Longevity Chronicles

Having given the greeting gift, admired the rarities, and watched the liveliness, one after another, the Devil Immortal Daoists in the Observatory Hall began to take their leave.

Even the generous Yunhua Immortal, who had taken from Tao Qian the recommendation letter and intimate tokens for Infant Sect Master Xiao and the Queen of Daughter Country, didn't linger too long after and bid farewell.

Once the immortals left, the Observatory Hall once again grew quiet.

Before the Jade Table at the star platform, Duobao Daoist watched Tao Qian with a smile. Beyond the look of appreciation on his face, there was another, much more evident expression.

In the Mortal World, that would be called schadenfreude.

The Daoist touched his curly beard, his face full of satisfaction, then grinned and said,

"You cunning rascal, you've cultivated all this way, and though you've encountered many disasters, you have relied on your decently good talent and a few sly tricks to avoid or break them. But this time, you're going to suffer. You Resist the Three Calamities to secure your position as a True Inheritor and in addition, after becoming my disciple, it would be reasonable to gift you an Immortal Island."

"Unfortunately, that's not how the account is settled.

"First of all, your position as a True Inheritor will still need to wait quite some time before it could be given to you."

"Furthermore, even if you were to immediately gain the title of True Inheritor, you really shouldn't possess that Immortal Island, not to mention the rarity of the one gifted by Yunhua."

"You must realize that the other True Disciples have all come through numerous trials and tribulations, accumulating countless great and small achievements. In our eyes, your ability to Survive Three Calamities is indeed rare, but in those disciples' eyes, you acquired it through shortcuts, which will invariably lead to resentment."

"Just having entered the sect, if you offend many of your peers, that is not what the wise would do."

Having said this, Duobao Daoist looked at Tao Qian with shimmering eyes, expecting to see a panic-stricken face.

Unfortunately, Tao Qian's expression remained unchanged.

He simply smiled calmly and responded, "Disciple believes that Master will surely protect me completely."

After saying that, Tao Qian added,

"With Master's supernatural power, you can certainly ward off some unnecessary troubles for your disciple. As for the remaining frictions among sect members or small misunderstandings, my methods might be unsophisticated, however, I have also refined numerous life-saving techniques, so it should not be a problem."

The meaning of Tao Qian's two statements was very simple, and Duobao Daoist understood them very clearly and thus was choked by his disciple again.

Feeling stuffy, he thought to himself, "This rascal who came from the Mortal World has a thick face and a black heart, and has been through much. Simple intimidation is useless now, and eventually, he will really suffer before he remembers his Master's kindness."

Joking thoughts flashed away, Duobao Daoist's face suddenly became solemn as he earnestly instructed Tao Qian,

"You are new here and also became the disciple of me, a somewhat unusual Master. Your day-to-day cultivation will not be quite convenient."

"However, you are indeed fortunate, the Immortal Island which Junior Sister Yunhua gifted you, called 'Ascending Immortal Island', although other things on the island are not notable...

"...But the Star Aperture connected to the Outer Realm, as well as the accompanying Star Membrane Secret Realm, are real rarities, which will greatly assist you in stepping into the Cavernous Mystery and Realm of Ultimate Happiness in the future."

"Of course, right now you don't need them, and thinking about it, Junior Sister Yunhua probably sealed off that Star Aperture already, to prevent you from bewilderingly rushing in and losing your life."

Tao Qian, who had glimpsed the hidden Record from the Token, suddenly heard his Master nonchalantly revealing it.

Indeed, those two rare items were why he had accepted Yunhua Immortal's heavy greeting gift in advance.

Despite Tao Qian not having truly accessed the Star Aperture and Star Membrane Secret Realm yet and not knowing how extraordinary these two things were precisely, whether it was the Record or what Duobao Daoist was saying now, both confirmed those two were very important for Tao Qian's future Dao Path.

Bai Qin had many faults, but the statement "the Dao Path needs to be contended for" resonated quite well with Tao Qian.

While he was contemplating this, he suddenly heard his Master shift the conversation peculiarly, as if giving guidance or perhaps reflecting,

"Junior Sister Yunhua originally had a senior disciple named Xie Lingji."

"This girl's talent was not inferior to yours. Before entering the Dao, she was known all over as a beaming talent and was from the millennium-old Xie Family. Devoted solely to pursuing the Dao, she refused to practice the Xie Family's methods. The Xie Family, reluctant to let her go, pressured your Aunt Yunhua to personally block the Xie Family's door, setting up no less than eighteen Arrays, causing a ruckus for many days, until the family allowed the child to become a disciple of Yunhua Sect."

"Having gained a good disciple, Junior Sister Yunhua taught her with all her might and didn't hold back any teaching, even personally intervening to block disasters for her, ensuring an utterly tight protection. However, averting disasters is not something that can be completely evaded; since the girl stepped into the Cultivation World, how could she not pay some price?

"Eventually, on a day she went back to the Xie Family to visit relatives, she unexpectedly lost her life due to an accident and did not even have a Reincarnation Body."

"With Aunt Yunhua's lesson in mind, I have decided to change the teaching method. The matter of Cultivation and seeking the Dao, if not through experiencing calamities and trials, surely there won't be any remarkably fruitful results. If I pave the way for you and ward off your disasters like Junior Sister Yunhua, wouldn't I end up harming you as well?"

"You are currently at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and with your talent and maneuvers, climbing to Transcend Mortality should be extremely simple. Thus, in the near time, you should just cultivate by your own efforts, and do not come to bother me..."

Tao Qian was still empathizing with Yunhua Immortal and that unseen senior sister when he began listening,

But suddenly, Duobao Daoist changed direction, and the last few sentences were not difficult to comprehend; it meant that his thrifty Master intended to let him, Tao Qian, fend for himself for a while to come.

Just as he was about to say something, it was obvious that the Master had made up his mind.

This sloppy Daoist sat upright in the Observatory Hall, looking nothing like a True Master but rather resembling a rough and uncouth man from the Mortal World. You could see a face full of coarse whiskers that seemed about to burst into laughter, heavy eyebrows that merged into the sides, and eyes like copper bells filled with smugness. When he uttered the words "don't come to bother me," he directly silenced Tao Qian.