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The Da Wu Mountain incident was over.

Pei Lin, the True Cultivator taking over command of the Da Wu Mountain Marketplace, handed a Jade Scroll to Qi Yun and urged everyone to return to the sect at once.

The Zombie Alliance had suffered a major loss this time, and there was no guarantee they wouldn’t stoop to some shameless, underhanded new low.

Although Da Wu Mountain was under the Holy Sect’s jurisdiction,

it was still some distance from Taixu Mirror Heaven. It never hurt to be careful.

Though exhausted in heart and spirit from the campaign, the Outer Mansion disciples were spurred on by the thought of the rewards that awaited them and naturally did not dally.

The large party began the journey back toward the Holy Sect.

...

The journey back was smooth and uneventenful.

Having returned safely to the Holy Sect, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Compared to the last assessment, this true battle of life and death had been far more intense.

After all, a full hundred Outer Mansion Disciples had lost their lives during the Da Wu Mountain assessment.

But this was simply the way of Demon Dao cultivation.

Fiercely aggressive, treading the unorthodox path.

Using the most dangerous methods to unleash the greatest potential.

That was what true efficiency looked like.

"Junior Brother Qi, we meet again." The moment he returned to the Holy Sect, Qi Yun saw the very same Inner Mansion True Cultivator who had been responsible for opening the Hall of All Laws waiting at the mountain gate.

Ding Tai!

"Let’s go. My teacher has been waiting for a long time." Ding Tai gave Qi Yun a small, amicable smile. With a casual wave of his hand and no visible effort, a solid, golden cloud suddenly materialized beneath their feet. It lifted them both steadily off the ground and carried them upward, soaring toward a higher level of the Mirror Heaven.

The Outer Mansion Disciples below watched this, their eyes filled with unconcealed envy.

This time, however, not a single person dared to question or resent Qi Yun’s status as the dual Champion Scholar.

His ruthless decisiveness at Old Dragon Pool, his turning the tide at Da Wu Mountain. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

These two bloody battles had more than proven the substance behind Qi Yun’s title of Champion Scholar.

Even Yue Rong, the son of a Master, had been beaten into a severely injured and comatose state.

Who would still dare to pluck the tiger’s whiskers?

...

Following behind Ding Tai, Qi Yun continuously gazed at the shrinking vista of the Outer Mansion Mirror Heaven below, looking all around as if everything was utterly new and fascinating.

Countless brilliant streams of Flowing Light swirled around them. The Mirror Heaven of the next level loomed larger and larger above, and with a soft, ethereal crackle, the two of them broke through some kind of boundary, entering the higher realm of the Taixu Mirror Heaven.

"Senior Brother Ding, the teacher you mentioned earlier is..."

The moment he entered this level of the Mirror Heaven, Qi Yun could clearly feel that the Spiritual Qi was far purer and denser than on the level below.

A single breath was enough to refresh his mind and spirit, and he could even hear the faint, ethereal, and utterly captivating sounds of the Great Dao echoing around him.

He pursed his lips, suppressed his inner shock, and asked tentatively.

"You’ll know when we get there. No need for more questions. Relax, this journey holds nothing but benefits for you." Seeming to notice Qi Yun’s hesitation, Ding Tai chuckled reassuringly.

The two shot across the sky on their cloud, swiftly traversing the second level of the Taixu Mirror Heaven.

Unlike the crowded layout of the first level—densely packed with the Nine Great Outer Mansions, countless private residences, and various functional halls—this second Mirror Heaven appeared exceptionally spacious and free.

The number of halls was by no means small, but there were no Outer Mansions or dense residential compounds.

In their place were independent sanctums, each with a unique style and magnificent aura.

Some were thousand-zhang immortal peaks wreathed in clouds and mist, where immortal cranes gave clear, proud cries as they soared about. Others were clear, burbling waters surrounding a Spirit Island abloom with brilliant peach blossoms. Still others were deep, verdant forests with an ancient, unadorned Daoist Temple resting quietly at their center.

These sanctums all belonged to the Foundation Establishment Masters of the Inner Mansion.

The place Ding Tai was taking Qi Yun was precisely that unremarkable-looking Daoist Temple nestled in the heart of the forest.

The two landed, the cloud at their feet dissipating naturally. Before them lay a rugged, winding path covered in yellow leaves that snaked its way upward.

"Let’s walk. It would be disrespectful to fly to see my teacher." Ding Tai straightened his robes, making himself more presentable, and then led Qi Yun onto the leaf-strewn path.

The stone slabs underfoot were uneven but felt solid. Occasionally, they would crush a few dried leaves, producing a faint, crisp CRUNCH that sounded exceptionally clear in the tranquil mountain forest.

The path wasn’t long, and after about ten minutes or so,

the two of them arrived before the seemingly ordinary Daoist Temple.

The Daoist Temple had gray walls and black tiles. Its style was ancient and simple, with none of the dazzling paint or carvings one might expect. The plaster on the walls was even mottled and peeling, exuding an aura of great age and history.

The main gate was a simple wooden structure, unadorned with the usual vermilion lacquer, exposing the natural grain of the wood.

A few clumps of stubborn weeds grew between the black tiles on the roof, swaying gently in the wind.

The entire Daoist Temple had no imposing aura whatsoever, even appearing somewhat plain and shabby. But for some reason, standing there so quietly, it seemed to become one with the spirit of the surrounding forest, exuding a Taoist School charm of returning to one’s true nature—a serene and profound tranquility.

The mere sight of it was enough to make one’s Heart and Spirit involuntarily grow calm.

Arriving before the Daoist Temple gate, Ding Tai stopped. With a respectful expression, he raised a hand and gently rapped on the wooden door with his knuckles.

"Teacher, your disciple, Ding Tai, has brought him."

CREAK—

The main gate of the Daoist Temple slowly swung open, and an old Daoist priest appeared in Qi Yun’s line of sight. He was holding a bamboo broom, slowly and attentively sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard.

’This is... a Foundation Establishment Master?’

Qi Yun’s gaze fell upon the old priest, and he felt a flicker of surprise in his heart.

The man wore a gray Daoist Robe that had been washed until it was faded, and his frame was gaunt. His aura was concealed to an absolute extreme; at first glance, he was indistinguishable from an ordinary old man sweeping leaves in the mountains.

He completely lacked the profound majesty of the Flower Moon Hall Master or the unfathomable aura of the Jia Li Hall Master, both of whom Qi Yun had seen before.

"My teacher was once corrupted by a demonic heart and fell into the Eternal Slaughter Dao. He was later rescued by a True Monarch and now uses the Withered and Flourishing Zen of the Buddhist Dao to suppress his demonic nature. That is why he appears this way," Ding Tai explained in a hushed voice.

The two of them stepped over the threshold into the central courtyard. Hearing their footsteps, the old priest slowly set his broom aside and turned to look at Qi Yun.

Only now did Qi Yun get a clear look at the Foundation Establishment Master’s face.

It was the withered, wrinkled face of an elder, yet one that seemed gentle and full of Compassion. His dull eyes looked cloudy, yet they faintly emanated a profound depth that seemed to draw one in.

"Outer Mansion Disciple Qi Yun pays his respects to you, Master!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Qi Yun gave a steady, formal bow to the Foundation Establishment Master before him.

"So, you are Qi Yun?" The Elder Master’s voice was gentle and soft, carrying the kind of concern an elder might show for a junior.

"To have reached the Qi Refining Fifth Layer Realm at such a young age... you must have endured many hardships to get here."

To an ordinary person, this expression of concern would have sounded perfectly normal.

But to Qi Yun, who had already adapted to the brutal environment of the Holy Sect, it made his heart clench.

’This is bad!’

’This feeling... It’s not right!’

...