Meeting an Old Friend

"Jade Void Mountain has gained quite a few more disciples these days."

Several hours had passed by the time Fang Zelin left the back mountain.

"Yes, the Great Qian Dynasty has been peaceful for hundreds of years, and there are many more people of good character. Not only Jade Void Mountain, but also other sects such as Jade Willow Mountain have seen a significant increase in disciples."

"There are approximately tens of thousands of cultivators within the Great Qian Dynasty at present."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xuzi immediately smiled broadly.

When my master left, he instructed me to revitalize the Daoist Sect.

The current state of Jade Void Mountain must be living up to Master's expectations.

"Are there tens of thousands of cultivators?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin was slightly dazed.

Tens of thousands of cultivators—this is far more than the mere hundred or so cultivators back then.

With such cultivators in various sects and sects, he doesn't need to worry too much.

"If there are any other matters in the future, please come to Yingping Peak. I will not be going out for some time."

Fang Zelin thought for a moment, then said something else to the other person.

"Yes!"

Qin Xuzi was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly nodded in agreement.

Given Senior Fang's Divine Ability, even if other troubles arise in the future, Senior Fang will surely help resolve them.

Fang Zelin nodded to the other party, then took off on his sword.

With a faint chime, Bearing the Heavens swiftly broke through the air and disappeared.

Fang Zelin did not return directly to Yingping Peak, but instead headed towards Northern Liang.

Having cultivated for so long, seeing so many familiar faces depart one after another filled Fang Zelin with a sense of nostalgia for his old friends.

So now, he's preparing to visit one or two old friends from his past in Northern Liang.

Bearing the Heavens led Fang Zelin and flew swiftly into the distance. After flying for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the entrance of Rising Tide Valley.

Fang Zelin looked down and saw that there were countless cultivators below Rising Tide Valley.

Countless cultivators sat cross-legged before various mountain peaks, quietly cultivating and meditating.

At first glance, on a mountain peak, small sections of the cliff faces have been carved out.

The cultivators sat in these places, quietly cultivating their minds.

Nourished by the Spiritual Qi, the trees on the mountain peaks appeared exceptionally verdant.

The trees surrounding the cultivators who were meditating grew even more lush and verdant, their canopies forming a protective canopy that sheltered them from the wind and rain.

"What Fellow Daoist Fang has come to visit?"

Fang Zelin made no attempt to conceal his aura. He had just stopped and glanced briefly at the cultivators below when he heard a soft shout coming from the main hall below.

Then a person flew out of the main hall and quickly headed towards Fang Zelin.

As the radiance dissipated, the people inside were revealed.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Yunzi.

Yunzi remained the same as before.

But his eyes were crystal clear.

Upon seeing that the person in front of her was Fang Zelin, Yunzi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, her face instantly brightening.

"I never expected it was Fellow Daoist Fang who came. It truly brings honor to my Xiao Xiao cultivation temple!"

Yunzi pursed her lips slightly, a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth, clearly very happy.

Her eyes shimmered as she scrutinized Fang Zelin from head to toe, as if trying to see how Fang Zelin had changed over the years.

"It has been a long time since we last met. Your cultivation has improved considerably, fellow Daoist."

Although Fang Zelin had no intention of concealing himself, the fact that the other party was able to detect his arrival so quickly showed that his skills had indeed improved considerably.

Yunzi pursed her lips slightly, then sighed.

"Unfortunately, I cannot discern even a trace of your cultivation level, fellow Daoist. I presume your cultivation has already far surpassed mine."

Yunzi paused here, then gestured slightly, "Fellow Daoist, it's a rare opportunity for you to come all this way. Surely you wouldn't turn back after entering the mountain gate? Shall we go downstairs and have a chat?"

At this point, Yunzi winked at Fang Zelin.

They were giving off the impression that if you didn't come, you were disrespecting them.

Fang Zelin had originally planned to come and sit for a while, and upon hearing this, he didn't hesitate and immediately followed the other person down.

After the two descended from the clouds, they landed on the training ground outside the main hall.

The disciples around had heard the sound earlier, and now that they saw their sect leader land with a fellow Daoist, they all cast strange glances at him.

"Who is that senior? He looks somewhat unfamiliar."

"I don't know who he is, but for the sect leader to treat him so well, he must be a highly accomplished master."

"Strange, I have been a disciple of this sect for over five hundred years, yet I have never seen this Daoist priest before. I wonder which reclusive senior he is, and that it is only now that I have the opportunity to meet him?"

"Senior sister has cultivated for over five hundred years and has never seen this Daoist priest? That is truly quite strange."

At this moment, whispers arose among the disciples around them.

His words were filled with curiosity about Fang Zelin.

There are also quite a few senior sisters here who have cultivated for hundreds of years.

The fact that none of these senior female students recognized this senior suggests that he must be truly extraordinary.

This level of cultivation must have been accumulated over a thousand years, right?

The length of time these cultivators can live actually represents the level of their cultivation.

Those who don't live long are unlikely to have very high levels of cultivation.

To live so long, one must have entered the Seeking Dao Mountain multiple times; under such circumstances, how could one's cultivation not be high?

"Your Rising Tide Valley remains as popular as ever, with many female disciples."

Looking at the female disciples around him, Fang Zelin couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

In other places, if there are many women, it would surely be a scene of beautiful women, with their cosmetics and makeup on full display.

But Rising Tide Valley is different.

Although there are mostly female disciples, there are very few male disciples.

But these female disciples all exuded a sense of righteousness, their hair was already combed up, and each of them had a handsome and heroic appearance.

Therefore, when I arrived at this place, I didn't feel any sense of romance or beauty.

"Alas, there have always been more women in our sect. Since we began cultivating, we have come to understand the difficulties women face in their cultivation."

"Although a cultivator with good character can be recruited into the sect, if one cannot enlighten them after being recruited, wouldn't that be misleading them?"

"Our sect has many female disciples, and we are skilled at answering their questions about cultivation. Over time, this has gradually led to our current state."

Upon hearing this, Yunzi smiled calmly and offered a brief explanation.

In the realm of spiritual cultivation, there are still some differences between men and women.

This is fundamentally due to one's mindset.

Therefore, female Daoist practitioners usually recruit female disciples to pass on their knowledge, so that they can answer their questions while the other disciples are cultivating.

If a male disciple were to be found, there might be some problems that I wouldn't be able to solve myself.

As the number of female disciples in Rising Tide Valley increased, it gradually took on this appearance.

Fang Zelin understood this point and nodded in agreement.

"I've heard that quite a few male disciples from other sects have found their dao companion with you. If this were in the mortal realm, your mother-in-law would be surrounded by sons-in-law!"

Suddenly, Fang Zelin thought of something and burst into laughter.

Other sects may occasionally have some female disciples, but they are very few.

Those who cultivate the Tao are not forbidden from dao companion.

In the past, cultivating the Tao was extremely difficult, and attaining enlightenment was extremely difficult.

Those who cultivate the Tao generally use their hearts to comprehend and understand its principles.

After all, he was already over forty when he entered the mountain gate.

An ordinary person's lifespan is only seventy or eighty years. If they cannot attain enlightenment within these decades, they will only turn into a handful of dust.

Therefore, people don't really care about finding a partner.

But things changed later.

The Daoist manual sent by Fang Zelin made it much easier for countless Daoist Sect to comprehend the Tao.

Furthermore, the closer the relationship between dao companion becomes, the greater the benefit to their cultivation.

Therefore, when they encounter fellow Daoists who share the same aspirations, cultivate the Great Dao, study the same Daoist texts, and have the same understanding of the Great Dao, they will become dao companion.

As a result, the number of dao companion among the Daoist Sect has increased considerably.

This also attracted many children from the mountain sects who had been born and raised to become Daoist Sect novices.

Influenced by the atmosphere of the Daoist Sect, these young Daoist disciples, after growing up, basically embarked on the path of cultivation.

Nowadays, many cultivators who were born into the Daoist Sect have joined the various mountain sects.

"What, fellow Daoist, are you also looking for a dao companion? If so, the disciples of our sect can certainly introduce you to a few."

"You must understand, the disciples in our sect attain enlightenment by studying your Daoist teachings. In terms of Daoist principles, there isn't a single disciple who doesn't contradict you."

As Yunzi spoke, a profound meaning appeared in her eyes.

When ordinary people look for a wife or husband, they value social standing or similar values.

In the Daoist Sect, finding dao companion is all about following the principles of Daoism.

Only when both parties are close to comprehending the Great Dao can they have the opportunity to become dao companion.

If their understanding of the Dao is different, how can they become dao companion?

Under these circumstances, Fang Zelin had no need to worry at all about having a different understanding of the Dao from any of his disciples.

After all, the teachings those disciples comprehended were all written by Fang Zelin.

In this situation, Fang Zelin could be said to be in sync with the disciples of Rising Tide Valley.

Upon hearing Yunzi's words, Fang Zelin was taken aback, then shook his head and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist, you jest. I have no such plans yet."

I came here simply to catch up with an old friend.

Everyone is quite busy when they are practicing their spiritual cultivation.

He came today, and the other party wasn't in seclusion, and he happened to have the time, so it must be fate.

Apart from that, Fang Zelin had no other ideas.

Upon hearing this, Yunzi gave a soft "oh," then looked at Fang Zelin with a half-smile and said softly.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, do you have no such plans, or have you already found a dao companion?"

Considering her previous fortune-telling sessions, this fellow practitioner was always accompanied by a woman.

Later, this fellow Daoist must have been comprehending some Great Dao, which made her unable to calculate the other party's location.

However, it is certain that the woman was always by this fellow Daoist's side.

Having been together for hundreds of years, the feelings or relationships between them must be extraordinary.

As Yunzi thought about this, and the question she had just asked, a sense of nervousness welled up inside her.

Fang Zelin was surprised to hear this, and turned to look at Yunzi with a puzzled expression, saying, "Fellow Daoist, why do you say that? I have been devoted to cultivating the Dao for hundreds of years, and I have never sought any dao companion."

"If I have indeed found dao companion, then I should send a letter to invite all my old friends over for a drink."

Fang Zelin's words brought a surge of joy to Yunzi's heart.

But she didn't show it on her face at all. When she saw Fang Zelin looking at her strangely, Yunzi, feeling a little guilty, immediately turned her head away.

"I was just thinking that with your current high level of cultivation, you should be able to find a dao companion to accompany you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to find someone to accompany you during the war against the Devil Cultivator back then."

Her tone was calm, making it impossible to discern her true thoughts.

Fang Zelin didn't think much of it upon hearing this, but his expression turned serious upon hearing about the battle against the Devil Cultivator. "I was unable to participate in that battle against the Devil Cultivator back then, and I truly feel ashamed."

"If I, Fang, had been there back then, I would have made sure that Devil Cultivator suffered a great loss."

After several battles and with his current level of cultivation, Fang Zelin has gained a better understanding of his own strength.

Although he had never fought against these Devil Cultivator, Fang Zelin believed he should be able to defeat them.

"Fellow Daoist, please have a seat."

Yunzi invited Fang Zelin to sit down before continuing, "Regarding the battle against the Devil Cultivator, Fellow Daoist Fang, please don't feel too guilty. Every cultivator has a responsibility to eliminate demons; it's not just your responsibility alone."

"It is perfectly normal for a fellow Daoist to go into seclusion for cultivation."

Before Fang Zelin traveled around, he wrote many Daoist letters and sent them to various temples.

It is precisely because of these Daoist texts that these Daoist Daoist Sect have achieved their current prosperity.

Otherwise, where would she get so many disciples right now?

To be honest, we should thank Fellow Daoist Fang for this.

Even she benefited greatly from this post.

While studying the Daoist scriptures, he entered the Seeking Dao Mountain multiple times, which is how he extended his lifespan to the present day.

So, Fang Zelin's decision not to make a move back then was, in effect, a move in itself.

If it weren't for Fang Zelin's Daoist letter, where would so many highly skilled Daoist practitioners have come from to strike together and severely injure those Devil Cultivator back then?

"No matter what, so many fellow cultivators have perished."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin shook his head, took the gourd from his waist, and handed it to Yunzi.

He was somewhat worried that he might not even have any fellow Daoists to drink with in the future.

When Yunzi saw Fang Zelin hand her the wine gourd, she didn't stand on ceremony. She reached out and took it, then tilted her head back and gulped down a large mouthful.

His posture, however, appeared extremely bold and unrestrained.

Fang Zelin smiled upon seeing this; he still had plenty of wine and didn't mind the other person drinking like this.

"By the way, how did those Devil Cultivator come to be? I've only just returned today, and there are still many things I don't know."

Fang Zelin thought about it and decided it would be better to ask for clarification.

Let's confirm the specific details of the battle between the Devil Cultivator back then.

Also, back then, they captured a Devil Race, who was also Devil Cultivator.

What information did Northern Liang manage to extract from the other side?

Has the destiny of the cultivation world been found again?

Fang Zelin is unaware of these matters even now, but Yunzi, as the head of Rising Tide Valley and possessing such high cultivation, must be very clear about them.