Chapter 87: Master-Disciple Inheritance
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“Disciple Yu Zhao pays respect to Master.”
Yu Zhao gracefully lifted the hem of her robes, knelt down, and bowed deeply. Having wandered without an official teacher since being expelled by Master Qing Yan, this moment was significant for her. She had felt like an inner disciple without guidance for too long. Her bond with the Bright Moon Hermit had filled that void, and practicing the Illusory Tide Technique under the Hermit’s informal mentorship felt like a true master-disciple relationship. This ceremony, though simple, was profound, symbolizing her acceptance and closure.
The Bright Moon Hermit smiled warmly as Yu Zhao finished the ritual. “After a thousand years of cultivation, my journey finally ends. Yu Zhao, you’ve helped me fulfill my final wish. As I, Bright Moon, leave this world, I do so without regrets.”
As the Hermit spoke, a soft purple spiritual light emerged from her and gently flowed into Yu Zhao’s forehead.
“This light contains all my knowledge and understanding,” the Bright Moon Hermit explained. “It’s the last gift I can offer. Remember, the path to immortality is long and arduous; keep your heart true and steadfast.”
As the purple light merged with Yu Zhao’s consciousness, she felt herself entering a trance-like state. Her soul seemed to detach, then reawakened within the body of a young girl.
The girl, around four or five years old, was adorably cute with bright, clear eyes. Her exceptional talent for cultivation was evident, marked by the rare single vein Water Spirit Root. This child was none other than Bright Moon herself.
In her family, Bright Moon had always been an outlier. After being sent to a sect, she returned home not long after, choosing a different path. Over the next decade, she ventured from her small western town into the vast cultivation world. She traveled to countless places, met various people, and survived numerous life-threatening situations, amassing immense fortune and knowledge along the way.
Just when Bright Moon thought her adventures would continue, she encountered a special man who, for the first time, made her restless soul feel at peace.
Inside Bright Moon’s body, Yu Zhao screamed in desperation, “Don’t trust him! Don’t trust any man! He wants to kill you!”
But Bright Moon couldn’t hear her. She was completely captivated by the man’s seemingly tender facade, falling deeply for him.
The reality hit hard when the man revealed his true intentions, dagger in hand. He cultivated the Path of Emotional Detachment, which required him to sacrifice his wife as an offering. Bright Moon was his chosen victim.
At that moment, Yu Zhao felt a part of Bright Moon shatter. Though their cultivation levels were equal, Bright Moon’s talent far exceeded his. In a desperate struggle, she drove a sword through his heart, instinctively grasping the true essence of the Path of Emotional Detachment.
From then on, Bright Moon became the Bright Moon Hermit and developed the Illusory Tide Technique. “The complete Illusory Tide Technique should have nine levels, but I’ve only mastered the fifth. I hope future practitioners can refine it further.”
Suddenly, the space around them twisted, and an overwhelming pressure forced Yu Zhao’s soul back into her own body.
Yu Zhao trembled, her eyes snapping open. Her soul had returned. “Master!” she cried out, looking anxiously at the Bright Moon Hermit, who stood before her with the same proud and aloof demeanor as always.
Yu Zhao felt the last trace of the Bright Moon Hermit’s spirit fade away from the cultivation world. A deep sadness washed over her, and she bowed deeply one final time. Though their time together was brief, the inheritance left by the Bright Moon Hermit was vast, filled with invaluable knowledge and memories that spanned a thousand years.
After paying her respects, Yu Zhao sat cross-legged and began to meditate, trying to calm her emotions. As the sadness gradually subsided, her state of mind shifted. Witnessing the trials of the Bright Moon Hermit felt like a personal test of her own resolve.
The memories of her past life, spanning millennia, seemed as fleeting as morning dew, leaving no lasting trace, much like water in autumn.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the sealed stone cave, and spiritual energy began to converge around her, forming a small vortex. Recognizing the opportunity for a breakthrough, the energy surged toward her from all directions.
Yu Zhao had been steadily cultivating in the Five Elements Sect, reaching the late stage of Foundation Establishment. During her travels, she advanced to the peak of this stage, just a step away from forming her Golden Core. Initially, she planned to spend another year preparing for the breakthrough. However, the opportunity presented by the Bright Moon Hermit accelerated her progress.
As spiritual energy surged into her body, her meridians expanded painfully. She carefully guided the energy through her system, circulating it and concentrating it in her dantian. The spiritual energy began to condense into liquid form, and her dantian swelled. Before long, the liquid began to solidify, forming a sphere that marked the creation of a Golden Core.
Yu Zhao took a deep breath and focused. Having gone through this process before, she knew the next crucial step was solidifying the Core. This would firmly establish her in the Golden Core stage. However, she faced a significant challenge: the sudden breakthrough had caught her off guard, and the spiritual energy in the area was insufficient to sustain the process.
Determined, Yu Zhao swallowed a handful of pills and emptied her storage bag of all her spiritual stones, surrounding herself with them. As the spiritual energy continued to flood her, a Golden Core gradually took shape within her dantian.
On that day, a sudden burst of thunder echoed through the desolate mountains. A violent wave of spiritual energy spread out, catching the attention of nearby cultivators who quickly made their way toward the disturbance.
“Such a strong fluctuation! Could it be a treasure appearing?” one cultivator exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with greed as he rushed toward the source of the energy.
Others, more cautious, hung back, observing the surroundings carefully.
However, before they could reach the source, the intense spiritual disturbance abruptly ceased, leaving an eerie calm in its wake.
“What happened? Why did it stop so suddenly?” one cultivator questioned.
“Someone must have taken the treasure before we arrived!” another speculated.
“I don’t think it was a treasure. It felt more like a breakthrough by a high-level cultivator,” a more experienced cultivator suggested.
“Impossible! This place is too desolate and lacks spiritual energy. Who would choose to break through here?” another retorted, skeptical of the theory.
This novel is translated and hosted only on bcatranslation.
The crowd argued, each offering their own theories.
“Enough! Let’s go see for ourselves!” one cultivator declared, flying forward, and the others followed closely behind.
As they approached the source, they were suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful pressure that forced them to the ground.
“Anyone who obstructs me will die!” a cold female voice rang out, filled with authority.
The cultivators felt a sharp pain in their ears, followed by a persistent ringing. Their blood boiled, and panic quickly set in.
“Please, forgive us, senior!”
“Spare us, senior!”
They cried out, realizing they had trespassed into the territory of a powerful cultivator.
Fearing for their lives, they begged for mercy, deeply regretting their actions. None of them had expected to encounter such a formidable figure in such a remote place. It was beyond comprehension, leaving them in awe and terror of the mysterious cultivator who had achieved a breakthrough in these desolate mountains.