A fresh rainfall had washed the sky clean and azure.
Under the gentle sunlight, residual raindrops still pattered "drip-drop, drip-drop" from the thatched eaves onto the stone slabs in front of the courtyard.
Chen Yu sat cross-legged on the stone slab of the bamboo pavilion, with three or five pill bottles scattered by his feet.
As his mind immersed in his inner landscape, he could faintly hear the rustling sound of wind passing through the bamboo grove beside his ear. Because the wind carried water droplets that bent the branches, the sound seemed more subdued than usual.
An unknown amount of time passed.
[Qi Training Lv.5 → Lv.6]
A cool, moist breeze brushed against his face as he slowly opened his eyes. A flash of golden radiance, like the vibrant morning sun, passed through his originally clear and bright pupils.
Immediately after, the spiritual light withdrew inward, leaving no visible difference from his usual state.
"Eek eek!"
It turned out that at the end of the Forest Paths, where the green sea swayed, a sect disciple in gray robes with wide sleeves was walking toward them.
"Junior Brother, good news! There's news about the small lodge you asked me to find last time." Shao Qingsong spotted Chen Yu under the bamboo pavilion from afar and waved to him.
"Senior Brother, come in and sit?"
Chen Yu stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes, and stepped down from the bamboo pavilion. While it appeared to be a gesture of welcome, he was actually buying time for the Little Slimes to hide.
"No need." Shao Qingsong quickly waved his hand. "There are about five or six small lodges that meet your requirements, scattered in various quiet places around the sect. If we delay any further, we might not finish viewing them before dark. Why don't you come with me to take a look first, Junior Brother?"
"Alright." Chen Yu agreed and followed him into the Forest Paths.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between bamboo leaves, casting dappled spots of light on the ground that flowed over the two walking figures.
"Senior Brother, I'd like to ask, do you know any formation masters within the sect?" Chen Yu asked as they walked.
"Formation masters?" Shao Qingsong put his hands behind his back, a strange expression flashing across his face. "Junior Brother, your... interests are really quite broad. Don't tell me you've now taken an interest in formations too?"
"Many skills don't burden the bearer. I just want to learn the basics, gain a rough understanding of geomancy and astrology, just to have another path available when traveling in the future."
"That's true too." Mentioning formations, Shao Qingsong clearly became more interested.
"Within the Three Origins Sect, among the hundred arts of cultivation, even the most obscure gu-raising techniques have disciples studying them, let alone formations which are common among the four arts. Although our sect isn't famous for formation setting, from the large protective sect formation down to the magic formations in various small lodges, all need maintenance. Naturally, there are quite a few disciples who study formations."
"Coincidentally, near the Cloud Depth small lodge I have as an option, there's a senior brother who studies formations and remains secluded year-round. If we visit him with generous gifts, I doubt we'll be turned away."
"Then let's go see the Cloud Depth small lodge first." Chen Yu decided immediately.
Shao Qingsong was taken aback. "What about the other small lodges?"
"We can look at them later. I'm troubling you today, Senior Brother." After speaking, Chen Yu reached into his robe and took out two smooth, warm spirit stones, placing them in Shao Qingsong's hand.
Feeling the warmth and spiritual energy of the spirit stones in his palm, Shao Qingsong grinned. "No trouble at all, no trouble at all!"
"This Cloud Depth small lodge is located in a corner of the sect, hidden within a bamboo grove and lotus pond. The scenery is absolutely superb, and it even has a cloud formation for protection against prying eyes. The only drawback is that access isn't very convenient."
"To get there, we need to take a cloud carriage once, riding with the wind through the clouds. So we need to go to the cloud carriage dock at South Bridge Market first. But I've already arranged with a boatman, so don't worry, Junior Brother. Just follow me."
"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother."
The two stepped onto a winding path, climbed the mountain road shaded by pine forests to reach South Bridge Market, chatting about recent anecdotes in the sect along the way.
Shao Qingsong suddenly remembered something. "By the way, there's a rumor saying that Patriarch Dangjian seems to have returned from slaying demons in the South Sea. If we're lucky, we might even witness the marvelous sight of the Earth Immortal returning his sword to the Heavenly Hall."
"Earth Immortal?" Chen Yu, walking through the bustling market with the man, couldn't help but be curious. "I rarely go out and almost never attend lectures in the main hall, so I don't know much about the sect's people and affairs. Could you tell me about this Patriarch Dangjian, Senior Brother?"
"Of course." Shao Qingsong readily agreed.
"But the cloud carriage is already waiting at the dock. Come aboard with me first, Junior Brother, so we don't keep the boatman waiting." The man said, leading him to the dock.
Above the cloud layer, numerous rafts naturally formed from ancient wood floated, steadily moored beside the pier. Disciples entering and leaving the sect were everywhere, coming and going, creating a bustling scene.
"Uncle Fang, we're here!"
After some effort, the two boarded one of the rafts. As the cloud sail unfurled, the cloud carriage glided smoothly southeastward as if traveling on soft clouds.
Shao Qingsong was enthusiastically recounting recent interesting events in the sect, while Chen Yu listened while feeling the gentle breeze on his face and the flowing clouds beneath his feet, his mind peaceful.
"Junior Brother seems to specialize in cultivation and doesn't know much about the Great Dao beyond Qi Training. Actually, that might not be a bad thing."
Shao Qingsong changed the subject. "Someone like me, Senior Brother, who's of two minds and already thinking about Foundation Establishment and Golden Core while still at Qi Training—that's called being impetuous, aiming too high without the ability."
"It's not strange that you don't know Patriarch Dangjian. This Grand Elder is an Earth Immortal who achieved the Golden Core Dao Fruit a hundred years ago by slaying demons in the South Sea. Although a hundred years is but a snap of the fingers to someone of his stature, us juniors weren't even born back then."
"If we could witness the marvelous sight of the Earth Immortal returning his sword to the Heavenly Hall, perhaps a hundred years from now, when we're old and frail, we'd still feel our hearts stirred remembering it."
Chen Yu asked, "How long has this Patriarch lived? And what comes after Golden Core?"
"At least three hundred years. As for how much longer he can roam freely, I don't know."
Shao Qingsong answered, then added with a tone carrying some reverence, "As for what comes after Golden Core, such existences might already be no different from immortals. Their realms are profound and mysterious, beyond our ability to comprehend. Perhaps they're close to the state of merging with heaven and earth, with spirits roaming ten thousand realms? But, Junior Brother, it's improper to speculate about Dao Masters, so let's stop this topic here."
He then sighed. "Ah, becoming an immortal, becoming an immortal... Whether your Senior Brother here can even break through to Foundation Establishment in this lifetime is unknown. If I could extend my lifespan by a hundred years, I'd definitely return home to establish a family lineage and become a carefree patriarch."
Chen Yu stopped questioning about the mysteries of higher realms. He originally wanted to ask more about the Cloud Depth small lodge, but noticed that the cultivators on the passing cloud carriages seemed to have sensed something, all looking up toward the southern sky.
At that moment, an indescribable palpitation came from the southern sky without any warning.
The imposing aura was low but vast, instantly overwhelming the noise from the dock and the soft sound of the cloud carriage cutting through the wind.
"Hum..."
Chen Yu's heart jumped, and he instinctively followed the feeling with his gaze. Shao Qingsong's words cut off abruptly as he also turned his head in surprise.
They saw that in the southern sky, the originally azure-blue firmament suddenly burst forth with ten thousand zhang of golden light.
Like a golden tide, it surged turbulently from the horizon, quickly dyeing half the sky, plating the flowing clouds with dazzling golden edges.
"It's coming, it's Patriarch Dangjian! The Patriarch has returned!" Shao Qingsong stood up abruptly, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
At the dock and above the cloud layer, all the traveling cultivators and disciples, regardless of where they were or what they were doing, unanimously stopped their actions at this moment, collectively raising their heads to look at the heaven-shaking phenomenon.
The noise instantly fell silent, leaving only the moaning of wind sweeping through the cloud layers.
Immediately after, within the boundless golden light, a point of more condensed silver-white brightness appeared.
Then two points, ten points, a hundred points, a thousand points, ten thousand points... endless points.
"Zheng—!"
Those ten thousand points of silver-white were actually condensed light sword forms of various shapes and sizes.
They filed out from deep within the golden light, converging into an immeasurably wide and long vast torrent.
A majestic pressure swept over like a tangible tsunami, making all disciples with insufficient cultivation feel their breathing stagnate and their minds shake, as if their very souls were about to be cut by that sharp intent.
"Heavenly Swords... returning to position."
Under the gaze of countless reverent eyes, that torrent of ten thousand swords spanning the sky ultimately surged toward the deepest part of the Three Origins Sect, that highest and steepest solitary peak—the Heavenly Hall, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea.
The ten thousand swords fell silent together, like tired birds returning to their nests. When the last sword light disappeared into the hall entrance, the golden light filling the sky also gradually converged and dissipated.
Sunlight showered down again, and the cloud layers resumed their flow.
"It's Patriarch Dangjian, the Patriarch has really returned."
"Earth Immortal returning his sword! To witness such a marvelous sight in my lifetime."
"Is that the power of an Earth Immortal?"
Astonishment, fervor, reverence, trepidation... various emotions surged among the crowd.
And Chen Yu felt it deeply.
The Golden Core of Xu Xuan Heaven was quite different from what he had imagined.
He didn't know when he would be able to perform a move like "Ten Thousand Mothers Returning to the Origin" either.
After a brief period of stagnation and commotion, the cloud carriage readjusted its direction and continued to part the cloud waves, carrying Chen Yu as it leisurely sailed toward the Cloud Depth small lodge deep within the bamboo grove and lotus pond.