Chapter 240: Traditional Art

Fortunately, they had finally managed to save her...

Gazing at the ball of green light before him, Li Changshou observed the tiny, ethereal shu ling inside, no larger than a thumb and still somewhat faint.

This kind of shu ling reminded Li Changshou of some short stories he had heard in his previous life.

The proper kind, of course.

After finding Wan Jiang Yu's shisho, Li Changshou couldn't help but picture his master, Qi Yuan, growing frail with age.

In life, people really only have a few key pursuits, and having support in old age or being able to retire comfortably are barely among them.

If his master had a chance at immortality, Li Changshou, as his disciple, wouldn't have to worry so much.

But his master...

Sigh, even with a heavenly official position and the protection of merit, he could barely live for a few tens of thousands of years.

Not even as long as some untrained old spirit beasts in the Hong Huang.

Although Wan Jiang Yu's remnant spirit had been preserved, she was still extremely weak at the moment.

A normal shu ling could take on a roughly human form,

but Wan Jiang Yu's shu ling reincarnation body could only lie in that light sphere, her breath faint, as if she might dissipate at any time.

As long as they hurried back to Du Xian Men, the abundant vital energy there would allow her to recover and rest...

The five from Du Xian Men didn't delay any longer. They quickly flew away from this great thousand world, oriented themselves in the void, and headed back to the Five Parts Continent.

What should they do next?

They couldn't just wait for the shisho to recover and then have her go find his master with a sly grin...

'Master, do you want a dao companion?'

Uh, just kidding, just kidding.

Shu ling found it very difficult to cultivate; they were like spirits dwelling in trees, making it hard to comprehend the Great Dao.

In Li Changshou's personal view, the best option would be for Wan Jiang Yu's shisho to return to the cycle of reincarnation after her shu ling lifespan ended, to be reborn in the human path...

Of course, he couldn't decide that alone; he'd have to discuss it later with his shizu and shimei.

For now, Master Qi Yuan didn't have a say in this.

On the way back, Jiang Lin'er cradled the small shu ling in her palm, holding it gently to her chest, carefully infusing it with immortal power...

Incidentally, the Tianxian realm daoist named Cai Wei, whom they had rescued with them, wasn't detained for long.

Li Changshou explained the situation to Cai Wei, gave him sufficient thanks as a gift, and made him swear a Great Dao oath not to pursue the matter further.

The basic thousand-character version.

As for the other shu ling they had saved, Sect Leader Ji Wuyou casually released them back into the forests...

Whether they survived afterward was another story.

Ji Wuyou rode the clouds, with the five of them sitting cross-legged on the cloud, crossing the outer void.

This Jin Xian realm sect leader, who handled everything from transportation to combat, explanations, and even setting the tone, left a deep impression on the young disciple Li Changshou.

Once recovered, the sect leader was quite a reliable Jin Xian expert.

Speaking of which, this was Li Changshou's first time flying so far from the Five Parts Continent.

Although it was just his paper daoist avatar.

In the boundless void, the unique sights were the occasional worlds or realms that appeared and quickly passed by.

Jiang Lin'er had seen such scenes many times and wasn't in the mood to appreciate them now,

while Wangqing Shangren, Youqin Xuanya, and Li Changshou, who had spent years secluded in cultivation, were all deeply fascinated by these wonders.

These large and small worlds, formed from fragments of the Hong Huang, all had a "heaven-round, earth-square" structure.

The flat land and vast oceans lay on a single plane, enclosed by a hemispherical sky dome, with projections of the various heavenly stars on the dome.

Most of these projections were incomplete, corresponding to how complete the 'dao principles' were in each world.

Since they were in a hurry to return to Du Xian Men, they didn't have the chance to stop and examine any world closely.

Besides, with the current cultivation levels of the five from Du Xian Men, even staring at these 'worlds' for thousands of years wouldn't lead to much insight.

Creating a new world was a great technique, comprehensible only by mighty beings.

Thinking of worlds made Li Changshou inevitably think of the twenty-four Dinghai Divine Pearls, which could each form their own complete world.

And thinking of the Dinghai Divine Pearls made him think of that forthright but spineless Zhao Daye, bringing a slight smile to his face.

Zhao Daye was actually quite endearing.

"Youqin Shijie," Youqin Xuanya said softly beside him, "have you finally set aside a worry today?"

"Mm," Li Changshou nodded lightly, glancing at the three senior elders ahead, then signaled to Youqin Xuanya to speak via voice transmission.

He wasn't sure how the effects of his previous oath were holding up,

so Li Changshou decided to take this opportunity to chat with Youqin Xuanya and reinforce the treatment.

He casually brought up a topic, "Shijie, do you have any doubts about your cultivation?"

This was just a casual opener, but Youqin Xuanya nodded calmly and asked directly,

"Shixiong, in the 'Wuwei Jing,' there's a line: 'Only through beneficial causes can one advance by not striving for power, and clarify confusion by making it clear.' Can this be understood as..."

And so on, like that.

Li Changshou really wanted to slap himself twice. Why did he have to make small talk? What was he thinking?

Talking to Youqin Xuanya had to be straightforward; you couldn't beat around the bush, or she'd take everything at face value.

The result was that he ended up giving himself extra work, starting a discussion of scriptures and dao verification with Youqin Xuanya on the way...

How did it suddenly feel like, if this were in his previous life, it would be something like...

'Shocking! An ordinary homebody college student ends up reviewing lessons late at night with the campus beauty!'

Hmm, full of wholesome energy!

Sect Leader Ji Wuyou estimated their journey and figured they'd reach Du Xian Men in about thirteen days.

Along the way, Jiang Lin'er and Wangqing Shangren kept channeling immortal power to heal the shu ling.

By the time they got back to Du Xian Men, she probably wouldn't even need a special treasure ground; she'd likely be lively again.

Jiang Lin'er even specifically instructed Li Changshou not to mention this to Old Daoist Qi Yuan.

Once the shu ling's lifespan ended and Wan Jiang Yu's true spirit entered the 'human path' to restart her immortal journey, it wouldn't be too late to bring it up with Qi Yuan then.

But what would happen between Qi Yuan and Wan Jiang Yu in the future was anyone's guess...

Li Changshou wasn't idle on this trip either.

After explaining a few questions for Youqin Xuanya, she pulled out her collection of long-accumulated problems—ones even her master, Jiang Jingshan, couldn't resolve—and kept asking Li Changshou.

Gradually, Li Changshou found that this wasn't so bad.

Having a dao companion for discussing scriptures, verifying the dao, and who was quite pleasing to the eye, was much better than one who stirred up trouble all day.

Besides, Youqin Shimei had good aptitude and knew how to adapt in cultivation; with a little nurturing, she'd become an excellent... magical treasure.

A elite of the Ren Jiao!

On the sixth day of crossing the void, while Li Changshou was lecturing Youqin Xuanya, a slight ripple stirred in his heart.

His divine sense was mildly disturbed, and he heard that voice:

"Jiao Zhu gege~"

Uh, why was the Second Cult Leader sounding so flirtatious today?

From the trembling tone at the end, Li Changshou sensed a hint of instability in Ao Yi's state of mind...

"Youqin Shimei, let's continue later."

Li Changshou looked at Youqin Xuanya and transmitted, "I have some insights to ponder on my own."

Youqin Xuanya replied quickly, "Shixiong, please go ahead. I've been the one disturbing your cultivation."

"It's fine," Li Changshou said, "I'm happy to verify the dao with you on cultivation matters."

With that, Li Changshou closed his eyes, hands forming the yuan-guarding pose, appearing to cultivate.

In reality, most of his mind returned to his main body, using the idol to connect his divine sense for a remote link with Ao Yi...

In the dream realm constructed by the idol, Li Changshou's figure condensed at the base of the idol, and Ao Yi rushed over hurriedly.

"Jiao Zhu gege!

Great news! Wonderful news!"

"Oh?" Li Changshou smiled. "Are you and your wife moving so quickly? Am I about to become an uncle?"

Ao Yi's youthful face turned red instantly, and he stammered,

"No, it's not that. The dragon clan's situation is unstable, so I wouldn't dare think of such things... Jiao Zhu gege, this is huge good news!"

"Oh?"

Li Changshou smiled. "What kind of good news has you so excited?"

"The West Sea Dragon Palace..."

The moment he heard "West Sea," Li Changshou had a bad premonition.

He knew that the West Sea was already half-infiltrated by the Western Cult, with only the West Sea Dragon King still trustworthy. Any news from there was likely part of the Western Cult's schemes.

But after listening to Ao Yi's explanation, Li Changshou was a bit puzzled.

The news that had Ao Yi so thrilled was:

The West Sea Dragon Palace had decided to reform their old systems, following the successful example of East Sea Dragon Palace's Second Prince Ao Yi in seeking a master, and would send thirty-six dragon clan youths to try joining sects under the saints' lineages.

Li Changshou rubbed his brow; he couldn't quite figure this out yet.

If it was the Western Cult's doing, what were they after?

Planting spies in the Dao Sect? That seemed redundant—who could hide anything from a saint's eyes?

The issue was whether the saints wanted to calculate it and if other saints were interfering.

Li Changshou said, "Tell me the details."

"Ah," Ao Yi nodded seriously and explained the cause and effect in detail.

The proposal came from the West Sea Dragon King's own brother. The West Sea Dragon King gathered the palace ministers and the turtle chancellors sent by the other three seas, debating for seven full days.

In those seven days, there were forty-eight fights and over a hundred arguments in the West Sea Dragon Palace meetings, fully embodying the ancient nobility's combative spirit.

As Ao Yi put it, when it came to major matters, dragon clan discussions often turned out like this...

It was just their traditional way.

In the end, they reached a deadlock with half for and half against, so the West Sea Dragon King proposed a compromise, reducing the planned number of dragon princes and princesses from a hundred to thirty-six.

Among them, two were the West Sea Dragon King's own princes, three princesses, thirteen nephews, and the remaining eighteen were outstanding dragon clan talents...

After hearing Ao Yi's account, Li Changshou smiled slightly.

Whether this was some scheme or part of a larger plan, he couldn't see through it yet,

but his vigilance was fully raised.

Li Changshou asked with a smile, "Where are these dragon princes and princesses planning to seek masters?"

"In the Central Divine State's three religions' immortal sects," Ao Yi answered immediately. "That's the main reason so many opposed it—pride in our clan's heart. I understand it too, but getting into a place like Jin'ao Island is already tough.

So, the sects they're sending them to are the Dao Sect immortal sects that appeared at the Three Teachings Origin Assembly!

Jiao Zhu gege, Du Xian Men's mountain-opening ceremony is still about twenty or thirty years away, and two of my hall sisters will probably go there to try joining the Ren Jiao lineage."

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow upon hearing this...

The dragon clan's intelligence gathering was impressive; they even knew the date of Du Xian Men's ceremony.

Should he directly refuse or just let it happen without interference?

"Yi Xiong, Du Xian Men ranks at the bottom among the Ren Jiao immortal sects," Li Changshou said. "If they're seeking masters, places like Xiaoyao Immortal Sect would be more suitable."

"They've sent some there too," Ao Yi laughed. "Half of the dragon princes and princesses this time chose the Ren Jiao lineage.

Jiao Zhu gege, thanks to our Hai Shen Cult, the dragon clan now has a good impression of the Ren Jiao."

Understood...

Upon hearing this, Li Changshou suddenly realized something.

Was the Western Cult trying to sow discord?

Using dragon princes and princesses to cause trouble in the Ren Jiao lineage and provoke their anger?

It was a somewhat clever move...

But if that was the plan, it would ultimately be in vain.

Strictly speaking, the Ren Jiao's core now consisted of only two: the Taiqing Saint Laotzu and Xuandu Master. Li Changshou was working to become the third, but it was just the beginning.

To make the Ren Jiao dislike the dragon clan, they'd have to cause chaos in the Doushuai Palace.

Moreover, the Western Cult probably hadn't fully grasped the Ren Jiao's stance—they stood behind the Heavenly Court, not the dragons.

Seeing Li Changshou frown, Ao Yi asked tentatively, "Jiao Zhu gege, are you displeased with this?"

"Ah, not at all," Li Changshou laughed. "If the dragon clan has thought it through, that's even better."

Ao Yi's face lit up with a genuine smile, and he sighed softly...

From his youthful recklessness, scheming to awaken the clan,

to his current maturity, focusing on the greater heavenly patterns and seeking a true path for the dragon clan...

This was probably the difference between a young dragon and an adult one.

Ao Yi asked, "Jiao Zhu gege, is there anything I should watch out for?"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment and said,

"I don't know about the other three religions' sects, but within the Ren Jiao lineage, the atmosphere is a bit... hmm, more romantic.

Although the Ren Jiao advocates following one's nature, they're quite conservative about dao companions, while the dragon clan is relatively open-minded.

If possible, select some more well-behaved dragon princes and princesses for the Ren Jiao to avoid any unpleasantness.

Of course, this is just my minor suggestion."

Ao Yi fell into thought at these words, then nodded firmly, saying seriously, "Jiao Zhu gege, don't worry, I'll remind them right away."

With that, Ao Yi bowed and hastily ended the divine sense connection.

Li Changshou blinked in surprise...

Was it possible that the two dragon princesses meant for Du Xian Men were the type who... dealt in red strings?

That could be a bit exciting...

Reminded by Ao Yi, Li Changshou also recalled the matter of the mountain-opening ceremony.

Du Xian Men's biennial ceremony was just twenty or thirty years away, probably after the current disciples' heavenly tribulations had settled—those who should stay would stay, and those who should leave would go, then they'd prepare to accept new disciples.

If Wan Jiang Yu's reincarnation timing worked out, she might return just in time for the ceremony...

Li Changshou pondered this briefly and chuckled to himself, not dwelling on it.

That was for his shizu to handle.

On the twelfth day of crossing the void, with the Five Parts Continent in sight, Sect Leader Ji Wuyou suddenly turned and asked,

"By the way, Wangqing, Changshou, I have a divine ability passed down from my master. Want to think it over together?"

Li Changshou...

If it required coughing up blood for hundreds of years, please, let's not.