"What are we going to do at the mountain peak?" Feng Baiyi suddenly asked.
"This...that..." Even Xiao Wenbing, who was incredibly audacious, stammered and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Zhang Yaqi gently freed herself from his large hand and said in a barely audible voice, "I'm going to do my studies now, Wenbing. Goodbye, Sister Feng."
Having said that, her figure flickered and disappeared in a flash.
Xiao Wenbing was both surprised and furious. He was surprised that Zhang Yaqi had made such progress in just a few days, which truly impressed him and made him feel inferior. It was clear that the title of top-level Golden Core cultivator was indeed well-deserved.
As for the reason for his anger, well, it goes without saying that he is a man, a fully developed man in every way.
"Sigh... the duck that was almost in my hand has flown away..." Xiao Wenbing sighed, then suddenly saw Feng Baiyi beside him, the culprit who broke up the couple. Instantly, he was filled with righteous indignation, and evil thoughts arose in his heart. He thought to himself, "She's gone, so I'll make up for it with you."
He glared angrily at Feng Baiyi, his deep gaze conveying a silent condemnation.
Feng Baiyi looked into his eyes, and his dark eyes, as clear as autumn water, were completely open and honest.
Faced with such stunning beauty, Xiao Wenbing's heart suddenly began to pound violently. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt, and the strange feelings that had been deeply suppressed in his heart sprouted and grew again like saplings in spring.
"Wenbing, come here."
Xiao Wenbing turned his head and looked around; the old Taoist priest Xianyun was waving at him.
For some unknown reason, he suddenly felt a sense of relief. Xiao Wenbing immediately responded, waved to Feng Baiyi, and walked away quickly.
Behind him, a faint smile gradually appeared in his bright, large eyes.
Volume 4, Chapter 102: Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover
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As the old Taoist priest Xianyun arrived at the room, Xiao Wenbing said with a serious expression, "Disciple has made a mistake, please punish me, Master."
Although I don't know what I did to displease the old Taoist priest, it would be good to take the initiative to admit my mistake.
The old Taoist priest was taken aback and couldn't help but look at him a few more times. This was the first time Xiao Wenbing had taken the initiative to admit his mistake in front of him, so he asked, "You also know you were wrong?"
"Yes, disciple knows he has made a mistake, please punish him, Master."
The old Taoist priest Xianyun was initially furious, but seeing Xiao Wenbing's serious attitude, his anger subsided considerably. He sighed, "Your shouting and yelling today has utterly disgraced our sect."
"Ah..." Xiao Wenbing then realized where he had gone wrong. He quickly said respectfully, "This is the first time I have seen such strange and unusual things, so I inevitably lost my composure. Please forgive me, Master."
The old Taoist priest shook his head and said helplessly, "Forget it, let's not mention this matter again."
Xiao Wenbing responded, thinking to himself that his master had become so understanding today, not even uttering a single word of scolding.
The old Taoist priest hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Wenbing, how many years have you known Elder Zhang?"
"Elder Zhang?" Xiao Wenbing looked at his master strangely. It sounded so awkward coming from the old man's mouth. "Reporting to Master, it has been five years."
"Five years, hmm, Wenbing. Starting today, Yaqi will be in seclusion with Sect Master Tianyi for three years. Before she emerges from seclusion, you two should not meet again," the old Daoist Xianyun solemnly instructed.
"Why?" Xiao Wenbing was shocked and quickly asked.
"It is already astonishing that you were able to form a Golden Core in a year, but Zhang Yaqi, with the help of two supreme treasures, leaped to the top level of the Golden Core in just a few months, which is unprecedented." The old Taoist stroked his beard and smiled, "With such rapid progress, the foundation is inevitably unstable, and it may not be a blessing in the future."
"An unstable foundation? So the Heavenly One Sect Master is going to help her build her foundation?"
“Exactly.” The old Taoist nodded repeatedly and said, “Elder Zhang is still a virgin, which is the perfect time for him to establish his foundation. If…” He suddenly glanced at Xiao Wenbing and said, “If someone were to ruin his body, it might leave a seed of trouble. When the heavenly tribulation comes in the future, he will regret it too late.”
Xiao Wenbing's mouth dropped open, and he asked in surprise, "Master, what did you say?"
Old Daoist Xianyun snorted and said, "Do you think we old folks can't see through your little scheme? We originally wanted to wait a few more days, but you're acting so impatient, humph... I had high hopes for you."
Xiao Wenbing stared at the old Taoist priest quietly, his gaze growing increasingly strange.
At first, the old Taoist priest remained calm, but as the gaze gradually became strange, he finally couldn't sit still any longer and asked, "What are you looking at?"
“Master…” Xiao Wenbing’s voice was filled with grief. He gently bit his lower lip, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Alas," sighed the old Taoist priest, "Wenbing, you don't need to feel so guilty. You've only been in the Taoist sect for a short time, and you don't know all the taboos. It's understandable that you might make a mistake occasionally."
Xiao Wenbing shook his head, then shook his head again, and finally said, "Master, I really didn't expect that you...you are all a bunch of voyeurs."
The old Taoist priest's expression froze for a moment, then he flew into a rage. This was intolerable!
The old Taoist priest suddenly stood up and flicked his sleeve. Xiao Wenbing was caught off guard, but even if he had been prepared, it would probably have been futile. His body was suddenly sent flying into the air, but when he landed, he felt as if he had landed in a pile of cotton, soft and without any pain.
"You brat!" the old Taoist priest scolded angrily. "If you dare to talk nonsense again, be careful, your master... hmph, I will punish you severely."
Xiao Wenbing sprang to his feet with a quick movement, and said with a smile, "Master, I know you wouldn't have the heart to punish me, would you?"
The old Taoist priest sighed helplessly and said, "Wenbing, if you hadn't met this old Taoist priest, you would have suffered a great loss."
Xiao Wenbing stepped forward, grabbed the old Taoist's sleeve, and said, "Master, it is precisely because I am in front of you that I can be so unrestrained. If it were someone else, hehe..." He chuckled twice, then suddenly stopped smiling, turned over and bowed to the old Taoist: "Master, thank you very much."
The old Taoist priest, bewildered, helped him up, wondering what he was up to now, but still asked, "What are you thanking me for?"
“Master, if it weren’t for your guidance, I would have ruined Yaqi’s life. Thank you so much,” Xiao Wenbing said sincerely.
The old Taoist priest smiled slightly and said, "Actually, you should thank one more person."
"who?"
"Fellow Daoist Feng."
"Feng Baiyi?" Xiao Wenbing murmured, suddenly recalling the peerless beauty who had suddenly appeared atop the mountain. It turned out that the real spy was her. He then thought resentfully that she had put on a nonchalant and sanctimonious act in the square.
He sighed sincerely, "You really can't judge a book by its cover."
"Wenbing, actually, we Taoists don't have any taboos about matters between men and women," the old Taoist Xianyun suddenly said, changing the subject.
"Huh... Master, you just said it was impossible, how come it's possible in the blink of an eye?" Xiao Wenbing was very surprised. Why was the old man's speech so incoherent and confusing?
"In terms of cultivation, once you can condense your inner core, you should no longer have any worries."
Xiao Wenbing's expression immediately turned strange. He said softly, "Master, I have already formed my core, and Yaqi has even reached the Golden Core stage."
“Not bad, although you have already formed your core, it has been too short a time and your foundation is not stable. Wenbing, you kid, remember this: within three years, you are not allowed to get close to women, otherwise this old Daoist, hmph…” Daoist Xianyun’s imposing gaze swept across his face.
Xiao Wenbing nodded repeatedly, but he didn't take the old Taoist's threatening words to heart at all.
Master Xianyun sighed helplessly. Taking on such a disciple was certainly his good fortune, but the mental and physical effort required was at least ten times greater.
He shook his head. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. These little ones are no ordinary people. Perhaps he was meddling too much.
Volume 4, Chapter 103: Learning Artifacts
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"Giggle, gurgle giggle..."
Xiao Wenbing was startled. What was that sound? He looked up at the impassive old Taoist priest with a puzzled expression, then glanced around. There were only the two of them in the room. If the strange sound hadn't come from him, then…
"Master? Was that you speaking just now?" Xiao Wenbing asked cautiously.
The old Taoist priest nodded and said, "That's right."
Xiao Wenbing strangely held up two fingers and waved them in front of the old Taoist priest, asking, "Master, how many is this?"
The old Taoist priest looked at him with great confusion and said, "Two."
Xiao Wenbing breathed a deep sigh of relief and said, "Master, so you're not senile after all."
"Nonsense!" Old Daoist Xianyun retorted angrily, "You're the one who's confused."
Xiao Wenbing exclaimed, "Master, since you're not out of your mind... um, nothing's wrong, why are you yelling like that?"
He snorted heavily. This little fellow really didn't know how to respect the elderly. He didn't know how Mingmei had taught him. When they got back, he would definitely make him face the wall for ten years. The old Taoist priest had no way to deal with him, so he could only vent his anger on his guide, Mingmei.
"This is the common language of our cultivation world. Starting tomorrow, you will consult Taoist classics in the morning and learn the common language from your master in the afternoon. Six months later, we will go to the Jade Cauldron Sect and have you refine a few protective magic treasures for yourself."
Refining weapons? Xiao Wenbing suddenly smiled and waved his hand in front of the old Taoist priest.
"What are you doing?" The old Taoist priest asked, puzzled, as his gaze followed the back-and-forth movement of the man's hand.
“Master, didn’t you say you would bestow some magical treasures upon your disciple to protect him from the heavenly tribulation? Why not bestow them upon him now?” Xiao Wenbing said with a smile.
The old Taoist priest shook his head, his expression solemn, and said, "If it were Jun'er and the others, I would have already bestowed them upon them, but not you."
Xiao Wenbing asked in surprise, "Why?" The old Taoist's favoritism towards him far exceeded that towards the other disciples, so why did he become so stingy when it came to distributing magical treasures? However, Xiao Wenbing also knew that the old Taoist must have had a deeper meaning for doing this; in any case, it was definitely not for his own benefit.
"Your aptitude is the best I have ever seen in my life, so I want you to start by learning the most basic training methods, so that one day you can forge your own treasure." The old Taoist Xianyun said solemnly, "Just like the White Egret Ancestor, who was able to forge the Qiankun Ring, one of the three great treasures of the cultivation world, with just an ordinary willow branch. You also have that hope."
Hearing the old Taoist priest's high expectations for him, Xiao Wenbing was deeply moved. However, he felt resentful for not receiving anything. His eyes darted around, and he said, "Master, I understand the principle of gradual progress. However, could you please give me two items to learn from?"
"No," the old Taoist Xianyun firmly refused. "Right now, you haven't come into contact with any finished products. You can refine whatever type of thing you want. If you see other people's magic weapons, you will inevitably have preconceived notions, which will restrict your own development."
Hearing the old Taoist priest speak so firmly, Xiao Wenbing couldn't help but sigh in frustration.
The old Taoist priest coughed lightly and said, "Wenbing, it is indeed much more difficult to learn from the most basic knowledge bit by bit than to be taught directly. But what you learn in this way is just as solid. Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one become... a sage among sages. I believe you have this talent."
“Yes.” Xiao Wenbing thought for a moment and said, “Master, the Taoist art that I most want to learn is the art of flying swords. Why don’t you teach me flying swords first?”
The old Taoist priest frowned and said, "Wenbing, don't forget that there is a butterfly fairy on your body that is about to take shape. Before it encounters the heavenly tribulation, you must refine enough magic treasures to withstand it."
Xiao Wenbing nodded as if he understood, and said, "What Master means is that flying sword techniques are not as powerful as magic weapons."
The old Taoist priest shook his head vigorously and quickly explained, "Nonsense, when did I ever say that? However, the art of flying swords is profound and complex. Without hundreds of years of accumulation, one cannot hope to reach a state of perfection. As for forging magical artifacts, if one has enough talent and materials, one can achieve minor success within ten years. The transformation of a butterfly fairy takes at least forty or fifty years, and at most a hundred years. During this time, if you want to successfully withstand half of the butterfly fairy's heavenly tribulation, the path of artifact forging is your only choice."
A strange expression suddenly appeared on Xiao Wenbing's face. He asked softly, "Several hundred years? Master, then is Feng Baiyi's sword control technique only at the beginner level?"
The old Taoist priest was taken aback, and after a long while, he was speechless.
To be honest, the old Taoist priest had never seen Feng Baiyi's true strength, but with his keen eye, he could tell at a glance that her cultivation was extremely high, far beyond what the term "entry-level" could describe.
However, faced with this disciple's question, he really couldn't think of a way to answer it for the time being...