Mysterious mirror hanging high

"Your Excellency is so free and easy, I admire you..."

Jing Yu flattered him, but secretly criticized him in his heart: "If this Hua Zhenjun was just a carefree cultivator, it would be fine, but he happened to be the master of a peak in Songfeng Beiyue. His temperament is a bit casual. If Xiao Guanyue was still so focused on cultivation that he neglected his duties, then this master of Beiyue Peak would simply not know what the duties of a monk are!"

"But if Xiao Guanyue could reach the late Nascent Soul stage, he would immediately become one of the most powerful True Lords in Penglai's righteous ways. His influence in Songfeng Pavilion, and even in the entire Zhongzhou region, would be completely different. He might even be able to gain greater benefits. Ultimately, in the world of immortal cultivation, heroes are judged by their realm and cultivation level. But Wu Kaizhi is clearly not someone who is ambitious..."

"He's quite carefree. He just gave away that spiritual painting worth who knows how many spiritual stones. He's only relying on the support of his fellow disciples. I wonder how much spiritual funds Nanyue Peak subsidizes every year. I don't even know if the spiritual wine in this True Lord's hand was paid for by Nanyue Peak!"

Then he added perfunctorily, "True Lord, your painting of landscapes and figures is a seamless whole, full of natural charm. You have reached the pinnacle of painting. Speaking of the realm of [Spiritual Painter], I'm afraid no one in the entire Central Plains can surpass you... Perhaps only the Dao Master of [Painted Skin Dao] can compare, right? No wonder you're the master of a peak in Songfeng Beiyue..."

Unexpectedly, Wu Kaizhi seemed to be reminded of some memories after hearing this, and said with a gloomy look: "In terms of cultivation, I should be the best among all the cultivators in Beiyue, but when it comes to painting, there are still masters."

"I have a story, do you want to hear it?"

Seeing Jing Yu nod, the True Lord lay on the reef without caring about his image, shook the wine gourd in his hand, and said, "Have some?"

Jing Yu chuckled: "Xuan Jing doesn't like spiritual wine, please feel free to do as you please, True Lord."

"Boring..."

Wu Kaizhi grinned and continued, "Back when a junior fellow apprentice and I were building our foundation, we were both known as the two best in Beiyue painting. However, when it comes to spiritual painting skills, this junior fellow apprentice is far superior to me!"

"However, my cultivation aptitude is much better than his. I hardly encountered any major obstacles and easily formed the [Purple Qi Golden Pill]..."

"Although our Beiyue Peak was founded on the inheritance of spiritual painting, the position of Peak Master, as the face of the peak, still depends on the realm of cultivation. My junior brother is a man of great ambition. He knows that if Bhutan reaches the golden and purple realm, even if his spiritual painting skills are great, Master will not pass on the position of Peak Master to him."

"Guess what he came up with in the end?" Wu Kaizhi asked with a smile.

"Uh...did he poison the True Lord at that time?" Jing Yu guessed.

Wu Kaizhi's eyes widened in shock, "Zhongzhou is the center of Penglai's righteous path, the best place, and Songfeng Beiyue is known for its righteousness. How could they do such a thing as harming their fellow disciples... You're too shady, kid. I'm afraid you've been in Xiyue for too long and have been spoiled by that consumptive ghost!"

Then he sighed, "My junior fellow apprentice... he didn't have the talent. Although he was considered a Golden Core Seed, he didn't have the potential to become a Nascent Soul. In the end, he only achieved a mid-grade Dancheng."

"But this person's spiritual painting skills are unparalleled, almost to the point of being close to the Tao! He actually opened up his own Dantian and forcibly painted his own mid-grade golden elixir into a [Purple Qi Golden Elixir]!"

"what?"

Jing Yu was stunned: "Is this possible?"

"He even managed to draw the [Heavenly Purple Qi]." A trace of admiration and regret flashed across Wu Kaizhi's face. "Of course, the purple qi golden elixir he drew is just a fake after all. It doesn't have the magical properties of real purple qi. It's just a showpiece."

"But his skills were so superb that he managed to deceive everyone, even Master."

"The Spiritual Transformation Supreme within the pavilion has been in seclusion for years, and he hasn't reached the Nascent Soul stage yet. Even a Golden Purple Heavenly Prodigy wouldn't be in his sight. My Junior Brother actually managed to fool him into letting this happen."

"Beiyue Peak just found two geniuses who had reached the Golden Purple stage. Our master at that time was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. Naturally, we both provided spiritual resources for cultivation according to the treatment of the Golden Purple True Disciple."

"What happened next?" Jing Yu listened intently and asked quickly.

"And then? He ultimately lacked the talent for cultivation. Even with the spiritual resources provided by the Golden Purple True Transmission, he was unable to achieve the Nascent Soul stage as he wished. Near the end of his life, he failed in his attempt to reach the Nascent Soul stage and died."

"He actually kept it secret for hundreds of years?"

Wu Kaizhi smiled bitterly and said, "Zhongzhou is a land of peace and tranquility. My Songfeng Pavilion is one of the Three Pavilions, and it belongs to the Huashen Dao Sect... who would dare to provoke a disciple of the Huashen Dao Sect? Furthermore, my junior brother, in order to maintain secrecy, has been cultivating on Beiyue Peak for hundreds of years, never leaving the sect, nor participating in sect competitions or treasure hunts in secret realms... The truth was only revealed before his death."

"In my opinion, this person's painting skills are the best in the Immortal Continent in tens of thousands of years. Unfortunately, the [Foundation-Building Alchemy Path] requires careful practice step by step. There's no such thing as instant enlightenment. My junior fellow sees this amazing talent in painting as nothing more than a tool on the path to immortality, not worth studying specifically. He's already reached the pinnacle of the human world."

"But the path he cared about most, his aptitude, was a mess. He ultimately stopped before reaching the Nascent Soul stage and died in depression."

"In this life, I've devoted my life to the beauty of nature, determined to reach the pinnacle of painting. I haven't paid much attention to the path of cultivation, but fate is strange. I don't care whether I'm at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage. Instead, I've progressed further and further on the path of cultivation, while my beloved painting is ordinary. My achievements today are solely due to my diligence."

Wu Kaizhi was in low spirits. "In the final analysis, whether it's me or my junior fellow apprentice, most cultivators in the world spend their entire lives cultivating the truth, focusing on the three words 'what can't be achieved'."

"From this perspective, I'm no different from my junior brother. We're both unfortunate people who can't get what we want."

"Boy, where is your truth? Have you found it?"

Jing Yu was slightly startled, and subconsciously said, "I didn't really want to ask for it."

After further careful consideration, he continued, "Or rather, in life, when you're hungry, you eat; when you're thirsty, you drink; when you're tired, you sleep... Everyday, I hone my magical powers and accumulate merit, gradually increasing my cultivation realm. This is a good thing that comes to mind, but I never deliberately seek it. I just go with the flow. For hundreds of years, I've lived this way smoothly and leisurely. I don't feel any regrets, and I don't cling to anything... So, does 'not seeking truth' count as my 'truth'?"

Wu Kaizhi was startled and jumped up from the reef, as if the cold reef burned his feet: "Oh no, you really got what you wanted!"

After saying that, he grabbed Jing Yu and disappeared into the void. After a few minutes, the two of them had returned to Beiyue Peak from the East China Sea.

After throwing Jing Yu outside the door of the library on the peak, Wu Kaizhi said, "Get out as soon as the one-year term is up," and then he slipped into the void and escaped with a sullen look on his face, leaving Jing Yu with a puzzled look on his face, standing there in a daze.