"These things never belonged to this world in the first place, yet you still want to keep them and let them multiply on Lingyun Continent? I honestly don't know what you people from the Beast Taming Sect are thinking. Every time you encounter an insect beast you have never seen before, you want to study it. That's no different from playing with fire. One day, it will burn you yourselves."
Jian Dan's words were utterly unrestrained, her gaze sharp as she addressed her guest. She didn't just implicate the other party's master in her rebuke; she dragged the reputation of the entire sect into the conversation as well.
"So, what do you say?"
Jian Dan set down her round fan on the small table and looked calmly at Shou Chan. She didn't release even a trace of her Mahayana Zhēnzūn pressure, yet the guest still felt her heart tighten with a sudden, instinctive dread. That unease immediately transmitted through their spiritual bond to her natal gu, Bai Chan.
Sensing its master's spiking anxiety, the tiny Bai Chan wriggled its way out of the storage pouch. In the next instant, its sesame-sized eyes saw the smiling face of Tian Lu Zhēnzūn leaning closer.
Jian Dan also noticed the tiny, pale thing. With a practiced flick of her wrist, the round fan flipped over in the air, and the little gu suddenly appeared on the fan's silk surface. Shou Chan cried out in alarm, her hands twitching.
"Zhēnzūn, please don't hurt Bai Chan!"
The little creature felt completely bewildered as it suddenly ended up in the Zhēnzūn's hand. It twisted its tiny, soft body uneasily against the fabric of the fan, looking for an escape.
At the same time, Jian Dan's powerful divine sense wrapped around the creature like an invisible net. Just as she had expected from her earlier observations, there's still a faint, stubborn trace of pale green energy that hadn't been refined within its body.
"Little Bai Chan, if you still want to go back to your master, then behave and refine that remaining trace of foreign energy. Otherwise… I will refine you myself."
Her voice was gentle, and she even smiled kindly at the insect. Even so, the little creature shuddered all over, feeling an overwhelming sense of cold malice directed at its core. It blinked its tiny eyes and turned its head pitifully toward its master, who was already walking over with a worried expression.
"Zhēnzūn…"
Shou Chan stopped exactly two meters away from the woman, not daring to step any closer. Seeing the miserable, trembling state of her natal gu gave her a mounting headache. In the next instant, she saw a layer of flickering green flame cover the Zhēnzūn's hand as she reached toward the still dazed and hesitating insect.
"Bai Chan, listen to me carefully. Refine all the remaining foreign matter inside you right now."
The guest raised her voice slightly in command, which successfully stopped the woman's descending hand just inches from the gu.
The little insect nodded its tiny head frantically, then flattened its body against the silk of the round fan. A soft, white light began to ripple over its pale body as it obediently began the process of refining the foreign matter it had absorbed.
"If you had done this earlier, we wouldn't have had all this trouble."
Jiang Dan said casually, her eyes tracking the movement of the white light. With a flick of her hand, she dropped a small, shimmering restriction barrier onto the table, enclosing the insect inside it. When the refining was finally done, that was when it would be released.
"Your master Yu Yan can study me if he wants. I won't stop him. But this thing absolutely can't come from our Heavenly Sword Sect."
As she spoke, she gestured for her guest to take a seat on the stool across from her.
"Shou Chan understands. I will be sure to pass these words on to my master when I return."
She replied patiently, even though she was clearly annoyed by the forceful intervention.
"Heh. Tell Yu Yan that I have just advanced to the late Mahayana stage, and I haven't sparred with anyone at the same level yet. If there's a chance, I will pay him a visit at your sect."
Those words made Shou Chan's eyelids twitch with a sudden nervousness. She didn't dare agree to such a dangerous invitation on her master's behalf.
Tian Lu Zhēnzūn was a sword cultivator, whose combat power was already known to be terrifying. Now that she had reached the late Mahayana stage, the gap had only widened; even among those in the same realm, there were vast differences in strength.
With her own master's relatively pitiful combat ability, if he didn't want to be pinned to the ground and rubbed raw by a sword cultivator, it was better to refuse the offer outright.
"Master Yu Yan is currently in deep seclusion, preparing to break through to the late Mahayana peak so he can face the coming war with the insect race with more confidence."
Shou Chan replied immediately, providing a ready-made excuse.
"Oh. That's a shame."
Jian Dan waved toward Lü Se standing nearby, who understood the signal at once and handed a magnolia-patterned sword invitation to the guest.
"This is my formal invitation. Take it back and give it to your master."
"Shou Chan will definitely deliver it to my master. Please rest assured, Zhēnzūn."
She accepted the invitation respectfully with both hands. After sitting back down, she fixed her gaze on the tip of her nose and then her heart, and didn't say another word, trying to remain as unobtrusive as possible.
Probably because the woman was sitting right there like an immovable mountain of pressure, the tiny insect refined the last faint trace of pale green within a single hour. Once the soft white light fully withdrew into its body, it opened its sesame-sized eyes and looked up at her.
That pitiful appearance made the woman almost laugh at the drama of it. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had spent the afternoon abusing the little thing. She waved her hand to lift the shimmering restriction, checked the creature again with her divine sense, and only after confirming there were truly no issues did she raise the round fan and hold it out.
"Here. Take your little treasure back."
Hearing these words, Shou Chan's mouth twitched. She understood the demand perfectly. Jian Dan wanted her to take the insect back into her dantian right now where it could be monitored.
From this entire sequence of events, it was obvious that Tian Lu Zhēnzūn was meticulous and would never leave behind even a seed of hidden trouble. So she obediently drew her natal gu back into her dantian and prepared to take her leave of the peak.
Jian Dan was still smiling as she spoke to the guest.
"The scenery here is nice. Stay and play a game of chess with me."
With a wave of her hand, a blood-jade chessboard appeared on the table. She held the black pieces and gestured for Shou Chan to make the first move.
Shou Chan rubbed her forehead in resignation. She knew that if she didn't finish this game, she wouldn't be leaving the Heavenly Sword Sect anytime soon. With a soft sigh, she placed a white piece on the board.
After returning to its master's dantian, the little insect immediately fell into a deep sleep. It had exceeded its refining task under the pressure, and it was probably about to undergo an advancement.
Jian Dan's purpose in keeping Shou Chan was equally clear to both of them. She needed to make sure the insect was completely fine inside the dantian before letting the woman leave the mountain.
Meanwhile, Jian Chong and the other two disciples had already gone to Tianhua Peak to pick up Jia Yushu for the move.
Jia Zhēnzūn had been standing guard nearby his grandson for these past few days, ensuring his safety during the transition.
After the boy's cultivation fell to the Qi Refining stage, his temperament actually became much calmer and more focused. He began cultivating steadily every day, and within just a few days, he had already advanced to the Qi Refining fourth layer.
When the three disciples arrived at the peak, they greeted the Ancestor first with proper respect, then waited for the boy to finish his current round of cultivation so they could take him back to the eastern peak of Tianyue.
About half an hour later, the youth came out from the inner room. Seeing the three of them waiting, a faint smile appeared on his youthful face.
"Yushu, are you doing alright? Your cultivation looks much steadier than before."
Jian Chong stepped forward first to check on his friend's condition.
"Don't worry. I have fully adapted to the new cultivation art. The cultivation I rebuilt is even more solid than the old foundation. In just two days, I have already reached the Qi Refining fourth layer."
Seeing that Jia Yushu was in such good condition and high spirits, the three finally felt much more at ease.