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

Chapter 391 Soul Search
Lin Fengxian's crime was discussed three times before it was finally determined.

Just as Murong Ruyan had guessed, the charges of damaging the property of the White Stone Immortal Sect and endangering public safety, even if she had malicious intent, would not significantly increase her sentence.

If Murong Ruyan was merely angry, it was Ye Shuyun who truly became despondent.

In just a few days, Ye Shuyun lost a lot of weight.

No, it can't be said that they're thin. After all, given the physical condition of a cultivator, it's difficult for the amount of food they eat to affect their body, let alone their health.

Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that they are listless and dispirited.

Ye Shuyun was clearly still the same person, but when she wore the loose-fitting robes, she looked as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Even though his attitude towards people remained gentle, it began to show a sense of distance.

However, Zhang Chengdao didn't pay much attention to these things. He was focused on his cultivation, spending almost every day in seclusion, with a very clear goal—

Regardless of whether this world is real or not, breaking through earlier means gaining your own cultivation level sooner.

A few months later, the White Stone Realm officially entered the second year of the Immortal Era, and the White Stone Immortal Sect once again launched a new Immortal Destiny Conference.

This year's Immortal Ascension Conference was far larger than in previous years, but the number of people who actually ascended to the Immortal Ascension Path was even smaller.

Perhaps it's because, besides the White Stone Immortal Sect, there are now about a dozen other sects and forces to join, such as the Heavenly Mystery Sect, the Tang Sect, the Hundred Blessings Sect, the Taiyue Sword Sect, and the Peach Blossom Sect. There's also the White Stone Immortal Dao University, where graduates can directly secure a stable job. This makes the White Stone Immortal Sect no longer the only immortal force, giving many people a way out.

Once there is a way out, the path to immortality becomes an insurmountable chasm.

This year's trial is much more complicated than last year's.

Zhang Chengdao, whose cultivation level had increased significantly, specially created an extra city and added many paper puppets as "NPCs." He also designed many "story missions" based on the various games he played before his transmigration, including main and side quests. The evaluation of all participants' scores was relatively comprehensive and fairer.

However, even so, because fewer people passed the Ascension Steps than last year, only a little over a hundred new disciples entered the sect after this year's Immortal Destiny Conference. Most of them were of blue quality, with only two purple cards and not even a single gold card!

"Does the cultivation world also have to follow the law of the aggregation of extraordinary characteristics?"

Zhang Chengdao muttered to himself as he packed up the extra rooms in the disciples' quarters.

He had originally prepared over a hundred more courtyards, fearing that there wouldn't be enough rooms for all the disciples he recruited. However, he didn't expect that there would be fewer new disciples this year than last year, which actually saved him some trouble.

As the new year began, the pessimistic atmosphere that had gripped the White Stone Immortal Sect due to Sun Ping's death gradually dissipated. The addition of over a hundred new disciples also injected considerable vitality into the sect.

Having finally finished his sect affairs, Zhang Chengdao once again had time to approach He Yu.

"What should we do with his remnant soul?"

Zhang Chengdao genuinely felt that Tang Mingming's remnant soul was somewhat troublesome.

It would be easy to kill him, but after all, it's unknown whether there are any secrets involved. In any case, Tang Mingming is nominally Tang Yu's grand-disciple, and in a sense, she is also related to He Yu. It's not appropriate for me to kill her directly.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Zhang Chengdao still brought Tang Mingming's remnant soul to the underworld.

Compared to the last time I came, the underworld was even more lively. In the ghost city, there was a visibly bustling atmosphere of ghostly noises, with ghosts coming and going shoulder to shoulder. Even outside the ghost city, there were many houses that looked like they had been built in private.

"It must be very lively."

He Yu appeared beside Zhang Chengdao at some point and remarked, "Whether in the mortal realm or the underworld, even though the Ghost City is filled with the souls of the dead, it still seems full of life." Zhang Chengdao nodded noncommittally, "It is indeed very lively."

Because of all this, he could never be sure whether this was a real world.

As if hearing Zhang Chengdao's inner confusion, He Yu slowly said:

"What does it matter if it's true or false?"

"To me, this world is real."

"Perhaps one day, we will all disappear, but until then, Fellow Daoist Zhang, I am very grateful to you for saving me, and I admire your character even more. You have the compassion for all living beings and you have proven the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth..."

"And these insights and gains are real, even in an illusion."

He Yu's words brought a sense of relief to Zhang Chengdao.

Yes, what does it matter if it's true or false? The insights I've gained are ultimately real, and the experiences and emotions I've accumulated over the past two years are, in a sense, also real.

At worst, we can find the portal to the other side, leave this place, and then find the real White Stone Realm to start the "official version" all over again.

"I am not skilled in soul-searching techniques, so I brought this person's remnant soul here specifically for you,"

Zhang Chengdao handed Tang Mingming's remnant soul to He Yu, saying, "Come to think of it, he's the grand-disciple of Tang Yu, your fellow Daoist who mistakenly entered this realm with you. Perhaps he can find Tang Yu's whereabouts..."

Zhang Chengdao paused at this point.

According to the information Zhuang Wansong relayed to him, Tang Yu was murdered by Tang Mingming, who even used his flesh and blood to make pills to nourish herself.

But after all, Tang Yu is a Nascent Soul cultivator. How could he be so helpless as to be harmed by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator?

While people may not always be on guard against a knife stabbed by someone close to them, in the face of absolute power, no amount of tricks will help.

Putting everything else aside, if this were one of the novels by the author, where a Foundation Establishment cultivator kills a Nascent Soul cultivator, wouldn't it cause a huge uproar among readers?
Do you really think this is the kind of abstract romance novels where a Nascent Soul cultivator is bullied by a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Therefore, Zhang Chengdao added: "Even if the conclusion given by that Mingfeng Ancestor is that Tang Yu was killed by Tang Mingming, I do not believe that a Nascent Soul cultivator could be killed so easily, especially by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. There must be some hidden story behind this. We can only rely on Fellow Daoist He to investigate the cause and effect himself."

Upon hearing this, He Yu's eyes lit up, and he wholeheartedly agreed.

Tang Yu's matter has always been a source of anxiety for He Yu.

When Zhang Chengdao told him that Tang Yu seemed to have been killed by his own disciple's grand-disciple, He Yu was heartbroken for a long time and felt extremely guilty.

If I hadn't been so ambitious back then, wanting to venture into the White Stone Realm ahead of time to explore, how could I have caused Tang Yu's death in this seemingly harmless world?

Now, after hearing what Zhang Chengdao said, He Yu also felt that it made sense.

Yes, what kind of good-natured Nascent Soul cultivator could be killed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
"Then thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Zhang!"

After speaking, He Yu immediately began to use the Soul Searching Technique on Tang Mingming's remnant soul.

(End of this chapter)