Everyone listened to Tan Zhengzhi's account with exclamations of wonder.
Achieving sudden enlightenment in a single day and stepping straight into the Nascent Soul stage—such a feat was the stuff of mortal storytelling.
Never did they imagine that something so miraculous would happen right before their eyes. Regardless of what heights Guliang Yuan might reach in the future, this momentous event would surely be passed down through generations, leaving a lasting legend.
As the crowd was chatting, a graceful figure in the distance suddenly caught everyone's attention.
"Is that... Meng Yao?"
"Indeed, it's that woman the Grand Uncle-Master used to be so infatuated with."
"Before, when the Grand Uncle-Master announced he was cutting off all ties with the Meng family, I thought it was just a tactic to make Meng Yao submit. But seeing this now, it's clear the Grand Uncle-Master has thoroughly severed all emotional attachments."
"Well, this is going to be a good show."
"After the way the Grand Uncle-Master treated her, she should have been grateful. Instead, she went around fooling around with other men. Today's harvest is simply the karma of yesterday's sowing!"
"Who's to say otherwise? I still can't figure out what the Grand Uncle-Master ever saw in a person like her in the first place."
"I suddenly remember word coming out from Yaochi that they deemed her conduct disgraceful and already expelled her from the holy land."
"Serves her right! Such a cold-hearted and ungrateful person deserves this exact fate."
"Look, she's heading in the direction of Forgetful Peak."
"Come on, let's follow and take a look."
The disciples made no effort to conceal their voices, and every single word reached Meng Yao's ears.
Had it been the Meng Yao of the past, she would have lashed out with insults in return. But now, she was utterly consumed by a suffocating sense of anxiety, leaving no room in her mind for anything else.
How could this be?
Were they telling the truth?
Did Guliang Yuan pursue her for so long simply to cultivate his technique?
Staring at the winding path ahead that led up to Forgetful Peak, Meng Yao hesitated.
This bluestone path, which she had walked countless times before, suddenly felt so utterly foreign to her. In the past, she had always walked this road with a sense of disgust. Now, her heart was filled with trepidation.
She had previously assumed that everything Guliang Yuan did and all his harsh words were merely ploys to win over her body. Coming here this time, she had already prepared herself. Before even entering the Taishang Holy Land, she had consoled herself with the thought that she would just treat it as being bitten by a dog.
Yet the way things were unfolding had completely surpassed her imagination. For the first time, she felt afraid. What if Guliang Yuan truly refused to accept her? What would she do then?
It was impossible. He clearly loved her so deeply. He had even said he was willing to cast aside his cultivation for her sake. This rumor must have been deliberately orchestrated by him—its sole purpose was to force her into submission!
Whether Meng Yao genuinely believed this or was simply deceiving herself, she could not tell.
As her frantic heartbeat settled somewhat, she took a step forward and walked on.
Meng Yao arrived before the mountain gate of Forgetful Peak, flipped her hand, and produced a palm-sized token. This token was once given to her by Guliang Yuan himself, practically treating Meng Yao as the mistress of Forgetful Peak. Yet Guliang Yuan's deep affection had only been met with Meng Yao's insatiable greed and betrayal.
The moment Meng Yao triggered the grand defensive array, Guliang Yuan, sitting cross-legged atop Forgetful Peak, sensed it and snapped his eyes open.
Counting the days, there were still three left before the ten-day deadline.
What was she doing here now?
Had she finished calculating the assets?
With that thought, Guliang Yuan stepped out of his cultivation chamber and entered the Hall of Forgetful.
Before long, Meng Yao's figure appeared inside the hall.
The moment she stepped across the threshold, her eyes immediately locked onto Guliang Yuan seated on the dais.
He sat upon a gilded wooden chair. Having just broken through, his aura had not yet fully receded, and the latent pressure of the late Nascent Soul stage drifted faintly around him, commanding awe without anger. Though dressed in a simple cyan robe, he could not conceal that otherworldly immortal grace. Meng Yao felt as though the Guliang Yuan before her might ascend to become an immortal and depart for the Immortal Realm at any given moment.
It left her utterly dazed. Why had she never noticed before how extraordinarily handsome Guliang Yuan truly was?
It seemed... yielding to him like this might not be such a loss after all.
Before she could speak, Guliang Yuan broke the silence first, his tone cold and entirely devoid of emotion:
"Did you bring everything?"
Hearing Guliang Yuan open with those exact words made Meng Yao's heart skip a beat.
Still, she forced a smile, took two steps forward, and spoke in a deliberately breezy tone:
"Why rush? I came here this time to show you a treasure."
With that, she made a beckoning gesture, and the heavy doors of the Hall of Forgetful slammed shut behind her with a loud thud.
Then, biting her lower lip, she walked step by step toward Guliang Yuan.
With every single step she took, another piece of clothing fell from her body.
By the time she reached Guliang Yuan, she was completely bare.
Meng Yao's emotions were a tangled mess—part shy, part resentful, and perhaps harboring a trace of... anticipation?
Yet Guliang Yuan looked at Meng Yao as if gazing at some piece of merchandise, entirely devoid of any lustful desire.
Seeing that Guliang Yuan did not display the desperate, lustful reaction she had imagined, Meng Yao gritted her teeth and drew even closer to him:
"You win."
"Isn't this what you've always wanted? I'm giving it all to you."
Guliang Yuan frowned slightly, and his Nascent Soul pressure surged outward, blasting Meng Yao directly backward through the air!
Bang!
She crashed heavily against a pillar inside the grand hall before her flight was finally arrested.
Sliding down the pillar, she crumpled onto the floor in an ungainly heap.
Meng Yao had no mind to care about the physical pain now.
Terror filled her eyes!
Nascent Soul level pressure!
So the holy land disciples had been telling the truth all along!
Everything Guliang Yuan had done to her was purely for his cultivation!
How could this be!
As humiliation washed over Meng Yao, a bitter wave of regret followed close behind.
Breaking through two realms in a single day—unmatched through the ages!
If she had simply remained obediently by Guliang Yuan's side, she could have shared in all this glory. More importantly, her status as a holy land disciple would have remained intact, and she might even have become a holy maiden because of it.
All of this had been within her grasp.
Yet a single stray thought of her own had brought about this very predicament...
Guliang Yuan saw right through her. Even now, Meng Yao still assumed he would fawn over her the way he used to.
Just how thick-skinned could she be?
Glancing down at the disheveled Meng Yao, Guliang Yuan coldly uttered a single sentence:
"Remember, you still have three days!"
With that, he didn't spare her another glance and turned away.
Seeing Guliang Yuan's attitude, panic truly set in for Meng Yao.
When she had previously claimed she would return everything to Guliang Yuan, she had only said it to provoke him. Those resources had long since been consumed by her and her family—what did she have left to return with?
Guliang Yuan clearly knew that Meng Yao could not repay the debt, nor did he genuinely expect to recover those items; he had simply used it as a pretext to destroy the Meng family. After all, as a holy land Grand Uncle-Master, one had to maintain a semblance of reputation.
That was how the righteous path operated: even when committing murder and arson, as long as you could frame your reasons in high-sounding righteousness, your moral character remained noble.
Just as Guliang Yuan was about to leave, a dull thud echoed from behind as Meng Yao kowtowed, her voice laced with tears:
"Guliang Yuan, I realize I was wrong. Please, don't be like this. Can't we go back to the way we used to be?"
Guliang Yuan paused slightly without turning his head:
"You haven't realized you were wrong. You've only realized that everything you had is about to be taken away."
Chapter 15: Elder Song Rentou
Having finished those words, Guliang Yuan's figure vanished into thin air within the grand hall, leaving behind only a naked, disheveled Meng Yao standing in a daze.
Echoes of Guliang Yuan's final words continued to reverberate through her mind. Pulling a random set of garments from her storage bag to throw on, she stumbled out of Forgetful Peak in a daze.
Outside the mountain gate of Forgetful Peak, many disciples were already gathered and waiting.
They, too, wanted to find out whether their makeshift Grand Uncle-Master had truly changed.
They did not have to wait long before they caught sight of Meng Yao, her expression utterly desolate, moving like a walking corpse.
Without needing to ask, just looking at her appearance told them everything!
Whenever Meng Yao used to enter and leave Forgetful Peak, she had always done so with an air of arrogant pride.
Comparing that past to her present state formed a stark contrast.
The crowd immediately erupted in a flurry of discussion:
"I never thought those rumors were true. To think I used to look down on the Grand Uncle-Master—it's truly shameful looking back."
"Indeed. I thought the Grand Uncle-Master was just some useless fool who only knew how to chase after women, but who could have expected he was simply enduring three years of humiliation for the sake of a single moment of enlightenment?"
"To endure being looked at with strange eyes for three years is something ordinary people could never bear. And that's not even mentioning how Forgetful Peak had lost its legacy."
"Hard to imagine—if the Grand Uncle-Master had failed to reverse-engineer that legacy, he would have carried the reputation of a bootlicker for the rest of his life."
"Such immense courage! Such extraordinary resolve!""Speaking of which, this Meng Yao is utterly foolish. She had a winning hand and ruined it completely."
"What can you say? Fortunately, Meng Yao is an idiot who got tangled up in a scandal with that Ye Fan fellow, which allowed Grand Uncle-Master to completely sever his emotions."
"Every gain and loss is destined by the heavens, isn't it?"
Ye Fan?
Hearing these two names, a spark of life suddenly returned to Meng Yao's vacant eyes!
That's right!
She wasn't at the end of her rope yet—she still had Ye Fan!
She still remembered how Ye Fan had told her that fateful night that he had taken an extremely mysterious master. Following his master allowed him to learn far more than any disciples of a sacred land.
Who knows, things might still turn around!
At this thought, Meng Yao abruptly turned her head to look toward Forgetful Peak, a fierce look flashing in her eyes!
Guliang Yuan, just you wait!
Today's humiliation, she would repay a hundredfold in the future!
She immediately changed her itinerary, deciding not to return to the Meng family, and instead headed straight for Ye Fan's residence.
Clearly, Guliang Yuan was right: Meng Yao still had not realized her own mistakes.
The only reason she had offered an apology was because she knew that if she didn't, she would lose everything she possessed.
Now that she had hope again, the remorse she felt moments ago completely vanished!
I did nothing wrong. Guliang Yuan is the one at fault, and he forced me into all of this!
I will make him pay!
Little did she know, Guliang Yuan was watching her every move from the shadows.
He sneered. "A leopard never changes its spots. Don't you agree, Elder Song?"
As Guliang Yuan's voice trailed off, an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in the robes of an elder, appeared behind him.
"Junior Uncle-Master is right. For a woman like that, a good hard slap across the face is the only proper treatment."
Guliang Yuan continued, "The few of you keep a close eye on Meng Yao for the next three days. You must not let her escape."
"The investigation into that Ye Fan cannot stop either. Just keep reporting all of his information to me, and don't make any rash moves against him, lest we alert the enemy."
Though Elder Song did not understand why Guliang Yuan was being so cautious about Ye Fan, he didn't press the matter and simply nodded in agreement.
Guliang Yuan patted Elder Song on the shoulder.
"Later, have a word with Elder Wang and the others. In the future, I will vigorously develop Forgetful Peak. Even though the Sect Master lent you to me, you are now half-people of Forgetful Peak. When the time comes, I'll find a way to transfer you here to work. In the future, there will be no shortage of benefits for you."
Hearing this, Elder Song's eyes lit up instantly.
If Guliang Yuan had said this to him ten days ago, he would have scoffed with disdain.
Yet today's Guliang Yuan was no longer the man of the past; having entered the Nascent Soul stage in a single day, he had transformed overnight from a despised, fawning sycophant into a wildly sought-after figure in Taishang Sacred Land.
There was immense potential for future development!
Most of the elders borrowed by Guliang Yuan possessed mediocre aptitudes or were nearing the end of their lifespans.
They had long since grown disheartened by the path of cultivation.
Lü Qingmei had transferred them here partly to let them live out their remaining years in peace on Forgetful Peak.
Never had they expected to encounter a second spring on their cultivation journey!
To them, Nascent Soul was the finish line, but to Guliang Yuan, Nascent Soul was merely the starting point!
If Guliang Yuan truly achieved greatness in the future, whatever accidentally slipped through his fingers would be more than enough to extend their lives or help them break through.
With this thought, Elder Song immediately declared his stance: "From now on, Song Rentou shall take Junior Uncle-Master Guliang's word as his absolute command!"
Hm?
Guliang Yuan turned his head and casually cast an inspection skill:
Name: Song Rentou
Devotion Value: 10
Cultivation: late Nascent Soul
Spiritual Roots: Wood-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots
Comprehension: Moderate
Qi Luck: Superior
Destiny Fate: Late Bloomer (Those with this destiny have ordinary cultivation paths in their youth, often experiencing a sudden, profound enlightenment near the end of their lifespan, causing their cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds overnight.)
Summary: Figures with special destiny traits are destined for extraordinary things and will inevitably carve out a name for themselves in the cultivation world.
Guliang Yuan's mouth twitched. What decent person is named Song Rentou?
Still, this aptitude made him well worth cultivating. He might even make a good guardian for his future disciples.
His original intention was simply to keep these elders around to run errands—after all, as a peak master, he couldn't possibly handle everything personally.
He hadn't expected an unexpected bonus!
After offering Song Rentou a few words of encouragement and watching him leave, Guliang Yuan returned to Forgetful Peak to continue consolidating his cultivation.
Early the next morning.
As the sun climbed higher, the clouds and mists enshrouding Forgetful Peak gradually dispersed, revealing its full appearance.
Viewed from afar, its aura shook the very heavens!
Glimpsed up close, spiritual energy drifted like mist!
At the base of the mountain, well-informed disciples had already gathered in twos and threes.
They knew that today, their Grand Uncle-Master would be taking on a disciple who would hold the seniority of a junior uncle.
Well...
Why did that phrasing sound so strange?
With nothing better to do, the idle disciples had chosen to come and witness the ceremony.
They also wanted to see what kind of disciple a Grand Uncle-Master who had reached the Nascent Soul stage in a single day would take.
"Clang!"
Before they had waited long, the sound of a golden bell reverberated throughout the entire Taishang Sacred Land.
Forgetful Peak's grand protective array directly deactivated, and the mountain gates swung wide open.
The disciples at the base of the mountain poured in sequentially.
Inside Taishang Sacred Land, countless disciples raised their heads.
They knew this bell toll was an announcement that a new inner direct disciple had appeared, and everyone was permitted to go and observe the ceremony.
Some ignored it and kept their minds focused on cultivation.
However, a vast majority of them, realizing that the bell had come from Forgetful Peak, chose to go and watch.
After all, Guliang Yuan was currently the center of attention; anything concerning him was great conversation material outside.
The masters of the other six peaks also stirred at the sound.
Before long, Forgetful Peak was bustling with noise and excitement, crowded with tens of thousands of people!
Chapter 16: Grand Uncle-Master took a mortal as his disciple?
At the Hour of Chen, the sun hung high.
Tens of thousands of disciples gathered on Forgetful Peak.
Among the arrivals were cultivators riding dragons and crossing cranes, mostly possessing the air of immortals and the bones of Daoists!
The gathered disciples stood in place, stood with their hands behind their backs atop ancient trees, or hovered in mid-air on flying swords, their postures and expressions varied. Yet their gazes were all fixed upon the high platform not far away.
Seated neatly upon the platform were seven cultivators of varying ages and genders.
Each person emitted a faint pressure, imposing without anger!
Taishang Forgetful Peak!
Taishang Undefeated Peak!
Taishang Golden Core Peak!
Taishang Wuji Peak!
Taishang Tianji Peak!
Taishang Couching Ox Peak!
Taishang Xundu Peak!
The masters of the seven major peaks of Taishang Sect had all arrived!
Looking at the surrounding disciples, Lü Qingmei chuckled softly and said to Guliang Yuan, "I recall the last time Forgetful Peak was this lively was when Senior Uncle first arrived here."
Guliang Yuan sighed with emotion. "Indeed. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight years have passed."
Beside them, the red-haired, burly man from Golden Core Peak asked in a booming voice, "What kind of disciple did Senior Uncle actually take, keeping it so mysterious without bringing him out for everyone to see beforehand?"
Guliang Yuan smiled faintly. "The time hasn't come yet. What's the rush?"
Hearing Guliang Yuan's reply, the peak masters asked no further questions and quietly waited.
The disciples below couldn't sit still, chatting in small groups about the upcoming event.
The subject of their discussion was naturally the protagonist of this master-adopting ceremony.
"When you guys said earlier that Grand Uncle-Master reached the Nascent Soul stage in a single day, I didn't believe it, but after sensing that Nascent Soul pressure from him, I completely believe it now."
"I remember seeing Grand Uncle-Master half a month ago, and he looks like a completely different person now."
"Even though he was very handsome before, he always lacked seriousness. Look at him now—every movement is filled with an inexplicable aura that makes one feel in awe."
"You're spot on. This aura is different from pressure; I can't quite put my finger on the exact feeling. But even if Grand Uncle-Master does nothing and just stands there, he gives people the feeling that he's no ordinary person."
"Perhaps this is what Grand Uncle-Master's true self looks like."
"Well said. Forgetful Peak has lain dormant for tens of thousands of years, but this time it's truly going to rise."
As a few of them discussed this, an untimely voice suddenly chimed in:
"Don't be so optimistic. It's still far too early to talk about a rise."
Hearing this, the group turned around simultaneously. Seeing that the person wore the attire of an elite disciple, they hurried forward to ask:
"Senior Brother, why do you say that?"
Intending to show off his knowledge, the man spoke up:
"Forgetful Peak has not been without prodigiously talented figures over the years. Yet no matter who it was, every single one of them got stuck at the Nascent Soul Great Circle and found it difficult to advance to Deity Transformation."
"Generation after generation, it seems like a curse."
"If Grand Uncle-Master Guliang can break this hex, then Forgetful Peak can truly be considered to have risen."
An older disciple listened to the elite disciple's words, carefully recalled the rumors surrounding Forgetful Peak, and let out an astonished cry:
"Ah, indeed it is."