129 On Correctly Handling the Relationship Between Immortal and Mortal (1/2)

In the blooming spring season, the Spirit Sword Sect was once again teeming with people like in the past—despite in the first place, this declining sect didn’t have much people.

However, in the past one year of experiential learning, the place has been short of a few dozens alive and kicking Qi Cultivating Stage Disciples, so the mountain had indeed been deserted by many. Except for the Foundation Establishment and Xudan Stage Disciples, there were not a lot of people that remained at the Sect all year round. Let alone the few Elders who always wandered around as they please, even the Jindan Stage Disciple, all of them were restless, always running around. For the Spirit Sword Sect, this entire year of experiential learning was like a desolate house where the entire family had been murdered. Now that the newcomers returned to the mountain in cheers, the mountain became somewhat livelier.

After returning from the experiential learning, the Sect was humane enough to put a few days off. On the one hand, it gave the disciples chance to change their frame of mind of the year long experiential learning in the mortal world so that they were ready to return to their Immortal Cultivation practice, and on the other hand, it also gave the Elders the time to review the reports and made the appropriate decision on the next step on how to help the disciples cultivate in accordance with their aptitude according to the report content.

Reviewing these reports was a rather troublesome work. Despite the reviewers were full of Yuanying, and even one Deity Stage Elders—not only their mind could work as fast as lightning, they could even think nine different things at once, which was very extraordinary—they must read these dozens of reports carefully, used the words as the foundation, and in their mind, outlined the full year of experiential learning for each of these Disciples and looked at it from the “bird’s eye view” perspective. After which, they even need to carefully analyze the gains and losses, the success and failures, which was a very taxing work to their mind.

These few days, the main Elders who went through and scrutinized the reports, Liu Xian and Fang He, were exhausted.

Of course, just a few dozens of reports wouldn’t really make the two Yuanying Stage Elders exhausted to dead. Although it would make them a little bit busy, but not that tired. The real cause of their haggard looking was another reason entirely.

“... Senior Brother, forgive my incompetence, but I can’t continue checking this report. Why don’t we hand it over to the Sect Leader to decide? If I continue to read it, I’m afraid I’m going into a depression.”

“Hey, why the talk about incompetence, I also felt depressed when I read that report. It’s just that, it’s really a pity that child Zhu Qin has done a painstaking effort in writing this report, and the result could even be said as a very fine article, but eventually, it’s like giving your wedding dress to other people.”

“After all, we just want them to progress fast in their cultivation, a fine quality report is just a fine quality report. We never expect these children to be able to write any profound truth. And for Zhu Qin to have this kind of insight, it must have been quite difficult for him, however, in the end…” Fang He paused, and then somewhat reluctantly said, “In the end, he can’t be compared to Wang Lu.”

Speaking to this, Fang He didn’t want to continue talking about this anymore, so he quickly changed the topic. “Senior Brother, have you seen Liu Li’s report? I don’t seem to see it here…”

Liu Xian shook his head. “Still in her Master’s hand. Even though he sent little Liu Li here to be under my care before descending the mountain and before Junior Brother Zhou went out wandering, after all, she’s the disciple of Brilliant Peak, and her Immortal Cultivation Core Method is Junior Brother Zhou’s Brilliant Sword Heart, so naturally, she must report to Junior Brother Zhou first.”

Regarding this matter, it was actually a bit of a pity. A year ago, because his Junior Brother went out wandering, he became a substitute Master for little Liu Li for about a month. During which, he found out that he was very much fond of Liu Li’s childlike innocence and amazing aptitude and perception. Thus, he began to regard her as his Successor Disciple. He even began to plot to deceive his Junior Brother to wager little Liu Li on the Mahjong table sometimes in the future so that that child could inherit his mantle. Unfortunately, the Sect’s Successor Disciple was not a holiday gift box that could be exchanged at will. Liu Xian thus could only sigh at his own luck for not meeting this good timber, fine jade kind of material. Of course, as the Sect’s Reward-Giver Elder, it was actually very difficult for him to train a Successor Disciple because if in the future he wanted to pass on his mantle as the owner of the Misty Peak, he has to first retire from the Reward-Giver position.

While Liu Xian and Fang He were talking, they saw ahead of them a flash of sword light. It was their Fourth Junior Brother on his flying sword coming to them. The Fourth Elder’s countenance contained three parts helpless and seven parts depressed. Seeing this, Liu Xian mused, “Did little Liu Li angered you?”

Zhou Ming peevishly snorted.

Fang He said, “Did Junior Brother get Liu Li’s report? Before we hand all the reports to the Sect Leader tomorrow, Second Brother and I have to go through it first.”

As soon as he said that, Fang He immediately knew that something was not right because he saw his Fourth Junior Brother’s facial expression turning gloomy. After a long time, he finally heard him softly asked, “Senior Brother, do you really want to see it?”

Regarding this part, Fang He, of course, didn’t really want to. However, Zhou Ming had already sighed in despair as he handed over the report to him. Fang He curiously opened it and took a look, and he was immediately speechless.

No words could explain it except it was full of Liu Li’s style:

“The first day of experiential learning: Today I ate barbecue. Delicious.”

“The thirteenth day of experiential learning: Today I ate grilled fish. It’s so delicious.”

“The seventy-second day of experiential learning: Today I ate crab spring roll. Delicious.”

“Day seventy-third: I saw a beautiful skirt today, unfortunately, I have no money to buy it. The store owner also didn’t want to give it to me. What should I do?”

Day seventy-fourth: I ate roasted corn today, and it’s quite delicious.”

“Day one hundred and twenty-first: I didn’t eat today, so hungry.”

“Day three hundred and sixth: Today I met twelve strange people. They said they wanted me to be their tripod furnace. I wanted to ask them if they had anything good for me to eat, but I recalled Master’s words about absolutely must not let myself become other people’s tripod furnace, so I had to refuse them. They wanted to catch me, so I hit them with the sword according to Master’s instruction; they were fierce, but I am fiercer. In the end, they couldn’t defeat me. Later, after being beaten, some of them vomited blood core. It looked quite delicious, but Master said I couldn’t randomly eat things that were unknown, so I had to give it up.”

“Day three hundred and twelfth: Ate rice cakes today, really delicious.”

……

It took a while for Fang He to finally fold the report again and another half a day before he said, “There’s no lack of childlike quality.”

Zhou Ming forgot himself and angrily slapped the table. “She’s already seventeen going eighteen years old and has been on the mountain for almost ten years, yet still behave like a child!? Before she descended the mountain, I had repeatedly reminded her to carefully write the report no less than ten times. I even told her to read the report examples. Yet, on return, she gave me such a food diary!? This is so infuriating!”

At this time, in order to comfort Zhou Ming, as well as spreading his grievance, Liu Xian, also sighing, passed over a report to Zhou Ming. “Junior Brother, you need to look at this report to alleviate some of your frustration.”

Zhou Ming took the report and began to scrutinize it. However, after a long time, he still couldn’t open his mouth, apparently speechless.