Chapter 175
She groggily opened her eyes.
The silver light of the moon spilled through the window, forming a hazy veil. The wind gently stirred the curtains by her bed. She yawned, her fingertips, as soft as pink jade, brushed against her lips, and she instinctively hummed a sweet, milky sound.
Suddenly, she heard a noise near her cheek.
Li Qingran tilted her head, gasping in surprise.
There was a hand by her bed!
Of course, a hand made of spiritual energy wouldn’t frighten her, but this hand was strange—it had a complete set of facial features right in the palm.
The fear was fleeting.
Because she realized the features on the palm belonged to her master.
“Ah, Master, how… how did you end up on a hand?”
Chen Huai'an: “…”
He felt a bit regretful and somewhat relieved.
Regretful for not taking the game prompt seriously when it said, “Consequences are your own responsibility.”
Relieved that he had maintained his bottom line and hadn’t done anything too outrageous.
Otherwise, the palm might not have just had facial features…
This incident served as a reminder: never let this single-minded game catch you off guard.
A glove should contain a hand, and a bottom should stay in its underwear.
But he wasn’t at a loss.
He had already experienced how soft and smooth Li Qingran’s little hand was, and he had savored the delightful fragrance that lingered around her; including her tiny waist and little feet… Hehe, haha!
“Master.”
“Master?”
Li Qingran waved her hand in front of Chen Huai'an’s eyes.
“Master, what’s wrong? Your expression looks a bit scary. Are you hurt? Is something wrong?”
“Cough, no!” Chen Huai'an straightened his face and shook his head, saying, “Disciple, I’m currently researching a secret method that allows an avatar to manifest part of its true self. For instance, even though I’m an avatar, a part of me can transform into my true form… This way, I can more conveniently enjoy the tea you brew.”
“I see.” Li Qingran’s eyes reflected the face shrunk in her palm, her brows relaxing and sparkling with admiration. “Master, you’re truly amazing! It’s because of great cultivators like you, who dare to research and excel in their studies, that we little cultivators have various techniques to choose from!”
“Ah haha, you’re right!” Chen Huai'an chuckled awkwardly.
When did he ever notice how good Li Qingran was at flattery?
If she kept it up, he might just float away.
“I came to test you.”
Getting back to the point, Chen Huai'an was also afraid of saying too much and giving himself away. What if Li Qingran wanted to learn that secret method from him?
“Ah? Another test?”
Li Qingran paused.
Realizing her tone was off, she quickly waved her hand, the bell on her wrist jingling chaotically.
“I didn’t mean it like that! It’s not that I don’t want Master to test me; it’s just… just that I was a bit shy before.” She averted her gaze, her lips reddening from biting them, and murmured softly, “I’m very willing to be tested by Master! It’s beneficial for my cultivation, I mean no other offense.”
Chen Huai'an certainly understood that Li Qingran was shy.
But he truly had no other options.
He needed to find the location of the porcelain mother; the previous method using the Void Spirit Eye had been ineffective.
He required a stronger spell, one that could track the enemy’s location based on the traces they left behind.
To this end, he had brought back a shard of porcelain stained with black blood—the blood of the porcelain mother.
However, this shard couldn’t serve as evidence of how many bone porcelain women he had killed.
After all, the Demon-Slaying Division in J Province might not even know what a porcelain mother was.
“Hmm, I understand what you mean.” Chen Huai'an nodded in agreement with Li Qingran’s words. “The Central Continent Secret Realm is approaching, and I’m worried about you, so I wanted to see if your knowledge is sufficient.”
“Yes, Master.” Li Qingran felt greatly moved by his words, her embarrassment diminishing significantly.
Why should she regard her master as an ordinary man?
He was her master, after all.
Even if she saw him, he would never harbor any strange thoughts about her.
She had been underestimating him.
“Then I shall pose a question!” Chen Huai'an feigned seriousness, pausing for effect. “As the saying goes, ‘If you don’t remove the roots when cutting grass, it will grow back with the spring breeze…’ Cough~ If you haven’t completely killed a demon cultivator and only have the traces they left behind, what method would you use to track their whereabouts?”
Cutting grass without removing the roots, the spring breeze brings it back.
Good! What a perfect saying!
Li Qingran pondered Chen Huai'an’s words, a spark of insight flashing in her eyes.
Suddenly, she felt the spiritual energy that had previously calmed down begin to boil again.
Her master was indeed her master; he always knew how to say things that provoked deep thought.
With her mediocre understanding, she had already grasped three layers of meaning from just ten words.
The first was sword intent—leaving half an inch of grass is like a sword move that hasn’t finished its strike; when the spring breeze and rain come, the grass will shoot up to the sky, embodying the eternal sword intent!
The second was fate—wild grass is humble, yet if one survives under a hundred blades, it can be unyielding. As cultivators, we go against the heavens; what difference is there between us and that wild grass in the eyes of the heavenly way?
The third was cause and effect—if we see grass as an unfinished cause and effect, the remaining roots are the lingering karmic obstacles, and when the time comes for tribulation, they will become inner demons! Just like enemies who aren’t completely eliminated will eventually become hidden daggers.
Boom—!
A beam of azure light shot up from above Li Qingran’s head.
Within the azure light, the principles of the universe could be faintly seen swirling.
Chen Huai'an looked at Li Qingran’s state—sudden enlightenment—with confusion.
What did he say?
Another moment of enlightenment?!
…
…
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Chapter 189: Wait! Let Me Get Closer!
At the peak of Luoxia Mountain, purple qi flowed from the east.
A group of disciples who had been meditating woke up, astonished at the purple qi at the mountain’s summit.
Xu An lifted a wine jar and took a sip, shaking his head with a wry smile. “This little junior sister is truly extraordinary. It’s only been a short time since she entered the Sword Pavilion, and this is already her third moment of enlightenment, right?”
At the foot of the mountain, Yue Qianchi lay back against the treetops, gazing at the bright moon in the sky, the grass root in her mouth no longer swaying. “Hiss, could it be that the feng shui at the foot of my mountain is off? Or is my understanding just too poor? No, that’s not it! It must be that Li Qingran has great talent, and her master teaches well!”
Yue Qianchi flipped off the tree and mounted her flying sword, heading straight for the main hall of the sect leader.
She didn’t care.
Today, Su Qinian had to help her achieve enlightenment too.
Otherwise, she would just camp out at Su Qinian’s door!
…
“Disciple Qingran thanks Master for the guidance. I am now just one step away from achieving the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. Before the Central Continent Secret Realm, I will surely succeed!” Li Qingran gazed at the floating face in her palm, her eyes shining brightly. This was almost entirely thanks to her master; without his nurturing, how could she have progressed so quickly?
Given this, she should cooperate well with her master’s tests.
On the surface, Chen Huai'an appeared calm, but inside, he was confused, his mind filled with questions.
What exactly had he said that led to Li Qingran’s enlightenment?
Why couldn’t he achieve enlightenment with the same human brain?
He was only at the third level of Qi Refinement!
Li Qingran seriously contemplated Chen Huai'an’s question and soon came up with a strategy.
“Master, I have a method called Dragon Seeking Call, which I learned from Qingyun Sect. This secret method was originally used to find dragon veins and requires the use of Dragon Seeking Incense. However, I’ve made slight modifications to it, and it works very well for tracking enemies without needing such props.”
As she spoke, there was a hint of pride in Li Qingran’s voice.
But under Chen Huai'an’s gaze, she shyly lowered her head, her fingers brushing through the loose strands of hair by her cheek. “I’m just a bit dull, making only slight modifications to the secret method. Compared to a great cultivator like Master who can create techniques, it’s really nothing… But I will definitely strive to catch up to Master!”
Chen Huai'an: “…”
He was already starting to worry about how to reconcile with Li Qingran in the future.
But he had to keep up the act, no matter how hard it was.
Chen Huai'an smiled lightly and said casually, “Reaching my level isn’t something that can be easily surpassed; you still need to work hard, disciple.”
“Alright, this secret method sounds good, but since it’s your own modification, there might be some errors. Show it to me, and I’ll help you refine it.”
“Okay, Master.” Li Qingran obediently nodded, turning her back, her fingertips lightly tugging at her clothing belt.
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