Chapter 279: Difficult to Find Fellow Daoists

A gentle breeze rustled the vermillion wooden window, as raindrops pattered against the pane. When the wind subsided, the lamplight gradually steadied.

Behind him, Medusa lay asleep on the desk, a book open beneath her. Xu Zhi quietly watched the window, gazing at the scenery outside, and suddenly sighed, "In a few days, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival in this world."

Unbeknownst to him, both the Wizard World and the Ancient World had already become fully developed extraordinary realms, even though they were situated within his own orchard, divided into upper and lower layers at ground level and in the cellar.

The Mid-Autumn Festival marked a rare full moon of the year. Having only just fallen asleep after studying all night, it was now almost five o'clock, and the sky was faintly brightening.

In recent days, people on the streets had already begun making and selling mooncakes. Wisps of smoke rose from chimneys, and children from various families laughed and skipped, holding candied hawthorns. The streets and alleys were filled with a festive atmosphere, imbued with the charm of an ordinary ancient era.

“How long will the bright moon be there? I raise my cup and ask the blue sky. I do not know what year it is tonight in the celestial palaces above.”

The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival and its various celebrations, naturally, were due to the 'Moe Girl' of the Salted Fish faction—a Mother of the Earth whose contributions were immense. She had introduced various Chinese delicacies, transforming this realm into a truly ancient world, complete with swordsmen, scholars, and an imperial court.

Even for Medusa, Allie, and Miki, this was all new. After all, their living environments growing up were different. The Wizard World experienced cycles of fifty years of day and fifty years of night, with long periods of alternation. It didn't have the daily cycle of day and night, nor frequent festivals or distinct seasons.

"My orchard is truly approaching perfection."

Xu Zhi sat at the table by the window, looking at the golden light beneath it. His palm gently stroked the hair of the sleeping Gorgon Medusa, who lay on the desk. He couldn't resist secretly pinching her soft cheek. This terrifying Death Monarch, a figure whose name struck fear into hearts, looked somewhat adorable in her sleep, devoid of any overwhelming ferocity.

"The Mirror Clone allows me to truly begin to possess the ability to descend into this world."

The clone had no emotions—no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. This was because it hadn't severed the three natures (divine, demonic, bestial); it possessed only absolute rationality and keen intellect. One could say it was a supremely detached, cold, and emotionless existence, solely immersed in learning, and even difficult to communicate with.

However, his own consciousness could secretly descend into his mirror clone, as was the case now. Originally, Xu Zhi thought this would be a tricky problem, but unexpectedly, through a strange twist of fate, it had instead become Medusa's learning machine.

"Perhaps this is also good. After all, letting the clone study alone in a room, mechanically repeating tasks every day, I'd worry about it suddenly collapsing. It's better to throw it into the sandbox where it has a study companion to prevent it from overdoing it and to progress together, and someone to answer its questions."

Xu Zhi sat on the windowsill, reaching out again to ruffle Medusa's hair. In her sleep, Medusa possessed the longevity gene. As long as there was no hostility or overly aggressive movements, her unspeakable aspect would not awaken.

Having such a companion was indeed mutually beneficial. It could greatly accelerate the clone's learning efficiency. As for Medusa taking the opportunity to acquire knowledge from his 'learning tool,' Xu Zhi didn't particularly care. After all, top-tier, heaven-defying cultivation techniques like the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art and the Mirror Clone were all blocked. What she could ask about was merely the basic knowledge systems of various worlds. She could only use that to create various new cultivation methods.

"It's better if she becomes stronger."

Xu Zhi looked down at Medusa, asleep on the desk, as if seeing a high school girl who loved studying so much she'd fallen asleep in class. She was like two completely different people when asleep and awake. He smiled and said, "The pioneers and powerful figures of each extraordinary world's sandbox era are all my mentors. They wrote the hymns of history with their lives and blood, pushing each era forward from crude beginnings to maturity, ultimately paving the way for my learning, with various systems.

"However, I still lack another kind of teacher—a companion who can walk beside me on the path. She wouldn't teach me knowledge or provide a mature power system, but rather accompany me in joint deduction, supporting each other on the path of seeking knowledge, allowing me to view this world with a more powerful mind and broader perspective.”

Acquired knowledge was, after all, just knowledge. He clearly knew that his talent was merely that of a fortunate individual, clever and superior to many in reality, but he didn't possess the heaven-defying natural talent and ingenuity of figures like Emperor Qi or Dao Changsheng. He didn't rest on his laurels. To become a Creator God, one must possess the pure spirit of seeking the Dao.

Further along, with the advancement of knowledge and experience, the development of wisdom, and continuous learning and research, powerful individuals would become increasingly intelligent. The gap in innate aptitude would gradually become less significant; what truly mattered was an enduring heart. Medusa's aptitude wasn't exceptionally high, merely comparable to that of Queen Lilith of Babylon in her prime. Her ability to reach this point was due to her own arduous efforts, surpassing many geniuses with far greater natural gifts, even the more intelligent Three Witches. And perhaps, throughout the long years, having a companion who can mutually support and verify with you is life's greatest fortune, one's greatest opportunity, surpassing all treasures, and directly pointing to the ultimate path.

"However, what seems simple is incredibly difficult!"

Xu Zhi calmly stated, "At their level, they all transcend the world, ancient beings overlooking the lives of countless eras. Who can they still trust? Who would bare all their hidden secrets and core techniques to others for mutual verification? If the other party harbors ill intentions and knows your cultivation method, they could easily kill you!"

Even Medusa and Armina dared not open their hearts or reveal their true methods and trump cards to each other. This was, in a sense, tragic. The path of seeking the Dao was long and arduous, and they all walked it alone. Therefore, Medusa's extreme joy at this moment was perfectly understandable. Precisely because it wasn't a true living being, it was the most perfect companion. One could safely entrust everything to it, lay bare one's thoughts, and together advance on that long and distant path of truth.

"Therefore, she was very happy, revealing her true feelings, sleeping so blissfully and peacefully for the first time." Xu Zhi looked at Medusa, who seemed like a sleeping girl who had found a treasure to her heart's content, her face incredibly serene and gentle.

This was a win-win situation. They could discuss the Dao together, and leveraging Medusa's habit, he could also ask about some difficulties he encountered in his own cultivation. For example, how to create a solar energy source, which he had just asked about, was a problem that had recently troubled him. Without a sun as his primordial spirit, the Gourmet World could not be opened. The Gourmet World was a special, unique small world promised to the Wizard community, intended to encourage dedicated players who meditated diligently within it.

"The Mirror Clone, this learning tool, temporarily placed with Medusa, will fill my greatest weakness! Supplementing my knowledge base so it's no less than Medusa's, Emperor Qi's, Phoenix's, Armina's, and others' is not a bad thing."

Xu Zhi's brow twitched. He suddenly noticed the dense stack of papers on Medusa's desk where she lay. He couldn't help but pull one out to see what she had written. It was a letter, addressed to Armina.