Chapter 15

“What are you thinking about, Senior Sister Jianchou?”

Noticing the dawning smile on Jianchou’s face, Nie Xiaowan couldn’t help but ask, puzzled.

Jianchou didn’t tell the truth and only said, “Nothing much. Just wondering if master will be alright.”

After all, that place was so dangerous.

Nie Xiaowan’s eyes widened.

“You mean Elder Fudao Shanren?”

“Yes.”

As soon as Jianchou answered, she saw a dreamlike expression appear on Nie Xiaowan’s face.

Curious, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… it’s just…” Nie Xiaowan hesitated, glancing at Jianchou with unconcealed confusion.

“Don’t you know Yashan’s standards for accepting disciples are extremely high? In the entire Central Domain, only Kunwu can compare.”

Nie Xiaowan didn’t finish her sentence, but Jianchou understood.

She smiled faintly.

“The standards are high, but how do you know my talent isn’t?”

At that moment, Nie Xiaowan stared at her blankly, as if truly seeing her for the first time.

Over there, the three who had been meditating and regulating their breath couldn’t help but turn to look at Jianchou.

The meaning behind those words…

Didn’t seem so simple.

In their eyes, she was just a mortal with pitifully low cultivation, newly taken in by Elder Fudao Shanren as a disciple.

Yet now, she had the audacity to boast about her talent?

Xu Lan’er froze for a moment before letting out a disdainful snort.

She turned away, closed off her senses, and refused to listen further.

The other two were also curious but didn’t dare ask.

Suppressing their questions, they resumed their meditation.

Only Nie Xiaowan’s gaze gradually brightened as she looked at Jianchou.

Jianchou blinked at her playfully.

Nie Xiaowan suddenly grew excited, tugging at Jianchou’s sleeve.

“Senior Sister, come over here! Let’s talk!”

Amused, Jianchou let herself be dragged to the side, where they sat together on a relatively clean rock.

The night was nearing its end.

The first light of dawn crept over the horizon, casting a gentle glow on Nie Xiaowan’s face, giving her an innocent beauty.

“Senior Sister…” she began hesitantly.

Jianchou raised a brow.

“Want to ask about my talent battle disk?”

“Yes!” Nie Xiaowan nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling like little stars.

“Before asking others, you should introduce yourself first. You want to know about my battle disk—what about yours?”

Jianchou tilted her head.

Nie Xiaowan hesitated, then leaned in and whispered, “Five feet six!”

Jianchou fell silent.

Nie Xiaowan, however, looked smug, her eyes curving into crescents like a pair of pretty moons.

“In my generation at Wuwang Pavillion, I have the highest talent—it only took me six months to successfully build my foundation. Even my Master only had a six-foot battle disk back then!”

“…”

Five feet six—the highest talent of her generation.

Jianchou mulled over the implications, then thought about her own battle disk…

A strange expression crossed her face.

“Your master had a six-foot battle disk?”

“Yes!”

Nie Xiaowan’s initially shy demeanor suddenly brightened at the mention of her master.

“My master is one of the most powerful cultivators in the Central Domain. After 160 years of cultivation, she’s now the only Nascent Soul cultivator in our sect.”

Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul.

Jianchou counted on her fingers, then asked, “Is Nascent Soul very strong?”

“…”

For a moment, Nie Xiaowan didn’t know how to respond.

“So you really don’t know anything…”

Jianchou, entirely unembarrassed, nodded honestly.

“That’s right. That’s why I’m asking you.”

“…Fine.”

Nie Xiaowan had no choice but to relent.

“Nascent Soul cultivators… Well, they’re incredibly powerful. Though Wuwang Pavillion is small, we still rank within the top hundred of the Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand sects. My master is the strongest in our sect. Generally, only one in a hundred thousand cultivators reaches Nascent Soul. Foundation cultivators can ride artifacts, Golden Core cultivators can fly, but Nascent Soul cultivators’ souls take the form of a tiny person. Even if their physical body dies, as long as their Nascent Soul remains, they’re not truly dead. Understand now?”

If the body perishes but the Nascent Soul survives, death is not absolute.

This must be what they called “immortality.”

Close enough, if not exact.

Jianchou nodded, thinking of Xie Buchen’s pursuit of immortality, the Dao, and eternal life. She smiled inexplicably.

“Now I understand. Your master is indeed impressive.”

“Of course!”

Nie Xiaowan felt a strange sense of accomplishment at having explained things to Jianchou.

But then she remembered her original question.

“What about you, Senior Sister Jianchou? How big is your battle disk?”

“Well…”

Now that she knew Nie Xiaowan’s battle disk size, Jianchou was reluctant to answer.

She finally understood why Fudao Shanren had abandoned even his goose when he saw her battle disk.

For a moment, she hesitated.

Nie Xiaowan, mistaking her reluctance for coyness, grew even more persistent.

“I told you everything—even my master’s battle disk size! It’s not fair if you don’t share! Come on, it’s not like you’ll lose anything.”

“Fine.”

With a resigned sigh, Jianchou realized she couldn’t outlast Nie Xiaowan’s pestering.

She glanced at the others, who seemed absorbed in their cultivation, then held out her hand.

“Give me your hand.”

“So secretive…”

Nie Xiaowan thought it was overkill but complied, placing her palm in Jianchou’s.

Jianchou took her hand and lightly traced a few strokes on her palm.

Nie Xiaowan’s eyes widened instantly.

“Y-you—!”

“Shh.”

Jianchou pressed a finger to her lips.

Nie Xiaowan stared at her, then at her own palm, wondering if she’d misread it.

She felt like she was dreaming.

How was this possible?

How?!

Senior Sister Jianchou seemed so ordinary—nothing about her screamed “genius”!

The moment she processed the number written on her palm, Nie Xiaowan was struck with horror.

Madness… absolute madness!

Back then, her own five-foot-six battle disk had caused quite a stir in the Central Domain!

Even Xu Lan’er, with her five-foot-one battle disk, had once thought herself talented enough to seek entry into Yashan—only for the elders to barely glance at her.

Everyone knew Yashan’s standards were high, but this high?!

No, no… That wasn’t it.

Wasn’t Jianchou just picked up as a last-minute addition?

How could someone casually picked off the streets have a ten-foot battle disk…?

So this was Yashan.

The uncrowned king of the Central Domain—Yashan’s single sword, unrivaled under the heavens!

Nie Xiaowan recalled the ancient tales about Yashan passed down in her sect and remained stunned for a long time.

Seeing her so shaken, Jianchou didn’t know what to say.

She simply patted her slender shoulder.

“Shouldn’t you go meditate now?”

“Y-yes…” Nie Xiaowan finally snapped out of it, her voice faint as a wisp.

She rose slowly, about to leave, but after three steps, she suddenly turned back.

“Senior Sister Jianchou!”

“Hmm?” Jianchou looked up.

Nie Xiaowan’s eyes were bright.

“You’ll be attending the Left Three Thousand Assembly in three years, right?”

What was that now?

Before Jianchou could ask, Nie Xiaowan clapped her hands together.

“Of course someone as amazing as you will go! I’ll train hard so I don’t embarrass myself!”

Jianchou was taken aback.

But Nie Xiaowan didn’t wait for a response.

Pumped up, she nodded to herself and walked away.

Soon, all four Foundation-stage cultivators were seated in meditation.

Jianchou sat a short distance away, resting her chin on her hand, watching them with interest.

Beneath each of them, faintly visible, was a battle disk—Tianyuan’s axis, Kun Lines, Dao Seed, arranged in intricate patterns…

Between closely placed Dao Seeds, Kun Lines connected them, with occasional flashes of light—a truly mesmerizing sight.

These were the Dao Imprints.

Her thoughts abruptly halted.

The image in Jianchou’s mind was suddenly triggered.

The mysterious golden seal she’d seen atop the cliff, the massive five-colored sphere inside the mountain, the beams of light radiating outward…

Unconsciously, she began recalling their shapes.

The sandy ground before her served as her canvas.

Jianchou gripped her nine-jointed bamboo and lightly traced on the sand.

Horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal, vertical…

One dot, two dots, three dots…

Patiently, she reconstructed the patterns.

Grateful for how close she’d been to the seal, she could recall it clearly.

After outlining the basic structure, she added the dots.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

A red sun slowly rose over the sea, casting a faint glow across the island.

White seabirds took flight, diving into the waves and sending up sprays of foam.

Jianchou finally stopped.

By now, the sand before her was covered in intricate diagrams.

These patterns all resembled star charts.

Dots connected by straight lines—some square, some circular, some shaped like ladles, others like branching trees…

One, two, three…

Counting those she’d seen inside the mountain, there were exactly six.

“Senior Sister, it’s time to go.”

Footsteps approached.

Jianchou looked up to see Zhou Kuang and the others had finished meditating.

Xu Lan’er and Nie Xiaowan stood together, watching her.

Zhang Sui, the strongest among them, walked over.

“We’re setting off.”

Rising from her thoughts, Jianchou casually swept her foot over the sand, obscuring the diagrams.

She smiled at Zhang Sui.

“Thanks for the reminder.”

Zhang Sui glanced curiously at the now-ruined patterns but didn’t dwell on it.

He nodded.

Nie Xiaowan waved from afar.

“Senior Sister, hurry! Let’s go together!”

Jianchou walked over, smiling.

Dressed in plain robes, her ink-black hair cascading down her back, her slender figure exuded an indescribable elegance.

Her porcelain-white fingers rested on the emerald-green bamboo, glowing like jade.

As she approached, Nie Xiaowan felt as if her eyes were dazzled.

Xu Lan’er snorted coldly.

“Enough chatter. If we leave now, we’ll reach Ascension Island by nightfall. No more delays.”

With a flick of her sleeve, a watery-blue sword light shot out.

Xu Lan’er stepped onto the slender azure blade and soared into the sky, leaving behind a faint trail.

Nie Xiaowan frowned.

“In such a hurry, yet not even flying that fast.”

“Ha ha ha…”

Zhou Kuang, hefting his giant axe, burst out laughing.

Zhang Sui remained expressionless.

Drawing his sword (still sheathed), he tossed it into the air and stepped onto it.

“Let’s go.”

Nie Xiaowan nodded, raising her left wrist to reveal a silver bracelet engraved with intricate, aged patterns.

Zhou Kuang eyed it covetously.

“That’s Wuwang Pavillion’s Mind-Clearing Bracelet, isn’t it? Junior Sister Xiaowan really is the sect’s most prized disciple.”

“Master just dotes on me, that’s all.”

Nie Xiaowan blushed.

She formed a hand seal, and the bracelet flew off her wrist, spinning midair.

In an instant, it transformed into a six-foot-wide silver disc inscribed with a seven-star array.

Rings of light rippled outward as it rotated.

Even though they’d seen it before, Zhou Kuang and Zhang Sui couldn’t hide their awe.

Though Wuwang Pavillion was small, its heritage ran deep.

Jianchou, though unfamiliar with the Nineteen Continents’s ways, could tell from their reactions that this bracelet-turned-disc was extraordinary.

Nie Xiaowan pointed, and the disc floated over, stopping at their feet.

She beamed.

“After you, Senior Sister.”

Without ceremony, Jianchou stepped onto the disc.

The sensation was different from riding Fudao Shanren’s sword—novel and intriguing.

Nie Xiaowan joined her, sitting cross-legged.

With another hand seal, the disc shot forward, leaving a dazzling silver streak.

“Let’s go!”

Zhang Sui, standing on his sword, actually smiled faintly.

Glancing at Jianchou, who was gazing into the distance, he took off after them.

“Hey, wait for me!”

Zhou Kuang’s booming voice echoed behind them.

Jianchou turned to see him hurl his giant axe skyward.

The weapon instantly enlarged, and Zhou Kuang leaped onto it, chasing after them at high speed.

Riding artifacts seemed… interesting.

Jianchou studied the various treasures around her, then looked down at her nine-jointed bamboo.

If she could build her foundation, would this bamboo also fly?

Lost in thought, she fell silent.

Nie Xiaowan focused on steering the Mind-Clearing Bracelet.

Zhang Sui flew alongside on his sword, while Zhou Kuang’s axe kept pace.

They maintained a steady speed over the sea.

Within half an hour of leaving Severing Karma Island, the land vanished from sight.

Only vast schools of fish and occasional reefs broke the monotony of the waves.

At first, Jianchou took in the sights, but soon, the endless ocean grew repetitive.

Time blurred.

By midday, Nie Xiaowan suddenly stood, alert.

“Why is she back?”

Ahead, a streak of pale blue shot toward them—Xu Lan’er, who had raced ahead earlier, was now returning at breakneck speed.

“And there are people behind her!”

Zhang Sui’s eyes sharpened as he halted his sword.

Four figures were hot on Xu Lan’er’s heels!

She was being chased!

In the time it took to process this, Xu Lan’er had reached them, her face a mask of panic.

“Help me!”

she cried, desperation in her voice.

Her pursuers closed in, following her straight toward the group.

Zhang Sui’s expression darkened.

Zhou Kuang, remembering Xu Lan’er’s earlier trick at Qingfeng Temple, cursed aloud.

“That bitch is pulling this again!”