Small Bamboo Peak, outside the Moon-Gazing Pavilion.
"Sister Wen Min, do you know why Aunt Su Ru is visiting today?" Tian Ling'er, who was waiting outside the doors, turned to the older girl with curiosity.
"I'm not sure," Wen Min replied, her brow furrowed. "Master received a letter and asked Aunt Su to come over immediately. She only said it concerned a disciple from your peak named Lucian Qing."
"That is strange... wait... concerning a man?" Wen Min's bright eyes widened in sudden realization. "Ling'er, tell me more about this Lucian Qing..."
Before Wen Min could dig deeper, the doors to the pavilion opened, and Shui Yue and Su Ru stepped out.
Driven by curiosity, Wen Min stole a glance at their expressions. Shui Yue remained impassive, but her aura felt even colder than usual—a chilling frost that kept everyone at a distance. Su Ru, by contrast, looked perfectly calm, a faint, graceful smile playing on her lips.
Knowing her master as well as she did, Wen Min could tell at a glance that Shui Yue was in a foul mood.
"Wen Min," Shui Yue said coolly. "Since you seem to have so much free time, you shall oversee your sister Xueqi's cultivation personally for the next few days."
"Yes, Master." Wen Min bowed, though she was utterly bewildered.
"Senior Sister, I shall return to Big Bamboo Peak now," Su Ru said gently to the icy Shui Yue. "I promised to instruct the disciples yesterday. If I'm gone too long, I fear they'll fall back into their old habits. I should get back to it."
"Mhm."
Shui Yue gave a curt nod. Su Ru, sensing her friend's irritation, stepped forward and took her arm, acting with a touch of sisterly affection. "Won't you even keep me for dinner, Sister?"
Shui Yue's reply was pointed. "Don't you have to get back to your 'precious' disciple? Why would I keep you?"
"Now, now, Sister. I'll make sure to give that boy Lucian a proper talking-to on your behalf," Su Ru whispered into Shui Yue's ear, mindful of the two younger disciples nearby.
With that, Su Ru took Tian Ling'er and departed on her sword back toward Big Bamboo Peak.
Shui Yue watched them go, her expression unreadable. Beside her, Wen Min's heart was itching with unanswered questions. "Master, this disciple shall take her leave as well."
"Mhm."
With no other choice, Wen Min retreated, leaving Shui Yue alone in the silence of the Moon-Gazing Pavilion.
Shui Yue had originally intended to have Su Ru help sway Lu Xueqi's heart—to have her talk some sense into the girl regarding Lucian Qing. But upon asking, she learned that Lucian had already broken through to the second level of the Jade Essence Realm. A year to reach the second level? It didn't quite match Xueqi's genius, but it was certainly the mark of a prodigy.
The realization left a bitter, complicated taste in Shui Yue's mouth.
Though Lu Xueqi had only been on the mountain for a year, she was the disciple who most resembled Shui Yue in temperament. Shui Yue had poured her heart into the girl, viewing her as her successor. She wanted Xueqi to walk a path free of emotional entanglement—to live a life of carefree immortality, unburdened by the distractions of men.
As someone who had suffered that pain herself, Shui Yue knew the cost of such feelings. Yet, the way Xueqi had stood her ground yesterday to defend Lucian made her realize the depth of the girl's attachment.
Why didn't I have that kind of courage back then?
A swirl of conflicting emotions and faded memories washed over Shui Yue, leaving her spirit in a daze.
Lucian Qing's Courtyard.
It had taken considerable effort to satisfy the curiosity of his senior brothers. Only now did he have the peace to examine the worn, tattered book he had found in the library today.
The Almanac of Earth-Vein Mysteries.
Lucian had a sudden, inexplicable feeling that this book would be of immense use to him. The founder of the Qingyun Sect had been a master of Feng Shui and geomancy, so such arts were central to their heritage.
"A pity it's just a fragment," Lucian muttered, flipping through the few thin pages.
He recalled the original story's Zhou Yixian, who supposedly possessed a portion of the Qingyun founder's legacy in divination and geomancy. Lucian made a mental note to seek the man out one day; with his system, he didn't need to worry about the difficulty of learning—the more exotic techniques he collected, the better his hand would be in future conflicts.
According to his calculations, the Great War between Good and Evil at Mount Liuwa was still eight years away. It wasn't a long time, but for a "cheater" like him, it was more than enough. He hadn't transmigrated just to let the original tragedies repeat themselves.
The thought gave him a rare jolt of motivation.
I need to break through. I need to save Nine-Tails... and I need... (He tapped his forehead).
Lucian checked his wandering mind. How could my resolve be so shaky?
"Mhm... I suppose I'll have to visit the Incense Valley's Fire Altar in person one day. Purely to clear my heart of distractions, of course. No other motives," he mused, stroking his chin.
Returning to the task at hand, he finished the last page of the fragment. He wanted to chase that feeling—the sense that this knowledge held a hidden key to his future.
[Work-Rest Balance]: Current Rest Duration: 38 Days and 12 Hours.
With a thought, Lucian converted his entire accumulated rest duration into a single, concentrated burst of cultivation efficiency.
The thirty-eight days of rest multiplied his comprehension nearly eightfold. The thousands of books he had skimmed in the library and the myriad of half-formed ideas in his mind suddenly converged. The cryptic secrets of the earth veins described in the fragment began to click into place, unveiling deep, hidden truths.
Without even opening his eyes, he felt the rhythm of the world. He didn't just feel the rock he sat on; he felt the "breath" of the entire earth vein connected to it.
The earth exhaled and inhaled. With every breath, spiritual energy was pumped into Big Bamboo Peak, maintaining its richness, while turbid energy was filtered away in thin, dark threads.
Lucian immersed himself in this rhythm, syncing his own breathing with that of the mountain. He became one with the stone. To any observer not using their eyes, he would have seemed like nothing more than a lifeless boulder.
Simultaneously, his Taiji Pure Essence Path reached an unprecedented speed. Massive amounts of environmental energy flooded into him, refining itself into the fundamental Yuanqiof the third level.
As he went deeper, Lucian's consciousness shifted to a unique perspective. He saw six distinct lines of earth-vein energy extending from the base of Big Bamboo Peak, forming a massive, intricate pattern he had never seen before. It was a singular, profound rune.
Lucian focused his spirit, trying to memorize the fine details of the glowing lines, hoping to replicate them later.
Perhaps his time was up, or perhaps his sudden burst of intent had disrupted the natural flow—or perhaps his current level was simply too low to perceive such grand mysteries. Lucian's eyes snapped open, his pupils shimmering with a strange mixture of verdant green and earthy brown light