Shi Feiyang subdued each of the six masters of the Purple Cloud Palace one by one, even the most calculating and selfish Shao Dongxiu had nothing but good feelings for Shi Feiyang. She thought this young man in green clothes, who was her senior, was attractive and had a good personality, with an impeccable Daoist level and perspective on life. Even though she was not particularly interested in men, she often couldn't help thinking:

"If I married him, we could undertake dual cultivation together, stand by each other's side, and share the boundless years of immortals, then I would have no other extravagant hopes..." But the other party was her senior, and his mana was so profound that she felt herself an ill match... Even if I were to be his concubine, it wouldn't be so bad, as long as I could stay by his side... If not a concubine, then becoming a maid would also be possible...

The six had different personalities and foundations, each harboring their own thoughts. Shi Feiyang had long kept all of this in his heart.

He was arranged to stay in the Coral Pavilion to the north, where numerous streams of pure water converged into lakes, surrounded by two- to three-zhang high coral rockeries of bizarre shapes piled high. Some places had winding pathways leading to secluded spots; others had steps that led upward with white jade pavilions and trees made of coral. The palaces themselves were constructed from white jade and gold.

Shi Feiyang discreetly observed his disciples' behavior: Deng Bagu and Yuan Hua had been through hardships and no matter the environment, their cultivation always came first; Xiong Man regularly focused on the difficult chance of encountering "Immortal Fate," ignoring all external matters. These three would only meditate in their respective rooms.

Lin Han and Shi Sheng, childlike in nature, along with their two little monkey apprentices loved to play. The four little fellows chased each other around the Jade Forest, clearly enjoying themselves. However, Lin Han was always serious, diligently completing his daily practice with his younger apprentice brother and the two young monkey apprentices before allowing himself to relax.

Both he and Shi Sheng had exceptional qualifications, especially Shi Sheng, whose root bone qualifications were considered top-tier in the Shushan World. While playing, the two little ones would apply the Daoist techniques they had learned, deducing further applications, sometimes even debating with each other about the Dao. If something confused them, they'd save their questions for Shi Feiyang, eager to consult him later. In such a manner, their progression was remarkably swift.

After more than ten days had passed, Jin Xunu would visit once every other day to ask for guidance. Fearing that Shi Feiyang might become impatient or dislike him, he always brought gifts—sometimes rare immortal fruits, other times materials for artifact refining, not only for Shi Feiyang but also trying his best to please Lin Han and the others. Each time he respectfully sought instruction, after receiving advice, he would kneel and kowtow to show his gratitude with utmost sincerity.

Seeing him so earnest, Shi Feiyang said to him, "The Taiyin Qingning Fan will not help you overcome the tribulation fifty years from now. Give it to me, and I'll teach you a technique to surpass the tribulation. How about it?"

Without hesitation, Jin Xunu took out the copper fan and presented it with both hands.

Looking at Jin Xunu kneeling on the ground, holding up the fan with a face full of sincerity, Shi Feiyang was suddenly touched. This fan was Jin Xunu's most powerful magical treasure, the greatest reliance on his path of cultivation and the last hope he had placed on overcoming the ultimate tribulation. Yet now, without the slightest doubt about being deceived by Shi Feiyang, he readily offered up the fan.

Shi Feiyang didn't take the fan. "How about this? Become my disciple, follow me to Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, and I guarantee you will safely overcome the tribulation."

Upon hearing this, Jin Xunu was overjoyed, his eyes rimming with red: "Master Shi, you... please forgive me... I didn't hear clearly. Are you saying you want to take me as your disciple?"

Shi Feiyang nodded, "Are you willing?"

"I am willing! I am so very willing!" Jin Xunu repeatedly kowtowed, "Master above! I..."

"Since you've become my disciple, you must not call yourself 'lowly creature' anymore. And I should tell you that your soft and self-deprecating nature is largely why you encounter so many difficulties in life. From now on, you must stand tall. If not, you'll not only lose face, but it'll be as if you're slapping me in the face too."

"Disciple understands! I assure you, every one of your teachings, master, will be engraved in my heart, never to be forgotten!" Jin Xunu kowtowed several more times until Shi Feiyang signaled for him to stand up.

He once again offered the Taiyin Qingning Fan to Shi Feiyang with both hands, but Shi Feiyang waved his hand away: "You're already my disciple. Why would I need this fan? Even if I wanted to take it, it would be to prepare it for my disciple."

Shi Feiyang asked him, "Although your mana is strong, your vision is small and can't apprehend the grand Dao. If you keep mingling outside, sooner or later, you'll encounter calamity. Would you like to follow me to the Little Antarctic?"

Ever since Jin Xunu first met Shi Feiyang, he felt a kinship never felt with other immortal beings. Now that he had taken a master, he yearned to stay with him forever, nodding continuously, "Even through mountains of blades and seas of flames, I will follow my master."

Shi Feiyang curiously asked, "Can you bear to part with Purple Cloud Palace?"

Jin Xunu said, "I... the disciple is a spirit-touched merfolk, lived for over a thousand years and fortunately attained a human form. I'm now blessed to be under your guidance, Master. My desires are fully satisfied, I dare not hope for anything more." His eyes brimmed with tears again, "I am of meager fortune; what I have now far exceeds what I should possess. If I had any more, I fear that it would only bring disaster upon me."

Shi Feiyang smiled, "If you can part with Purple Cloud Palace, can you part with the people in Purple Cloud Palace?"

Er Feng was his wife, and when Shi Feiyang first received the blessing of True Water to transform into human form, Er Feng was by his side as his protector. It should have been uneventful, but Sanfeng and Dongxiu opened a crack in the Dharma Platform outside, allowing a Yin Demon to slip through. Er Feng, already prone to attracting demons due to her practice of Demon Magic, found the newly transformed handsome young man with golden whiskers too irresistible, and at the moment of crisis, they couldn't help themselves and ended up together. Afterward, Chu Feng decided they should marry and thus they became husband and wife.

However, Jin Xunu actually had no real feelings for Er Feng. His deepest attachment was to Chu Feng, but not in a romantic sense—it was gratitude.

The name Jin Xunu was given to him by his former master because of his deep subservient nature. Once he pledged his loyalty to someone, he was like a domesticated dog, forever faithful and unchangeable even in the face of death.

They first met by the sea, where his master was performing alchemy on a reef while he eagerly floated on the water's surface, watching. His master did not shoo him away like other cultivators might have; instead, he allowed him to watch for over a month. When the Dan was finally completed, his master casually tossed one to him. From that moment on, he pledged his loyalty to his master, remaining by his side through beatings and scoldings and even shielded his master from a lethal Yin Thunder during a duel, nearly dying in the process, securing the victory for his master and thus beginning their teacher-disciple relationship.

Later, after his master passed away through Soldier Disintegration, he wandered alone and encountered the Tie San Daoist. He was sealed within a Dharma Platform and sunk to the bottom of the sea. It was Chu Feng, who was then collecting seaweed at the seabed, who shattered the Dharma Platform and saved him. She then brought him back to Purple Cloud Palace, where he used Nanming Li Fire to refine a Crystal Box, obtained the Secret Manual, and they cultivated together…

The second person he acknowledged was Chu Feng. When Emei Sect destroyed Purple Cloud Palace, the Purple and Blue Double Swords reaped chaos, and the people of the palace were either killed or fled. In the final moments, he desperately protected Chu Feng as they escaped, neglecting his nominal wife, Er Feng.

Shi Feiyang thought Jin Xunu would be reluctant to leave Chu Feng and Purple Cloud Palace.

But Jin Xunu said, "The Great Palace Master wouldn't heed my advice and insisted on cultivating the Heavenly Demon Secret Manual. I've carefully predicted the future, and the outcome is bleak. It's futile for me to stay; I cannot escape the fate of being demonized alongside her. I will learn the Demon Refining Technique from my master, and only when her crisis arrives will I return to rescue her from the demon's grasp. Only then will she listen to my advice."

Shi Feiyang arranged for him to meet with Deng Bagu and others, acknowledging each other as fellow senior and junior disciples, and placed him as the second disciple amongst the heterogeneous disciples after Yuan Hua.

Upon hearing this news, the people of Purple Cloud Palace had mixed feelings: Sanfeng and Dongxiu had always disliked Jin Xunu and were secretly pleased to see him acknowledge another master and leave. Chu Feng was happy for Jin Xunu and even held a banquet to celebrate, expressing her congratulations, feeling a twinge of envy, wishing she could become a disciple too if she weren't the palace master.

Hui Zhu was also happy for Jin Xunu, but for different reasons. She believed Purple Cloud Palace was lavish and luxurious on the surface but inherently flawed, a dangerous pit in essence—not as good as any random ancient mountain cave. If not for being deeply entangled in fate, she would have left long ago;

Er Feng didn't want to part with her husband and wished to become a disciple too, asking Jin Xunu to help plead with Shi Feiyang on her behalf.

Jin Xunu wasn't very willing, but still spoke to Shi Feiyang, who asked Er Feng, "If you truly wish to become a disciple, I am willing to accept you. But can you bear to leave behind Purple Cloud Palace's splendor? Can you bear to leave your sisters?"

Er Feng was suddenly at a loss for words. She truly couldn't bear to leave Purple Cloud Palace, nor could she stand to leave the home she had lived in for over four hundred years or her sisters. The matter had to be dropped.

Shi Feiyang told Jin Xunu to reveal all the Daoist Techniques he had learned and cultivated in the past. He revised Jin Xunu's cultivation path, designed new Cultivation Methods for him based on the existing foundation, and instructed him to take out his magical treasures for analysis. He taught Jin Xunu to re-refine each treasure one by one.

Jin Xunu had many magical treasures, most of which he had crafted himself, with the majority coming from Moon Island's treasure vault, totaling more than a dozen. The previous refinement of most treasures was incorrect, especially the Taiyin Qingning Fan, which he had only managed to unleash less than a third of its potential.

Now, with Shi Feiyang's guidance, many years' worth of stagnation and bottlenecks were swiftly overcome, and his Daoist power along with his proficiency with the magical treasures improved by leaps and bounds.

Sanfeng and Dongxiu, having learned of this, also came to seek guidance.

Sanfeng possessed the Xuan Guang Ruler, one of the four guardian treasures of Lianshan, and while it was the least powerful, it had many uses, second only to Shi Feiyang's Nine Heavens Yuan Yang Ruler. However, Sanfeng lacked the proper technique to refine it. Despite being a Demon Refining Treasure, she persisted in using demon magic to refine it, which limited the treasure's power to less than half its potential. The more diligently she trained, the more she felt suppressed by the treasure's effect, impacting her Primordial Spirit and, over time, her mental clarity.

Shi Feiyang explained to her, "This is a fine treasure of the immortals, but it's a pity it conflicts with your disposition. The conflict between you and the treasure is evident: do you feel drained of spirit and strength after each refinement or use? You also use it to control demons. Lucky for you, your effort is not strong; otherwise, either the treasure would have exploded, or you would have deviated."

Sanfeng agreed deeply, torn as she looked at the ruler. The Xuan Guang Ruler, coming from Lianshan Treasure Vault of Moon Island, was what she considered her best treasure, but it was the most problematic in use – just managing to transform into five light rings to throttle the opponent's Flying Sword Magical Treasure, while its other elaborate uses remained untapped.

Observing her demeanor, Shi Feiyang said, "I also have a treasure that I wrested from Brooyinca, the Barbarian Monk of the Western Demon Cult. It's a genuine artifact of the Demon Path, ill-suited to my nature, and awkward to use. If Third Palace Master feels it resonates with her, perhaps we can trade this treasure for the Jade Ruler in her possession."

He then unveiled the Black Crow Needle.

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