Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 167 Murong Ruyan's Second Substitute Teaching
When the Northern Long-tailed Tit found Chang Ping'an, Chang Ping'an had just broken through to the second level of Foundation Establishment.

Strangely enough, ever since he witnessed his master, Immortal White Stone, gain enlightenment from a single sword strike a few months ago and broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he has been stuck at the first level of Foundation Establishment, and no matter how he cultivates, there is no sign of further breakthrough.

Until recently, during the battle at Daxing Temple in Jingzhao Prefecture, he was accidentally struck by lightning a few times by the lightning his master had attracted. In less than half a month, he broke through...

Could it be true, as my junior sister said, that I was unable to break through because I wasn't struck by lightning enough back then?

Chang Ping'an fell into deep self-doubt more than once.

Just as he was feeling both happy and confused, he suddenly heard a chirping sound from above.

The bird's call is clear and melodious, seemingly imbued with spirit, and extremely penetrating.

Chang Pingan looked up and saw a small white bird with slightly ruffled feathers flapping its wings vigorously above his head. Its round body made him wonder for a moment how this chubby little white bird could fly.

and……

Such a bird song imbued with spiritual power, could it be that this bird has also become a spiritual being?
As Chang Ping'an was guessing what was going on, he heard the little white bird, whose chirping had been clear and melodious, suddenly utter a very familiar sound:
"Ping An, come to the welcoming hall immediately, I have something to tell you."

Hearing his master's voice coming from the little white bird's beak, Chang Ping'an was startled and stared at the bird in shock—

Why has Master turned into a bird?!

But soon, after the little white bird finished "speaking," it landed in Chang Ping'an's palm with a bang, turning into a paper bird that was obviously glued on in several layers. The pieces of paper were glued together unevenly, and the craftsmanship looked really... mediocre.

Immediately, Chang Ping'an suddenly remembered the complaints his second junior sister had made about their master's craftsmanship in making jade ornaments and hairpins.

Hmm... even gods aren't necessarily skilled. Someone like me, who comes from the Sword Forging Manor, has very poor sword-forging skills.

Holding the little paper bird, Chang Ping'an hurried towards the welcoming hall, lost in thought.

Upon entering the reception hall, Chang Ping'an cupped his hands and said, "Master, this paper bird of yours..."

As he spoke, he awkwardly opened his palm, inside which lay the paper bird lying quietly.

Zhang Chengdao pointed at the paper bird from a distance and laughed, "It's alright, it's just too lazy to fly itself and wants to save some energy!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than there was another bang, and the little paper bird turned back into a real, fluffy glutinous rice ball, chirping and flapping its wings as it flew into Zhang Chengdao's hand before turning back into a paper bird.

Chang Ping'an's eyes widened at this method—how amazing! Could a paper bird have its own thoughts?!
As if sensing Chang Ping'an's doubts, Zhang Chengdao added, "All things have a spirit. Even a paper bird, once enlightened by spiritual energy, will develop its own thoughts."

After explaining, he got down to business: "Ping An, this is Master Qu, the head of the Taiyue Sword Sect. He wants to enable the Taiyue Sword Sect to cultivate immortality, but he doesn't know the right way."

"Mount Taiyue is relatively close to Mount Baishi. I fear that the spiritual energy of Mount Baishi will affect Mount Taiyue, leading to an increase in spiritual beings, but also the proliferation of demons and evil spirits. Therefore, I plan to send you to the Taiyue Sword Sect to exchange ideas with the disciples and learn the methods of entering the path of immortality. What do you think?"

At this point, Zhang Chengdao happened to see that Chang Ping'an's card in the character panel had changed to the second level of Foundation Establishment, so he added, "Since you have just broken through to the second level of Foundation Establishment, you also need to gain some experience. Besides, your master is not good at swordsmanship. After you go to Taiyue Sword Sect, you can ask him for some advice and broaden your horizons, which will greatly benefit your cultivation of immortality."

A month ago, Zhang Chengdao wouldn't have bothered to consider letting other sects cultivate the immortal path, let alone sending his disciples to guide them.

However, the matter of the National Preceptor Zhou Guoming suddenly gave Zhang Chengdao a sense of crisis.

Although it's still unclear what exactly is controlling the Mirror Master, I checked the timeline back then, and it's obvious that the thing only appeared after I traveled through time, so it's hard to say that it has nothing to do with me.

If it is truly because of itself that it was able to stir up trouble, then there is no guarantee that there won't be a second or third National Preceptor Mingjing in the future.

When disaster strikes in various places, we can't rely on ourselves to put out fires and slay demons everywhere, can we?

He has no desire to be a hero!
If we could pick a few sects that we like and support them one by one, helping them with some dirty and tiring work, that would be even better!

Chang Ping'an was stunned. He didn't expect that his master could see through him when he had only broken through to the second level of Foundation Establishment!
At the same time, Qu Zhiweng also very politely cupped his hands to Chang Ping'an and said, "I will have to trouble you to give me more guidance, young immortal Chang!"

Upon hearing Qu Zhiweng's words, Chang Ping'an quickly came to his senses. He first returned Qu Zhiweng's greeting and said politely, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhang Chengdao: "This disciple will obey your command!"

So when the cultivation class started the next day, all the disciples groaned inwardly when they saw Murong Ruyan sitting in the main seat. Even Zhong Hui, who wasn't so afraid of Murong Ruyan, couldn't help but secretly glance at Ye Hanxing. Both of them had despair in their eyes.

Senior Brother has disappeared again!
"If you haven't yet managed to draw in Qi into your body by today's lesson on escape techniques, then just listen for now and make up for it later!"

Murong Ruyan said succinctly with a cold face: "The so-called escape technique is the art of escaping. It is a technique you will use to save your lives when you encounter danger outside in the future, so you must study it carefully and not slack off!" In fact, less than a third of the disciples who entered the Immortal Fate Assembly have not yet achieved Qi Induction. Zhang Chengdao was quite satisfied with the overall speed of their cultivation.

After all, compared to the cooks and embroiderers sent by the Ye family, who were also blue and purple card holders, their cultivation efficiency was much higher.

Zhang Chengdao guessed that it was probably because although martial arts and immortality were not the same system, they were both about the use of "energy". Comparing the feeling of true qi, it would be somewhat helpful to cultivate spiritual power.

But all in all, it had been quite a while. In the eyes of the Great Emperor Ruyan, who had just entered the Qi realm overnight, these newly initiated disciples were both incompetent and lazy.

So, as she spoke, she impatiently glanced around, seeing her disciples huddled together like chicks, looking at her with fear. Murong Ruyan grew increasingly irritated, but she still patiently continued her explanation:

"There are many kinds of escape techniques, the most exquisite of which is the 'flying escape technique.' However, this kind of escape technique can only be learned after the foundation is established. You have only just begun to draw qi into your body, so don't even think about it."

"The most commonly used are the Five Elements Escape Techniques, among which the easiest to learn is the 'Earth Escape Technique.' The highest level of Earth Escape Technique is the 'Earth Walking Technique,' which, as the name suggests, is the technique of walking underground. Next is…"

After explaining the theory for quite some time, Murong Ruyan led her disciples to the lakeside.

Because what she actually intended to teach was water escape techniques.

"...Transform yourself into water, and flow with it to a distant place. If you have time, it's best to plan the entire route as you enter the water; the more complete your plan, the faster you'll be when you cast this technique..."

As Murong Ruyan spoke, she jumped into the lake with a splash, and within a few breaths, everyone saw her above the waterfall hundreds of meters away.

After demonstrating several times and explaining the key points, Murong Ruyan finally allowed everyone to practice on their own.

Actually, the reason Murong Ruyan chose to teach everyone the Water Escape Technique was because she felt that the Water Escape Technique was easier to learn than the Earth Escape Technique.

Especially for those who already know how to swim, learning is even easier. I learned it in one go, while these less bright disciples...

I should be able to learn it after practicing a few more times...

Watching her disciples floundering in the water like ducks, Murong Ruyan suddenly felt a sense of unease.

Sure enough, by the end of class, not a single one of the thirty-odd students had learned it!
not a single one!

Murong Ruyan glared with her almond-shaped eyes, feeling a tightness in her chest from anger.

It can't be that my teaching level is too poor, right?

This batch of disciples must be too stupid!

Murong Ruyan, who never engaged in internal strife, gritted her teeth and endured it again and again, but she still couldn't hold back and finally scolded, "I have never seen such lazy people as you!"
"Those who can obtain the opportunity to become immortals are extremely rare. With such an opportunity, why do you not think about cultivating, but instead spend your days laughing and joking and wasting your time? Don't you have any sense of shame at all?!"

"With your cultivation levels, how can you possibly sleep soundly!"

More than thirty people spent almost half an hour on the subject, and not one of them had learned even the simplest water escape technique!

"Our sect leader, out of compassion for all living beings and pity for the suffering of the people, widely imparted the arts of immortality so that even mortals like you and me could have the means to deal with demons and evil spirits and to protect the people. But what about you? You never think of making any progress!"

Murong Ruyan grew angrier as she spoke. She had been cultivating day and night in order to reach the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible so that she could reclaim the Bohai Kingdom, but these stupid disciples were always discussing which dish in the restaurant was the best or which tea in the teahouse was the most delicious!
"Even with your senior brother's cultivation level, he couldn't get away with this against Mingjing, and Mingjing alone killed thousands of people in Jingzhao Prefecture! If you continue like this, what will you do if there are two or three Mingjings in the future? Will you kneel down and beg for mercy?"

Although Murong Ruyan did not go to Zhou with Chang Ping'an, she later learned the whole story from Ye Shuyun. She was greatly shocked and also had many worries.

As a political animal with ambitions for the country, Murong Ruyan still cares about the people of Bohai Kingdom. What should she do if a "wise advisor" emerges in Bohai Kingdom?
If I can't even defeat someone in the Foundation Establishment stage, do I have to cultivate to the Golden Core stage before I can leave the mountain?

How long will it take to get through that?!

The disciples were all blushing and speechless after being reprimanded by Murong Ruyan.

Indeed, ever since they passed the trials at the Immortal Destiny Conference, they have had no worries about food and drink or any pressure to survive in the sect, so they have naturally become lax.

Some disciples even had the dark thought that they might as well stay as disciples of the White Stone Immortal Sect for the rest of their lives. At least they would have no worries about food and clothing, and all of it would be extremely delicious "immortal food." This was a good thing that they never dared to dream of!

As for cultivation... just put in some effort, why be so serious?
(End of this chapter)