Chapter Ten: Flowing Years Above

  Chapter Ten Flow Year

  This year's Gaokao is quite unusual, with many things that will be talked about for years to come as moral lessons.

  Firstly, Ji Bingxian had just entered the Taiqing Xuansheng realm a few days ago and defeated many opponents with higher cultivation levels than herself in the annual examination, taking first place in the Xuansheng realm's annual examination. This is already her third consecutive year of being first in the annual examination. Ji Bingxian was like a divine sword, and now she has begun to reveal her edge. She had cultivated for nine years and had already reached the sixth level of Taiqing, such speed, looking at the entire Dao De Zong's thirty-year history, only one Shen Boyang could be compared with her. The Dao De Zong values its disciples' cultivation and moral integrity, Ji Bingxian's rapid progress in her cultivation will make it not impossible for her to take over as the master of Changyang Palace from Ziwei True Person in the future.

  Another strange thing is the linked battle between Li Xuanzhen, Shang Qiushui and Ming Yun. Li Xuanzhen defeated Shang Qiushui, Shang Qiushui defeated Ming Yun, and Ming Yun defeated Li Xuanzhen. Since all three of them were at the top in each subject's test evaluation, this linked battle became a big problem for the final ranking of the examination. The chief examiners discussed it for half a day, and finally gave all three of them the first place, which was also the first time in fifty years.

  As for the eight true men coming together to watch Ji Ruochen's annual examination, there were only a few people who knew about it, so naturally there was nothing to discuss.

  This time, the disciples of Dan Yuan Palace showed some promise in the annual exam, but because Ji Ruochen took first place in the annual exam, they were suppressed again by Tai Chang Palace and continued to be at the bottom of the nine meridians. However, this is already very different from the usual uneventful bottoming out in previous years. Moreover, Han Yan also entered the Taichang Tian Sheng realm just before the annual exam, coincidentally at the same level as Li Xuanzhen and others, and the outcome can be imagined.

  After learning of the final outcome, Yu Xuan Zhen Ren's face was expressionless, and in his heart, he didn't know whether to feel sorrow or joy.

  That evening, after returning to his residence, Ji Ruochen did not immediately study the Taoist scriptures and meditate as he usually did. Instead, he lay down on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

  He didn't get much joy from being the top scorer. As soon as he returned to Tai Chang Palace, Zi Yang True Person summoned him over and asked in detail about the final move that knocked Ming Xin down, what kind of heart method it was and what kind of Taoist spell was used. Ji Ruochen hesitated for half a day before saying that this was his own hand technique from when he was practicing at Longmen Inn, a move that had flipped over countless fat sheep. Before joining the Dao De Sect, he practiced every day, so his hands were well-trained, and in the heat of the moment, he unconsciously used it.

  Fighting with a sheep's anger is just unexpected and holding one's breath quietly. What secret can be said about these eight words?

  But Ziyang Zhenren still didn't relax, and instead asked him in detail how to take a step, how to raise his hand, how to exert force, how to hold his breath, and even had him repeatedly practice on the spot, which dragged on for over an hour. Although Da Men Gun only had a few simple movements, since he couldn't use his true yuan, repeating it many times also made Ji Ruochen exhausted, with sweat all over his body and sore hands and feet. Every time he finished demonstrating, Ziyang Zhenren would frown and think for a moment before having him repeat it again.

  Ji Ruochen silently endured the pain, knowing that his current movements were only superficial and lacked substance. In the past when he practiced at Longmen Inn, he had only sought to practice each individual movement accurately and flawlessly, without any deviation. It wasn't until he was truly facing the back of Fei Yang that he would enter a state akin to a wolf fixated on its prey, entering a wondrous state before a life-or-death battle.

  It's an indescribable feeling, as if it's tense to the extreme, and also fearful to the extreme. Every time this happens, Ji Ruochen feels like all the hairs on his body are standing up quietly, as if he has transformed into a wolf quietly approaching its prey.

  At this time, Ji Ruocheng was alone in front of him, where could he find such a feeling? Moreover, even if someone were to set up a Taoist priest as a scapegoat in front of him, they couldn't really kill him, and that wouldn't put him in the state of being on the verge of battle.

  Or as the shopkeeper would say, even hitting someone with a stick requires a certain feeling.

  That night, until late at night, Ziyang True Person finally let Ji Ruochen go back. In the following days, Ji Ruochen originally wanted to study Taoist laws as usual, but all the true people asked about the last blow of the annual examination, inquiring what method was used and who was secretly taught by which true person. Ji Ruochen frankly said that it was the move of hitting the fat sheep stick behind his back at the Longmen Inn that year, and he only used it out of urgency at the time. All the true people listened to it and thought for a long time, and finally did not forget to comfort Ruochen with a few words, saying that it was okay to mistakenly enter the wrong path when he was young, and now that he has entered the Dao De Zong, it means that he is destined to be with the Great Tao. As long as he dedicates himself to the Tao, there will naturally be a day when he achieves great success.

  At this moment, Ji Ruocheng was lying on the couch, and the experience after the annual examination kept replaying in his mind. The reactions of the various true immortals were quite strange, and how could Ji Ruocheng not see through it? The more he studied the Three Pure Ones' True Scripture, the more he could feel the great power hidden within the true immortals. Logically speaking, every move the true immortals made had the power to move mountains and cut off rivers, so why were they so interested in this one blow of his? Moreover, when he used to hit fat sheep, he didn't have any special feeling, but on the day of the annual examination, as he walked through the wind and sand, one stick knocked down Ming Xin, which showed some power.

  Ji Ruocheng thought for a moment, then suddenly jumped up from the bed, picked up the wooden sword with his hand, and stepped forward without making any dust. He moved forward like flowing clouds and water, then used the sword as a stick to strike a blue porcelain flower vase in front of the window!

  The wooden sword didn't make a single sound as it fell swiftly and stopped abruptly, perfectly balanced on the edge of the blue porcelain vase, with only a hair's breadth between them, yet without touching. Ji Ruocheng was extremely satisfied with this move, it seemed that after more than half a year of cultivating in the mountains, his old skills for making a living hadn't been lost. He thought back to when he practiced hitting the stove with a poker, having to navigate through the narrow and crowded kitchen, hitting the third steamed bun from the top of ten stacked high, leaving an impression on it was considered a success. The buns made by the shopkeeper's wife were large, had plenty of filling, juice, and thin skin, being able to stack ten in one row was already an impressive feat, to leave an impression on one in the middle without touching the others or breaking the bun, how easy could it be?

  That bun with the scorch marks from the fire was Ji Ruochen's breakfast. Apart from that, there was only a bowl of thin porridge and half a root of pickled vegetables. Although life in the inn was austere, compared to being homeless, it was already heaven and earth apart.

  Ji Ruoxuan started learning to play the drums on the second day of entering Longmen Inn, and for the next five years, every morning was spent in hunger before finally getting to eat the first steamed bun of the morning.

  He stood still in the room, maintaining the posture of holding the sword for a good moment, before he came back to his senses from his memories, and clearly saw that what was in his hand was a precious black locust wood sword, not a worthless firewood stick.

  Ji Ruochen let out a bitter laugh, casually putting the wooden sword back on the table, and then lay down on the couch, feeling exhausted in both body and mind. What's so profound about being beaten? He really couldn't answer if someone asked him. For a moment, Ji Ruochen felt that not one of the many Taoist palaces made him feel like he could talk to someone about his personal affairs. At such a young age, when he needed friends the most, the two words "banished immortal" weighed heavily on him like a mountain, making it hard for him to breathe, and the favors from the other immortals only added to the burden in his heart.

  Ji Ruocheng was like a child who had mistakenly entered someone else's treasure trove. Although everything was available to him at the moment, how could he know when the owner of the treasure trove would discover his true identity and send him back to his original form overnight?

  At this moment, he made up his mind and was determined not to reveal a single word about the Separation of Immortals.

  As he thought about it, a patch of cool moonlight spilled onto Ji Ruochen's face, and only then did he realize that the night was already half over.

  The moonlight was like frost, and it also fell on Yu Xuan's body. She sat quietly in the Star-Gazing Tower of Dan Yuan Palace, gazing silently at the distant vast cloud sea.

  A faint sound of footsteps came up the stairs, followed by a gentle voice like water floating behind Yu Xuan Zhen Ren: "Han Yan pays respects to Master Yu Xuan."

  Yu Xuan was silent for a long time before pointing to a chair beside him and saying, "Sit down."

  With a hint of smoke, he lowered his head and said: "Before Master's time, which disciple had a seat?"

  Yu Xuan Zhen Ren said, "Actually, I'm not much older than you. For us cultivators, if we focus on longevity, living for a few hundred years is nothing out of the ordinary, and several decades are just a fleeting moment. Take Zi Yang Zhen Ren, he's over 90 years older than me. Han Yan, let's not discuss the rules of the Dao tonight, just chat casually. Besides, you've sacrificed so much for Dan Yuan Palace, this position is well-deserved."

  With a hint of smoke in his heart, he silently thought to himself: "You've sacrificed so much for Dan Yuan Palace, this position is completely yours." His eyes gazed at the red wooden carved chair, and for a moment, his feet felt as if they had a thousand pounds weighing them down, unable to take that one step forward.

  Yu Xuan Zhen Ren quietly gazed at the sea of clouds in the distant mountains, motionless, without a hint of impatience.

  The bright moon emerges from the clouds and disappears into the mist, repeating this process several times. The two slender figures on the Star-Viewing Pavilion remain unchanged.

  Until the moon sets in the western hills, the ice on the Star-Peeking Tower quietly melts.

  Yan Qing sat down in the chair, still speaking softly: "Thank you, Master, for offering me a seat."

  Yu Xuan Zhen Ren finally revealed a hint of smile. She was elegant and refined, clear and outstanding, if placed in the mundane world, her beauty would be enough to captivate all living things. Originally, this one smile couldn't make everything lose its color, but it could make the building shine brightly, however, the bitter taste at the corner of her lips made the magnificent Star-Picking Building appear desolate and cold.

  "When I was as old as you are now, the Purple Jade Ancestor who was in charge of the Dan Yuan Palace at that time had already instructed me to revive the Dan Yuan Palace at all costs..."

  With a hint of smoke and a look of surprise, she raised her head and looked at Yu Xuan Zhen Ren.

  Yu Xuan Zhen Ren paused for a moment, then continued: "In the past, my cultivation progressed at an incredible speed. After entering the Dao De Sect, in the ten years that followed, there was no one who could surpass me. At that time, I always thought that the Great Way didn't rely on external objects, and that relying solely on my own strength would be enough to revive the Dan Yuan Palace. It wasn't until fifteen years ago, when Master Zi Yu handed over the heavy responsibility of managing the Dan Yuan Palace to me before her ascension, that I still held this view. But in these fifteen years, I finally understood what it means for human power to have its limits, and how difficult the Great Way is. I exhausted my mind and body, even neglecting my own cultivation, yet the Dan Yuan Palace continued to decline."

  "Han Yan hastily said, 'Master Ancestor, why worry so much? By next year's age examination, Li Xuanzhen and the other three will surely have made even greater progress in their cultivation. At that time, as a disciple in the Tian Sheng realm, I should no longer have any opponents, and I must be able to bring back first place in the age examination for Master Ancestor. By then, surpassing the Tai Chang Palace should be within reach.'"

  Yu Xuan sighed and said, "What's the use of getting all nine first places? These are just empty names. The annual assessment is for disciples to show their skills, regardless of winning or losing, the true people in each palace can see clearly. In fact, the annual assessment is not testing the disciples, but the true people of each palace and vein. Over the years, the strength of each palace and vein has been rising and falling, the strong getting stronger, the weak getting weaker. At this time, my palace is actually in a precarious situation, if there is no great opportunity, I'm afraid it will be hopeless to revive."

  "Han Yan seemed to let out a faint sigh, then said: 'As a disciple, my understanding is still shallow and I don't comprehend the matters of the various palaces' pulses rising and falling. However, since Han Yan is a disciple of Dan Yuan Palace, whatever Master Ancestor instructs, Han Yan will definitely exert all his efforts.'"

  Yu Xuan sighed again and said, "Han Yan, I've also used the Illusory Dream of Rainbow Skirt. You're teaching together with Ji Ruochen, which is like being in a tower by the water. It's been several months already, but why does Ji Ruochen still keep you at arm's length?"

  Huan Yan hung her head and didn't speak, it was a long time before she said: "This... Huan Yan doesn't know either. Maybe when two people are fond of each other, it's not just about fate, but also about making an effort to be together. It's just that... if they're too far apart, I'm afraid he won't understand her intentions. If they get too close, I'm afraid he'll take it lightly and think it's easy to obtain, and after a long time, he'll still throw it away and look for someone else. As for the subtlety of this approach, Huan Yan really doesn't know, she still needs Master's guidance."

  She asked this question, and Yu Xuan Zhen Ren was stunned. Yu Xuan Zhen Ren had been cultivating since childhood, and for decades, she had been devoted to the Tao, her spirit as pure as jade, untainted by a single speck of dust. This matter of two people being in love was, for her, even more difficult than ascending to heaven on clouds. How could Huan Yan know?

  The Xuan Star Tower was silent for a long time. After a while, Yu Xuan Zhen Ren finally squeezed out a few words: "This matter... I also don't know."