Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The leaden sky hung low and heavy, snow fell heavily, and the sea continued to churn with towering waves. Broken masts, shattered sails, and tattered planks floated scattered about, and on the mudflats, corpses lay strewn about, their clothes tattered, their faces bluish-purple, already frozen stiff.

"Father... Mother..." A child, clutching a small peach wood sword tightly in his left hand and wiping away tears with his right, sat in a hollow and wailed loudly. The mournful cries of "Father—Mother—" echoed repeatedly on the desolate and cold coastline... A white-haired man, dressed in a gray robe, pale-faced, soaked to the bone, and with ice crystals in his hair, bent over and slowly extended a pair of long, trembling hands toward the helpless child.

"Master!"

At midnight, Lin Yan suddenly woke up from a nightmare, his body covered in cold sweat, his palm tightly clutching the half of an old inkstone left by his master, which was icy cold and uncomfortable.

The room was deathly silent, save for the flickering light of the lamp on the corner of the table, its glow stinging the eyes. A slender figure stood beneath the lamp, so unfamiliar that it made his heart clench, and for a moment he was completely disoriented, unsure of where he was.

"Master!"

A soft call jolted him back to reality. Lin Yan hurriedly got up from the couch, quickly walked to the side of the Taoist Guanhai, bowed slightly, and stood quietly to the side.

Ten years have passed, and the Taoist priest Guanhai still has a handsome face and wears a gray cloth robe. What is different is that his eyebrows and eyes have a calm and aloofness that has been accumulated over the years, and his body is surrounded by a light mist.

Guan Hai Dao Ren's gaze fell on Lin Yan. There was no excitement of a long-awaited reunion, nor any guilt or pity. He remained as casual and indifferent as he had been back then.

He slightly raised his eyes, his voice clear and gentle, carrying the ethereal quality unique to cultivators, and slowly said, "You've certainly grown up."

There was no concern, no explanation, just as effortless as when he carried Lin Yan back to the village years ago.

Lin Yan stood there, his hand trembling slightly as he gripped half of an old inkstone. A complex mix of emotions surged within him: the bitterness of his childhood loneliness, the bewilderment of ten years of waiting, and above all, a numb calm. He slowly clenched his fist at his side, then slowly relaxed it. Facing his master, he bowed respectfully, performing the salute of a disciple of immortality to his teacher, his voice low and steady: "Master."

The master nodded slightly and said calmly, "In these ten years, you have supported yourself and developed some character. Since you have not died young, you shall follow me in cultivation." With that, he waved his whisk, and the other half of the inkstone appeared in front of Lin Yan.

Lin Yan stared at the half of the inkstone that was exactly the same as the one in his hand, and his breathing became rapid.

As soon as the two pieces of inkstone came together, they spontaneously floated in mid-air. At the originally rough break, a shimmering white light flowed and intertwined like water, and the light inkstone patterns followed the light, gradually merging into one.

The complete inkstone hangs under the lamp, and the four characters "Watching the Sea and Listening to the Waves" engraved on the inkstone are clearly visible. The hidden pattern on the bottom of the inkstone, which echoes the veins of Laoshan Mountain, is now slightly warm, faintly matching the sound of the waves outside the window.

"Master..." Lin Yan's throat tightened. He reached out to touch the combined inkstone, but his fingertips were repelled by a layer of warm spiritual light.

With a gentle flick of his whisk, the Daoist Guanhai caused the inkstone to slowly fall onto the stone table in front of Lin Yan. He raised his hand and stroked the inkstone, his fingertips tracing the hidden patterns, his voice still clear and gentle: "This inkstone was obtained by me in the depths of Laoshan many years ago. It was originally one piece, but was kept in two separate places: one to lock in the spiritual energy of the earth's veins, and the other to record the bond between master and disciple. Today, as they are reunited, it is the moment when our bond as master and disciple is truly forged."

Lin Yan lowered his eyes to look at the inkstone on the table. The inkstone was slightly cool, but it seemed that a warm spiritual energy seeped into his body through his fingertips, faintly resonating with the spiritual power of the fifth level of Qi Refining in his dantian. He thought of his frozen parents in his nightmare, and the days and nights he spent alone in the stone house looking out at the sea for ten years. His eyes reddened slightly, but he held back his tears.

Seeing his appearance, the Taoist Guanhai's eyes showed a rare hint of warmth, unlike the aloofness he had shown when they first met: "During your journey to the secret realm, although your cultivation has improved, you have also become tainted with aggression and a murderous aura. The inkstone can calm your mind and spirit, and can also draw spiritual energy from the clouds and mist of Laoshan into your body to help you cleanse your inner demons."

With that, he flicked his finger, and a wisp of pale blue cloud-like spiritual energy drifted out from the whisk and disappeared into the inkstone. In an instant, the inkstone was surrounded by a rich aura of water and clouds, and the air inside the stone house became moist and cool. The sound of the waves outside the window seemed to drift in along with the spiritual energy, blending with the tranquility inside the house.

Lin Yan sat cross-legged back on the stone couch, placing the inkstone on his lap. His fingertips traced the inkstone's surface, and he felt a gentle spiritual energy slowly flow into his meridians, circulating along the pathways of the *Laoshan Guanhai Jue*. The lingering, impure energy from his earlier cultivation melted away rapidly, like snow meeting the spring sun. The spiritual power in his dantian also became more harmonious, his foundation at the fifth level of cultivation becoming increasingly solid, and he even faintly saw a glimmer of potential for a breakthrough.

"Master, your disciple..." Lin Yan opened his eyes and bowed deeply to Guanhai Daoist. "Your disciple does not know why you have not shown yourself for ten years, nor do you know about your own background. I have many doubts in my heart."

The Taoist priest, Guanhai, sat on the stone bench opposite, gazing at the surging sea outside the window. His voice carried a hint of remoteness: "Your background is ordinary; you are just a common child from Qingdao Bay. Your parents died early, and you have little connection with this fishing village. I brought you back then for two reasons: first, I saw that you had extraordinary bones and the potential to cultivate immortality; second, you have a natural bond with this Laoshan inkstone."

He paused, then lightly swept his whisk, revealing a faint image of Laoshan Mountain shrouded in mist and clouds. The image depicted swirling clouds and verdant peaks, subtly echoing the Laoshan scenery seen in the secret realm. "For ten years, I have been in seclusion in Laoshan, cultivating the earth's spiritual energy. It was only when the secret realm opened that I took the opportunity to bring you there, both to grant you this opportunity and to test your character."

Lin Yan was shocked. It turned out that all of this was not a coincidence. He looked at Guan Hai Dao Ren again. Although he still looked the same as he did ten years ago, he felt that the aloofness in his eyes had faded a lot, and there was more closeness between master and disciple.

"Regarding the Jiang family matter, this disciple also wishes to apologize to Master," Lin Yan said, bowing his head. "Jiang Hu bullied the fishing village, coveted the opportunities in the secret realm, and associated with demons. This disciple had no choice but to abandon him deep within the secret realm, fearing that it violated the benevolence of a cultivator."

Upon hearing this, Guan Hai Dao Ren nodded slightly: "The path of cultivation is inherently one of the survival of the fittest. Jiang Hu's heart was wicked, and he coveted opportunities that did not belong to him, which led to his current predicament. It is all his own doing. It is already commendable that you were able to maintain your integrity in the secret realm and not be consumed by the malevolent energy."

He raised his hand to brush away the cloud and mist diagram on the table, his gaze falling on Lin Yan with a hint of expectation: "From this day forward, you will be my only personal disciple, the Daoist Guanhai. Once you have fully stabilized your Qi Refining Level 5 cultivation, you will return to Laoshan with me and formally become my disciple. After that, I will personally teach you the profound mysteries of the 'Laoshan Guanhai Manual,' as well as the water-based techniques and formations of Laoshan."

Lin Yan was filled with excitement and bowed deeply to Guan Hai Dao Ren once again: "Disciple Lin Yan pays respects to Master! I will certainly live up to Master's teachings, devote myself to cultivation, protect the peace of Qingdao Bay, and safeguard the foundation of Laoshan Immortal Mountain."

"Master, I have another matter to ask you to decide." Then, Lin Yan told him about Elder Wudao, True Man Qingxuan, and True Man Danxuan inviting him to the disciple recruitment ceremony and his own thoughts.

After hearing Lin Yan's words, Guan Hai Dao Ren's eyes gleamed, and a joyful smile appeared on his face.

"Very well. Follow your heart."

The Taoist Guanhai reached out and helped Lin Yan up, his fingertips lightly touching the top of his head. A wisp of cloud-like spiritual energy slowly flowed into his sea of ​​consciousness. Lin Yan felt his mind suddenly clear, and the many obscure incantations of the "Laoshan Guanhai Jue" instantly became clear. He also comprehended the deeper meaning of "entering the Dao through the sea"—not only to borrow the power of the tides of heaven and earth, but also to merge his own spiritual power with the four seas to protect the land.

The inkstone trembled slightly on the table, its spiritual light merging with the spiritual energy surrounding Lin Yan, making the spiritual light inside the stone house even more intense. The night outside the window deepened, and the sound of the waves continued, but the cold and desolate atmosphere inside the stone house was warmed by the affection between master and disciple and the gentle spiritual energy.

Lin Yan held the inkstone on his lap, feeling the familiar spiritual energy at his fingertips, and his confusion vanished. He knew that from this moment the inkstone and inkstone were united, his path of cultivation would truly be on the right track; and the bond between him and his master, the Taoist Guanhai, would be as enduring as the clouds and mist of Laoshan Mountain and the waves of Qingdao Bay.

As night fell, the clouds and mist deep within Laoshan Mountain drifted slowly, seemingly echoing the bond between the master and disciple within the stone house. The fishing village of Qingdao Bay remained tranquil, but within Lin Yan's stone house, spiritual light and the warmth of daily life intertwined, ushering in a new chapter in the master and disciple's path of cultivation.