Chapter 1

On that day, I decided to take on a disciple to rescue my soul, which has been referred to as aged.

I excitedly brought him back to the ethereal realm, where at the pinnacle of this realm, I bestowed upon him the celestial sword of the rainbow sky and granted him the disciple name—Qian Gu. I hope that in the future he will gain knowledge and be able to inherit my teachings, leaving a lasting legacy and achieving eternal fame.

Later I learned that on that day, the eternal moment was caused by a female disciple who had long harbored feelings for him, having drugged him. He hurried back, eager to cleanse his spirit and dispel the poison, only to find me blushing and lying by the wine pool. It was then that he could no longer restrain the feelings he had accumulated over decades and came over to peck me once.

Initially, regarding the matter of accepting disciples, the younger generation busied themselves back and forth, intending for me to select the one with the best innate talent among the thirty thousand disciples, so as to cultivate them into the next immortal being, thereby bringing glory to the esteemed name of the Kongling sect

But who would have thought that he would dare to provoke the malevolent spirit imprisoned in the Binding Demon Pool beneath the ethereal mountain, relying on his more than twenty years of cultivation

He glanced at the corpse of the bird demon that had died from kicking beside him, then looked at me and asked, "What is a disciple?"

The Binding Demon Pool is a deep pool of black water, where the unruly demons captured by the ethereal younglings during their outings are kept. These demons are already filled with pent-up rage from being confined, and when Qian Zhi willingly presents himself, it is only natural that he is dragged into the pool by the demons without any surprises

I have been pondering that perhaps I did not hit him enough after entering the realm of eternity, which led him to go astray. Now that he is being beaten, it might not be such a bad thing after all

Give to wear

He is more persistent than I imagined

At the apprenticeship ceremony of Qian Zhi, I did not glance at Qian Gu even once

According to the rules of the sect, in light of such circumstances, I should forfeit my lifelong cultivation and expel him from the sect as punishment for his heinous crime.

If it were not for that day when I indulged in drink and lay by the wine pool with my eyes closed in a feigned slumber, and the eternal one came and kissed me, whispering the tender words "Master" many times in my ear, I fear I would not know the thoughts of the eternal one even today

I pondered for an entire night and concluded that there were indeed errors in my educational process. However, now that the mistakes have been made, it is unlikely that they can be rectified through forceful means; instead, I must resort to more gentle approaches

This matter has completely pushed his senior apprentice brother, who had previously put in great effort to cultivate his mind in the path of Dao, onto an irreversible path

Master, I diligently practice every day and do not dare to be negligent even for a moment

He does not ask for much; he knows that the feelings in his heart are inappropriate. Therefore, he conceals those emotions, only vaguely revealing some very small expectations, hoping to be fulfilled by me

I originally thought that by bringing in such a lively and energetic disciple to adjust the atmosphere, my lineage would surely return to the normal mode of active cultivation where the master teaches the disciples.

However, I never expected that Qian Zhi would be even more worrisome than his senior brother

He looked at me and agreed

Qian Zhi and Qian Gu are entirely different; Qian Zhi has an exuberant personality, preferring activity over tranquility. After Qian Zhi entered the door, Qian Gu became even more silent compared to before, and their interactions often consist solely of Qian Zhi's incessant chatter

"Silk and satin."

I, like in the past when I received the homage of countless disciples atop the ethereal mountain, bestowed upon him a celestial sword and granted him the disciple name "Qian Zhi". I do not wish for my disciple to be remembered through the ages; I only hope that he can understand moderation and discernment, conduct himself with propriety, and be aware of etiquette and principles, knowing when to act and when to refrain.

I laughed while inside the house. Then outside, I began to hear cries of pain: "Senior brother! Senior brother! I won't talk back! Don't hit me... Ouch!"

Master..." He lowered his head, a faint smile at the corners of his lips, "I have always been looking forward to your early emergence from seclusion"

Just like me

At the moment of my exit, seeing the first sight of eternity, I still felt a sense of longing in my heart, while he evidently missed it even more than I did. On his usually serious and solemn face, there was a smile that made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. His gaze was as gentle as a large dog waiting to be petted, and he said: "Master, for these five years, I have diligently taken care of the Pinnacle of Emptiness."

But for all eternity, he is my only disciple, and he is the child I have raised by myself. After nurturing him for so many years, I would scold anyone who dared to strike him. Suddenly, how could I bring myself to ruin his cultivation

Indeed, delicacies from the mountains and the sea

However, if I were to satisfy these small expectations of his, it is hard to guarantee that he would not develop greater expectations and desires in the future

Senior Brother, every time I come down the mountain and someone calls me "Master Uncle Ancestor," what do you think in your heart? Do you feel quite pleased? Do you think if I were to feel pleased, would I get beaten by others?

My eldest disciple has indeed lived up to my expectations, making his name resound throughout the land of Shenzhou, yet he has done so in a manner that is utterly rebellious and has fallen into the path of evil, leaving a lasting infamy for eternity

In the days to come, I would occasionally catch his gaze quietly lingering on me

Thus, I accepted my eldest disciple

He did not complain about my sudden retreat, nor did he feel wronged by my five years of indifference. He simply took care of everything quietly, waiting for me to praise him a word or two when I saw him again, just like when he practiced his magic as a child, hoping for me to reward him with some candy.

But I know he is behind me, describing how silent it is

Little darling

I am actually a very traditional master and have not yet opened up to accepting such matters

But no one, including myself, expected that I would find my great disciple in a monster's lair

At the right moment, he was captured by a giant bird demon and was about to be eaten, while I, feeling greedy, went to steal the demon's eggs. I didn't manage to touch the eggs, but I did grab a child's leg instead. I dragged him out and immediately noticed his extraordinary spiritual roots and unique bones, which were far superior to those of the thirty thousand disciples of the Void.

Indeed, it has been well taken care of

I was overjoyed, having slapped to death a noisy bird demon that was chattering beside me. I brought the child to the base of the tree, not even asking for their name, and blurted out: "Do you want to be my disciple?"

With exceptional innate talent, he attained an ageless body by the age of twenty-five, and from then on, his appearance remained unchanged. Later, he also mastered the art of transformation, yet he never chose to make himself appear any younger, instead wandering around me with a face that looked slightly older than mine. But that is fine, as he is still over seven hundred and ninety years my junior.

When I had grown too lazy to count my age, my last junior disciple passed away. I sent him off in spirit, and when I turned back, I saw the disciples of the Empty Spirit Sect kneeling on the 9,000 steps in front of the mountain gate. Among them, many of my junior disciple's students had already passed away, and out of every ten people, nine could now call me great-grandmaster grandmother.

Thus, the ages fell silent. I could tell that he was somewhat hurt by my indifference. Yet, in the next moment, he returned to his usual self.

Senior brother, I got beaten up for speaking carelessly. Will you and the master help me?

In the end, it was his proud self-discipline that restrained all emotions and impulses, as he staggered away. Only then did I open my eyes, gazing at the ethereal mountaintop and the stars beyond, reflecting on myself.

Since the ancient times, Qian Zhi has taken a liking to beating him after entering the door. If his practice is not good, he gets beaten; if he speaks annoyingly, he gets beaten; if he works slowly, he gets beaten. Although Qian Gu can always find a reason to beat someone, I always feel that he is taking personal revenge. Sometimes, the sword energy directed at Qian Zhi almost shakes the door, which suggests he is not holding back his strength.

Senior brother, is your face enchanted and unable to move? It has been over ten years since I have seen you smile.

I refrained from praising him

I first entered seclusion, commanding that unless there are matters of life and death, no one is allowed to disturb me.

I remain silent

In fact, upon reflection, Qian Gu is undoubtedly the most reliable among the three disciples I have taken in. He possesses a calm demeanor, acts decisively, has the talent for governance, and is well-versed in the art of keeping a low profile. However, his only shortcoming is...

This truly makes one pound their chest in frustration, leaving me wishing I could end my own life to atone for the shortcomings of the world

Although he was encouraged by the younger generation to commit this act, the true impetus behind his actions was his inherent arrogance and pride. He came under my tutelage, yet I did not restrain his disposition; instead, I indulged his arrogance. It is indeed my fault.

I avoided him for five years

During the time of his cultivation, Qian Zhi was eager for quick results, and after mastering his spells, he would run to the foot of the Ethereal Mountain to perform for the younger generation. I thought that Qian Zhi was merely a bit showy and vain; however, he was not inherently bad. His occasional vanity could even enhance his enthusiasm for cultivating spells, so I did not deliberately stop him.

It is evident that his cultivation has advanced significantly

Due to my overly open-minded nature, I did not pay much attention to it. I reside at the peak of tranquility, where no one usually comes to disturb me, and naturally, no one in the sect took notice either. It was only after the incident that I realized how deeply this young man's thoughts were concealed.

Thus, I adopted a different approach and took in my second disciple. He was like Qian Gu, possessing exceptional innate talent and a natural aptitude for cultivating immortality. However, by that time, my second disciple was already eighteen years old, having completely missed the prime period for establishing a solid foundation in his cultivation. Despite Qian Gu's objections, I disregarded them and bestowed upon my second disciple a hundred years of cultivation experience to compensate for his lack of training in his early years

Give to eat

I have never taken on a disciple, so I truly do not know what a disciple is. However, at such times, deceiving the child is the most important thing. I thought to myself: "A disciple is a little treasure that I provide for, clothe, and cherish in the palm of my hand."

It is indeed my fault

The year I returned from the ancient times, I was already eight hundred years old, while the ancient times were only eight years old. With a face that appeared to be twenty, I had lived for eight hundred years, and naturally, I lived with great openness. However, I did not take into account the subtle and complex psychological growth of the ancient times.

Five years of avoidance seems to have changed nothing

It is naturally my duty as his master to rescue him

At that time, I was feigning sleep due to intoxication, yet my consciousness was still able to perceive all directions and hear myriad voices. With a single bite, he drained me of all my drunkenness. Fortunately, he did not engage in any more excessive actions. Considering the dignity of our master-disciple relationship, I chose not to confront him directly and continued to pretend to be asleep

"Yes, yes, my little darling." I reached out to wipe the dust and dirt off his face. He looked at me with his eyes wide open, his pupils like obsidian filled with tiny glimmers of light. I truly felt a pang of compassion; such a small child, so thin and dark, almost dragged into a bird's nest to be eaten, with no one to save him. I took his little hand, squatted down to look at him, and said, "You will be my disciple. From now on, I will never let anyone or any monster bully you. I will protect you for a lifetime." I truly felt a pang of compassion; such a small child, so thin and dark, almost dragged into a bird's nest to be eaten, with no one to save him. I took his little hand, squatted down to look at him, and said, "You will be my disciple. From now on, I will never let anyone or any monster bully you. I will protect you for a lifetime."