Volume 5 Chapter 3

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Volume 5 Chapter 3: The Beginning

The look of disappointment on Ting’er’s face was fleeting, and since Xu Qingfan had already turned towards his room, he didn’t notice this unusual expression.

On the other hand, Zhang Ningmei, standing next to Ting’er, keenly observed Ting’er’s hint of disappointment. Her eyes showed a thoughtful expression, but she didn’t say anything, merely followed Xu Qingfan into the room silently.

Inside the house, Xu Qingfan sat cross-legged on the floor, while Ting’er, Zhang Ningmei, and Bai Yu stood respectfully in front of him, waiting for his instructions.

Xu Qingfan paused thoughtfully for a moment and then said to Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, "Since I came down the mountain in secret from everyone at Jiuhua, your identities shouldn’t be revealed. So, for the next thirteen years until the mountain is reopened, both of you will cultivate in my cave and not go outside. After it ends, I will formally make you disciples of Jiuhua."

"Yes," Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu replied, bowing. Zhang Ningmei remained calm as usual, while Bai Yu felt a bit bitter, for although Xu Qingfan’s cave was beautiful, staying for thirteen whole years seemed challenging to him.

Seeing the bitterness on Bai Yu’s face, Xu Qingfan said slowly, "In the first ten years of my cultivation, I never left the cave either. At the beginning of cultivation, laying a foundation is crucial, requiring complete focus. Otherwise, if you only think about playing from the start, you will never achieve great success. Moreover, the pursuit of immortality is to seek longevity, and a lifetime in the mortal world is merely a moment of meditation to us. Whether it’s boring or joyous depends on your mindset. If you can’t endure the hardships of the Foundation Establishment stage, how can you talk about cultivating to become an Immortal Master? My rule is primarily for secrecy, but it’s also for your benefit. If you can’t manage it, I will erase this part of your memory and send you back to the mortal world. Do you understand?"

Saying this, Xu Qingfan glanced casually at Bai Yu.

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s deep and serene gaze, Bai Yu was moved, realizing that Xu Qingfan spoke directly to him. He quickly shed his playful thoughts and, together with Zhang Ningmei, bowed and agreed.

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly. Although Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu were both new disciples, Xu Qingfan intended to educate them differently based on their varying temperaments.

Zhang Ningmei was mature in character, thoughtful, stable, self-disciplined, yet not lacking in adaptability, so Xu Qingfan had complete confidence in her. To be honest, setting aside blood ties and Liu Huaxiang’s last wish, even though Zhang Ningmei had the poorest aptitude among his three disciples, Xu Qingfan valued her the most. Zhang Ningmei was also the most similar to him in personality and disposition.

It could be said that if Ting’er wasn’t Xu Qingfan’s only relative in the world, no matter how talented Ting’er was, Xu Qingfan wouldn’t have considered making her his disciple. If it weren’t for Liu Huaxiang’s last wish, no matter how extraordinary Bai Yu’s lineage was, Xu Qingfan wouldn’t have taken Bai Yu as a disciple. But with Zhang Ningmei, Xu Qingfan felt the desire to take her as a disciple from the very first moment he saw her.

To Xu Qingfan, Zhang Ningmei is the kind of person you can trust to handle things on her own after giving her instructions. If she has questions, she’ll come back and ask; if not, she’ll focus on her practice with peace of mind. Ting’er, on the other hand, is someone you can let go of but not without worry. Although she practices diligently, she keeps her doubts to herself unless you specifically ask if she has any problems, prompting her to seek help.

As for Bai Yu, he is neither someone you can let go of nor trust. Although he might not be any less gifted than Ting’er, he grew up in the general’s palace, pampered by everyone around him. Despite not developing any bad habits and possessing a rare, sincere heart, as seen in his care for Zhang Ningmei, Bai Yu is like an ordinary teenager with a wild nature. He lacks the maturity of Zhang Ningmei and Ting’er, which means Xu Qingfan has to occasionally remind him of his responsibilities to ensure he stays on track with his training. Otherwise, any leniency would lead him to become unruly instantly.

Indeed, after hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Bai Yu paused for a moment, then quickly asked, "So, Master, are you going to teach us immortality cultivation now?"

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly but couldn’t help frowning.

It’s understandable, as none of his three disciples are ordinary. Ting’er was transformed by a demonic pearl, causing her to unleash overwhelming demonic energy with any spell, exceeding that of regular demon cultivators. Zhang Ningmei has been frail since childhood, but her Divine Sense is far superior to ordinary people. As for Bai Yu, he possesses the bloodline of the ancient beast "Qiongqi."

They may be exceptionally gifted, but Xu Qingfan finds teaching them a headache. The usual methods won’t work for them and might even be harmful, requiring a unique approach.

Seeing Xu Qingfan frown in contemplation, everyone knew he was considering how to guide their cultivation, so they held their breath, not daring to interrupt. During this time, Bai Yu seemed eager to ask more questions, but Zhang Ningmei stopped him with a look.

After a while, Xu Qingfan took a green slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Ningmei. As she reached out to take it, Xu Qingfan said slowly, "This slip records a technique called the ‘Art of Annihilation,’ which I obtained from an evil cultivator. It’s not a traditional Jiuhua cultivation method. Unlike most methods in the cultivation world, this one is specifically for cultivating the Divine Sense. With your current strength in Divine Sense, you should be able to read its contents. Familiarize yourself with it for now, and I will answer any difficult questions later. However, do not study the sections on enhancing Divine Sense strength or using Divine Sense offensively yet. Focus first on the parts about refining it. Once your Divine Sense is refined, it won’t drain your body’s energy, and then I’ll teach you formal immortality cultivation."

After hearing Xu Qingfan’s instructions, Zhang Ningmei obediently bowed and agreed.

Seeing that Zhang Ningmei didn’t say much, Xu Qingfan nodded with satisfaction. Once Zhang Ningmei could condense her Divine Sense, her stubborn illness would heal miraculously. Although she might start cultivating later than others, once her Divine Sense was refined, she could catch up with others at a speed far beyond ordinary people.

After settling Zhang Ningmei, Xu Qingfan turned his gaze to Bai Yu, and after a moment of thought, he took out a green slip with no information recorded on it. He recorded some cultivation method information on it and handed it to Bai Yu, saying, "Practice daily according to the method recorded in the green slip. It may be slow at first, but persistence is key."

Bai Yu received the green slip with both hands like Zhang Ningmei and respectfully acknowledged the instructions.

Once a flourishing "Mythical Beast family," now, apart from the Feng family, the others had vanished. Although Bai Yu had the "Qiongqi" bloodline, the Bai family’s secret methods had been lost for years, making it a headache for Xu Qingfan to teach Bai Yu.

Fortunately, Xu Qingfan accidentally learned all the Feng family’s cultivation methods. Although they weren’t suitable for Bai Yu, Xu Qingfan believed that these "Mythical Beast family" cultivation methods were fundamentally the same, all involving the power of one’s own bloodline to perform extraordinary abilities. So, the cultivation method Xu Qingfan gave to Bai Yu was a summary from the Feng family techniques to sense and mobilize bloodline energy. However, how much Bai Yu could understand and if he could create methods suitable for himself depended on his efforts and opportunities.

After settling both Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, Xu Qingfan answered some of Ting’er’s cultivation questions over the years and then taught Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu some basic cultivation knowledge, sending them off.

As for Xu Qingfan, shortly after the trio left, he stepped out, activated the protective formations outside the cave, and flew towards the front mountain.

At Jiuhua Mountain, there was a special "Weapon Refinery Hall." Xu Qingfan went to the front mountain this time to find the supervisor, Quan Huayuan, to assist in refining and merging "Yellow Jade."

Hearing that Xu Qingfan wanted to refine "Yellow Jade," Quan Huayuan was slightly surprised. He didn’t know why Xu Qingfan needed such an obscure material or how Xu Qingfan had so much Yellow Jade, but he didn’t ask further and only told Xu Qingfan to come back in three months to retrieve it.

Later, Xu Qingfan took care of some responsibilities at the front mountain that Deacon Elder was supposed to handle, learned about the current situation at the third school from Li Yuhan, and then returned to the back mountain. Before leaving, Li Yuhan jokingly called him "the most diligent Deacon Elder in the history of Jiuhua Mountain," though it was unclear whether it was a compliment for Xu Qingfan’s hard work or a complaint about leaving all the tasks to him. This left Xu Qingfan awkwardly smiling.

Over the next three months, Xu Qingfan guided Ting’er and the others in their cultivation while pondering improvements to "Wind of Desolation" and the "Formula of Life and Death", occasionally engaging in conversations with Zhang Ningmei, leading a rather leisurely life.

Although Zhang Ningmei’s knowledge wasn’t as extensive as Xu Qingfan’s during their discussions, she had a broader perspective. Often, Xu Qingfan would do the talking while Zhang Ningmei listened, but her occasional insightful comments made Xu Qingfan feel truly understood.

Zhang Ningmei was also very interested in Xu Qingfan’s vast collection of books. In the mundane world, when she couldn’t go out due to illness, she would read to pass the time. Now, seeing Xu Qingfan’s extensive library, she was completely engrossed. Their room was often silent, and upon entering, one would find both Xu Qingfan and Zhang Ningmei quietly immersed in their reading, lost in the sea of books.

As Zhang Ningmei’s knowledge increased, her conversations with Xu Qingfan became gradually more lively.

It is worth noting that Zhang Ningmei’s skills in chess surpassed Xu Qingfan’s significantly. Even when Xu Qingfan received a three-piece advantage, he struggled and suffered a crushing defeat, much like his past games with Liu Huaxiang. Bai Yu, who always watched the games without understanding chess, didn’t dare mock Xu Qingfan for needing a handicap from his apprentice, yet couldn’t resist praising Zhang Ningmei’s exceptional skills to vent his frustration at Xu Qingfan’s relentless training demands.

As Zhang Ningmei once told Bai Yu, playing chess was meant for calming the mind, not as a profession, and winning or losing wasn’t of importance.

Xu Qingfan didn’t mind either, facing repeated defeats with resilience, trying again and again.

Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu’s progress in their cultivation was remarkable. In just over a month, Zhang Ningmei had mastered the method to condense Divine Sense, and balancing it with her energy would only be a matter of time.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Bai Yu soon sensed the energy in his veins. On that day, Xu Qingfan revealed his origins to him and handed him a stack of books introducing the fierce beast "Qiongqi" and the "Qiongqi Family," encouraging him to learn on his own and ask questions if needed. For Bai Yu, this was all Xu Qingfan could do.

However, Xu Qingfan felt relieved as, after learning about his origins, Bai Yu became suddenly enthusiastic about the path of cultivation, envisioning the glorious return of the "Qiongqi Family" through him.

Yet the only thing that left Xu Qingfan dissatisfied and puzzled was that since that day, Ting’er gradually became silent. She no longer showed her previous friendliness towards Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, especially with Zhang Ningmei, who spent almost every moment with Xu Qingfan. She did not speak a word to her, and her cultivation became urgent as if she wanted to prove something, almost leading to Qi deviation.

Noticing these changes, Xu Qingfan asked Ting’er what was wrong, but Ting’er remained silent.

Ultimately, it was Zhang Ningmei’s words that explained the confusion in Xu Qingfan’s mind.

"Master, you want Bai Yu and me to feel you treat us equally, which is kind-hearted, but you haven’t considered that Senior Sister Ting’er is your blood relative and has been with you the longest. She deserves more attention, and treating her the same as us is unfair to her."

Hearing Zhang Ningmei’s words, Xu Qingfan suddenly understood, realizing that Ting’er cared so much about his attitude. He felt happy in his heart and had several private conversations with Ting’er, after which she finally returned to normal. However, after learning Zhang Ningmei’s words, she did not know how to interact with Zhang Ningmei.

But Xu Qingfan believed that Zhang Ningmei could handle it well.

Three months later, Xu Qingfan obtained the purified and fused "Yellow Jade." After dealing with mundane matters and the cultivation affairs of Ting’er and the three others, he settled them once again and instructed Zhang Ningmei to help manage Bai Yu before he retreated for closed-door cultivation.