Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

"A vengeful spirit... huh."

Ning Xuchen let out a long sigh.

Recalling some unpleasant memories, Lu Yingqiu bit her lower lip and couldn't help but murmur, "I wonder if the senior brothers and sisters of Yuntian Academy... will also turn into vengeful spirits...?"

"Will they... blame us for being incompetent...?"

……

Yunping paused for a moment.

Then, as if he hadn't heard anything, he continued walking forward.

He didn't speak, because he knew Lin Yuan would.

"Perhaps."

Yuan'er's complexion was even worse than when she had just woken up.

"Although they are all good kids... I'm sure... when the academy collapsed, they still secretly hoped that I could be there for them..."

The girl clenched her fists tightly, so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, letting the pain in her palms stimulate her nerves: "In every sense of the word, Yuan'er is really not a qualified teacher..."

really……

Because of admiration for someone, respect and affection for a certain man...

And they wanted to imitate him, to do the same thing as him—to open an academy, take in apprentices, and rebuild the paradise that should have belonged to them and others.

Doing this kind of thing...

I was indeed not qualified.

"If we're talking about what's not up to par, I don't think I'm that bad either."

The young man in the white shirt said something with a rather emotional tone.

All eyes immediately turned to him.

With his back to everyone, Yunping could feel all eyes on him, but he still didn't stop. He continued walking forward at his own pace.

"Leaving my precious apprentice in this wretched world for so many years is a serious case of truancy. In the past, let alone withholding his salary, he would definitely have been expelled on the spot, the kind of person no school would want."

Lin Yuan raised her head, biting her lower lip: "But... Teacher, that was... something that couldn't be helped, and Yuan'er has never... blamed you or anything..."

"So? Force majeure?"

Yun Ping smiled and waved his hand: "All the force majeure is just due to the lack of ability of the parties involved. What if I had been more vigilant? What if I had thought of the possibility of the airspace earlier? What if I had seen through that woman's purpose earlier?"

"In the end, who is perfect and always right? Even a god would be confused when faced with the question of whether savory or sweet tofu pudding is better. Besides, I am not a god, but just a human with a higher level of cultivation."

"So, if someone wants to learn how to become a teacher by taking me as their role model, I suggest they give up. They might make some mistakes because they want to learn from me."

He turned his head and smiled slightly at Lin Yuan.

"After all, I'm not exactly a good teacher~"

……

Yuan'er was momentarily stunned.

She parted her cherry lips slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but the complex emotions swirling in her heart prevented her from speaking.

The others also fell silent.

Ye Yuchan stared at Yun Ping's profile for a long time—his words made it seem as if he wanted to push all the blame onto himself.

Recalling the conversation on the hillside yesterday, Ye Yuchan gritted her teeth.

Does he really enjoy bearing everything alone? That's so strange.

Just as she was about to say something—

"Looks like we've arrived."

Yunping's words interrupted everyone's thoughts.

When they came to their senses, they had already left the deadly place of vengeful spirits and stepped into another territory.

Unlike before, the soil underfoot, though muddy, was no longer excessively soft, much like the plains with a hint of grass and mud.

The surrounding area was lush and verdant, with weeds and medicinal herbs coexisting. Although it looked somewhat messy, everywhere you looked was a vibrant green landscape.

But what's even more eye-catching is the swirling, azure light that appears to be circulating within the valley ahead.

The suspended azure ring contained an unseen scene, from which countless rich spiritual energies emanated... while the edges of the ring were somewhat blurred and indistinct, appearing as if connected to the sky.

Just one glance was enough to make everyone want to step inside.

Everyone believed from the bottom of their hearts that once they stepped inside, they would be transported to a paradise they had never seen before.

And it was at the very moment this thought arose that they realized—

"We have arrived at the Azure Secret Realm."

39.Reason

It's different from the azure secret realm I had in mind.

No—not referring to appearance or intuitive feeling, or to put it another way—the problem is not with the Azure Secret Realm itself.

Rather, it is the surrounding area.

The forest is lush and verdant, with abundant vegetation, where medicinal herbs and weeds coexist. Everywhere you look, there is a vibrant and tender green that is full of life.

Of course.

nobody.

Let alone guarding.

That azure secret realm, suspended in the valley, surrounded by wisps of spiritual energy... was completely unguarded.

Not only that.

Since Yun Ping and the others left that dead land of vengeful spirits, they had considered the possibility of encountering cultivators from the Immortal Capital, but unexpectedly, they had not seen any Immortal Capital people along the way.

Let alone the cultivators from the Immortal Capital, apart from the other people in the group, they had never seen any other living beings.

Not a single bird, beast, or insect.

This is strange.

Even if there were indeed immortal restrictions outside the spiritual vein, Yunping did not believe that the immortals would be foolish enough to blindly trust that no outsiders would use underhanded means to enter the spiritual vein, nor would they be so lax as to not set up any guards at all.

—Something's strange.

Aside from Zhang Ruoxue, almost everyone else realized this at the same time. After exchanging glances, Ye Yuchan and the others held their breath and began to walk steadily and cautiously.

They do indeed possess fake documents created by Huang Xiaoliu... but the question is, while these things may fool the external restrictions, can they also fool the real cultivators of the Immortal Capital?

Yunping and his group were unaware of this.

After passing through the dense forest, they walked slowly forward for about a hundred meters, and in just a few minutes, they arrived at the entrance to the passage between the valleys.

A pleasant fragrance permeated the air, making one feel as if they had stepped into a natural scenic area. The rich vitality seemed to have materialized into something tangible, surrounding everyone.

The closer they got to the suspended azure ring, the stronger their desire to step into it became—in fact, when they were only a hundred meters away from the entrance to the Azure Secret Realm, Ye Yuchan and the others could no longer take their eyes off it.

It felt like... like I was luring them in.

Like a demon symbolizing happiness, it beckons with its sinful fingers, tempting them to throw themselves into its arms.

However, a small amount of rationality prevented them from completely getting caught up in it; at least for now, Ye Yuchan and the others were still able to maintain a considerable degree of calm.

"This is..."

Standing in the valley, amidst the mountains.

Gazing at the azure ring hidden in the center of the verdant mountains, Ye Yuchan swallowed hard, her exquisite obsidian eyes revealing an undisguised longing.

The entrance alone possesses such allure; one must imagine what it would be like to actually step inside…

Gudong.

She seemed to hear her junior apprentice swallowing.

Lu Yingqiu gazed ahead with a somewhat unfocused look in her eyes, her small mouth murmuring, "Azure Secret Realm... the legendary paradise..."

Muttering to herself, she almost subconsciously took a step forward.

In that instant.

Just for this one moment.

Lu Yingqiu's clear, water-like eyes seemed to reflect a small but incredibly nostalgic academy.

Familiar people were playing around in the courtyard, familiar buildings were placed in their usual positions as always, the air was familiar, and the laughter was familiar.

Everything is as beautiful as it once was.

Just one step.

Just as she took her first step, a hand swiftly reached out from behind and stopped Lu Yingqiu's footsteps.

At the same time, the image reflected in her eyes shattered in the blink of an eye.

"Don't act impulsively."

A cold, emotionless voice came from behind.

Lu Yingqiu stopped in her tracks, turned to the side, glanced at the deathly pale hand resting on her shoulder, and turned back to see Gu Xingzhuo's indifferent face.

The moment she met her martial uncle's gaze, Lu Yingqiu's delicate body trembled involuntarily, her face suddenly turned deathly pale, and her expression became slightly dazed.

"That is... the Azure Secret Realm...?"

She held her forehead in disbelief, her voice filled with emotion and panic: "I already have this feeling before I even go inside... It's like once I'm inside, everything I've lost will come back."

"This is happiness."

Inside the venue.

The white-robed youth, staring directly at the azure secret realm, squinted and said calmly, "Even if it's just the entrance, even if you haven't fully stepped inside, the effects of the azure secret realm still exist—this is a paradise that will make people feel incredibly happy."

Zhang Ruoxue nodded in agreement: "But in reality, it just removes all negative emotions, creating a space that's like a poison."