Half-Demon, Sorry for the Trouble, Senior Brother

In the Dao-Seeking Courtyard, beneath the old pine.

A young female Daoist with bright eyes and pearly teeth sat cross-legged.

On a stone stool, Xuanming leafed through a scripture.

The sun and moon made their rounds, as though emerging from within it.

The river of stars shone brilliantly, as though born from its depths.

As the morning sun rose in the east and the waning moon sank in the west, the motionless female Daoist finally stirred.

A mountain wind rose from Emptiness, stirring the pine's crown.

Branches and leaves swayed with a soft rustling.

With the Dao-Seeking Courtyard at its center, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged like a rushing tide, flowing into Chang Ning's body.

Dawn and night mingled, sun and moon shining together.

The Yin and Yang energies between heaven and earth gathered in a haze and briefly billowed upward.

The two supreme celestial Stars each cast down a strand of energy, one golden and one silver, which circled Chang Ning before she absorbed them.

Crack, crack!

Something inside her body broke.

Chang Ning's aura continued to rise.

Just as she was about to enter the Second Realm, her brows suddenly drew tight. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her fair forehead, and her body trembled slightly, as though she were enduring excruciating pain.

Yet she neither stopped cultivating nor abandoned her breakthrough. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she continued drawing in the spiritual energies of Yin and Yang.

Young as she was, her resolve was already firm.

Crack, crack!

More sounds of shattering rang out.

Setting down the scripture, Xuanming frowned slightly.

There truly was something unusual about little Chang Ning.

It seemed a layer of seals was being broken.

The routes taken by the Yin and Yang spiritual energies differed slightly, too, as though two separate meridian systems were operating.

One absorbed yang energy, while the other drew in yin energy.

Then, following the principle that Yin and Yang both nurtured and restrained each other, they circulated simultaneously, colliding without cease. In the process, they canceled out the conflicting elements within her body, seeking common ground while preserving their differences, blending together yet remaining distinct.

Yin and Yang were following a mysterious course toward a delicate balance. Whether it would succeed depended on Chang Ning's perseverance and her mastery of the Yin-Yang Foundation Establishment Manual.

Crack, crack!

The sounds of shattering rang out without end.

They even traveled directly from inside her body to the outside.

As the seals broke, a strand of unusual energy spread from Chang Ning's body, the Clear and Turbid mingled.

Xuanming's expression changed.

At that moment, his earlier doubts were resolved as neatly as bamboo splitting beneath a blade.

He understood why Chang Ning had failed to enter the Second Realm for fifteen years, why there were seals on her body, and, more importantly, why she possessed two meridian systems.

It was all because she was a human...

A Half-Demon!!!

When taking a break from studying scriptures, Xuanming would read miscellaneous books to give his mind a change of pace, broaden his knowledge, and pass the time. Geography, historical miscellanies, medicinal scriptures, medical classics, ancient legends—he dabbled in them all, across a wide range of subjects and genres.

Since he was only reading whatever caught his eye, he naturally imposed no restrictions on himself.

That was precisely why he knew something about Half-Demons.

Such beings were neither demon nor human, yet both human and demon—a unique kind of existence between heaven and earth.

For a Half-Demon, even being born was no easy feat. Setting foot on the path of cultivation was harder still.

Aside from being rejected by the world and shunned on all sides, the chief reason was that they possessed both demonic and human meridians.

Like fire and water, the two kinds of meridians clashed and struggled to coexist. This greatly reduced the average lifespan of Half-Demons and made it difficult for them to achieve anything on the path of cultivation.

Throughout history, Half-Demons who embarked on the path of cultivation had been as rare as Phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Those who successfully established their foundations could be counted on one's fingers.

"The Heavenly Dao is Nonbeing inconstant, and worldly affairs ever-changing."

"To think this was the truth."

Xuanming stroked his beard with a sigh.

No wonder Chang Ning had remedied more than a decade of Primordial Heaven deficiencies in just three short months. She had never had any Primordial Heaven deficiency at all—that was merely the excuse Junior Sister Xuan Su had given others.

Chang Ning had been placed under a special seal by Xuan Su, deceiving even him. Had little Chang Ning not attempted this breakthrough, Xuanming would still have been kept in the dark.

At that moment, Xuanming felt rather fortunate that he had let the little girl attempt her breakthrough in the Dao-Seeking Courtyard. Otherwise, there would have been no telling whether fortune or disaster awaited.

He swept his fly whisk, and magical power flowed like water, forming a bowl of light that turned upside down over the Dao-Seeking Courtyard to prevent others from prying.

Then he remained seated on the stone stool, doing nothing more than watching Chang Ning.

He had done everything he should.

She could only overcome this trial herself.

Success would open boundless seas and skies before her.

Failure would leave her lost among the ordinary masses.

The two meridian systems were heaven and earth's trial for Half-Demons.

If he intervened, it would only backfire, adding frost to snow and making her situation worse.

Fortune was where disaster leaned; disaster was where fortune lay hidden.

Heaven and earth were fair, granting all living beings a slender chance at survival.

Xuanming believed this martial niece who had fallen into his lap could shatter her limits, surpass herself, and turn disaster into fortune.

Whoosh!

Several sounds of figures cutting through Emptiness rang out.

Xuanxu, Xuan Yang, Xuan Yin, and the others all sensed the disturbance on Dao-Treasuring Peak and arrived one after another.

Apart from Xuan Su, all the Daoists were present.

They stood outside the light barrier, exchanging looks.

"Senior Brother Xuanming actually put up the Layered Light Barrier. Could Martial Niece Chang Ning be breaking through to Foundation Establishment? Or is Martial Nephew Chang An rebuilding himself after being broken?"

Patting his ample belly, Xuan Kong offered his guesses.

It was no secret in the Truth-Seeking Abbey that Senior Brother Xuanming had taken a liking to Chang Ning and Chang An and was guiding them.

While envying their good fortune, all the Daoists wanted to slip their own disciples in as well. After all, Senior Brother Xuanming was no longer the man he had once been, and his abilities had earned their wholehearted admiration.

If their disciples received his guidance, they would surely benefit.

Unfortunately, Senior Brother Xuanming had refused them all.

In his words:

"After Senior Brother Xuan Ye passed away, Chang An had no master to teach him. He tended to me devotedly for six years, so there is a bond between us."

"In the past, Senior Brother Xuan Ye took great care of me. With both these things in mind, teaching Chang An is this old Daoist's way of repaying that kindness and fulfilling that bond."

"Little Chang Ning is very likely the one destined for the Yin-Yang Foundation Establishment Manual. That is why this old Daoist offered her guidance."

"The other disciples have masters like you to teach them. Why should I wear myself out guiding them?"

"I am sixty now, and my energy is limited. Unless something important happens, do not disturb this old Daoist's peace."

Recalling this, the Daoists felt a jumble of emotions.

Fortunately, they were all elders of the abbey. They soon cast aside their distracting thoughts and returned their attention to the question of who was making a breakthrough.

Xuan Yang laughed heartily and explained:

"Junior Brother Xuan Kong, there is no need to guess."

"I saw Chang An on the way here. The lad was carrying an entire tree on his back and climbing the mountain on foot, drenched in sweat from exhaustion, his skin split and flesh torn."

"This should be Martial Niece Chang Ning breaking through to Foundation Establishment."

"Still, that said..."

"Senior Brother Xuanming really is ruthless."

"Over these past three months, Chang An has been put through the wringer. Every day, he leaves early and returns late, relying entirely on his body's brute strength to work and cultivate."

"Not only does he often fall until his face is bruised and swollen, with not a single patch of uninjured flesh on him, but that fat of his has been dropping away at an astonishing rate. He has slimmed down a whole size. Even I can hardly bear to watch."

Xuanxu spoke. "Mind your words, Junior Brother."

"Senior Brother Xuanming must have a deeper purpose in doing this."

Xuan Yang, who looked like a burly man eight feet tall, instinctively shrank back and gave Xuanxu a sheepish smile.

"Senior Brother, of course I understand that. I was merely making conversation since everyone was waiting here."

At that moment, Xuan Kong chuckled and chimed in. "Junior Sister Xuan Su is usually so cool and reserved. When she comes out of seclusion and discovers that her precious daughter has actually restored her Primordial Heaven essence and entered Foundation Establishment, she will probably be stunned. Her expression is bound to be interesting."

"When the time comes, I must be there to watch and record Junior Sister Xuan Su's expression with a Projection Stone."

Glancing at the gossip-loving Xuan Kong, Xuan Tong said enviously, "She may not have taken flight before, but once she does, she will soar straight into the heavens."

"Though Martial Niece Chang Ning has suffered many twists of fate, if she succeeds in breaking through this time, she will establish a Superior Dao Foundation. Her fortunes will surely turn, and her future achievements will far surpass ours."

"I am rather envious of Junior Sister Xuan Su."

Those words left Xuan Kong speechless.

All the Daoists fell silent, Xuanxu included.

After a long while, Xuan Yang said, "If little Chang Ning successfully establishes her foundation, I will get my disciple in here even if Senior Brother Xuanming gives me a beating."

The Daoists nodded one after another, each speaking louder than the last:

"Junior Brother Xuan Yang has a point!"

"That is exactly what we must do!"

"We share fortune and face hardship together. I will come with you."

"I will join you all."

"As the abbey master, I ought to take the lead in this matter. If Senior Brother blames us, I am willing to shoulder the responsibility alone."

Xuan Yin immediately said, "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother."

The Daoists caught on at once and offered their thanks.

"The capable shoulder more work. Thank you for your efforts, Senior Brother."

"No wonder you became abbey master, Senior Brother. You bravely shoulder heavy burdens. You have my admiration."

"Rest assured, Senior Brother. I will have Spirit Herbs ready."

Xuanxu: ...

Wasn't the law supposed to spare the multitude?

I was only going along with what you were saying.

For a moment, the master of the Truth-Seeking Abbey felt bitter inside, the pressure weighing on him like a mountain.