Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Chapter 86 Facing the Lonely Moon (Second Update)

A long silence fell over the main hall.

Master Guyue stroked the jade box in his hand, his gaze deep, as if he were repeatedly pondering the three words "Lord Qiantang".

After a long silence, she raised her eyes to look at Qin Wan, who stood respectfully at the bottom of the steps, and said calmly, "Disciple, do you know the true intention behind your father's elaborate arrangements?"

Qin Wan was slightly taken aback.

She had previously assumed that her father was testing Xia's ambitions, but she hadn't thought about it more deeply.

When asked by her master, she quickly thought for a moment, but still felt completely lost. She could only respectfully lower her head and say, "This disciple is foolish and truly does not understand the profound meaning. Please enlighten me, Master."

Master Guyue gently stroked his sleeve and slowly said, "Your father used that supernatural tale to set up a trial called 'The Mystic Gate's Test of the Heart.' Liu Yi and the Dragon Girl both relied on external forces and depended on others—they were heretics. Only the Lord of Qiantang did not rely on external means; he possessed the extraordinary abilities to break free from shackles and overturn rivers and seas."

At this point, a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes: "Since that boy chose Lord Qiantang, it proves that he has a firm heart for the Dao. Your father saw through this, which is why he intentionally helped that boy and let him forge his own path."

Upon hearing this, Qin Wan remained silent.

Master Guyue stared into the void, his gaze gradually becoming unfocused, as if he were thinking about his own arduous journey of cultivation, which ultimately ended at the threshold of the Purple Mansion.

She sighed softly, her tone becoming somewhat desolate yet gentle: "Actually, what I said just now was also somewhat biased. There are countless paths in this world; as long as it aligns with one's heart and is unwavering, it can all be called the Way."

"However," Master Guyue changed the subject, "if you are inherently ruthless and cultivate the path of heartlessness that disregards even family ties, attempting to carve out a bright and clear world on your own will naturally be fraught with difficulties, and you are very likely to die prematurely. If you have compassion for the world and vow to do good in every lifetime, you will inevitably be entangled in karma and find it difficult to transcend this mortal world. But no matter which path you choose, as long as you can hold firm to your beliefs and walk down that path to the end, it will not be in vain that you have put in all this hard work."

Her gaze turned cold as she glanced at Qin Wan, her voice becoming stern: "Therefore, your senior brothers and sisters, although their spiritual roots and aptitudes are decent, they can never quite grasp the essence of the Dao, and their actions are hesitant and indecisive, making it difficult for them to achieve great things."

Master Guyue's lips curled into a mocking sneer: "Take your senior sister, Pei Hongling, for example. If she were truly decisive and ruthless, and instead of resorting to underhanded tricks like using others to kill or colluding with external enemies while I was in seclusion, she had personally eliminated you, cutting off the root of the problem. Even if I had to severely punish her after I emerged from seclusion, I would still think highly of her. Unfortunately, she wasn't hard-hearted enough, nor ruthless enough. She wanted the benefits but was also afraid of taking responsibility. What a pity, truly a pity—"

Qin Wan felt a chill run down her spine.

She originally thought that her master deeply abhorred the infighting among fellow disciples, but she never expected that in the eyes of this great cultivator, the decisiveness and ruthlessness of those seeking the Dao were of utmost importance.

She swallowed hard, lowered her head, and said in a slightly hoarse voice on Pei Hongling's behalf, "This disciple thinks—perhaps Senior Sister is still considering the bond between fellow disciples."

Upon hearing this, Master Guyue smiled slightly. That smile revealed a penetrating insight into people's hearts, and he saw through Qin Wan's inner fear and pretense at a glance.

"Wan'er, you're a smart girl. You don't need to make excuses for her in front of your master." Master Guyue's tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable assertion. "You know very well. If you had Pei Hongling's cultivation and background, and you were in her shoes, even a hundred Pei Honglings couldn't defeat one Qin Wan."

"This disciple dares not." Qin Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly bowed deeply.

Seeing her restrained and fearful appearance, Master Guyue smiled gently, and the previously tense atmosphere in the hall immediately eased. She waved her hand and said, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Go to the side hall and call that boy surnamed Xia in. But before you bring him in, tell him exactly what we talked about in this hall, so that he can think it over in advance."

"Yes, sir." Qin Wan respectfully responded and withdrew.

A moment later, Qin Wan entered the side hall and found Xia Dong sitting quietly.

She didn't hide anything, recounting her meeting with her master in the main hall, including the jade box left by her father.

He repeated to Xia Dong, word by word, the profound meaning of the three choices and Gu Yue Zhenren's comments.

Xia Dong listened quietly, a ripple gradually appearing in her eyes.

Only now did he truly understand the good intentions behind Master Qin's test.

Even on his deathbed, he used his last bit of energy to pave a safe haven for Xia Dong.

Xia Dong let out a long breath and exclaimed sincerely, "Wan'er, I really didn't expect Uncle Qin to treat me so well."

Upon hearing this, Qin Wan's eyes flashed with a complex emotion, and she interrupted softly, "Brother Xia, you're too kind. Actually—this is what my father and I owe you."

"Owe me?" Xia Dong's heart skipped a beat, his brows furrowing slightly. He immediately thought of the dug-up empty grave and his mysterious "Snake Taoist" father. "Could it be because of my father—"

Qin Wan's expression immediately became extremely troubled. She bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with apology and struggle: "Brother Xia, I made an extremely strict oath to my father. A cultivator's oath cannot be broken, so there are some things I really cannot tell you."

Xia Dong was secretly amazed.

He was well aware of the binding force of the Dao oath; once broken, the consequences ranged from qi deviation to death and the annihilation of one's Dao. Seeing Qin Wan's troubled expression, he immediately smiled gently: "Well, since you've made the Dao oath, then I won't say anything more."

Xia Dong sat back down in her chair, lowered her eyes, but her mind was racing.

However, he quickly came to terms with it.

No matter how many earth-shattering secrets the Qin family father and daughter harbored, the test left behind by Master Qin before his death was, in fact, entirely beneficial to Xia Dong.

Mr. Qin did not interfere, but instead gave him the full right to choose.

This plan, which takes into account every possibility and is solely for his protection, is something that even biological parents, throughout history, have probably never done in such a far-sighted way for their children.

However, Xia Dong, with the keen insight gained from living two lives, vaguely felt that the secrets Qin Wan had not revealed were the real key to Master Qin's ingenious arrangement.

But whatever the truth is, he has already received enough kindness.

Three favors personally promised by a powerful cultivator who is about to break through to the Core Formation stage!

Its value cannot be measured in spirit stones; it is truly a priceless talisman.

He sat quietly in his chair for a long time, going over all the pros and cons in his mind, before finally standing up, his gaze calm and resolute.

"Wan'er, please lead the way."

Qin Wan nodded, turned around and led Xia Dong toward the main hall.

During the short journey to the main hall, Xia Dong's heart was far from calm as it appeared; instead, it was filled with trepidation and vigilance.

This was, after all, the first time he had faced a Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Cultivator who could easily crush him as a "mortal martial artist".

From the moment he set off from the city, the "Netherworld Spawn" talisman seed in his dantian, which resembled a gray-black insect egg, began to operate at full capacity.

The "Concealing Breath Talisman" engraved in flesh and blood, and the "Divine Treasury Chapter" of the "Eternal Spring Journey Manual" have long been pushed to their limits.

The essence, energy, and spirit are locked tightly within the divine treasure, without revealing even a trace of the "innate essence" and the profound yin power.

At this moment, Xia Dong completely disguised himself as a martial arts master at the Inner Strength Realm with vigorous blood and energy, but without any trace of a cultivator.

Upon entering the main hall, the overwhelming and terrifying spiritual pressure that Xia Dong had anticipated was nowhere to be found.

The main hall was spacious and quiet.

On the high seat, Master Guyue was bowing his head, casually toying with the ancient jade slip he had taken from the jade box.

From the moment Xia Dong stepped into the hall, this Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Cultivator didn't even raise his head once.

But Xia Dong knew perfectly well what was going on.

.

Faced with a cultivator of this level, the other party doesn't even need to use their naked eyes; their powerful divine sense alone can scan him from head to toe without him even noticing.

Especially at times like these, one must not make things worse. Xia Dong did not deliberately hide the awe and nervousness that an ordinary martial artist should have when facing a master of immortality. He let his emotions flow naturally, took two steps forward, and bowed respectfully: "Xia Dong, a junior martial artist, pays respects to Senior Gu Yue."

Master Guyue's gaze remained fixed on the jade slip, offering only a lukewarm "hmm" before calmly saying, "Your martial arts talent is truly remarkable, and your robust qi and blood are rare even among martial artists. Now that Wan'er has explained everything to you, is there anything you need my help with?"

Xia Dong took a deep breath, maintained a respectful posture, and replied in a deep voice, "This junior has no requests at the moment."

"Alright, then go ahead." Master Guyue waved his hand indifferently, as if he were merely dismissing an insignificant passerby.

Xia Dong was suddenly startled, a surge of uncontrollable astonishment welling up in his heart, but it was followed by a huge sense of relief.

He never imagined that this meeting, which he had been walking on thin ice and had rehearsed countless times, would pass by so easily.

Was Master Guyue's statement, "His martial arts talent is truly remarkable," just a casual remark, or was he truly deceived by the "Netherworld Hibernation" talisman seed and the breath-concealing technique within his body, only seeing through his inner strength realm martial arts blood and qi?

Xia Dong couldn't tell the difference, but of course he would never dare to be reckless and try to confirm it at this time.

He immediately composed himself, and together with Qin Wan, bowed deeply to Master Guyue once more before respectfully withdrawing from the main hall.

Stepping outside the hall, a mountain breeze blew, and Xia Dong realized that his back was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

Qin Wan turned to Xia Dong and said, "Brother Xia, now that things have settled, I need to get back to the Yinling Mine as soon as possible to guard it. If there's nothing else, let's meet up again before the auction."

Xia Dong suppressed the turmoil in her heart and nodded steadily: "Okay, Wan'er, take care on your journey."

Watching Qin Wan's departing figure, Xia Dong let out a long sigh of relief.

This journey to confront a Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Cultivator ultimately ended in a completely unexpected and uneventful way.

Looking back, holding the three promises of kindness from Master Guyue in his hand, he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and joy; but when he thought of Master Qin, who had paid for it with his life, as well as the empty grave and his father, "Snake Taoist," whose whereabouts are still unknown, he couldn't help but feel sad and deeply puzzled.

But he knew very well that, at least for a long time to come, as long as he didn't deliberately seek death, Master Guyue's promise would be a giant umbrella that could shelter him from the wind and rain.

It is called a promise, but in reality it is a protection of the Way.

He must seize this opportunity, make use of the resources at hand to cultivate himself diligently, and strive to strengthen himself.

Only when he truly possesses the power to overturn the table will he have the qualifications and ability to confront and resolve those deeply hidden, fatal troubles.

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