zhōng shén tōng ， yī shǒu qī cǎi shén guāng ， kān chēng tóng jìng jiè wú dí 。 shèn zhì néng jiāng tóng jìng jiè de zhāng shī xiōng huó huó hào sǐ 。
钟神通，一手七彩神光，堪称同境界无敌。甚至能将同境界的章师兄活活耗死。
Zhong Shentong, with his seven-color divine light, was virtually invincible in his realm. He could even exhaust a peer at the same level to death.
suǒ xiū 《 shēng sǐ xuán gōng 》， yě shì yī mén xuán qí wú bǐ de gōng fǎ 。 xiū liàn zhì zuì shēn chù ， jù shuō kě yǐ dá dào shēng sǐ tóng zài de qí miào zhuàng tài ， zuò dào lìng lèi de bù sǐ bù miè 。
所修《生死玄功》，也是一门玄奇无比的功法。修炼至最深处，据说可以达到生死同在的奇妙状态，做到另类的不死不灭。
The *Life and Death Profound Art* he practiced was also an extraordinarily mysterious technique. When perfected, it supposedly allowed one to exist in a state of life and death coexisting, achieving a form of immortality by another means.
xiū xíng cǐ fǎ ， kě yǐ huàn xǐng bìng wú xiàn fàng dà xiū shì duì yú shēng sǐ de běn néng kǒng jù 。
修行此法，可以唤醒并无限放大修士对于生死的本能恐惧。
Practicing this method could awaken and infinitely amplify a cultivator’s instinctive fear of life and death.
néng shǐ zhōng shén tōng zhè yàng tiān xìng bǎi làn de xiū shì ， zài sǐ wáng de wēi xié miàn qián ， fǎng zhí jiē huàn le gè rén shì de ， néng dòng xìng lā mǎn 。
能使钟神通这样天性摆烂的修士，在死亡的威胁面前，仿直接换了个人似的，能动性拉满。
This made the usually apathetic Zhong Shentong seem like a different person when faced with the threat of death. His dynamism was at its peak.
“ yuán zhào yuán yǒu de lì shǐ guǐ jì ， zhōng shén tōng bú dào dà xiàn jiāng zhì ， bú huì tū pò 。”
“原照原有的历史轨迹，钟神通不到大限将至，不会突破。”
"Following the original historical trajectory, Zhong Shentong would not break through until his time came."
“ xiàn zài què tí qián zhù jī le ……”
“现在却提前筑基了……”
"But now he has already advanced to Foundation Establishment..."
“ fā shēng le shén me ？”
“发生了什么？”
"What happened?"
biàn yì xiān fán zhàng zuì wèi yán zhòng de shí qī yǐ jīng guò qù ， kě yǐ què dìng zhōng shén tōng bú shì yīn wèi zhè ge yuán yīn bèi pò tū pò de 。
变异仙凡瘴最为严重的时期已经过去，可以确定钟神通不是因为这个原因被迫突破的。
The most severe period of the Immortal-Demon Mist had passed, so it could be confirmed that Zhong Shentong’s breakthrough was not due to this.
lǐ fán dùn shí lái le xìng qù 。
李凡顿时来了兴趣。
Li Fan immediately became interested.
bù guò yóu yú běn zūn hái zài tūn shì wǔ xíng dà dòng tiān de jìn chéng zhī zhōng ， tuō bù kāi shēn 。
不过由于本尊还在吞噬五行大洞天的进程之中，脱不开身。
However, since the main entity was still in the process of devouring the Five Elements Great Cavern, he couldn’t spare his attention.
zhè cì guān chá zhōng shén tōng ， xū yóu fēn shēn jì shào lí chū mǎ 。
这次观察钟神通，需由分身季绍离出马。
This observation of Zhong Shentong would have to be handled by a clone named Ji Shaoli.
“ tā bù guò gāng gāng tū pò dào zhù jī qī ， hái méi lái de jí lǐng wù qī cǎi shén guāng 。 wǒ jīn dān qī de xiū wèi ná niē tā ……”
“他不过刚刚突破到筑基期，还没来得及领悟七彩神光。我金丹期的修为拿捏他……”
"He has only just reached Foundation Establishment and hasn't had time to comprehend the seven-color divine light. I can handle him with my Golden Core cultivation..."
“ yīng gāi wèn tí bù dà 。” jì shào lí àn zì sī cǔn dào 。
“应该问题不大。”季绍离暗自思忖道。
"Shouldn't be an issue," Ji Shaoli thought to himself, though he prepared thoroughly as a precaution.
bù guò bǎo xiǎn qǐ jiàn ， fēn shēn yī jiù shì zuò le chōng zú de zhǔn bèi 。
不过保险起见，分身依旧是做了充足的准备。
After all, at this stage of Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, having sufficient contributions could negate the level difference and crush his opponent.
zài zhù jī dào yuán yīng zhè ge jiē duàn ， zhǐ yào yǒu zú gòu de gòng xiàn dù wǔ zhuāng zì jǐ ， zú yǐ wú shì xiū wèi chā jù ， niǎn sǐ duì fāng 。
在筑基到元婴这个阶段，只要有足够的贡献度武装自己，足以无视修为差距，碾死对方。
Let alone that he was now one realm higher. So Ji Shaoli wasn’t overly worried.
gèng bié tí xiàn zài jìng jiè hái dà guò duì fāng yī céng le 。 suǒ yǐ jì shào lí bìng méi yǒu guò fèn dān xīn 。
更别提现在境界还大过对方一层了。所以季绍离并没有过分担心。
According to intelligence, Ji Shaoli arrived via teleportation in the northwest border of Yongyun State, at a desolate small hill where Zhong Shentong resided.
gēn jù qíng bào ， jì shào lí tōng guò chuán sòng zhèn ， lái dào le yōng yùn zhōu xī běi biān chuí ， yī zuò huāng liáng xiǎo shān chù 。
根据情报，季绍离通过传送阵，来到了雍韵州西北边陲，一座荒凉小山处。
There was an old temple on top of the hill, and Zhong Shentong lived there in seclusion.
shān shàng yǒu yī zuò lüè xiǎn pò bài de xiǎo miào ， zhōng shén tōng jiù zài cǐ chù yǐn jū 。
山上有一座略显破败的小庙，钟神通就在此处隐居。
"Originally, Zhong Shentong was just an ordinary elderly man. Although he obtained half a scroll of *Life and Death Profound Art* by chance, his cultivation had never yielded results until near the end of his life when he broke through under immense pressure to reach Qi Cultivation Realm."
“ yuán xiān zhè zhōng shén tōng ， bù guò shì wèi xún cháng lǎo rén 。 suī shuō jī yuán qiǎo hé xià dé le bàn juǎn 《 shēng sǐ xuán gōng 》， què yì zhí xiū xíng wú guǒ 。 zhí dào shòu yuán jiāng jǐn shí ， cái zài jù dà de yā lì xià tū pò zhì gù ， chéng gōng tà zú liàn qì qī 。”
“原先这钟神通，不过是位寻常老人。虽说机缘巧合下得了半卷《生死玄功》，却一直修行无果。直到寿元将尽时，才在巨大的压力下突破桎梏，成功踏足炼气期。”
"After Qi Cultivation, he lacked motivation for further advancement. He spent the rest of his days in this small temple."
“ liàn qì qī hòu ， yòu shì xiū xíng dòng lì bù zú 。 zhǐ zài zhè xiǎo miào nèi dù guò yú shēng 。”
“炼气期后，又是修行动力不足。只在这小庙内渡过余生。”
"He should have broken through as his time came... but now it’s earlier..."
“ lǐ yīng shì děng dào dà xiàn jiāng zhì zài dù tū pò de 。 xiàn zài què tí qián le ……”
“理应是等到大限将至再度突破的。现在却提前了……”
"What kind of strange object did he use to break through?"
“ tā zhù jī qí wù yòu shì shén me ？”
“他筑基奇物又是什么？”
Ji Shaoli didn’t reveal his form and instead concealed his aura, watching from afar.
jì shào lí méi yǒu xiǎn chū zì jǐ shēn xíng ， ér shì zhē bì zì jǐ qì xī ， yuǎn yuǎn dì kuī sì qǐ lái 。
季绍离没有显出自己身形，而是遮蔽自己气息，远远地窥伺起来。
In addition to Zhong Shentong, there was an eight or nine-year-old little Taoist boy in the temple.
xiǎo miào zhōng chú le zhōng shén tōng zhī wài ， hái yǒu yī míng bā jiǔ suì de xiǎo dào tóng 。
小庙中除了钟神通之外，还有一名八九岁的小道童。
Strangely enough, despite being able to perform tasks like cleaning and cooking with spells, Zhong Shentong insisted that the little boy do everything himself.
guò fèn de shì ， miào nèi zhū rú dǎ sǎo wèi shēng 、 shēng huǒ zuò fàn zhī lèi de shì ， míng míng kě yǐ yòng fǎ shù zhí jiē jiě jué 。
过分的是，庙内诸如打扫卫生、生火做饭之类的事，明明可以用法术直接解决。
The little boy had strikingly good looks, his large eyes seeming to speak as they shone brightly. Despite this, he worked tirelessly without complaint, handling tasks with surprising dexterity. His skill was far from that of a child.
dàn piān piān zhōng shén tōng què zhǐ ràng xiǎo dào tóng qīn zì qù zuò 。
但偏偏钟神通却只让小道童亲自去做。
Meanwhile, Zhong Shentong sat by a small pond in the temple’s backyard, fishing.
zhè xiǎo dào tóng shí fēn hǎo kàn ， yī shuāng dà yǎn jīng gèng shì fǎng fú huì shuō huà shì de ， míng liàng shǎn dòng 。 dàn què rèn láo rèn yuàn ， gàn huó shí fēn lì suǒ 。 nà shú liàn de jià shì ， gēn běn bù xiàng gè hái tóng 。
这小道童十分好看，一双大眼睛更是仿佛会说话似的，明亮闪动。但却任劳任怨，干活十分利索。那熟练的架势，根本不像个孩童。
The little boy called out several times but got no response, so he placed the prepared food before Zhong Shentong.
zhè biān xiǎo dào tóng jiāng zhè yī qiè chǔ lǐ de jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáo ， zhōng shén tōng què zhǐ shì zuò zài xiǎo miào hòu yuàn yī chù chí táng biān chuí diào 。
这边小道童将这一切处理的井井有条，钟神通却只是坐在小庙后院一处池塘边垂钓。
"Master, it's time to eat," the little boy said in a cute voice.
xiǎo dào tóng hǎn le jǐ shēng wú guǒ ， zhǐ dé jiāng zuò hǎo de fàn cài duān dào zhōng shén tōng miàn qián 。
小道童喊了几声无果，只得将做好的饭菜端到钟神通面前。
"Hush, don’t scare away my fish."
“ shī fù ， chī fàn le 。” xiǎo dào tóng nǎi shēng nǎi qì de shuō dào 。
“师父，吃饭了。”小道童奶声奶气的说道。
The little boy pouted and started eating on his own.
“ xū ， mò yào xià pǎo le wèi shī de yú 。”
“嘘，莫要吓跑了为师的鱼。”
After the little boy nearly finished, Zhong Shentong suddenly exclaimed: "He’s hooked!"
xiǎo dào tóng piē le piě zuǐ ， zì gù zì de xiān chī qǐ lái 。
小道童撇了撇嘴，自顾自的先吃起来。
With a sudden pull on the fishing rod, he reeled up not a fish but a green light ball.
zú zú děng dào xiǎo dào tóng kuài chī wán ， zhōng shén tōng cái shén sè yī dòng ：“ shàng gōu le ！”
足足等到小道童快吃完，钟神通才神色一动：“上钩了！”
Zhong Shentong looked disappointed but still searched through the green light ball with his hand for a while.
měng lā yú gān ， què jiàn diào shàng lái bú shì shén me yú lèi 。
猛拉鱼竿，却见钓上来不是什么鱼类。
Soon enough, he pulled out what seemed to be a rusted round talisman.
què zhǐ shì yī lǜ sè de guāng tuán 。
却只是一绿色的光团。
After examining it briefly, Zhong Shentong shook his head and threw it to the little boy.
zhōng shén tōng miàn lù shī wàng zhī sè ， bù guò hái shì shēn shǒu zài zhè lǜ sè guāng tuán zhōng mō suǒ le yī zhèn 。
钟神通面露失望之色，不过还是伸手在这绿色光团中摸索了一阵。
The little boy, used to this routine, took it deftly: "Master, what is this?"
bù duō shí ， cóng zhōng mō chū yī jiàn sì hū shēng le xiù de yuán pán fǎ qì 。
不多时，从中摸出一件似乎生了锈的圆盘法器。
"It’s a fire plate that can emit flames. You won’t need spells for cooking anymore," Zhong Shentong said lazily as he reeled in his fishing rod and ate voraciously.
zhōng shén tōng dǎ liàng le yī fān ， wēi wēi yáo tóu ， zhí jiē rēng gěi le xiǎo dào tóng 。
钟神通打量了一番，微微摇头，直接扔给了小道童。
After Foundation Establishment, he no longer needed to eat like a commoner but relished the meal nonetheless.
xiǎo dào tóng sì hū duì cǐ zǎo yǐ xí yǐ wéi cháng ， shú liàn de jiē guò ：“ shī fù ， zhè cì yòu shì shá ？”
小道童似乎对此早已习以为常，熟练的接过：“师父，这次又是啥？”
In just a few moments, he had cleared the table of food.
“ huǒ pán ， néng gòu fàng chū míng huǒ 。 yǐ hòu shēng huǒ jiù bù xū yào zài yòng fú zhòu le 。” zhōng shén tōng lǎn yáng yáng dì shuō dào 。
“火盘，能够放出明火。以后生火就不需要再用符咒了。”钟神通懒洋洋地说道。
"Go take a nap. Don’t disturb me unless it’s extremely important," Zhong Shentong said as he got up and hummed a tune.
jiāng yú gān shōu qǐ ， láng tūn hǔ yàn qǐ lái 。
将鱼竿收起，狼吞虎咽起来。
"Understood, understood," the little boy replied with some resignation.
zhù jī zhī hòu ， jiù bù xū yào zài xiàng fán rén bān jìn shí le 。
筑基之后，就不需要再像凡人般进食了。
When the temple was filled with snores, the little boy finished cleaning the kitchen waste before returning to the pond.
dàn zhōng shén tōng què biǎo xiàn dé shí fēn xiǎng shòu bān ， dà kuài duǒ yí 。
但钟神通却表现得十分享受般，大快朵颐。
She pulled out a fishing rod from somewhere and mimicked Zhong Shentong’s actions, sitting by the pond and casting her line.
bù guò piàn kè gōng fu ， jiù jiāng zhuō shàng de fàn cài yī sǎo ér kōng 。
不过片刻功夫，就将桌上的饭菜一扫而空。
But after much time passed, there was no bite.
“ wèi shī qù shuì yī huì 。 méi yǒu wàn fēn yào jǐn de shì ， bú yào dǎ rǎo wǒ 。” zhōng shén tōng qǐ shēn ， hēng zhe xiǎo qǔ fēn fù dào 。
“为师去睡一会。没有万分要紧的事，不要打扰我。”钟神通起身，哼着小曲吩咐道。
The little girl felt discouraged.
“ zhī dào le zhī dào le 。” xiǎo dào tóng yǒu xiē wú nài 。
“知道了知道了。”小道童有些无奈。
"Master said only those with sincere hearts can catch treasures in this pond. I’ve tried for years but never caught anything."
děng xiǎo miào zhōng hān shēng xiǎng qǐ ， xiǎo dào tóng jiāng chú yú lā jī quán dōu qīng lǐ wán bì zhī hòu ， fǎn shēn lái dào le chí táng qián 。
等小庙中酣声响起，小道童将厨余垃圾全都清理完毕之后，返身来到了池塘前。
"Frustrating..." She cast another line, but nothing changed; the tip of her fishing rod remained empty.
bù zhī cóng nǎ tāo chū yí gè yú gān ， yě xué zhe zhōng shén tōng zhī qián de yàng zi ， chuí diào qǐ lái 。
不知从哪掏出一个鱼竿，也学着钟神通之前的样子，垂钓起来。
She resigned herself to her fate and left dejectedly.
dàn guò le xǔ jiǔ ， dōu méi yǒu sī háo dòng jìng 。
但过了许久，都没有丝毫动静。
Not long after,
xiǎo dào tóng bù jīn yǒu xiē jǔ sàng 。
小道童不禁有些沮丧。
Ji Shaoli slowly revealed his form.
“ shī fù shuō xīn chéng zhě ， cái néng cóng zhè chí táng lǐ diào qǐ bǎo bèi 。 wǒ dōu shì le hǎo jǐ nián le ， què shén me dōu méi néng diào qǐ lái guò 。”
“师父说心诚者，才能从这池塘里钓起宝贝。我都试了好几年了，却什么都没能钓起来过。”
"Interesting," he said, staring at the pond with a strange expression.
“ kě wù ……” tā bù sǐ xīn de yòu pāo le yī gān 。
“可恶……”她不死心的又抛了一杆。
After setting up an illusion around him, he carefully examined the small pond.
jié guǒ méi biàn ， yú gān dǐng duān yī jiù kōng kōng rú yě 。
结果没变，鱼竿顶端依旧空空如也。
With divine sense observation, it was just ordinary water.
xiǎo dào tóng zhè cái rèn mìng ， chuí tóu sàng qì dì lí kāi le chí táng 。
小道童这才认命，垂头丧气地离开了池塘。
It was no more than one zhang deep and three zhang wide, with nothing but some tiny floating objects visible within.
bù jiǔ zhī hòu 。
不久之后。
If not for witnessing Zhong Shentong pull out a green light ball from this pond, Ji Shaoli would have been deceived.
jì shào lí huǎn huǎn xiàn chū shēn xíng 。
季绍离缓缓现出身形。
Since there seemed to be no hidden meaning, Ji Shaoli decided to personally dive into the water to find its secrets.
“ yǒu yì si 。” tā dīng zhe bù yuǎn chù de chí shuǐ ， shén sè mò míng 。
“有意思。”他盯着不远处的池水，神色莫名。
But...
zài zhōu wéi bù xià le yī céng zhàng yǎn fǎ hòu ， fāng cái zǐ xì duān xiáng qǐ zhè yī fāng xiǎo chí táng qǐ lái 。
在周围布下了一层障眼法后，方才仔细端详起这一方小池塘起来。
After entering the water, it was still just ordinary water!
shén shí guān chá xià ， zhè dí què shì zài pǔ tōng bù guò de chí shuǐ 。
神识观察下，这的确是再普通不过的池水。
Returning to shore, Ji Shaoli pondered for a moment before taking materials from his storage ring and crafting a fishing rod.
shēn bù guò yī zhàng ， zhǎng kuān bù guò sān zhàng 。
深不过一丈，长宽不过三丈。
Following the example of the master and apprentice, he began casting.
chí táng nèi jǐng xiàng yě shì yī lǎn wú yú 。
池塘内景象也是一览无余。
Sitting by the pond, he focused intently.
chú le xiē xì wēi piāo fú wù zhī wài ， gēn běn méi yǒu shén me yú lèi shēng cún 。
除了些细微漂浮物之外，根本没有什么鱼类生存。
A cast out!
rú guǒ bú shì gāng gāng qīn yǎn mù dǔ zhōng shén tōng cóng zhè chí táng zhōng ， diào chū yí gè lǜ sè guāng tuán 。
如果不是刚刚亲眼目睹钟神通从这池塘中，钓出一个绿色光团。
But nothing changed.
jì shào lí jī hū jiù yào bèi mēng piàn guò qù 。
季绍离几乎就要被蒙骗过去。
Ji Shaoli sat in silence for a long time, feeling something was amiss, and reeled in his line.
jì rán kàn bù chū shén me xuán xū ， jì shào lí suǒ xìng qīn zì fēi shēn dùn rù qí zhōng ， shì tú zhǎo chū zhè chí táng de ào miào suǒ zài 。
既然看不出什么玄虚，季绍离索性亲自飞身遁入其中，试图找出这池塘的奥妙所在。
"This water clearly has some mysterious properties... but it must be invisible..."
dàn ……
但……
"Could this pond only recognize Zhong Shentong?"
rù shuǐ zhī hòu ， yī jiù gēn xún cháng chí shuǐ méi yǒu rèn hé qū bié ！
入水之后，依旧跟寻常池水没有任何区别！
After some thought, Ji Shaoli dismissed that idea.
fǎn huí àn shàng hòu ， jì shào lí chén yín piàn kè ， cóng chǔ wù jiè zhōng qǔ chū cái liào 、 zhì zuò chū le yī bǐng yú gān 。
返回岸上后，季绍离沉吟片刻，从储物戒中取出材料、制作出了一柄鱼竿。
If so, the little boy wouldn’t have tried.
xué zhe gāng gāng shī tú èr rén de yàng zi ， chuí diào qǐ lái 。
学着刚刚师徒二人的样子，垂钓起来。
"Sincere heart..."
duān zuò shuǐ biān ， bǐng qì níng shén 。
端坐水边，屏气凝神。
"How can one truly be sincere?"
yī gān pāo chū ！
一杆抛出！
Fishing was not new to Ji Shaoli. Whether before or during his time as Grand Tutor in Great Profound State, he would often fish when troubled.
què yī jiù méi yǒu shén me biàn huà 。
却依旧没有什么变化。
With the belief of never being air-sick, he would return happily once a fish bit.
jì shào lí kū zuò xǔ jiǔ ， yǐn yǐn jué de yǒu xiē bú duì ， shōu qǐ le yú gān 。
季绍离枯坐许久，隐隐觉得有些不对，收起了鱼竿。
But since starting cultivation, such relaxation had ceased.
“ zhè chí shuǐ ， míng xiǎn yǒu xiē xuán miào zhī chù 。 dàn zhǐ néng shì zhī bú jiàn ……”
“这池水，明显有些玄妙之处。但只能视之不见……”
"Sincere heart..."
“ nán bù chéng ， zhè chí táng zhǐ rèn zhōng shén tōng yī rén ？”
“难不成，这池塘只认钟神通一人？”
Ji Shaoli seemed to understand something.
sī suǒ le piàn kè ， jì shào lí fǒu dìng le zhè zhǒng cāi xiǎng 。
思索了片刻，季绍离否定了这种猜想。
This time, he sat by the pond again without trying to uncover its secrets.
ruò zhēn rú cǐ ， nà xiǎo dào tóng jiù bú huì qù cháng shì le 。
若真如此，那小道童就不会去尝试了。
He just wanted to cast one line!
“ xīn chéng zhě ……”
“心诚者……”
"Whoosh!"
“ rú hé cái néng chēng de shàng xīn chéng ne ？”
“如何才能称得上心诚呢？”
With solemn expression, Ji Shaoli threw his fishing rod out.
diào yú ， jì shào lí bìng bù mò shēng 。
钓鱼，季绍离并不陌生。
The next moment, the scene before him changed dramatically!
Zhong Shentong, with his seven-color divine light, was virtually invincible in his realm. He could even exhaust a peer at the same level to death.
The *Life and Death Profound Art* he practiced was also an extraordinarily mysterious technique. When perfected, it supposedly allowed one to exist in a state of life and death coexisting, achieving a form of immortality by another means.
Practicing this method could awaken and infinitely amplify a cultivator’s instinctive fear of life and death.
This made the usually apathetic Zhong Shentong seem like a different person when faced with the threat of death. His dynamism was at its peak.
"Following the original historical trajectory, Zhong Shentong would not break through until his time came."
"But now he has already advanced to Foundation Establishment..."
"What happened?"
The most severe period of the Immortal-Demon Mist had passed, so it could be confirmed that Zhong Shentong’s breakthrough was not due to this.
Li Fan immediately became interested.
However, since the main entity was still in the process of devouring the Five Elements Great Cavern, he couldn’t spare his attention.
This observation of Zhong Shentong would have to be handled by a clone named Ji Shaoli.
"He has only just reached Foundation Establishment and hasn't had time to comprehend the seven-color divine light. I can handle him with my Golden Core cultivation..."
"Shouldn't be an issue," Ji Shaoli thought to himself, though he prepared thoroughly as a precaution.
After all, at this stage of Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, having sufficient contributions could negate the level difference and crush his opponent.
Let alone that he was now one realm higher. So Ji Shaoli wasn’t overly worried.
According to intelligence, Ji Shaoli arrived via teleportation in the northwest border of Yongyun State, at a desolate small hill where Zhong Shentong resided.
There was an old temple on top of the hill, and Zhong Shentong lived there in seclusion.
"Originally, Zhong Shentong was just an ordinary elderly man. Although he obtained half a scroll of *Life and Death Profound Art* by chance, his cultivation had never yielded results until near the end of his life when he broke through under immense pressure to reach Qi Cultivation Realm."
"After Qi Cultivation, he lacked motivation for further advancement. He spent the rest of his days in this small temple."
"He should have broken through as his time came... but now it’s earlier..."
"What kind of strange object did he use to break through?"
Ji Shaoli didn’t reveal his form and instead concealed his aura, watching from afar.
In addition to Zhong Shentong, there was an eight or nine-year-old little Taoist boy in the temple.
Strangely enough, despite being able to perform tasks like cleaning and cooking with spells, Zhong Shentong insisted that the little boy do everything himself.
The little boy had strikingly good looks, his large eyes seeming to speak as they shone brightly. Despite this, he worked tirelessly without complaint, handling tasks with surprising dexterity. His skill was far from that of a child.
Meanwhile, Zhong Shentong sat by a small pond in the temple’s backyard, fishing.
The little boy called out several times but got no response, so he placed the prepared food before Zhong Shentong.
"Master, it's time to eat," the little boy said in a cute voice.
"Hush, don’t scare away my fish."
The little boy pouted and started eating on his own.
After the little boy nearly finished, Zhong Shentong suddenly exclaimed: "He’s hooked!"
With a sudden pull on the fishing rod, he reeled up not a fish but a green light ball.
Zhong Shentong looked disappointed but still searched through the green light ball with his hand for a while.
Soon enough, he pulled out what seemed to be a rusted round talisman.
After examining it briefly, Zhong Shentong shook his head and threw it to the little boy.
The little boy, used to this routine, took it deftly: "Master, what is this?"
"It’s a fire plate that can emit flames. You won’t need spells for cooking anymore," Zhong Shentong said lazily as he reeled in his fishing rod and ate voraciously.
After Foundation Establishment, he no longer needed to eat like a commoner but relished the meal nonetheless.
In just a few moments, he had cleared the table of food.
"Go take a nap. Don’t disturb me unless it’s extremely important," Zhong Shentong said as he got up and hummed a tune.
"Understood, understood," the little boy replied with some resignation.
When the temple was filled with snores, the little boy finished cleaning the kitchen waste before returning to the pond.
She pulled out a fishing rod from somewhere and mimicked Zhong Shentong’s actions, sitting by the pond and casting her line.
But after much time passed, there was no bite.
The little girl felt discouraged.
"Master said only those with sincere hearts can catch treasures in this pond. I’ve tried for years but never caught anything."
"Frustrating..." She cast another line, but nothing changed; the tip of her fishing rod remained empty.
She resigned herself to her fate and left dejectedly.
Not long after,
Ji Shaoli slowly revealed his form.
"Interesting," he said, staring at the pond with a strange expression.
After setting up an illusion around him, he carefully examined the small pond.
With divine sense observation, it was just ordinary water.
It was no more than one zhang deep and three zhang wide, with nothing but some tiny floating objects visible within.
If not for witnessing Zhong Shentong pull out a green light ball from this pond, Ji Shaoli would have been deceived.
Since there seemed to be no hidden meaning, Ji Shaoli decided to personally dive into the water to find its secrets.
But...
After entering the water, it was still just ordinary water!
Returning to shore, Ji Shaoli pondered for a moment before taking materials from his storage ring and crafting a fishing rod.
Following the example of the master and apprentice, he began casting.
Sitting by the pond, he focused intently.
A cast out!
But nothing changed.
Ji Shaoli sat in silence for a long time, feeling something was amiss, and reeled in his line.
"This water clearly has some mysterious properties... but it must be invisible..."
"Could this pond only recognize Zhong Shentong?"
After some thought, Ji Shaoli dismissed that idea.
If so, the little boy wouldn’t have tried.
"Sincere heart..."
"How can one truly be sincere?"
Fishing was not new to Ji Shaoli. Whether before or during his time as Grand Tutor in Great Profound State, he would often fish when troubled.
With the belief of never being air-sick, he would return happily once a fish bit.
But since starting cultivation, such relaxation had ceased.
"Sincere heart..."
Ji Shaoli seemed to understand something.
This time, he sat by the pond again without trying to uncover its secrets.
He just wanted to cast one line!
"Whoosh!"
With solemn expression, Ji Shaoli threw his fishing rod out.
The next moment, the scene before him changed dramatically!