Chapter 96
Gu Xiyu sent Guo Yiyi away not long after. He called the two disciples, who still needed to eat three meals a day, and prepared to train them.
Of course the training plan was for the male protagonist, Lu Cheng, who is, after all, the son of destiny in this world. It is still unknown whether he will fight with Bu Tianhan in the future, but he needs to have the ability to protect himself. As for Bu Tianhan, who sneaked in……he’ll just deal with him casually.
Gu Xiyu told them about his training arrangement.
Lu Cheng’s goal was clear from the start; he wanted to follow Gu Xiyu’s cultivation of the Emotionless Dao. After all, it is a good way to restrict Bu Tianhan, who can return from death, as well as deal with demon cultivators and correct the culture of the continent.
But Gu Xiyu shook his head at Lu Cheng and told him: “You are not suitable for practicing the Emotionless Dao.”
Lu Cheng did not understand: “Why did Master say that?” As far as he could remember, everyone would measure his natural ability and say, ‘You should go and practice the Emotionless Dao’. He had also looked into the relevant books and records and found that the heart of this path was very similar to what he was seeking in his heart, so he was also willing to pursue this path.
Unexpectedly, Gu Xiyu said to him, “You are not suitable.”
This was the first person to say this to him.
Gu Xiyu had a reason for saying this. He had the system, so he knew the later plot development. The first stage of the original plot was indeed the introduction of the emotionless dao, but although Lu Cheng looked serious and stern, he is very soft-hearted and emotional on the inside.
Especially in the later stage, where he fell in love with the female protagonist, Lin Qianyue, and this became a hindrance to his cultivation. In the original plot, the villains, including Bu Tianhan, used this to ruin his dao and almost ruin him as well, so that all the efforts he had made in the previous years were in vain.
Now that he had come to this mission world, he naturally had to protect Lu Cheng from going down the wrong path.
Gu Xiyu could not tell Lu Cheng the reason, but it so happened that a white bird suddenly fell from the wutong tree next to the courtyard where they were talking. The bird was very beautiful, with white feathers without a single blemish. It landed on the branch and slowly retracted its wings and tilted its long, thin neck in a graceful movement. The feathers on its tail were so long that, at first glance, it resembled the legendary phoenix that preferred leaving in sycamore trees.
When the bird saw them, there was no fear in its round eyes; instead, it opened its mouth and chirped softly at them, the sound soft and ethereal.
Gu Xiyu, who was talking to Lu Cheng, suddenly raised his hand and put his two fingers together in the shape of a sword. He pointed in the direction of the white bird, and a fierce sword energy fell, killing it without mercy.
Lu Cheng’s pupils shrank slightly as he watched, obviously feeling some pain at the death of the white bird. He wanted to ask Gu Xiyu why he had done that, but didn’t dare to do so.
Gu Xiyu then took the initiative to say, “This is a phoenix, which got this name because its call and appearance are very similar to those of a phoenix, but it is not a real phoenix.”
“Moreover, it is also a kind of auspicious bird.”
Hearing this, Lu Cheng could not resist asking, “Then why did Master ……”
Gu Xiyu looked at him and said in a light voice: “Although it is an auspicious bird now, it will shed all its white feathers and grow black ones when it reaches adulthood. At that time, it will no longer be an auspicious and gentle bird, but a seed of the demonic dao. When the bird becomes a demon, it will leave behind demonic qi in all the places it passes through, and the spirit beasts that are infected with it will be affected and go mad, and the spiritual plants will become poisonous. The remnants of the demonic qi will even become a signal for the demons to track, and will attract a gathering of demonic beasts or demonic cultivators, bringing all sorts of danger.”
“For example, there are countless boundaries set up around the Tiansu Immortal Sect to resist the invasion of demonic cultivators. Ordinary demon cultivators who try to force their way in without permission are bound to be injured and even trigger the Immortal Gate’s warnings, which is why the creatures within the Immortal Gate have been unaffected by demonic qi for thousands of years.”
“But the phoenix was able to enter and leave the boundary freely because it did not have any magic power in its body before it became a demon. If I didn’t kill it, it would remain within the Immortal Gate until it is transformed, and when it reappears, it will certainly cause turmoil. Moreover, this bird is special, just like that great demon Bu Tianhan, ordinary cultivators cannot easily kill it, only those of the Emotionless Dao can kill it directly.”
Gu Xiyu looked at the silent Lu Cheng and continued, “When you enter the emotionless dao, you will have to kill it once you see it, can you do that?”
Lu Cheng gritted his teeth for a moment, “Since Master has said that it is a harmful bird, naturally I can.”
But Gu Xiyu said, “I said it would go onto the demonic path when it reached adulthood, I didn’t say it was a harmful bird.”
“At least the one you saw just now was indeed still an auspicious bird. Before it reaches adulthood, the Phoenix is pure of heart, wise, and kind, and often wanders out to help people or cultivators in need. Perhaps it has just saved someone outside; perhaps it has brothers and sisters who are still as ignorant as it is and are waiting for it to return; it might even stay and help you …… after knowing that, would you still have the courage to kill it?”
The more Lu Cheng pondered, the whiter his lips became, and he was unable to guarantee it like before.
Gu Xiyu sighed lightly and said while looking straight into the distance, “The pre-adult Phoenix is indeed amiable and endearing, I like it too, but I can’t leave it alive.”
“The emotionless dao is not truly emotionless, it is just that one must give up a little love in order to fulfill a greater love. It is not that you cannot be moved, only that what moves your heart must be discarded and put to death if it conflicts with the peace of all beings.”
There is no room for love or desire, only the ability to treat all things equally, and not keep a single point of love for anyone or anything more.
Gu Xiyu withdrew his distant gaze, looked at Lu Cheng, and said, “Besides, you are bound to meet the person you love in this life in the future, I don’t want you to regret it then or be caught up in this emotionless dao.”
Lu Cheng’s ears reddened as he heard this: “It doesn’t matter if I love someone… or not, since I’m dedicated to cultivation, I certainly won’t think about love affairs. Even if I have to be alone like master, this disciple doesn’t mind.”
“You are still young.” Gu Xiyu gave him these words and then took out a book that looked a bit old and said, “The emotionless dao is not an easy path, but you can consider it.”
The book he gave Lu Cheng was a detailed introduction to the Sword Dao. This cultivation path was a bit similar to that of the emotionless dao; both pay attention to meditation and little desires, but it was slightly better than the emotionless dao in that it did not require cutting off emotions or thoughts. It was the path that the male protagonist turned to when he came back from the tribulation later on after falling in love with Lin Qianyue.
It was better to save him from all the unnecessary trouble ahead and let him refine his sword skills sooner.
Lu Cheng must have been a little hesitant, but he couldn’t get past the hypothetical hurdles Gu Xiyu had raised, so he accepted the book Gu Xiyu had given him and returned to his hut with a heavy heart.
After sending Lu Cheng away, little Bu Tianhan, who had been secretly observing him for a long time, came to him without his having to ask and rightly asked, “It’s my turn; what are you giving me?”
This Bu Tianhan reminded him of the rebellious child.
For Bu Tianhan, Gu Xiyu had, of course, prepared a few more books than Lu Cheng.
With the mindset that more quantity equals more importance, Bu Tianhan was satisfied to receive the stack of books, but he frowned when he saw the names on the cover: “This is what you are giving me?”
He originally thought that he could take advantage of the opportunity to get some of the Immortal Sect’s unique skills or something like that from Gu Xiyu, but it turned out that all Gu Xiyu gave him were some kind of saintly books such as “The Sutra of Tranquility”, “Cultivation of the Mind”, “Enlightenment of the Bright Mind,” etc. All were books that could sublimate one’s soul after reading them.
Gu Xiyu replied without changing his face, “Yes, what’s the problem?”
Feeling offended, Bu Tianhan subconsciously said, “There’s a big problem, you said so much to Lu Cheng, but you’re treating me perfunctorily. Isn’t giving me these books treating me like a child?”
Gu Xiyu, whose expression was always cold, suddenly raised the corners of his lips a little and asked, “Are you an adult?”
Bu Tianhan choked at his question and could only pull the seventeen-year-old Lu Cheng down with him, “Lu Cheng isn’t either!”
“Call him senior brother.” Gu Xiyu reminded indifferently before responding, “He is still older than you and will be an adult as soon as his birthday is over, you …… I’m afraid that it will take a few more years.”
Bu Tianhan took a deep breath and tried to suppress the desire to prove himself.
If it weren’t for the fact that the name of the soul beneath this Ta Ling’s skin was Gu Xiyu, he would never have expended so much effort in dealing with him.
After a moment of silence, he heard Gu Xiyu continue unhurriedly, “Moreover, your current mind is still unstable, your heart is chaotic and easily angered and irritable, all of which are the biggest taboos for cultivators; you should read these books to calm your mind down.”
At these words, Bu Tianhan could not help but wonder if Gu Xiyu had already discovered his true identity. But he immediately dismissed this thought. Both Ta Ling and Gu Xiyu wanted to kill him, so how could Gu Xiyu let him hang around after discovering his identity?
Was it a scheme within a scheme? But if so, his defenseless attitude yesterday did not make sense.
Bu Tianhan hugged the stack of books, lowered his head, and adjusted his expression before saying to Gu Xiyu, “… I understand. Thank you, Master.”
Gu Xiyu watched as Bu Tianhan slowly disappeared from his sight. He was still sitting in place when he suddenly received a message from the intelligent system.
[Your mission in this world is to deal with Bu Tianhan, but you are leisurely teaching your disciples, aren’t you worried that he will mess around outside and disturb the order of the continent?]
Gu Xiyu laughed inwardly as he listened, “It’s not like he hasn’t been making trouble in the past.”
Seeing that the system didn’t reply, he raised his eyes and glanced in the direction where little Bu Tianhan had disappeared before saying calmly, “Let’s wait until he makes another move since he is so capable. If he really causes any trouble, the news will soon reach the Immortal Sect.”
“Why don’t I use this little gap to teach my two new disciples well? They might even help me subdue this great demon in the future.”
As he returned to his hut with the books in his hand, Bu Tianhan thought about Gu Xiyu’s words, hesitantly thinking that the other party hadn’t discovered his identity yet.
In the next period, Bu Tianhan had the rare privilege of living a simple life in the Tiansu Immortal Sect under the identity of ‘Xie Xing’. The guidance he received from Gu Xiyu was different from that of Lu Cheng, who had already started practicing his sword. Gu Xiyu asked him to chop wood and carry water, and when he asked why, he said it was to train his mind.
Bu Tianhan reasonably suspected that this master was oppressing him.
All the talk about favoring his young disciple was a lie, he was just looking for a servant. Especially when Gu Xiyu asked him to fetch water, not from the well at the back, he had to the river at the bottom of the mountain or a nearby peak.
What was this if not making things difficult for him?
So every day during the day, Bu Tianhan was obedient to Gu Xiyu, swallowing all his grievances, and at night, when he slept with him, he poured demonic qi into his yuanshen little by little, slowly depleting its state.
There was no visible effect in the short term, but in the long run, it would definitely cause some stimulation to his cultivation and body.
But this night, Bu Tianhan did not fall asleep after filling Gu Xiyu with some demonic Qi. Having not returned to the demon realm for a long time, he did not know how the outside world was now and planned to take advantage of the night to sneak out of the Immortal Gate for a trip. He has already registered under the Tianshu Immortal Sect anyway, and the surrounding boundaries would not impose restrictions on him.
The demon realm was so far from the Tiansu Immortal Gate that he would not be able to return in time, so he just wanted to take a look around the area and use this great opportunity to cause some trouble in the immortal realm.
However, on his way out of the Tiansu Sect, he accidentally saw a familiar face as he passed through the main peak range.
Bu Tianhan’s eyes instantly glowed red, and he could barely control the anger that sprang up inside him at that moment, exposing his demonic pupils.
It was a face that he would never forget, even if his soul flew into oblivion!
He never thought that this person would still be alive. He had searched for so long, but he had never thought that he would be hiding in the Tiansu Immortal Sect!