Hearing Yan's voice, Hu Liena instinctively felt disgust. She felt that Yan had actually made her teacher lose face in public, and that was unforgivable.
She did not open the door. "Yan, whatever you have to say, just say it."
"And please call me by my name. Don't call me Nana. You don't have that right."
"All right, all right."
Yan agreed repeatedly, then said:
"Hu Liena, here's the thing. I'd like to invite you to come with me to find Mount Lu Residence."
"Xu Jie became comparable to a deity in just nine years. That's enough to show the prospects of the immortal cultivation system."
"You want to betray Spirit Hall?" Hu Liena had no interest in hearing any more and interrupted him with a question.
"How can you call that betrayal?"
"I've already decided. I'll return everything Spirit Hall has given me."
"The sooner we join Mount Lu Residence, the better it will be for us. Nana, come with me."
"Spirit Hall has no future."
"Enough, Yan! Do you even hear what you're saying?"
"I'm Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden, and my teacher is the Pope. I could never betray Spirit Hall. If you want to find Mount Lu Residence, go yourself. Leave me out of it."
"Yan, leave. I don't want to see you again." Hu Liena outright ordered him away.
Yan opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. Did Nana really not know how I felt?
He sighed, turned, and headed toward the Pope's Palace.
It was time to sever ties with Spirit Hall.
Mount Lu, Mount Lu Residence.
Seeing Xu Jie and Big White open their eyes, Big Yellow lost interest in arguing with Yu Xiaogang in the Chat Channel.
He ran toward Xu Jie and Big White.
"Master, Senior Sister, how do you feel? Look, I've reached the second layer of the Golden Core!"
"The Sky Curtain System is incredible."
"The Sky Curtain System is indeed far beyond anything ordinary. For this world, the Douluo Continent, it's still far beyond the scope of what belongs here."
"With its help, I've passed the first ordeal of the Immortal Ascension Tribulation and reached the first layer of Tribulation Transcendence. After eight more ordeals, I'll attain the Dao and become an immortal, ascending in broad daylight to the legendary Immortal Realm," Xu Jie said with feeling.
Big White also spoke. "Master, Junior Brother, I've broken through to the third layer of the Golden Core too."
Just as Xu Jie was about to discuss this with Big White and Big Yellow, a voice appeared in his mind.
"Young friend, why do you hide deep in the mountains?"
"Senior, could you be the Sky Curtain System?" Xu Jie asked respectfully.
After all, whatever else might be true, the other party had helped him pass his first Immortal Ascension Tribulation.
"The Sky Curtain System is merely one of this humble Daoist's avatars. I've sent out at least eight thousand such avatars, if not ten thousand."
"The creatures of the lower realms rejoice and grow excited because of them. Watching them gives me quite a sense of accomplishment, as well as some insights."
"Seeing your rare talent today, young friend, I decided to offer a few pointers."
"Please instruct me, Senior." Only now did Xu Jie realize how much he had underestimated the other party. He had never imagined that the Sky Curtain System was merely one of his avatars.
He immediately sought guidance with humility. This person could never be a fraud like Yu Xiaogang.
The sky curtain transmitted the voice once more.
"Young friend, why do you hide deep in the mountains?"
"Senior, naturally, it's to devote myself wholeheartedly to immortal cultivation, undisturbed by worldly affairs." Xu Jie voiced his truest thoughts.
"Immortal cultivation seeks transcendence, both in cultivation and in one's state of mind."
"Young friend, you have already achieved something in cultivation. After eight more Immortal Ascension Tribulations, you will attain the Dao and become an immortal."
"But your state of mind is somewhat lacking."
Xu Jie also felt that his state of mind had always been lacking, and hurriedly asked:
"Senior, I also feel that my state of mind is lacking. How should I resolve it?"
"If you truly were an innate being born of heaven and nurtured by earth, young friend, you naturally would not encounter these problems."
"But you possess memories of two lives. Dust has long since settled upon your mind."
"The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it."
"Young friend, without entering the mortal world, how could you transcend it?"
"As the saying goes, without setting foot in the mortal world, how can you know its joys and sorrows? Without experiencing the entanglements of love and hate, how can you distinguish true feelings from false, or find where your heart belongs?"
"Simply shunning the world and distancing yourself from worldly life is not true transcendence. It will only thicken the dust upon your mind. When the Heart Demon Tribulation comes, you may become lost within it."
"Only by personally tasting all the flavors of worldly life, holding fast to your true heart amid sorrow, joy, love, and desire, and seeing through your attachments can you truly transcend."
"Go and contemplate this yourself, young friend."
"I have only ever taught the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art to my disciple. Seeing your rare talent today, I will pass it on to you as well. I hope it may offer you some inspiration."
Xu Jie stood where he was. He understood!
He finally knew how to make up for what his state of mind lacked.
Mount Lu was, after all, neither the mortal world nor a place where mortals lived.
Seeing Xu Jie standing motionless, Big Yellow tugged at his clothes with a dog's paw and asked:
"Master, Master, what's wrong?"
Xu Jie looked at Big Yellow and Big White and instructed them, "Big Yellow, Big White, I'm going out for a while. I don't know how long I'll be gone. Look after Mount Lu Residence."
"If you encounter danger, call my true name. I will act to resolve it for you."
With that, Xu Jie's body grew increasingly faint as he left Mount Lu Residence and headed for the Douluo Continent.
Looking at the spot where Xu Jie had completely vanished, Big Yellow wept bitterly. "Ah, Master's so mean! He ran off to have fun without taking us, and he even wants us to watch the house!"
"Junior Brother, we should still prioritize cultivation right now. Don't think about having fun all day."
"Otherwise, the gap between us and Master will only grow wider." Seeing Big Yellow still looking miserable, Big White thought for a moment and decided to bring out her trump card.
"How about this, Junior Brother? I'll let you go into the sea and catch a fish to eat today."
"Hehe, Senior Sister, I knew you were the best!" Big Yellow immediately turned from sorrow to joy, even drooling.
Meanwhile, a certain Soul Beast in the sea with 990,000 years of cultivation suddenly felt a chill envelop him. His tail fin could be seen to have freshly regrown.
This 990,000-year-old Soul Beast was none other than the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
This made it impossible for him ever to forget that day.
A yellow dog as huge as a mountain had pinned him down with one paw, leaving him unable to move.
Fortunately, the yellow dog had spared his life, taking only his tail fin and giving him something round and plump as compensation.
Small as that thing was, it had actually regrown his tail fin and even made his divine body and divine soul somewhat more condensed.
Only when the Sky Curtain System exposed Mount Lu Residence did he learn that the big yellow dog he had encountered was a monster from Mount Lu Residence, an existence comparable to a deity.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King did not flee.
He even waited for Big Yellow with some anticipation.
If Big Yellow gave him another of those round, plump things from last time, he would be perfectly satisfied. He remembered that the thing seemed to be called a medicinal pill.
Mount Lu Residence.
Just as the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had thought, Big Yellow had initially intended to look for him. After all, his meat tasted the best. But upon seeing Gu Yuena flying toward Mount Lu in her true silver dragon form, he changed his mind.
"Senior Sister, how about we eat dragon meat today?"
Before you continue