Perhaps it was because she was getting older that she developed a love for beauty, traces of light makeup were not hard to see on her pretty face, and her skin was so delicate and fair it seemed that a single breath could break it. Her bright, peach-blossom eyes were gentle and charming, and every time her long lashes fluttered slightly, the tender ripples in her eyes reflected Li Ping'an's profile.
She sat at the edge of the table with a tilted posture, not caring for proper form, and with her delicate hands propping her chin, she could daydream the whole day away.
A light breeze blew, and the leaves of the plane trees trembled gently.
The noises made by the little disciples bustling about outside disappeared without a trace after being filtered by the formation around the wooden building.
Ningning Mu couldn't help but ask, "Just what realm have you reached?"
Li Ping'an continued to fiddle with the object in his hands, "What do you think?"
Ningning Mu, who was at the peak of the Spirit-Gathering Realm, pouted and complained, "How did you manage to do it, senior brother? Your cultivation always seems to be just a little bit faster than mine... Eh, your uncle is here!"
A white cloud drifted from the direction of the main peak, intruding into the area of Liuyun Abbey.
Atop the cloud were two Daoists, one fat and one slim, none other than the grand disciple Li Dazhi and Weiyans Child, a high-ranking executive of Liuyun Abbey.
Ningning Mu pursed her lips and got up, "I'm going back to cultivate."
"Every time you see my father, you run away. He doesn't bite, you know."
Li Ping'an said with a smile:
"Wait until I finish this.
I've etched all my numerous insights from the moment I first kindled a glimmer of light on my spiritual platform into this spirit stone," he said. "It should help you with your upcoming breakthrough into the Condensing Light Realm."
According to the sect rules, wanting to enter the outer sect for cultivation from Liuyun Abbey requires passing the external sect trials, and these trials must be related to the mundane world since the outer sect primarily deals with worldly affairs.
"I will need to go to the mundane world. At the earliest, I won't be able to return for half a month."
Ningning Mu couldn't help but pout and say dejectedly, "Sure! I knew it! Senior brother, you must have stepped into the Condensing Light Realm."
"That..."
Li Ping'an put away the bamboo slip and raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Is there a possibility that it's not that I cultivate fast, but that you, junior sister, are too slow?"
"Not at all! I am now recognized as an Immortal Sprout by Caiyun Peak!"
The moment before, Ningning Mu was arguing with Li Ping'an, and in the blink of an eye, she was already showing a radiant smile, getting up and hurrying to the yard to salute the descending white cloud.
"Greetings, Grandmaster Dazhi."
"Ningning is here too! The girl has become even more radiant! I'll go have a chat with Ping'an first."
Li Dazhi, smiling with narrowed eyes, greeted her and had already arrived in front of Li Ping'an.
He didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Everything's arranged! You just relax, Ping'an! I've taken care of everything inside and out of the Mundane Affairs Hall! If you ask me, why bother with the trial? Just go to the outer sect for cultivation, right?"
Li Ping'an replied through a voice transmission, "Dad, let's stick to the rules. Too many people are watching you, just waiting for you to make a mistake."
Weiyans Child stood by the gate, watching this father and son with a cheerful smile, not stepping forward to join the conversation.
—Weiyans Child had only shared a few drinks with Li Dazhi and was already showing signs of becoming the grand disciple's 'chief attendant.'
Li Ping'an continued his carving without pause and sighed, "Actually, there's no need to go to such lengths; deliberately making arrangements could easily invite trouble. It's better to let me participate in the trials openly and fairly."
"Just worried about others causing trouble," Li Dazhi said, patting his belly and continuing with a smile:
"Don't worry, as long as you reach to draw the lots, you will pick out the number twenty-three written in yellow ink. The slips of paper inside are all identical!"
"You'll know the specific task for the trial when the time comes! It definitely won't be difficult!"
Li Ping'an nodded with a smile, then changed the subject, "Dad, it seems like you've been slacking off from cultivating recently..."
Li Dazhi jumped up as if a hot iron was placed under him, his corpulent Dao Body bounced to its feet.
"Well, I have another gathering! Several Peak Masters have invited me for a meal, I'll go handle that and then return to cultivate with your grandmaster, striving to reach the Primordial Immortal realm!"
With that, Li Dazhi soared into the sky, and although his retreating figure was somewhat awkward, he was gone on his cloud.
"Hahaha!"
Weiyans Child laughed heartily while stroking his goatee, then gestured with his hand to invite Ningning Mu to sit beside him under the tree, to Li Ping'an's left and right.
Li Ping'an asked, "Executive, what trial task has my father arranged for me?"
Weiyans Child replied with a smile, "The simplest one, to go to Wan'an City in the mundane world and deliver a message to that fellow Gongmin Chen."
"Oh?"
Li Ping'an raised his eyebrows slightly:
"I actually do want to visit Wan'an City again, since I lived there for two years."
"I left the mountain so abruptly at the time that I didn't get a chance to pack. Many of the books I collected were left behind in the mundane world, and I'm not sure if they can still be found."
"All you think about are your books."
Ningning Mu said discontentedly:
"I only come here once a month, and every time I find you, senior brother, you never put your books down long enough to look at me properly."
Weiyans Child said with a smile, "Look at this... Ping'an, you really shouldn't neglect such a fine young lady."
"Not at all," Ningning Mu hurriedly replied, "Executive, how can you say such things? My relationship with senior brother is based on righteousness, it's not... what you're thinking..."
Li Ping'an's hands had just stopped moving, and he looked up at Ningning Mu.
Ningning Mu, for some reason, hung her head and muttered softly:
"Senior brother Ping'an hides here cultivating all year round, doesn't go out... otherwise, he would definitely meet numerous true immortals who'd fall in love with him at first sight."
"Here."
Li Ping'an tossed the spirit stone over to her and said with a smile:
"Right now, what I want to do is to find my father a new spouse. Even if I did meet such immortals, considering my cultivation, I wouldn't think about a partner for myself just yet.
Priest Ningning, you still need to work hard at cultivating in Caiyun Peak.
I've heard that in a few months, the sect will hold the grand competition for new disciples of the past twenty years. You've only been on the mountain for three years, junior sister, but if you can reach the Condensing Light Realm in these next few months, you will surely make a name for yourself in the upcoming competition."