A cat that lingers beside a saint

Ever since Su Bai and Yu Qiushui returned from the Jade Palace, the old Taoist seemed to have forgotten about the trial he had mentioned before.

They did not urge Su Bai to go down the mountain again.

Yu Qiushui built himself a thatched hut next to the Taoist temple.

Although the thatched hut was small, it was enough for him to have a place to stay.

On weekdays, he would first clean the Taoist temple and finish all the chores he needed to do. In his spare time, he would return to his thatched hut to refine magical artifacts.

Although the success rate of the magical artifacts he refines is no longer as frighteningly high as before, the power of their self-destruction is comparable to that of dozens of damaged magical artifacts.

……

In the past few days, Su Bai spent his time at the Taoist temple, either cultivating or visiting Yu Qiushui's residence.

Because they are relatively close, Su Bai can basically get there by simply climbing over the wall.

Lying in the courtyard, Su Bai watched Yu Qiushui refine magical artifacts, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"The magical artifacts you've been crafting lately seem to be much better than before."

Looking at the materials in her hand, Yu Qiushui smiled and nodded, saying, "This is all thanks to my senior brother. That day, I went to the Immortal Sect with him, and after we came back, some methods about weapon refining inexplicably appeared in my mind."

"The magical artifacts I've crafted now, if they were to self-destruct, would be no less powerful than those incomplete ones I created before. When I encounter that giant again, blasting him to pieces will be no problem!"

Upon hearing this, Su Bai's eyes lit up slightly.

Su Bai was aware of Yu Qiushui's talent for weapon crafting.

During his journey to the Immortal Sect, he basically didn't stop for half a month, constantly refining weapons without ever complaining about the hardship.

Especially during the process of refining the weapon, he clearly saw the enjoyment in Yu Qiushui's eyes.

He had seen that same look in his eyes when the Golden Crow absorbed the solar essence of the Fusang Tree.

Rather than saying they were enjoying the feeling, it would be more accurate to say they were freely exploring their own paths.

Thinking of this, Su Bai's gaze became slightly unfocused.

He lay on the ground, looking into the distance.

Yu Qiushui's favorite path is weapon crafting.

The Golden Crow's path is to become a dazzling existence like the sun.

So what about one's own path?

Is it swallowing the sun and spitting out the moon?

Or is it about cultivating both body and spirit?

But these are just techniques.

……

Yu Qiushui was refining a weapon when he suddenly sensed the fluctuations emanating from Su Bai.

He stopped what he was doing and subconsciously looked at Su Bai.

All around the cat, the essence of the sun and moon flowed continuously.

Even the yin and yang energies of the Fusang tree and the laurel tree in the neighboring Taoist temple began to converge on him.

Yu Qiushui felt a pang of panic.

Although he has an extraordinary talent for weapon crafting, he is not very good at cultivation.

He had no idea what had happened regarding Su Bai's current change.

Yu Qiushui hurriedly got up, wanting to go to the Taoist temple to find the old Taoist priest and ask him to come and take a look.

Before he could run out of the thatched hut, a flash of green light appeared, and the old Taoist priest suddenly appeared beside him.

"old……"

Just as Yu Qiushui was about to speak, he suddenly felt someone tug at him from behind.

Looking back, I saw all the spirits.

"Don't make a sound. Senior Brother Cat is currently meditating. With Master by his side, nothing will happen. Let's go out first."

Upon hearing Wan Ling's words, Yu Qiushui couldn't help but turn around and glance at Su Bai, her eyes filled with envy.

It's not that I envy him for having someone to protect him, but rather I envy this little cat senior brother for being able to enter this state of enlightenment so easily.

You should know that some people may cultivate for a lifetime and still not be able to enter that mysterious and wondrous state.

Following Wanling out of the thatched hut, Wanling couldn't help but ask, "What did you say to your senior brother that made him suddenly enlightened?"

What did they say?

Recalling their conversation in the thatched hut, Yu Qiushui was completely bewildered; he hadn't said anything.

On the wall, Jinwu's gaze fell on Yu Qiushui.

His eyes darted around.

Jinwu felt that he needed to have a good talk with this person; perhaps he could also have an epiphany.

I heard that this person likes to forge weapons, but his cultivation level is too low, and even the materials he uses for forging weapons are extremely inferior.

However, with his current level of cultivation, he simply couldn't refine the best materials.

Don't worry, I'll take care of it!

The golden crow gently flapped its wings, and the true fire of the sun constantly rippled around its body.

Beneath the wall, Yu Qiushui noticed the heat wave surging in like a tide.

He glanced at Jinwu and frowned slightly.

Is this... courtship?

……

Thatched hut.

The old Taoist priest sat beside Su Bai, looking at Su Bai who was enveloped in the essence of the sun and moon, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He didn't know what the kitten had realized this time, but he knew that this wasn't the first or second time.

Before this, every now and then, the kitten would fall into this state of enlightenment, and when the enlightenment ended, it would always bring a different kind of surprise.

Although the surprise wasn't huge, it was still quite astonishing.

After all, he had never seriously taught Su Bai any supernatural powers or spells.

But that's fine too, because only what you figure out yourself will leave a deep impression; what others teach you is just copying what they've learned.

Time passed little by little.

From the sun high in the sky, to the moon rising, and then to the sun rising in the east.

For a whole week, Su Bai still showed no signs of waking up, which made the old Taoist frown.

In ancient times, such enlightenment, even if achieved through seclusion for thousands or tens of thousands of years, would not be considered extraordinary.

But that only applies to cultivators who have already embarked on the path of immortality and are no longer subject to the limitations of lifespan.

Su Bai's sudden realization, however, made him feel somewhat uneasy.

The old Taoist priest couldn't help but feel a little worried that a young fellow who had just entered the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage and whose cultivation realm was not very stable had taken so long to achieve enlightenment.

In fact, he was a saint, and his state of mind could never have been so volatile.

But he did have some concerns because of this.

Now, he is less a saint and more someone who exists in the space between saint and mortal.

As Yuanshi said, the old Taoist's heart was unstable. Over the years, he seemed to have forgotten the past, but in fact, what happened back then was deeply imprinted in his heart.

An invisible mark will forever remain on his saintly statue.

As the sun slowly set behind the western mountains on the seventh day, the last rays of the setting sun shone on Su Bai, and Su Bai slowly opened his eyes.

"You unfilial disciple, I told you long ago not to have such wild thoughts, but you wouldn't listen. Cultivating both body and mind requires a balance between the two; that is the true path. What use is it to merely comprehend supernatural powers?"

"What's so great about something that's all gold and glitter?"

"What's the use of being able to fight?"

"No matter how clever or cunning one is, won't one ultimately be outsmarted by their own cleverness?"

"Let's go home!"