Mystery

The Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts, the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts.

As someone from Blue Star, he naturally knew of them.

His swordsmanship and Wind Riding were very similar to the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts.

Seeing the birds and beasts surrounding Tang Yao, he had asked offhandedly, never expecting...

From what she meant, they were actually real?

Already determined to cultivate immortality, he immediately grew interested upon seeing someone perform magical arts before his very eyes.

"That really was the Beast Gathering and Bird-Taming Art? I thought I was seeing things."

He moved closer. "What other magical arts do you know?"

"Asking about someone's magical arts at your very first meeting is rather rude."

Tang Yao spoke.

The disciple beside them introduced him. "Grandmaster Qin Lian is one of our Pure Yang Sword Sect's seven grandmasters. He holds an exalted position."

"Oh."

Tang Yao acknowledged him.

She showed little reaction.

For a moment, the disciple could only explain helplessly to Qin Lian, "Please forgive her, Grandmaster Qin. Junior Sister Tang is still young, and her disposition is rather cold. Never mind us-even when the sect master calls her, she sometimes doesn't respond."

"A cold disposition?"

Qin Lian looked at the little girl.

Thirteen or fourteen was an age meant to be bright with sunshine, and she was so delicately lovely, yet she insisted on putting on an air of mature composure. That aloofness that kept people a thousand miles away...

He could not resist replying, "Beast Gathering and Bird Tuning are merely minor arts. Compared with true great divine abilities, they aren't worth a smile."

"Great divine abilities? What are great divine abilities?"

Tang Yao immediately turned her curious gaze toward him.

Her eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge.

A child after all.

"Star-Shifting and Dipper-Turning, Yin-Yang Reversal, Womb Transformation and Form Changing, Spirit Roaming and Qi Commanding, Creation Manipulation... The great divine abilities in this world number far beyond the millions. How could a few words explain them all?"

Satisfied that he had broken through her "cold" facade, Qin Lian gave an offhand reply and had no intention of continuing the conversation.

But Tang Yao's eyes shone as she listened, and she quickly followed him.

Keeping her still-childish face taut, she solemnly performed a somewhat strange salute. "I failed to recognize the senior before me. Please forgive me, Senior, and please teach me."

"So, what other magical arts do you know?"

Qin Lian asked again.

"Beast Gathering, Bird Tuning, divination, and the Illusory Form Technique."

Divination?

Illusory Form?

He had never heard of those two magical arts.

But he could more or less guess their effects.

It was just that...

Four magical arts did not form a coherent system.

"What Dao body do you have?"

He asked.

Tang Yao looked at Qin Lian, hesitation appearing on her face again.

In the end, she said nothing.

At this point, however, Qin Lian began to feel that something was wrong.

He was not the sort to meddle.

Yet upon seeing this little girl...

He had inexplicably felt an urge to talk to her.

Especially that sense of "spiritual grace" about her...

Besides making him want to draw close, it faintly stirred an urge to "destroy."

As though...

Something with such "spirituality" simply could not be allowed to exist in this world.

This Dao body... is probably quite extraordinary!

Qin Lian realized something.

He had read in certain texts that those with extraordinary Dao bodies could manifest supernatural qualities even without ever cultivating.

Although he was determined to cultivate immortality, someone whose background was clearly extraordinary at a glance...

Was best kept at a distance.

He immediately said, "Our Chunyang's Forget-the-World Peak follows the lineage of Spirit Refining and Dao cultivation. Although no True Person currently presides there, it has no shortage of Daoist texts, along with some magical art inheritances."

Then he added, "Even a tower ten thousand feet tall must rise from level ground. Practicing true arts likewise requires steady progress. If you truly wish to seek the Dao, go to Forget-the-World Peak."

With that, he hurriedly turned and left.

Tang Yao said nothing, but quickly followed him.

This made Qin Lian frown.

"What are you following me for?"

Tang Yao still said nothing.

She simply followed him.

Why was this little girl so disobedient?

Wait!

It seemed...

At the very beginning, he had been drawn by the aura of "spiritual grace" about her, and only upon seeing her refuse to listen to anyone while putting on an air of mature composure had he felt the urge to "tease" her?

Had she latched onto him?

Just then, Li Wangxu's voice reached him.

"Pavilion Master Qin."

Having finally finished his work, he strode over.

"After returning yesterday, I spent a long time pondering the matters you mentioned concerning Round Earth, Square Heaven and what lies beyond the Great Void. There are some questions I would like to ask..."

"I came today precisely to continue discussing the Dao with you, Sect Master."

"Excellent. Please."

Li Wangxu gestured invitingly and led him toward a study within the gardens.

Qin Lian followed closely.

But when he saw Tang Yao following as well, he turned toward Li Wangxu.

Li Wangxu was also somewhat surprised by the sight. "Grandmaster Qin, you actually get along with Miss Yao?"

"For some reason, I chatted a little nonsense with her. I never expected her to take it seriously..."

Qin Lian said.

"Chatted a little nonsense..."

Li Wangxu glanced at Qin Lian. "Then what Pavilion Master Qin said about Round Earth, Square Heaven and what lies beyond the Great Void..."

"Was certainly founded on substance!"

Qin Lian immediately assured him.

Only then did Li Wangxu nod. Glancing at Tang Yao out of the corner of his eye, he chose his words. "Although she is called Tang Yao, she chose that name herself when she came up the mountain. Her real name is unknown, and her origins are unclear."

He paused. "She came bearing the late Peak Master Tang's token, seeking his assistance, never expecting that he had already passed away... According to her, relatives will soon come to take her away from Great Shang... So I let her stay in my courtyard for a while."

After hearing this, Qin Lian condensed his true qi into a thread and transmitted his voice privately. "Sect Master, you must be able to tell that she possesses a Dao body, and that it... should be quite extraordinary. I suspect it falls outside the Five Spirit Dao Bodies..."

"That is indeed the case."

A trace of regret showed in Li Wangxu's eyes. "If she merely possessed one of the Five Spirit Dao Bodies, I would gladly send her to Forget-the-World Peak and spare no effort nurturing her. But her spiritual grace is innate, and in all likelihood, hers is a special Dao Body. Our Chunyang's Spirit Refining lineage has already declined. Staying in Chunyang would only squander her future..."

He paused, unwilling to accept it. "Moreover, among today's Spirit Refining lineages, to put it nicely, all revere the Three Pure Ones Temple as their leader. To put it bluntly, the Three Pure Ones Temple alone controls the Divine Dao and regards everyone with a Dao Body within Great Shang as its exclusive preserve. The Five Spirit Dao Bodies within each sect's own territory are one thing, but if a special Dao Body like hers were exposed..."

The sect master did not continue, but Qin Lian understood his meaning.

Yet if even Li Wangxu, a Second Grade grandmaster, was powerless in such matters, what could Qin Lian do?

Li Wangxu also understood that saying more would serve no purpose.

"In short, let us wait for her relatives to come and take her away."

"Then, with her following me now..."

"Just let her follow you. It probably won't be for long. Or think of something yourself-find her something to do and send her off."

As Li Wangxu spoke, he glanced at Qin Lian and smiled. "Consider it... helping me handle a little incidental chore outside our discussions of the Dao?"

Qin Lian understood his meaning.

The sect master clearly intended to have him help look after the child in exchange for the two of them sitting down to discuss the Dao every day from then on.

After all, although Qin Lian's unusual ideas had a certain novelty, how could their value compare with meticulous, daily, one-on-one guidance from a Second Grade grandmaster?

"Then I'll do as you say, Sect Master."

Qin Lian immediately agreed.

Now he even hoped Tang Yao would not leave too soon.

At the very least, she could wait until he had maxed out his Great Void Visualization Diagram through Li Wangxu before leaving.