Simulated immortality allows me to calculate talent stats.

[Year nineteen, age thirty-five.]

[In the depths of winter, snow falls in a flurry, blanketing the mountains and forests surrounding the Celestial Master's Mansion in white.]

The rolling, layered mountains resemble a majestic, undulating dragon.

The figure in the flowing black gown stood out starkly against the backdrop of the pristine snow.

You gaze down upon the snow-capped Cangshan Mountains, gently brushing away the strands of hair tousled by the cold wind.

[Twirling a strand of dark hair, a sudden feeling of melancholy washed over him.]

"Only when the red tassel is in hand can we bind the azure dragon."

The ancient melody murmurs softly, conveying a grand and majestic air.

"Ahem... Junior brother... What powerful poetry!"

[The eldest disciple, clad in simple ancient robes, his body hunched over, exuding an aura of death.]

[A difficult act of offering praise.]

You turn around and look.

"Senior Brother, I'm over here."

[Gazing at Yu Shou, praising him amidst the swirling snow, his cloudy, empty eyes glazed over.]

One more step forward, and it's an abyss.

After barely catching your voice, I turned around.

"Junior brother is so domineering...cough cough cough...cough cough cough cough..."

The eldest brother wanted to repeat it again, but a gust of cold wind made him cough so badly he almost fainted.

You sighed helplessly.

[Driven by the force of disorder.]

I was afraid he might lose his balance and fall off the cliff.

"Senior Brother, it's freezing cold. Why aren't you sweeping snow in the yard? What brings you here to find me?"

You stepped forward and helped the elderly man with white hair to sit down.

The eldest disciple forced a smile onto his deeply lined face.

[Through the glimpses, one can still see the brilliance of his prime.]

"Yu Jing, I'm dying."

【"I know."】

Your response was indifferent.

[Even at our first meeting, you could tell that Senior Brother looked like he was about to die.]

But despite this overwhelming sense of impending doom, they've stubbornly held on until now.

"Yujing, I saw it."

【"Um?"】

You sensed something amiss in your senior brother's serious tone.

This time, the other party is acting differently than usual.

[What the eldest brother usually likes to say most is that he feels ashamed before his master, that he is withered and old, and that he is about to die.]

[After the old Taoist priest was furious.]

[He looked like he was coughing so hard he was about to suffocate.]

The old Taoist priest possessed great power, yet dared not punish him.

But this time is different.

"Senior brother..."

"Yujing, listen to me."

The eldest brother, with his withered hand, groped and grasped your arm that was supporting him.

"Death is not the end, but the beginning of a new life."

"I have practiced meditation for 108 years."

"Having endured my broken body, I have finally attained enlightenment today."

You blinked.

[A heart full of worry and a sorrow that had not yet surfaced.]

[Gradually replaced by doubt.]

[No, senior brother, don't you want to listen to what you're saying?]

[He keeps saying he's dying, and he's serious.]

Now you're telling me you've attained enlightenment?

[You instantly recall everyone who told you they had achieved enlightenment.]

Which one isn't extraordinary?

[The unyielding spirit of the first generation Pang Hai, Xu Hui's alteration of records, the secrecy of the second generation Pang Hai, Brother Lü's lighting of countless homes, and the unity and cohesion achieved during the second enlightenment.]

[Your students Yu Ci and Han Si.]

The former demonstrates prophetic foresight, while the latter is even more outrageous.

[To forge one's own path as a Confucian scholar.]

[Based on the laws and regulations.]

[It even drew the attention of sages, who sought to suppress it.]

Now, the eldest disciple says he has attained enlightenment today.

[Even when he was on the verge of death.]

Is it truly true that if one hears the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening?

"Senior brother, what... have you realized?"

[The eldest disciple, Yu Zhi, had unfocused pupils and a vacant gaze.]

[Clearly didn't hear clearly.]

"Ahem... Yu Jing, what did you say... what?"

"Senior brother, I'm asking you what you've realized!"

[You increase your volume.]

"Cough cough cough... What did you ask?"

"What have you realized?!"

"Cough cough cough... What did I say?"

"Enlightenment!!!"

"Cough cough cough... Oh, enlightenment, what am I enlightened to?"

You helplessly cover your face.

She glared at her senior brother, who had a faint smile playing on his lips, with annoyance.

The eldest brother stopped teasing them.

[A withered appearance, yet it reveals a contradictory, vibrant youth.]

"Yu Jing, do you know why I cultivate meditation alone?"

You remained silent.

How do you know why?

"When one first enters the sect, the master transmits three skills: the Golden Body, the Meditation Skill, and the Thunder Magic."

"I am deeply moved by the profound mystery of tranquility, the penetrating wisdom of the Dao, the chanting of its sounds, and the sudden enlightenment of its wondrous state..."

Listen to your senior brother recount his memories of when he first entered the sect.

Gradually, your eyes narrowed slightly.

Why does it feel like your senior brother is showing off to you?

[What is meant by "initial enlightenment"? It means experiencing the profound mystery of stillness, gaining penetrating true knowledge, reciting the sounds of the Tao, and reaching a state of sudden enlightenment.]

[You have so far received the three teachings of the old Taoist: Golden Body, Meditation, and Thunder Magic.]

[Except for Lei Fa, who witnessed the power of divine retribution and punishment.]

[Breaking through several realms in succession.]

[Later, with the blessing of the black term "Azure," he was forcibly elevated to the realm of celestial beings.]

As for the golden body and meditation...

[You don't even know what the profound mystery of tranquility is.]

Forget about any profound knowledge or Daoist chanting.

"Senior brother, you've cultivated meditation for 108 years. At this rate, you might not even finish recounting your first day of training before you die."

You interrupted his rambling on with a blank expression.

Senior Brother Yu Shou was slightly taken aback.

"Yujing...you...didn't you understand anything from my words?"

Upon hearing this, you blinked your clear, bright eyes.

【Enlightenment? 】

What exactly is my senior brother saying?

Was he just preaching to himself?

"Hehe...hehehe...cough cough cough..."

The eldest disciple suddenly chuckled, then coughed violently, looking as if he were about to suffocate.

You quietly pat his back and help him catch his breath.

[The eldest brother has finally recovered.]

Unable to hide his smile, he said, "Yu Jing, you are indeed wise beyond your years, with the heart of a child."

【Um……】

You feel like you've been subjected to sarcastic remarks again.

[I'll spare him the beating since my senior brother is about to die.]

The eldest brother suppressed his smile.

Clench your withered hand on your arm.

[The voice was deep and somber.]

"Through my solitary practice of meditation, I have come to fully comprehend the mysteries of the divine, roamed the vast emptiness, and discerned the truth, ultimately discovering..."

The senior brother's face, which had been beaming with smug pride, was now devoid of its usual smugness.

[Suddenly silence descended, turning into self-mockery.]

"Yujing, this is a pre-planned route..."

Your pupils suddenly contracted.

[A well-planned route!]

How familiar does this taste?

Who exactly is this being who dares to scheme against even a direct disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion and plan their life trajectory?

You thought of Pang Hai and Xu Hui.

[The script was written by people from the Western Regions, who then became pawns in a scheme to wreak havoc on the world.]

Who wrote the script for the eldest disciple's life?

Where is Master?

Does Master know?