"Oh wow, what a beautiful lady! Are you an Adeptus?" Paimon seemed mesmerized by Shenhe's untainted, ethereal aura, and without realizing it, she started addressing her with respect.
"Adeptus? I'm not an Adeptus, just a disciple of one," the woman gently shook her head, causing her long white hair to sway. She denied the title.
"Disciple of an Adeptus?" Xingqiu murmured to himself while resting his chin on his hand, then turned his gaze toward Chongyun.
Chongyun also reacted, and looking at the white-haired woman, he hesitantly asked, "Could it be that you are Shenhe?"
"Hm? Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Shenhe's face showed no emotion as her gaze settled on Chongyun, her voice tinged with a bit of confusion.
"Uh, my name is Chongyun. I've heard from my elders that a distant relative of our family was training with an Adeptus. According to our family hierarchy, I should be calling you 'Aunt,'" Chongyun explained, scratching the back of his head, briefly clarifying their reason for being here.
(T/N: In the CN version of Shenhe's Character Demo, Chongyun refers to Shenhe as his 小姨, which means "the youngest sister of one's mother.")
"Distant relative?" Shenhe formed a hand seal, summoning the distant talisman spirit back to her. As an Adeptus disciple, she lived in harmony with nature, which had honed her keen senses.
Although she didn't interact with people often and wasn't accustomed to crowded places, she could easily discern if someone was good or evil, sincere or deceptive, even without using any adeptal arts.
She could tell that this young man wasn't lying, which meant she truly had a familial connection in this world?
"Alright, I understand," Shenhe nodded calmly and then asked, "So, why have you come to Mt. Aozang?"
"Wow, that's a pretty cold reaction. Aren't you surprised or happy at all? After all, a distant relative came all the way to visit you," Paimon, now realizing Shenhe wasn't an Adeptus, dropped the formal tone and spread her hands in confusion.
"Surprised? Happy? I'm sorry, I don't know how to express those emotions," Shenhe replied, her long hair tied into a braid from the middle with a red ribbon holding her Vision.
The tips of her hair had a slight inky hue as she shook her head and lightly smoothed her clothes.
"Oh? Could it be that your cultivation has reached the legendary level of 'detachment from emotions' and 'harmony between heaven and humanity'?"
Xingqiu suddenly recalled a story he had read in a xianxia novel, where the protagonist, after reaching a certain level of cultivation, became emotionally indifferent—much like Chongyun's aunt here.
It seemed that her talent in cultivating the Adeptus arts was far greater than he had imagined. Xingqiu's mind wandered as he entertained his fanciful thoughts.
Shenhe frowned slightly, her snow-white brows furrowing as she tried to understand what this young man was talking about.
After a moment, she explained, "The Adeptus told me that I have a 'Lonely Star' and 'Calamity Star' fate, which brings harm to those around me. So, they used the 'Red Rope Binding Technique' to restrain the killing aura and calamity energy within me, but it also suppressed many of my human emotions."
"I see," Xingqiu nodded awkwardly, realizing he had overthought things. Real cultivation wasn't as fantastical as the stories portrayed.
Nolan, amused by Xingqiu's reaction, then turned to Shenhe and answered her earlier question: "Hello, Miss Shenhe, my name is Nolan.
"I originally wanted to seek out an Adeptus to learn their techniques, but tracking down an Adeptus proved difficult. When I heard that Chongyun had a distant relative training at Mt. Aozang, I asked him to bring us here. Even if we couldn't meet an Adeptus, I hoped to find you, Miss Shenhe, and seek your guidance in the Adeptus arts."
Shenhe seemed a bit surprised and said, "You came here specifically... to find me?"
"Mhm! If we could meet an Adeptus, that would be even better. We also brought a letter from the Liyue Qixing for the Adeptus," Paimon added.
"Alright, since you are friends of my distant relative and wish to seek guidance in cultivation, that won't be a problem," Shenhe said.
"However, according to my master, cultivating Adeptus arts requires a certain level of innate talent... Hmm, since you also wish to meet my master, come with me. She can determine whether or not you possess the necessary talent for cultivation."
She raised her hand slightly, then turned to gesture for Nolan and the others to follow her.
"Hehe, great! Paimon didn't expect Shenhe to agree so easily. It's a good thing Chongyun is with us," Paimon said excitedly as she flew ahead to follow Shenhe.
The others followed behind. Nolan glanced back with his golden Eyes of Judgment at the black wild boar that had been frozen.
He was curious—how powerful could a boar be to have knocked him into a mountain wall with such force?
[Level: 45]
A number appeared above the black boar's head. Seeing the level 45, Nolan realized this boar wasn't just any ordinary wild boar.
It was likely some kind of boar-like magical creature. Once they descended the mountain and his injuries healed a bit, he planned to finish it off.
He had to admit, the boar was indeed strong. Despite being at a lower level than himself, it had enough power to launch him into the air.
It seemed he could no longer underestimate enemies of a lower level than him. One wrong move, and it could spell trouble.
At the peak of Mt. Aozang, in front of the Adeptus' abode...
As they climbed up the stone steps, they saw a large pool of water. In the middle of the pool was a small island with a stone table and chairs, and a few stepping stones led across the water to the entrance of a stone cave dwelling.
The water in the pool was crystal clear, and fish could be seen swimming beneath the surface.
Delicate green lotus leaves floated gracefully on the water, adding to the serene beauty of the scene.
"Why aren't there any houses around here? Do Adepti not need places to sleep? Or do they live in that stone cave?" Paimon looked around curiously, confused by the lack of structures.
"Of course not. Both my master and I reside within a separate realm(domain). Please wait here while I go invite my master to come out," Shenhe replied calmly.
As she prepared to walk across the stone pathway leading to the Adeptus' cave dwelling and enter the domain to summon her master, a cool, clear female voice echoed from within the cave:
"No need for that. I noticed their arrival as soon as they set foot on Mt. Aozang."
"I thought they were just another group of ignorant mortals seeking the Adepti, but it seems they have some connection to my disciple."
As the voice finished speaking, a large white figure shot out from the Adeptus' cave dwelling, soaring high into the sky before slowly descending in front of the group.
It was a majestic white crane, its feathers gleaming with a radiant sheen. Its eyes were full of intelligence, and its entire being exuded an aura of Adeptus energy.
"W-what is that? Is that a..." Before Paimon could finish her sentence, Lumine, knowing exactly what she was about to say, quickly pulled her down and covered her mouth to prevent her from offending the Adeptus and getting turned into amber.
"Hmph, that's right. I am the Adeptus you were seeking!" The cold, clear female voice once again emerged from the white crane, confirming that she was indeed the Adeptus who had spoken earlier.
"This is my master, Cloud Retainer," Shenhe introduced Nolan and the others, then turned to Cloud Retainer and said, "Master, they wish to learn the Adeptus arts. Could you see if they have the talent?"
Sigh. "It is not out of stinginess that we Adepti ignore the many who wish to learn our arts, but rather because those among humans who possess the talent for cultivation are truly few and far between," Cloud Retainer replied.
"Those without the necessary talent would only end up harming themselves by attempting to cultivate Adepti arts."
"In all these years, the most gifted human I have encountered in this regard is Shenhe. She has been able to learn nearly every spell that the Adepti can teach. Yet, even with her talent, transcending human limitations to become an Adeptus herself remains a distant hope."
"When you broke the amber seal and released the corrupted wild boar, I used my 'Insight' to observe you all."
Cloud Retainer, still in the form of a white crane, sighed again, and then continued with a long explanation.
"You've already observed us? Does that mean you've already determined our talents?" Paimon asked curiously.
The others focused their attention on Cloud Retainer. After coming this far to meet an Adeptus, it would be disappointing if they couldn't learn the Adeptus arts due to a lack of talent.
"If you want to know, I will tell you," Cloud Retainer nodded. "But prepare yourselves. Don't set your hopes too high."
Nolan felt his heart sink slightly at Cloud Retainer's words. As an ordinary person from Earth, what cultivation potential could he possibly have? It didn't seem likely.
After all, there had never been any extraordinary things on Earth.
While Nolan was feeling anxious, Cloud Retainer turned her gaze to little Paimon:
"First, you, little one. Though you appear in the form of a human child, you are not human in essence. You were likely born from some rule or law of this world. My 'Insight' cannot fully perceive you, but one thing is clear—you do not possess the spiritual light required for cultivation, so you cannot learn the Adeptus arts."
Cloud Retainer began with Paimon, confirming what they had expected—Paimon had no talent for cultivation.
"Oh no, that's disappointing," Paimon said, her limbs drooping weakly in mid-air after hearing that she had no talent for cultivation.
After addressing Paimon, Cloud Retainer turned her gaze to Lumine:
"Greetings, Traveler."
"Greetings, Cloud Retainer. My name is Lumine," Lumine responded. She wasn't surprised that the Adeptus could see through her identity, given their powers rivaling those of the Archons.
"Though your body holds great strength, cultivation talent is determined from birth. You either have it or you don't. So there is no need for regret."
After finishing with Lumine, Cloud Retainer shifted her gaze to Nolan, clearly indicating that Lumine also lacked the talent for cultivation.
"As for you, your body is strong, and your vitality is abundant, but these traits have no connection to cultivation talent," was Cloud Retainer's assessment of Nolan, the second outsider in their group.
"Ah..." Nolan felt a genuine wave of disappointment. Lacking cultivation talent meant that both the "Mental Discipline Techniques" and the "Inner Vision" arts would be out of his reach.
Sigh. One of his main goals in coming to Liyue had just ended in failure.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, it was still hard not to feel a deep sense of regret. If only he had even a sliver of talent!
If he could just start learning Adeptus arts, with his Adventure EXP, wouldn't he be able to improve rapidly?
Unfortunately, he didn't even have a chance to begin.
"You, however, are quite impressive—a martial arts genius that only appears once in a century. Although you lack the talent for Adeptus arts, this Adeptus has many formidable martial arts techniques. Your journey here has not been in vain," Cloud Retainer said to Xingqiu.
"Thank you, Adeptus," Xingqiu replied.
Although he felt a bit regretful about not being able to practice Adeptus arts, learning powerful martial arts from an Adeptus was still an excellent opportunity.
"You possess a Pure Yang Body. Cultivating 'Yang-element' Adeptus arts would yield twice the result with half the effort. If you wish to control your internal yang energy so it doesn't go out of control every time you get some sun or eat something spicy, you could stay and learn," Cloud Retainer said, expressing her approval of Chongyun.
As Shenhe's distant relative, Cloud Retainer was willing to teach him Adeptus arts to help him control his Pure Yang Body.
"Wait, I can cultivate Adeptus arts and even control my constitution!" Chongyun became slightly excited at the news but quickly calmed himself down to avoid another personality shift that might embarrass him in front of everyone.
"Hmph, don't doubt an Adeptus's words," Cloud Retainer snorted coldly.
At this point, Cloud Retainer had assessed everyone's potential for Adeptus cultivation. Aside from Chongyun, no one else had the aptitude, which was undeniably disappointing.
"Adeptus, is there any method to strengthen one's mental power that doesn't require talent for Adeptus cultivation?" Nolan asked, unwilling to give up completely.
The "Inner Vision" technique, which was part of Adeptus arts, was now out of reach, but methods for mental training didn't necessarily have to be as advanced as Adeptus arts.
Lowering the standards, even learning the most basic techniques would be fine, especially since he had Adventure EXP to help him improve.
"A method for ordinary people to train their minds?"
Cloud Retainer pondered for a few seconds before responding, "There is indeed such a method. Shenhe knows it. If you wish to learn, you can ask her later."
Her implication was clear—something so simple wasn't worth her time to teach personally.
"Phew… alright," Nolan exhaled with some relief. At least his trip to Mt. Aozang wouldn't be completely fruitless.
"By the way, I heard you mention earlier that the Liyue Qixing sent you with a letter for me. Bring it here so I can take a look," Cloud Retainer said as if remembering something.
"Yes," Nolan replied.
He then turned to Lumine, who nodded and took out the letter that Ningguang had given them from her inventory space.
The letter in Lumine's hand floated up without wind and flew over to Cloud Retainer, opening on its own.
"The Geo Archon… has passed?! This is impossible!" Cloud Retainer suddenly exclaimed in shock as she read the letter, unable to believe the contents.
The idea that the mighty Geo Archon, with his unparalleled power, could suddenly pass away was inconceivable to her.
"Even though we didn't want to believe it either, we did see the half-Qilin, half-Dragon corpse of the Geo Archon fall from the sky. That's a fact," Paimon said helplessly, spreading her hands.
"Hmph, do you understand the Geo Archon better than I do? Even if several gods joined forces, it wouldn't be easy to assassinate him. Something else must be going on!" Cloud Retainer responded in a dissatisfied tone.
---
(End of Chapter)
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