My Master’s Daoist Heart is Unstable - Chapter 3

The white magnolias of Fufeng Peak bloomed and withered, bloomed and withered again, marking the passage of ten years. Li Shangyuan spent those years, one after another, immersed in cultivation and medicinal baths. To a cultivator, however, such a decade was but a fleeting moment.

For most of these twenty years, his Master had been refining pills to enhance his innate talent. Li Shangyuan only saw him once every few years, yet the pills had done little to help him.

“Today, you will break the restriction on Miling Peak. Everyone must leave the valley within the allotted time.”

True Person Xumi looked at his personal disciples and waved his hand. The once lush and bright Miling Valley was instantly engulfed in a dense fog.

“Alright, you may go.”

The disciples in green robes immediately scattered, flying into the valley on their swords.

Li Shangyuan had only just reached the Qi Induction stage and had to enter on foot. Relying on his compass, he walked for over an hour before finally approaching the array eye he had locked onto.

His green robes, still lacking the protection of spiritual energy, were already stained with mud, becoming heavy and sodden.

As soon as Li Shangyuan stepped into the array eye, he noticed the fog had thinned slightly. It was clear that someone else’s protective magical artifact had already dispersed it.

Seeing this, Li Shangyuan immediately turned and began searching for another array eye to break the formation.

“Stay where you are. Don’t move.”

The newcomer was also dressed in green, but his outer robe was a pale golden gauze that shimmered with a faint light, making him look even more ethereal and spirited.

Li Shangyuan turned to face the man who had been waiting for him. “Dian Chao,” he said gently, “could we wait until after this trial to settle our score?”

This was the same disciple who had been forced to join the Sect Master’s lineage because Li Shangyuan’s own Master refused to take him in. This had stripped him of a full generation of seniority, and he had never forgiven the slight. Every time he saw Li Shangyuan, he would pick a fight, always eager to challenge and humiliate him.

“I refuse.”

Li Shangyuan sighed inwardly. Of course he would.

“Aren’t you the expert at breaking formations?” Dian Chao sneered. “I’ve just acquired a new one. Martial Uncle, would you be so kind as to break it for me? If you can’t, well, you’ll just have to make yourself comfortable here for the night.”

The moment the words left his lips, Dian Chao raised his hand and swiftly activated the formation. Before the barrier sealed shut, he summoned his sword and flew out of the array.

Li Shangyuan stood frozen, his eyes sweeping across his surroundings. He realized with a jolt that he had never seen this specific trapping formation in any of his books.

He quickly spun the compass in his hand, trying to sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy.

After a moment, he pinpointed the strongest concentration of magical and spiritual power. It was aligned perfectly with the Seven Mansions of the Western White Tiger, one of the Four Symbols of the Twenty-eight Mansions.

A positional formation, he realized.

Breaking it wouldn’t be difficult, but it would be time-consuming.

He sat cross-legged, poised to act, when a wave of intensely aggressive demonic energy suddenly surged from behind.

Li Shangyuan rolled to the side. The moment he scrambled to his feet, a massive claw swung at him with such blinding speed that he had no time to dodge.

Just then, the Disciple Jade Token at his waist erupted in a brilliant pale-green light, shattering the claw instantly.

A monstrous beast, resembling a red leopard with a single horn on its head and five tails, glared at him fiercely.

Li Shangyuan scrambled back, his mind racing. Why is there a Fierce Beast here?!

But there was no time to ponder. His priority was escape. He had come equipped with only a compass and his Identity Jade Token, and the token’s automatic defense could only be triggered three times…

The Fierce Beast, sensing the cultivator’s low spiritual energy, had initially lowered its guard. It hadn’t expected the jade token to be so powerful. Now, it nursed its injured paw, hesitating to advance.

Seeing that the young cultivator wasn’t attacking, the Fierce Beast opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of flames with incredible speed.

Before Li Shangyuan could react, the jade token sensed the fire and automatically activated its second defense. Seizing the moment, he retreated to the edge of the Formation, determined to break it and escape.

Li Shangyuan immediately poured spiritual power into the compass. Once the needle aligned with the correct position, another wave of scorching flames erupted behind him. The jade tablet’s final layer of defense was about to be completely depleted.

He spun the compass frantically, and just before the jade tablet’s spiritual power vanished, the formation finally shattered. He immediately turned and bolted toward the exit.

Seeing the man trying to escape, the Fierce Beast lunged at him without hesitation.

As the demonic energy closed in, Li Shangyuan knew he was too late. A surge of desperation and unwilling resignation flooded his heart.

In that instant, he felt his meridians swell as spiritual power surged through him, momentarily stalling the beast.

But against a high-level demonic beast, his efforts were ultimately futile. Just as the creature’s massive claws were about to crush him, a wave of pure, cool spiritual energy enveloped him. A faint scent of white magnolia wafted from behind, and Li Shangyuan whipped around.

There stood a familiar figure in black hair, green robes, and a white crown, his back radiating a soft, luminous glow. Shen Guanfu extended a finger and tapped the air. The Fierce Beast, already cowering on the ground, was instantly frozen in place.

“Thank you, Master!”

Shen Guanfu turned around, his clear, pale eyes betraying no emotion as he scanned his disciple from head to toe. Only after confirming Li Shangyuan was unharmed did he meet the young man’s reverent gaze and nod softly. “Mhm.”

Joy spread across Li Shangyuan’s eyes as he stepped forward, his voice brimming with excitement. “Master, you’ve come out of seclusion?”

It had been a full three years since he last saw his master.

Shen Guanfu nodded at him, his gaze shifting between the demonic beast and Li Shangyuan as if deep in thought.

Seeing this, Li Shangyuan stammered, “Master, is something wrong?”

When Shen Guanfu didn’t respond, Li Shangyuan, who hadn’t seen his master in so long, couldn’t help but speak again. “Why would a high-level demonic beast like a Fierce Beast appear here?”

Shen Guanfu, who had already guessed the beast’s origins, ignored his disciple’s question and said softly to himself, “Just kill it. Its demon core will be useful.”

“Ancestor, please wait.”

Chu Cheng, who had been ordered to capture the beast, had just arrived with Dian Chao and immediately intervened upon hearing those words.

Chu Cheng bowed respectfully to Shen Guanfu and continued, still bent over, “Ancestor, this Fierce Beast has always been strictly imprisoned by the Sect Master. I don’t know how it managed to escape. The Sect Master might have other uses for it, so I hope you can spare its life.”

Shen Guanfu acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. Only after he had sealed the beast into a bag did he raise his hand to signal Chu Cheng to rise. His expression remained gentle, showing no sign of anger, but his lips parted slightly as he spoke coldly:

“Tell your Master to come and answer me himself.”

Without waiting for a response, Shen Guanfu turned his gaze to the stunned young man. “You must be the Sect Master’s youngest disciple. This is the first time I’ve seen you in all these years.”

Li Shangyuan froze for a moment. In his nervousness, he instinctively leaned closer to his Master, only to remember that his Master never liked people getting too close. He quickly shifted back half an inch, his movements awkward and clumsy.

Chu Cheng quickly nudged his junior brother, who was still processing the situation. Suppressing the admiration in his eyes, Dian Chao bowed respectfully. “Yes, Ancestor. This disciple is named Dian Chao.”

Shen Guanfu nodded. “You use the Dian family’s formations quite well.”

Dian Chao was momentarily flustered, unsure of how to respond. “This disciple… this disciple…”

Shen Guanfu’s fingers flickered. Spiritual light automatically flew into the array eyes at the Seven Mansions positions of the formation. Once the formation was stabilized and strengthened, he said calmly, “Since that’s the case, you will stay here and break it.”

With that, he turned to Chu Cheng, who was about to plead for mercy. “Go and report what happened here to your Master.”

Chu Cheng dared not speak another word. Knowing that Dian Chao was entirely at fault, he could only raise his hand in a gesture of farewell and withdraw.

“Master, Dian Chao didn’t know the Fierce Beast was here beforehand. Besides, he was the one who led me here…”

Li Shangyuan saw the spiritual power his master had unleashed and knew the formation couldn’t be broken in just a few days. He immediately began to plead his case, explaining the circumstances.

But before he could finish, Dian Chao interrupted him. “Don’t bother. I’m willing to accept the punishment.”

Dian Chao silently turned his head away, clearly refusing to accept Li Shangyuan’s help.

Seeing this, Li Shangyuan could only sigh with understanding.

To test his theory, Shen Guanfu didn’t say another word. He simply grabbed Li Shangyuan’s wrist, and they vanished in an instant.

Dian Chao stood silently for a long moment before finally taking out his compass to begin dismantling the formation.

Upon arriving at Fufeng Peak, Shen Guanfu led Li Shangyuan straight to the Inner Hall. After taking his seat, he looked up at the disciple, who was now taller than himself, and said softly, “Try circulating your spiritual power again. Let me see.”

Without hesitation, Li Shangyuan complied.

The moment he activated his spiritual energy, he was stunned. His cultivation level had unexpectedly jumped forward by a significant margin. “Master, my cultivation has suddenly increased!”

Shen Guanfu watched him, his expression thoughtful.

So it’s true.

He had never expected the boy to be someone who broke through his cultivation only when pushed to the brink. As Shen Guanfu pondered, a plan began to take shape.

Seeing his disciple’s confused expression, he finally spoke, his voice slow and measured. “It seems your cultivation was triggered by the mortal danger you faced. Unexpectedly, we’ve stumbled upon the method best suited for your cultivation.”

Li Shangyuan’s eyes widened in realization. If that’s the case, I should put myself in perilous situations more often. That way, Master won’t have to spend so much time in secluded cultivation refining pills for me.

As Li Shangyuan was lost in thought, his Master’s clear, cool voice drifted over him. “Shangyuan, you’ve been my disciple for fifteen years now, yet your cultivation has advanced so slowly. Do you blame your Master for being an incompetent teacher?”

Li Shangyuan was stunned that his Master would even think such a thing. Overcome with guilt, he waved his hands frantically. “Master, this is all due to my own poor aptitude. I’m the one who lacks skill, how could you possibly blame yourself?”

“Now, your Martial Uncles’ disciples have all achieved great success in their cultivation, yet you are my only personal disciple. I have always held high hopes for you. But your cultivation… never mind. As long as you are safe and well, that is enough.”

With just a few carefully chosen words, Shen Guanfu had subtly guided his disciple, each sentence a calculated step in his plan.

Li Shangyuan gazed at his Master’s gentle face. After a moment, he stepped back two paces and knelt, performing a formal, solemn kowtow.

Shen Guanfu feigned surprise and rose to his feet. “What are you doing?” he asked softly.

“Disciple requests permission to enter the Mortal Realm for cultivation,” Li Shangyuan declared, his voice firm and resolute.

“Do you not know that the Mortal Realm is overrun with demons? This is far too risky…”

Shen Guanfu’s elegant brows furrowed slightly, his expression of concern perfectly calibrated.

Li Shangyuan remained stubborn, but remembering his Master’s unwavering benevolence, he quickly shifted his approach. “Master, we have finally found a cultivation method that suits me. Besides, this journey would also protect the common people. Isn’t that a win-win?”

Your disciple wants to prove himself worthy! he thought. This way, Master won’t have to spend years refining pills for my cultivation, delaying his own progress.

Shen Guanfu sighed softly. He reached out with his long, slender fingers, grasped his disciple’s arm, and helped him to his feet. “Very well,” he said, sounding resigned. “Since you’ve made up your mind, I cannot stand in your way.”

“Rest assured, Master. The other disciples also frequently travel to the Mortal Realm for training. I will protect myself,” Li Shangyuan said, offering further reassurance to soothe his master’s worries.

Seeing his master’s brow finally relax, he added, “Master, I have decided to depart tomorrow.”

Shen Guanfu, well aware of his disciple’s habit of acting immediately on his words, could only nod in helpless resignation.

The next day, before Li Shangyuan’s departure, Shen Guanfu took out the Fierce Beast’s demon core and handed it to him. “Take this. It will automatically glow to warn you whenever demons, monsters, or ghosts appear nearby.”

Only after seeing his disciple tuck it away did he offer a faint smile and a nod of dismissal.

Li Shangyuan glanced back three times with every step, his gaze fixed on his master until the figure blurred into the distance. Only then did he steady his heart and stride resolutely toward the unknown ahead.

Master, I will devote myself to cultivating the Dao on this journey and prove that your Dharma Eye was not mistaken.

Shen Guanfu’s smile vanished. He watched his disciple’s retreating back, his eyes turning as cold as a deep pool.

A moment later, his expression shifted into something unreadable. This method is indeed somewhat risky, he thought. Shen Guanfu lowered his long eyelashes, a faint glint flickering in the depths of his cold gaze as if he were weighing his options.

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