A max-level player in Jade Dynasty: Awakening the Innate Dao at the start.

The Ancestral Temple is hidden in the deepest part of the back mountain of Tongtian Peak.

The road is difficult to travel.

It wasn't a proper flagstone path, just a dirt road worn smooth by people's footsteps.

Covered by years of fallen leaves, it feels soft and almost silent when you step on it.

On both sides were ancient trees that blocked out the sky; look at their thick trunks.

It must be over a thousand years old; the bark is cracked like an old farmer's hand.

The tree canopy is so dense that not a single ray of sunlight can penetrate.

The woods were dimly lit, and the air was filled with the damp smell of mud, mixed with a faint scent of incense wafting from afar.

Dao Xuan Zhenren walked very slowly.

He was wearing a plain white Taoist robe and carrying nothing in his hands.

With both hands empty, I moved in step by step.

My feet rustled softly on the fallen leaves, like something tiny crawling on them.

Occasionally, a squirrel would dart across the tree, shaking off a few withered leaves.

The leaves twirled down, landing on his shoulder before sliding to the ground.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a shrine came into view ahead.

With its blue bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, and simple, even somewhat rustic appearance, the building is quite ancient.

The ancestral hall is not large, with three main halls and two small side rooms, forming a small courtyard.

The courtyard wall was quite high, covered with dark green moss, damp and dripping with water.

The gate to the courtyard was ajar. The door was made of ordinary elm wood, the paint of which had long since peeled off, revealing the dark wood grain underneath.

Peeking through the crack in the door, you can see someone sweeping the floor.

He was an old man.

He was wearing a faded gray cloth dress, the material was coarse, and the cuffs and hem were worn and frayed.

Her hair was gray, casually tied back with a wooden hairpin, with a few strands falling down and covering half of her face.

He had his head down, his back slightly hunched, his left hand holding a broom, his right hand...

Only half of the sleeve remained, dangling there.

It only has one arm.

He swept very slowly.

The broom was made of bamboo sticks, the branches were almost bare, and it swept across the ground.

It makes a monotonous, drawn-out "whoosh-whoosh" sound.

With each sweep, the person moves forward a small half-step, their steps as light as a cat's.

Dao Xuan stood outside the courtyard gate for a while, then raised his hand and pushed the gate open.

"Squeak—"

The wooden door made a dry, rattling sound.

The old man sweeping didn't look up; he kept sweeping.

The broom swept across the bluestone ground, carrying away a few fallen, withered leaves.

His movements were steady, neither fast nor slow, as if there was nothing else in the world worth his attention except sweeping.

Dao Xuan walked into the courtyard and stopped three or four steps behind him.

"Senior brother," he said softly.

The old man paused his broom for a moment.

He slowly straightened up and turned around.

That face was truly old; the wrinkles were so deep they looked like they'd been carved with a knife.

His skin was loose, his eye sockets were sunken, and his eyes were cloudy, as if covered with a layer of dust.

But when he looked up at Dao Xuan, something flashed very quickly in his eyes—

It was very short, like a shooting star in the night, gone in a flash, and then the stillness of the pool returned.

"Sect Leader," he said, his voice hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against stone, "What is it?"

Dao Xuan stared at him for a long while.

This face, this name, was once the most dazzling signboard of the Qingyun Sect.

Wan Jianyi.

Three hundred years ago, wielding the Dragon-Slaying Sword, he single-handedly stormed into the lair of the Demonic Cult.

He severed the Blood Refining Hall's lineage with a single sword strike, becoming famous throughout the world.

Back then, he was dressed in white, with striking features, and his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes made him a figure that many female cultivators could only dream of.

But now...

Dao Xuan's gaze fell on his empty right sleeve.

"I've come to see you," Daoxuan said.

Wan Jianyi said "Oh" and turned around to continue sweeping the floor.

The broom swept across the ground, the sound still monotonous.

"You've seen it, now go back."

"It's dusty here, don't get the sect leader's clothes dirty."

Dao Xuan didn't leave.

He watched Wan Jianyi's retreating figure; his back was hunched over like that of a real old man.

But deep down, there seems to be something unyielding and unyielding supporting him.

"Senior brother."

Dao Xuan then said, "The Qingyun Sect has produced an extraordinary talent."

Wan Jianyi continued sweeping: "When has the Qingyun Sect ever lacked promising talents?"

"This is different."

Dao Xuan took two steps forward and lowered his voice, "Three years, seventh level of Jade Purity Realm."

The broom stopped.

Wan Jianyi slowly turned around, his cloudy eyes fixed on Dao Xuan: "How much?"

"Seventh floor."

Dao Xuan repeated, "Moreover, he can use the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique without being harmed at all."

Wan Jianyi's pupils contracted slightly.

He was silent for three or four seconds, then continued sweeping: "So what?"

"Tian Buyi is teaching him."

Dao Xuan said, "Junior Brother Buyi is a good master, but... this child's talent is the first of its kind in three hundred years."

I'm afraid he won't teach him well and will waste this good talent.

Wan Jianyi continued sweeping: "Does the sect leader mean for me to teach?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going."

Wan Jianyi said in a calm voice, "I'm just an old man who sweeps the floor; I can't teach anyone."

"It wasn't easy for my senior brother to enlighten me back then; he only used one sentence."

Dao Xuan stared at him. "The sword is straight, and so must the heart."

That one sentence was enough to help Junior Brother Buyi break through the bottleneck that had held him back for thirty years.

Wan Jianyi remained silent, only focusing on sweeping the floor.

"The Demonic Sect has been making quite a stir lately."

Dao Xuan continued, "Those who didn't die completely from the Blood Refining Hall have resurfaced, and the Ghost King Sect is also secretly gathering strength."

The next battle between good and evil won't be too far off.

Qingyun Sect needs more capable people, and it needs true geniuses.

"Senior brother, are you really going to take all your skills to the grave?"

"It's better to keep it buried than to take it out and harm people."

Wan Jian spoke softly, but every word was like a nail.

Dao Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed.

He knew what Wan Jianyi was talking about. The incident from three hundred years ago...

It is the biggest secret of Qingyun Sect, and also the inner demon that Wan Jianyi can never get around in his entire life.

"Senior brother." Dao Xuan took a deep breath.

"That child... might be even more capable than you were back then."

Wan Jianyi stopped sweeping again.

He raised his head, looked at Dao Xuan, and for the first time, his eyes showed a clear change in expression: "What did you say?"

"I said, he might be even more capable than you were back then."

Dao Xuan said, enunciating each word clearly, "To reach the seventh level in three years and still be able to unleash the Divine Sword Lightning Control Technique without taking damage. Senior Brother, could you have done that back then?"

Wan Jianyi fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice even more hoarse: "Where is he?"

"Zhang Xiaofan, a disciple of Tian Buyi from Dazhu Peak."

"Zhang Xiaofan..."

Wan Jianyi repeated the name, as if he were chewing on something.

Then he turned around and continued sweeping the floor. "Understood. Sect Leader, please return."

Dao Xuan stood still.

He stared at Wan Jianyi's hunched back for a full half-incense stick's time.

Finally, he sighed, turned around, and walked out.

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance on the fallen leaves.

As I reached the courtyard gate, a voice came from behind me:

"Bring him to see me."

Dao Xuan paused in his steps.

He didn't turn around, but only asked, "When?"

"Tomorrow," Wan Jianyi said, "at Chen Shi (7-9 AM)."

Inside Shoujing Hall, Tian Buyi sat in the main seat, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

A cup of tea sat before him, long since cooled, with a thin film forming on the surface.

He didn't drink it; he just stared at the cup of tea, his eyes vacant, as if looking at something very far away.

Su Ru walked in carrying a teapot, and when she saw him like this, her brows furrowed.

She put down the teapot, walked behind him, placed her hand on his shoulder, and gently massaged it.

"What's wrong?"

She asked softly, "It's been like this ever since we came back from Tongtian Peak. What did the Sect Leader tell you?"

Tian Buyi remained silent.

He grabbed the glass of herbal tea and gulped it down in one go.

The tea was ice-cold, and as it slid down his throat, it sent a shiver down his spine.

He slammed the cup down on the table with a loud thud.

"My senior brother told me..."

He spoke, his throat a little dry, "Take Xiao Fan to the Ancestral Temple and hand him over to a senior."

Su Ru paused for a moment: "Ancestral Hall?"

"They're probably some old guys from the previous generation."

Tian Buyi interrupted her.

"My senior brother said that Xiao Fan's talent is too good, and he's afraid that I won't be able to teach him well and that it will hinder his development."

Let the senior teachers teach them.

After he finished speaking, his chest heaved violently, as if he were desperately trying to suppress something.

Su Ru fell silent.

She walked around to Tian Buyi, squatted down, and looked up at him.

The candlelight flickered on her face, reflecting the tenderness and understanding in her eyes.

"Do you think the sect leader doesn't trust you?" she asked softly.

"Isn't that right?" Tian Buyi's voice rose.

"Three years! I've taught him so diligently for three years!"

It took a lot of effort to transform him from a piece of scrap into a fine piece of jade!

Now that the jade is glowing, my senior brother can take it away with just one word!

What do you mean? You think I, Tian Buyi, am incompetent?

"Does he think my little temple on Dazhu Peak can't afford to house such a grand Buddha?!"

He spoke so passionately that he spat out words.

Su Ru didn't dodge; she simply reached out and took his hand.

The hand was cold and trembling slightly.

"It wasn't easy." Su Ru's voice softened even more. "Listen to me first."

Tian Buyi gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Xiao Fan's talent is indeed rare."

Su Ru spoke slowly,

"I haven't seen a second one in three hundred years."

A child like this is a treasure no matter where he is.

The sect leader sent him to the senior, not because he didn't trust you, but because... he valued him too much.

She paused, looking into Tian Buyi's eyes:

"Think about it. Who is the sect leader?"

He wants to find someone to guide Xiao Fan; that would be Xiao Fan's good fortune, and also a blessing for our Qingyun Sect.

The evil cult is eyeing us covetously; who knows when the next major battle will break out.

The more experts Qingyun Sect has, the greater their chances of victory.

"Our sect leader is thinking of the entire sect."

Tian Buyi's chest heaved less, but his face still looked pale.

"I know... but I... I just feel so suffocated."

"I understand." Su Ru patted his hand.

"You finally managed to stand up straight for once, and now your apprentice is going to be assigned to be taught by someone else."

I felt embarrassed and upset.

But it's not easy...

She stood up, sat down next to Tian Buyi, and rested her head on his shoulder:

"Xiao Fan is your disciple, and always will be."

He went to the ancestral temple to learn skills, and after mastering them, he came back and still called you master.

This bond between master and disciple can never be taken away by anyone.

and--"

She paused, a hint of amusement in her voice:

"Didn't you also receive guidance from Senior Brother Wan back then?"

"The sword is straight, and so is your heart." This one sentence helped you break through a 30-year bottleneck.

Now that Xiao Fan has a similar opportunity, you should be happy for him.

Tian Buyi fell silent.

He recalled many years ago when he was still an ordinary disciple on Dazhu Peak.

I've been stuck at the sixth level of the Jade Purity Realm for thirty years, and I just can't seem to break through.

At that time, Wan Jianyi had not yet met with misfortune and was still the most dazzling genius in the Qingyun Sect.

Once, while I was practicing swordsmanship on the back mountain, Wan Jianyi happened to pass by.

He glanced at him and said just one sentence.

That one sentence was like a key, unlocking the lock that had imprisoned him for thirty years.

"The sword may be straight, and so should the heart."

Tian Buyi clenched his fist.

Yes.

Xiao Fan should be happy to have such an opportunity.

But I just couldn't suppress that sour feeling in my heart.

He lowered his head and looked at Su Ru's profile as she leaned on his shoulder.

In the candlelight, fine wrinkles were already visible at the corners of her eyes.

But her eyes and brows were still so gentle, just like when I first saw her at Xiaozhu Peak.

"Madam," he said in a hoarse voice, "am I... being too petty?"

Su Ru looked up at him and smiled:

"It's not that I'm petty, it's that I care."

You care about Xiaofan, that's why you can't bear to part with him.

She reached out and smoothed the furrow in his brow:

"Go ahead and explain things to Xiao Fan."

That child is sensible and understands.

Tian Buyi took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

He stood up and walked outside.

He stopped at the door and turned back to look at Su Ru:

"tonight……"

"Guest rooms," Su Ru said with a smile.

Tian Buyi's face fell: "We still have to sleep there?"

"sleep."

Su Ru spoke with absolute certainty.

"I'll come back when I've truly figured things out."

Tian Buyi sighed, shook his head, and pushed open the door to leave.

Outside the door, the night was already deep.

The mountain wind was quite cold, making his Taoist robe flutter loudly.

He stood on the steps, gazing at the dark, shadowy hills behind him in the night, for a long time.

Then, he started walking towards the back of the mountain.

His footsteps were heavy, as if he were stepping on his own inexplicable pride.