Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Chapter 85 The Favor of Master Guyue (First Update)

Qixia Immortal Sect, Lonely Moon Peak.

The smooth journey made Xia Dong feel somewhat unreal.

He originally thought that the journey of escorting Qin Wan back to the sect would inevitably involve some dangers.

But in reality, the trip was uneventful and nothing happened at all.

The only slight obstacle was the routine check by the city gate guards when they were taking Qin Wan out of the city.

However, when Xia Dong showed the waist tag that represented his identity as the Eagle Wolf Guard's captain, the soldiers immediately and respectfully let him pass.

Upon arriving at Lonely Moon Peak, Qin Wan took the mysterious, sealed relic left behind by Master Qin—a relic of immense importance—to seek an audience with her master, True Person Lonely Moon.

Xia Dong was quite happy to have some free time and was properly settled in a side hall on Lonely Moon Peak to wait.

Sitting alone on a rosewood chair in the side hall, Xia Dong picked up a cup of spiritual tea and took a sip, her eyes deep and calm.

He was more confident than ever before. Because on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival not long ago, with the help of the moonlight drawn by the snake brother, the ancient bronze bell in his sea of ​​consciousness, which had been dormant for a long time, finally revived.

With this trump card, even in the worst-case scenario—if a powerful cultivator like Master Guyue, who has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, suddenly discovers his secret and even covets him and tries to forcibly control him—Xia Dong is confident that with the invisible power that the bronze bell can unleash in an instant, he will definitely have a chance to resist and will not be completely powerless.

However, after carefully considering the possibilities in his mind, Xia Dong felt that this worst-case scenario was unlikely to occur.

Master Guyue had indeed treated him fairly well all along.

More importantly, Qin Wan currently holds the keepsake left by Master Qin. Since that item is so deeply involved, it will inevitably attract the majority of Master Guyue's attention.

Logically speaking, this high-ranking cultivator probably has no time to pay much attention to Xia Dong at the moment.

Thinking about this, Xia Dong's mind started to race. If he were really summoned this time to face Master Gu Yue directly, it would be an excellent "litmus test".

He had a concealing talisman carved on his chest using his own blood and spiritual power. Combined with the "Netherworld" talisman seed in his dantian that possessed the "stealing the subtle" characteristic, and the miraculous effect of the "Eternal Spring Journey Divine Treasure Chapter" in locking his origin, he could theoretically perfectly conceal his identity as a "refiner" and cultivator, disguising himself as a normal martial artist.

If Xia Dong could truly deceive this Foundation Establishment stage cultivator right under his nose, it would be of extraordinary significance to his future cultivation path.

This means that as long as he doesn't encounter an old monster at the Core Formation stage, he is confident that he can slip away quietly from anyone below the Core Formation stage.

In this way, the scope of relics and opportunities that he can try to explore in the future will naturally become much broader.

With her plans finalized, Xia Dong completely relaxed.

He gathered all his scattered thoughts, steadily suppressing his qi and blood within the normal fluctuation range of the Inner Strength Realm, and patiently waited in this quiet side hall for the result of Qin Wan's meeting with True Person Guyue.

.

Inside the main hall of Lonely Moon Peak, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

"Your father has passed away? How is that possible? He was clearly not old, and he has gone away to avoid trouble—" Master Guyue sat upright above the main hall. Upon hearing the news of Qin Wan's death, his brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. At the end, he seemed to feel that what he was about to say was inappropriate, so he stopped talking.

Qin Wan was more concerned about what had just been said. Her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but look up and ask, "Master, you just said you were passing away—you already knew my father was a cultivator?"

Master Guyue snorted coldly, his expression slightly complicated: "Hmph, what else did you think? If he hadn't given me that 'Taiyin Refining Technique' back then, even if you have a rare spiritual root, I wouldn't have been able to easily accept you as my personal disciple."

Upon hearing this, Qin Wan froze on the spot.

She had always believed that her ability to become her master's disciple was entirely due to her exceptional talent and the fact that her master took a liking to her. She never imagined that behind this seemingly natural master-disciple relationship lay a layer of history and a deal laid by her father in his early years.

Master Guyue ignored Qin Wan's shock, his gaze slightly unfocused as if lost in memories, and continued slowly, "Over the years, I've been in seclusion, intending to use the 'Taiyin Refining Technique' to condense a wisp of the ethereal innate power," thereby opening my Purple Mansion in one fell swoop. But I never imagined that the difficulty of this step would far exceed my expectations."

Her calm yet somewhat melancholic voice echoed throughout the hall: "So, the matter of opening the Purple Mansion ultimately failed. Instead, because of my forced cultivation of the *Taiyin Refining Form Technique*, I wasted several years of my life. However—"

Master Guyue changed the subject, his tone revealing a hint of relief: "Back then, Master Xu, who held immense power in the court, also cultivated this technique, yet he still failed to open his Purple Mansion. So, this matter cannot be blamed on your father; it cannot be said that he misled me. If anyone is to blame, it is myself for being too arrogant, always believing that human will can conquer nature."

At this point, Master Guyue lowered his eyes and let out a soft sigh.

This sigh was filled with the helplessness and bitterness of a Foundation Establishment Perfected Grand Cultivator who had suffered a setback in his pursuit of the Dao.

Qin Wan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in her heart. She solemnly took out an item from her storage bag and held it up with both hands: "Master, this is something my father repeatedly instructed me to give to you before he passed away."

Master Guyue gathered his thoughts and looked at Qin Wan's hand: "Give it to me."

Qin Wan stepped forward and respectfully handed over the items.

It was a jade box with a warm, smooth texture, its surface shimmering with a subtle spiritual light, clearly sealed with an extremely tight seal.

Master Guyue raised her hand and gently beckoned, and the jade box, which was under a restriction, flew into the air and landed steadily in her palm.

Her expression visibly turned serious, and her hands quickly formed complex hand seals.

Streams of spiritual energy precisely struck the surface of the jade box, dissolving the dangerous and complex seals layer by layer.

After a full cup of tea's time, a soft "click" was heard, and the restriction was finally carefully broken.

The lid of the jade box slowly popped open, revealing an ancient jade slip lying quietly inside.

Master Guyue extended a wisp of her divine sense, immersing it within the jade slip. In an instant, her previously composed face contorted with extreme shock, which quickly transformed into undisguised elation. She took a deep breath, calming her turbulent emotions, and looked intently at Qin Wan: "Tell me, what is your father asking me to do for you by leaving this generous gift?"

Qin Wan lowered her head and respectfully replied, "Master, this matter is not for your sake, but for Brother Xia Dongxia."

"Him?" Master Guyue frowned slightly, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "What exactly is the relationship between Qin Dafu and that kid surnamed Xia? Such a huge favor, and your father isn't using it on you, but instead giving it to that kid Xia?"

Qin Wan shook her head and said truthfully, "My father said before he died that the things in this jade box should have belonged to Brother Xia."

"It was supposed to be his all along?" Master Guyue pondered for a moment, his thoughts racing. "Young Xia's father—I remember he was a secular Taoist priest who died many years ago, and also a good friend of your father. Could it be that he—"

Qin Wan took a deep breath and whispered a secret: "Uncle Xia's true identity is the Snake Daoist, a direct disciple of Master Xu of the Xuantian Temple."

"No wonder." Master Guyue suddenly realized, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes. "If he is a descendant of Xuantian Temple, this thing should indeed belong to his family."

She paused briefly, as if making a connection to something, and muttered to herself, "Could it be that the Taoist manual on this boy's body was also secretly arranged by that Master Xu from Xuantian Temple back then—"

"This disciple does not know," Qin Wan replied softly.

Master Guyue closed the jade box and carefully stored it in his storage bag. His expression returned to its usual dignified and indifferent state: "Very well. I don't know if that Master Xu is still alive, but I will accept the gift in this jade slip. What do you and your daughter want for that boy? Should we call him in and let him speak for himself?"

"Master, this is how it is." Qin Wan spoke softly, recounting her father's arrangements before his death.

"Father told me to take 'The Tale of Liu Yi' to Brother Xia and ask him which character in the book he would like to be. Father said that if Brother Xia's answer is Liu Yi, he hopes that after Master successfully forms his core, he can give Brother Xia some special favor and ensure his worldly wealth and honor for the rest of his life."

Master Guyue nodded slightly and listened quietly.

Qin Wan continued, "If Brother Xia's answer is the Dragon Girl, then Father will earnestly request that Master, after achieving Core Formation, personally arrange a marriage for Brother Xia at the Duke of Qi's mansion in the capital, so that he can marry into the Duke's family. In this way, Brother Xia will have a powerful backer and will naturally be worry-free for the rest of his life."

Seeing her master deep in thought, Qin Wan further explained, "Father said that although the Duke of Qi's mansion has declined somewhat, it is still a legitimate Daoist family. Brother Xia himself also has Daoist credentials. If he marries into the family, their children will inherit both the Duke's title and the Daoist lineage. This is a beneficial thing for the Duke of Qi's mansion. As long as a Core Formation cultivator personally acts as matchmaker, the Duke of Qi's mansion will have no reason to refuse."

Upon hearing this, Master Guyue nodded slightly and continued, "Who did young Xia choose?"

Qin Wan's expression turned somewhat solemn, and she replied softly, "Brother Xia said that he would not choose Liu Yi, nor the Dragon Girl; he would rather be the Lord of Qiantang who possesses extraordinary abilities."

"Lord Qiantang?" Master Guyue's eyes flickered slightly.

"Yes." Qin Wan nodded. "Father instructed that if Brother Xia's answer is Lord Qiantang, then we hope that Master can agree to owe Brother Xia three things. In the future, as long as he has any requests, and these three things are within Master's power and do not violate your own morality, we hope that Master can do his best to help him achieve them."

"Three things?" Master Guyue looked thoughtful.