Jiang Jinyue had reported the Demon Realm matter to her master, then promptly forgotten all about it. Mu Xunzhen was naturally not as unreliable as she was and had long since assigned someone specifically to investigate.
"What did you find? Let me hear it."
"As you know, Sect Master, the Six Continents of the Southern Dipper are themselves a suppression array. In principle, with such an immense configuration of heaven and earth serving as the array, the Demon Realm should never see the light of day."
"Get to the point."
"But we have indeed found demonic qi leaking in certain places... We investigated the spot where Jinyue said the demonic dragon emerged from the sea. There were indeed some abnormalities on the seabed that caused contamination. So over on Tianliang Continent, the Resounding Sword Sect probably wasn't overreacting. I suspect they really did discover something."
Mu Xunzhen pondered for a moment. "What do you think could have caused the demonic qi to leak?"
"If demonic cultivators sabotaged it from the surface, constructing various arrays to connect to the abyss and draw demonic qi upward, there would be some possibility of creating fissures." The subordinate sounded somewhat perplexed himself. "But all these years, the demonic cultivators in this world have been nothing but lunatics who know only how to practice evil arts. We've never seen them attempt to bring the Demon Realm through. Most importantly, in theory, no one knows how to do it. I don't know how they learned..."
Mu Xunzhen frowned in thought for a long while, then said quietly, "If someone left contingencies back then, I wonder whether reincarnation might be possible... Reincarnation, reincarnation..."
The subordinate stole a glance at Mu Xunzhen, somewhat speechless.
One look at the sect master's wandering expression told him that the notion of "reincarnation" had probably led her thoughts elsewhere, such as her stubborn search for someone.
But there was no underworld in this world. Reincarnation was only a theory, and no concrete proof had ever been seen.
He still could not resist offering a word of advice. "Sect Master, the theory of reincarnation is unreliable. You mustn't head down a dead end."
Mu Xunzhen drifted off for a while, then shook her head slightly. "Even if it isn't reincarnation, some sort of contingency must have been left behind. There must be a central figure coordinating this. This person is exceedingly dangerous..."
The subordinate did not dare make a sound. If even the sect master called someone exceedingly dangerous, he could imagine how terrifying they must be.
Mu Xunzhen asked again, "Also, are you certain their plan involves arrays?"
"That's what the news from the Resounding Sword Sect says. They said traces of an array were discovered in Five Willows City, but it had already been destroyed, so they couldn't say exactly what it was for."
"An array doesn't work merely because someone carves a few diagrams into the ground. It requires many array cores to construct, and these cores must be important objects connected to the Demon Realm... Did the Resounding Sword Sect obtain anything at the time?"
"They didn't mention that... Either they didn't find anything, or... someone took it away beforehand?"
Mu Xunzhen thought for a while, then abruptly asked, "Were the abnormalities you found on the seabed enough to contaminate a dragon?"
The subordinate paused. "There really wasn't much demonic qi. Perhaps it accumulated over time?"
"Speculation is meaningless," Mu Xunzhen said coldly. "What if it wasn't contaminated by demonic qi, but had swallowed something instead?"
The subordinate started in alarm. "If that's the case, then the Yun Clan..."
"It's only a guess. It needs verification. Where is the Yun Clan staying now?"
"They're several thousand li away from us now. I don't know whether they're still on the road."
"Go investigate the Yun Clan and see whether anything is amiss. Remember to investigate in secret. Don't imitate Qin Poxu and beat the grass to startle the snake. These crude sword cultivators are simply imbeciles."
"Yes."
"Wait." Mu Xunzhen suddenly said, "Take Jinyue with you. She discovered and reported this, so she ought to see it through from beginning to end. I sent her out alone to gain experience, yet all she cared about was teasing a younger boy. What sort of behavior is that...? Assist her this time, and make her do some proper work."
The subordinate said, "...Yes."
After answering, he hesitated and did not leave.
Mu Xunzhen asked curiously, "Why are you still here?"
The subordinate said, "We still await your instructions regarding this year's selection of outer disciples for entry into the inner sect, as well as the rules for the competition between the various peaks' disciples."
"Follow precedent. Whatever rewards they decide on, just submit them for me to look over."
"Er... But the main peak has a new disciple this year too. The elders wished to ask whether you intended to have him participate."
"Since when have Qi Refining disciples had a place in the competition between the inner sect's peaks? Or do you want him to take part in the outer sect selection? Ridiculous. There's still some time, anyway. I'll see how Qi Yan's cultivation progresses before deciding. Go ahead with your own arrangements. That will be all."
The subordinate accepted her orders and withdrew.
Mu Xunzhen's divine sense settled over Jiang Jinyue's garden. Qi Yan was rubbing his swollen, kicked backside as he walked toward his cave abode alone, while Jiang Jinyue sulked in her own garden, refusing even to show him the way.
Mu Xunzhen found it rather amusing. Suddenly, she transmitted her voice to Qi Yan. "If you can break through to the late Qi Refinement stage within one month, I'll reward you with a magical artifact. If you reach the threshold of the late stage without breaking through, there will be neither reward nor punishment. If you fall far short, your punishment will be to eat Jinyue's cooking for ten days, and you may not help cook."
Walking along the mountain path, Qi Yan nearly hooked his left foot around his right and stumbled before steadying himself.
Master, is this how you play?
He had thought that, after finally gaining a master and escaping his previous pressures, he could rest properly for a while. Instead, the pressure had come crashing down without warning.
I only just broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement... The late stage starts at the seventh layer. Is that a gap I can cross in a month? This is the middle Qi Refining stage now, not the early stage like before. It's at least several times harder, you know! Back in Anding City, that gap would have been measured in lifetimes.
Fine, this is the Heavenly Evolution Sect, not Anding City, but I still haven't the slightest confidence... And the punishment for failing is far too brutal. Is Jiang Jinyue's cooking fit for human consumption? And I'd have to eat it for ten days!
Mu Xunzhen's leisurely voice continued to reach him. "There is an ice jade bed fashioned from ten-thousand-year cold jade in Jinyue's cave abode. It will help with your situation. Combined with the pills I gave you, it won't be difficult as long as you apply yourself."
She truly had not intended to put pressure on a disciple who had only just joined, nor was this for the sake of that so-called competition. That hardly mattered. If he made it in time, he could participate and treat it as experience; if not, then so be it.
What truly mattered was the news about the Demon Realm... Mu Xunzhen practiced divination of heaven's secrets, and over the past year or two, she had increasingly felt those secrets growing obscure and unfathomable. Almost everything she looked at was shrouded in a hazy mist. The more this happened, the more Mu Xunzhen felt that something momentous could happen at any moment, a premonition of gathering winds and clouds, with time waiting for no one.
Ten thousand years ago, they had felt such a premonition too... That time, heaven had toppled and earth had caved in, and who knew how many had died.
Perhaps her own death was not far off either... She could not be as casual as she had been when raising Jinyue. She needed to supervise him more closely and push him harder. Once Qi Yan reached Foundation Establishment, she would have to send him out immediately to temper himself.
She hoped there was still time.
When she looked at Qi Yan again, he had already entered the cave abode. Mu Xunzhen had personally built this abode for Jiang Jinyue back then. Its defenses were so robust that even Mu Xunzhen herself could not easily peer inside.
Of course, she was hardly going to spy on a disciple anyway. She soon closed her eyes to cultivate and said no more.
Poor Qi Yan had no idea that Jiang Jinyue was about to be sent away, and he would never have to eat her cooking... He only felt that this pressure had come out of nowhere. Utterly bewildered, he entered the cave abode and found the main chamber.
One glance told him why Jiang Jinyue no longer lived here herself.
The quiet cultivation of immortals was bitter indeed.
Look at what was inside this main chamber: an ice jade bed, a meditation cushion... That was it. There was nothing else.
And they even claimed the ice jade bed aided cultivation... All right, perhaps it really did, but was this a place for a human being to live?
Before he even approached it, the cold made Qi Yan shiver. He had no idea whether, with his meager cultivation, lying on the ice jade bed would turn him into an ice pop.
Yang Guo had lived in a place like this and ended up making a move on his master, but Qi Yan did not dare entertain the thought. Besides, his master had not strung up a rope to sleep on, so there was no lovely view to admire even if he wanted to.
With Jiang Jinyue's temperament, it would be a miracle if she willingly lived here. Qi Yan suspected she had not even stayed for more than a few months. At least, he could see no signs of daily life here at all. He would not find any secondhand belongings his senior sister had personally used... Oh, did sharing the same bed or meditation cushion count?
With an ache in his balls, Qi Yan searched the cave abode for ages. In what looked like an herb garden at the back, he found some weeds, carried them into the main chamber, and spread them over the ice jade bed before trying to sleep on it.
He was utterly exhausted today. Normally, he would have fallen asleep the instant his head touched the pillow, but today he tossed and turned, unable to sleep at all.
Forget it. I'll try meditating and cultivating, and see how much it helps.
In principle, this thing should assist cultivation of Dao Arts, clearing the mind and calming thoughts and so on... But we only just said that Witchcraft is best cultivated while moving. They don't fit together.
Cultivation is divided into Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and so on anyway. Whatever level my Witchcraft reaches, that's the level of my strength. There doesn't seem to be any need to cultivate a Daoist method alongside it. Dual cultivation should mean researching how to use Witchcraft as the foundation while outwardly employing Daoist techniques. That would make sense.
Then what use is the ice jade bed?
After trying the Qi Family Cultivation Method for a while, Qi Yan could not help letting out a surprised "Huh?"
According to his own experience and what Little Crybaby had said before, the magical power of Witchcraft and the "qi" of Daoism were similar in nature, but not entirely identical. There was a subtle difference that was difficult to put into words. Even the texts used different characters for them.
But as he circulated his cultivation while sitting on the ice jade bed, he felt threads of coolness seep into him. The sense of "flesh-and-blood wilderness" associated with the human body in Witchcraft seemed to recede considerably as a result. His magical power grew light and clear, approaching the qi of Dao Arts ever more closely.
In other words, the two could be converted into one another.
At the lower stages of cultivation, this ice jade bed helped facilitate that conversion. Presumably, once he reached a certain point, he would master the knack of switching between them at will and no longer need the ice jade bed.
This thing... It's practically tailor-made for me. I wonder why it appeared at such a perfect moment. Oh, perhaps it also helps Jiang Jinyue cultivate Dao Arts. It isn't limited to a single use.
Just as his awareness grew hazy, the jade pendant inside his ring vibrated softly.
Qi Yan stopped cultivating and answered it, an auntie-like smile instinctively creeping onto his face. "Little Crybaby, what is it?"
Little Crybaby's cheerful voice came from the other end. "There's a result from what happened last time! I'm reporting to Brother A-Yan."
"Oh, right. That business where your elder sent the Zhao uncle and nephew to the Law Enforcement Hall... Did the interrogation take all these days? What happened afterward?"
Little Crybaby bubbled with delight. "A complete victory~ Sixth Senior Brother was expelled. He won't be Sixth Senior Brother anymore!"