with great spiritual power be detected by humans? Only those insignificant monsters that haven't matured are ignorant. Some monsters, I fear, I might not even be a match for!" As if lost in deep recollection, Old Daoist Ganji narrowed his eyes, his gaze hazy like smoke and clouds.

Ling Ruoshui was greatly shocked. Today had already been full of surprises, and now she was severely shaken by Old Daoist Ganji. How could this be? Old Daoist Ganji, whose cultivation was profound and universally acknowledged as the top expert in the world, actually admitted he wasn't a match for a monster. How could such a powerful monster exist in the world! How could such a fierce monster exist! Ling Ruoshui knew her Master was not one to lie. It seemed the matter was true. But Ling Ruoshui couldn't understand, why didn't such a powerful monster appear? If it did, wouldn't the world fall into chaos?

Seeing Ling Ruoshui looking completely bewildered, Old Daoist Ganji, awakened from his memories, smiled charmingly. Ling Ruoshui was stunned: Master must have been a handsome man in his youth!

As if troubled by something, Old Daoist Ganji no longer mentioned the monsters. With a grab, a brocade pouch-like item appeared in his hand, and he handed it to Ling Ruoshui. "These are some magical treasures I used when I was young. I don't need them anymore, so I'll give them all to you. The method for controlling the artifacts is also inside the pouch; study it yourself. This Cosmos Brocade Pouch is also a rare treasure; it can hold anything, no matter how much. When you need to retrieve something, just use your divine sense. You may descend the mountain. Remember to diligently cultivate the Supreme Clarity Purple Mansion Immortal Manual!" Old Daoist Ganji lost interest and sat cross-legged on the red cushion.

Ling Ruoshui looked at the Cosmos Brocade Pouch embroidered with flowers and muttered, "This is clearly something a woman would use! How could Master have it?"

Her divine sense delved into the Cosmos Brocade Pouch. Good heavens, there were dozens of magical treasures inside, shimmering with all sorts of colors: swords, mirrors, whisks, jade tokens, command flags, and so on. With a thought, a flying sword, about a foot long, warm all over, and seemingly made of transparent crystal, was grasped by Ling Ruoshui.

Ching! A dense spiritual energy surged towards her like a vortex. The incredibly dense spiritual energy of Jade Void Palace swept over, continuously pouring into this flying sword. The flying sword hummed, emitting myriad rays of light and auspicious energies. The flying sword trembled violently, as if about to break through the void and fly away. Startled, Ling Ruoshui quickly put the flying sword back into the Cosmos Brocade Pouch.

Judging by this, each magical treasure was no ordinary item! These were the kind of items people in the cultivation world would fight tooth and nail for. Master just gave them to me like this? Why is Master acting so strangely today? Did he refine some pill and take the wrong medicine? Ling Ruoshui felt that everything today was too bizarre. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Old Daoist Ganji sitting cross-legged on the red cushion, lost in thought. Despite the huge commotion she had caused, he hadn't moved at all.

Unable to figure it out, Ling Ruoshui flickered and left the secret chamber, walking down the stairs made of white clouds step by step. Suddenly, Old Daoist Ganji's desolate singing voice came from behind her: "Great wind blows, making the forest sway, my heart aches, but you do not come. A hundred years flow like water, wealth and status turn to cold ash. The Great Dao recedes daily, suffering reigns supreme. A brave warrior draws his sword, his spirit filled with sorrow. The leaves rustle and fall, moss grows under the dew and rain." The desolation in his voice felt like the chilling atmosphere of Yi River. Ling Ruoshui felt a familiar yet unnamable feeling in her heart.

Muttering to herself, she encountered a young man walking towards her. He had an extremely honest appearance, but his every movement was natural and unforced, subtly harmonizing with the laws of heaven and earth, giving one an unfathomably profound feeling. When Ling Ruoshui saw the young man walking up the stairs made of white clouds, her eyes lit up, and she sweetly called out, "Senior Brother!"

The honest young man also saw Ling Ruoshui, and a blush suddenly flashed across his face. He stammered, "Oh! Heh... Heh! It's... it's Junior Sister Ruoshui! How... have you come out of seclusion? So soon! Heh... Heh..." He then rubbed the back of his head.

Ling Ruoshui knew that this honest young man was an orphan whom Master had adopted from childhood. Master named him Yi Yunzi, and he was the only one among Kunlun's third-generation disciples to reach the Transformation Stage. His cultivation was indeed unfathomably profound. Especially since this Senior Brother treated her extremely well. She had always liked to tease him since she was little, but Senior Brother had never gotten angry. Several times, when her mischief caused trouble, it was Senior Brother Yi Yunzi who helped her clean up the mess. Therefore, Ling Ruoshui also liked her honest Senior Brother very much.

Seeing Yi Yunzi like this, Ling Ruoshui smiled and said, "Senior Brother, don't you usually cultivate on Jade Pearl Peak? Why are you here at Jade Void Palace today? Do you need something from Master?"

"Heh heh! I have some cultivation matters to ask Master about!" Yi Yunzi chuckled.

"Senior Brother! Thank you so much for what you did in Japan last time. If you hadn't arrived in time, I would have been captured by those little devils," Ling Ruoshui said gratefully to Yi Yunzi.

"This... it's nothing!" Yi Yunzi became flustered. His face, which had returned to normal, started to turn red again. He quickly said, "Heh heh! We are fellow disciples, it's nothing! I'm going to find Master." With a flicker, Yi Yunzi quickly ran towards Jade Void Palace.

"Is Senior Brother like this because he only knows how to cultivate and lacks social interaction? No, I must take Senior Brother home next time so he can experience the world properly, lest he stutters when talking to anyone," Ling Ruoshui thought. She descended the steps, her figure flickering, and she disappeared. In the next second, she appeared on a giant mountain covered by ten thousand years of profound ice. Seeing the Kunlun Sect's mountain gate shrouded in white mist, Ling Ruoshui joyfully exclaimed, "The immortal arts of the Supreme Clarity Purple Mansion Immortal Manual are indeed wondrous! This 'Phoenix Flight Thousand Miles, Master Hu's Land Contraction's' land contraction technique can now match the speed of a flying sword, and it's even more convenient than sword riding. Hmph! Heavenly Dao Sect! Zhou Qing! Just you wait!"

Achoo! Zhou Qing sneezed inexplicably at home and muttered, "My cultivation has advanced greatly recently, how could I still sneeze? Strange! Could something be about to happen?"

Liao Xiaojin chuckled, "Master, aren't you being too sensitive? You're making a fuss over a sneeze! Then when I was practicing my flying sword today, I even tore my clothes! Doesn't that mean I'm going to have a bloody disaster!"

Zhou Qing gave Liao Xiaojin a look and asked, "How is your junior sister progressing recently? I've been in seclusion for almost a month, so I'm not clear about your situation."

"Her? After you taught her the Soaring Sword Qi Art, she's been cultivating like crazy, not even cooking meals every day. That little fox is the same, Master! You say this isn't a solution. With Junior Sister like that, I think she'll go into qi deviation and die before she can get revenge," Liao Xiaojin said with some worry.