In the courtyard of the Qingyun Sect, sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the old locust tree, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Xiao Chen stood beside Lin Zhou's bamboo chair, watching his master basking in the sun with his eyes half-closed, while playing with a round spirit pearl in his hand.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Master, I have something to tell you."
Lin Zhou hummed in response, without opening his eyes, and said, "Speak."
"At Zangdao Mountain, I met a girl named Ling Xue. She possessed the 'Innate Ice Soul Body,' a special physique. The cold aura emanating from her body could freeze or even kill those who came near her, making it difficult for her to swallow even hot food."
Xiao Chen explained the situation succinctly, "This disciple would like to ask Master if there is any way to alleviate her physical condition?"
Lin Zhou opened his eyes and glanced at him lazily: "What kind of lousy physique is this? It sounds troublesome."
[Host, the Innate Ice Soul Body is a rare and extremely cold constitution. If used properly, it can freeze space and time, possessing limitless potential. However, its coldness backfires on you, and if not properly guided, your lifespan will be half that of an ordinary person.] The system suddenly warned.
"Oh? Is that so?" Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow, not paying much attention to potential, but feeling that the "shortened lifespan" part was a bit unsettling—after all, she was someone his eldest disciple had his eye on, and he couldn't just watch her die at such a young age…
"Bring her to the sect next time," Lin Zhou waved his hand, then closed his eyes again. "Let me see. It's uncertain whether I can handle it, so don't have too high expectations."
"Thank you, Master!" Xiao Chen was overjoyed and bowed solemnly.
The days flowed by like the water of the Qingyun Sect, neither fast nor slow.
Xiao Chen honed his spear skills at the training ground every day, and occasionally sparred with Shi Tou (of course, the old locust tree had to watch over him to prevent Shi Tou from going out of control).
Aside from cultivating in the Flame Pool, Shi Tou kept pestering Xiao Chen to teach him how to cook (though his progress was minimal); Su She, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found, presumably still searching in the Buddhist and Taoist lands of the Western Regions.
Lin Zhou wasn't worried at all, because he knew his disciples were all people born with great fortune, and it wouldn't be so easy to kill them.
Meanwhile, the Black Wind Desert in the southern region is becoming increasingly turbulent.
At first, there were only sporadic spatial fluctuations, but later visible spatial rifts appeared. Occasionally, a trace of pure yet violent spiritual energy would leak out from the rifts, and even low-level demonic beasts would rush out from the rifts, only to be quickly swallowed up by them.
"Have you heard? The spatial rift in the center of the desert is getting bigger and bigger. Yesterday, a Nascent Soul cultivator got close and was torn apart by the rift's suction!"
"My second uncle's nephew is guarding the edge of the desert. He says he can hear dragon roars coming from the cracks at night. Maybe there really is an ancient secret realm about to open!"
"Open what? I think it's an ominous place! Haven't you seen that several established powers in the Southern Region have sent people there? They probably want to seal off that space!"
The rumors grew increasingly outlandish, and cultivators who were initially trying to avoid the area began flocking to the Black Wind Desert, drawn by the allure of the "secret treasure," even knowing the dangers, hoping to make a fortune.
That day, Xiao Chen packed his bags and prepared to head to the Central Region's Hidden Dao Mountain—he was going to pick up Ling Xue and bring her back to the Azure Cloud Sect.
"Senior Brother, I'll go with you!" Stone said in a muffled voice, carrying the Xuan Tie Armor.
"You stay here in the sect as a good boy," Xiao Chen patted his shoulder, "I'll bring you some good food when I come back."
Stone reluctantly put down his armor and squatted by the door, watching Xiao Chen leave.
Not long after Xiao Chen left, Lin Zhou stretched and sat up from the bamboo chair: "The Southern Desert? Sounds exciting, let's go check it out."
His figure flickered and disappeared from the courtyard, reappearing at the edge of the Black Wind Desert.
As expected, a large number of people had gathered here. Several top forces in the Southern Region—such as the Tianfeng Dynasty (which had once interacted with Xiao Chen but has now been destroyed and replaced by several emerging families) and the "Pan Shi Family" that had guarded the border of the Southern Region for generations—had all sent high-ranking cultivators here.
A group of people were gathered outside a makeshift tent, whispering among themselves.
"The spatial fluctuations are getting stronger and stronger. At this rate, the rift will completely burst open in three days at most!"
"Explode? At least half of the Southern Region will be torn apart by spatial turbulence! It must be sealed off!"
"How do we seal it? The spatial power within that crack is too violent; ordinary formations simply can't suppress it!"
"How about we invite a formation master from the Central Region?"
"It's too late! It will take at least five days to travel from the Central Region to the Southern Region!"
Lin Zhou found an inconspicuous corner of the sand dune, sat down lazily, and listened to their argument.
He could sense that the space in the center of that desert was indeed extremely unstable, like a balloon about to burst. Once the energy inside leaked out, the Southern Region would most likely suffer.
But he wasn't in a hurry—after all, there were tall people to hold up the sky if it fell, and he could always step in later if things got really bad. As for watching the show, he'd wait until it got even bigger.
Meanwhile, in the Western Regions, there was the "Buddhist City".
This is a bustling city where Buddhism is the main practice. The buildings on both sides of the street are mostly in the style of pagodas and temples, and monks wearing robes can be seen everywhere. The air is filled with a faint sandalwood fragrance.
Outside the city's largest "Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion," a large number of cultivators gathered, including Buddhist cultivators as well as many from other sects. They all looked up at a golden lotus flower floating on the rooftop—the lotus flower radiated a soft Buddhist light, and faint chanting could be heard from it.
"Look! The golden lotus is shining again! It's the seventh day!"
"It must be the birth of a Buddha's child! Ancient texts say that when a Buddha's child is born, golden lotuses appear and chanting arises!"
"A great era of contention is coming... The Buddha's son has been born, the demonic path has revived (possibly referring to the stone), the Central Region is in turmoil, the Northern Region is weakened, and the world is about to change!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, their faces showing excitement and anticipation, but also a hint of barely perceptible apprehension.
Su She, carrying his book bag, stood on the periphery of the crowd, listening quietly.
He had been in the Buddhist city for three days and had seen the Buddhist practitioners there—there were compassionate and benevolent monks, as well as indifferent monks like those in the southern mountain villages, and many who used the name of Buddhism to seek personal gain.
He didn't know if the so-called "Buddha's disciple's birth" was true or not; he only felt that the hustle and bustle of the city seemed to be separated from the "Tao" in his heart by a layer.
He touched the Tao Te Ching in his arms, feeling the rough texture of the pages under his fingertips.
Perhaps there is no absolutely perfect lineage, just as Master said, "Where there are people, there will be conflict."
But precisely because of this, it is all the more necessary for someone to practice "benevolence" and "righteousness" and to protect those vulnerable lives.
Su She raised his head and looked at the golden lotus on the top of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion, his eyes calm and firm.
He wanted to walk around some more and take another look.
The winds of the South, carrying desert sands, blow towards the West; the sandalwood of the West, accompanied by chanting, drifts towards the unknown distance.
Su She wanted to continue to see what Buddhism and Taoism were really like. I felt as if I saw all sorts of strange people, some good and some bad!
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