Chapter Twelve: The Simple and Direct Approach to Education (Part Two)

In fact, what people refer to as the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth could be explained in modern terms as following the natural laws, using the spiritual energy between heaven and earth to guide those laws for one's own use. The higher one's spiritual energy, the deeper one's cultivation, and the more powerful the laws one can command. As for the legendary Emperors, they are those whose cultivation has reached a level equal to those laws, allowing them to resist or even alter the rules themselves.

To change the rules is to break the Dao of this world, and very few are willing to do such a thing—for if the world truly changed, it would be disastrous. Yet few does not mean none, and the Dustless Emperor was one of those who dared.

When Mo Bufan learned of this, he was deeply pained. The main reason the current heavenly law was so fragmented was, of course, that this Emperor had broken some of the rules. In his anger, Mo Bufan cursed the Emperor’s ancestors for eighteen generations.

This Emperor was truly just like those protagonists from the novels of his past life, always thinking of defying the heavens, destroying the old order and establishing a new one of his own. But even a fool knows that if you really destroy the heavens, the new rules you create will be even less fair. After all, no matter how mighty the Immortal Emperor, the rules he sets will always be biased, while the Dao of Heaven is the most just.

Still, complaints aside, there was nothing for it but to keep cultivating.

Having grasped this truth, Mo Bufan found his cultivation effortless, astonishing even his peerlessly powerful master.

As for breaking through to the Enlightenment Realm, Mo Bufan was actually rather bewildered by it. When Ge Qingyang was sure he could make the breakthrough, Mo Bufan diligently researched everything he could, made meticulous preparations, and even wondered if he’d be struck by lightning. But what he hadn’t expected was that the moment he let his guard down, his cultivation simply broke through on its own.

There were no warning signs, no hardships endured; the Spirit Refinement Realm descended upon him suddenly.

Such was the blessing of great talent—breaking through realms was as easy as drinking cool water.

Of course, after reaching the Spirit Refinement Realm, Mo Bufan’s body finally began to change. In the Enlightenment Realm, the body was still mortal; but once one entered the Spirit Refinement Realm, the body began to be transformed. After being refined by spiritual energy, his body was no longer completely leaky, merely half-so. This meant that the time required for body refinement could be shortened.

But this was nothing to celebrate. Now, the suffering of body refinement was nothing compared to the torment inflicted by his master. His master was simply inhuman!

After he reached the Spirit Refinement Realm, Ge Qingyang’s methods of teaching didn’t change much—he simply set higher standards for Mo Bufan. Of course, the strictest rule was that if Mo Bufan wanted to break through again, he had to ask his master’s permission.

And so another year passed, spring fading into autumn. Despite his relentless efforts, Mo Bufan still hadn’t met his master’s standards and would need at least another two or three years to qualify.

As for the other disciples, ever since Old Man Wei Wuwei had given them a stern lesson, they’d left Mo Bufan well alone—none dared to plot against him or tempt him into having babies with their little junior sister.

They even showed their care by taking responsibility for the trouble they’d caused and suffered on his behalf, treating Mo Bufan with genuine affection.

When Song Yuchen found a spare moment to chat with Mo Bufan, she would gently slap him twice. Ge Nie would pummel his chest with little fists when Mo Bufan came to him for “candy pills.”

These two showed their affection in ways that were, without doubt, painful to the core—but whether it was love or not, who could say?

As for his own wife, she had spent the past two years quietly cultivating on the mountain. He might see her no more than twice a year, but her attitude toward him had improved greatly.

What comforted Mo Bufan most was that his “bargain wife” would occasionally express concern for him, and her demeanor made his heart flutter.

To Song Yuxuan, however, she had no idea that Mo Bufan’s daily efforts were, above all, driven by curiosity and loneliness. The world was so vast that he longed to wander it; his loneliness stemmed from the lack of anyone who shared his frame of reference, leaving him isolated with a different civilization in his heart.

Naturally, there was also the desire to preserve his life and ensure his own usefulness, but that was secondary—most of the time, Mo Bufan forgot about it entirely.

What really mattered was that, since beginning his cultivation, Mo Bufan gradually discovered its joys. The practice filled him with a sense of purpose and made his life enjoyable.

Song Yuxuan, for her part, believed what her senior brothers told her—that this man was devoted to her, that he worked so hard just to be worthy of her.

There is nothing so dangerous in love as letting your imagination run wild. After two or three years of such imaginings, though she rarely met Mo Bufan face-to-face, she often observed him in secret. Thus, his place in her heart grew by the day, and sometimes her emotions were genuinely stirred by him.

As the saying goes, “Love knows not whence it comes, only that it grows deeper.” She was now at the stage of not knowing where her feelings began; whether they would deepen further depended on Mo Bufan’s actions.

A year later, Mo Bufan’s cultivation had reached the peak of the First Heaven. He could duel his monstrous master for more than half an hour, and would be able to break through in another six months. But then Ge Qingyang abruptly changed his teaching methods.

That day, Mo Bufan arrived at Tianyu Peak as usual, carrying his stone. After he’d caught his breath, Ge Qingyang didn’t challenge him to a fight as he expected, but instead had him sit down.

Mo Bufan was taken aback, puzzled.

His master was a man of few words. In three or four years, apart from necessary guidance, he’d hardly spoken to him. Still, Mo Bufan knew his master cared deeply for him—after all, what cultivator didn’t seclude himself for months or even years at a time? Yet for years, Ge Qingyang had personally overseen his training every single day.

For this, Mo Bufan was deeply grateful.

And today, his master actually wanted to talk—and from the serious look on his face, it seemed he meant to have a heart-to-heart.

“Master, what is it?” Mo Bufan sat down, watching Ge Qingyang with curiosity.

Ge Qingyang said, “After training with me for so long, it’s time you went out to temper yourself.”

Mo Bufan exclaimed in delight, “Master, are you taking me out for a journey?”

Ge Qingyang shook his head. “Not with me—you’ll go alone.” As he spoke, he tossed Mo Bufan a bamboo slip. “I’ve accepted a sect training mission for you. You leave in three days. Prepare well; we won’t be training these next three days.”

The joy on Mo Bufan’s face vanished in an instant. He glanced at the bamboo slip in his hand and said awkwardly, “A training mission? That’s a bit much…”

Truth be told, Mo Bufan knew that strength was essential to survive in this world. He’d always intended to go out and make his way, but he really wasn’t eager to risk his life on some dangerous mission.

He hadn’t experienced a trial yet, but after four years in this world, he’d heard enough to know that every mission carried some risk of death for cultivators; sometimes, no one returned at all. He knew his progress and abilities were above average, so his aversion to such matters was only natural.

“You’ve had it too easy these past four years,” Ge Qingyang said casually. “You should learn what it’s like for those at the bottom who have to struggle step by step.” As he spoke, he tossed Mo Bufan another bamboo slip. “Here are the details. Go and prepare.”

Mo Bufan’s lips twitched, but he only sighed and said nothing more.

He knew his teacher’s temperament all too well—once a decision was made, no one could change his mind. So he accepted the bamboo slip, saluted Ge Qingyang, and turned to head up Tianyu Peak.

The shock of this sudden trial soon faded, and Mo Bufan regained his composure. Having lived two lives, he’d seen plenty and knew that the most important thing in the face of the unexpected was to stay calm and prepare thoroughly.

Besides, after so long in this place, always under the protection of the elders of the Heavenly Profound Sect, it was time to see what the true cultivation world was really like.

Back at Tiannü Peak, he immediately took out the bamboo slip and began to study it carefully.

This mission, arranged by Ge Qingyang, required him to go to a place called Dragonfall Abyss. It was a fragment of the Celestial Realm that had crashed into Divine Earth Continent after the great war between immortals and demons in ancient times. The area spanned hundreds of thousands of square kilometers and was considered medium-high risk.

Mo Bufan knew little of the ancient war between immortals and demons, only that it had been unimaginably fierce—almost all Earth Immortals and higher had perished, and hardly anyone knew the details; naturally, history books recorded even less.

As for celestial fragments, he did know something about them. He’d seen very detailed accounts in the Sutra Pavilion before. There were four such fragments in the Divine Earth Continent, each a battlefield of the ancient war, existing in the world for tens of thousands of years. All were forbidden lands for cultivators seeking fortune, now controlled by the four great sects.

Due to differences in these forbidden lands, to ensure fairness, the four great sects took turns controlling each area, rotating every ten years. At present, Dragonfall Abyss was under the control of Lingyun Pavilion. To enter and train there, one had to provide treasures as collateral, but anything found within belonged entirely to the cultivator.

Of course, for disciples of the four great sects, only registration was required, but upon returning with treasures, a portion of their value had to be turned over to their own sect.

Cultivators were not interested in money, so the collateral and tribute usually took the form of spiritual medicines or refining materials.

Mo Bufan saw that most of those joining him on this mission were outer sect disciples—eight in total, all of whom had broken through to the second stage of the Spirit Refinement Realm. The most powerful, Gu Qingyuan, had reached the fifth stage.

Mo Bufan, it seemed, was the weakest among them all…