After Jian Dan's escape light finally settled on the peak, she flicked her sleeve with a graceful motion and released Jade and Yue Liang from her sleeve space. When the pressure of the Heavenly Dao had locked onto her earlier in that tense moment above the main peak, she had immediately stored the two of them away to ensure they weren't swept up in the retribution.
"Master (Zhēnzūn), are you alright?"
The moment the two landed on the solid ground, they both started asking at once, their eyes searching her face for any signs of injury from the purple thunder.
"I'm fine. I have already said that three times today to different people."
She replied with a smiling squint, her expression relaxed as she returned to the quiet of her cave dwelling. She changed out of the ornate ceremonial robe, which felt heavy with its many runes and layers of silk, and put on her favorite light cyan robe instead. The fabric was thin and cool, far more comfortable as she walked out to the ancient banyan tree outside the cave entrance.
Jian Feng, Jian Chong, and Jian Miao had already prepared fresh spiritual tea for their master, the steam rising in thin, fragrant curls from the cups. They sat obediently in their usual spots nearby, clearly waiting for a full explanation of the day's events.
The woman sat down in the rocking chair, her fingers holding the round fan painted with delicate butterflies and golden calendula flowers. She fanned herself lazily in the afternoon breeze while giving them a rough account of what had happened with the artifact spirit Xiao Meng from the Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm.
What she described mostly matched Jian Miao's earlier guesses regarding the siphoning of spiritual energy. There were no major discrepancies in the tale. The only thing that felt truly wrong to the three disciples was the final descent of the purple thunder that had struck their own master without warning.
"Master, that tribulation thunder really didn't make any sense to us."
Jian Miao was the first to speak up, her brow furrowed in thought. Jian Feng and Jian Chong clearly agreed with what their junior sister said, their expressions equally grim.
"Since it came to our Lingyun Continent with a mission from the heavens, it should have advanced and retreated together with us. Not to mention the immense effort you have spent forging it, Master, and the vast resources the sect poured into nurturing it after its completion. Even during the hundred years you weren't around, the sect burned through who knows how many top-grade spiritual veins just to keep it running."
"It was its own greed that has caused this situation. Relying on the Heavenly Dao's protection, it's started scheming against the sect's interests. With the massive losses of energy before, there were already voices saying the Rubik's Cube Realm was forged by you, Master, so maybe part of those missing resources ended up in your Obsidian Bracelet. Otherwise, how could have you advanced your realm so quickly?"
The more the girl spoke, the more wrong the situation felt. After their master had returned to the sect, she had broken through to the late Mahayana stage in just one year. If the disciple didn't know for a fact that Jian Dan had never recognized the Rubik's Cube Realm as her own personal artifact, that argument would have sounded frighteningly convincing to a suspicious outsider.
The woman listened quietly to her student, took a slow sip of the spiritual tea, and let the floral fragrance fill her mouth. Only then did she smile and speak.
"Now do you understand why I have insisted on erasing that artifact spirit in front of everyone?"
The three exchanged looks of understanding and immediately grasped their master's deeper intent. Just the massive amount of spiritual power she had extracted from Xiao Meng in front of the high-ranking members of the Law Enforcement Hall had been enough to refill eight top-grade spiritual veins. After that public display, who would ever dare claim those resources had been secretly taken by their master for her own use?
The sect will naturally step in now and dig out the petty people behind those discordant rumors to ensure internal stability. After all, the facts she has revealed speak louder than anything else could. They will even have to thank her for removing a hidden danger that had been hollowing out the sect's foundation.
"Some people are always trying to scheme against Master. They have really got guts to try such a thing."
This time, it was Jian Feng, who rarely had spoken up during these discussions, who said it with a cold edge to his voice.
"They're definitely after something for themselves. It's nothing more than cultivation resources, influence within the sect, or power over the Law Enforcement Hall."
Jian Dan analyzed the situation calmly, her fan moving in a steady rhythm.
"I can understand fighting over resources. That's directly affects one's cultivation, so of course people want to compete and snatch them whenever is possible. But those other kinds of power and politics take so much time and plotting. It's just wasting valuable cultivation time."
Jian Miao frowned as she spoke, her youthful face showing her distaste for such schemes.
"Junior Sister, you don't fully understand how these things work. Once someone has got a bit of authority in the sect, getting their hands on cultivation resources becomes much easier. They spend time now to secure those resources for their family and their own disciples. Later, when they will need to cultivate themselves, those people will naturally return some of those resources to them. For them, it's a positive cycle of investment."
Jian Chong, as someone from a large and established family, understood these inner workings quite well. The girl had also come from a big clan, but because she couldn't cultivate when she was young, she had been more of an outsider and wasn't as familiar with these political matters.
"Thank you, Senior Brothers, for explaining the reality of it to me."
The girl grinned and cupped her hands toward the two of them in a playful gesture.
The three interacted easily and looked out for one another's interests, which left their master very satisfied with their growth.
"All three of your analyses are correct. I will say the same thing I always have done. In front of absolute strength, all lies and schemes get shattered. Just like what I have done today. I have erased the artifact spirit and have recovered the sect's resources that were secretly been withheld. Now who still dares say my breakthrough came from siphoning off sect resources?"
"Yes, Master. We will remember this lesson."
"Good. I haven't seen you these past two days while I have been busy. How has your learning been with your two Martial Uncles Bai?"
"We have benefited greatly from their instruction."
All three bowed together in a show of respect. Then Jian Miao started talking about how Martial Uncle Bai Shuang and Martial Uncle Bai Xia had taught them the intricate ways to identify various poisons.
"I had already seen plenty of poisonous plants in the Compendium of All Things and had understood their basic effects. With guidance from the two Martial Uncles Bai, I have learned that medicine and poison often come from the same source. Some poisons are even life-saving medicine if used correctly. It's just that there are thousands of different ways to apply poison in the world, which makes it nearly impossible to guard against. Since then, I have kept my Wind Shield active at all times."
The girl was the first to share her thoughts on the new knowledge.
"Mm, as long as you have gained something useful. Keeping your guard up at all times is extremely important on the long path of cultivation."
"Jian Chong, my ceremony is over now. Later, take your senior brother and junior sister to Tianhua Peak and bring Jia Yushu back here. Arrange for him to stay in the stone house on your eastern side peak for the time being. His cultivation has fallen to the Qi Refining stage, and it will take time for him to recover his strength. With him nearby, it will also be more convenient for me to guide him through the changes."
"How could that happen? When we have left that day, wasn't Jia Yushu's cultivation stable at the Golden Core stage? How did it drop again so suddenly?"
All three are clearly shocked by the news. Because of their master's grand ceremony, they have been helping at the Operations Hall for several days and have not heard anything about the situation on the other peak. Jia Yushu probably hasn't sent them a message talisman because he didn't want to disturb them.
"Don't worry. It's because he has switched his cultivation arts. It didn't damage his foundation in any way."
After hearing their master's explanation, the three finally relaxed a little bit, though they're still surprised.
"In that case, we will head over now and not delay the move. If anything happens during his recovery, it will be better if Master is nearby to intervene."
The girl had an almost blind confidence in her master's abilities. She felt that as long as Jian Dan had acted, nothing was impossible to achieve. After all, even the ancient artifact spirit Xiao Meng had been erased by her hand.
The woman nodded in agreement. She had already promised Jia Zhēnzūn the same thing regarding the boy's care, so there was no reason to stop them from going.
After cupping their hands in farewell, the three mounted their escape lights and hurried toward the heights of Tianhua Peak.
"Zhēnzūn, Shou Chan temporarily staying on the eastern side peak requests an audience with you."
Ting Feng came forward to report the request.
"Let her in."
A moment later, Shou Chan arrived beneath the shade of the banyan tree and respectfully bowed to the woman in the chair.
"Zhēnzūn, I have come to bid farewell. Matters here are settled, and my master has been thinking of me, so I have been told to return to the sect early."
"Has Bai Chan completely absorbed and refined those things already?"
The woman didn't let her leave right away and instead asked about the status of Bai Chan.
"Yes. Bai Chan said he has refined everything."
"Tsk. That little thing isn't being honest with you. If he has fully refined it, why hasn't he returned to your dantian to be nurtured?"
She immediately pointed out the glaring issue with the claim.
Shou Chan froze at the realization. After learning Bai Chan had finished refining everything, she had planned to take him back into her body for proper nurturing. Bai Chan had insisted on staying outside for a while longer, saying the external spiritual energy on this peak was also rich, so she hadn't thought too deeply about his behavior.
"Zhēnzūn."
"Don't say I'm being overbearing. That wasn't anything good. Bai Chan wants to take it back to Yu Yan Zhēnzūn, and I don't agree with that plan. Either your spirit gu refines it completely right now, or I will melt him down myself."