Chapter 57: CH-57: Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment?

He wasn’t sure whether the Blood Moon Sect was responsible for the emperor’s death.

He wasn’t even sure whether the emperor had been murdered.

But until he found the truth, he refused to believe that everything happening around him was merely coincidence.

The succession struggle could wait.

The noble families could wait.

Even his siblings could wait.

First, he needed answers.

...

Far away from the increasingly tense capital, Gu Changsheng had already returned to the Cloud Piercing Sect.

He had no idea that the kingdom was quietly descending into political chaos.

He also had no idea that the eldest prince was investigating the Blood Moon Sect.

And most importantly, he had absolutely no idea that his peaceful little mission had somehow occurred during one of the more complicated periods in the kingdom’s recent history.

The first few children were assessed one after another, and fortunately for Gu Changsheng, the process turned out to be considerably more peaceful than he had expected.

Most of the children possessed ordinary spiritual roots, while a few had slightly better aptitude. None of them displayed anything particularly unusual, and there were certainly no hidden geniuses who suddenly awakened some ancient bloodline and caused the heavens to tremble.

Honestly, Gu Changsheng was relieved.

After everything he had experienced, he had developed a healthy appreciation for ordinary things.

An ordinary child was good.

An ordinary mission was good.

An ordinary day where nobody attempted to murder him was even better.

By the time the assessment was finished, Gu Changsheng and Ye Che had selected several children who possessed suitable cultivation talent.

The villagers were naturally delighted.

For ordinary people, having their child accepted into an immortal sect was practically equivalent to winning the heavenly lottery. Several parents were so excited that they nearly tried to hand over their entire household’s food supplies as a gift.

Gu Changsheng politely refused.

He only accepted a few snacks.

There was a difference between taking advantage of villagers and accepting hospitality.

At least, that was what he told himself.

...

After completing the mission, Gu Changsheng and Ye Che returned to the Cloud Piercing Sect with the newly selected children.

The journey back was considerably quieter than the trip there.

The children were nervous about entering an immortal sect, while Ye Che occasionally explained some basic things about cultivation to them. Gu Changsheng, meanwhile, mostly remained beside them and answered questions whenever they asked.

One of the younger boys eventually gathered enough courage to approach him.

"Senior Brother, will we really become immortals after joining the sect?"

Gu Changsheng looked down at the boy before giving him a serious expression.

"Of course."

The boy’s eyes immediately brightened.

Gu Changsheng continued speaking in the same solemn tone.

"But becoming an immortal isn’t something that happens overnight. You’ll have to cultivate diligently, endure hardship, and work hard."

The boy nodded repeatedly, apparently taking every word seriously.

Gu Changsheng paused for a moment before adding another sentence.

"Also, don’t believe anyone who tells you that eating ten thousand spiritual pills will immediately make you invincible. You’ll probably explode before that happens."

The boy’s expression became pale.

Ye Che turned his head away, pretending not to hear.

His senior brother had once again managed to provide useful advice in the most terrifying way possible.

By the time they arrived at the sect, the children had already become slightly more relaxed.

The disciples responsible for receiving new recruits took them away and began handling the necessary arrangements.

Gu Changsheng watched them leave before stretching his arms.

"Finally finished."

Ye Che glanced at him.

"Senior Brother, wasn’t this mission quite easy?"

"Exactly. That’s why I liked it."

Gu Changsheng smiled.

"There was no fighting, no secret realm, no Blood Moon Sect, and nobody tried to kill us. If every sect mission was like this, I might actually start enjoying them."

Ye Che couldn’t help smiling.

"Then perhaps we should take more missions like this in the future."

Gu Changsheng immediately shook his head.

"Let’s not get carried away."

He had learned one of the most important rules of the cultivation world.

Whenever something seemed too peaceful, something terrible was probably preparing itself nearby.

It was better not to tempt fate.

...

The following days returned to their usual peaceful rhythm.

Gu Changsheng cultivated in the morning, wandered around the sect during the afternoon, and occasionally spent time with Dong Mulan.

Compared to the chaotic events they had experienced previously, life inside the Cloud Piercing Sect was almost boring.

And Gu Changsheng loved every second of it.

He had originally imagined that becoming a cultivator would involve constant battles, mysterious inheritances, ancient ruins, and countless people trying to kill him for treasures.

Instead, most of his current life consisted of cultivating, eating, chatting with friends, and occasionally wondering why Dong Mulan had somehow managed to find another snack.

It was wonderful.

Of course, there was one particular addition to their daily life.

Dodo Duckling.

The little white swan had somehow become a permanent fixture around Dong Mulan.

Nobody questioned where she had come from.

At first, some disciples had assumed that Dong Mulan had simply found an ordinary spirit bird and decided to keep it as a pet.

That explanation was perfectly reasonable.

After all, nobody would seriously suspect that the harmless-looking little swan was actually an ancient guardian beast capable of obliterating powerful cultivators.

Especially when said guardian beast spent most of her time sitting beside Dong Mulan while eating rice cakes.

Her dignity had suffered greatly.

But the snacks were worth it.

At least, that was what Dodo had convinced herself.

...

One afternoon, Gu Changsheng was sitting beneath a tree while quietly reading a cultivation manual.

Dong Mulan sat beside him, holding Dodo Duckling in her arms.

The little swan was comfortably resting against her chest, her eyes half closed as she enjoyed the warm sunlight.

Everything was peaceful.

Almost suspiciously peaceful.

Gu Changsheng glanced toward the bird.

"Dodo."

The swan opened one eye.

"Why are you always sleeping?"

Dodo immediately closed her eye again.

Gu Changsheng narrowed his eyes.

He had the strange feeling that the bird was deliberately ignoring him.

Dong Mulan giggled.

"Dodo is tired."

"She’s been sleeping for half the day."

"Maybe she’s cultivating."

Gu Changsheng looked at the swan again.

"By sleeping?"

Dong Mulan nodded confidently.

"Yes."

Gu Changsheng fell silent.

After several moments, he slowly nodded.

"That’s actually a cultivation method I can support."

Dodo opened her eyes and glanced at him.

For some reason, she felt that this human was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

Dong Mulan suddenly reached into the small basket beside her and pulled out a pastry.

"Dodo, look! I brought your favorite."

The guardian beast immediately became alert.

Her eyes locked onto the pastry.

Gu Changsheng noticed the sudden transformation.

"So you’re awake after all."

Dodo ignored him.

Dong Mulan smiled happily and fed the pastry to her.

Gu Changsheng watched the scene with amusement before shaking his head.

"She’s definitely smarter than you."

Dong Mulan immediately turned toward him.

"How am I less smart than Dodo?"

Gu Changsheng thought about it carefully.

"Well, she knows when food is being offered."

Dong Mulan frowned.

"I know that too."

"Then why did you once search for half an hour for your own snacks while holding them in your hand?"

Dong Mulan froze.

She slowly looked down.

Her hand was currently holding another pastry.

"...That doesn’t count."

Gu Changsheng immediately laughed.

"It absolutely counts."

Dong Mulan puffed her cheeks.

Dodo looked between the two of them.

For reasons she didn’t understand, watching these two humans bicker had become strangely entertaining.

At first, she had only been interested in Dong Mulan because of the strange feeling surrounding the girl.

Then she had stayed because the girl was amusing.

Then there were the snacks.

Somehow, she had gradually become accustomed to spending time with the group.

Now she occasionally found herself wandering around looking for them whenever they weren’t nearby.

This was becoming problematic.

An ancient guardian beast shouldn’t be spending her days playing with disciples and eating pastries.

Yet every time Dodo considered returning to the Cloud Piercing Sect, Dong Mulan would appear with another basket of snacks.

And suddenly, leaving didn’t seem particularly urgent anymore.

Perhaps she could stay for another day.

Just one.

Then another.

And another.

It was a perfectly reasonable decision.

...

A few days later, Gu Changsheng was walking through the sect when he noticed Ye Che practicing swordsmanship in an open courtyard.

His movements had become noticeably smoother compared to before.

The aura surrounding him was also more stable, and his spiritual energy flowed naturally through his body.

Gu Changsheng stopped nearby and watched for a while.

Ye Che eventually noticed him and sheathed his sword.

"Senior Brother."

Gu Changsheng nodded.

"Your swordsmanship has improved."

Ye Che smiled.

"Thank you. I’ve been practicing whenever I have free time."

Gu Changsheng walked over and examined him carefully.

"You seem to be getting closer to Foundation Establishment."

Ye Che nodded.

"I can feel it myself. I think I may break through soon."

Gu Changsheng’s eyes brightened slightly.

He didn’t say anything about the fact that Ye Che becoming stronger would probably lead to more opportunities eventually.

Instead, he simply smiled.

"Then don’t rush. Stabilize your foundation first."

Ye Che nodded.

"I understand."

Gu Changsheng patted his shoulder.

"Good. Once you break through, we can celebrate."