Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

The grand occasion of four Foundation Establishment cultivators of Qingyun Sect accepting personal disciples at the same time was like a strong east wind, pushing the sect's reputation to a new peak.

Within a radius of hundreds of miles, whether it is a family of cultivators or a gathering place for independent cultivators, everyone knows that the Qingyun Sect has risen to prominence. With its strict rules, orderly inheritance, and the presence of a Foundation Establishment Ancestor, it is a truly powerful sect.

Cultivators came in droves seeking apprenticeship, seeking protection, or simply wanting to make friends.

Long queues often form outside the mountain gate, keeping Wang Hu and others in the Hall of Affairs extremely busy.

Within the sect, the motivational effect of the apprenticeship ceremony was even more pronounced. The six newly appointed direct disciples were like six pebbles thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in the water.

Wang Hu assisted Su Xiao in handling general affairs with even greater dedication, gradually taking on the air of a chief steward of internal affairs.

Under Shi Tie's "hammering and tempering," Sun Hao and Xiong Meng's cultivation and combat power improved by leaps and bounds, making them the new benchmarks of the Battle Hall.

Zhang Daniu and Wen Min managed the mountain gate and scripture pavilion in an orderly manner.

Back then, the youngest junior sister in the sect, A Yuan, has grown into a graceful young woman in just a few years, and her cultivation has steadily improved to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

She remained gentle and reserved, never competing or vying for anything. She spent most of her time helping out in the herb garden or quietly listening to lectures in the corner of the lecture platform. She cultivated the most moderate and peaceful "Basic Qi-Inducing Technique" and the incomplete "Yi Wood Nourishing Yuan Technique." Although her progress was not fast, it was exceptionally solid and steady.

That day, after the sermon, the disciples gradually dispersed. However, A-Yuan did not leave immediately. Instead, she walked to a slightly withered "listening bamboo" next to the sermon platform, stretched out her slender fingers, and gently stroked the bamboo leaves. Her eyes were focused, as if she was listening to something.

This bamboo was planted by her own hands the year she entered the family, and she has taken the most meticulous care of it.

Shen Mo was about to leave when his gaze swept over A Yuan, and he paused slightly.

He keenly sensed that A Yuan's aura seemed to resonate with the bamboo in an extremely subtle way, and a wisp of barely perceptible, vibrant wood-elemental energy was slowly flowing from her fingertips into the bamboo.

The precision with which she manipulated spiritual energy, and her perception of the life state of plants, far surpassed her current cultivation level.

"Ah Yuan." Shen Mo walked slowly closer.

Upon hearing this, A-Yuan quickly withdrew her hand, turned around, and respectfully bowed: "Sect Leader, Senior Brother."

She lowered her head slightly, her cheeks flushed, seemingly embarrassed that her "little action" had been discovered by the sect leader.

Shen Mo looked at her gently, then at the bamboo whose leaves were slightly unfurling from the nourishment of spiritual energy, and asked, "Do you enjoy tending to these plants?"

A-Yuan nodded gently, her voice soft: "Mmm... watching them grow little by little, it's so lively, and it brings me peace of mind."

"Very good." Shen Mo nodded slightly. "All things have a spirit, including plants and trees. Being able to sense their life rhythm is also a form of cultivation. How is your progress in cultivating the 'Yi Wood Nourishing Essence Technique'?"

Ah Yuan honestly replied, "Reporting to Senior Brother Sect Leader, this disciple is dull-witted and can only barely draw upon a trace of plant essence to nourish myself; progress is very slow."

Shen Mo's heart stirred, and a thought suddenly came to mind.

Without making a sound, he secretly mobilized a trace of causal point, combined with his own Foundation Establishment divine sense, and quietly "edited" the slightly blocked life force veins inside the "Listening Bamboo", making its flow smoother in an instant.

This process is extremely subtle, and even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not be able to detect it if they were present.

However, just as he finished "editing," A-Yuan suddenly let out a soft "Eh," a faint look of confusion flashing in her clear eyes. She subconsciously reached out and touched the bamboo leaf again, murmuring to herself:

"Strange... Bamboo... just now it seemed like... she chuckled softly?"

The voice was extremely soft, like a dream, yet it exploded in Shen Mo's heart like a thunderclap!

He smiled?

This is the most simple and direct description of life's emotions!

What A-Yuan sensed was not a change in spiritual energy, but rather a pleasant fluctuation that was almost like "Daoist charm" emanating naturally from the harmonious and perfect flow of life force within the bamboo after he had "edited" it!

This perception has transcended the realm of ordinary divine sense, touching upon a deeper level of resonance with the rules! This is definitely not an ability that a Qi Refining Level 4 disciple could possess!

Suppressing his shock, Shen Moqiang maintained a calm expression and asked gently, "A-Yuan, what did you sense?"

A-Yuan snapped out of her daze, a puzzled look on her face, and shook her head: "Disciple...disciple can't quite put my finger on it, but I just felt that the bamboo seemed particularly...happy? Maybe it was just my imagination."

She lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

"It's alright." Shen Mo gave her a deep look, his heart churning with turmoil. It wasn't his imagination!

Ah Yuan could indeed sense it! The description "happiness" accurately captures the "Taoist charm" that naturally emerges when the state of things is "edited" towards perfect harmony!

To further verify this, a few days later, when Shen Mo was refining a batch of "Qi-Nourishing Pills" to lay the foundation for new disciples, he once again used the system's assistance to subtly optimize the timing of adding one of the auxiliary ingredients, "Tranquilizing Flower," and the control of the heat, which increased the success rate of pills by half a percent and made the pills more rounded in appearance.

The alchemy room was filled with the fragrance of medicine, and everything seemed normal.

Just then, A-Yuan came to deliver some freshly picked "Heart-Clearing Grass" to Li Xiaocao. As she passed the door of the alchemy room, she paused, sniffed softly, and said to Li Xiaocao beside her:

"Senior Sister Xiaocao, today's pills... taste particularly... calming? They bring a sense of peace to my heart."

Li Xiaocao, who was busy running around, smiled and said, "Junior Sister Ayuan's intuition is truly accurate! Senior Brother Sect Leader just came by and gave us some pointers, and this time the pill-forming process went much more smoothly!"

She assumed it was Shen Mo's superb alchemy skills, but little did she know that what A Yuan sensed was a trace of extremely subtle "harmonious" Daoist charm left behind by the "edited" and nearly perfect refining process!

Through repeated, unintentional tests, Shen Mo confirmed that A Yuan indeed possessed an incredible, almost instinctive talent!

She could vaguely sense the subtle "ripples" that occurred when things were "edited" towards a more perfect and harmonious state!

This ability has nothing to do with the level of cultivation; it's more like an innate intuition about whether the underlying rules of the world are "harmonious" or not!

This talent reminded Shen Mo of the "shamans" or "spirits" in some ancient legends who could communicate with heaven and earth and sense good and bad fortune!

Several years ago, it was A Yuan who discovered the stone in the Flowing Cloud Water Mansion, which led Shen Mo to personally lead a team to the Water Mansion for training. This resulted in the creation of the myth of the "Starry Sword Immortal," who used the Star Sword to suppress the Golden Core True Person Jin Yan of the Blazing Sun Sect, thus ensuring the stable development of the Azure Cloud Sect in recent years.

"This woman... her background is definitely not simple!" Shen Mo thought with a chill.

A Yuan's origins are likely more mysterious than he imagined. A descendant of the ancient witch clan? A spirit born of nature? Or perhaps the reincarnation of some special spiritual being?

In any case, A-Yuan's existence became an extremely valuable "human detection device" for him.

He can use A-Yuan's unconscious reactions to verify the rationality and stability of his "editing" behavior, and judge whether the "myth" he has woven has a positive interaction with the basic rules of this world, and whether there are potential "rejections" or "loopholes".

This will undoubtedly allow him to execute his "survival" strategy more reliably and precisely.

Shen Mo did not point this out, but instead paid more attention to A Yuan's growth.

Sometimes he would casually offer her a few simple pointers on the simple principles of spiritual energy and the resonance between nature and all things. Other times he would ask Li Xiaocao to take her to the herb garden to identify the properties of medicinal herbs and experience the withering and flourishing of plants.

A Yuan was flattered by this and became even more diligent in her cultivation. Her perception of the spirituality of plants and trees became increasingly acute. Although her cultivation progress was still not fast, her solid foundation and clear mind made her stand out among her peers.