Zhōng Yǐn Yuè had been mentally preparing himself for a long time.

Teaching others wasn’t a big deal; he had planned to do it all along. After all, Wēn Hán, Sū Yù Yíng, and Lù Jùn were among the few who stood up for him when Shěn Chàng Xuě died. They were all good kids, but unfortunately, Yù Luán wasn’t a good elder.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè naturally intended to take care of them. But Bái Rěn Dōng was a different story. This protagonist was a white-eyed wolf. Ever since he got the news about the Tiān Jué Dà Diǎn, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè had been pondering whether to keep him by his side to prevent him from awakening his异灵根 (yì líng gēn).

In the plot, the protagonist ended up wandering alone during the Tiān Jué Dà Diǎn after getting separated from Wēn Hán and the others. He accidentally entered the Lìng Jī Gé behind Shàng Xuán Shān and encountered Lìng Xuán Tiān Jī, which allowed him to awaken his雷灵根 (léi líng gēn) and kickstart his extraordinary life.

As long as he didn’t awaken this灵根, there wouldn’t be so many subsequent troubles. If he didn’t awaken, they could completely cut off the root of the problem! Even if Shěn Chàng Xuě was left in Tiān Jué Mén, without this protagonist, he wouldn’t have to worry anymore!

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was calculating away, but he couldn’t ignore that Shěn Chàng Xuě still wanted to help this protagonist.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was very resistant to this. Shěn Chàng Xuě was a good person, but he was too soft-hearted. Although he had learned so much, he hadn’t truly experienced betrayal yet. His heart, which wanted to save the world, was still causing trouble, wanting to help anyone who seemed pitiful.

Without having been truly betrayed, one couldn’t really sever their feelings. Zhōng Yǐn Yuè genuinely felt that this couldn’t go on; if the protagonist was allowed to grow, something bad would definitely happen. But looking at Shěn Chàng Xuě today, even if Zhōng Yǐn Yuè tried to reason with him, he wouldn’t listen.

A child who hasn’t fallen would never understand that they need to walk slowly.

It seemed that Zhōng Yǐn Yuè could only swallow his frustration and teach this little white-eyed wolf for now. When the day came that something went wrong and Shěn Chàng Xuě faced retribution from Bái Rěn Dōng, he would understand how to deal with it.

That said, teaching a white-eyed wolf who felt righteous after Shěn Chàng Xuě’s death was truly a test of will.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè spent half the night in Yù Luán Palace, sitting cross-legged at his desk, meditating for a while, and finally prepared himself mentally. He bit down hard, swallowing his anger along with some blood.

The next morning, bright and early.

At the crack of dawn, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè held a paper umbrella, trudging through the wind and snow, arriving at the other palace. He put away the umbrella and walked into the long corridor of the palace.

He approached the quarters of his disciples.

Tiān Jué Shān, being the number one mountain gate in the world, had excellent accommodations for its disciples, each having their own independent palace.

Schools nowadays that provide single dormitories have basically gone extinct!

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè opened the wooden door of their quarters, confirming that the kids were still asleep. He then moved his hands, using magic to check where the disciples of Qián Yào Palace were residing.

After that, he extended his hand to set up a barrier, isolating the noise from this side.

The barrier flashed with golden light and quickly spread out.

Once everything was set, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè put away his hands, reached into his wide sleeves, and surprisingly pulled out a golden gong.

In his other hand, he took out a drumstick for striking the gong.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè took a deep breath, raised the stick, and brought it down.

A thunderous sound of the gong suddenly echoed through the quarters.

Wēn Hán let out a scream and rolled out of bed.

Awakened by the sound of the gong in his dreams, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè didn’t care, striking the gong several more times.

Wēn Hán turned his head and saw Zhōng Yǐn Yuè standing in the corridor, expressionless and emotionless as he struck the gong, and he couldn’t help but shout, “Master!?”

His master continued to strike the gong, expressionless like a machine.

“Alright, everyone get up,” he said, “Your carefree days are over.”

“Ah??”

Wēn Hán wasn’t the only one scared; Lù Jùn next door exclaimed, “Master, what are you doing!?”

“Waking you up,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè raised the gong, “This is more efficient, and you won’t feel sleepy. Look, you’re all so spirited, you can shout along with me now.”

“…So what exactly do you want to do!?”

“Teaching and nurturing, spreading knowledge far and wide.”

Lù Jùn: “…”

At this point, Lù Jùn finally felt that Zhōng Yǐn Yuè had gone mad.

Sū Yù Yíng hurriedly put on her clothes and rushed out of her room, also confused, “Master, what’s the meaning of this early in the morning?”

“Finally, someone who understands has hit the nail on the head,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè put away the gong and shook his sleeves, “Listen well, your master has turned over a new leaf. From today onwards, I will no longer waste time and will not let you do the same.”

“It’s the same for you.”

“In the past, I followed your lead, letting you sleep and wake up as you pleased. But from now on, you can forget about that.”

“Starting today, there will be morning classes, writing spells, and practicing swords!” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè’s voice grew louder, “I only have four disciples, and from now on, you will all be the pillars of Yù Luán Palace, destined to become the greatest符修仙人 (fú xiū xiān rén) in the world!”

“If you can’t handle it, leave the palace immediately and seek someone better!”

The four disciples stood frozen in place.

“What are you standing there for?” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said coldly, “Get up, change your clothes. I’ll be waiting for you in Yù Luán Palace. If you’re not here in the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense, I’ll ask you to leave my Yù Luán Palace.”

After saying that, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè flicked his sleeves and turned to leave with his umbrella.

Inside the quarters, the four disciples were not in the same room.

They couldn’t see each other’s reactions.

But after a brief silence, the sounds of them hurriedly changing and washing up immediately synchronized.

From the corridor, it sounded like four horses had started running together.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè brewed a pot of refreshing tea in Yù Luán Palace, and within the time it took to burn a stick of incense, all four disciples arrived.

The four of them were panting, their faces flushed.

“Master!” Wēn Hán gasped, “I, Wēn Hán, am willing to accept your teachings from now on and will not disappoint your expectations!”

Sū Yù Yíng quickly followed, “I, Sū Yù Yíng, also vow to live up to your expectations and will definitely become the pillar of Yù Luán Palace!”

“Disciple Lù Jùn, along with my two senior brothers and sisters, will diligently study the Dao under your guidance and protect all living beings!”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè poured himself a cup of tea, feeling like he couldn’t keep up the act anymore, but on the surface, he remained calm.

He took a sip of tea, thinking he should have auditioned for a drama school back in the day.

He glanced at the four of them.

Bái Rěn Dōng had been silent, and he had noticed.

Bái Rěn Dōng had also run over, panting heavily, his face flushed from the run.

“Rěn Dōng,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “Why aren’t you speaking? Do you not want to follow me in cultivating?”

Bái Rěn Dōng’s face turned pale, and he hurriedly said, “Of course not! I… I just wanted to ask Master, I… I… I’m not talented in cultivation like my senior brothers and sisters, and I don’t have any灵根 (líng gēn) in my body… When you took me in, it was just to let me do some chores in the palace to earn my keep… Today, what you said, I thought I probably wouldn’t have a part in it, just… this…”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè understood what he was hesitating about.

“You don’t need to worry about this. Just follow along and study the scriptures and spells. Since I took you into the palace, letting you do chores is only temporary; you don’t need to feel inferior.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè held the small teacup with one hand and brought it to his lips, “After all, even if you think you don’t have a灵根, it doesn’t necessarily mean you truly don’t.”

Bái Rěn Dōng was taken aback.

“灵根 is originally part of the Dao. When we cultivate, although we can’t force it, it doesn’t have a fixed outcome. It might not appear just because it’s called; perhaps it’s just that the time hasn’t come yet.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè took a sip of tea, pretending to be profound as he lowered his eyelids, “I have my own plans.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè couldn’t help but internally mock himself.

This set of reasoning clearly resonated with the four kids, and their eyes visibly lit up.

Especially Bái Rěn Dōng, his gaze was as if he had seen a living Bodhisattva before him.

Bái Rěn Dōng knelt down, “I will not disappoint Master’s expectations!”

As he knelt, the other three also knelt down.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè waved his hand, telling them to get up, and then he stood up, leading them deeper into Yù Luán Palace. After getting up early, he had cleared a space there, setting up four tables, along with writing materials and several volumes of Daoist texts.

In front of the four tables, there was also a long table for him to sit and teach.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè had them sit down, and he sat in front of the long table.

He followed the memories of what the original master had learned and the bits and pieces he had taught them over the years, picking up a ** book—

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè had no teaching experience.

But fortunately, he had the memories of the original master’s cultivation under his own master, so following what his master taught would surely not go wrong.

After half an hour of teaching the Daoist texts, the morning class ended in a dull manner.

After that, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè took them to practice swordsmanship in the snow for a while, and in the afternoon, he taught them spell-casting and incantations hands-on with a book on符修 (fú xiū)…

After several days of early mornings and late nights, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè went out to seek out several elders outside, adding the coursework from Lìng Zé Shān and Guǎng Hán Shān for his four disciples.

Only then did Zhōng Yǐn Yuè find some free time.

He went down the mountain to procure many items needed for the Tiān Jué Dà Diǎn. A few days passed, and the first month was about to arrive.

It was time to prepare for the grand ceremony.

On the night of the end of the month, Shěn Chàng Xuě came to his palace.

When Shěn Chàng Xuě arrived, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was warming a pot of wine in the corridor, drinking alone under the eaves while watching the snow.

Seeing Shěn Chàng Xuě, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè asked him, “Can you drink?”

Shěn Chàng Xuě nodded and sat down.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was still worried and added, “Aren’t you underage?”

“What’s underage?”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè suddenly remembered that this broken book didn’t mention anything about age.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, picked up a small wine cup, and filled it for him, saying, “In our place, you have to be over eighteen to drink.”

“There’s such a rule?” Shěn Chàng Xuě said, “On Tiān Jué Shān, you can drink whenever you want. But if you’re too young, it’s still not okay; you’ll be scolded by your master.”

“Too young still can’t drink, of course, it needs to be managed.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè handed him the wine cup, and Shěn Chàng Xuě respectfully accepted it with both hands.

He took a small sip, and then his whole body shivered, like a rabbit that had suddenly been startled.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was taken aback, “Is it too hot?”

He found the temperature just fine.

Shěn Chàng Xuě shook his head, smiling, “I’m just sensitive to temperature. I was a bit cold on the way here, and suddenly drinking warm wine startled me. This wine is just right, Elder, please don’t laugh.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè finally felt relieved.

“Then drink a few more cups while it’s warm,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “I’ll listen to you; I’ve been teaching him well these days.”

Shěn Chàng Xuě nodded, “Elder, you’ve worked hard.”

“Just bringing him along. Even if it’s not for him, the others are good kids too, so I naturally have to teach them,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “He’s been quite diligent and eager to learn these past few days. Even though his灵根 hasn’t awakened yet, his talent is already apparent.”

Shěn Chàng Xuě fell silent, sipping his wine slowly.

“Seeing that the grand ceremony is approaching, we need to focus on preparations in the coming days,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “But there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Elder, please speak.”

“It’s about the grand ceremony; he might awaken his异灵根,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “If his灵根 doesn’t awaken, he will just be an ordinary person and won’t pose a threat to you in the future. But if he awakens, things will become difficult to control.”

“I will always be devoted to you. So I’m saying, if you want to avoid that storyline, it’s best…”

Shěn Chàng Xuě understood his meaning: “Elder doesn’t want Bái Shidi to awaken his灵根?”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè nodded.

Shěn Chàng Xuě smiled bitterly, “Elder, you truly are devoted to me.”

“Ah, it’s only right,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said.

“Elder’s intentions, Chàng Xuě will remember for life,” Shěn Chàng Xuě said, “But Elder, since Bái Shidi is the protagonist of this world, then this world should revolve around him.”

“Regardless of whether it’s a storyline or not, there is a heavenly path in this world. The heavenly path determines fate, and fate is inevitable. Therefore, what Elder said are predetermined events in this storyline, which are naturally also determined by fate. If Bái Shidi doesn’t awaken his灵根 at the grand ceremony, he will likely awaken it elsewhere.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè understood his meaning: “You mean, even if I stop him at the grand ceremony, he might still awaken his灵根 in the future?”

Shěn Chàng Xuě nodded.

“After all, that灵根 is a real existence,” Shěn Chàng Xuě sighed, his smile fading, and he looked pensive, “This is unavoidable; Bái Shidi is indeed the protagonist of this world… As the protagonist, it’s only natural that he will have his wishes fulfilled.”

As he spoke, Shěn Chàng Xuě raised his wine cup, “Even if the heavenly path is fair, it will definitely revolve around the so-called ‘protagonist.’ We, like the green leaves that support the flowers, are of secondary importance. Our mission in this life is to die and be forgotten, serving as stepping stones for him.”

“So, I guess, Shidi’s灵根 will definitely awaken, and it has nothing to do with this grand ceremony or whether Elder intervenes; it’s just a matter of time… Fortunately, this time Shidi is under Elder’s name, and he will call you Master.”

“Also, it’s fortunate that Elder is devoted to me, and you are kind-hearted, so you will naturally teach Shidi to become a refined gentleman, and his character will be good. I’m not worried that Shidi will harm me in the future…”

“However…”

The more Shěn Chàng Xuě spoke, the more bitter his expression became, and Zhōng Yǐn Yuè felt a pang in his heart.

At this moment, when Shěn Chàng Xuě paused, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè felt anxious and quickly asked, “What is it?”

Shěn Chàng Xuě hesitated, gripping the wine cup in his hand, his slender fingers tracing the rim of the cup, wanting to say something but stopping short. After a moment, he timidly looked at Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, feigning unease as he said, “It’s just, if Elder stops him at the grand ceremony and he doesn’t awaken his灵根, but later he can awaken it on his own… it would mean that the heavenly path is on Shidi’s side. What is fated will inevitably happen.”

“Then… perhaps, I might die because of Shidi, which is also a fate determined by the heavenly path…”

Shěn Chàng Xuě’s voice was low, but Zhōng Yǐn Yuè heard it like thunder: “This…”

Shěn Chàng Xuě lowered his head, raising the nearly empty wine cup, curling up slightly, and weakly said, “What should we do?”

He looked so pitiful that Zhōng Yǐn Yuè couldn’t bear it. After pondering for a moment, he quickly said, “Don’t be afraid; for now, let’s first investigate whether the heavenly path is truly like this. You’ve said a lot, but in the end, it’s all speculation. I’ll stop him this time and see if he awakens that异灵根 in the future.”

“We’ll test the heavenly path this way. If the heavenly path truly intends this, you don’t need to worry. When the time comes, I will definitely not stand by and do nothing! Others may not care about you, but I will! At worst, I’ll go to that secret realm for you!”

Shěn Chàng Xuě’s eyes immediately turned red, looking at Zhōng Yǐn Yuè with gratitude and surprise.

“Elder,” Shěn Chàng Xuě said, “I will be eternally grateful for your kindness…”

He cupped his hands to Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, covering his face with his sleeve, and downed the wine in one go.

As he finished the wine, the expression on his face, hidden behind his sleeve, turned cold and indifferent, a hint of a sarcastic smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

But once the wine cup was set down and the long sleeve fell, Shěn Chàng Xuě blinked and looked back at Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, once again wearing that pitiful expression.