The most powerful person
The morning mist in the mountains had not yet completely dissipated. As usual, Yun Qian finished practicing her sword on the snow-covered mountaintop and descended the mountain on the thin frost that had not yet completely melted.
As I walked across the suspension bridge, my gaze instinctively fell upon the jade stone platform in the dim morning light. A familiar figure was already seated there, as if he had never left.
It's a white banquet.
Yun Qian's heart skipped a beat, and almost instinctively quickened her pace, the last few steps even becoming a jog, as she landed lightly on the stone platform. "Master!"
Her voice held a joy she herself was unaware of. This was, in retrospect, the first time Bai Yan had been gone for so long since she arrived at Cangmin Mountain. Though life in the mountains was lonely, the sudden absence of his figure, always sitting on the stone platform divining, had left her feeling somewhat uneasy. Seeing him return now, that hidden sense of dependence quietly resurfaced. She paused slightly, then attributed it to habit.
Bai Yan looked up at the sound. He was still wearing the same silver mask that covered half his face, and his snow-white hair shimmered in the morning light, making it impossible to discern his expression. But Yun Qian keenly sensed that the gaze behind the mask seemed calmer than usual, and his aura carried an indescribable weariness.
Besides bringing back Baichuan and Baiji, something else seemed to have happened on this trip down the mountain. A trace of doubt flashed through Yun Qian's mind, and she slowed her pace, stopping about five steps away from Bai Yan, a distance that allowed for a clear conversation without being too intrusive.
Bai Yan looked at her quietly for a long time before softly saying, "Come here and sit down."
As Yun Qian drew closer, she could more clearly sense Bai Yan's unusual demeanor. His jawline was more taut than usual, his skin a near-transparent pale white, and even his signature silver hair seemed to have lost some of its luster, appearing somewhat dull. The normally restrained yet powerful aura emanating from him now seemed somewhat erratic. Most importantly, the stone platform was empty today; he hadn't scattered copper coins for divination as he usually did.
Yun Qian sat down on the futon opposite him as instructed, her eyes brimming with worry. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask, "Master, your health..."
"Yun Qian," Bai Yan spoke first, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable determination, "I need to go into seclusion for a while."
Interrupted again, Yun Qian pursed her lips and swallowed back the question that was about to come out. She understood; Bai Yan didn't want her to press the matter.
Bai Yan continued in that emotionless tone, instructing, "During my seclusion, you will be in charge of teaching Bai Chuan and Bai Ji."
"Just as I taught you, pass on what you know to them."
Yun Qian lowered her eyes, suppressing the myriad thoughts in her heart, and respectfully replied, "Yes, Master."
When Baichuan and Baiji, accompanied by each other, carefully arrived at the Jade Stone Platform, Baiyan was still there.
He sat there quietly, as if he were waiting for them.
Yun Qian had already composed herself, sat up straight, and had an unusually serious expression, trying to establish the image of a reliable senior sister in front of her junior brothers.
Bai Yan turned his gaze to the two newly accepted disciples: "Come here and sit down."
The two children obediently responded and sat down on either side of Yun Qian.
Once they were seated, Bai Yan spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Cangmin Mountain was once the world's foremost cultivation sect a hundred years ago. Because of its extremely strict standards for selecting disciples, preferring quality over quantity, its disciples have gradually dwindled with each generation. Coupled with the hardships of survival in this world, it has now begun to decline." His gaze swept over the three disciples before him. "You are the 148th generation disciples of Cangmin Mountain. Besides upholding your principles and treating others with kindness, you also bear the responsibility of continuing the lineage and reviving the sect."
"Once you enter the path of cultivation, you are different from ordinary people. Your body is less prone to aging, you are immune to all diseases, hunger and thirst gradually disappear, and your lifespan is long. However, you are not immortal; you can still be injured and perish."
"You will possess power that is beyond the reach of ordinary people, but you must remember that this power is not a weapon to bully the weak or act recklessly. It should be your duty to protect all living beings and maintain peace and justice in the world."
"Do you understand?"
Bai Chuan and Bai Ji's expressions tightened, and they both nodded solemnly: "Disciples understand, Master."
Bai Yan nodded slightly and continued, "Cultivators in the world can be roughly divided into nine categories based on their methods of entering the Dao and their focus of cultivation: sword cultivators, knife cultivators, magic cultivators, body cultivators, weapon cultivators, medical cultivators, miscellaneous cultivators, demon cultivators, and evil cultivators."
"Among them, sword cultivators and saber cultivators are the most powerful, but their path of cultivation is also the most difficult and dangerous. Healers and miscellaneous cultivators may be at a disadvantage in direct combat, but each has its own irreplaceable mysteries. As for demon cultivators and evil cultivators, their techniques are strange and unpredictable, making them the most troublesome."
"Everyone has their own unique opportunity to enter the Dao. The way you comprehend the Dao often determines your future path of cultivation. The type of cultivator you choose to become is not entirely determined by your will, but more by your own innate qualities and physique."
He paused, his gaze seeming to deepen: "However, whether you can reach the pinnacle of this path and become a true master depends on your own character and choices."
“From today onwards, I will need to go into seclusion for a period of time. Your senior sister will be in charge of guiding my practice from now on.”
"Yes, Master," Baichuan and Baiji replied in unison.
Before Yun Qian could react, Bai Yan, who was sitting in front of her, swayed slightly like a reflection in water. Then, he transformed into a soft but weak white light and vanished without a trace.
Yun Qian stood there, stunned, for a long while before suddenly realizing that the person who had just spoken to them and given them instructions was not Bai Yan's physical body, but his primordial spirit! Her cultivation was far lower than Bai Yan's, so she naturally couldn't see through this illusion. However, the almost transparent weakness displayed by that primordial spirit made her heart tighten inexplicably. What could have caused her master's primordial spirit to be so depleted?
"Master... Master disappeared into thin air?" Bai Ji's mouth dropped open in shock, his round eyes filled with disbelief. They had not yet entered the Dao, and could not even sense spiritual power, let alone distinguish between the physical body and the primordial spirit.
Yun Qian suppressed her doubts and unease and patiently explained, "That wasn't Master's true form just now; it was Master's primordial spirit manifesting."
“Once a cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul stage, their primordial spirit can temporarily leave the body and wander beyond the physical realm.” Her tone turned serious, carrying a warning, “You must remember that for a cultivator, the primordial spirit and the golden core condensed within the body are of paramount importance, being the very foundation of life. Unless absolutely necessary, you must never allow them to leave the body.”
She looked at her two junior brothers, trying to make them understand the danger involved: "Once the primordial spirit and golden core are separated from the protection of the physical body, they become extremely fragile. Unlike physical injuries, which can be slowly repaired with the help of spiritual power and elixirs, damage to the primordial spirit and golden core is often permanent and extremely difficult to repair, and may even jeopardize one's path to cultivation. Master did this because of her own profound cultivation and because there must have been unavoidable reasons. You must not try it lightly out of curiosity or recklessness, understand?"
"Understood, Senior Sister." The two children seemed to understand but not quite, but seeing Yun Qian's solemn expression, they both nodded seriously.
"Senior Sister," Bai Ji's curiosity quickly took over again, and he leaned closer to ask, "What kind of cultivation does Master practice? Is it magic cultivation? Or sword cultivation?"
“Master is a Dharma practitioner,” Yun Qian replied.
"A Dharma cultivator!" Bai Ji's eyes lit up, and a joyful smile immediately spread across his face. "Master is so amazing! I want to become a Dharma cultivator in the future!"
Yun Qian remained noncommittal, turning her gaze to the silent Bai Chuan beside her: "What about Bai Chuan? Have you thought about it?"
Bai Chuan lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously curling slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he raised his long, bright eyes and asked with a hint of uncertainty and longing, "Senior Sister... are sword cultivators the most powerful among all cultivators?"
Looking at the undisguised yearning for power in his eyes, Yun Qian gently shook her head and said objectively, "The path of sword cultivators is indeed known for its powerful offensive capabilities, but the cultivation process is also the most arduous, and it is extremely easy to develop inner demons due to obsession." She paused, reached out and gently stroked Bai Chuan's hair, her tone softening, "You want to become a sword cultivator?"
Bai Chuan felt a gentle touch on his head, paused slightly, then nodded emphatically, his voice not loud, but unusually firm: "Yes. I want to... become the most powerful person."
That determination, like a tender new shoot, quietly took root on this snow-covered sacred mountain.
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