Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Second Disciple of the Azure Mountain

"Master, he has been kneeling outside for an entire day."
Wang Yao entered the room slowly, carrying a bowl of warm rice soup, and spoke hesitantly.
Lin Ze cast him a glance, then looked at the pitiful little bald head pressed against the window, eyes fixed on him. With a sigh of resignation, he said, "If you don't come down right now, I'll give you a thrashing."
Xiao Bao scratched his head and obediently hopped down from the windowsill.
"Everyone out," Lin Ze waved his hand, shutting down the simulator before him.
He felt thoroughly unwell at that moment.
He had spent twenty sword marbles just to get the boy up the mountain.
And yet, a small mishap had occurred.
He remembered that, during the last simulation, the woman who called herself the Moon Immortal had clearly explained to Yang Mu why she had to destroy his Qi Sea.
Live only ten years, or keep a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation—one had to make a choice.
Why, this time, had she skipped the explanation?
A vague mention of a hidden ailment in the Qi Sea was all she gave; Yang Mu could not possibly comprehend, which led to the boy's rebellion.
Fortunately, after a night of simulations, he had still managed to obtain the Innate Art.
But the real issue was...
The door suddenly shut tight. Lin Ze's expression darkened as he slowly turned to look behind him, only to find a graceful figure seated by his bedside.
Her aura, though restrained, hinted at terrifying power to anyone who dared probe with spiritual sense—a force that could obliterate the entire mountain in an instant, all hidden beneath an immaculate white robe.
Cold sweat seeped from Lin Ze's palm.
This was it—the real master had come calling.
He suddenly missed his junior uncle; had the man been present, perhaps this woman would have shown some restraint.
Shu Yunyan studied the blue-robed Daoist with her impossibly beautiful eyes, then lowered her head in puzzlement.
His early Foundation Establishment cultivation was worlds apart from her own.
Why, then, would that boy risk his life to come here and kneel for so long, all to take this Daoist as his master?
She had waited for a long time before entering, hoping he could offer enlightenment.
Yet, having lived in Twin Moon Grotto for years and rarely interacting with others—especially since her master’s passing, after which she often secluded herself for decades—she truly did not know how to ask.
After all, no one in Twin Moon Grotto had ever faced the situation of having a disciple taken away.
An awkward silence hung in the air.
Lin Ze thought it best not to offer explanations too freely.
If he let slip why Yang Mu had come up the mountain, and this formidable cultivator discovered that so-called fate was actually orchestrated by him, things would only get more complicated.

The Twin Moon Grotto had its reasons for existing within the Eastern Yue Sect.
Whether other cultivators knew of its presence was another matter.
Silencing witnesses was hardly rare in the world of cultivation.
The two sat less than ten feet apart, quietly facing each other, until at last Shu Yunyan spoke first.
Lightly biting her rosy lip, she summoned her courage and declared, "He must… also be a disciple of our Twin Moon Grotto."
She had never before represented Twin Moon Grotto in negotiations with Eastern Yue Sect.
All she could do was make her tone as resolute as possible, so this Daoist would understand her determination.
A disciple of the Grotto could only ever take one apprentice in life.
Even though her late master had warned her not to reveal the existence of Twin Moon Grotto lightly, with the very survival of their lineage at stake, she had no choice but to act.
"He must also diligently practice the Innate Art. You may not hinder him."
With that, the woman fixed the Daoist with a serious gaze.
Lin Ze felt a jolt—the way she used the word "also" was certainly intriguing.
He still did not realize that, in her mind, he had unwittingly become the representative of Eastern Yue Sect.
After a moment’s thought, Lin Ze nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Shu Yunyan finally let out a breath, but immediately steeled her expression. She must not show weakness now, nor let this Daoist underestimate her. Forcing her voice back to its usual coolness, she added:
"If you break your word, the thousand disciples of Twin Moon Grotto will never let you go easily."
"..."
A strange look crossed Lin Ze’s face.
A thousand disciples?
Where?
He had spent at least three years in the stone caves beneath Huayang Peak and never seen any such crowd.
Still, he said nothing more. "Rest assured."
Getting this woman to leave was the priority; everything else could wait.
At his words, Shu Yunyan paused, then lowered her head. "Thank you."
She placed three jade slips on the bedside, hesitated, then added the healing salve she had just purchased. "I... cannot come out often. Please see that he practices diligently."
So the Eastern Yue Sect was not as terrifying as her master had warned.
Leaving these words behind, she gave Lin Ze a final, curious look, as if still unable to understand in what way she fell short of him.
Her figure faded quietly from the room.
Lin Ze stared at the spot where she had just sat, wiping his sweat-dampened palm on his robe.
Stay calm; do not panic.

Though she was a formidable cultivator, her long isolation had left her somewhat childish in speech and manner. In a few sentences, she had laid bare all her cards; her aloof, lofty demeanor now seemed more like the awkwardness of someone unused to company.
Like a child wielding a razor-sharp blade—dangerous, certainly, but not without ways to handle her.
He had simulated this many times last night—the Daoist in the simulation had always sent Yang Mu straight back to Huayang Peak, only for the woman to intercept him halfway and return him to Twin Moon Grotto, after which everything resumed its course.
But while the Daoist could do this, Lin Ze could not.
He had just drawn the Innate Art, and had he acted as in the simulator, Yang Mu’s trust in him would have plummeted.
He looked at the new skill cards on his panel, a fire of anticipation in his eyes.

[Spiritual-grade Skill Card: Innate Art]

A technique surpassing the upper, middle, and lower tiers, its breathing efficiency at least twenty times that of Eastern Yue Sect’s, with the added effect of reshaping one’s talent.
Lin Ze reached for the three jade slips on the bed.
The simulator absorbed them instantly.

[Upper-grade Skill Card: Innate True Fire]
[Upper-grade Skill Card: Innate Moonlight Sword Canon]
[Middle-grade Skill Card: Twin Moon Lightness Technique]

"No wonder she handed them over so securely," Lin Ze muttered, shaking his head. The first two required the Innate Art to be used; the last was just a mid-grade movement technique—not something the woman would mind him learning.
Or perhaps, these were her intended rewards from the start.
He accepted them without the least hesitation and turned to leave the room.

On the stone steps of the mountain path, a figure knelt in silence.
His clothes were torn all over, his skin marred by countless scrapes. Yang Mu's lips were cracked, but his eyes still shone with determination.
Those who could casually bestow such fortune upon him must themselves be far more powerful than the fortune itself—any fool could reason as much.
That woman could not even ride the clouds and had to rely on a spirit beast to cross the cliffs; at most a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and perhaps only slightly stronger than Elder Lin.
More importantly, here at the foot of this green mountain, he had felt—for the first time in seven years—a trace of warmth.
Elder Lin was a good man.
A mentor worthy of entrusting his path to immortality.

A pair of cloth shoes appeared before his eyes. He looked up to see a face, lean yet still handsome, with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes.
"If you’ve knelt enough, come up." Lin Ze shook his head and turned away.
"Disciple Yang Mu greets Master!" the youth called out hoarsely, grinning in foolish delight.
He had waited through seven dark years for this light at last.