“Yes, Shifu.”
Xie Bing said shyly, “It was just at the hour of the dragon today. I had insomnia and couldn’t sleep, so I went to the back mountain. Then, by accident, I established my Foundation.”
Gu Monian: “…” An accident?
Silence.
He was clearly shocked by the news. His cold, handsome face showed slight hesitation, as if unwilling to believe that Xie Bing had broken through just because she had insomnia.
…
Beneath a nearly sky-scraping giant ginkgo tree, the ground was covered with golden ginkgo leaves. Under an extravagant shower of spiritual energy, it formed a magnificent, brilliant golden carpet, dazzling and eye-catching.
This place, surrounding the ginkgo tree of the Taixu Sect, was the World-Shocking Platform, a venue used only for major banquets.
Looking out from the World-Shocking Platform, the view was boundless. Everywhere were vast swaths of cloud-sea and misty peaks, with immortal caves and mansions faintly visible.
This location was at least ten thousand meters from the foot of the mountain.
For this kind of banquet, Gu Monian would always “forget” to notify Xie Bing. After all, Xie Bing was a mortal. Trying to reach the World-Shocking Platform on her own would take many days of walking. In the past, Xie Bing was gentle and weak, disliking the thought of troubling her martial brothers, so she’d quietly stay in her room, playing the perfect invisible person.
Earlier, Xie Bing had flown to the World-Shocking Platform with everyone on their swords. Gu Monian’s gaze merely swept over them indifferently, as if he didn’t even see Xie Bing, his attention landing only on Yin Juanzhi.
Regarding this eldest disciple, he knew Yin Juanzhi would eventually ascend to the Great Dao, and even… was very likely to surpass him sooner. Thus, Gu Monian’s feeling toward Yin Juanzhi was not just appreciation, but also a hint of awe.
Yin Juanzhi smiled lightly and thoughtfully mentioned that Xie Bing had established her Foundation. Gu Monian was stunned for a moment and had Xie Bing explain the sequence of events. For a time, he found it hard to believe.
It wasn’t just Gu Monian; the other Shishu and Shibo were even more shocked.
Pang Xinshui, the Head Seat of Azure Cloud Peak, said, “Impressive, Perfected One Gu. You’ve had two female disciples establish their Foundation on the same day! We’re all envious.”
“One is a heaven-sent prodigy, the other is a ten-year waste, yet they both broke through on the very same day.”
“No wonder you specifically chose the World-Shocking Platform for this. Such a joyous event deserves a proper celebration.”
“When a disciple achieves something, the Shifu naturally overflows with joy. I think Old Gu is simply ecstatic.”
Ever since bringing Xuan Yao back, Gu Monian’s every action had been observed by the various Head Seats.
Young and naive, innocent and lively, unaware of worldly matters, Xuan Yao had caused countless troubles for Gu Monian in just a single week. If it had been anyone else, say, Xie Bing, she would have been sent to confinement long ago. Yet Xuan Yao only received light reprimands.
Soon after, Xuan Yao would sneak back to Gu Monian’s room, acting coy, and soon Shifu and disciple were getting along wonderfully.
It was a real eye-opener for them!
When the usually cold Gu Monian took Xuan Yao to other peaks to fetch medicine, they clearly saw her playfully following Gu Monian around. She said something, and Gu Monian actually cracked a smile, albeit awkward and unpracticed.
But still… Gu Monian smiled?
An iceberg actually melted?
It was clear he cherished her dearly, holding her in the palm of his hand.
Now, after only seven days, Xuan Yao had established her Foundation, shattering the cultivation world’s record for speed. Gu Monian had deliberately chosen the World-Shocking Platform for her evening banquet—a sign of true care. The beautiful scenery would surely delight any young lady.
As expected, when Xuan Yao first arrived, she was awestruck by the golden carpeting here. Her white immortal skirt fluttered in the mountain mist and cloud-winds as she hopped around picking up fallen leaves.
Holding a bunch of ginkgo leaves, she bounced over to find Gu Monian.
“Shifu, which ginkgo leaf do you like best? I can make it into a leaf pendant for you, okay?”
Her expression was pure and sincere. She had just hopped over, her words barely finished, when she saw Gu Monian reach out, pull Xie Bing’s hand, and close his eyes to examine her.
The ginkgo leaves in Xuan Yao’s hand scattered, fluttering down to blend into the golden carpet.
Her little face turned pale, her gaze fixed on Gu Monian’s hand.
Shifu’s hand was resting on Xie Bing’s fair wrist…
She gently bit her petal-like lip and cautiously moved closer, whispering, “…Shifu.”
For a rare moment, Gu Monian ignored her.
He was gripping Xie Bing’s wrist tightly. Xie Bing frowned; Gu Monian was hurting her!
Suddenly, Shifu opened his eyes wide. “Xie Bing, you have indeed established a Foundation. But why is there not a trace of spiritual energy in your body?”
He silently circulated his energy for a closer look. Xie Bing had indeed established a Foundation; her body had been cleansed, and no trace of “mortal” impurity remained. Yet within her meridian pathways, where spiritual energy should be circulating, there was absolutely nothing!
Empty.
It was unheard of.
…
The commotion between Xie Bing and Shifu Gu Monian drew everyone’s attention, and they all gathered around.
Perfected Zang Chenghua, the Head Seat of Starry Peak, also sensed her condition. Surprised, he said, “Huh? Indeed, there’s no spiritual energy at all.”
Everyone took turns checking.
Xie Bing: This feels like a group consultation with a bunch of white-robed doctors.
“How did it happen on the same day?”
For ten years, she’d existed in the immortal sect as a waste, yet she broke through today?
Could it be some kind of coincidence?
—The same day!
Xie Bing scratched her head. She really hadn’t meant to clash with the female lead. Who would have guessed it would actually succeed?
A pallid Xuan Yao turned even whiter for a moment.
She looked up, trying to catch Gu Monian’s gaze.
But Gu Monian seemed somewhat distracted, his fine brows tightly furrowed as he stared at Xie Bing, lost in thought.
Xuan Yao’s little head drooped in dejection.
Today was supposed to be the celebration Shifu had specially arranged for her. But now that the Eldest Senior Sister had broken through, Shifu no longer thought her special…
Gu Monian’s voice was cold as he spoke. “Xie Bing, during your Foundation Establishment, did you sense what Spiritual Root you have?”
He couldn’t sense her spiritual energy, so he couldn’t determine her Spiritual Root attribute. The Five-Waste Spiritual Root should have been completely useless. How could the process have been completed?
The crowd’s focus instantly shifted.
“Yes, Xie Bing, what’s your Spiritual Root?”
“I bet it’s a Water Spiritual Root.”
“…A full Spiritual Root?”
“But there’s no spiritual energy at all. Maybe it’s a completely useless root, isn’t it?”
Xie Bing honestly said, “I don’t know.”
She really didn’t know what Spiritual Root she had!
During Foundation Establishment, she only felt spiritual energy surging around her. She’d closed her eyes to sense it—how could she know the root type? If talking about color, her spiritual energy was transparent! It didn’t look like any root type.
The crowd immediately got excited.
Such a rare event was like explosive gossip for cultivators.
Yu Yan, the Perfected of Crimson Flame Peak, immediately said, “Originally, the plan was to test the Spiritual Root at the end of the banquet to display Xuan Yao’s Five Spirit Roots attribute and let everyone witness it. Since Xie Bing’s Spiritual Root attribute is unknown, why not test it now?”
Everyone clamored in agreement.
Only then did Gu Monian remember Xuan Yao!
This was something meant to honor her, meant to be the grand finale. He hadn’t expected to use it for Xie Bing now.
As their eyes met, he saw a glimmer of tears in the lovely Xuan Yao’s eyes. A soft, shallow tenderness spread through his chest.
His gaze gradually turned cold.
Gu Monian took the Five-Color Detection Stone from Perfected Yu Yan’s hand. His palm opened slightly, and a faint fluorescent light burst from the center of the stone, enveloping Xie Bing!
Multicolored light swirled around her. Xie Bing felt a warm current rampaging through her body.
Everyone looked at Xie Bing expectantly. Next… they would see what attribute Xie Bing’s Spiritual Root was!
…The Five-Color Detection Stone spun and spun, then suddenly stopped.
Everyone held their breath.
The stone trembled slightly, then with a pfft, all its light turned gray!
In the next second, it silently went dark.
Completely gray??
The crowd erupted. How was this possible?
This meant no Spiritual Root type could be detected!
“…Th-This is the reading for a mortal, isn’t it?”
Only a mortal would produce a completely gray result.
The crowd looked at each other. For a moment, the entire World-Shocking Platform fell silent.
Quiet.
Xuan Yao timidly spoke up, “Shifu, could the detection stone be faulty?”
“Yes, Junior Sister Xuan Yao has the rare Five Spirit Roots. Testing it again would show if the Five-Color Detection Stone is broken.”
Gu Monian’s voice softened. “Xuan Yao, stand in the center. Don’t be afraid.”
Xuan Yao gave a soft “Mm” and stepped forward to stand in the center.
The Five-Color Detection Stone lit up again. Five-colored light enveloped Xuan Yao. Within a few breaths, a great radiance blazed forth!!
—“White, Azure, Black, Red, Yellow”.
All lit!
Dazzling light shimmered with an unknown aura, resonating with the profound principles of heaven and earth. It was laid bare for everyone to see.
Envious, shocked, awed, admiring glances intertwined and fell upon Xuan Yao.
Truly worthy of the rarely seen Five Spirit Roots attribute. She was undoubtedly destined for the top of the cultivation world.
Gu Monian took the stone back, returned the Five-Color Detection Stone to Perfected Yu Yan, and then looked thoughtfully at Xie Bing.
“Xie Bing, your five spirit roots are completely wasted. Can you think of what you relied on to establish your Foundation?”
Xie Bing’s heart jolted. She knew this was coming!
Slowly, she pulled out a book.
Everyone: ??
Xie Bing looked uneasy. “Knowing my aptitude is dull, I wanted to enrich my inner world. Recently, I’ve been constantly reading in the Scripture Library. Last night, unable to sleep, I was in the back mountain, reading this book under the moonlight. I was reading and reciting poetry, and suddenly, I just established my Foundation.”
The crowd: “……”
That works???
Faced with the questioning, Xie Bing nodded firmly. “Really. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my pet boar.”
“…That won’t be necessary.”
Gu Monian took the book from Xie Bing’s hand and flipped through it. It was nothing more than a common, miscellaneous book.
—Xie Bing had deliberately taken out her Little Yellow Book—no, her Skill Book.
The Skill Book in her hand was just an ordinary-looking book to others. She’d have to take it out to recite from it when using her abilities in the future anyway. It was better to reveal it now in public to avoid complications later.
As a leader of the Righteous Path, Gu Monian wouldn’t take Xie Bing’s Skill Book in front of everyone. And once Gu Monian acknowledged it, it would become her officially recognized skill.
Perhaps due to the System, Gu Monian indeed found nothing unusual. He handed the book back to Xie Bing and, frowning, said to the other Head Seats, “It’s just a common poetry collection.”
Xie Bing silently put the Little Yellow Book away.
This—this was the power of knowledge from ancient Huaxia!
Gu Monian mused for a long moment, then his expression became complex, as if he’d thought of something.
The various Head Seats exchanged glances, also seeming to consider similar possibilities.
Yin Juanzhi looked thoughtful, the corner of his mouth curving up. This was interesting.
“As your Shifu, I cannot detect your Spiritual Root. I have some faint other ideas. I believe we need to discuss and analyze this with the Perfecteds before reaching a conclusion.”
Xie Bing maintained her previous timid demeanor and bowed her head. “Yes, it is all up to Shifu’s arrangements.”
…You all go hold your meeting then.
…
Although Xie Bing’s Spiritual Root anomaly wasn’t fully understood on the spot, she had undeniably succeeded in Foundation Establishment. She had stepped onto the Great Dao!
That day’s noon banquet was meticulously arranged. The entire sky canopy blazed with brilliant fireworks. Beneath their feet was a golden ginkgo leaf carpet surging with spiritual energy. There were the adorable cries of spirit beasts and the clinking of congratulatory toasts filled with envy.
Originally, only Gu Monian and his Final Disciple were to sit in the places of highest honor. Now, there was another protagonist.
At the uppermost table sat Gu Monian in the center. On his left was Xuan Yao, pitifully lovely in her white dress. On his right was Xie Bing.
Gu Monian, who should have been in high spirits, had a trace of worry on his brow. The soft and honest Junior Sister seemed vaguely uneasy, occasionally glancing toward Xie Bing.
Xie Bing: “…”
She sat silently at the head, as if completely oblivious. Bowing her head, she devoted her entire being to eating Spirit Fruits.
She didn’t look like a celebrated protagonist, but rather like a very, very bright light bulb wedged between Shifu and his disciple.
Yin Juanzhi sat right next to Xie Bing. His features were sharp and clear. He lazily raised a cup to Xie Bing, his handsome lips slightly parting.
Faintly, it seemed like two words: Congratulations.
Or rather, one meaning: Well played!
Xie Bing: “…”
She smiled bitterly.
Right now, she really seemed way too much like a textbook, standard-issue, vicious female supporting character, here to break up the Shifu-disciple pair.