Yan Xiuzhu gently put Tu Longjian down.
Looking at the Divine Dream Gale Halberd, he smiled wryly. He wiped the back of the halberd clean with his sleeve, then placed it beside her.
Surprisingly, he didn't bring any of the magical treasures he had prepared in his cave.
His young disciple appeared docile, but was actually still wary inside.
Gazing at Tu Longjian's furrowed brows and struggling expression, he took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the beads of sweat from the tip of her nose.
When Tu Longjian was thrown out of the Trial Mirror, he took her back to the bamboo house and took care of her in the same way, so he was very skilled at it.
He remained expressionless as his hand sank into the halberd, but a hint of heartache appeared on his face at that moment.
[The ever-aloof green bamboo is surprisingly tender~ It's a rare sight to see you like this after knowing you for so long.]
A mocking voice rang out; it was the person who had made the noise in the woods earlier.
Yan Xiuzhu did not look up, but said with a deep gaze, "I am temporarily entrusting her to you. Please help her as we agreed before."
Yan Die chuckled and said, "Of course."
[The world regards you as noble because of your strength, but they do not know that your heart's blood, the Bamboo Essence Elixir, is a great tonic.]
[Giving it away will likely deplete a significant amount of your spiritual energy. Those lurking in the shadows might strike when you're severely weakened.]
[Didn't you want to stay away from her? Doing this will only deepen the entanglement between you, and perhaps you won't be able to escape your fate.]
"It's something I owe her. Heaven is merciless, and I want to leave her a chance to live."
[You're wasting your time! Of the three thousand paths of the mortal world, not one can resist the will of Heaven.]
[What good is it if the book of fate says you extended her life? Even if you burned your very essence, the outcome was still futile, and you wasted two lives.]
[Didn't we already decide to stay away? Since he can't be saved anyway, why risk my own life?]
Yan Xiuzhu looked intently at Tu Longjian lying to the side and chuckled to himself.
"I don't know. I don't want to die, but I don't want her to die either."
[I hope you won't regret it.]
Yan Die snorted and fluttered away.
----------------
A gentle breeze swept through the Spirit Realm.
Flowers bloom in profusion, the sky is clear and blue, and spring sunshine is just beginning to emerge.
A white mist rose and slowly dissipated, revealing a transparent female soul floating in the middle.
Where is this?
Xiaoyi?
Tu Longjian looked around warily, calling out to the fortune-telling device in his mind, but received no response.
This is the first time since the time travel that a person and an object have lost contact.
What's going on? The fortune teller is rooted in her soul, so why can't she contact it?
At that moment, a melodious, ethereal sound drifted over.
From behind the clouds, bells rang, and a magnificent palanquin arrived, drawn by the sound.
A pair of bare, white feet descended from the palanquin.
The newcomer, dressed in silver-patterned gauze, descended like a celestial maiden, her toes barely touching the ground, her figure elusive and unpredictable.
[Master, this is the deepest layer of your soul; nothing external can disturb it, including even the objects hidden in the shallower layers of your soul.]
Tu Longjian narrowed his phoenix eyes, looking at the newcomer with neither arrogance nor servility, "Who are you?"
[I am the guide to the Spirit Gathering Realm]
Tu Longjian recalled his master's previous expression of guilt and apparent determination, and a guess formed in his mind.
"Venerable One, was it my master who brought me here?"
[That's right.]
"May I ask what this Spirit Gathering Realm is?"
[The Spirit Gathering Realm is neither the Immortal Realm, nor the Demon Realm, nor any other realm.]
[Not within the Three Realms, but beyond the mortal world.]
She resides deep within your soul, but not everyone has the opportunity to access her.
Tu Longjian frowned as she listened to these mysterious words. She raised her head and strode towards the other person.
"I hope Your Excellency can enlighten me."
The fairy chuckled softly and asked:
[Of the three thousand great paths, do you know which one you should cultivate now?]
Tu Longjian pondered for a moment and replied, "I want to cultivate the way to contend with Heaven, the way of man conquering Heaven."
[Hahaha, to conquer the Way of Heaven? No, the Way of Heaven is not immutable. If victory is the goal, then where should one's heart find peace afterward?]
Tu Longjian's eyes flickered, and he opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
She didn't have a goal from the bottom of her heart; from beginning to end, she just wanted to survive.
"I want to live well, cultivate to become stronger, survive under the oppression of the Heavenly Dao, and correct the imbalance of destiny. Doesn't that count?"
[You're right, it is indeed a path, but not the best one.]
[Do you know that to transcend the ways of Heaven, one cannot be bound by ordinary, mundane ways?]
Tu Longjian sighed and calmly said to the fairy, "Thank you for your guidance, Venerable One, but at present I only have these mundane thoughts."
"Even if one becomes a cultivator, one is still just a living being. Survival is what every living being desires, and I do not consider it a mundane path."
[That's right, sticking to your inner beliefs. Many who have come to the Spirit Gathering Realm have changed their minds after hearing what I said.]
[Your master sacrificed his primordial spirit for this opportunity to advance your cultivation realm ahead of schedule; you must cherish it.]
Tu Longjian's eyes flickered slightly. "Give up your Yuanling?"
Although it's unclear what it is, it sounds quite serious.
With a flick of her sleeve, the fairy conjured a water mirror out of thin air.
Enter this mortal world and find your answer.
She smiled and spoke to Tu Longjian, her jade-like face radiating kindness.
Tu Longjian stepped forward, but just as his figure was about to touch the water mirror, a sudden change occurred.
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