Shi Lan went from a stinky little girl to a gorgeous lady whose cultivation far surpassed her peers. In fact, she was stronger than Feiyun when he was her age.
Feiyun certainly didn’t expect this development. He only took her in and taught her for three days, not expecting that she was a cultivation genius.
He felt a bit uncomfortable seeing her kneel before him. After all, such a talented girl should be looming above all and treated with love.
“I’ve only taught you for three days, no need to kneel.” He said.
“Master, you saved my life and taught me cultivation. I would have starved to death in the chaos, unable to avenge my older sister or be here today. I will never forget what you have done for me.” Shi Lan said.
Her expression was one of determination - the same one he saw ten years ago.
Plenty of geniuses existed in every generation. However, those with an unyielding determination were far rarer.
The old king said with a smile on his face: “Little Shi Lan is exceptional. I watched her grow up and defeat the ancestors from the royal clan at the age of fourteen.”
“I asked why she had to challenge them and she told me that her master said the only way to leave this place was to defeat its strongest cultivators. Her goal was to see you again, leaving the ancestral ground and traveling to the battlefield and the Heaven’s Emergence Tomb. She even traveled to Bronze Cauldron and Endless Land, barely coming back alive several times.”
“I asked again, why did she do it? She simply wanted to find you, Feiyun. She was sure that you didn’t die ten years ago.”
Feiyun stared at her again - the seemingly feeble girl had so much will and confidence in her ability. She started in a resource-poor place like Jin and made it this far - a true miracle.
Just imagine a fourteen-year-old girl entering Endless Land and fighting the beasts and devils there - all to find her master.
He didn’t expect to leave such a deep impression on the young girl. When he took her in as a disciple, it was only a test in his eyes. However, it ended up changing her life - from a stone into a polished and radiant gem.
Once the feast was over, Feiyun spent the night at the king’s mansion. He then opened the portal to Heavenly Kingdom.
Everyone heard about his return to Jin so they came out as well.
Feng Qingqing wanted to visit the Feng Clan to see her family. After all, she was still a young girl. Long Luofu also left for the imperial palace.
On the other hand, the members of Beastmaster Camp didn’t bother to do so. They had more resources here and had no reason to leave.
Many have entered Nirvana - Qingsu was at the third level now.
Feiyun took out what Fo Canzi had left behind and shared it with everyone. These cultivation methods were far superior.
He wanted to turn Heavenly Kingdom into a true Buddhist sacred ground. Of course, just relying on these disciples was far from enough.
Thus, he created a portal connecting the kingdom to Jin, allowing those at the Nirvana level to go outside for recruitment.
This was only the beginning. He planned on adding more portals to other places. However, he told them to have rigorous recruiting guidelines. Only those without malice and nefarious intent would be eligible to enter Heavenly Kingdom.
***
Jin River.
The water was calm with a faint mist floating on the surface - quite a scenic location.
An islet was hidden by layers of mist, appearing and disappearing like a mirage. It was surrounded by densely-packed reefs, making it difficult for boats to approach. Moreover, layers of barriers and seals prevented Heaven’s Emergence cultivators from entering.
“Sigh, you all are working me to the bones, no one’s going to help me?” The blood dragon complained while adding more formations underwater.
Feiyun planned on creating a portal between Heavenly Kingdom and the island, hence the need to add defensive formations.
He entrusted this task to the turtle only for the turtle to pass it off to the blood dragon. As the saying goes - big fish eat small fish, small fish eat worms, and worms eat mud. The blood dragon was mud in this case.
Feiyun wasn’t lazing around either. He meticulously arranged dragon stones for the entire day before finishing the portal.
“Now Lil’ Qingqing will have another place to play.” He had sweat all over his forehead.
Shi Lan came over and wiped them off with her white handkerchief. It had a pleasant smell.
With that done, she stood aside - always ready to draw her blade.
“Shi Lan, how is your Immortal Phoenix Physique?” Feiyun rested on a red wooden chair beneath a pavilion while staring at his disciple who won’t leave him alone.
She had a green belt accentuating her slender waistline. She wore a plain-colored dress that reveal her slightly raised and yet to be fully ample chest. Her expression was one of indifference and sharpness. Albeit, she had a gentle demeanor in her master’s presence.
This was akin to a sword with an exquisite exterior, seemingly meant as an ornament. However, its blade once unsheathed was sharper than anything.
“Master, I have refined twelve phoenix bones.” She said.
“Which level of Undying Devil Art now?” He nodded.
“I am not sure.” She answered. The physique art was only the foundation to strengthen her physical prowess. Undying Devil Art was her main cultivation path.
Feiyun had studied this merit law before - it was unlike anything else available in the current cultivation world.
This made it hard to gauge her current cultivation realm using the ordinary system. Cultivating it meant entering a false-death state. One day would pass in the outside world while the cultivator was experiencing something lasting several hundred years or longer. Thus, her mind far exceeded regular cultivators.
The risk was serious since she might not be able to wake up eventually. This was the reason why Feiyun didn’t dare to risk it. She might be the only one training with it.
Thus, the two of them embarked on a special path and needed to be innovative. She told him that she had died four times at this point and still wanted to continue.
This was different from the rebirth process in Nirvana. The latter was a part of cultivation and didn’t carry the same weight.
“How does it feel to die?” He asked.
“Not good at all.” She said while embracing her sword, resting the tip on a boulder.
“Do you hate me for giving you this merit law?” He smiled.
“No, because you already told me that Undying Devil Art requires a deep desire to live. Do not despair even during the last moments. I recalled your teachings and knew that I would come back to life every time.” She said.