Chapter 65: I, Junior Sister, This Test Is the Most Outstanding So Far

“Yue Lao, you’re just an immortal who manages marriages. What do you know about romantic love between men and women!”

In the front hall, a drunken Heavenly General was wailing.

Yue Lao, his face full of helplessness, could only offer words of comfort. However, he absolutely dared not give in and promise to connect the Heavenly General with a red thread of fate.

Having served for ten thousand years, what kind of situations hadn’t Yue Lao encountered?

He had seen this kind of situation countless times.

He could only continuously offer comfort, preach some principles, and then contact other Heavenly Generals to deal with the matter.

Romantic destinies are mainly achieved through one's own efforts. To create a wonderful story with that immortal maiden, one must plan meticulously and strive to move her heart...

Before this, Yue Lao had been repairing a clay figure that had been accidentally damaged by Grandmaster Xuandu.

The clay figure, formed from the power of the Heavenly Dao, constantly had a connection to it. Although repairable, the process was exceedingly complex.

The key was to temporarily ‘extract’ this clay figure from the Wheel of Destinies and reinsert it after the repairs were complete.

Just as Yue Lao was about to finish, the Heavenly General suddenly arrived, crying and complaining.

Since the clay figure couldn't be away from the Wheel of Destinies for too long, Yue Lao entrusted the final, very simple assembly work to his two disciples and came out to handle the situation.

In the back hall, the two young disciples carefully attached the clay figure's new left arm. A wisp of profound Dao aura emanated from the entire figure, instantly integrating it into a whole.

Then...

The smaller disciple pointed at a small bit of remaining clay on the table and softly asked, “Senior Brother, what should we do with this?”

“Oh no! We attached the shoulder incorrectly! There’s a small gap! It’s over, we can’t stuff it in now.”

“Will Master punish us then?”

“Hmm...”

The elder disciple pondered for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. He turned the clay figure over in his hands, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

He noticed that at the bottom of the clay figure, because its feet were slightly splayed apart, the width was just right.

Exchanging a look with the younger disciple, they both carefully worked together to stuff the bit of clay into the gap between the feet.

Then the elder disciple took a small hairpin and poked the clay further inside, hiding it more deeply.

Mission accomplished!

No sooner had the two disciples finished their makeshift repair than the drunken Heavenly General in the front hall was escorted away by two friends who had arrived.

Yue Lao strolled back, hands clasped behind his back, and gently asked, “Have you two finished the repair?”

“Y-yes, we’ve finished the repair, Master!”

Yue Lao took the clay figure, glanced at it, nodded in satisfaction, and casually tossed two bottles of elixirs to his disciples.

“Well done. Go practice in the front hall.”

With that, Yue Lao held the clay figure amidst the vast starlight, summoned the group of clay figures belonging to the Immortal-Warding Sect, and gently pushed it with his hand.

The Wheel of Destinies appeared, turning amidst the Great Dao.

The male clay figure slowly floated back to its original position. The three female clay figures surrounding it immediately sensed its return, and three red threads slowly extended towards the newly returned figure.

Yue Lao let out a soft sigh of relief. It was finally done.

Then, he saw the clay figure subtly shift, effortlessly dodging one of the red threads reaching out to it.

“This fellow, is he truly solely devoted to seeking the Dao?”

Yue Lao stroked his beard and smiled, observing the three red threads connected to this clay figure, which had barely changed.

“Interesting. I’ll have to see how long you can keep dodging. I can’t force you in this matter. We believe in facilitating good outcomes, not in making things difficult for others.”

No sooner had he spoken than the male clay figure subtly dodged another red thread’s entanglement. Then, the figure’s body twitched, and the small piece of clay that the two disciples had just tucked in slipped out from between its feet and floated into the sea of stars...

Yue Lao immediately froze, his face blank with astonishment. He tilted his head, staring at the newly repaired male clay figure, surrounded by the three other figures...

This?

H-how could this happen? This kind of situation has never occurred before!

Could this person be so resolute?!

No, wait, it’s possible that a little piece of debris accidentally fell in during the repair of the clay figure.

Then again...

The clay figure is merely a vessel for the red threads of fate. The left arm is important because new threads of destiny might emerge from it, but this...

Grandmaster probably won’t notice, right...

This is a Heavenly Dao clay figure for destinies; it has no other symbolic meaning. At most, it might create a subtle connection with the person it represents, but it shouldn’t affect their body...

Right?

“Remember to pay close attention to it!”

Grandmaster Xuandu’s hurried instructions before he left were still ringing in his ears. Yue Lao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He quickly took a few steps forward and snatched the tiny piece of clay floating in mid-air.

He crushed it, ground it into powder, put it into his sleeve, glanced left and right, then quickly walked to the clay figure. He examined it closely and carefully applied the powder in his hand to the shoulder socket of the previously broken left arm, where the repair seemed imperfect, with a tiny gap...

“Nothing happened, haha, nothing happened. Three stars circling the moon, what great fortune! What great fortune! Ahaha, hahaha...”

The two young disciples at the hall entrance quietly slipped away...

Not long after, Yue Lao stood there, hands clasped behind his back, muttering to himself:

“If this really has any negative impact... ultimately, it’s because we made a mistake. What should I do?”

***

Xiaoqiong Peak, in the underground secret chamber.

Li Changshou sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, quietly cultivating. His body was like glazed jade, his immortal soul pure and unblemished. A ball of Samadhi True Flame slowly circulated within him, making his skin appear semi-transparent, with flashes of immortal light shimmering within.

He meticulously checked himself, yet still found no abnormalities in his body.

He thought for a moment and then continued his stable seclusion here for several months. Only when his current minor realm was almost complete did he finally relax a little.

It should be fine now.

Although his current minor realm was complete, Li Changshou was not in a hurry to break through immediately. As he had previously planned, he intended to re-comprehend this realm.

The first step: review the old to learn the new.

The second step: shift perspective, verify his Dao Fruit, and identify gaps and shortcomings.

The third step: suppress his realm and strive for perfection.

Only by repeating these three steps several times could he minimize the probability of ‘oversights’ and ensure this stage of his realm was solid.

The primordial opportunities of the Great Wilderness had already been seized by the ancient mighty figures. If he wished to possess self-preservation abilities in the future, he could only seek stability in the early, middle, and late stages, accumulating strength for a grand burst in the very late stage.

His thinking had always been very clear.

Currently, in the Great Wilderness, the strength of most experts had already been set.

What he pursued was the height he could reach in the future, not a race against time.

After another half year of seclusion, Li Changshou finally confirmed that his body was completely normal, and the itching sensation in his armpit had not reappeared.

Having undergone an ascension, and with his realm reaching a certain level, he had already comprehended the upper volume of the Wuwei Sutra.

However, he currently had no suitable opportunity to acquire the lower volume of the Wuwei Sutra. Furthermore, secretly cultivating his sect's core cultivation technique was a major taboo and carried some risk.

There are no impenetrable walls in the world.

Aside from the backup plans and trump cards Li Changshou had prepared, his ultimate protective charm was, in fact, not doing anything that violated the core rules of the Immortal-Warding Sect or harmed its interests.

Slowly but surely.

The Wuwei Sutra was profound and extensive, with the upper volume even containing a general outline.

By carefully comprehending it, slowly grasping every word and phrase, he would surely gain new insights.

Perhaps he could even come up with some new ideas.

In another hundred years, when the immortal sprouts of his generation within the sect began undergoing their heavenly tribulations one after another, he could arrange a ‘coincidental outing’ to pass his own immortal tribulation. It wouldn’t be too late to cultivate the lower volume of the Wuwei Sutra then.

Returning from the secret chamber to the alchemy room, he put away the paper clone that had been sitting there for a long time, now perfectly capable of fooling anyone.

Li Changshou sat by the alchemy furnace and slowly began to refine it.

This alchemy furnace, named the 'Thousand Poisons Hundred Gold Furnace,' was a top-grade immortal treasure, Elder Wan Linjun's backup alchemy furnace.

The furnace body was forged from a hundred times refined 'Bright Flame Gold,' mixed with over a hundred kinds of precious materials. It was not only used by Heavenly Immortals like Wan Linjun for alchemy, but even ordinary Golden Immortals could use it without it exploding.

Looking closely at the furnace's outer wall, beneath the dark metallic luster, pure spiritual energy flowed. Intricately carved upon it were a hundred kinds of venomous insects and twelve types of highly poisonous exotic beasts.

However, the furnace itself had no toxic corrosion. On the contrary, it could suppress the volatilization of toxicity when refining poisonous elixirs, increasing the safety factor.

Originally, Elder Wan Linjun wanted Li Changshou to take another, more precious furnace that could increase elixir success rates and improve the quality of poisonous elixirs, but Li Changshou insisted on choosing this backup furnace...

This point greatly moved Elder Wan Linjun.

After all, the current environment of the Great Wilderness was no longer like ancient or primordial times; treasures were hard to come by, and methods were considered less important than treasures.

There were truly too few young people who remained unmoved by valuable treasures.

(Although Li Changshou was originally aiming for the safety factor.)

After opening the furnace and refining a batch of poisonous elixirs, Li Changshou was very satisfied with this furnace...

Next, he could discuss the ‘wealth accumulation’ plan with his master.

“For now, you’ll have to make do with these small formations for protection,” Li Changshou murmured. “Once I acquire more precious materials, I will ensure you are safe and undisturbed here, beyond anyone’s reach.”

The alchemy furnace was not a spirit treasure, so naturally, it gave him no response.

It had been some time since he returned. It was time to pay Elder Wan Linjun a second visit at Dandian Peak.

He couldn't just take benefits and then disappear.

'Hmm... I'll catch some spirit fish, ask Ling'e to cook some dishes, and bring two jars of fine wine to greet him.'

Pondering thus, Li Changshou slowly walked out of the alchemy room and rode his cloud towards the thatched hut.

His immortal perception easily penetrated the formations around Ling'e's thatched hut. He saw her napping at her desk by the window.

Her cascading dark hair fell over her fragrant shoulders and slender waist, and her delicate curves were gracefully outlined beneath her light garment.

If not for her occasional 'hehe' laughter and murmurs of 'Senior Brother,' which ruined much of the ambience, such beauty would be truly captivating.

On the stone slab beside her hand, there was an unfinished relief carving depicting Li Changshou returning on a cloud...

“Not cultivating properly.”

Li Changshou shook his head but did not disturb Ling'e. He rolled up his sleeves and busied himself at the lakeside stove.

After two hours of work, a delicious meal was prepared.

He recalled the first two years when Ling'e arrived on the mountain; the young girl, accustomed to a life of luxury, found the hardship of mountain life a bit unbearable. Li Changshou's culinary skills were honed during that time.

Later, Li Changshou actively nurtured his junior sister's spirit of hard work and diligence towards prosperity, and after she entered seclusion from grain, he taught her all his cooking skills.

He divided the leftover dishes into two lunchboxes, quietly placing one beside his junior sister and the other in front of his master's door.

Afterward, Li Changshou carried some side dishes and two jars of fine wine. Floating at a suitable height, avoiding the sect's busier cloud paths, he headed towards Dandian Peak.

Not long after he left, Ling'e's nose twitched slightly, drawn by the aroma of the food, and she slowly opened her eyes.

“Eh?”

Smacking her lips softly, Lan Ling'e saw the lunchbox by her hand and the bamboo slip placed on top of it.

‘Do not be lazy in cultivation; diligence leads to immortal rewards.’

Ling'e was first stunned, then a joyful smile appeared on her face.

Senior Brother was here!

And he cooked for her!

Hmm?

Something’s off.

Lan Ling'e immediately stood up, cradling her right elbow with her left hand and pinching her smooth chin with her right, deep in thought.

‘Hmph, Senior Brother must be testing me, seeing if I still remember what he taught!’

With a flick of her finger, a talisman flew from her sleeve and affixed itself to the lunchbox.

Then she threw the lunchbox out the window. Flames flickered on the talisman, and the lunchbox instantly exploded into pieces.

This move might not be perfect, but it's at least excellent, right?

Ling'e smiled triumphantly, then stepped out of her thatched hut, looking for a sign of her senior brother.

However, her gaze... was soon drawn to the identical lunchbox in front of her master's door.

Her triumphant smile gradually froze on her pretty face. Lan Ling'e raised a hand to her forehead and let out two soft groans.

It really was Senior Brother’s cooking.

She hadn’t had it in years... how could she...

Sigh, Senior Brother has spoiled her!

“Master is in seclusion; he surely hasn’t noticed, right? The food is outside the formation.”

Leaving it there would also make it go bad...

Ling'e glanced left and right, tiptoed closer to her master's wooden door, and bent down to pick up the lunchbox from the ground.

‘Master, your disciple isn't trying to snatch food from a tiger's mouth. You're busy comprehending the path of immortality and surely won't emerge from seclusion. It's bad to waste food, isn't it...’

Creak—

The wooden door slowly slid open. Daoist Qiyuan, who was just stretching, looked down and saw his young disciple at the door, immediately breaking into a gentle smile.

“Ling'e, what are you doing here?”

“Uh... Master...”

“Senior Brother made some food and asked me to bring it to you.”

“Oh?” Qiyuan's face instantly lit up, and he took the lunchbox. “It's rare for you two to show such filial piety. It's not too late for your master to eat this before going to Potian Peak.”

Ling'e turned her back to her master, her mouth flattening into a pout, looking terribly wronged.

I'm crying, Master, I'm really crying, Master...

She took a breath and casually asked, “Master, do you have business at Potian Peak?”

“Ahem!”

Daoist Qiyuan pretended to be calm and said, “It's nothing major. Didn't your master just become an immortal? Your master previously received a notice from the Hall of Hundred Mortals: Xiaoqiong Peak can now also participate in the decennial gathering of peak masters.”

“Oh, eh?”