Enter the Tao

It was late autumn, and the vegetation was withering. Amidst the withered grass, a hare leisurely ate. Suddenly, a long arrow struck, catching the hare off guard. Before it could react, it was pinned to the ground, kicking its legs before it died.

A girl wearing a round-necked shirt and jacket, a torn skirt, and a thick round-necked robe walked over to the rabbit, pulled out the arrow, and put it back into the basket on her back, which was half her height. There were already many animals lying in the basket, mostly pheasants, hares, and the like, and there were also a few fish.

This girl was none other than Xiao Wan'er. Through long-term training, her physical fitness had significantly improved, her strength greatly enhanced, and she could effortlessly carry a basket filled with game. Her talent for archery was clearly stronger than her sword, and after years of training, she could achieve unwavering accuracy. This time, during her hunting trip in the forest, she hadn't wasted a single arrow, even capturing several fish. Seeing her basket now full, she returned to the Taoist temple.

After taking out a fish from the basket and throwing it to Pei Yingguan who was cooking in the kitchen, Xiao Wan'er carried the basket to the place where Liuyun had buried the sheep before, and used the soil-turning technique to gradually form a big pit on the originally flat land.

After learning the introductory medical techniques, Xiao Wan'er continued to study ice magic. Following her master's method, she laid layer after layer of ice at the bottom of the pit, then dumped her prey into the pit, freezing it completely. Just as she was about to bury the prey, the soil that had been moved back shifted again.

Xiao Wan'er turned around and saw Pei Yingguan, who had just finished casting a spell. She and Pei Yingguan had always communicated very little, avoiding him unless absolutely necessary. But after all, they had known each other for so long, and the tension between them wasn't as high as it had been when she first joined the sect.

"Dinner is ready." Xiao Wan'er was still not strong enough, and it took her much longer than Liuyun to store the prey. Pei Yingguan didn't see her for a long time after he prepared dinner, so he came to look for her.

Perhaps because Liuyun often traveled, Pei Yingguan was a skilled cook. Recently, Liuyun had returned to the mountain, and Pei Yingguan had been in charge of the abbey's meals. Despite the limited variety, he'd managed to ensure each meal was unique. Today, they happened to have fresh fish, so he simply made fish sashimi and cooked some rice porridge.

After feasting, Xiao Wan'er washed the pots and pans as usual, cleaned up, and then read Taoist scriptures and meditated. The next morning, when she went to the main hall, she saw a breakfast that was completely different from Pei Yingguan's cooking style.

"Master, you're back!" She rushed to the kitchen door and saw Liuyun returning from his travels.

Liuyun walked out of the kitchen, and Pei Yingguan happened to walk into the main hall. After seeing him, he bowed respectfully.

"Disciple greets Master."

After dinner, Pei Yingguan was about to go to the kitchen to wash the dishes when Liuyun stopped him and said, "It's been a while since we last practiced together. Come with me to the training ground. Let me see how much you've improved over the years."

Xiao Wan'er, who was standing by, immediately took over the task of washing the dishes. After clearing away the dishes, she headed straight to the training ground to watch the battle between Liu Yun and Pei Yingguan.

In the training grounds, Liuyun suppressed his strength to the Dao Entry Realm. Although master and disciple, their fighting styles differed: Liuyun primarily used magic, while Pei Yingguan used swordsmanship. Xiao Wan'er watched Pei Yingguan attack with his sword, while Liuyun countered his attacks with magic.

"Is this all you can do?" Liuyun's words made Pei Yingguan grit his teeth and continue to increase his output, but he still neutralized Pei Yingguan's attack in a calm and effortless manner, and even distracted himself to stimulate Pei Yingguan with words, "If this is all you can do, then I will not hold back any more."

While chatting and laughing, he turned defense into offense, and the wind mixed with ice crystals turned into tornadoes, rushing towards Pei Yingguan in all directions. Pei Yingguan had just finished an attack and was in the stage of recovering his old strength and generating new strength. He was directly hit by the ice tornado and frozen into an ice sculpture.

"Does it look good?" Liuyun suddenly appeared behind Xiao Wan'er and asked her with his hands behind his back.

"It looks great!" Xiao Wan'er was so engrossed in watching the show that she didn't even realize her master was right behind her.

"I also think you think it's pretty, otherwise you wouldn't have skipped your magic practice to watch the fight. Since you think it's pretty, let's have a fight this afternoon."

After hearing this, Xiao Wan'er came back to her senses. She immediately felt that this battle was not interesting at all.

In the afternoon, when Xiao Wan'er finally arrived at the training ground, Liu Yun had already suppressed his cultivation and waited for a long time. Seeing her arrive on time, Liu Yun teased her, "Why do you look like you're about to be taken to the execution ground? Weren't you enjoying watching it earlier? You're here so late. If you don't show up soon, your master will come and capture you."

"Master, please show mercy." After standing on the training ground, Xiao Wan'er's previous reluctance was swept away, and she immediately focused all her attention on the battle.

Unlike the battle in the morning, Xiao Wan'er and Liuyun were both cultivators who excelled in magic, and soon the training ground was flashing with colors brought by various spells.

Unlike the calm and composed Liuyun, Xiao Wan'er fought with great difficulty. She didn't possess many techniques yet, and the only ones she could apply in sparring, aside from the basic techniques that could be applied in actual combat, were ice techniques. But Liuyun possessed so many techniques that he could easily suppress Xiao Wan'er.

Seeing that she would only be beaten if she continued fighting like this, Xiao Wan'er took a deep breath, concentrated almost all of her spiritual energy, built an ice wall around herself, and then took out a bow and arrow.

After all, the ice wall was built with all their might. Even Liu Yun, with his cultivation suppressed, would need a short time to melt it. Xiao Wan'er raced against time to absorb spiritual energy again, focusing it on the arrow, and fired it the moment the ice wall disappeared.

The arrow flew straight toward Liuyun's face. He raised his hand to block it, and the streaking arrow came to an abrupt halt, falling to the ground. Xiao Wan'er, nearly exhausted, sat down cross-legged. Liuyun withdrew his spell, leaving the entire training ground pristine as before. Liuyun marveled inwardly; with that arrow, he had nearly used the strength of the Entry-level Dao Realm.

"That's right. With your current combat ability, you should have few rivals among cultivators of the same level." Liuyun was quite satisfied with Xiao Wan'er's performance.

But Xiao Wan'er still has something to ask.

"Master, when we're fighting, I always feel like you can predict my attacks. Am I right?"

"Your feeling is correct. I entered Taoism through divination, and I can indeed predict your attack." Liuyun answered Xiao Wan'er's question.

"I see," Xiao Wan'er suddenly realized. "Disciple, I have another question. I noticed that this training ground remains the same as before the battle. How is this achieved?"

"There is a formation beneath the training ground. It is said to have been built by the founder of Biyun Temple. It can ensure that it will not be destroyed in battles below the Return to Truth Realm."

Xiao Wan'er instantly thought of the formation in the library, and blurted out the thought in her mind: "Is the ancestor in the Return to Truth Realm?"

"That's right," Liuyun replied. "The founder entered the Dao through formations, gradually reaching the Return to Truth realm, and then founded Biyun Temple. He accepted disciples and taught for a hundred years before retiring. Unfortunately, since the founder, Biyun Temple has never produced a disciple who has reached the Return to Truth realm."

"Let's not talk about that," Liuyun changed the subject. "During my travels through the Divine Capital, I visited your parents from a distance. Do you want to know about their current situation?"

"Master, please tell me." Hearing about her relatives, Xiao Wan'er couldn't wait to know their recent situation.

"The Xiao family's business has grown significantly in recent years, and they've moved into a larger house. Your parents and brother are all in good health. They also have a daughter who's not even six months old yet. Do you want to go back and see her?"

Xiao Wan'er was a little distracted because her parents had another daughter, but when she heard the question, she immediately responded with "Yes".

Liuyun sent a message to Pei Yingguan, who immediately conjured a cloud, which he and Xiao Wan'er rode on. Under the full force of the Transcendent Realm cultivator, the cloud advanced rapidly, and soon the master and disciple arrived above the Divine Capital.

Liuyun raised his hand and made a gesture of magic, and the people in Luodu could no longer see the cloud and the two people on the cloud. The two of them swaggered around Luodu on the cloud and soon arrived at the door of the Xiao residence.

They didn't disturb the people in the Xiao residence, but just watched from a distance. The Xiao family had probably just finished dinner, and the newly hired servants cleared away the leftovers, and the family sat around the table chatting.

Liuyun cast another small spell, and Xiao Wan'er could hear their conversation. My brother had reached marriageable age, and his fiancée had already been chosen. Wedding arrangements were being discussed at home. The Xiao family's youngest daughter was cuddled by Madam Xiao, who gently rocked her as she slept soundly.

Xiao Wan'er watched from the side, feeling both happy for them and a touch of disappointment. After a while, she tugged at Liuyun's sleeve.

"Master, let's go back."

On the way back to the Taoist temple, the clouds moved relatively slowly. Xiao Wan'er sat on them, boredly watching the towns, villages, and forests below them as night fell. Suddenly, she raised her head and looked at the flowing clouds.

"Why did Master become a Taoist priest in the first place?"

"Me?" Liuyun felt quite emotional as he recalled the past. "It was the end of the Daye era, when people were living in poverty and rebellions broke out everywhere. Your master saw that I had talent, and my parents thought that having one less pair of chopsticks would relieve some of the pressure, so they asked your master to take me away."

"I see," Xiao Wan'er murmured, "Did Master ever go back to see his relatives?"

"After the Xin Dynasty was established, I did visit my family. My parents were no longer alive, and my brother had previously served under Emperor Taizong and received an official position in the Xin Dynasty, so they would no longer be in dire straits without food. However, my brother was no longer young, while I still looked like a recent disciple. Although we were brothers, we were more like uncle and nephew. I never went back to see them again."

Xiao Wan'er listened to his story and didn't know what to say.

"This is how cultivators behave. The further you advance on the path of cultivation, the less attached you become to the mundane world. When your old friends have grown old, but you remain in your prime, you too will have completely become a person apart from the mundane world. This is beyond our control; from the moment you embark on this path, you will gradually sever your ties to the mundane world."

It was already late at night when they arrived at Biyun Temple. Xiao Wan'er was restless, unable to find concentration after sitting for too long. She simply walked to the training grounds and began to unleash her ice-based magic. As her body, already woven into muscle memory, practiced these spells with unwavering skill, her mind flitted back and forth between the time before she arrived at the Taoist temple and tonight.

Gradually, she felt herself enter a strange state. She seemed to float in mid-air, surrounded by silence, and she seemed alone in the colorless world. She gazed into the distance, as if an invisible barrier had been breached, and all colors and sounds returned. Then, a sudden force tugged her downward, pulling her back into her body. Finally, she regained consciousness and saw Liuyun standing nearby.

"Master? Why are you here?" As she was speaking, she suddenly realized that she had become much stronger than before.

Liuyun stared at her for a long while, took a deep breath, and said, "You have entered the Dao."

He became a disciple at the age of five and entered the Tao at the age of seven, becoming the youngest disciple to enter the Tao since the establishment of Biyun Temple.