As the laughter faded, silence returned to the skies, broken only by the rush of wind. Xu Tianyi turned to Mu Qing, his tone softening slightly.
"Mu Qing… what of your husband? And Mu Qingluan's father?"
Mu Qing's eyes dimmed slightly. "He… passed away many years ago. There was a beast tide near our city when Luan'er was still a child. He died protecting the civilians. Luan'er was too young then — she doesn't remember much. It's been long enough that I've learned to accept it."
Xu Tianyi nodded silently, the golden glow in his eyes softening.
"I see. He must have been a good man."
Mu Qingluan looked down, her lips pressing together as her fingers trembled slightly. Xu Tianyi noticed and reached out, gently patting her head.
"It's all right," he said softly, his voice calm yet comforting. "A cultivator's life is never free of loss. What matters is that you live on and carry his will forward."
When Mu Qingluan looked up at him, her golden eyes met his. His warm gentle smile, paired with his handsome features and gentle aura, made her heart skip a beat. Her face turned crimson as she quickly lowered her gaze shyly again.
Seeing her reaction, Xu Tianyi chuckled lightly. "What? Did my words embarrass you that much?"
Mu Qinglaun stammered, her face red as a ripe apple. "N-No! I just… wasn't expecting Master to pat my head like that…"
Mu Qing smiled gently at the sight, her motherly heart softening. For the first time in years, she felt genuine peace.
---
The conversation continued as Feng Feng soared across the horizon. Xu Tianyi patiently explained various aspects of the cultivation world — the different types of meridians and spiritual Plant, the classification of realms, and how true cultivation required not just power, but understanding of heaven's laws.
Mu Qing and her daughter listened like thirsty students, occasionally asking questions, which Xu Tianyi answered with calm confidence.
After a while, he looked ahead and said, "Before we return to the sect, we'll make a detour to the Myriad Beast Mountain Range."
Both women blinked in surprise. "Master?"
Feng Feng also turned her head curiously. "What for?"
Xu Tianyi smiled faintly. "To hunt a Tier Three Demon King. You need its demon core to advance to the peak of your current stage, and the two of them will need materials for a medicinal bath to strengthen their foundations."
Mu Qinglaun gasped softly. "You'd do that for us, Master?"
Xu Tianyi gave her a teasing look. "You're my disciple now. Do you think I'd let my disciple cultivate with a weak foundation?"
Her face lit up again. "Then I'll work twice as hard, Master!"
"See that you do," he said with a small smile.
He turned to Feng Feng. "Any target in mind?"
The phoenix's eyes gleamed. "Actually, yes. There's a Thunderfire Roc nesting in the northern ridge. Its demon core will suit me perfectly."
Xu Tianyi nodded approvingly. "Then we'll go for that one."
---
At the Myriad Beast Mountain Range
The phoenix's figure vanished into the misty wilderness below. After landing on a distant cliff, Xu Tianyi waved his hand, opening a shimmering veil of spatial energy.
"Enter the void realm," he said calmly. "We'll stay hidden while Feng Feng provokes it out."
The three of them stepped into the concealed realm. The air turned transparent, the landscape below visible yet unreachable — they stood between reality and illusion.
Below, Feng Feng spread her wings wide and unleashed a brilliant surge of flame toward the mountain peak.
A moment later, a deafening roar shook the skies as a massive roc, wreathed in thunder and fire, burst out from the cliff. Its wings blotted out the sun, and its voice crackled with fury.
"Who dares disturb my rest?!"
Feng Feng smirked, her voice filled with playful arrogance. "This place looks comfortable. I've decided to make it mine. You can leave now."
The roc's eyes flashed with lightning. "You dare?! Do you take me for someone you can bully?"
With a roar, it released its divine ability — a torrent of thunderfire that split the clouds apart.
Mu Qing and her daughter gasped as the explosion shook the entire void realm. Even shielded by Xu Tianyi's aura, they could feel the oppressive might of the clash. Their hearts pounded violently.
Xu Tianyi chuckled softly, his tone teasing. "New experience for you two?"
The two turned to stare at him blankly. His composed amusement seemed almost surreal amidst such destruction.
Mu Qinglaun gave him a helpless look, half in awe, half exasperation. "Master… your sense of humor is really…"
The teasing glint in his eyes made them both realize that their image of him as an unapproachable immortal was crumbling bit by bit.
"Unfitting for a Nascent Soul True Monarch?" he teased.
Mu Qing could only cover her mouth to suppress a laugh.
The clash below intensified, until Xu Tianyi's golden eyes suddenly narrowed.
"That's enough."
He raised his right hand, his palm forming the shape of a sword. The air stilled. The sky itself seemed to freeze.
Then — slash.
A single motion.
The next instant, the Thunderfire Roc's massive head slid cleanly off its body, blood spraying like a crimson waterfall.
Mu Qing and her daughter stood frozen, mouths agape, unable to form words.
Xu Tianyi flicked his wrist casually, collecting the roc's carcass and demon core into his ring. His expression was calm, as though he had just brushed away a speck of dust.
He turned toward them with a faint smirk. "You'll get used to it."
Both women could only stare blankly, their admiration for him now reaching the level of reverence.
"Feng Feng," Xu Tianyi said as she returned triumphantly, "digest the core once we reach the sect."
"Understood, Master."
---
The Heavenly Sword Sect
Atop the mist-covered mountains, disciples halted and looked up as a resonant phoenix cry shook the skies. A crimson streak tore through the clouds, descending toward the main peak.
Disciples below stopped in their tracks, eyes wide with awe.
"It's the Supreme Elder! He's back!"
"Look — that phoenix! That's his spiritual beast!"
A voice called out, spreading whispers and astonished excitement throughout the sect.
For generations of disciples, Xu Tianyi's appearances were rare legends rather than daily sights. Now, that legend crossed the heavens above them.
The entire sect buzzed with excitement.
As the phoenix descended toward the Tianyi Peak, Xu Tianyi turned toward the horizon, his expression calm yet resolute.
He sent out a sound transmission that echoed through the sect's communication array.
"Gather in the main hall. There are matters to discuss."
Feng Feng landed gracefully on the peak, folding her wings as Xu Tianyi leapt down with Mu Qing and Mu Qingluan beside him.
"Fengfeng,"
he said, tossing her the demon core of the thunder fire roc,
"Digest this and rest within the cave heaven. Advance first before I call upon you again."
"Yes, Master." She bowed her fiery head with a delightful chirp before vanishing into light.
As she disappeared into the tree's inner realm, Xu Tianyi looked at the mother and daughter, both gazing around the majestic mountain peak in awe.
"Welcome," he said calmly, his golden eyes glinting in the sunlight,
"to your new home — the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Xu Tianyi quietly led Mu Qing and Mu Qinglaun up the marble steps of Tianyi Peak, the path of their new lives unfolding beneath the endless sky.