After a day of celebrating Uncle Jiu's breakthrough, his many junior fellow apprentices began their journeys home. After all, each of them managed their own Daoist halls and had to remain vigilant to prevent ghosts and monsters from harming the local commoners. Since Uncle Jiu lived relatively close to Zhegu, the five of them set off together.
On the way back, Zhegu was her usual self, pestering and entangling herself with Uncle Jiu. It wasn't until they got off the train and finally went their separate ways that things calmed down for him.
Once they were apart, the joy on Zhegu's face faded, replaced by a deep melancholy. "Oh, Senior Brother... it seems I truly am destined to be near you but never with you in this life."
If their chances had been slim before, they now seemed non-existent. Uncle Jiu had already broken through to become a Heavenly Master. Although Zhegu had reached the sixth stage of the Earthly Master realm, she had no idea if she would ever achieve the rank of Heavenly Master herself.
After all, the bottleneck between the seventh and eighth stages of the Earthly Master realm was immense. Uncle Jiu himself had been bottlenecked at that level for seven or eight years. Had it not been for Qiuxia's intervention,
he might have stayed stuck there indefinitely. Even after becoming an eighth-stage Earthly Master, it would take at least a decade to reach the tenth stage. Following that, one had to temper the soul and achieve soul-unity, a process that required a significant amount of time.
By the time Zhegu managed a lucky breakthrough to become a Heavenly Master, she would likely be in her seventies or eighties perhaps even nearly a hundred. By then, Uncle Jiu would probably be the Sect Leader of Maoshan. The mere thought of it gave Zhegu a massive headache.
Just as she was about to give up hope, she felt a sharp pain in her head, as if something had struck her. "Ouch! Who hit me? Show yourself!"
Zhegu's eyes widened in anger as she glared at her surroundings. However, there was no one there. Thinking her assailant might be invisible, she quickly opened her Heavenly Eye. Even then, she saw nothing or rather, not quite nothing. She finally spotted the object that had struck her: a ring. It was a very beautiful ring.
After using her Heavenly Eye to ensure the ring was safe, she used her magic power to pick it up. As she felt its energy, her consciousness seemed to be pulled into a separate space. Within this void, she saw a manual and numerous bottles.
She opened the manual first. It was a cultivation method called the True Scripture of the Fire Lotus. Zhegu studied it closely and found the techniques to be incredibly profound. It was an orthodox method, not some wicked path, and it provided a clear path of cultivation from an entry-level Daoist all the way to the Heavenly Master realm.
Zhegu was overjoyed. She then turned her attention to the bottles. Most of them contained pills meant to assist an Earthly Master's cultivation, known as Mysterious Spirit Wondrous Pills.
Aside from those, there were two other types. One was the Fire Lotus Pill, used for body tempering. The other was the Blazing Heart-Molding Pill. This particular pill acted much like a potent aphrodisiac; if its effects were not resolved in time,
even a Heavenly Master would suffer a violent internal explosion and die. However, if resolved properly through dual cultivation, both the man and woman would experience a massive surge in magic power.
Seeing this, the gloom on Zhegu's face vanished instantly. "Hahaha! To think I, Zhegu, would encounter such a stroke of luck! Lin Fengjiao, you just wait. You won't escape my grasp in this lifetime!"
One might wonder if Zhegu was worried about this sudden windfall. Naturally, she had her suspicions, but she had checked the pills and the manual, and both were legitimate. More importantly, it contained the specific pill she needed to finally be with Uncle Jiu. With that goal in sight, she put all other concerns out of her mind.
Where did these manuals and pills come from? It was simple: Qiuxia had provided them. In the original timeline, Zhegu had waited decades for Uncle Jiu, only succeeding in being with him after he encountered an old flame. Now that Uncle Jiu had become a Heavenly Master, Zhegu would never have stood a chance without Qiuxia's help.
Destiny could be changed in many ways, but marriage was a major life event. If left alone, Uncle Jiu would likely have remained a bachelor his entire life. While he could become the Sect Leader of Maoshan,
that role carried far more burdens and obligations than being a Grand Elder. A Grand Elder could focus entirely on cultivation, whereas a Sect Leader was mired in administrative trifles.
Even though Uncle Jiu had reached the Heavenly Master realm, without Qiuxia's continued assistance, it was uncertain if he could bridge the massive gap to become a Perfected Person. It wasn't something that spiritual vegetables alone could achieve.
Thus, for the sake of his master's lifelong happiness, Qiuxia decided to help Zhegu. That was why she had been lucky enough to receive a cultivation method Qiuxia had derived, along with a mountain of pills he had refined.
Meanwhile, having finally escaped Zhegu's persistent pestering, Uncle Jiu returned to the Yi Zhuang with Qiusheng and Wencai.
"Qiusheng, Wencai," Uncle Jiu addressed them. "The two of you have now received your Ordination at Maoshan. It is time to prepare for your graduation. I have already contacted Four-eyed. Once he arrives with his corpses, he will take you both out with him."
"He travels far and wide for his Corpse Driving, and he encounters many evils. He will lead you in battles against these wicked spirits. I will instruct him to let you handle everything yourselves unless you face an enemy you truly cannot deal with. After you have spent some time with him, you will begin your own independent travels to gain experience."
"Master, I don't want to leave you!" Wencai said, looking nervous and frightened.
Qiusheng and Wencai had always lived under Uncle Jiu's wing, receiving his protection. Now that they had to leave him to follow Four-eyed for a time before heading out on their own, both were understandably apprehensive.
"Do not worry," Uncle Jiu reassured them. "Besides the hall here in Ren Family Town, I have several other Daoist halls in the surrounding areas. Once you have finished your training, you can go and preside over those halls. If you encounter difficulties you cannot solve, I will step in to help."
Sensing the hardships of living independently, even the usually shiftless Wencai began to apply himself. Every day, they listened intently to the experiences shared by Uncle Jiu and practiced their Daoist arts diligently.
Although they couldn't possibly master the techniques or the mental state required of an Earthly Master in such a short time, their sheer gap in realm meant they could easily suppress a Human Master.
A month passed quickly, and the Four-eyed Taoist arrived at the Yi Zhuang with his "guests." This time, his guests were quite numerous dozens of them.
"Junior Brother, how many days do you plan to rest this time?"
Four-eyed shook his head. "I'm not resting for even a day. I plan to pick up Qiusheng and Wencai and leave immediately. This delivery schedule is tight."
"Very well. I leave these two in your hands then, Junior Brother."
In the past, Four-eyed would have complained for ages about having to drag Qiusheng and Wencai along. But now that the two were Earthly Masters, they wouldn't be much of a burden despite their lack of experience. In fact, they could learn the art of Corpse Driving on the road, helping him speed up the delivery and lightening his workload.
"Alright, don't you worry, Senior Brother. I'll look after these two. Qiusheng, Wencai, get ready to hit the road!"
Qiusheng and Wencai: "..."
Even though you're technically telling the truth, why does 'hitting the road' sound like you're talking about our funeral?
As Uncle Jiu watched the backs of Qiusheng, Wencai, and Four-eyed disappear into the distance, his eyes were filled with complex emotions. The two little rascals were gone. He had once thought they would never amount to anything and would stay by his side forever.
He never expected that meeting his youngest disciple would lead to such an opportunity, allowing them to soar directly into the Earthly Master realm.
Life was different after receiving one's Ordination. Before that, all arrangements were made by the master. After Ordination, one had to manage their own life. Furthermore, they had to begin accumulating Yin Merit.
Once ordained, their names were entered into the Maoshan ancestral records and a connection was established with the Underworld. Without accumulating Yin Merit during this process,
they would receive only slightly better treatment than an ordinary person in the afterlife perhaps becoming an Underworld Soldier at best. But if they gathered enough Yin Merit, they might become an official, a Hell Judge, or even a City God.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/kleinmoretti to access 100+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).