Chapter 74 The Favor of Master Yu Wan, About to Depart for Central State

Qingyun Misty Cave is a place where one can nurture their foundation and increase the chances of forming a Golden Core. Ordinarily, this isn’t anything remarkable—the cave opens once every ten years and is considered one of the central Qingyun Sect’s core inheritances.

But this year marks the centennial Qingyun Grand Assembly, when all the branches of Qingyun Sect from across the provinces gather here. In fact, unless someone is truly on the verge of a breakthrough, the central Qingyun Sect usually chooses to give the opportunity to its subordinate sects. After all, this could be a matter of life and death for them.

“Enough, I understand. Let’s do it this way: those from each sect who have hopes of forming a Golden Core before thirty should forego further tempering of their temperament and participate in this Qingyun Grand Assembly together!”

Although there’s a saying in the central province about thirty Golden Cores, if the difference is merely a few years sooner or later, it’s not particularly meaningful. It’s better to spend more time honing one’s temperament and cultivating a solid foundation; only then can one walk further on the path.

Of course, that applies within the central Qingyun Sect. Once you enter the Xuanhua Dao Sect, there’s no need to worry about matters like temperament and foundation. If your breakthrough is unstoppable, the Holy Land naturally possesses all manner of rare treasures to aid you—spiritual items to refine the mind and solidify your foundation. Such resources are nearly impossible to find elsewhere, but inside the Holy Land, they’re a hundred times easier to obtain.

“One must understand, even if you achieve little in the Xuanhua Dao Sect, gaining just one more Nascent Soul cultivator is still a boon for the sect.”

A certain elder spoke softly, “Wouldn’t this be unfair to the subordinate sects of other provinces?”

After all, those who can hope to form a Golden Core before thirty are by no means ordinary; they couldn’t imagine losing. But in previous years, subordinate sects might send late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples, and with luck, even a mid-stage one could secure a spot, allowing their own elders to break through to Golden Core. That may happen less now.

In the presence of Qingxuzi, Ancestor Aoki still appeared as a modest junior, but within the grand hall of Qingyun, his word was law. He waved his hand dismissively.

“Unfair? When has cultivation ever been fair?”

“If the lack of a place in the Qingyun Misty Cave is enough to cause their decline, then their fate was always shallow; it was destined to be so!”

“Moreover, as long as our main sect flourishes, how bad could the subordinate sects possibly get?”

As Ancestor Aoki spoke, he glanced at the elder who had raised the issue, understanding his motives. In truth, none of the elders native to the central province had spoken up; it was an elder from the Eastern Wastes who had voiced this concern.

Elders like this, much like Immortal Xiangqiu, were geniuses who had cultivated in other provinces while young, then came to the central province to participate in the Qingyun Grand Assembly, ultimately choosing to remain. Compared to native central cultivators, they often maintained lingering ties with their original sects.

Ancestor Aoki, however, was always tolerant toward such talents. Smiling, he said, “No need to worry—this is a special occasion, and, besides, there aren’t that many who are at the peak of Foundation Establishment and under thirty.”

“We haven’t even tallied the numbers yet—there may not be more than a few!”

He was not joking. As a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, Ancestor Aoki paid little mind to the Golden Cores among his disciples. Only during the centennial Qingyun Grand Assembly did he take note of the geniuses ranging from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul.

…

Meanwhile, at the Qingyun Sect in Yunzhou, Cao Xuan and the others had no idea that, because of a single word from the Xuanhua Dao Sect, the Qingyun Misty Cave was now beset by all manner of complications.

After assessing the cultivation progress of Cao Xuan and Li Yao, Yu Wan, as their master, lectured them for an entire day and night.

Cao Xuan had to admit that Yu Wan, who had cultivated for a century and reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, was indeed highly skilled. Some of the subtleties she explained about the Dao were truly enlightening, even for him.

Though it wasn’t quite an epiphany that allowed him to break through a realm on the spot, it gave him a new understanding of his current stage, as if he’d combed through his knowledge anew, making everything flow more smoothly.

“All right, that’s the end of today’s instruction. Do you have any more questions?” Yu Wan’s voice was languid and unhurried.

Li Yao and Cao Xuan both shook their heads. After a day and night, any confusion they had was long since raised—truth be told, it was mostly Cao Xuan who asked questions. Compared to Li Yao, he had entered the Foundation Establishment stage more recently and naturally had more doubts.

It was as if he’d bought a character in a game, but without having played through the story or learned the mechanics. Yu Wan was the seasoned player, and with a day and night of her guidance—plus his enhanced senses at the Foundation Establishment stage—Cao Xuan quickly mastered the "gameplay" of this stage.

[Ding~ Yu Wan’s favorability +1]
[Ding~ Yu Wan’s favorability +2]
[…]
[Ding~ Yu Wan’s current favorability: 71]

Watching the favorability rise, Cao Xuan mused that his master was likely pleased with his diligence.

Seeing that they had no more questions, Yu Wan waved her hand, signaling that they could leave.

Li Yao, her face alight with excitement, immediately clung to Cao Xuan’s arm. Yu Wan seemed to want to say something, but in the end, only offered a single sentence:

“Tomorrow morning, gather at the Qingyun ferry crossing. You two… don’t stay up cultivating too late tonight!”

Cao Xuan paused. What did she mean by that? Did she know about his dual cultivation activities?

His master had been in seclusion for a year; he’d never imagined she would know about his nightly pursuits. Was it possible that his dual cultivation had already been exposed?

Li Yao, however, didn’t catch her meaning at all and replied cheerfully, “Got it!”

After waiting a moment and hearing nothing further from Yu Wan, Cao Xuan sent out his spiritual sense. He saw his master reclining languidly on a redwood chair, making no other move, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Over the past year, he had familiarized himself with all the elders and guardians on the Talisman Peak, as well as their relationships. He understood well that, in Yu Wan’s eyes, Li Yao was almost like a daughter. If she found out what he’d been doing with her, as a “mother,” her fury would be understandable.

Once Cao Xuan and Li Yao left the main hall, Yu Wan shed her usual dignified demeanor and shifted in her seat, unable to help herself.

A day and night of teaching had already left Yu Wan’s heart in turmoil. Despite what Cao Xuan thought, she hadn’t spent her year in seclusion isolated from the world. In fact, Yu Wan was already at the threshold between the peak of Foundation Establishment and the early stage of Golden Core.

It was like being ten months pregnant, with only the “Golden Core” left to be born.

But this barrier was not so easy to cross. Many at the peak of Foundation Establishment could spend their entire lives failing to give birth to their “Golden Core.”

Establishing the Dao foundation requires the integration of essence, energy, and spirit; only by bringing all three to the Golden Core stage and merging them as one can one advance.

Yu Wan’s spirit had already reached the Golden Core level, but her essence and energy were still lacking.

Thus, while in seclusion, Yu Wan would occasionally sweep her divine sense across Talisman Peak or gaze into the distance to relieve the monotony.

But ever since Cao Xuan’s arrival, whenever she had a free moment, her spiritual sense would unconsciously search for his presence.

She sighed softly. “I don’t know where that boy finds such boundless energy—he’s hardly had a moment’s rest all year!”