Chapter 95: Small Temple

In the southwestern frontier of Dragon Spring County, the desolate mountain of Falling Phoenix stood out like a solitary tree.

Following protocol, the group, upon reaching the Dragon Spring territory, chose to walk on foot, refraining from flying through the air or soaring on swords. Their destination was the Dragon Ridge Mountain, renowned for producing the Dragon Slaying Platform, the largest whetstone in the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent. Even divided into three, each piece would remain exceptionally formidable.

For these four cultivators from a martial arts ancestral court, traversing mountains and lakes on foot was no hardship. The martial arts cultivators of the Wind and Snow Temple valued physical tempering, considering it a means to hone their cultivation, strengthening both body and mind.

As they spotted the figure of Ruan Shi in the distance, they quickened their pace, proactively greeting the sect elder with cupped fists. Ruan Qiong might not have held the highest seniority in the Wind and Snow Temple, but his reputation was stellar. After creating the renowned long-range sword furnace, he had forged over ten swords for his fellow disciples, fostering goodwill and camaraderie.

However, what truly earned Ruan Qiong the unanimous recognition of the Wind and Snow Temple's six factions was a major incident. In the central Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, the Water Talisman Dynasty was at its zenith, and the Great Ink Mountain Estate was a leading immortal residence. A young ancestor of exceptional talent had just broken through to become a Land Sword Immortal and sought a suitable weapon. Hearing of Ruan Qiong's unparalleled sword-forging skills, he personally visited the Wind and Snow Temple's Green Water Pool to request a sword, promising significant benefits. However, Ruan Qiong was already committed to forging a sword for a junior disciple of the Wenqing Peak, a task that would take several years. Regardless of the young sword immortal's persuasion, Ruan Qiong insisted on prioritizing based on order. He offered to forge a sword for the Great Ink Mountain Estate for free, but only after completing the current project. The young sword immortal felt insulted and, in a fit of rage, attacked. Ruan Qiong, then only a ninth-floor cultivator, withstood the attack with grievous injuries but refused to yield, earning him widespread acclaim.

The Great Ink Mountain Estate paid a tremendous price for this. Besides the Land Sword Immortal being detained in the Wind and Snow Temple for fifty years of punishment, within six short years, each of the Wind and Snow Temple's six factions sent a representative to challenge the Great Ink Mountain Estate. The once undisputed leading sect of the Water Talisman Dynasty plummeted to the bottom of the second-tier, a position from which it has yet to recover.

Ruan Qiong smiled and returned the greeting. The Wind and Snow Temple lacked excessive formalities, even juniors greeted elders with such simplicity.

Ruan Qiong shared some information about the Dragon Ridge Mountain and the Great Li Dynasty's deployments in Dragon Spring County, then casually asked, "Is Wei Jin of the Immortal Platform traveling north with you this time?"

An old man in white robes, carrying a sword, smiled, "The sect sent a flying sword message midway. Senior Uncle Wei is indeed heading north, but not with us. It seems that Immortal He's participation in the Jade Pearl Grotto-Heaven as a representative of Daoism prompted Senior Uncle to join the fray. If all goes well, he should have already met Immortal He from the Southern Return Sect."

Ruan Qiong asked, "Has anyone met Wei Jin?"

All four shook their heads. "We have not seen his true appearance."

The sword-bearing old man asked, "Does Senior Ruan have something in mind by asking?"

Ruan Qiong smiled and waved his hand. "Just curious. If I remember correctly, Wei Jin is barely forty years old and has already secured his position in the tenth-floor realm. The Immortal Platform does need someone to step up and shoulder the burden of Elder Ancestor Liu's lineage."

As the five walked along the secluded mountain path, the sword-bearing old man, being the highest in seniority and cultivation, walked alongside Ruan Shi. The other three would call Wei Jin "Grand Uncle Master Wei". Among the six factions of the Wind and Snow Temple, the Immortal Platform was the weakest, almost reduced to a single line of succession. Ironically, the Immortal Platform had contributed the most to the Wind and Snow Temple in the past three hundred years. Therefore, both the Green Water Pool, where Ruan Shi had been, and the Giant Salamander Ditch, where the old sword cultivator was from, held genuine goodwill and expectations towards the Immortal Platform. Even though the six factions within the Wind and Snow Temple had their disputes, the complete demise of the disciplined and orderly Immortal Platform would be detrimental to all the factions.

Hearing this, the old man stroked his beard and smiled, "Senior Uncle Wei is a prodigy, rarely seen. He has earned a great reputation in the martial world. Perhaps the next time we meet, he will be the youngest cultivator in the top five floors of our Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent."

Ruan Qiong softly said, "Great trees attract wind. The more so, the more cautious one must be."

The old sword master turned to look at Ruan Shi's solemn expression and immediately understood. He said in a deep voice, "After this is over, upon returning to the Wind and Snow Temple, I will advise the sect leader to recall Senior Uncle Wei back to the sect. No matter what, it is best for Senior Uncle Wei to wait until he successfully reaches the top five floors before venturing into the martial world."

Ruan Qiong nodded. "That is a wise suggestion, and it should be done. I believe Wei Jin has seen the treacherous nature of people after wandering the martial world for so many years and will understand the sect's good intentions."

The old man hesitated.

Ruan Qiong shook his head. "Ultimately, whether Wei Jin is willing to return to the Wind and Snow Temple to cultivate is his own decision."

Ruan Qiong suddenly looked towards the town and cupped his fists. "Something has happened to my Xiuxiu. I need to go take a look. I will not accompany you."

The sword-bearing old man raised an eyebrow, his body already radiating killing intent. "Senior Ruan, if it is inconvenient for you to act, just say the word, and I will handle it. Who dares to bully our Xiuxiu? Are they tired of living?!"

Ruan Qiong smiled knowingly and said, "It's just a small matter."

Ruan Qiong's figure rose into the air and vanished in an instant.

The other three from the Wind and Snow Temple were surprised, wondering when the old man had become so fond of Ruan Xiuxiu. For the past ten years, the old man had mostly traveled far and wide with his sword, rarely staying on the mountain. Naturally, he was not particularly familiar with the girl, certainly less so than the three of them. However, Old Ancestor Qin from the Giant Salamander Ditch had indeed been impressed by the girl a long time ago.

The old sword master's expression remained calm as he slowly moved forward, but his mind was filled with the private words of Old Ancestor Qin of his lineage: "The Wind and Snow Temple is too small to contain Ruan Xiuxiu."

At the thatched shop, Ruan Qiong entered the shop and hesitated. He did not directly speak to his daughter in the elegant language of the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent. Although the women and girls of the town had temporarily learned some simple elegant language for business with outsiders, unexpected events could happen. Ruan Qiong gently tapped the counter. The girl looked up blankly, puzzled. "Dad, why are you here? Aren't you taking a break from blacksmithing today?"

Ruan Qiong said softly, "Come outside and talk."

The father and daughter left the shop and walked along the sparsely populated Dragon Riding Lane. After Ruan Qiong appeared, the spies and assassins of the Great Li Dynasty quietly withdrew on their own.

This was a silent tribute to a martial arts sage.

Ruan Qiong secretly nodded in approval. Understanding the small things, he thought that there was a reason for the Great Li's current strength.

Ruan Xiuxiu was somewhat annoyed and asked, "Did that Fengcheng Chu family run to complain to you? I warned that person many times before I took action."

Ruan Qiong smiled, "Even if you gave the Fengcheng Chu family more courage, they wouldn't dare to bother me with such trivial matters. Someone will probably come to apologize with generous gifts soon."

Ruan Xiuxiu muttered, "That guy looks disgusting, just like that short, fat dwarf, full of karmic debt and consequences, only in varying degrees. If such a person reaches the middle five floors, I don't know how many people they will harm. If I wasn't worried about causing trouble for you, Dad, I would have killed him with one palm and saved him from causing more sins in the future."

Ruan Qiong took a deep breath, sweat beading on his forehead. Fortunately, he had just released his Yin spirit, enveloping the entire Dragon Riding Lane with his aura, preventing anyone from detecting the movements here. Otherwise, if Ruan Xiuxiu's words were heard by those with ulterior motives, it would be disastrous. Cultivators in the world compete in their respective fields, and among the hundred schools of thought, the Yin-Yang school is most adept at detecting people's luck and karma. However, these skills are almost all acquired through post-natal cultivation, and their divine abilities are often used to follow the trend, like carefully peeling silk, cautiously. The Buddhist school is even more secretive about this, hating to avoid it. Only the martial arts school is the most unrestrained, acting as if anyone can be killed, but these are just superficial appearances. However, his daughter was different, very different.

From a young age, she could see through people's hearts, see their emotions and desires, and karmic repercussions. As her cultivation increased, she could even directly sever karma. Once she kills someone, the consequences are even more unimaginable.

This could not be explained solely by her being a natural fire god body.

Ruan Qiong only knew that in his daughter's eyes, the colors of this world were different from others.

Ruan Qiong had searched through the Wind and Snow Temple's treasured books and only found an ancient, long-lost explanation that could barely explain the reason.

A natural divine spirit, born in response to destiny.

Therefore, Ruan Qiong had proactively requested to be exiled to the Jade Pearl Grotto-Heaven, trying to buy her sixty years of time to conceal the heavenly secrets before Ruan Xiuxiu truly grew up.