The rooster crowed three times, the morning light was faint.
Tao Fengnian cultivated throughout the night, his cultivation was as steady as a rock, without the slightest sign of loosening.
He pushed open the door and walked out, seeing that the blue brick courtyard had suddenly become clean and tidy, everything renewed.
The little girl in a gray servant's dress had her braided hair askew, clumsily dragging a broom larger than herself, sweeping the golden fallen leaves under the ginkgo tree, wheezing and sweating profusely.
In just a night, she already had a spiritual light about her, causing Tao Fengnian to be slightly shocked.
Though Energy Introduction into Body is not difficult, it goes against the natural inclinations of a young child, not to mention quieting the mind to sense spiritual energy, many young children struggle with the meditation challenge.
Yet she already had spiritual light, indicating not only that she passed the meditation challenge, but also sensed the presence of spiritual energy and absorbed it into her body.
Even when he succeeded in his studies back then, with both mind and body calm, it took him three days to draw in the first wisp of spiritual energy, and in the early stages, unaware of when the spiritual energy would gather fully, having no target made it extremely easy to become restless and irritable.
Tao Fengnian's eyes flickered, looking at Jiang Yuebai's calm demeanor, he recalled Hong Tao saying she had a resolute character...
Jiang Yuebai wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve and noticed Tao Fengnian watching from the north door, her face immediately lit up with a smile as bright as the morning sun.
"Grandpa, look, I cleaned the whole courtyard."
Tao Fengnian feigned indifference, raised his right hand, and as his fingers transformed, a faint light burst forth, turning into a breeze that swept the fallen leaves at Jiang Yuebai's feet, piling them beneath the tree in an instant.
"A simple Wind Roll Technique could solve this, why did you go to the trouble..."
"Wow! Is this spellcasting? Grandpa, you're amazing."
"...…"
Jiang Yuebai's eyes sparkled, filled with admiration, not at all disheartened by her wasted effort, instead cravingly looking at Tao Fengnian.
"Grandpa, can I learn this spell?"
Tao Fengnian folded his hands behind his back, "To learn spellcasting, first reach the Qi Cultivation First Layer."
Jiang Yuebai silently glanced at her Immortal Cultivation Panel.
[Cultivation Technique] Energy Introduction Technique (3/21)
She spent the whole night awake, catching light balls; it was hard and slow, but she could directly see improvement and her goal, full of motivation, at this speed...
"Grandpa, don't worry, in another six days I will reach Qi Cultivation First Layer."
Hearing this, Tao Fengnian scoffed, "So young yet so skilled at boasting; it took me twenty-seven days back then to step into the Qi Cultivation First Layer. If you succeed in six days, I may just as well keep you; if not, get out!"
"Alright, Grandpa, no cheating allowed!" Jiang Yuebai said confidently.
Tao Fengnian frowned and thought it over, still finding it unbelievable; if she were of Single Spiritual Root or Dual Spirit Roots, with the aid of elixirs in a place rich with spiritual energy, six days might be possible.
Five Spirit Roots?
Unless all root values were at nine, otherwise… forget it!
Tao Fengnian looked at Jiang Yuebai for a moment longer; her face washed clean was indeed very charming, her ever-smiling demeanor easily garning affection.
But she was sent here to hasten his demise; teaching her would bring him to his grave.
Shaking his head, Tao Fengnian went to the kitchen to cook, scooping a bowl of Spirit Rice as usual, pausing, then begrudgingly adding another half bowl.
After cooking, he didn't call Jiang Yuebai; the little girl brought herself over with a cheerful face, waiting for Tao Fengnian to finish eating and put down his chopsticks before she cleaned out the pot and washed the dishes.
Every morning, Tao Fengnian followed routine to inspect the spiritual field, donned a conical hat, shouldered a hoe, and headed out.
Huaxi Valley resembled a mortal village, with all the farmers living in the small settlement at the valley entrance; behind the village were vast spiritual fields, primarily cultivating the spirit grain for low-level cultivators' daily consumption.
"Elder Tao, so early today."
Someone greeted by the roadside, but Tao Fengnian was in a bad mood and didn't want to respond.
"Oh~ what a lovely little girl, are you Elder Tao's apprentice?"
"Sister, you're so pretty, like a fairy in a painting."
Hearing the voice, Tao Fengnian turned around and saw Jiang Yuebai standing obediently in front of Song Pei'er.
Song Pei'er, in her cherry blossom pink long dress, beamed with joy at Jiang Yuebai's compliment, "It's been a long time since anyone called me sister. Little girl, do you know that sister is already sixty-one years young?"
"Ah?"
Jiang Yuebai's eyes widened in shock and disbelief; the person before her appeared at most in her early twenties, nothing like the wrinkled face of an elderly woman past sixty.
"Good child, take this Red Cherry Fruit and eat it."
The rosy spirit fruit was placed into Jiang Yuebai's hand, and she quickly bowed, "Thank you, sis... sister."
Forcing herself to say it, Jiang Yuebai dashed after Tao Fengnian.
All along the way out of the village, Jiang Yuebai noticed that nearly everyone they encountered greeted Tao Fengnian with great respect, almost as if he were the village chief.
Tao Fengnian ignores, Jiang Yuebai calls out eagerly and warmly, shouting uncle, aunt, brother, and sister.
Tao Fengnian finally couldn't resist, "Once you enter the Immortal Sect, there are no more mortal titles. Among those of the same cultivation level, call them Senior Brother or Senior Sister if they are higher, and Junior Brother or Junior Sister if they are lower. A level higher is Uncle Master, beyond that are Golden Core Masters and Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and they should be addressed with honorific titles."
"I'll remember, grandpa, do you want to eat Red Cherry Fruit?" Jiang Yuebai offered the fruit like a treasure, quietly swallowing her saliva.
Tao Fengnian ignores her, puts down the hoe by the fields, pinches some rice grains in his palm and rubs them, checking the growth condition of the rice grains.
Finding the grains dry and lacking water, Tao Fengnian frowned, glanced at the slowly rising sun, quickly retreated two steps, and engaged his hands in a spell.
Cloud Gathering and Rain Formation!
Amidst the gentle Qingfong, waves of rice surged, with deep yellow color spreading far and near, in various shades.
Jiang Yuebai hid the Red Cherry Fruit she was reluctant to eat in her clothes, looked up, and saw Tao Fengnian's fingers flying, as streams of white mist gathered from all directions, passing through his fingers, accumulating above the rice fields, forming a thin white rain mist.
Soon, the rain pattered down from the mist, the silky rain soaking into the rice fields, causing the heavy rice stalks to sway gently, exuding spiritual energy and vitality once more.
Jiang Yuebai looked at the mist before her, her pupils trembling violently, her heart struck with an exceptionally massive impact.
Her expression suddenly darkened, the smile on her face vanished, as she hung her head, tightly clutching her clothing hem.
Tao Fengnian finished watering over twenty acres of fields, exhausted most of his spiritual energy, stopped to rest, turned around to see the once lively Jiang Yuebai sitting under the old locust tree hugging her knees, her eyes red as she fought back tears.
Tao Fengnian felt a bit annoyed, but still walked over with his hands behind his back, "Suddenly, what's wrong?"
"Grandpa, was the spell you cast just now difficult to learn?"
"That's Cloud Rain Technique, a spell that can be learned at Qi Cultivation First Layer, not considered difficult."
"After learning it, can you make rain and water the rice like you did?"
Tao Fengnian nodded.
Jiang Yuebai's eyes grew increasingly red, "Why didn't I come to the Immortal Sect earlier? If I had learned this Cloud Rain Technique earlier, Jiang Family Village wouldn't have suffered so many deaths due to the drought. My father, my mother, and my brother all died because there wasn't rain. Grandpa, why is it that something so easily resolved for an Immortal Cultivator with just a movement of fingers could wipe out an entire village of people? I don't understand, I really don't…"
Jiang Yuebai buried her head, her shoulders trembling in silent sobs.
Tao Fengnian's eyes suddenly reddened, his heart filled with bitterness.
He let out a heavy sigh, "My wife passed away years ago because her leg was crushed by a cart, but in the Immortal Cultivation Realm, bone mending and healing wouldn't be more than two spells."
Jiang Yuebai looked up, sniffing, her eyes filled with tears.
Tao Fengnian's expression was painful and helpless, "Perhaps that's why countless mortals strive with their lives for immortality. A mortal's fate is ordained by heaven, while an immortal's fate defies it."
Jiang Yuebai nodded, now vaguely understanding, unaware that the 'Golden Light' left by the Female Immortal was guiding her to comprehend the reason.
"I think I kind of understand why I want to cultivate immortality now…"
Others cultivate for strength, for wealth, for power, for longevity.
Children from Immortal Cultivation Families are born to cultivate immortality, never considering why, or just to please their parents.
Jiang Yuebai used to do it to have enough to eat and not be bullied, but now, it's to fight against birth, old age, sickness, death, natural disasters, and human calamities, to not be dictated by fate, to break the shackles of the Heavenly Dao.
If heaven doesn't rain, she will make it rain herself!
"So cultivating immortality defies heaven, defying such a heavenly decree!"
Jiang Yuebai's gaze became resolute, the imperceptible golden glow completely vanished into the depths of her eyes.
"Remember, the Immortal Path, one must strive for it!"
The Female Immortal's voice echoed in her mind, Jiang Yuebai felt something broken by the Golden Light left by the Female Immortal, guiding Daoist Rhyme into her body, causing her entire soul to tremor, making the world in her eyes become incredibly clear.
A strong wind arose from the ground, the old tree rustled, leaves fell like rain.
Tao Fengnian trembled all over, shocked to see the green leaves falling around Jiang Yuebai transforming into multicolored petals, an elusive Daoist Rhyme emerging from her, spreading like ripples.
Flowers fall in chaos, Daoist Rhyme imbues, purifying marrow and refining bones, strengthening roots!
This was an extremely rare sign of Heavenly Dao Enlightenment!
Even Golden Core Masters may not easily trigger the embodiment of Daoist Rhyme from heaven, yet she was merely a child not yet initiated into the Dao!
While it wouldn't improve her cultivation, it would greatly establish her supreme dao heart, making future cultivation much easier through mental challenges.
Of course, most importantly, the spirit root value deemed unchangeable by heavenly fate would get a one-time enhancement, which only happens during a cultivator's first enlightenment of the Great Dao in their lifetime.
Tao Fengnian hurriedly took out a set of Array Flags, setting up a Great Array to block detection for her, luckily, there were no people around at this moment.
Such an event occurring to a prodigy of a Cultivation Family is a blessing, but for her, an ordinary mortal girl with no background, it's a disaster.
The Daoist Rhyme came swiftly and left just as quickly, Jiang Yuebai, a six-year-old girl, realizing the Heavenly Dao under the effect of the Female Immortal's Golden Light, yet unable to deepen the realization further.
But she discovered that the spirit root value in the Immortal Cultivation Panel has changed!