Shrouding the Heavens: The Years as the Female Emperor's Strictest Master

If he was unwilling to take her as his disciple, then this booklet would be her only hope of embarking upon the path of cultivation.

When there was a choice, who would truly wish for the cultivation method they practiced to doom them beyond redemption?

"Do you know why that old Daoist said you were 'fated' with him?"

Tan Lin abruptly changed the subject:

"Do you know why he gave you the Devouring Source Scripture instead of some other cultivation method?"

Nannan shook her head, confusion appearing in her eyes.

"Because you have a Mortal Body."

Tan Lin cut straight to the point:

"In the eyes of those lofty existences, Mortal Bodies are like wild grass, their lives as insignificant as ants. Yet at certain times, they contain the most primitive vitality and resilience, brimming with limitless possibilities.

When you flipped through the Devouring Source Scripture earlier, its first page was the general outline. Even if you cannot recognize every word, you should have guessed a little about the nature of this cultivation method, right?

It may seem like a shortcut to devour the origins of all things and defy fate, but in truth, it is a cage and trap tailored for people like you—those burdened by intense obsessions yet endowed with mediocre aptitude."

"A trap..."

Nannan fell silent. She was not overly surprised, but her little hand clutching the corner of her clothes tightened further.

Her mind was indeed exceptionally sharp. It was precisely because she had sensed something amiss upon reconsideration that she had hesitated before wanting to take the spirit within the ring as her master.

In truth, even if Tan Lin had not pointed out certain issues, her future talent would have allowed her to fully realize them. By then, however, she would likely have needed to pay a price to correct her detours and eliminate the hidden dangers.

At the same time.

Within the ring's void, as All-Cause Vision briefly activated.

Tan Lin's remnant soul watched the Causal Line connecting him to her thicken and brighten in an instant, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Yet the tone he projected into the outside world carried the coldness of one who had seen through the ages:

"Keep flipping through that booklet. There are detailed illustrations and explanations within, and you will naturally understand...

This cultivation method progresses extremely quickly in its early stages. By devouring the origins of others and supplementing oneself with the essences of heaven and earth, it can indeed allow you to break free from the shackles of a Mortal Body and rapidly gain power.

To be fair, if the core chapters of this method had not been planted with such vicious hidden traps and shackles, it would not have been a bad shortcut..."

At this point, Tan Lin paused slightly, allowing the girl to absorb and digest what he had said before continuing:

"The deeper your cultivation and the higher your realm, the more tightly bound you will become to this method, until you are completely reduced to its slave. Your foundation of cultivation will be anchored and tainted by it, while your origin will be branded with strange Dao marks.

When the time is ripe, everything you painstakingly devoured and accumulated, along with you yourself, will become a 'great medicine' for the sower to harvest.

At that point, you will no longer be yourself. You will merely be a humanoid treasure medicine, prepared for that person to consume."

Humanoid treasure medicine...

After Tan Lin's words finally fell silent.

Nannan's little face had already turned deathly pale. Though she could not fully understand some of the words, terms like bridal gown, great medicine, harvesting, and devouring were enough for her to imagine an utterly terrifying scene.

She instinctively looked at the seemingly ordinary booklet still in her hands, which was immune to both water and fire. Her small hand suddenly trembled, as though it were some man-eating beast.

Rustle, rustle...

When the booklet fell into the fire, she hurriedly pulled it out and carefully examined it. It was completely unharmed.

It seemed that aside from being unafraid of rain, it truly was not afraid of fire either.

"Then... that old grandfather..."

Suddenly, as though she had thought of something, her voice trembled.

"Him? Hehe, he is most likely one of the gardeners who scatter the seeds on behalf of others."

A trace of mockery seeped into Tan Lin's tone:

"They view all living beings as medicinal fields and come to harvest them once they mature. You are merely one seed among the countless ones he scattered. Your hatred and unwillingness are the finest nourishment for cultivating you into this 'great medicine.'"

Silence.

The abandoned brick kiln sank into deathly stillness, broken only by the crisp crackling of burning firewood.

The immense fear and lingering dread were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the flame of hope that had just ignited in Nannan's heart and drenching her from head to toe.

She had thought that, at worst, what she had grasped was a rotten straw. She never expected it might instead be a rope tightening around her neck!

Inside the ring.

Seeing the light in the girl's eyes dim and her body tremble slightly, Tan Lin knew the timing was about right.

Excessive fear could crush a person, especially a child.

At such a time, he needed to point her toward a new direction.

"Do you still want to cultivate?"

He asked.

His voice remained devoid of warmth.

Nannan raised her head. Tears welled in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to fall.

She thought of her dead brother, then of those cold and hateful faces, and of her own helplessness...

If even this sole hope was a trap, what else could she do?

"I... I don't know..."

She choked out the words. Her eyes, blurred by tears, were filled with bewilderment.

"There is more than one road."

Tan Lin's voice sounded at just the right moment, carrying an unquestionable certainty:

"The Devouring Source Scripture is a trap, but the path of devouring itself is not entirely an evil path. The key lies in who controls it and how it is controlled.

You only need to know that there were no roads in this world to begin with. Roads are made by people walking them!"

Roads are made by people walking them!

Upon hearing this, Nannan's eyes widened, as though she had seen a glimmer of light.

She felt that his words had struck directly into her heart.

"That old Daoist gave you this poisonous scripture because he had his eye on your obsession and Mortal Body, intending to turn you into expendable material for testing his method."

A cold laugh seeped into Tan Lin's voice:

"But he does not know that you encountered me. Nor does he know that, so long as the traps within his malicious method are avoided, it may not be impossible for you to turn poison into medicine and reverse the heavens and earth."

Turn poison into medicine?

Reverse the heavens and earth?

These words exploded in Nannan's heart like thunder.

"You... you mean?"

She was extraordinarily intelligent and naturally understood his unspoken meaning. She immediately asked anxiously, her little hand tightly gripping the Bronze Ring against her chest.

Her heart pounded wildly, as though an enormous surprise had suddenly rushed toward her.

Inside the ring, Tan Lin slowly said:

"Now, I will ask you once more. Are you still willing to take me as your master? Not as an ordinary master, nor as someone guiding you into cultivation, but as a transaction in which each of us gets what we need.

I will teach you supreme methods, help you uncover the mysteries in this booklet, set you upon the true path of cultivation, and grant you the power to seek revenge against the Feathered Immortal Dynasty and those shadowy hands behind it. In return, you must help me reforge my true soul. During this time, you will face existences beyond imagination, and death may come at any moment.

So, are you still willing?"

Tan Lin laid out the risks clearly, his words cold and direct.

There was not the slightest trace of warmth.

Nannan looked at the ring, her little chest rising and falling violently.

She thought of the resolve she had made today—to wait in the mortal world for her brother's return!

She thought of every humiliation and every hatred...

If she was not even afraid of becoming a "great medicine" to achieve those goals, would she fear a fair transaction?

As her thoughts churned, the confusion in her eyes was gradually replaced by determination.

She released the ring and took a step back. Then, facing the direction of the ring, she clumsily but solemnly bowed down in imitation of the village elders when they worshipped.

"This disciple, Nannan, is willing to take you as my master! For all eternity, I shall obey Master's commands and help Master reforge his true soul! Should I violate this oath, may heaven and earth cast me aside!"

Her voice was clear, yet it carried a heaviness and resolve far beyond her age.

Inside the ring, Tan Lin's remnant soul rippled slightly as he watched the girl bow. For a moment, he was somewhat dazed.

Three and a half crimson imprints deep within his remnant soul quietly flowed, and fragments of past memories flashed by.

At this moment, there was no need to activate All-Cause Vision again. He could already sense that from this point onward, his karma with this girl might become utterly entangled, impossible to sever, until...

Thud!

Thud... thud...

The young Female Emperor's kowtows rang out, heavy and dull.

"Good."

There seemed to be an almost imperceptible solemnity beneath Tan Lin's calm voice:

"From today onward, you are a disciple under me, Tan Lin. Rise."

He revealed his true name.

Yet he had no fear. In his three previous lives, he had never borne this name.

His deep gaze fixed upon the girl. After a brief pause, he continued:

"Since you have entered my sect, you should have a proper name. What is your original name?"

Nannan stood up, her little face earnest. "Brother calls me Nannan. I do not have a proper name."

Tan Lin was silent for a moment before saying:

"Nannan is a childhood name. Your will is steadfast; you do not change your resolve even in desperate circumstances. You should bear the character 'Jue.' As your master, I hope that your Dao heart will be clear and your spiritual platform never dimmed in the future, so I shall add the character 'Qing.' Your elder brother's surname is Li. From now on, you will be called Li Qingjue..."

Li Qingjue...

As these three words fell, it seemed as though some karma had completely settled in the unseen world.

Tan Lin could feel that, with the establishment of their master-disciple bond, the Causal Line connecting him and the Female Emperor became increasingly solid.

Extremely pure crimson light points, carrying a hint of warmth, were flowing from that line toward the core of the Soul Pearl.

Though the speed was slow, their quality was extraordinarily high, far beyond the muddled Causal Lines from his previous life.

That sole Deep Crimson Light Point instantly overflowed at this moment!

A second Deep Crimson Light Point slowly began to form. For now, however, it was only an empty shell. Too few pale crimson light points had merged into it, and its radiance was exceedingly dim. It remained far too distant from fully lighting the second mark upon the Soul Pearl's barrier.

"Qingjue... Qingjue..."

Outside, Nannan softly repeated the name twice. A trace of understanding flashed through her eyes, and she bowed once again:

"This disciple, Qingjue, thanks Master for bestowing this name!"

"Mm."

Tan Lin responded:

"Now that our master-disciple bond has been established, tonight's first lesson shall be a detailed explanation of the poisonous root of the Devouring Source Scripture. This will be the foundation for you to comprehend a new method for your Dao path in the future. You must not be careless. Brace yourself!"

The Most Talented Woman Throughout the Ages

"But Master, I still cannot recognize many words..."

Li Qingjue looked slightly embarrassed, a little embarrassed.

"Hehe, what is so difficult about that?"