Chapter 39: Reunion

"Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei." Ji Ning, realizing how brutal this Immortal Fortune Meeting was, couldn't help but look worriedly at his senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei beside him. "You've only cultivated ten years more than me, and in the Immortal Fortune Meeting there are even monstrous geniuses who have cultivated for over three hundred years. Isn't it very dangerous for you to go, senior apprentice-sister? If you really want to go, why not endure another three hundred years?"

The black-robed maiden Yu Wei gently shook her head. "Three hundred years is too long."

"I've already advised her," Cangjiang the True Person said with a sigh.

"Yes, it's too dangerous. The top participants in the Immortal Fortune Meeting, though all are only at the Wanxiang Completion stage, have insights into the 'Dao' at the level of immortals, even surpassing ordinary immortals. Some, like my brother Ji Ning, are monstrous talents who deliberately hold back for three hundred years just to participate in this battle," Beishan Baiwei also said worriedly. "Fire Rainbow Immortal, though you are a reincarnated immortal, your cultivation is still short, unless your past-life memories fully awaken."

If they fully awakened, all the insights into the Dao from the past life would be realized.

Only then could they possibly compete.

"In the Immortal Fortune Meeting, most have mastered a complete Dao," Yu Wei shook her head. "Those who have mastered two complete Daos are extremely rare. Those who have comprehended three Daos might rank in the top ten. In comprehending the Dao, one is fastest at what one is good at, while progress in areas one is not good at becomes slower and slower."

Ji Ning nodded.

Apart from the great Dao 'Sword Dao', he was skilled in the Dao of Blazing Fire, the Dao of Rainwater, and the Dao of Gale Wind. Given a hundred years, he was confident he could fully comprehend all three Daos. But if he had to comprehend four or five Daos, even three hundred years wouldn't be enough, because he had no clue about the other Daos.

"Although I've only mastered one Dao," Yu Wei smiled, "I can occasionally recall fragments of my past-life memories, which allows me to use some secret arts. I am much stronger than an ordinary person who has just mastered one Dao."

"I have no hope of reaching the top ten," Yu Wei shook her head. "But I am confident in surviving."

Ji Ning, Beishan Baiwei, and the others exchanged glances. Since Senior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei had said so, they couldn't advise her further. Moreover, reincarnated immortals were special; they might fully awaken their past-life memories at any time.

"In my past life, I failed the tribulation. In this life, I must advance boldly," Yu Wei's eyes shone. "The Immortal Fortune Meeting is a chance to spar with so many truly top-tier geniuses—a rare opportunity for tempering that comes once in a lifetime."

Ji Ning's heart stirred.

Yes.

To spar with so many geniuses, one must be below the Primordial level. Once one breaks through to Primordial, such opportunities are gone.

"Should I go or not?" Ji Ning pondered. "Yu Wei said that those who comprehend three Daos generally rank in the top ten. For a cultivator, each additional Dao mastered skyrockets their strength... My current strength is far from those who have comprehended three Daos."

"There are still three years."

"Let's wait and see how much my strength can increase in these three years."

Ji Ning said to himself.

At that moment, Ji Ning made up his mind to do his utmost to improve his strength within these three years.

"Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, senior apprentice-brother Cangjiang." Ji Ning looked at his two senior apprentice-siblings.

Yu Wei and Cangjiang both looked at Ji Ning.

"Could you two stay at Serpentwing Lake for a while? I would like to learn from you as much as possible," Ji Ning said helplessly. "In these years at Serpentwing Lake, only Snowfeather the Daoist gave me a real fight. The other missions like capturing criminals were not satisfying."

"Haha," Cangjiang the True Person laughed. "It's hard to find worthy opponents. Junior apprentice-brother, you follow the path of the Sword Immortal, known for being formidable in battle. I'd also like to spar with you."

Yu Wei nodded and smiled. "Before the Immortal Fortune Meeting, I have nowhere to go. Sparring with you, Junior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning, before facing countless geniuses of the Great Xia Dynasty might also help me improve a bit. But Junior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning, you must prepare plenty of fine wine and delicacies. Senior Apprentice-Brother Cangjiang and I are very picky."

"Leave that to me," Beishan Baiwei smiled. "I'll make sure you three are satisfied."

All three were among the top Wanxiang True Persons.

Yu Wei and Cangjiang were reincarnated immortals, and Ji Ning was also considered by many to be a reincarnated immortal; otherwise, how could his divine soul be so powerful? Many believed Ji Ning's past life was a very, very powerful immortal, and precisely because of that, awakening his past-life memories was extremely difficult.

The stronger the past life, the harder the awakening. For example, if a loose immortal like Ju Hua or Beixing, who could rival Celestial Immortals, succeeded in reincarnation, even after becoming an Earth Immortal in the new life, they might not be able to awaken their past-life memories.

"You three are competing, but you're ignoring me!" Mu Zishuo glared.

Ji Ning, Yu Wei, and Cangjiang all looked at Mu Zishuo.

Mu Zishuo said angrily, "I might not be your match in controlling magic treasures, but I have a real trump card—a puppet created by my master and me together. Though it consumes a lot of liquid elemental essence, it can definitely match a Primordial Daoist. Moreover, this puppet has a body of magic treasure, even more indestructible than a divine-magic-refining body!"

"We'll count you in then," Yu Wei smiled.

"In the art of puppetry, some powerful puppets are indeed formidable," Cangjiang the True Person nodded. "But unfortunately, the Immortal Fortune Meeting does not allow practitioners of the Puppet Dao to participate."

"Why doesn't it allow practitioners of the Puppet Dao to participate?" Mu Zishuo said angrily. "That's so unfair."

Ji Ning also laughed. "I know this. I've never heard of any great power who has fully comprehended the Puppet Dao. Since no great power has mastered this Dao, how could they guide you to become a Celestial Immortal?"

Mu Zishuo was speechless.

Yes.

The fundamental purpose of the Immortal Fortune Meeting is for great powers to discover monstrously talented geniuses and take them as disciples. Great powers are not skilled in the Puppet Dao, so naturally they wouldn't choose such practitioners.

The Puppet Dao seeks to exploit the properties of various materials and the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. But heaven and earth are vast; just examining all things would take countless years. Truly fully comprehending the Puppet Dao is said to be impossible even in legends. Every cultivator who walks the Puppet Dao knows this... and they all believe that this Dao has no limit; they pursue ever greater power.

...

Yu Wei, Cangjiang, and Mu Zishuo temporarily settled at Serpentwing Lake, while Beishan Baiwei returned home.

Ji Ning sparred and discussed the Dao with them, and all of them made progress, big or small.

One day, a large boat drifted on Serpentwing Lake.

Ji Ning and the other three were chatting about everything.

"Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, what's wrong?" Ji Ning noticed tears in Yu Wei's eyes and asked. Earlier in the conversation, he had mentioned that his parents had passed away, which seemed to make Yu Wei very sad.

Cangjiang the True Person said softly, "Like you, Junior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei's parents died early, when she was very young."

"Died early?" Ji Ning was startled.

Yu Wei's eyes were tearful, but then the tears evaporated. She looked into the distance and said calmly, "When I was young, before I had even started cultivating or awakened my memories, our tribe was attacked. During the escape, my parents died protecting me. Stimulated by that, my naturally powerful divine soul erupted, killing all the enemies."

Ji Ning could imagine a young child, stimulated by the death of their parents, unleashing their divine soul. With the divine soul and divine sense of a reincarnated immortal, even Zi Mansion cultivators would be killed.

"But it was too late," Yu Wei shook her head. "My parents could never come back. Though they were only with me for three years, I will never forget them in this lifetime."

Three years?

Senior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei had only been three years old then.

...

A long shuttle was tearing through the sky, traveling from distant Shangshui Commandery to Anchang Commandery's Yan Mountain.

Because Jiujie was not a Yinglong Guard, she couldn't use the teleportation array, so she had been flying all the way...

"Finally here!"

The long shuttle stopped.

Jiujie, dressed in a white Daoist robe, flew out, waved her hand to collect the shuttle, and looked into the distance. She immediately saw a boat on Serpentwing Lake below, where Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, Fire Rainbow Immortal Yu Wei, and Cangjiang the True Person were drinking and chatting.

"Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei? Senior apprentice-brother Cangjiang?" Jiujie was also surprised.

At that moment, the four on the boat below sensed the disturbance in the air and looked up.

Seeing Jiujie in the sky, Ji Ning's face lit up with joy, and he stood up.

Yu Wei and the others also stood up. Yu Wei and Jiujie had always been very close, so she immediately called out, "Little sister Jiujie."

Swoosh!

Jiujie flew down from the air and landed on the boat. She first exchanged glances with Ji Ning, both with a hint of affection in their eyes. Then she turned to Yu Wei and said cheerfully, "Senior apprentice-sister, I didn't expect to see you here. I haven't seen you in a long time. Oh, and Senior Apprentice-Brother Cangjiang, Junior Apprentice-Brother Zishuo."

"I haven't seen you in a long time either, ten years, right?" Yu Wei was also delighted. "How did you disappear for ten years?"

"Don't mention it," Jiujie shook her head helplessly. "I was trapped by my tribe in the Ten Thousand Lotus Cave and couldn't get out until a few days ago when I finally broke the formation. I flew all the way from Shangshui Commandery to Anchang Commandery; it took a long time."

"Given your status, why did your tribe trap you in the Ten Thousand Lotus Cave?" Yu Wei asked in surprise. She was one of Jiujie's closest friends in the Black-White College. Unlike Luo Qing, who grew up with Jiujie, Yu Wei and Jiujie truly had compatible temperaments, so Yu Wei knew some of Jiujie's background.

Jiujie glanced at Ji Ning helplessly. "It's all because of him."

"Him?" Yu Wei sensed that Jiujie's glance was unusual. It wasn't like that between ordinary junior apprentice-siblings, but rather like a pair of affectionate Dao companions.

Ji Ning walked over, took Jiujie's hand, and didn't know what to say. After a long silence, he finally uttered three words: "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bit bored. But now that I've left the Ten Thousand Lotus Cave, the Dongyan clan will never interfere with us again," Jiujie said, looking at Ji Ning with joy in her eyes.

"They won't interfere?" Ji Ning couldn't help but show joy. The obstruction of the Dongyan clan had always been a worry for him. Now it was all cleared up.

"Those two?"

Yu Wei looked at Ji Ning and Jiujie like that, stunned.

"Can't you tell? They've become Dao companions!" Cangjiang the True Person laughed.

"Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, you became Dao companions and didn't even tell me!" Mu Zishuo shouted.

Yu Wei stood by, watching silently, maintaining a faint smile.