Jade Pure Sect, Cultivate Diligently Become Immortal Mountain
Chang Yue'er climbed up the mountain, being sent here by her Master, to plant some herbs that increase Spirit Qi quantity. However, she was astonished to discover the sheer amount of the Spirit Qi on this mountain, 'When did the Spirit Qi increase so much?!'
She hurried up, and what she saw left her brain malfunctioning, "This much Spirit Qi, this big chicken, two Senior Huas..." She stepped backwards, almost falling, "Did the Sun rise from the West today? Am I hallucinating from my cultivation pills?"
Pinching herself, she confirmed she wasn't, 'If this isn't a hallucination, then why the fu*k am I seeing double?!' Sensing her, both Hua Lian and Tian Lianchen opened their eyes simultaneously, making her rub her eyes.
Hua Lian was the one who stood up, while Tian Lianchen just nodded at her and closed his eyes to continue with his cultivation. Clasping his hands, Hua Lian greeted, "Senior Chang, I hope you've been in good health."
She looked at him, then at meditating Tian Lianchen, then back at him, going back and forth. Seeing this, Hua Lian explained, "He's my clone, that's why we look the same."
Black Hell Chicken looked over, confused, 'Didn't Brother Hua say he's not a clone?' But he didn't voice his question, 'He must have his reasons.'
She nodded mindlessly, "Senior Brother Hua, where is Junior Han?" Facing the situation, she decided not to think about it, as thinking too much would hurt her head.
Hua Lian was about to answer when a door to the cave adobe opened, and Han Jue's voice floated over, "Senior Chang, come in." Chang Yue'er immediately rushed in, so as not to deal with this whole clone situation.
Hua Lian shook his head at her shenanigans and sat back on his lotus throne, 'Three years passed since I created Tian Lianchen, and he's already broken through into the 4th level of Nascent Soul not long ago, while I'm still in the 2nd.'
He sighed briefly before resuming his cultivation, 'If only three lines of my cultivation technique can take me up to the Loose Immortal Realm, then what about the rest…'
Falling deep in thought, he tried to remember canon, 'If I remember correctly, normal cultivation technique can take you up to the Deity Realm, and afterwards you comprehend the Dao.'
A small smile spread on his face, 'At that time, I would be like a fish in the water, plus, when Han Jue creates the Great Dao of Extreme Origin, I should be able to walk right behind him.'
Inside the cave adobe, Chang Yue'er talked, while Han Jue occasionally nodded and added comments. She couldn't help but ask, "By the way, Junior Brother Han, when did you even take Senior Brother Hua as your disciple?"
Han Jue, understanding her, calmly replied, "It's been a few years. His talent is exponential, he's already about as strong as Master." He unintentionally let it slip.
Chang Yue'er, who was surprised before, was now terrified and in awe at the same time, 'Wait, it's been, what, less than a decade, and he already has that kind of strength…'
Noticing her face pale slightly, he had a knowing smile, 'What kind of face would you make if you knew I was in Soul Formation already?' But it quickly vanished, 'No, I can't get cocky, that's how strong become stepping stones for protagonists.'
Snapping out of her daze, Chang Yue'er remembered her objective, "Right, how did Spiritual Qi rise so much? What array did you use? Master sent me here to plant some herbs to increase your Spirit Qi, but now, they seem like trash."
How could Han Jue forget about the miraculous function of his Dao Field, especially after the upgrade? A year ago, he got the notifications from his system.
[The Dao Field has been upgraded. The array formation has been upgraded to the Mahayana Realm.]
[Spirit Qi has increased by two times.]
[The Dao Field can block the prying of a Loose Immortal's divine sense.]
He let out a small cough, "Senior Chang, this…"
Seeing his reluctance, she humphed, "If you don't want to say it, fine. I'll be going on a mission, bye." Stomping out of the cave adobe, Han Jue was helpless.
He was about to continue with his cultivation when a line of words appeared in his view.
[Detected bearer of connate providence, checking its origin.]
Han Jue felt a headache coming, "Not another one…" But still checked its origin.
[Huang Jihao: Third level of the Soul Formation realm, an external elder of the Vermillion Bird Sword Sect. Born with the Heart of the Sword, he has an extremely high comprehension of the Sword Dao. Because of his unparalleled aptitude from a young age, he has developed a haughty attitude. In order to become stronger, he can give up everything.]
Looking at Huang Jihao's profile, Han Jue remembered Xing Hongxuan mentioning him, 'I was worried, but seeing he's only 3rd level of Soul Formation, he isn't that much.' But his system didn't agree.
[The Jade Pure Sect faces Huang Jihao's challenge. You have the following choices:]
[1: Order Hua Lian to annihilate Huang Jihao and together obtain victory. Your names will shake the world, and you will obtain Dao Field upgrade and a Supreme Technique.]
[2: Secretly repel Huang Jihao without causing too much of a commotion. You can obtain a Numinous Treasure.]
Han Jue looked at the biased choices and, without hesitation, took the second one, "Be high profile? Courting death!" As he said, he stood up and vanished.
While Han Jue went off to deal with Huang Jihao's challenge, Hua Lian looked at the glowing herbs he planted, 'Dao Ancestor sure is daring, I don't know what they are, so I can only assume they're from the Upper Realm.'
Shaking his head, he decided to drop it, 'Overthinking it would make my head hurt.'
He was planning whether he should enter the Heavenly Dao Claimty, 'There's a great opportunity to reach higher levels quicker, but the possibility of death is high. Though I don't have to worry much about it, as Tian Lianchen would have my soul fragment when the time comes. But should I…'
As he was thinking, he sensed a disturbance in the distance, 'Who could it be?' Sending out his divine sense, he saw Han Jue use the Heavenly Punishment Ghost Deity Sword, totally overwhelming the opponent, "Wait, is that… Huang Jihao?"
Seeing Huang Jihao thrown like a toy, Hua Lian couldn't help but marvel at Han Jue's control, 'He could've easily killed him, I wish I had that kind of mastery. At most, I could try not to kill him. Primordial Sky-Splitting Palm is meant to kill.'
Hua Lian saw Han Jue walk back to his cave adobe, paying no attention to Tian Lianchen, calling in Black Hell Chicken. While they entered, Hua Lian sighed, 'Here goes another session of caution teaching…'
Uneventful were the next four years, Tian Lianchen was breaking through into the 6th level of Nascent Soul, while Hua Lian was stabilizing his cultivation, '4th level of Nascent Soul…'
Hua Lian, looking at Tian Lianchen's breakthrough speed, contemplated, 'He can't betray me, no matter how high his cultivation is, it's something like Han Jue's Primordial Heavenly Prison.'
At the same time, Tian Lianchen broke through, the Cultivate Diligently Become Immortal Mountain welcomed a visitor. Fairy Xi Xuan ascended the mountain, looking the same as always, but her eyes couldn't hide her surprise.
'Since when did Jade Pure Sect have such a mountain…' Her surprise intensified when she saw two Hua Lians. But she was prepared, 'Looks like Yue'er wasn't hallucinating, there are two of them, plus one's aura is stronger than mine.'
Looking at Tian Lianchen, she assumed he was the original, but when she saw his eyes were blue, she was shocked, 'If that isn't the original, then-'
Hua Lian stood up the moment he saw her approach, clasping his hands, he greeted, "Greetings, Grandmaster Xi, I hope your cultivation has been smooth, and you've mastered my gift."
She simply nodded, giving up on her initial intention, "Your gift was unnecessary." Looking at the cave adobe, she asked, "Is your master here?"
At that moment, the cave adobe's door opened, and Han Jue's voice floated over, "Master, please come in."
As she entered, she saw the words above the cave, 'Endure Today Freedom Tomorrow, the name really suits his personality. I guess he's even more of a coward than I thought.' A rare smile appeared on her face, 'But that's why he can survive in this world.'
When the door closed, Black Hell Chicken came to Hua Lian, whispering, "Is Master going to be eaten by that Xi Xuan woman?"
Hua Lian just shook his head with a smile, 'Han Jue can be a bit too much sometimes.'
Inside, Han Jue had already set up another mat for her to sit, and she didn't stand on ceremony. Han Jue was the first to speak, "Master, what brings you here?"
Looking at him deeply, she spoke, "I brought you an opportunity, but seeing your mountain has so much Spirit Qi, forget it." Disappointment flashed in his eyes, 'Again, I'm useless as a Master.'
Shaking her head, she changed the subject, "My Senior Brother Guan will be returning shortly, he wants to compete with Senior Brother Li for the position of Sect Master."
Han Jue frowned, as he quite liked Li Qingzi, no matter how much danger-prone he was, "Master wants me to repel this Guan?"
She nodded, "Not in that sense, just let him challenge you and win against him. Despite being weaker, Senior Brother Li has contributed too much to the sect, while Senior Brother Guan is only here for revenge."
Han Jue's cautious nature kicked in, "What is his cultivation level? His combat abilities?"
Seeing that he didn't reject her immediately, she was hopeful, "He should be in Soul Formation." Saying this, worry flashed in her eyes, as Li Qingzi was only a Nascent Soul, all her hope lied in Han Jue.
Han Jue was frozen for a moment before he exclaimed, "That's it?" Composing himself, he gave her a confidant smile, "Don't worry, Master, I'll make sure to defeat him."
Looking at his confidant smile, she released a breath she didn't know she was holding, 'Senior Brother Li will stay the Sect Master.' She gave him a warm smile, "Thank you for accepting my request."
"You're my Master for life, it's what a disciple should do."
They began to chat about cultivation, sharing their insight, when Fairy Xi Xuan remembered Hua Lian, "You took in my disciple Hua Lian?"
Han Jue simply nodded, "Yes, he came to the foot of my mountain, kowtowing." He's been curious about his disciple's background, aside from being the inheritor of the Dao Ancestor, "Master, you should know his background?"
Tilting her head, she answered, "There isn't much. Your eldest Senior Brother picked him up from a nearby village after discovering his High-grade Water Spirit Root. He was 10 at that time."
Han Jue fell deep in thought, 'He must've gotten some sort of great opportunity, how can you go behind Dao Ancestor's back, and obtain his full inheritance?' He again summoned Hua Lian's profile.
[Hua Lian, inheritor of Dao Ancestor's full teachings. Self-made Son of Heaven and Earth. Blessed by Dao. Reformer of Heavenly Dao. 4th level of Nascent Soul. Because he thinks you can keep him alive and allow him to cultivate in peace, he has a favorable impression of you. Current favorability: 5 stars.]
Seeing a new providence, Han Jue was intrigued, 'Reformer of Heavenly Dao? What's that?' The system didn't answer his question as always. In Han Jue's mind, Hua Lian's image became a bit covered by the mist.
Seeing concern flash in Han Jue's eyes, Fairy Xi Xuan calmly said, "When I saw him change, I was also concerned, but he's still a child Liu Sanxin brought in. I watched him grow up."
Reminiscing, she continued, "If it wasn't for him accepting you as his Master, I would've taken him as my personal disciple." With that, she stood up, leaving the cave and returning to Jade Serene Peak.
And the Cultivate Diligently Become Immortal Mountain returned to its peace and tranquility. Han Jue, in his cave, scrolled through his emails.
[Your disciple, Yang Tiandong, was attacked by the Raincoat Sect.] × 32
[Your good friend, Li Qingzi, was attacked by the Raincoat Sect.] × 49
[Your friend, Zhou Fan, was attacked by the Raincoat Sect.] × 31
Seeing this, he couldn't help but mourn them, 'Maybe I should send Hua Lian to help them?' Thinking about it, he didn't reject the idea, 'It could be good to build up experience, but his philosophy…'
He was troubled because his talented disciple was reluctant to take lives. And the possibility of meeting Dao Ancestor was still there, he was left wondering, 'What to do?'
Since he couldn't decide, he went for the second-best option, calling the person in question. He opened his cave adobe and called in Hua Lian. When Hua Lian entered, he quickly bowed, "Master, you called?"
Han Jue looked at the show of respect, and was slightly moved, "I have a mission, are you willing? It'll be dangerous." Trying to gauge his reaction.
Hua Lian's eyes shone with a strange light, 'I think I know what this mission is. He should be talking about Raincoat Sect, destiny's course has already shifted.' Knowing who he's facing, he said, "This disciple is willing. As long as Master wills it, it shall be done."
Han Jue nodded, explaining the details, "You should first head out to Vermillion Bird Sword Sect and look for a person named Huang Jihao, he's an elder there. He knows the whereabouts of the Raincoat Sect. Your objective is to rescue your fellow Sect members."
Giving one last bow, Hua Lian said, "It shall be done." With that, he exited the cave adobe, leaving Han Jue to his own thoughts, 'Can this kid really defeat the whole sect?'