After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Rules – An Astonishing Idea

After finishing breakfast, about an hour later, a soft knock sounded at the door. The bowls and chopsticks on the table were all collected by the maids.

When the room door was closed again, Ling Yunyue waved her sleeve and took out a scroll.

“This is a map of the Profound Heaven Realm. Now that Lingqing has embarked on the immortal path, you should familiarize yourself with some things.”

Hearing this, the young girl walked forward curiously.

The scroll slowly unfurled. A layer of misty spiritual light instantly emerged, rising into the air.

In a brief moment, a suspended map slowly appeared before her eyes.

Su Lingqing looked at this scene, completely astonished.

“Master, this is…”

“A common projection technique in the cultivation world. It magnifies and suspends text and patterns drawn on paper, making them clearer and more intuitive to view.”

“It’s truly amazing. Such a sight, if seen in the mortal world, would surely be hailed as a divine miracle.”

Su Lingqing managed to calm her mind and began to examine the map carefully.

At the very top of the map, three large characters floated in the air: Profound Heaven Realm.

“Master, the Profound Heaven Realm is the world we are in. Do other worlds exist in this universe?”

Ling Yunyue smiled and replied: “Naturally. Below the Immortal Realm, there are Three Thousand Great Worlds, countless Small Worlds, and the Endless Void.”

“Does the world we are in belong to a Great World or a Small World?”

“The Profound Heaven Realm is one of the Three Thousand Great Worlds.”

“Are there cultivators in the Small Worlds?”

“Yes, but the spiritual qi in Small Worlds is extremely thin. It is very difficult to cultivate to a high level. Moreover, the climate within Small Worlds is very harsh. Many people die young during their growth, and some who possess spiritual roots do not even survive long enough to reach an age suitable for cultivation.”

Receiving this answer, Su Lingqing remained silent for a while.

Before meeting her Master, her life was dark and without light. Having lived a difficult life in her youth, she had always considered herself one of the most unfortunate people in the world. She never thought that there were many others who suffered more than she did.

At this moment, she felt little relief, but more empathy.

After a moment of sadness, she cherished the present time even more.

As the complex thoughts gradually faded, she refocused her attention on the map before her.

The Profound Heaven Realm had Four Continents.

The Eastern Azure Profound Continent, the Southern Scarlet Flame Continent, the Northern True Martial Continent, and the Western Pure Brahma Continent.

At the intersection of the four continents, there was a Heaven-Earth Stele that reached straight into the clouds.

The annotation for this stele was the most prominent on the map, but no detailed explanation was given.

Su Lingqing felt quite curious.

“Master, does this Heaven-Earth Stele have a critically important function?”

Ling Yunyue nodded and explained: “Once a cultivator steps into the Golden Core realm, they are automatically sensed by this world. If their strength in the current Major Realm can enter the top hundred, their name will appear on the Heaven-Earth Stele.”

Su Lingqing pondered: “Above Golden Core, there are still the Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and Mahayana realms. If each realm has a top hundred on the list, then the Heaven-Earth Stele should permanently maintain four hundred names.”

“That is only theoretical. In fact, the total number of names on the Heaven-Earth Stele has never reached four hundred.”

“Why is that?”

“As I said before, the higher the realm, the more difficult it is to improve cultivation. The number of people in the Mahayana realm in the Profound Heaven Realm is less than one hundred.”

“I see. Master is in the late Mahayana stage; should you rank high on the Heaven-Earth Stele?”

“I am currently at the top of the list.”

At this point, Su Lingqing finally had a thorough understanding of her Master’s strength.

It turned out that her Master was the leader of the Daoist sect, an existence revered by countless cultivators…

She shifted her gaze back to the suspended map, noticing the relatively prominent marker for the Heaven-Extending Sect.

That was the sect she had not yet visited.

Because of her Master, a great yearning for it arose in her heart.

On the Azure Profound Continent, there were countless large and small forces.

After watching for a while, her Master’s gentle voice gradually sounded, reaching her ears.

“On the Azure Profound Continent, the Heaven-Extending Sect is the head of the Daoist sect. Many cultivators refer to my sect as the Heaven-Extending Immortal Sect to show respect. In addition, many forces on the continent are affiliated with my sect. Lingqing will slowly learn about them when you go to the sect in the future.”

“Master, does ‘affiliated’ mean these forces obey our sect’s commands?”

“Correct. Small forces seek affiliation to gain protection and avoid being annihilated. In exchange, they must complete several tasks assigned by my sect each year.”

“If they fail to complete them, is there a punishment?”

“Naturally. The specific penalty depends on the situation. If there are extenuating circumstances, the sect will not be overly harsh, but it is impossible to let forces that deliberately shirk their duties off the hook.”

Su Lingqing’s gaze returned to the map.

Qingyun City, where they currently were, was marked very lightly on the map, easily overlooked.

“Master, is it true that the stronger the force, the more prominent its marker is on the map?”

“Generally, that is the case. However, there are exceptions, such as the Heaven-Earth Stele. It is not a force, but because of its extraordinary significance, it is specially marked.”

Three hours later, Su Lingqing finished viewing the map of the Azure Profound Continent and gained much knowledge under her Master’s explanation.

Just then, the familiar knocking sound rang out again. She tried to observe with her divine sense, and the next moment, a smile appeared on her face.

“Master, lunch is here.”

The young girl walked forward a few steps and opened the door, only to see the maids file in. Just like in the morning, they silently retreated after arranging the spiritual meals in an orderly fashion.

Lunch was more sumptuous compared to breakfast.

Seeing her Master sit down, Su Lingqing also sat down beside her. Just as she picked up her bamboo chopsticks, a piece of beautifully presented meat was placed in her bowl.

After a moment of surprise, she looked up at her Master, immediately meeting her gentle gaze.

“This is the meat of a Sweet-Osmanthus Rabbit. Lingqing is a Wood Spiritual Root. Eating more spiritual items of the same attribute can replenish your vitality and help you grow taller.”

The young girl’s cheeks were flushed, and she softly assented, “Thank you, Master.”

She picked up the meat with her chopsticks and chewed it slowly, finding it extraordinarily delicious…

After lunch, the map of the Profound Heaven Realm was opened again.

Su Lingqing continued to view the distribution of forces on the other three continents, accompanied by her Master.

A long while later, a loud boom suddenly came from outside the tower.

The sound was extremely loud, alarming many cultivators.

Su Lingqing had been immersed in geographical analysis but was startled by the noise, and her thoughts were immediately scattered.

“Master, that commotion… is someone fighting?”

“Your guess is correct, Lingqing. Although Qingyun City prohibits fighting, there are always those who act impulsively or are conceited enough to break the rules.”

At this point, Ling Yunyue flicked her finger. A burst of spiritual power instantly shot out, opening the hinged window from afar.

Su Lingqing walked to the window and saw a somewhat chaotic street below.

When she saw the bl00d-stained corpse on the ground, she was slightly shocked.

“Someone was killed…”

Ling Yunyue naturally saw the situation below. Unlike the young girl’s reaction, her expression was surprisingly calm.

“Lingqing, bloody fighting is very common in the cultivation world. When you embark on the immortal path, this is something you must face. The person who died below was not one of the two fighting parties, but an innocent bystand who suffered collateral damage.”

“If that’s the case, wasn’t that an undeserved calamity? How utterly unfair to that person…”

“Lingqing, there is no such thing as fairness in the cultivation world. You must remember: this is a world where the strong prey on the weak, and strength is paramount. The weak have no right to speak. In fact, this is true not only for the cultivation world but also for the mortal world.”

“Master, will this unspoken rule ever change?”

Su Lingqing knew her idea was somewhat naive, but she still asked.

She wanted to know if there was even a slight possibility of establishing a fair order in this world.

This time, her Master did not immediately respond.

Ling Yunyue was silent for a long time.

Hearing her disciple speak these words, she was surprised, but more than that, she felt a sense of self-reflection.

Although she was called the number one person in the Daoist sect, she had never entertained such an idea as her disciple’s.

From the moment she embarked on the immortal path, she had listened to her Master’s teachings and accepted the world’s unspoken rules, never thinking of changing them.

Many years ago, the Grand Elders and the former Sect Master passed away one after another, and the sect faced the greatest crisis since its founding.

Various forces on the Azure Profound Continent were watching covetously. Some Daoist sects even colluded with the Demon Race, intending to annihilate the Heaven-Extending Sect.

At that time, the entire sect was preparing for the worst.

She was in closed-door cultivation at the time, attempting to break through to Mahayana.

Just as the enemies prepared to jointly besiege the sect and seize the treasury, the Tribulation of Heaven for her advancement to Mahayana descended, disrupting their plans.

She successfully passed the tribulation, her strength greatly increased, and holding the sect’s heirloom treasure, she forced the powerful enemies to retreat.

Since then, the forces on the Azure Profound Continent underwent a major purge.

All those who participated in the siege of the sect were personally exterminated by her, and the Demon Race was almost completely wiped out. The continent at that time could truly be described as rivers of bl00d.

It was also from then on that she was given the title of the number one person of the Orthodox Path, a title she still held.

Even so, Ling Yunyue had never thought of using her own power to change the order of a realm.

Because, subconsciously, she believed this was impossible to achieve.

No matter how strong one’s power, one cannot look after an entire realm, unless one’s strength is comparable to the Heavenly Dao…

At this moment, she suddenly remembered the Spatial Pouch that had recognized her disciple as its owner.

Supreme-grade Spiritual Springs were rarely seen in the world. Was it a coincidence that a Spatial Pouch with such a Spiritual Spring appeared on Illusion Moon Mountain, where mortals gathered?

Was there even a slight possibility that Lingqing could truly achieve her heart’s desire and create an era of peace and prosperity in the future?

At this moment, a hint of expectation arose in her heart.

The young girl was still waiting for her answer.

She thought for a long time and mused: “In the affairs of the world, there is never an absolute possibility or impossibility. Perhaps one day in the future, what Lingqing desires in her heart will slowly come true.”

Hearing this, the young girl, who had already given up hope, had her eyes light up.

“Is that true? Master believes it is possible for the Profound Heaven Realm to establish a fair order in the future?”

“Everything is possible. However, this process will be very long, and it requires someone who has awakened this awareness to start implementing it. Only in this way can the establishment of a new order be slowly pushed forward.”

At this point, Ling Yunyue changed her tone and reminded her: “Lingqing has just embarked on the immortal path. Although you have such thoughts, the most important thing right now is still your own cultivation. You must know that those capable of changing the order must be the strong.”

“Thank you, Master, for your guidance. This disciple understands. This disciple will keep this thought hidden in my heart and will not mention relevant matters again until my strength is sufficient.”

Su Lingqing’s gaze was firm. The wheels of fate began to slowly turn at this moment.