After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Trust – Starting Cultivation

Su Lingqing hesitated slightly.

Before meeting her Master, she had resolved not to tell anyone about the Spatial Pouch, but her Master was very kind to her, not only saving her but also accepting her as a disciple and guiding her toward the immortal path.

Should she tell her Master about the space?

Her Master was so kind to her; it was impossible for her to harm her!

Thinking this, Su Lingqing slowly made a decision.

“Before meeting Master, this disciple had a wondrous encounter…”

She thoroughly described her experiences before and after falling off the cliff, mentioning the Spatial Pouch and the Eight Trigrams Well that possessed the magical spring water…

Ling Yunyue was not surprised to learn the complete sequence of events.

In fact, a suspicion had already formed in her heart.

“Lingqing, do you know that the spring water is an extremely rare Spiritual Spring in the cultivation world? Drinking it can cure all chronic illnesses and hidden ailments in the body, while also thoroughly cleansing the body’s inherent impurities. Furthermore, the Spiritual Spring can aid in cultivation. This is a great fortune. Lingqing, remember not to mention this matter to anyone else in the future.”

The young girl’s eyes curved into crescent shapes, and she repeatedly responded: “This disciple will only tell Master.”

“Lingqing, do you know the uses of the Spatial Pouch?”

“Sustaining the Spiritual Spring, and… cultivation?”

Ling Yunyue smiled and replied: “That is only part of its function. You missed the most crucial point: within the Spatial Pouch, any place where soil exists can be cultivated into a Spiritual Field for planting spiritual herbs.”

Su Lingqing was a little surprised: “So cultivators also need to farm?”

“One could say that, but not all cultivators engage in this path. Cultivation has Six Arts, and spiritual planting is one of them. Cultivators who make a living from this are called Spiritual Planters.”

“What are the other five arts?”

“Alchemy, Artifact Forging, Talisman Making, Array Formation, and Beast Taming.”

At this point, Ling Yunyue changed the subject and asked about the cultivation technique.

“Lingqing, do you thoroughly understand the content recorded in that jade slip just now?”

“I have some comprehension but haven’t fully grasped it.”

Su Lingqing raised several questions and quickly received her Master’s answers, leaving her mind completely enlightened.

A moment later, she walked to the side of a meditation cushion, sat cross-legged as instructed by her Master, placed her fingers in the nhanhoa mudra on both knees, and silently recited the technique.

As time passed, an extremely faint azure light emerged around her body, lingering without dispersing.

The dantian exclusive to a cultivator slowly opened up. Within a radius of a hundred feet, the Wood-attributed spiritual qi was entirely drawn by an invisible force, gathering around the young girl.

This phenomenon lasted for about half a zhan cha (the time it takes for half a cup of tea to brew).

A continuous stream of spiritual qi flowed into all the meridians in her body and, under the guidance of the technique, gathered in the dantian, transforming into Wood-element spiritual power.

The moment she successfully introduced qi into her body and embarked on the path of cultivation, Su Lingqing noticed that her perception of external objects had become much sharper.

At this time, she still maintained the posture of closed-eye meditation and had not opened her eyes, yet she could clearly sense the existence of the tables, chairs, and beds in the room and know their precise locations.

However… she could not ‘see’ her Master.

Realizing this, Su Lingqing quickly opened her bright eyes, her slightly anxious gaze meeting her Master’s smiling eyes.

The unease that had just risen in her heart instantly calmed down.

How wonderful… Master is here; she didn’t leave, and she didn’t abandon me…

Ling Yunyue perceived the subtle shift in the young girl’s emotions at that moment, and a trace of confusion arose in her heart.

“Lingqing embarking on the cultivation path is a good thing; why did you look unhappy just now?”

“This disciple… this disciple just now used her divine sense to perceive the outside world but did not sense Master…”

Upon hearing this, Ling Yunyue immediately understood.

“Don’t worry, Lingqing. Since I have accepted you as my disciple, I will certainly not abandon you. Although Lingqing has successfully started cultivating, your strength is not yet equal to mine. Therefore, merely sensing with divine sense, you cannot perceive my existence.”

“I see… Master, when this disciple was recognized by the Spatial Pouch, I learned that there are different stages of cultivation for cultivators, but I do not know the details.”

“There are Six Major Realms of cultivation, from lowest to highest, they are Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and Mahayana. Lingqing successfully introduced qi into the body, so you are now at the first level of the Qi Condensation stage.”

“May I ask how many levels there are in the Qi Condensation stage?”

“Ten levels. Starting from Foundation Establishment, each realm is only divided into four smaller stages: Early, Mid, Late, and Perfection.”

“Then what realm is Master currently in?”

“I am at the late stage of Mahayana.”

Her Master’s strength was immense. Su Lingqing should have been happy, but for some reason, a trace of melancholy arose deep within her heart.

“If Master cultivates to Mahayana Perfection in the future, will Master ascend to the Immortal Realm?”

Ling Yunyue guessed the young girl’s thoughts and said with a gentle smile: “The higher the cultivation base, the more difficult it is to advance the realm. The late Mahayana stage appears to be only one step away from the Perfection stage, but in reality, the distance is a thousand miles. Breaking through is by no means easy. Barring any accidents, I will remain in the Profound Heaven Realm for at least another hundred years.”

A hundred years was an extremely long time for Su Lingqing, who was only fourteen.

Hearing her Master’s words, the melancholy in the young girl’s heart completely dissipated. She secretly resolved to cultivate diligently during these hundred years and catch up with her Master’s pace as much as possible.

Thinking of the Six Arts her Master had mentioned earlier, a trace of curiosity arose in her heart, and she spoke softly: “Master, if one can master all Six Arts of cultivation, will it help in improving one’s strength and realm?”

Ling Yunyue shook her head with a gentle smile: “The Six Arts, in the end, are all used to assist cultivation. Appropriate exposure is beneficial, but excess is harmful. To master any one of them expertly requires countless hours, which would inevitably delay cultivation. That would be putting the cart before the horse.”

“Then, in Master’s opinion, what is considered appropriate?”

“Do not deliberately specialize; let it happen naturally. Daily life must prioritize cultivation. Often, rushing for success will only be counterproductive.”

“Thank you, Master, for your guidance. This disciple understands.”

Su Lingqing then recalled the Spatial Pouch. She hesitated for a moment and continued: “Master, can this disciple take you into the space to have a look?”

Ling Yunyue seemed not to have expected the young girl to say this. She was stunned for a moment and then reminded her: “Lingqing, do you know that unless it is someone you extremely trust, taking them into the space carries immense risk.”

The moment the words fell, she heard the young girl declare resolutely: “Master is the person this disciple trusts the most!”

“Lingqing, you have only known me for a day. Even though you have taken me as your Master, how do you know what kind of person I am?”

“If Master were truly a wicked person, why would you tell this disciple all of this?”

Ling Yunyue was speechless. For some reason, Lingqing seemed to have a blind trust in her.

For a moment, she wanted to directly tell Lingqing that she was not a good person and not to blindly trust her.

However, the words remained at the tip of her tongue and never left her mouth.

Her coming to Illusion Moon Mountain and taking Lingqing as her disciple was originally guided by a profound destiny… Her Path of Heartlessness had never reached the Great Success stage, and Lingqing was very likely the key to her breakthrough.

Lingqing trusting her was a good thing…

Ling Yunyue repeatedly reminded herself in her heart not to waver from her original decision.

Yet, facing the young girl’s eyes full of trust, a trace of guilt inevitably arose.

She only hoped that Lingqing would remain devoted to the Dao in the future, so that what she envisioned would never come to pass…

Ling Yunyue masked her complex thoughts and responded with a quiet “good” to the young girl who was watching her with a heart full of anxiety.

Receiving approval, Su Lingqing was overjoyed and immediately brought her Master into the space.

Ling Yunyue observed the surroundings with her divine consciousness. After a moment, she mused: “The spiritual qi concentration in this space is considerably higher than the outside world. Daily cultivation can indeed be performed within the space, but you must be careful with the timing and ensure no one discovers it.”

Su Lingqing nodded obediently: “This disciple understands. Besides Master, this disciple will not bring anyone else into the space, nor will I allow anyone to detect any clues.”

A moment later, the two arrived by the Eight Trigrams Well.

Looking at the constantly bubbling spring water in the well, Ling Yunyue was somewhat surprised.

“Lingqing, do you know that Spiritual Springs also have different grades of quality? The one before us belongs to the legendary supreme-grade Spiritual Spring, rarely seen even once in ten thousand years. Being recognized as the owner of this space is enough to show that Lingqing has profound blessings.”

Hearing this, the young girl was stunned for a long time.

“Profound blessings…? But Master, this disciple is a natural Body of Malevolence. When I lived in Illusion Moon Mountain, the villagers would run far away as soon as they saw me, calling me a jinx, a bringer of bad luck…”

As she spoke these words, many familiar yet sorrowful images flashed through Su Lingqing’s mind.

In Ling Yunyue’s eyes, the young girl’s eyes were filled with tears at this moment, yet she was trying hard to restrain them, much like a wounded fawn.

She took the young girl’s slightly cold hand and comforted her gently: “The Body of Malevolence is indeed rare, but the related rumors in the world are not true. Do not take them to heart.”

“Is that true?”

“Of course it is true. I never speak carelessly.”

The accumulated tears slipped down her cheeks like pearls. Ling Yunyue bent down and carefully brushed them away with her fingertips.

“Don’t cry anymore. Crying will make your face unsightly.”

Su Lingqing softly sobbed. Since her parents passed away, she had never been treated with such tenderness.

Overwhelmed by her emotions, she temporarily forgot proper etiquette and threw herself into her Master’s embrace.

Ling Yunyue had never been this close to anyone. Her body froze for a moment, but ultimately, she did not push the young girl away.

A long time ago, she had also been this fragile and helpless, but at that time, she had no one to rely on and had to endure those difficult times alone.

Now, she had a disciple. Before that event came to pass, she would be a serious and responsible Master, helping her disciple overcome her troubles…

Su Lingqing tightly hugged her Master and cried for a long time, as if pouring out all the grievances she had suffered over the years.

When her emotions subsided and reason returned, she realized she had dirtied her Master’s robes, and guilt instantly emerged in her heart.

“Master, I’m sorry, this disciple shouldn’t have…”

Halfway through her sentence, a finger suddenly pressed against her lips.

Ling Yunyue blocked the words the young girl was about to say and said gently: “Don’t worry about such small things.”

Su Lingqing gave a soft “mm.” Feeling the non-her-own warmth transmitted from her lips, her heart pounded rapidly.

Her Master was truly so kind to her, infinitely tolerant. She wanted to follow her Master forever…

Ling Yunyue retracted the fingertip that had rested on the young girl’s lips. Recalling the extremely soft touch, she instinctively rubbed her thumb and index finger together.

When she realized what she had done, a rare trace of shyness and annoyance flashed in her heart. She used a little force and pushed the young girl away…