Pi Lu Xian froze on the spot. "How is that possible? How could the few hens Hong Ze keeps be Great Luo Golden Immortals?"
"Isn't it obvious enough? This must have been deliberately arranged by Master. It was to protect Hong Ze's safety, but to spare his pride, he had them appear in their true forms."
Pi Lu Xian and the Empress of Heaven nodded repeatedly, and she sighed. "Master is far too biased. What is there about that useless waste that Master likes so much? Could he be Master's illegitimate son?"
"Watch your words. If Master hears that, I'm afraid having your cultivation crippled will be the least of your troubles."
At Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's words, worry instantly appeared on Pi Lu Xian's face.
He did not dare say another word and hurried back with Chang Er Ding Guang Xian to report to Duobao Daoren.
When Duobao Daoren learned that Hong Ze had relied on Master Tongtian's help to cripple Pi Lu Xian's cultivation, a smile appeared on his face.
"You have no one to blame but yourself for being too weak and unworthy of your position. For the future of the Jie Sect, you can only be sacrificed."
Hong Ze had no idea that Duobao Daoren had already devised a vicious scheme to ruin his reputation.
He continued living as he always had, playing the qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, tending flowers, and feeding fish every day.
Since no amount of cultivation could improve his strength, he simply gave up cultivating altogether.
That day, Zhao Gongming suddenly came to visit. Two other people whom Hong Ze did not know had come with him.
When Zhao Gongming arrived before Hong Ze, he immediately performed the formal bow of a half-disciple.
Then he said to the two people beside him, "Why aren't you greeting your Eldest Grand-Uncle?"
Seeing that even their master had performed the bow of a half-disciple, the two were utterly confused, for they had already seen Hong Ze's cultivation.
They could not understand why their master would act this way. This Eldest Grand-Uncle's cultivation is inferior even to ours.
However, since their master had already performed the bow of a half-disciple, how could they dare show disrespect toward this Eldest Grand-Uncle?
The two exchanged glances, then simply dropped to their knees and bowed to Hong Ze.
Hong Ze hurriedly reached out to help them up and said,
"I don't have so many rules here. There is no need for such grand formalities in the future."
After saying that, he gestured for Zhao Gongming and his two disciples to enter.
Zhao Gongming did not stand on ceremony and followed Hong Ze into the Thatched Cottage.
Without waiting for Hong Ze to do anything, he took out the tea set himself.
As he brewed tea personally, he said to Hong Ze,
"Thanks to Eldest Senior Brother's guidance, how else could Gongming have taken in these two fine disciples?"
Hong Ze clearly remembered that Zhao Gongming's two disciples were Chen Jiugong and Yao Shaosi.
But what did this have to do with him? Hong Ze was utterly baffled.
Zhao Gongming naturally noticed Hong Ze's expression and immediately said,
"Eldest Senior Brother truly is one to forget favors. Do you remember telling me to go to Mount Wuyi? These two are Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao of Mount Wuyi."
Only then did Hong Ze remember. So I really did change Zhao Gongming's fate.
Now that Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao had become Zhao Gongming's disciples, the matter of the Treasure-Dropping Coin knocking down the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl presumably would not happen.
He immediately nodded and said, "Since you have taken them as disciples, you must teach them well.
"I see that their cultivation does not match their states of mind. If they cannot improve their states of mind, they will inevitably be led astray by others in the future."
At Hong Ze's words, Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao's faces filled with dissatisfaction.
You're only a Heavenly Immortal. What right do you have to judge two Mystic Immortals like us? And you dare lecture us about states of mind?
Had Zhao Gongming not been present, and had Hong Ze not been their Eldest Grand-Uncle, they would likely have struck to kill him already.
But Zhao Gongming's reaction was entirely different. When he heard Hong Ze's words, worry appeared on his face.
He hurriedly asked Hong Ze, "Eldest Senior Brother, logically speaking, one need not deliberately cultivate one's state of mind before reaching the Golden Immortal realm.
"They are only Mystic Immortals. How could they possibly suffer from unstable states of mind?"
Hong Ze had long expected Zhao Gongming to ask this. This was precisely what Hong Ze had been waiting for.
He immediately said to Zhao Gongming, "Junior Brother Gongming, have you heard of the Red Cloud Ancestor?"
Zhao Gongming nodded. "Though Gongming has never met the Red Cloud Ancestor, I have heard of his deeds.
"He once gave up his seat in Zixiao Palace and received the Primordial Violet Qi bestowed by our Patriarch.
"Unfortunately, his blessings were insufficient in the end. Not only did he fail to attain the position of a Saint, but he also lost his life."
Hong Ze nodded. "The Red Cloud Ancestor met such an end precisely because his state of mind was unstable.
"As a quasi-Saint who had achieved Three Corpses Severing, he only needed sufficient opportunities and merit to use the Primordial Violet Qi to Prove the Dao and Become a Saint.
"But he did not understand the dangers of the prehistoric world and regarded everyone as his friend.
"He believed his friends' words without question and held not the slightest suspicion toward his enemies' words either.
"He did not know that the moment he obtained the Primordial Violet Qi, he had become the target of all.
"Yet he was completely unaware of it and even felt smug over obtaining the Primordial Violet Qi. This made his state of mind even more impossible to stabilize.
"Your two disciples, however, are in a situation vastly different from that of the Red Cloud Ancestor back then.
"Although they are merely Mystic Immortal cultivators, they possess a powerful Innate Spiritual Treasure.
"I presume that when Junior Brother Gongming accepted them as disciples, you must have witnessed the power of that Innate Spiritual Treasure as well?"
The moment Hong Ze said this, Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao truly could no longer remain calm.
They indeed possessed an Innate Spiritual Treasure: the Treasure-Dropping Coin, which could knock down every treasure under heaven.
Yet the Treasure-Dropping Coin had fallen into their hands the moment it was born, and no one else knew of it.
It could even be said that before meeting Zhao Gongming, they had never used the Treasure-Dropping Coin. How had Hong Ze known about it?
Not only were Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao filled with shock, but even Zhao Gongming could not help placing his teacup on the table.
It seems Eldest Senior Brother truly has Proved the Dao and Become a Saint. He can stand in one place and know what happens thousands of miles away.
At the same time, he did not forget to say to Hong Ze, "Eldest Senior Brother truly sees all. Their Treasure-Dropping Coin is indeed extraordinary.
"If the Treasure-Dropping Coin could not only knock down magical treasures and was not completely useless against weapons, Gongming might not have been able to make them willingly take me as their master."
Hong Ze smiled and nodded. "Think about it. With the Treasure-Dropping Coin, two Mystic Immortals nearly defeated you, a Great Luo Golden Immortal.
"Wouldn't the power of the Treasure-Dropping Coin make their states of mind frivolous and unstable?
"And there is one more thing that I, your Eldest Grand-Uncle, must tell you. Use the Treasure-Dropping Coin as little as possible. It would be best not to use it at all."
Before you continue