A Century of Withering and Flourishing, All Within a Dream

The unveiling of Sword Cliff set the Truth-Seeking Abbey ablaze with excitement.

The disciples were stirred into an uproar.

Every Daoist with Emptiness time to spare went to take a look.

They marveled at their elders' mighty feat of cleaving a cliff with a single sword stroke, praised their boldness in creating Sword Cliff, and rejoiced at gaining another precious place to comprehend the Dao and practice swordsmanship.

Some disciples possessed fine comprehension. Their first look yielded insights, and they began practicing the Eight Trigrams Sword Art on the spot, breaking through their bottlenecks. Their mastery of the art rose from a solid grounding to modest accomplishment, or even complete integration, greatly advancing their attainments in the way of the sword.

Some disciples undergoing the hundred-day Foundation Establishment felt a chill run through their entire bodies as they studied it. It was as though a sword thrust straight at their ~white tiger~ ancestral root, severing it in two with a clean, even cut. Most crucially, the person wielding the sword with such ruthless resolve to castrate them was none other than themselves. The lustful thoughts in their minds immediately diminished.

Some Daoists who had joined the abbey long ago studied the second sword mark. As they swung their swords, Sword Qi howled and sword light split apart. They comprehended sword intent, achieved great mastery of the Eight Trigrams Sword Art, and made rapid strides in strength.

Of course, these fortunate souls were only a minority. Their insights were inseparable from their accumulated practice and unwavering conviction: seven parts effort, three parts luck. Sword Cliff was merely a catalyst. Chance and inevitability existed together, and neither could be absent.

Most disciples gained Nonbeing on their first examination of Sword Cliff's sword marks. That was the norm. To gain anything, they would need to exert themselves and persevere in their contemplation.

Even so, with the shining examples of those few disciples before them, the others felt both challenged and greatly encouraged. As soon as Sword Cliff was unveiled, it gained a measure of fame within the Truth-Seeking Abbey.

Having witnessed Xuanming create Sword Cliff with their own eyes, Xuan Kong, Xuan Yang, and the other third-generation Daoists benefited immensely.

After introducing Sword Cliff and announcing its rules, they departed one after another, eager to return and enter seclusion to contemplate what they had gained. Even Xuanxu, the abbey master, was no exception.

Yet one person did the opposite. Rather than return to her residence, she headed straight for Dao-Treasuring Peak.

Dao-Treasuring Peak, the Scripture Pavilion.

Tea fragrance filled the air, its heavenly aroma clearing the mind.

Holding a Daoist scripture, Xuanming read attentively.

To him, Sword Cliff was merely a passing interlude. Though it had required some ingenuity and thought, it had not cost him much effort. Ultimately, it was simply a place for the disciples to practice swordsmanship.

Things had their relative weight, and affairs their priorities. Cultivating the Dao for longevity, reading scriptures, and contemplating profound mysteries were what mattered. Everything else was merely branches and twigs.

Half an hour later, Xuanming was not at all surprised to see his junior sister Xuan Su arrive uninvited.

Parents who loved their children planned far ahead for them.

Chang Ning's secret had been exposed before him. Now that he had emerged from seclusion, given how deeply Xuan Su cherished and protected her, she was bound to visit and ask him to keep that secret.

"Greetings, senior brother!"

Xuan Su bowed in a Daoist salute.

Setting down his scripture, Xuanming rose and returned the salute.

At his gesture, the two Daoists sat facing each other.

The tea water bubbled, white vapor rising and gathering into mist as curling wisps of fragrance wafted toward them.

Neither spoke, and silence hung between them.

Xuanming patiently prepared the tea, while Xuan Su hesitated over what to say.

"This is mountain tea I roasted myself in my spare time. It is a rustic thing, hardly fine tea, but it has a flavor of its own. Why not try some, junior sister?"

Rinsing the teaware, warming the cups, brewing the tea...

Pushing a cup of clear tea before Xuan Su, Xuanming broke the silence first, then drank his own tea at leisure.

Xuan Su blew gently over it, revealing the emerald-green infusion. The tea leaves floated upon the water like little boats, a sight full of beauty and charm.

She took a small sip. Sweetness and bitterness bloomed together on her tongue, and a warm current flowed into her body. Like a spring breeze brushing over a mountain ridge, it carried the breath of nature and left her comfortable from head to toe. Though no famous tea, its flavor was quite good.

"Wild tea's fragrance steals over the senses, easing the cares of the mortal world. You certainly know how to enjoy life, senior brother."

Xuan Su spoke with heartfelt admiration.

After finishing a cup, much of her unease had faded. She set it down and finally stopped hesitating.

"Chang Ning was able to break through thanks to your careful guidance, senior brother. Please accept my thanks."

Xuan Su rose and bowed.

Xuanming neither affected modesty nor offered any grand-sounding pleasantries. Seated upright before the table, he accepted her thanks openly.

After all, it was an indisputable fact.

"And thank you for not exposing Chang Ning's identity, and for taking the trouble to reinforce her seal."

Xuan Su bowed again.

Xuanming accepted this just as calmly.

Then Xuan Su sat down again. Without beating around the bush, she went straight to the point. "You are exceptionally wise, senior brother. I imagine you have already guessed why I came. Since you know Chang Ning's identity, I will conceal nothing further. Chang Ning is—"

Before she could finish, Xuanming interrupted her with a wave of his hand.

Refilling her tea, he asked in return, "Would Chang Ning or you harm the Truth-Seeking Abbey, junior sister?"

Xuan Su shook her head and answered with ironclad resolve:

"My daughter and I both grew up in the Truth-Seeking Abbey. Our debt to our sect is as weighty as a mountain. Neither of us would ever repay kindness with betrayal. If the sect needs us in the future, we are both willing to do everything in our power, even at the cost of our lives."

Xuan Su's expression was earnest, every word sincere.

Xuanming nodded and continued:

"If I required Chang Ning to remain on the mountain until she became a Qi Refining True Person, would you agree, junior sister? And could Chang Ning abide by it?"

Xuan Su assured him solemnly, "Rest easy, senior brother. That was already my intention. Half a month ago, after learning of her identity, Chang Ning showed good sense and promised me as much. She was prepared to turn her back on worldly affairs and grow old in these mountain forests."

Taking a small sip of clear tea, Xuanming said leisurely, "In that case, you may go."

"All beings beneath Heaven have their own paths, their own fates, and their own stories. Joy and sorrow, parting and reunion, birth, aging, sickness and death, love, Hatred, affection and vengeance—all intertwine into a tangled skein, intricate and bewildering. So long as it does not endanger the sect, I have no interest in probing your past."

"As for Chang Ning, I know only that she is your daughter, my martial niece, and a disciple of the Truth-Seeking Abbey."

"Nothing else matters."

Xuan Su froze briefly, then understood. Delighted and moved, she quickly stood and bowed once more.

"Thank you, senior brother."

Xuanming waved his hand dismissively.

After Xuan Su left, he finished the tea in his cup and resumed reading his scripture.

The words he had just spoken came from the depths of his heart.

He had little interest in his junior sister Xuan Su's past.

A century's affairs, great and small, withering and flourishing, passed before the eyes like a dream. Beyond longevity, nothing was of great consequence.

So long as it did not delay his cultivation, everything else was superficial. Whether little Chang Ning was human or demon could be a great matter or a small one.

If she left the mountain and risked exposure, it naturally mattered. If she stayed, a great matter could be reduced to a small one.

Cultivators of the Dao should have broad horizons, open hearts, and unfettered minds. Chang Ning was indeed a half-demon, but she could not choose her birth, and she had committed no wrong. Why split hairs over it?

Cultivation was harder for half-demons. By the time Chang Ning became a Qi Refining True Person, he would likely have reached Spirit Refining. Then, not only would the girl have some ability to protect herself, but even if her identity were exposed, he could shoulder the consequences.

In many matters, there would no longer be any need to act with their hands and feet bound.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xuan Su's figure gradually shrink into a black dot. Xuanming transmitted his voice:

"Young people are restless, and Chang Ning is still young. Being confined to Pure Maiden Peak all day is bound to bore her. Over time, it could shackle and stifle both body and mind. So long as she does not leave Floating Cloud Mountain, let her wander as she pleases. Entrusting her feelings to mountains and streams and nurturing her body and mind will also aid her cultivation."

"With both your restrictions and mine in place, no one in the Truth-Seeking Abbey can see through her identity."

At his words, Xuan Su trembled slightly.

She turned to look at the Scripture Pavilion and transmitted her thanks.

Here is the second update. I have things to attend to these two days; I will find time later to make up the one update owed today.