Watching the Mountain

Chapter 386: Chapter 208: Their Respective Situations, The Last Lesson

Xu Ran was well aware of this. His Cave Mansion had once been the gathering place for the Three Heroes of Changqing and his own grand-disciple, Lu Mingchen. He had personally witnessed their growth.

He had once imagined that Li Daoyi, Chu Lingxiao, and Luo Qianxue would each mature and eventually succeed their respective Sect Leaders.

He dreamed the three of them would lead their sects to new heights and then join forces to shape the future of Changqing County, the Eastern Domain, and even the entire Cultivation Realm, transforming its landscape.

However, the passage of time dealt each of them a different hand. First, Luo Qianxue’s sect was annihilated, and then came Chu Lingxiao’s turn.

Unlike Luo Qianxue, Chu Lingxiao had personally requested that the Profound Pure Sect destroy his Illusion Spirit Sect. In other words, he had destroyed his own sect with his own hands.

Regardless of his reasons, the act of pushing the very sect that had raised him to its doom would inevitably be branded upon his heart forever, impossible to erase.

It was no surprise to Xu Ran that Chu Lingxiao’s progress had stalled. People always falter or change because of events like these.

It was the same for Luo Qianxue.

Nine years after Li Daoyi’s breakthrough, in the twelfth year of the Hidden Dao Era, Luo Qianxue, whom they hadn’t heard from in a long time, sent a message to Xu Ran and Li Daoyi announcing that she had reached the Golden Core realm.

At the time, she was exactly ninety-nine years old, just barely meeting the threshold to be a Hundred-Year Golden Core.

Luo Qianxue had taken the remnants of her sect to the territory of a single county, re-established the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect, and holed up there. Resources and opportunities were undoubtedly much scarcer.

However, she had previously spent some time in Cyan Cloud County and acquired some opportunities there, which helped make up for her current deficiencies and allowed her to catch up.

Both Xu Ran and Li Daoyi understood why Luo Qianxue had rushed to share the news the moment she broke through. It was to tell them she had become a Hundred-Year Golden Core.

She needed to prove she was still a top-tier prodigy, begging to maintain her connection with them—or more accurately, with the Profound Pure Sect behind them.

Yes, begging. That was the attitude they sensed from Luo Qianxue when she contacted them.

It was as if she was terrified of losing her status as a top-tier prodigy, and with it, the right to even contact them.

This left both Xu Ran and Li Daoyi with incredibly complicated feelings. The Luo Qianxue of the past had the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect to rely on. She could be carefree and didn’t have to worry about a thing.

That was why she had been so lively, cheerful, and playfully mischievous, with a bit of a hidden dark side. She could do whatever she pleased.

But now, she had become the one the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect relied on. Every word she spoke, every action she took, had to be weighed against the sect’s development and future.

She could no longer be that carefree little sprite.

Had it been the Luo Qianxue of old, she would have been mortified to only reach the Golden Core realm at the age of ninety-nine.

Xu Ran could just imagine it: if anyone had dared to bring it up in front of her, she would have flown into a rage like a cornered rabbit, all teeth and claws.

But now, this very fact had become her source of pride, the only bridge connecting her to her past.

Both Xu Ran and Li Daoyi understood. In order to protect her last shred of dignity, they were exceedingly careful even when offering their congratulations, afraid she might perceive some hidden meaning and feel humiliated.

In the end, Li Daoyi dispatched a representative to present her with a congratulatory gift.

When Luo Qianxue heard what Li Daoyi was planning, she even said with a grin, ”Then you’d better make a big show of it. It would be best if all the local powers here knew that I’m acquainted with the head of the Profound Pure Sect. Maybe then they’ll stop eyeing my territory every day and give me some peace.”

Her tone was lighthearted, but after she finished speaking, the other end of the Communication Jade Talisman fell deathly silent. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Clearly, she was holding her breath, anxiously awaiting Li Daoyi’s response.

Li Daoyi replied with a light chuckle, ”Alright. I’ll send some extra disciples over to make the procession a little more impressive.”

It was just a gesture of congratulations, not direct intervention. He was willing to grant such a small request for a dear old friend.

As Li Daoyi’s words faded, a clear sigh of relief came through the Communication Jade Talisman, followed by Luo Qianxue expressing her thanks in that same lighthearted tone.

But whether her heart felt as light as her voice, no one could know.

Luo Qianxue’s transformation was inevitable. Although Xu Ran felt a pang of regret that he would never again see that playfully mischievous girl with a hint of a dark side, he was also somewhat relieved to see how much she had matured.

Becoming so pragmatic meant she now had the ability to survive.

It would have been far more worrying if she had remained as carefree as before after losing her sect’s support.

Knowing how to leverage every resource at her disposal was a skill in itself—a crucial one for survival.

He understood all this, of course, yet he still felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.

If it were possible, he truly wished she could have stayed that same playfully mischievous girl forever. When she was around, things were always so lively and fun.

But that was obviously impossible now. All he could do was lament it in his heart.

Xu Ran shook his head and gazed in the direction Zhang Zhentian and Shen Wuchen had departed. ’Of the original Three Heroes of Changqing, only Chu Lingxiao has yet to break through to the Golden Core realm. I hope this trip to the Overseas Archipelago helps him overcome his inner demons and finally achieve his breakthrough.’

「Three months after Zhang Zhentian and the others left.」

Xu Ran arrived at the main hall on Qing Xuan Peak.

Inside the great hall, Qing Xuan True Monarch sat bolt upright, silently watching Xu Ran enter.

”Teacher.”

Xu Ran bowed to Qing Xuan True Monarch, his heart filled with an indescribable emotion.

’After today, Teacher Qing Xuan will also be entering the Dust-covered state. We won’t meet again until the distant future.’

”Mm.” Qing Xuan True Monarch’s expression remained stern. He gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, his gaze resting on Xu Ran for a moment before he spoke softly.

”Your cultivation isn’t far from the Golden Core realm, is it?”

Xu Ran nodded. ”All I lack is the catalyst for a breakthrough.”

His cultivation had long ago reached the threshold of the Golden Core realm, but a threshold was still a threshold. It was no easy task to cross it.

Moreover, he had comprehended four different Mental Realms. To achieve a Golden Core through the Transformation Dao was considerably more difficult than for an ordinary person.

Qing Xuan True Monarch nodded slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke slowly.

”In that case, before I enter the Dust-covered state, let me give you one final lesson.”

As he spoke, his expression grew stern, just as it had been during the lectures back in the Instructor Hall on Spirit Stream Peak.

Looking at that expression, Xu Ran felt none of the fear he used to in the Instructor Hall. Instead, a heavy weight settled in his chest.

When he had just joined Spirit Stream Peak, it was this same stern face—one that could intimidate anyone at a glance—that had looked upon him. But this man hadn’t disdained him for his poor aptitude, for being a hundred years old and still at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer. On the contrary, he had patiently invested more thought and effort into teaching him than any other disciple.

He had even gone so far as to lower himself to put on an act for Xu Ran’s sake.

And now, on the verge of entering the Dust-covered state, his thoughts were still on his student’s cultivation.

’A teacher for a day, a teacher for a lifetime.’