Becoming a leader of the immortal path begins with sowing the seeds of inner demons.

"Counting the past is following the natural order, which is the way of Yang; knowing the future is going against the natural order, which is the way of Yin. The cycle of coming and going is the source of life, and all life is a process of going against the natural order..."

The next day.

Zhou Jiangyuan went into seclusion again.

She wore a breathable white cotton robe, sat barefoot on a futon, her back ramrod straight. Her long, upright hair shone with a soft light, and the red string around her neck made it appear slightly translucent.

If it weren't for the heavy gloom between his brows and eyes, he would indeed have a somewhat austere and reclusive air.

From sunrise to noon, she remained motionless, continuously reciting those twenty-one words, unwilling to stop even when her mouth was dry and her throat parched.

She fell backwards only after her legs went numb, supporting herself with her hands. She didn't bother to adjust her wide-open neckline, and her face darkened even more.

Or not.

Why not?

She sighed, reached out and pulled the red rope from her chest with a little force.

At the end of the red string was a jade piece about the size of a finger and shaped like a fruit.

The mixture of black and white shimmers slightly in the sunlight, its colors flowing gently.

Zhou Jiangyuan sat half-sitting on the ground, his clothes half-slipped, hooking the red rope with his fingers, his gaze following the slightly swaying jade, watching it with fascination and focus.

Lu Ming was also watching intently.

Upon learning that Zhou Jiangyuan had gone into seclusion again, he used his inner demons to observe Zhou Jiangyuan's every move and thought.

It was worth it for him to keep an eye on it for so long; he never expected the problem to be hidden here.

Last night, when he was having soup with Zhou Jiangyuan, he saw a red string, but wealthy families often wear jade, let alone a pampered young lady like Zhou Jiangyuan, so he didn't think much of it.

Now it seems that this is the jade.

Just then, as if bewitched, Zhou Jiangyuan slightly raised her head, parted her lips, and bit down on the jade.

This charming scene left Lu Ming momentarily stunned.

Is this woman starving because she didn't eat breakfast?

How can you eat anything?

After waiting for a while, Lu Ming noticed that Zhou Jiangyuan simply pressed her lips to the jade, closed her eyes tightly, and two lines of clear tears flowed silently from her lips.

Lu Ming was completely bewildered and couldn't understand what it meant.

Even though he could sense the sadness and helplessness in Zhou Jiangyuan's heart at this moment.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Jiangyuan finally put the jade back in front of his chest, sat on the futon, and continued to silently recite the twenty-one words.

Her unpredictable state suddenly felt very familiar to Lu Ming.

Isn't this just like the previous one, obsessed with Mu Xuan?

No wonder I felt this place resembled the Xundao Temple when I came here last night.

In that case, we might as well try the third "Inner Demon Manifestation Plan".

Zhou Jiangyuan's vision blurred, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing at a mountain pass.

On both sides of the mountain pass, exotic flowers and plants grow in abundance, filling the air with their sweet fragrance.

Beneath your feet lies a neat mountain path paved with bluestone slabs, winding its way to the secluded mountain valley.

The unfamiliar environment made Zhou Jiangyuan instinctively want to back away.

But before they could take two steps back, they heard the incessant sound of waves and the cries of seabirds.

She turned around in confusion and found herself standing on the edge of a sheer cliff, almost shoulder to shoulder with the white clouds.

As far as the eye can see, there is an endless sea.

Zhou Jiangyuan was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground. It took her a while to come to her senses, and the first thing she did was check the jade pendant on her chest.

When she discovered that the jade was still there, she breathed a slight sigh of relief, but when she noticed that she was still wearing the robe she wore during her cultivation, her mind went completely blank.

Who on earth was this powerful being who could pull her from her home to this remote overseas island in an instant?

"Come."

An old, faint voice suddenly rang in her heart.

"Who?!"

Zhou Jiangyuan turned his head and shouted sharply, instinctively shrinking his body into a ball and looking around uneasily.

"The path is so close, yet I am filled with trepidation."

With such a mindset, you should still go.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Jiangyuan's body trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes to look around.

The familiar furnishings and the realistic feel under her feet made her realize that this was the room where she had been in seclusion.

Everything just now felt like a dream... Was it really a dream?

The salty sea breeze, the unfamiliar fragrance of flowers, the pain of sand and gravel underfoot... With each memory, Zhou Jiangyuan's heart sank a little lower.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to find evidence that it was a dream, but a moment later, she fell to the ground, crying and curling up in a ball.

A predestined fate!

That must be a predestined connection with the heavens!

It's a celestial connection, just like this Yin-Yang Reversal Fruit!

My mental fortitude wasn't strong enough... I've persevered for so long, why couldn't I hold on at the crucial moment!

Am I truly destined to be unsuitable for cultivating immortality?

Zhou Jiangyuan suddenly sprang to her feet, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading frantically in her heart, "I beg you, Immortal Master, to have mercy on my sincere desire for the Dao and give me another chance..."

In the empty, secluded room, the dull sound of head-knocking echoed for a long time, finally turning into a muffled thud as someone collapsed from exhaustion.

evening.

Zhou Jiangyuan awoke from her coma.

Looking at the familiar scenery, her eyes gradually lost their light. She lay on the ground for a long time before standing up, clutching her head. She casually found a handkerchief to wrap around her head, then sat cross-legged on the futon, enduring waves of dizziness and nausea. Her back remained straight as ever, and she trembled as she murmured:

"Counting the past is following the natural order, which is the way of Yang; knowing the future is going against the natural order, which is the way of Yin. The cycle of coming and going is the source of life, and all life is a process of going against the natural order..."

She kept reciting until the moon was high in the sky, and only stopped when she was unbearably hungry. Just as she was about to stretch her legs and prepare dinner, a familiar voice suddenly rang in her heart again.

"Foolish child."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene changed abruptly.

The familiar Yamaguchi made Zhou Jiangyuan freeze for a moment before bursting into tears of joy. He bowed deeply and solemnly said, "Thank you for your mercy, senior!"

"Come."

This time, Zhou Jiangyuan did not hesitate at all and strode into the mountain path.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up before them. Beside a waterfall on a cliff, a man with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in a Taoist robe, was sitting cross-legged on a lotus-shaped blue stone.

Zhou Jiangyuan strode forward and knelt down, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Younger brother, I greet you, senior!"

"Raise your head."

Zhou Jiangyuan did as instructed, but after seeing the man's face clearly, he was immediately stunned.

The person had no face; only black and white colors flowed across it as if alive, constantly changing into various incomprehensible patterns.

Are you scared?

Zhou Jiangyuan snapped out of her daze and shook her head firmly.

"How much have you realized?"

"This junior does not know what you mean by this, senior?" Zhou Jiangyuan dared not speak carelessly, and was worried that answering truthfully would ruin his chance at immortality. His heart was in his throat.

"Yin-Yang Reversal Fruit." Lu Ming said, reaching out to take the fruit he had conjured.

"This...this was left by the senior?!" Zhou Jiangyuan was both surprised and delighted, then ashamed, "This junior is incompetent and cannot comprehend the senior's true words, therefore I dare not consume this fruit."

"Mm." Lu Ming nodded gently.

He could have waited longer, but he was worried that Zhou Jiangyuan's body couldn't handle it, and he was even more afraid that this thing was a strange thing left behind by the upper cultivator that seemed like an opportunity but was actually a backup plan.

Everything is normal now. He didn't suddenly encounter a white-bearded old man who called him "little friend," which proves that regardless of whether there is a problem or not, the other party cannot see through this Heart Demon Record.

Since that's the case, this is something he left behind, so we can use it to our advantage.

Just then, Zhou Jiangyuan suddenly asked, "May I ask, senior, what is the meaning of those eight characters in your maxim?"

Lu Ming was prepared for this situation and said calmly, "Please speak freely."

"Yes." Zhou Jiangyuan bowed and slowly said, "What do you mean by 'bragging shamelessly' and 'utterly nonsensical'?"

"......" Lu Ming almost couldn't help but form a question mark on his face.

Who's so rude, swearing under someone's martial arts technique?

Facing Zhou Jiangyuan's curious gaze, Lu Ming waved his sleeve and said indifferently, "As the saying goes, cultivation lies in enlightenment, in the Dharma, in lineage, and in one's character."

But I believe that the key to spiritual practice lies in the word "perseverance".

If one cannot persevere in spiritual practice and enter the Tao, how can one go against the tide of time?

You do indeed have a heart that yearns for the Way.

But I need to ask you.

Why do you cultivate the Way?