"Ling'e, do you know what Qi is?
"Qi is the arteries and veins of the heaven and earth. It is the breath of all living things. All methods for cultivation start from Qi. All divine powers were created using Qi. A Heavenly Cycle is completed when one practiced breathing exercises and allowed the Qi to circulate in their body.
"Today, I will be teaching you the basics of our sect's Single Qi Heaven Regularization Chant.
"This is the technique for establishing one's Dao foundation. It is a brilliant foundation establishment technique even if one were to compare it with other techniques in the five continents. Even if you want to practice other cultivation techniques in the future, this technique will still be able to help you establish your foundation.
"Ling'e… Ling'e?"
"I'm listening!"
Lan Ling'e was standing under the shade of the willow beside the lake. Her gaze kept turning towards the middle of the lake involuntarily, and she stuck the tip of her tongue out nervously.
The old Daoist priest, Qi Yuan, looked towards the middle of the lake and smiled. "Your senior brother is trying to comprehend Water Escape techniques. Do not be distracted by him. Listen to me. I'll explain this basic cultivation technique to you."
"Yes!"
Lan Ling'e focused her attention and concentrated on the marvelous technique that her master was teaching. She tried her best to understand the meaning of those words.
However, after a while…
Lan Ling'e's almond-shaped eyes widened into a circle. She pointed at the lake and exclaimed, "Master! Senior Brother has disappeared!"
Qi Yuan turned his head and looked over. He smiled helplessly and said, "That is an escape technique! Come. Let's go inside the room to cultivate! Your senior brother is interested in all kinds of escape techniques. This should be the sixth escape technique that he has mastered."
"Master, what are escape techniques?"
Qi Yuan combed his beard and said while smiling, "Escape techniques are a kind of Dharma spell. It enables the practitioner to travel instantly to different places. Water Escape allows one to swoop through the water and move faster than the fish. Look. Your senior brother has appeared beside the lake. His escape speed is really remarkable."
Lan Ling'e tiptoed and looked over just in time to see her senior brother appear at the far end of the lake. He stood quietly on the water surface.
Ling'e complimented softly, "Senior Brother is so impressive!"
"Speaking of escape techniques, your senior brother's escape techniques are indeed very impressive compared to others in our Immortal Du Sect." Qi Yuan looked a little helpless. "If he spent half the amount of effort in other Dharmic spells as he did in escape techniques, I would be much more assured."
Lan Ling'e blinked her eyes gently and followed her master into the straw hut.
Qi Yuan summoned two meditation cushions and closed the wooden door of the straw hut. He hit his little disciple's head softly with the horsetail whisk in his hand. "Pay attention!"
"Oh." Lan Ling'e crossed her legs and sat down properly hurriedly. She could finally concentrate this time.
Li Changshou was walking on the surface of the lake. After taking two steps, he suddenly transformed into a stream of water and disappeared. In a few breaths' time, he reappeared in the middle of the lake.
'Water Escape worked, yet it took so long.'
However, he could integrate himself into the water while performing the Water Escape technique—that could shield him from attacks using some Dharma treasures.
'Water benefits all yet it doesn't demand credit for its contributions. Water can make everything float without collapsing. It is indeed something worth exploring.'
Li Changshou stood with his hands behind his back. After thinking for a while, he continued walking on the water surface. However, he would disappear and reappear with every few steps.
After continuous attempts, Li Changshou did not need to walk on the water surface to perform the Water Escape technique anymore. As long as he came into contact with the lake, Li Changshou could immediately perform the Water Escape technique.
However, Li Changshou was still not satisfied. He continued thinking about ways to improve his Water Escape technique and was completely oblivious to the time passed.
That continued until the evening when Qi Yuan sent a voice message asking him to go back.
"Ling'e has yet to practice inedia, but she should not be eating satiety pills all the time. While you are constructing the straw hut, later on, build a stove as well. Make her a meal every day until the day she practices inedia."
Li Changshou cupped his hands and said, "At your command, Master."
"I shall proceed with my cultivation. Ling'e, if you face any troubles, you can speak to your senior brother."
"Yes, Master!" Lan Ling'e copied her senior brother's actions and answered with her hands cupped. However, her tummy growled at that very moment, making her face flush.
Qi Yuan laughed out loud. He transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished. Li Changshou was also full of smiles, yet he turned and looked at the lake to avoid making his junior sister feel awkward.
"Senior Brother! Did Master just use the Smoke Escape technique?"
"Huh? Smoke Escape technique?" Li Changshou was momentarily stunned. Afterward, he broke into a burst of laughter. "That was just an illusion spell. It is mainly used to protect one's life when one is battling with their enemy. It can be used to deal damage or trap the enemy. It can be considered one of Master's best spells. Do you want to learn it? You will have to wait until your cultivation sees some improvements. Master will teach this to you then if you ask him to."
"What about Senior Brother's Water Escape technique? Can Ling'e learn that now?"
"Water Escape can only be learned later. You will need to reach the Soul Formation realm of Qi Refinement before learning this, as well as the other element escape techniques. Leave that at the back of your mind as of now, noob cultivator. You have only just completed your first meditation session."
Lan Ling'e blinked and asked, "What does noob mean? Does it refer to a clumsy beginner?"
Li Changshou's eyes turned into a line as he smiled. He brought Lan Ling'e over to the empty space beside the herb garden. "What do you want to eat? We have a lot of wildlife around here. If you do not have any dietary restrictions, I will recommend you some."
'Wildlife?'
"Senior Brother, are we eating… these medicinal herbs this afternoon?"
"Of course not." Li Changshou stretched his right palm in front of him. A piece of stone flew towards him from one side and spun one round in his palm. Afterward, it flew towards the forest with a piercing whizz.
Lan Ling'e could not help but exclaim in awe. Meanwhile, a commotion stirred in the forest, startling flocks of birds.
Very soon, a golden pheasant that was born with tri-colored feathers swooped in the air. The stone was etched in the golden pheasant's chest—that spiritual beast was long dead.
The stone flew into the forest and back. Afterward, Li Changshou threw it at a nearby bush casually. That made Lan Ling'e's eyes shine brightly.
Not before long, Li Changshou had skillfully set up a barbeque rack beside the lake. He stripped the feathers of the golden pheasant and removed its innards. He took out a few bottles of seasoning ingredients that he valued a lot and started 'seducing' his junior sister, her saliva, more specifically.
"Senior Brother, what Dharma spell was that with the stone? How could it fly back after it's been thrown?"
"It's just simple telekinesis." Li Changshou smiled and replied, "This can only be considered a simple spell.
"In today's cultivation world, or rather, in the entire five continents, the most popular fighting tactics was to use some Dharma treasures. Cultivators would incorporate their cultivation powers into their Dharma treasures, or use them to hit others.
"Telekinesis is only the basics of controlling Dharma treasures.
"You have just started on your cultivation. It is no surprise that you do not know about that. I will slowly explain them to you in the future."
"Okay." Lan Ling'e knelt at one side. She arranged a strand of hair beside her ear with her hand and said softly like a mosquito, "Senior Brother's spells all seem very impressive."
Li Changshou shook his head slightly. Then he explained to Ling'e sincerely, "You are wrong, Junior Sister. These are not impressive.
"Our master and I are both cultivators who have yet to experience Immortal Ascension.
"This Primordial World is too savage. Immortal Ascension is only equivalent to leaving the beginner's village. There are seven or eight more realms after Immortal Ascension. Only then could one be considered a powerful cultivator. Each realm could stop countless of 'geniuses' in their tracks.
"The Primordial World has existed for a duration too long to count. There are countless of top-notch cultivators around. This makes it even harder for new cultivators to climb to the very top.
"Moreover, cultivation powers are ultimately just a foundation. If two individuals at the same cultivation realm were to battle, the outcome of the one without any powerful Dharma treasures would be… losing one's Dao and dying!"
Lan Ling'e shrank her neck. Her senior brother's words were like a demon's voice. They made her hairs stand.
His voice continued reverberating in the air.
"Even if you have powerful Dharma treasures, death is still inevitable if you do not possess powerful mystical abilities. Even if you have sufficient Dharma treasures and mystical abilities, you might still face disasters if you are unlucky. Death is still inevitable. To sum it all…"
"Lose… losing one's Dao and dying?"
Li Changshou showed a kind smile and complimented her. "Good. You have understood it pretty quickly."
Lan Ling'e asked softly, "However, Senior Brother, isn't the purpose of cultivation to live forever? Shouldn't our aim be striving to protect oneself and live an unrestrained life?"
"No. You might have gotten it wrong. Cultivating is not something that is admirable." Li Changshou shook his head and sighed. "The purpose of cultivation is to become stronger so that we will be able to face all kinds of difficult situations and ultimately survive.
"Living forever is just a realm in cultivation. When you reach that realm, you will not die naturally. However, you might still lose your life to various disasters."
Lan Ling'e asked nervously, "Then, Senior Brother, what should we do to truly stay alive?"
Li Changshou rotated the barbeque rack in his hand slowly and replied methodically, "First, avoid dealing with karma. Try your best not to be involved in weird situations. The best solution is to stay at home and practice your cultivation. Avoid walking around unnecessarily and avoid coming into contact with anybody else.
"Of course, it is hard to achieve this.
"For example, you and me. We have come into contact because we are under the guidance of the same master. That creates a cause. If any one of us face any troubles, the other will inevitably be implicated. This is an effect.
"Therefore, even if we tried our best to avoid karma, which is the combination of cause and effect, we will not be able to avoid it completely. Hence, we should learn to analyze the situation. We must make reasonable judgments based on the situation to avoid landing ourselves in danger.
"If we did everything we could but still found ourselves in a potentially dangerous situation, we are only left with the second solution."
"What is the second solution?"
Lan Ling'e wiped the saliva at the corner of her mouth. The golden pheasant that was on the rack was almost done and was emitting a delicious scent.
"Trump cards."
"Trump cards? What are they?"
"Trump cards refer to your various hidden abilities." Li Changshou tore a piece of chicken and handed it over to Ling'e, who was eagerly waiting while continuing to teach her.
He had prepared the entrance educational talk for his future junior sister for a long time. He was currently consolidating the information that he had prepared for months!
"You can conceal 30% of your abilities and only showcase 70% of that to others. In this case, if someone targeted you, you would be able to shock them with your abilities and win the fight.
"To be precise, if you have any powerful Dharma spells, mystical abilities, or Dharma treasures in the future, you can hide them and use them as your trump cards. No one will know about them until you use them at crucial moments. They will be your royal flush that will end the game.
"You can also conceal a portion of your cultivation level. That can also be one of your trump cards."
Lan Ling'e finished the chicken in her hands in a few bites. Her eyes lit up as she reminisced about its delicious taste. She could not help but lick her fingers in satisfaction.
She thought through her senior brother's advice and asked softly, "However, Senior Brother, what can I do if I still fail to beat the other party even after revealing all my trump cards?"
"That's where the third solution applies." With a flick of his finger, the cooked golden pheasant was dissected in front of Li Changshou. It turned into chicken pieces that were full of spiritual energy and floated in front of Lan Ling'e.
"The third solution is very simple. That is to—run!"
"Umm…" Lan Ling'e blinked her eyes. Although the barbequed meat attracted most of her attention, Lan Ling'e still tried her best to understand what her senior brother was talking about.
Li Changshou said casually, "As the saying goes, while the green hills last, there'll be wood to burn.
"Acting rashly would only bury your hopes for the future. You only have one precious life. Of course, some people who are extremely lucky and have good temperaments may go lucky and receive a second chance.
"Cough. Back to the serious business!
"If you want to escape from the hands of a powerful cultivator, you will require excellent reactions to danger. This is where I want to emphasize the importance of learning escape techniques. The more escape techniques you master, the greater your chances for survival…"
The sun was setting as the delicious aroma of the meat permeated in the air.
A young cultivator was passionately teaching his new junior sister by the clear lake. The little girl, who was munching on the pieces of barbecued meat, was listening attentively.
This would definitely be an important lesson that would influence her entire life as an immortal.
However, although Little Ling'e could not stop exclaiming about how the lessons made a lot of sense, she felt that something was amiss.
"Junior Sister!"
"Here!"
"Listen to this question!"
"Okay!"
As Li Changshou waved his sleeve, the little girl that was sitting cross-legged on the grass patch beside the lake trembled. She concentrated intensely on the question that was about to be posed.
"Assuming that your cultivation has reached the Ninth Stage of the Soul Formation realm. While flying in the air, you noticed a cultivator who was at the Sixth Stage of the Soul Formation realm molesting a female cultivator at the Qi Refinement realm. What would you do?
"Here are three options.
"A, you go forwards and bash him up. You will then become the incarnation of justice!
"B, you throw a Dharma treasure from far away and leave nonchalantly. By doing so, you will ruin his mood.
"C, you pretend that nothing happened and leave from the sides."
Lan Ling'e blinked her eyes. The question and options did not seem to be something people of her age could understand.
Li Changshou smiled. His eyes formed a thin line as he gave Ling'e a reminder. "This question only has one correct answer. Make your choice."
"A?" answered Lan Ling'e, uncertain.
Li Changshou replied nonchalantly, "How do you know if this person has concealed his real cultivation level? What if he is a powerful cultivator who is at the Void Return realm and merely displayed his cultivation level as the Sixth Stage of the Soul Formation realm? Normally, those who would do such disgusting things blatantly would definitely be despicable and shameless people. How could you place your hopes on his honesty!?"
"Then, B?" Lan Ling'e frowned.
"Do not forget that you are a female cultivator as well, Junior Sister." Li Changshou sighed. "If the assumptions in option one were true, that beast would become even more brutish when he sees how beautiful you are. Would you be at his mercy as well?"
Lan Ling'e's face flushed red. She felt a sudden pang of dizziness hit her. Then she replied timidly, "However, Senior Brother, the third option is not something that we cultivators should be doing. When I was young my father told me that my siblings and I should stand up for the weak and punish the bullies. Father said that if everyone chooses not to lend a helping hand to those in need, won't the victims—"
"No. Junior Sister, you must remember that your idea will only be absolutely correct if you are in a peaceful and kind environment. However, the Primordial World is not a peaceful place. There are countless powerful cultivators around. Cultivators could go to engage in a fight just to obtain one Dharma treasure or spiritual root. Most cultivators who survive are those who are malicious."
Li Changshou looked at the lake surface with his hands behind his back and sighed. "It is hard for those who are kind-hearted and righteous to survive in this world. The only thing we should do is to prevent ourselves from committing evil deeds. However, there is no need for us to stop others from committing them.
"We should attempt to survive instead of being the hero when we are still weak. When we stand at the pinnacle and become the ones who make the rules, we can then change the environment for the weak in the primordial world.
"Therefore, do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Lan Ling'e nodded heavily. Her eyes were full of light.
At that moment, the martial brother and sister duo did not notice the wisp of smoke that drifted over from the straw hut a short distance away. The smoke floated behind them without a sound.
Li Changshou lowered his voice and said, "Junior Sister! I'll give you another chance. Say your answer out loud happily and firmly! If you see a male cultivator molesting a female cultivator, what should you do?"
Lan Ling'e eyes sparkled. Although her voice was not very loud, she sounded exceptionally firm. "Option three. Pretend that I did not see anything! And slide away from one side!"
"Yes!" Li Changshou could not help but to give his junior sister a big thumbs-up. He felt a little touched by her answer.
Li Changshou had achieved such effects with only two days of lessons. If this continued, in a few years' time, he would not have to worry about his junior sister causing troubles and implicating him!
'Having a junior sister who knows how to survive by reducing the amount of attention she gets is truly—'
All of a sudden, a gust of cold wind blew behind him. The martial brother and sister duo felt their hair standing. An old and cold voice sounded from behind them.
"Li! Chang! Shou!"
Scre— Screech—
That was the sound of Lan Ling'e's teeth clattering.
The corner of Li Changshou's mouth twitched as he turned around to have a look. He instantly pulled a smiley face.
"Master, you have completed your secluded cultivation? Are you starting with Junior Sister's lessons today—
"Master! We can talk through this! Why are you taking your horsetail whisk out?
"I am your biological disciple! You cannot torture your elder disciple once you found a younger one, Master!"
"Rascal!"
The old Daoist priest's long beard was flying in the air, and his eyes bulged wide open. He lifted his horsetail whisk and was about to hit Li Changshou with it.
"It is enough that you are cowardly. How can you teach that to your junior sister? I have to teach you a lesson today!"
However, when the horsetail whisk was about to land, Li Changshou's silhouette was engulfed by a green light. He instantly appeared on the other side of the willow. He cupped his hands and begged for mercy again.
"How dare you run away using the Wood Escape technique!? You deserve a beating!"
Qi Yuan was fuming with anger. He raised his horsetail whisk and ran after Li Changshou.
Li Changshou's silhouette drifted backward to avoid his master's blows. Qi Yuan cast a Dharmic spell, and his horsetail whisk grew insanely long. Shadows of the horsetail whisk encapsulated the ground beside the lake. However, Li Changshou moved like a pond loach. He always seemed to be able to find a hole to slip through.
"Ease your anger, Master. I did all that with Junior Sister's interest in mind."
"The Immortal Du Sect belongs to the school of human cultivators. It is one of the Immortal Sects of the Three Schools! Why do we have someone like you, who is full of unorthodox and evil ideas, in our sect?"
"It was all because of your eye for talent, Master."
"Pooh! I am going to kick you out of our sect today! Wa! You are really getting on my nerves!"
"Master, you do not look handsome anymore when you're angry…"
Under the shade of the willow, Lan Ling'e was originally very worried when she saw Master chasing behind her senior brother. However, she gradually burst out laughing from the 'antics' by her master and senior brother.
Lan Ling'e could tell that their master was not actually trying to punish Li Changshou, as the latter managed to escape his blows very easily.
After chasing for a while, her senior brother seemed to have slipped and fallen onto the ground. Her master leaped over and pinned him to the ground. He used his horsetail whisk and whipped her senior brother's buttocks, producing a series of rhythmic sounds in the process.
After a while, Qi Yuan had finished punishing his elder disciple. He arranged his Dao robe, which had become a little messy, and shouted at his pitiful disciple, who was lying on the ground, "Reflect your actions! You are not allowed to teach your junior sister about how to behave in the future! Finish the construction of her straw hut!"
"Haiz. Yes. At your command, Master…"
"Come over, Ling'e! I shall teach you instead! Forget all the despicable things that your senior brother has taught you!"
"Oh!" Ling'e answered softly. She looked worriedly at her senior brother's swollen buttocks that were covered by his robe. That was when she saw Li Changshou's right hand, which was hidden under his sleeve.
Li Changshou waved his right hand at her slightly and showed a thumbs-up sign.
Lan Ling'e put her worry behind. She saw how pitiful her senior brother looked as he was lying on the ground, lowered her head, and giggled. Then, she chased after her master, who had left before her.
Her steps were gradually quicker, and her walking gradually turned into running.
Li Changshou sighed as he lay there. A white cloud drifted towards him and carried him up.
'Master had really gone all out!'
Li Changshou touched his buttocks and took in a cold breath. Afterward, he sighed once again.
If he had known that his master was really going to hit him, Li Changshou would not have let himself be caught.
No, he couldn't do that. He had to take into account his master's dignity, as well. After all, there was little hope of him ascending to become an immortal. He faced immense pressure, and life was tough for him.
From the Dharma spells that his master had used just now, he might seem powerful on the outside, but he was actually weak on the inside. His aiming with his Qi energy was intermittent. That showed that Qi Yuan was overly eager to increase his cultivation realm and had done that too early.
Forget about it. Li Changshou had to think of a way to increase his master's chances of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation.
Li Changshou scratched his head and was engrossed in his thoughts as he lay down flat on the cloud. He slowly drifted to the third straw hut that was almost completed.
…
These few days seemed like a dream.
At some point in her nine-year-old life, Lan Ling'e had been shopping in the market with her mother. That had been when she had caught the eye of an old immortal and had been accepted by him as a disciple.
Although her parents could not bear to part with her, that had been great news to them. If she could succeed in her cultivation, her family clan could benefit from her glory. Therefore, after the ceremony where she had been officially accepted as his disciple, she had followed her master to the Immortal Du Sect with her mother's advice in mind.
Thereafter, she met her senior brother, who appeared a little strange.
Her senior brother had a lot of opinions that sounded correct when one first listened to them but made one sense that there was something wrong with them.
Qi Yuan had warned her multiple times that her senior brother was a weird person, and she should not learn from his behavior. However, Lan Ling'e had a gut feeling that her senior brother was a very powerful cultivator.
There were not many formalities and rules in the mountain. There were delicious delicacies everywhere in the lake and the mountain. Cultivation was also something that was very interesting. Life was not as boring as Lan Ling'e had previously imagined.
Of course, Lan Ling'e was the happiest when she hung out with her senior brother. They would barbeque, feed the fish, and take a stroll together. They would also find mouth-watering wildlife animals to fill their stomachs before sitting quietly beside the lake when her senior brother would share his unorthodox opinions with her.
Would such days continue forever?
Lan Ling'e heaved a sigh as she snuggled her blanket that was made using an unknown material. She tossed around and faced the window.
Suddenly, Lan Ling'e felt that she saw a shadow moving. Her drowsy eyes enlarged slightly, and she was instantly awake due to the shock. Lan Ling'e could not prevent her petite body from trembling.
Outside of the window, Li Changshou lay flat on a white cloud and waved at her.
"Night lessons, young lady."
"Huh?" Ling'e blinked her eyes. Afterward, she shrank under her blanket and gave a slight nod. "Yeah…"
"Now, please listen to the second question!"
'Umm. Senior Brother is indeed a weird person.'
…
Therefore, ten years later…