Translator: She.Wee

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Chapter 101: Peace in the World and Four Seasons in Harmony

Two young disciples stood at the edge of the courtyard wall of the Thirty-Three Palaces, holding account books from the Steward Hall, peeking inside.

A bird, named QiuQiu, also flew over and landed on one of the disciple’s shoulders, stretching its neck to look as well, its innocent head tilting curiously.

Two people and a bird, all with round eyes, looked particularly synchronized.

Nowadays, the Thirty-Three Palaces have been renamed Huán Xián Palace, and Chi Muyao is the palace master.

The two young disciples outside the gate are Chi Muyao’s apprentices. One is named Han Junche, and the other is Chusan.

Han Junche was a disciple personally recruited by Chi Muyao. He had gone through numerous rounds of selection. Although he was intelligent and had decent comprehension abilities, his potential was hindered by his three spiritual roots. It was only because Chi Muyao saw his potential that he was fortunate enough to enter Qingze Sect and become an inner disciple.

Chusan was a child Chi Muyao picked up during one of his outings. His family had met with misfortune, leaving only the severely injured child behind. Chi Muyao healed his injuries, and, remembering his own situation when he first entered the book, decided to take him in.

He couldn’t find out the names of the child’s parents, nor did he know if they had given the child a name. Since the day he was rescued was the third day of the lunar month, he named the child Chusan.

They had come to deliver the account books to Chi Muyao, but unfortunately, they encountered Chi Muyao and Xi Huai quarreling and dared not approach.

The aura of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator is indeed imposing. Their anger made the trees in the garden tremble, the wind shiver, and the water ripple.

Yet, even when angry, Xi Huai still knew how to protect his partner. Chi Muyao was not affected in the slightest.

Xi Huai seemed very angry, pacing back and forth in the pavilion and shouting, “You hardly have any leisure time, and yet you spend it fishing! You spend more time with that bird than you do with me!”

Chi Muyao was not convinced and retorted, “I don’t spend much time with QiuQiu either.”

“Not much? I saw you talking to it for half a day yesterday!”

“Talking? That was me scolding it for stealing my bait!”

“You don’t even have time to scold me!”

“You didn’t steal my bait, and besides, why are you comparing yourself to a bird?”

“You’re being unreasonable!”

“You’re just making a fuss!”

Chusan listened to their quarrel, confused, and quietly asked his senior brother, “Senior Brother, Master and Master-Uncle often go into seclusion for three or five years at a time, so why are they arguing over this?”

[T/N: come again? (⁠☉⁠｡⁠☉⁠)⁠!]

“You don’t understand. Master-Uncle initially wanted to go into seclusion with Master for ten years, aiming to push Master straight to the peak of the Golden Core stage. But Master started making a fuss about coming out of seclusion after three years. Since then, Master-Uncle has been holding a grudge and is probably venting it now.”

“Why was Master-Uncle in such a hurry to go into seclusion?”

“Wasn’t it because he wanted to ensure that Master would reach the Nascent Soul stage before he went into seclusion to break through to the Divine Transformation stage? Only then could he rest assured.”

Twenty-three years had passed since Chi Muyao and Xi Huai held their Dao Companion ceremony.

Chi Muyao’s talent was too poor. Back then, it took him three years to advance from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage, even with continuous dual cultivation with Xi Huai.

The amount of spiritual energy required to advance from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Golden Core stage was completely different from what was needed for the previous stages. Fortunately, with the help of the demon core from the Golden-Eyed Heavenly Wolf and the spiritual spring from the Heavenly Punishment Array, Chi Muyao barely managed to reach the Golden Core stage.

After that, Xi Huai searched the cultivation world for all kinds of rare treasures, even wanting to build a room out of Spirit Gathering Jade for Chi Muyao.

The elders of Green Underworld Streamfire fireflies also worked hard to find ways to help Chi Muyao, imparting all kinds of cultivation techniques.

But without the fortuitous encounters from before and being limited by his innate talent, Chi Muyao’s cultivation now stopped at the late Golden Core stage.

Xi Huai, on the other hand, was completely different.

Xi Huai had excellent aptitude, a rare genius in a thousand years. Many cultivation techniques were instantly mastered after being taught to him. Techniques that would take ordinary people ten or more years to learn, he could master in a few months.

While others cultivated diligently, he seemed to be playing.

Plus, he had the guidance of many elders who had mastered ancient techniques, and the assistance of the elders from Qingze Sect. Naturally, his cultivation speed was incredibly fast, to the point of shocking the entire cultivation world.

In just over twenty years, Xi Huai’s cultivation had already reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, putting him on par with Xi Lin.

Initially, Xi Lin would reprimand Xi Huai for not focusing on proper cultivation.

But now, Xi Lin couldn’t criticize him anymore, as Xi Huai was far more talented than he had been in his youth.

It had taken Xi Lin several centuries to achieve his current cultivation, while Xi Huai had taken less than fifty years.

Nowadays, the cultivation world’s spiritual resources were scarce, not as abundant as in ancient times, and all cultivators had reached a bottleneck.

The highest cultivation level in the cultivation world was only the Nascent Soul stage. Even Su You, who had seized a body and started cultivating again, failed to successfully ascend to the Divine Transformation stage.

But Xi Huai, with the guidance of elders who had successfully ascended to the Divine Transformation stage, indeed had the potential to make a breakthrough.

Xi Huai had suddenly become the hope of the entire cultivation world.

Of course, even though he was extraordinarily talented and took only a few months to reach the Nascent Soul stage, and only five days to ascend, he still had to be cautious when attempting to break through to the Divine Transformation stage.

This time, without the aid of the spiritual spring and considering that he was about to break through the highest cultivation level in the entire cultivation world, he naturally needed to be more cautious.

Before going into seclusion, the thing he was most concerned about was Chi Muyao. He always felt that he could only rest easy if Chi Muyao reached the Nascent Soul stage.

Han Junche and Chusan waited a little longer and couldn’t resist peeking again, only to find Xi Huai suddenly standing in front of them, looking at them with a displeased expression.

Usually, Xi Huai had a face accustomed to killing and arson, with a reputation for being ruthless.

Now, with a slightly angry and displeased expression as he looked at the two of them, it truly scared them half to death.

Han Junche was so frightened that he stammered, “M-Master-Uncle.”

Chusan, being younger, was so scared that he trembled, shrinking back a step before finally gathering the courage to say, “Master-Uncle.”

Only QiuQiu was exceptionally excited upon seeing Xi Huai, spreading its wings to show off its chubby belly, letting out a “Qiu” sound, clearly unaware that Xi Huai had just been jealous of it.

Xi Huai merely glanced at QiuQiu, realizing that it might have called him “Dad” again.

Xi Huai’s gaze swept over the account books in their hands, and he asked in a low voice, “Didn’t your master teach you? Why are you still bringing the accounts to him?”

“It was Master who told us to organize them and bring them for his review.”

Chi Muyao walked over, gently pushing Xi Huai aside, saying, “Don’t scare the kids.”

With that, he took the account books from the two disciples.

Xi Huai, puzzled, asked, “How is talking normally scaring them?”

“You know exactly what kind of person you are, don’t you?” Chi Muyao said, waving at the two disciples. “You two can go back to the Discipline Hall first. I’ll come by later.”

“Alright!” The two disciples quickly ran off.

Xi Huai watched them flee and let out a light snort. “They’re just as cowardly as you. You used to be so afraid of me too.”

Chi Muyao placed the account book on the stone table inside the pavilion and sat down on the stone bench, calling out, “Xi Huai.”

Hearing Chi Muyao use that tone to call his full name, Xi Huai didn’t move, but turned his head to look at him.

Chi Muyao spoke again, “I’m also anxious.”

Xi Huai remained silent.

“I’m trying very hard to learn, and I’m doing my best to absorb spiritual energy, but my aptitude isn’t good. Seeing how hard you’re all working to help me, yet my cultivation still hasn’t improved, I feel both guilty and anxious. My way of relieving stress is different from yours. I just want to fish and daydream for a while to ease my mind.”

Xi Huai sat down beside him, unusually patient as he explained, “I wasn’t trying to rush you. I just want you to care about me more.”

“But haven’t you been pushing me to reach the Nascent Soul stage lately? You work so hard every day, but for me, absorbing spiritual energy feels like dropping water into a massive pit—just a drop or two each time. How long will it take to fill it?”

“I’m not entirely focused on that. Most of the time, I just want to dual cultivate with you.”

“…”

The serious and heartfelt conversation suddenly took a strange turn.

Chi Muyao was at a loss for words.

“Does cultivation still make you feel uncomfortable to the point of being unbearable?” Xi Huai asked seriously.

“No, that’s not it!” Chi Muyao quickly denied it. In fact, it felt like he was in a paradise, as Xi Huai’s abilities in this area had grown at an alarming rate. “It’s just that… I want to avoid you.”

“Why?”

“I’m afraid you’ll think I’m not satisfying enough. Even though I’ve been cultivating, I haven’t made much progress.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, I’m afraid you’ll think I’m stupid.”

“I knew you were stupid from the day we met. Why would I start disliking it now?”

Chi Muyao looked at Xi Huai, feeling that Xi Huai was trying to comfort him, but somehow, it didn’t feel comforting at all…

Yet Xi Huai spoke so sincerely.

Seeing that Chi Muyao didn’t respond, Xi Huai couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you still overthink things when I’ve already shown how much I care about you?”

“Because your talent is so exceptional. In the same amount of time, your cultivation has advanced from the early Nascent Soul stage to its peak, while I’ve barely managed to progress from the early Foundation Establishment stage to the later stage. But the amount of spiritual energy needed for these stages is vastly different… It makes me feel inferior.”

“Why feel inferior? You should think, ‘Someone as amazing as Xi Huai likes me, so I must be amazing too.'”

“The other day, I went to the market and heard someone say that I don’t deserve you.”

“Then I’ll kill him.”

“No need, my disciple has already taught him a lesson. But I still remember it.”

Xi Huai stared at Chi Muyao for a moment, then sighed helplessly. “Have I given you too much free time, allowing you to entertain such thoughts?”

“It’s not that… I’m just reasonably emotional…”

“If your cultivation isn’t improving, then keep working at it until your deep pit is completely filled. At worst, I’ll try to reach the Divine Transformation stage before you reach the Nascent Soul stage. If it weren’t for the fear that dual cultivation with me during the Divine Transformation stage would cause your cultivation to increase too rapidly and lead to a fire deviation, I wouldn’t be so anxious. Chi Muyao, since I’ve chosen you as my Dao partner, I won’t care about anything else. As long as you don’t leave me, nothing else matters.”

“If you enter seclusion first, then I won’t be so anxious—”

“Fine, I’ll enter seclusion.” Xi Huai shook out his robe and stood up, seemingly having made up his mind.

Chi Muyao immediately stood up as well, happily saying, “Then I’ll help you prepare.”

However, Xi Huai draped an arm around his shoulder and led him into the cave dwelling. “If I enter seclusion, it could be as short as a year and a half or as long as three to five years. It’s not right for us to be apart for so long, so we should spend some quality time together before that.”

Chi Muyao wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t think of any reason to. He quickly grabbed the account book from the stone table and followed Xi Huai back to the cave dwelling.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to check the account book, and he didn’t get a chance to visit the Discipline Hall either. Before he knew it, he was entering seclusion with Xi Huai for another two years.

When they finally emerged, only Xi Huai came out. He sought out other Nascent Soul cultivators in the sect to protect Chi Muyao as he attempted to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Chi Muyao remained alone in the cave dwelling, not knowing how many different types of pills he had consumed, to the point where his stomach felt bloated, and he couldn’t stop hiccuping.

He sat cross-legged in the cave, eyes tightly shut, trying not to think about the past two years.

Who else had ever experienced the bizarre situation of dual cultivating while their Dao partner encouraged them?

Hearing Xi Huai’s deep, hoarse voice sincerely say, “Keep going” in the midst of passion almost broke his focus.

When it was time to formally attempt the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, his greatest fear was the inner demons. He had been plagued by them every time he tried to advance.

As he entered a meditative state, he felt the support of over ten streams of spiritual energy assisting his cultivation. These were the elders of Qingze Sect, helping to protect him.

Not daring to waste time, he officially began his attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

He could feel the surge of spiritual energy within his body and even heard the sound of flowing water. Everything was exceptionally clear, yet it felt as though nothing was happening.

Time passed without his awareness. He didn’t know how many days, months, or even seasons had changed. When he finally sensed a world of bright light, he was overjoyed—he hadn’t encountered any inner demons this time.

It turned out that Xi Huai had entered his inner demon realm last time and had successfully helped him completely dissolve his inner demons.

Without the interference of inner demons, the only thing left was a breakthrough in his cultivation. With an excellent cultivation environment and the assistance of numerous elders, Chi Muyao’s breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage seemed almost effortless. When he opened his eyes again, he felt his Niwan Palace was empty.

This meant that his cultivation had advanced, and the new stage required even more spiritual energy, making the previous accumulation seem pitifully small.

He scanned his dantian with his divine sense and saw that the shell of his Golden Core had broken, revealing a small, white, infant-like figure curled up with its knees drawn to its chest. He couldn’t help but feel elated.

He had reached the Nascent Soul stage…

It was like a wonderful dream—he, a cultivator with three mixed spiritual roots, had actually advanced to the Nascent Soul stage!

He closed his eyes again, focusing on absorbing spiritual energy to stabilize his cultivation, while the other elders continued to help him improve.

This time, the seclusion and post-breakthrough stabilization took a total of five months and seven days, after which Chi Muyao’s cultivation finally stabilized.

Chi Muyao stood up and walked out of the cave dwelling, only to see the elders outside also finishing up their efforts and preparing to leave. He immediately thanked them, “Thank you, elders.”

Xi Lin laughed heartily, “When Qingze Sect was in trouble back then, it was thanks to your help that we got through it. We should be the ones thanking you. Besides, joining our Qingze Sect comes with such benefits.”

Xi Huai approached and began equipping Chi Muyao with defensive artifacts, many of which were taken from Su You’s Myriad Treasures Bell. It seemed that the defensive artifacts Su You had prepared for his own Divine Transformation stage tribulation were now being used by Xi Huai for Chi Muyao.

Chi Muyao quickly said, “I can handle it myself later. I can heal myself while enduring the tribulation.”

“If you were that capable, would you still feel inferior?”

With that, Xi Huai took Chi Muyao’s hand, and together they stepped into the swirling clouds above.

For the second time, Chi Muyao stood beside Xi Huai, watching as Xi Huai helped him endure the tribulation, allowing the weakened lightning bolts that could temper his body to strike him.

Initially, the other elders wanted to observe to see if Chi Muyao would face any danger during the tribulation so they could assist if necessary.

But what they saw instead was a pair of Dao partners gazing lovingly at each other, even under the ferocity of the lightning tribulation. It was as if they were a couple sharing an umbrella in the rain.

There was no need for concern…

Their worries had been completely unnecessary.

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