2:07, afternoon

  Things developed just as Mò Tiān Gē had expected.

  The person who came up with this idea originally thought that it would give the three sects' disciples a chance to exchange pointers, but didn't expect that it would instead become an opportunity for them to kill each other.

  For this, the Founding Ancestor of the Zi Xia Sect was enraged and almost slapped to death the person who came up with this idea on the spot.

  But they, the Qi-refining disciples, didn't learn about these things until much later. On that day, after their trial was over, the three Dan-formation masters were all pale-faced. After hearing the report from their disciples, they sent several Foundation-building disciples to clean up the aftermath. These Foundation-building disciples brought back some seriously injured Qi-refining disciples and also reported on the tragic situation left behind in the mountains.

  Then, the ancestors of the Dan family didn't know what they discussed, and nothing was said. They just took them back to the sect and ordered them not to go down the mountain. After inquiring, Brother Zhou told them that there was no need to be anxious, which comforted some people a little.

  This time they practiced, there were many fewer people in this courtyard. The house of Mo Tian Ge was considered good, with five people alive and four coming out. The one who didn't come out... was Xu Jing Zhi.

  Liu Yidao was seriously injured, but he survived in the end. Xu Jingzhi, however, went missing. It is unknown who killed him or where his remains were buried, and no trace of him can be found.

  In this disaster, many people disappeared like this, only they didn't think that Xu Jingzhi would be one of them.

  The exact news was obtained, and the Xu family came to collect his belongings. As a result, Xu Jingzhi's traces in this room disappeared completely.

  Before long, the host announced the result of this trial. As expected, no investigation or treatment was conducted, and the distribution of foundation pills was directly announced.

  This time, only about a hundred Yunwu Sect disciples survived, but forty of them obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill. It's said that because the loss of elite disciples was too severe, the Yuan Ying Master Ancestor of the Zixia Sect decided to issue more Foundation Establishment Pills, hoping that more Foundation Establishment Cultivators would emerge from among them to make up for this loss. Mo Tian Ge, one of the four people in his house, and Mu Rong Yan were all among them.

  But this news did not make Mo Tian Ge happy. The death of Murong Zi and the disappearance of Xu Jing Zhi made her more confused than ever before.

  She remembered the day before the trial, Xu Jingzhi's irritable appearance... In fact, that day, she had a bad premonition, but didn't think deeply about it. Never expected that it would be a permanent farewell.

  "Leaf younger brother."

  Mo Tian Ge leaned against a tree, lifted his head, and saw Qin Xi standing in front of him, handing over a wine bottle.

  She forced a smile and took it over.

  Qin Xi also sat down beside her, and the two of them silently drank their wine.

  On an autumn afternoon, sunlight filters through the leaves and shines on my body, making me feel lazy and unwilling to move. The surroundings are quiet, with only a distant waterfall adding a touch of vitality with its gentle gurgling sound.

  It was only a few months ago that eight people were chatting and laughing together here, with everyone making her busy running around. But now, Xu Jing has died, Liu Yidao is seriously injured, Wang Qian has married far away, Shen Bing has become a nun, Murong Yan has decided to cultivate bitterly, and Zhou Shixiong is busy with his future prospects. The only one left who can come here to sit with her is Qin Xi.

  "Brother Qin."

  "Huh?"

  "What if you have built a foundation? What should be done?"

  "Of course I'll continue to cultivate... why ask this?"

  Moy Tian Ge shook his head, unable to articulate the frustration in his heart: "I just can't figure it out, what's the point of cultivating immortality anyway?"

  What is the purpose of cultivating immortality? Eight out of ten people in the cultivation world would answer without hesitation, for eternal life. But what's the point of eternal life? Why do they fight and kill each other, causing countless deaths... For the sake of eternal life, why do they show no mercy to life itself?

  Qin Xi thought for a moment, not responding, but instead shook his head and slowly started talking about something unrelated: "I was born into a royal family in the mundane world, but since I'm from a side branch, I've never been valued and have always been bullied by others. For some reason, I felt different from others since childhood, didn't want to compete with my brothers for favor, nor did I have an interest in playing, only focusing on reading books wholeheartedly. When I was eight years old, a guest came to our royal palace, said to be one of our ancestors, seemingly an extraordinary person who had lived for hundreds of years yet looked not a day older. In his presence, even the most authoritative family head didn't dare make a sound. Then, I was brought before him, and after he examined my spiritual roots, he told my elders that he wanted to take me away. At that time, I was still young and didn't know what to expect. But suddenly, I felt that perhaps this was the path I was meant to take..."

  He turned around with a faint smile: "Indeed, my premonition was correct. I have taken a path that is completely different from the brothers of the Wang family. Now I am still young, but those former brothers and sisters have already turned to dust... What is cultivation for? This question I cannot answer. Cultivation is just an inevitable part of life for me, no need to ask why, it's just what I want to do."

  This quiet narrative made Mo Tian Ge feel very calm, and his experiences also allowed her to see herself.

  "Just wanting to go on like this... is that it?" She pressed her forehead, saying in a low voice, "I don't know why I ended up on this path... I was young and clever, knowing how to read people's faces from a very early age, getting used to the warmth and coldness of human relationships, often feeling pain in my heart. At that time, I only hated myself for understanding these things, why couldn't I be like other children? Later on... later on, after meeting Second Uncle, I realized I was really different from other kids. Cultivating immortality? I don't know what it's for either, just... Second Uncle told me. Without power, there is no freedom."

  "Without strength, there is no freedom." Qin Xi murmured repeatedly, gazing at her eyes, which suddenly became much more complex.

  A bottle of wine was finished, and Mo Tian Ge threw away the empty bottle. In fact, she never drank before, neither had the mood nor the opportunity. Er Shu didn't drink because he said that a cultivator shouldn't indulge in worldly things, so she thought the same way too. However, this feeling after drinking wine felt very comfortable to her.

  "Qin Shixiong, your elder should have left you by now, right?"

  Qin Xidun paused for a moment and didn't say anything.

  "Actually... Second Uncle's lifespan is almost up, if not this year, then next. Sometimes I feel like I can accept it calmly, sometimes I find it hard to imagine. What would I do if Second Uncle were gone? If he were to disappear suddenly like Xu Shixiong, without even a chance to say goodbye, what would I do?" She hugged her shoulders and buried her head in the crook of her arm, not daring to continue speaking.

  Qin Xi wanted to pat her shoulder, but hesitated for a moment, and his hand still didn't fall. Finally, he said: "I'm different from you. In fact, my qualifications aren't the best, but I've been cultivating until now, and I've never had a bottleneck. My ancestor said that maybe I was born to cultivate immortality, with no obsessions or entanglements. In other words, I don't have any extra emotions. I can't understand your feelings, but I know you're too obsessed with emotions. If you can't let go, you won't achieve anything in the future."

  "Mò Tiān Gē dāi le dāi: 'zhí niàn...'"

  Translation:

  "Mo Tian Ge was stunned: 'Obsession…'"

  Qin Xi let out a sigh and patted her shoulder: "That's all I can say, whether you can do it or not is up to you. Cultivating immortality... perhaps for you, there are many things that need to be given up..."

  Mò Tiān Gē was deep in thought. Obsession... Was it because she had yearned for too much since childhood, so her heart was filled with obsession? She seemed to understand a little, yet was also somewhat confused.

  Qin Xi handed over another bottle of wine: "Don't think too much, if you can figure it out so easily, then it's not an obsession. This requires opportunity, let's take it slow."

  Another bottle of wine down the hatch, and Yìmí heard Qin Xī chuckle: "Leaf Shidi, you've never had a drink before, have you? Who drinks like it's water?"

  The sky was a blur, she looked up to see in front of her, it seemed like several Qin Xis were flickering about. She tilted her head, stretching out her hand as if wanting to steady his: "Qin...brother, how is it that you...are using Illusion Technique?"

  Qin Xi was taken aback, then burst out laughing and finally laughed so hard that he pounded the ground: "You... I should have gotten you drunk earlier, how could you..."

  Mo Tian Ge looked at him for a while, then stood up and walked unsteadily towards the water's edge.

  Qin Xi shouted from behind: "Ye Shidi, what are you trying to do?"

  She still took three swaying steps: "Wash... wash your face."

  She walked to the edge of the pond, squatted down, saw her own shadow in the water, and suddenly froze.

  She hadn't paid attention to her appearance for a long time, and only today did she discover that it had changed greatly from what she remembered. Her originally thin eyebrows now had shape, the contours of her face seemed deeper, and her cheeks were plumper, clearly those of an adult. Although her head was still muddled, she still felt terrified, because... this face looked more and more like a woman's.

  "Leaf, are you done?"

  Hearing the voice behind her, she hastily scooped up water to wash her face, but the face that could be seen was still radiant. Then again worried about being discovered by Qin Xi, she didn't dare turn her head, and in a state of panic thought, would anyone have noticed...

  "Leaf Shidi..."

  She slipped under her feet and suddenly couldn't hold her balance, "plop" fell into the water.

  "Ye Shidi!" This scene left Qin Xi stunned, after a while, seeing Mo Tian Ge struggling in the water, he came back to his senses, jumped up instantly and grabbed her from the surface of the water back to the shore. He shook his head: "I say, Ye Shidi, you really are drunk, as a cultivator, you can't even swim, where's your light body technique?" Looking down, he felt even more helpless. This wasn't just ordinary foolishness... she had actually been choked by water and fainted...

  Put the person under the tree, Qin Xi thought for a moment, raised his hand, and in his hand was a section of fresh peach branch that came from who-knows-where. The peach blossoms were still on the branch, spitting out nectar, with dew water contained within, as if they had just been plucked from the tree. He saw him muttering a few sentences under his breath, and finally waved his hand, shouting: "Go!"

  Then, the two suddenly vanished into thin air.

  In Qin Xi's view, the two were still in their original place, only surrounded by a faint halo of light that enclosed this small area. He lowered his head to look at the unconscious Mo Tian Ge, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a while, he reached into her neckline and quickly pulled out a red cord with a jade pendant.

  Round pendant, warm and smooth jade color, clear cloud pattern. He sighed: "Indeed..."

  Thanks to the mysterious donor for the 5,000-year-old reward, never seen anything like this before... By the way, there are some weird comments in the comment section, and I'm just testing it out... Is this my experimental field? Crawling away with a embarrassed smile...