This seemingly ordinary purple sword light cut out a deep and immeasurable stone seam on the opposite mountain cave stone wall.

  If it weren't for the powerful concealment formation here, which can cover up the fluctuations of spiritual energy within, I'm afraid this one sword would be enough to startle a Qi Refining stage cultivator from a hundred miles away - also the Island Master of Xuyun Island - out of his wits.

  "The mistress is gone, but the female master can return to the cycle of reincarnation, which is not a bad thing for her!" Youlan comforted softly.

  Youlan and Youruo were shocked by the momentum of this sword and returned to Zhao Di's side.

  "Yes, my sister and I have been thinking about it every night, hoping to be reincarnated and get the chance to become human again! The mistress is much stronger than us, master doesn't need to be too sad!" You Ruo also wanted to comfort her a bit, but as soon as she spoke, it made people feel like it wasn't quite right. On the side, You Lan quickly pulled on You Ruo's sleeve to prevent her from saying more and triggering even more of Zhao Di's sorrow.

  For a moment, inside the mountain cave, everyone was silent, with only the thick and dismal atmosphere spreading throughout.

  Zhao Di, after all, had been cultivating for many years. Although he couldn't be said to be completely devoid of emotions or desires, his state of mind was already as calm as an ancient well with no ripples. Even when faced with the pain of losing his wife, he only grieved for a few days before gradually recovering.

  He couldn't bear to part with her, and didn't follow his beloved wife's last wish to cremate her body and scatter the ashes in the ocean. Instead, he placed Yun Mengli's body in a coffin made of thousand-year-old cold jade. The temperature inside the coffin was extremely low, which could preserve her body for ten thousand years without decay.

  Then he took the mortal clothes that Yun Mengli had worn in front of him as the main item, established a garment mound for her, and informed the island's residents to bury and settle her according to local mortal customs.

  Yun Mengli mentioned many times that the time spent on the island was the happiest moment in her life, and being able to leave a grave here is also a kind of memorial.

  For over a decade on the island, Mr. and Mrs. Jian's reputation among the residents was excellent, especially those who had entrusted their children to Mr. Jian for tutoring, had even more affection for them. Therefore, upon learning of "Mrs. Jian's sudden passing due to illness", they all came to mourn at Tingzhu Shu She. On the day of the funeral, nearly half of the island's residents gathered. Seeing these people who had interacted with his beloved wife before, come to see her off on her final journey, Zhao Di felt a sense of comfort.

  "Mr. Jian! Please accept my condolences." In front of Yun Mengli's mourning hall, a man in his fifties or sixties walked up to Zhao Di and said softly.

  "Thanks, Brother Wang!" Zhao Di replied.

  "Alas, good people don't live long! You and your wife are both kind-hearted, if it wasn't for your personal guidance, my son wouldn't have been noticed by the immortal master and taken as a disciple!" Old Man Wang sighed.

  "Taken as a disciple?" Zhao Di's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he felt a hint of surprise in his heart. This person's youngest son, Wang Pu, was indeed one of his most diligent, studious, and clever students, with a hint of bookish air about him despite being under twenty years old. However, he clearly remembered that this young man did not have the spiritual root, so it was fundamentally impossible for him to practice martial arts. Why would he be taken as a disciple?

  "Not bad, it's just what happened on Qianyun Island recently. I heard that after a while, these immortal masters will send people to our Xuyun Island to select young scholars to enter the immortal gate." Old Man Wang said so.

  What an honor it is that his own son can enter the immortal gate! Except in front of Mr. Jian, Old Man Wang would mention this matter with flying eyebrows and extraordinary excitement to others.

  If it weren't for the fact that the other person had just lost his wife, he would have found it hard to conceal the excitement and complacency in his words. At this point, he restrained himself as much as possible and simply told Zhao Di about the situation at the time.

  He and his youngest son had gone to Qianyun Island several years ago, where they naturally met many immortal masters, which was a real eye-opener. Among them, there was once when two immortal masters stepped on the book volume and suddenly flew down from mid-air, blocking their way, saying that Wang Pu's body had an extraordinary immortal energy, with good qualifications, and could be accepted as a disciple.

  What a wonderful thing, the two of them would not refuse the immortal master's suggestion. The old man immediately let Wang Pu follow the immortal master and leave. The scene where the two immortal masters supported Wang Pu and stepped on the book to fly into the sky was still vivid in the old man's mind, and every time he mentioned it, he was extremely excited.

  Zhao Di casually asked a few questions about the immortal master's attire, and after the old man replied, Zhao Di immediately judged that he was a cultivator of the Qianyun Sect. Moreover, from the way he freely used flying artifacts to transport people, it seemed likely that he was still in the foundation-building stage.

  A master of the foundation period shouldn't have made a mistake in detecting spiritual roots, but he clearly remembered that this Wang Pu was an ordinary person without any spiritual roots!

  Although Zhao Di was slightly surprised by this matter, he didn't take it to heart.

  After Yun Mengli's funeral, Zhao Di did not rush to leave Xuyun Island to practice elsewhere. His current mood is not calm and not suitable for practicing martial arts. It would be better to spend some more time here, continue to teach the students he has been teaching, and also guard Yun Mengli's tomb, gradually calming his own mind.

  As a result, not long after, the Bamboo Book House resumed classes... Perhaps it was this dull and busy life that easily calmed his mood. In just two or three years, he felt that his mood had improved greatly. Maybe it was because of the experience of life and death separation, or maybe this kind of contented and simple life made him feel more fulfilled. In short, his mood had been greatly tempered over the past decade or so. Zhao Di even faintly felt that at this time, he only needed to sit quietly for a moment, without needing to take any elixirs, and he might easily break through the bottleneck of the initial stage of the Daoist elixir.

  Having sensed the subtle change in his state of mind, Zhao Di decided to complete the last two months of classes and then close the Listening to Bamboo Academy, thoroughly ending this ordinary life and returning to the Immortal Realm.

  On this day, Zhao was teaching more than 20 young students aged between 14 and 17 in the Bamboo Book House, discussing topics such as how to behave in society and establish a career. These students were among those he had taught for the longest time, with each having studied at the Bamboo Book House for over five years, and the longest for seven years.

  This is also the most satisfactory batch of "students" for Zhao Di, and there are even two or three people who have a faintly discernible air of book learning, which can only be produced after extensive reading and profound introspection.

  Unfortunately, none of these people were endowed with spiritual roots. Otherwise, Zhao Di wouldn't mind introducing them to some Confucian sects when he returned to the Immortal Realm, leading them into the world of immortal cultivators.

  He was citing classics and talking about the principle of "what you do not desire for yourself, do not do to others" when he suddenly changed his expression and felt a slight sense of surprise in his heart.

  His powerful spiritual sense detected that dozens of miles away, two cultivators were flying towards this Xu Yun Island, but they did not directly go to find the island's only cultivator, the Refining Qi stage Island Master. Instead, they landed in a village less than twenty miles from the Li Shu Pavilion.

  At such a close distance, Zhao Di's words became even clearer. The fluctuations in the two people's spiritual energy showed that they were both foundation-building cultivators at the initial stage.

  Zhao Di was guessing the origin and purpose of the two in his heart, but unexpectedly, the two only stopped briefly in the village and flew directly to the location of Tingzhu Shu She.

  Zhao Di's eyebrows slightly furrowed, if they were coming for him, it wouldn't be two Foundation Building cultivators; and with Zhao Di's current divine ability, he naturally wouldn't let two Foundation Building cultivators see any flaws, so he wasn't surprised or flustered, continuing to loudly explain the meaning of "When poor, cultivate oneself; when successful, benefit all under heaven".

  After a moment, two middle-aged Confucian scholars in spotless green robes floated in on bamboo canes about ten feet long, stopping mid-air near the Listening to Bamboo Pavilion. Both had black beards and an elegant demeanor that set them apart from ordinary people.

  "Look! The immortal master!"

  "Master Xian!"

  Flying in the sky! It's really a fairy master!

  "Hurry up and pay respects to Master Xian!"

  Many students immediately saw the scene from doors and windows, exclaimed with excitement, and then rushed out of the classroom to kneel down at the feet of the two "immortal masters".

  Zhao Di followed them out of the book house, still holding an old book in his hand. He bowed with both hands clasped together and said in a humble tone: "I welcome the two esteemed sages! I am Jian, a humble teacher at this Listening to Bamboo Book House. What can I do for you?" He had already noticed that both of them emitted the aura of books, clearly indicating they were Confucian scholars. Moreover, on the right chest of their blue robes was embroidered a symbol resembling a bamboo slip, which was the emblem of the Qianyun Sect, a Confucian school from Qianyun Island.

  The two of them didn't pay attention to Zhao Di, but instead cast a faint glance at the people below their feet, occasionally flashing a sharp light and nodding slightly, revealing a hint of a satisfied smile.

  Although Zhao Di maintained a humble and respectful posture, not daring to look directly at the two immortal masters, their every move naturally fell under his divine sense's control. He soon discovered that whenever they saw an academy student with a hint of scholarly aura, the two would reveal a thread of excitement on their faces. It seemed likely that these two had come to recruit and select disciples for their sect. But if they were to discover that none of these students possessed spiritual roots, wouldn't they be greatly disappointed? After all, regardless of whether or not one had a scholarly aura, the possibility of an ordinary person possessing spiritual roots was extremely low!

  The two in mid-air, after scanning the crowd below, exchanged whispers with slightly parted lips, but no sound came out.

  It turned out that these two casually set up a soundproof cover so that the content of their conversation would not be heard by ordinary people under their feet.

  But for Zhao Di, who had a strong divine sense, this low-level cultivator's soundproofing arrangement was completely meaningless. He effortlessly heard every word of the two men's conversation, clear as day.

  "Brother Han, this trip wasn't in vain after all. Three young men actually have the aura of a book!" The cultivator with narrowed eyes was extremely satisfied.

  "Not bad, this is a bit beyond my expectations. I originally thought that having one or two would be good enough! Especially the bookish aura of this teacher is not bad either, it seems like he's a lifelong bookworm. The square-faced monk also felt a slight surprise and shifted his attention to Zhao Di."

  "Is the senior brother saying that we should take this teacher away as well? The instructions from above were to bring back young men with a scholarly aura, not middle-aged scholars over 40!" The squinting cultivator raised his doubts, he only wanted to strictly follow the tasks assigned by the sect's elder and simply complete the task without taking any initiative.

  "What's needed is the breath of a book, and it wasn't said that it must be from a young person! Generally speaking, as these ordinary people grow up, they experience too many worldly things and can't help but be tainted by some mundane air. The breath of the book will slowly weaken, so it's hard to find the breath of a book in an ordinary person over 25 or 26 years old. This half-old scholar's breath is not bad, bringing him back to the sect is just a matter of raising one's hand, and there might even be another reward! If the sect doesn't want him, then he can be disposed of at will." The square-faced monk obviously had more considerations and insisted on taking Zhao Di back to the sect as well.

  "Since Master Han has said so, his younger brother naturally agrees!" The bespectacled bookworm didn't say much more and just smiled slightly.

  Fang Lian Xiu paused for a moment, raised his hand and gently waved it, removing the invisible soundproof cover. At the same time, he said in a loud voice: "Listen up, we are people from the Immortal Gate. Some of you have immortal energy within you, with great potential to be cultivated. Now, our Immortal Gate is recruiting disciples on a large scale. I, your immortal master, can bring some of you into the Immortal Gate!"

  The words of the immortal master on their heads made these children suddenly boil and explode like water droplets in hot oil! Joining the Immortal Gate was a beautiful dream that they had done countless times, whether day or night! Suddenly, everyone's heart was filled with surprise and tension, fearing that the "few" mentioned by the immortal master did not include their own position.

  "You, you, you, and you!" The square-faced immortal master pointed at three of the school children in mid-air, but his last finger ended up pointing at Zhao Di's body. "The four of you have a strong aura and excellent qualifications, you can enter the Immortal Gate! Follow me!"

  Three children pointed out by the fairy master immediately jumped up excitedly, took two or three steps forward and stood at the feet of the two fairy masters.

  Although Zhao's face was also surprised and delighted, he had great doubts in his heart. These two people didn't ask about the spiritual roots of him and the three children at all, but rashly said that the four of them were extremely talented. It was really unbelievable! Wasn't their intention not here, and they weren't intentionally recruiting disciples, but rather using this banner that ordinary people couldn't resist to take advantage of these people?

  For cultivators, what use can ordinary people be put to? Is it related to the breath of this book? They only focus on the breath of the book from beginning to end, and don't care whether a few people have spiritual roots. It seems that they are indeed coming for this! It's likely that they need to use the breath of the book on these ordinary people, so they're searching everywhere for students with this aura.

  After combining the dialogue of the two and thinking for a moment, Zhao Di came to the above conclusion.

  If his guess was true, then these ordinary people with the aura of books would be in great danger and might not return once they entered the Qianyun Sect.

  （）