The Sky Profound Sect was a renowned immortal cultivation sect in the Southern Domain. Within the sect were nine main peaks, each one like a colossal sword piercing the heavens, shrouded in immortal mist and teeming with spiritual energy.
However, there was always an exception.
Compared to the magnificent grandeur of the first eight peaks, the Ninth Peak had a remarkably weak presence. It was neither majestic nor towering, and it certainly couldn't be described as having an immortal-like atmosphere. It had a fitting name—Lesser Peak.
The peak lived up to its name; it was truly small, just large enough for a small courtyard, two thatched cottages, and a palm-sized herb garden. A thin mountain spring trickled down from the summit, providing the only sound in the otherwise silent environment. The spiritual energy here was thin, and its location was remote. Ordinary disciples had to deliberately fly their swords around it, fearing they might accidentally crash into it.
At this moment, as the morning mist had yet to disperse, a young man in a simple blue Daoist robe was squatting in front of the herb garden, focused on tending to a nearly mature "Spirit Condensing Grass."
He was the sole disciple of this Lesser Peak, Lin Fan.
He took out a delicate jade bottle from his storage pouch, poured out a few drops of clear spring water, and was about to water the plant when his movement abruptly stopped.
He raised his head vigilantly, his spiritual sense sweeping out like mercury across a hundred-yard radius. Only after confirming that there were no living creatures—not even an ant—spying on him did he let out a slight sigh of relief. Then, he pulled out a palm-sized array disk from his robes, slapped it on the ground, and an almost invisible film of light instantly enveloped him and the Spirit Condensing Grass.
"Whew... Safety first."
After doing all this, Lin Fan carefully dripped the spring water onto the roots of the Spirit Condensing Grass. Watching the leaves glow with a verdant light, he revealed a satisfied smile.
"Mmm, another peaceful day with no karma attached. Perfect," he thought to himself.
"This Spirit Condensing Grass will be ready in three more days, then I'll have all the materials for the 'Turtle Breath Pill.' Although I already have eight hundred and thirty-six Turtle Breath Pills, who would complain about having too many life-saving items? If I'm ever hunted down, I'll just lie down in the dirt and play dead for a few thousand years."
Getting up and patting the non-existent dust from his hands, Lin Fan habitually checked the defensive measures around his cottage. The three hundred and sixty-five layers of the "Nine Revolutions Bewildering Array" were perfectly concealed, the one hundred and eight layers of the "Vajra Glazed Shield" were brimming with spiritual power, and countless warning, defensive, and counter-attack arrays were interlinked, filling him with a sense of security.
In this treacherous world of cultivation, where people killed for treasures at a moment's notice, what was more important than "staying alive"? Others sought to fight above their level and become famous overnight; what Lin Fan pursued was absolute stability. He would never leave if he didn't have to, never use his hands if words would suffice, and if he absolutely had to fight, he had to ensure his strength was at least five major realms higher than his opponent's.
Just as Lin Fan was feeling content with his stable life, his spiritual sense, which was more formidable than that of the sect's grand elder, suddenly detected a faint fluctuation from the mountain-protecting array at the foot of the peak.
Someone was coming up the mountain!
In an instant, the leisurely expression on Lin Fan's face vanished, replaced by extreme vigilance and a hint of panic.
His muscles tensed instantly, and alarm bells rang wildly in his mind.
"Who?! Which blind fool dares to disturb my peaceful cultivation? Could it be that I was followed when I went down the mountain to take out the trash thirty years ago? Impossible! I clearly used eight 'Qi-Hiding Talismans' and three 'Divine Travel Talismans,' and even changed my appearance seven times. How could I have been discovered!"
He stood motionless, his mind racing. In a flash, three layers of treasure-light-infused inner armor were already on his body, perfectly concealed by a common blue outer robe. His right hand quietly gripped three "Earth Evasion Talismans" that could be activated at any time. If the situation turned slightly wrong, he could immediately遁 into the depths of the earth and flee.
His spiritual sense carefully probed forward. Upon seeing the visitors clearly, Lin Fan's tense body relaxed by half, but the doubt and unease in his heart rose to a peak.
The visitor was his master, the amiable old man known as the "Wu Wei Daoist."
The problem was, following his master was a young girl with her hair in two topknots, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old!
"Master? Didn't he say he was going into seclusion for a hundred years and wouldn't come out unless he achieved the Great Dao? Why is he out after only thirty years? And... and he brought a stranger! Heavens, the karmic ties are too great!" Lin Fan wailed internally.
A moment later, the Wu Wei Daoist cheerfully led the young girl into the courtyard. He looked at his well-behaved disciple, nodded in satisfaction, and happily introduced her, "Fan'er, come quickly. Let me introduce you. This is your new junior sister, Yue Qingqian!"
Lin Fan's gaze fell upon the young girl.
She wore the brand-new uniform of a Sky Profound Sect introductory disciple, her face slightly flushed with excitement. Her pair of clear, large eyes were like speaking stars, full of curiosity about everything around her. And when her gaze met Lin Fan's, those eyes instantly erupted with an incredible brilliance, mixed with excitement, admiration, and awe.
Before Lin Fan could speak, Yue Qingqian had already stepped forward quickly, bowed deeply, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, "Qingqian... Qingqian pays her respects to Senior Brother! I... I finally get to meet you!"
At this moment, Lin Fan's heart completely shattered.
"It's over, it's over. This look... this tone... she's definitely a top-tier trouble magnet! I just want to cultivate quietly until the end of the universe, why did you have to send a fan over to me! Master, aren't you just setting your disciple up!"
Despite the storm raging in his heart, Lin Fan's face showed a perfectly gentle smile. He offered a hand to help her up and said softly, "Junior Sister, there is no need for such formalities. Please rise. We are family from now on." He tried his best to play the role of an ordinary, friendly, and not very powerful, but very gentle, senior brother.
The Wu Wei Daoist looked at the harmonious scene between his two disciples and smiled with satisfaction, "Good, good. You two should get along well. Qingqian, you have just started. If there is anything you don't understand in the future, just ask your senior brother. I will go and tidy up a room for you."
With that, the master turned and walked into the other long-unoccupied thatched cottage.
Only Lin Fan and Yue Qingqian were left in the courtyard.
Yue Qingqian secretly glanced up at the legendary senior brother before her, her heart thumping wildly. Before entering the sect, she had heard that the Sect Master's first disciple, the nominal senior brother of all Sky Profound Sect disciples, was an extremely mysterious and low-key existence who lived in seclusion on the Ninth Peak and never showed himself. Some rumors said he was a peerless talent who had already ascended to immortality, while others said his beauty outshone the heavens and the earth.
Seeing him today, her senior brother looked gentle and kind, and his appearance was indeed handsome, which made the admiration in her heart overflow.
She summoned her courage, looked at Lin Fan with star-struck eyes, and asked in a small voice, "Senior Brother, I heard that you are a once-in-a-millennium genius of our sect. I... how should I cultivate in the future to follow in your footsteps?"
Hearing this, Lin Fan immediately felt that the severity of the problem exceeded his imagination.
No! This dangerous idea must be nipped in the bud!
He felt he had a responsibility, an obligation, to point this newcomer, who knew nothing about the cultivation world, towards a truly bright path!
The smile on Lin Fan's face disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness and solemnity. He looked at Yue Qingqian and said earnestly, "Junior Sister, your acceptance into Lesser Peak proves we are fated. Since you have asked with such sincerity, today I will tell you the true guiding principle of our lineage's cultivation."
"You must remember, the path of cultivation is fraught with thorns and pitfalls. Talent, magical treasures, cultivation techniques—none of these are important! What is the most important thing?"
Awed by his serious aura, Yue Qingqian subconsciously held her breath and asked with anticipation, "What... what is it?"
Lin Fan took a step closer, lowered his voice, and said in an extremely solemn tone:
"It is to stay alive! It is to avoid all foreseeable and unforeseeable risks! It is to carve the word 'stable' into your very DNA! Come, today I will give you your first lesson. The topic is—'A Discourse on How to Safely Survive for a Hundred Thousand Years in a Perilous Sect'!"
Just as his words fell, before he could launch into his long-winded speech, his master's slightly angry cough came from the cottage.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
It was followed by his master's stern voice: "Lin Fan! What nonsense are you spouting again! You are forbidden from teaching your crooked theories to the new junior sister!"
Lin Fan's body stiffened. The solemn expression on his face instantly melted away, replaced by a harmless, obedient smile. He nodded repeatedly towards the cottage, "Yes, I understand, Master!"