Watching the Mountain

Chapter 214: Chapter 148: Reappearance

Watching Qing Li’s departing figure, Xu Ran remembered her words about verifying something, and his heart skipped a beat.

’Is she planning to follow in Hao Miaomiao’s footsteps, traveling the world and practicing medicine?’

It was a good thing, a fortunate thing, that someone was willing to carry on Hao Miaomiao’s legacy and finish her work.

But at the same time, he didn’t want anyone else to meet the same bleak end as Hao Miaomiao.

Qing Li was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Even if she wanted to carry on Hao Miaomiao’s legacy, she should wait until she reached the Core Formation Stage at the very least, not act so rashly now.

’Besides, she’s Teacher Qing Xuan’s daughter. If she were to meet a tragic end a hundred years from now, how heartbroken would Teacher Qing Xuan be?’

With this in mind, Xu Ran sought out Teacher Qing Xuan and told him about Qing Li.

To his surprise, after hearing the story, Teacher Qing Xuan simply tilted his head back slightly, his expression calm as he said:

”Let her go. The scariest thing in life is not knowing what you want, just drifting through each day in a stupor.”

”Qing Li... that child. Under her mother’s and my care, she had a good life, but she felt empty inside. She never knew what she truly wanted to do.”

”If she kept living like that, her life would have been in vain. Since I was the one who brought her into this world, I should let her experience its joys, not... not like before...”

He let out a soft sigh. ”Besides, she is my daughter. I will naturally ensure no harm comes to her. You can rest easy.”

After hearing Teacher Qing Xuan’s words, Xu Ran fell silent for a moment and ultimately said no more.

’He was right. With Teacher Qing Xuan watching over her, Qing Li would surely be safe.’

Then, he brought up Hao Miaomiao, apologizing to Teacher Qing Xuan for causing him to miss out on such a perfectly suited disciple.

In response, Teacher Qing Xuan shook his head and said:

”Don’t worry about it. Some things are simply a matter of fate. If our destinies weren’t aligned, I wouldn’t have even considered taking her as my disciple, even if she were standing right in front of me.”

”Besides, I came to recognize her worth because of her experiences. Had you brought her to me before she went through all that, I might not have felt the same.”

With a light flick of his sleeve, he looked at Xu Ran and said, ”Your Cultivation has reached the Purple Mansion Stage. Have you encountered any confusion in your training recently? If so, ask now. In a few days, I may be entering the Secret Realm again.”

Xu Ran was taken aback, touched by the gesture. ’Even now, Teacher Qing Xuan is still concerned about my Cultivation.’

Since Teacher Qing Xuan had made the offer, Xu Ran didn’t hesitate. He told him about his plan to create a ”Blank Board Technique.”

After hearing Xu Ran’s idea, Qing Xuan True Monarch gave him a surprised look. He then furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and said:

”A Cultivation Technique this fundamental is often the most difficult to create. Based on your idea, you should probably study more Beginner’s Techniques.”

Xu Ran nodded slightly. That was what he had been thinking as well.

Seeing his reaction, Qing Xuan True Monarch added a word of caution, ”You can’t rush creating a Cultivation Technique. You must maintain a calm heart and follow your intuition.”

He had created his own Cultivation Technique, so he spoke from experience.

*

*

*

His sparring sessions with Zhang Zhentian and Shen Wuchen were postponed.

A few days prior, three Supreme Elders had fallen inside the Secret Realm, a major event for the Sect.

Even though the Profound Pure Sect had grown over the years and now had over twenty Nascent Soul True Monarchs—including those from the Flying Immortal Stream—losing three Nascent Soul experts at once was still a devastating blow.

Furthermore, one of the three fallen Supreme Elders was a regular Nascent Soul cultivator, not one from the Flying Immortal Stream.

However, many Nascent Soul True Monarchs had fallen in the Secret Realm over the years. In Evergreen County alone, the area surrounding the Profound Pure Sect, over ten Nascent Soul True Monarchs had perished within the realm.

Two Nascent Soul Sects had even lost all their Nascent Soul experts, dropping them down to the level of Golden Core Sects. Now, it was simply the Profound Pure Sect’s turn to suffer a loss.

In truth, it wasn’t just Supreme Elders. Since the Secret Realm’s appearance, the number of Sect members who had perished within it had surpassed one thousand—a death toll comparable to a major war.

However, the Sect had been continuously expanding its recruitment over the years. Its numbers were now several times what they had been when Xu Ran first joined, and they were still growing. This kept the casualty rate within a manageable range for the Sect.

The Secret Realm offered immense opportunities, but it also demanded immense sacrifice. This was simply the new reality.

Ever since the Secret Realm appeared, the course of the Cultivation Realm had been irrevocably altered. No one could say for sure what the future held.

As Supreme Elders of the Sect, Zhang Zhentian and Shen Wuchen were responsible for stabilizing morale, so they were unable to come and spar with Xu Ran.

During this time, however, Jiang Ling’Er contacted him again.

”Teacher! Teacher! I met a human Cultivator here in the Dog Race’s territory. He said he once defeated our Sect’s Evergreen Sword Saint! Is that true? Has the Evergreen Sword Saint really been defeated before?”

Xu Ran’s expression grew stern. Zhang Zhentian had only been defeated twice in his entire life: once by Xu Ran himself, and the other time by Qin Yufeng of the now-exterminated Flame Sun Sect.

’And that man... he seemed to have his sights set on me once.’

Several hundred years had passed, and while the man hadn’t contacted him again, there was no guarantee he had given up his surveillance.

Jiang Ling’Er had joined the Sect much later, by which time Zhang Zhentian was already a Nascent Soul cultivator. It was only natural she hadn’t heard this story.

”Did he say his name?”

Jiang Ling’Er replied, ”He said his name is Qin Feng.”

Hearing the name, Xu Ran became even more certain. This had to be Qin Yufeng from the Flame Sun Sect, the man who had defeated Zhang Zhentian. ”Qin Feng” was just an alias.

’I can’t believe he went to the Demon Race’s territory after he disappeared. No wonder no one could find him. But did he go there just to escape pursuit from the Cultivation Realm, or is he plotting something?’

Xu Ran had never dared to underestimate Qin Yufeng. The man had tested him several times and had even defeated Zhang Zhentian back when he was at his peak. He was by no means a simple character.

”Did you interact with him? Did he say anything?”

Jiang Ling’Er replied, ”No. He came to the Dog Race territory, saw I was a human Cultivator, and just greeted me.”

”Do you know what he was doing in the Dog Race territory?”

”I don’t know. I only contacted you, Teacher, because I heard the people of the Dog Race saying he once defeated the Evergreen Sword Saint.”

”I see. He’s not a good person. If you run into him again, be sure to keep your distance.”

”He’s a bad guy? Okay, I understand. I’ll definitely stay far, far away if I see him.”

”Good. You’re a worthy student of mine. Very obedient.”

”Hee hee, thank you, Teacher.”

After ending the transmission, Xu Ran frowned in thought. ’That guy, Qin Yufeng... he’s making no effort to hide. He’s openly broadcasting the fact that he once defeated Zhang Zhentian, and in the Demon Race’s territory, no less.’

’What is he trying to accomplish by doing this?’

’If it were an ordinary person, I could have ignored it. But this was the man who had once set his sights on me, which left him feeling deeply unsettled.’