Recently, the biggest event that could stir up stormy waves in the cultivation world was that Patriarch Yun Shu was going to take a Dao Companion.

A Patriarch like Patriarch Yun Shu, who had cultivated to the Soul Splitting Realm and was still willing to take a Dao Companion, was as rare as morning stars in the cultivation world. Especially since his Dao Companion was an unknown cultivator.

Ji Zhaixing.

Currently in the cultivation world, no one had ever heard of a prestigious family or noble clan with the surname Ji.

Some active-minded individuals went to the Mingling Sword Sect to inquire, only to find out that the origins of this "Ji Zhaixing" were not a secret. He was originally a cultivator from a small world whom Patriarch Yun Shu had saved while experiencing the lower realms to eliminate demons. His cultivation was merely at the first stage of Foundation Establishment... But somehow, he had hooked Patriarch Yun Shu and was going to become his Dao Companion.

It simply made countless cultivators envious.

To be looked after by a Soul Splitting Realm Patriarch meant a worry-free path of cultivation. Could it not be called ascending to the heavens in a single bound?

In fact, the Dao Companion Ceremony between Yun Shu and Ji Zhaixing was not considered high-profile or ostentatious. It was merely held within the Sword Sect, and invitations were handed out to disciples who had graduated from Mingling and to cultivators with whom they had close relationships.

The commotion was far less grand than the day Shouqing Zhenjun proposed marriage, scattering ninety thousand jugs of Jade Firmament Wine, or when the Wuya Sect Master opened up a mystic realm to gift his guests, making it known to all cultivators in the world and causing everyone to envy.

However, this was the Dao Companion Ceremony of a Soul Splitting Realm Patriarch, which only made those cultivators flock to the door even more eagerly.

And within the Mingling Sword Sect, even if they had complaints about the Patriarch's taste, they still managed the affairs diligently and conscientiously, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Ji Zhaixing seemed to have become the most idle person in the Sword Sect.

His position was extremely awkward.

He was neither a Mingling disciple who had joined the sect, nor a guest cultivator practicing here; he was merely a dependent clinging to Yun Shu, feeding off his flesh and blood.

Even the plain-clothed disciples with the lowest cultivation in the sect looked down on him—even if they acted extremely self-restrained on the surface, fully playing the part of magnanimous large-sect disciples.

Ji Zhaixing didn't care either.

While staying in the Mingling Sword Sect, apart from paying respects to Yun Shu morning and evening, he would go to the sect's Scripture Pavilion to read through those cultivation method jade slips and secret knowledge of the cultivation world.

With the Dao Companion Ceremony approaching, it was inconvenient for Ji Zhaixing to meet Yun Shu, so even this daily time-consuming interaction was waived.

Although he didn't cultivate diligently, relying on the Transformation Dao Bone, Ji Zhaixing managed to form his core before the Dao Companion Ceremony, stepping into the ranks of Golden Core Immortals.

A Golden Core Immortal of his age was actually considered quite stunning and brilliant; but compared to Patriarch Yun Shu, who reached the Soul Splitting Realm at a hundred years old, they naturally didn't match.

......

The Azure Sea Lamps outside the Scripture Pavilion lit up one by one, swallowing the darkness of the night. The interior of the pavilion was covered by an array, making it impossible to see anything once night fell. The pavilion closed every day at dusk.

Although Ji Zhaixing was anxious to absorb the contents of these jade slips, tomorrow was the Dao Companion Ceremony. No matter how immersed he was, he had to stop immediately.

The Immortal Registrar of the Scripture Pavilion was a cold-faced alchemy cultivator, responsible for kicking out disciples who were still greedily studying in the pavilion after closing time every day.

However, he had always turned a blind eye to those other studious cultivators; it didn't matter if they left the pavilion a moment late. But every time Ji Zhaixing was there, the registrar would always tirelessly and ostentatiously keep a personal eye on him.

His gaze would linger on Ji Zhaixing for a long time, like a cold, precise measurement.

Ji Zhaixing guessed that it was probably because his reputation in the Mingling Sword Sect was truly not very good, and this young registrar particularly "hated evil like a deadly foe."

Therefore, upon being caught this time, he returned the jade slip as usual, slightly lowered his eyes, and with a somewhat apologetic expression said, "This junior has overstayed for a long time. I shall leave the pavilion now."

Ji Zhaixing's voice had always been like a gentle breeze brushing the moon, so gently pleasant that it made people lose themselves in it.

The dim, bean-sized lamplight fell on his cold, pale, slender neck, illuminating half of his slightly frail figure.

Even the most hard-hearted person would probably find it difficult to show a reprimanding expression to such a black-haired cultivator.

The young registrar paused slightly, and sure enough, his voice carried no anger: "Tomorrow... will you come again?"

Tomorrow was Ji Zhaixing's Dao Companion Ceremony.

It was also the day he would leave the Mingling Sword Sect.

Ji Zhaixing said, "Naturally, I won't have the free time."

For some reason, the registrar's face seemed to pale a bit more, and there was an indescribable dejection in his eyes.

"Then I wish Daoist Ji an eternal happy marriage and a smooth path in the Dao."

"Thank you."

When Ji Zhaixing came out, he recalled the registrar's expression again—it was truly because that gloomy gaze and complexion were too eye-catching.

Perhaps an admirer of Yun Shu.

It was a pity that his constant longing would absolutely receive no response. That Soul Splitting Realm senior had only tied his heart to his disciple.

Ji Zhaixing then picked up a Feathered Crane from the Beast-Taming Pool near the Scripture Pavilion to return to Chuyun Peak. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he fed the Feathered Crane a few medicinal pills and released it back.

It wasn't that he was in such a leisurely mood to walk back, but rather that Yun Shu was solitary and cold by nature. To avoid being disturbed, he had placed restrictions on the entire Guyun Peak to suppress spiritual power; he also laid out a confusing array to guard the peak. Even the sweeping disciples who had cultivated on Guyun Peak since childhood might not be able to walk out easily. Why make things difficult for an ignorant white crane?

However, on his second day at Chuyun Peak, Ji Zhaixing had memorized the method to break the confusing array, making his travels convenient.

His moon-white long gown shuttled through the mist, the hem of his clothes stained with some moisture. The closer he got to Yun Shu's immortal cave, the colder it became. Walking a bit further, it would start to snow.

A very abrupt crying sound came over.

As if breaking a stalemate, it was immediately followed by another bout of soft crying, like the mewling of a milk kitten.

"Where can we find anyone here!"

"Jin Wu, you're bleeding a lot..."

"Your hands are so cold, will you, will you..."

"Don't say such foolish things! I've already crushed the life tablet Daddy gave me; someone will come save us very soon!"

It was the clamor and crying of a group of human cubs. At a rough estimate, there were about five or six of them.

"Shut up."

This voice was weak and low-pitched. Its owner was similarly young, complaining somewhat delicately, "It hurts to death."

They were people who had mistakenly entered the confusing array.

The Mingling Sword Sect indeed had many young disciples of this age, mostly children with good aptitude sent by other small sects or aristocratic families. They were all mature and steady. Even if there were some who liked to play around, they wouldn't be so greedy for fun as to recklessly barge into the confusing array of Chuyun Peak without knowing the severity of the situation.

They were most likely children brought by the cultivators attending the banquet.

Ji Zhaixing thought so.

The sobbing of those little cubs seemed to grow a bit louder.

The black-haired cultivator paused his steps slightly. After pondering for just a moment, he changed his forward path.

He wasn't particularly keen on being a helpful gentleman, but the confusing array set up by Patriarch Yun Shu was indeed quite dangerous. Most of these little cubs from foreign sects had good backgrounds. If something really happened and it was investigated—it would be a troublesome matter if it was discovered that he had passed by and done nothing to save them.

Those little cubs were indeed all children who were pampered like pearls and treasures. Even though they looked disheveled, it could be seen that they had excellent backgrounds. Their cheeks were fair, tender, and soft, and their clothing was exquisite.

The child surrounded in the middle was probably a bit older. He was wearing a dark red long gown with golden edges. A large embroidered pattern of a divine bird holding a begonia adorned the hem. Every aspect of him exuded an aura of living a pampered life.

Only at this moment, his ankle was deeply embedded in a spiked lock formed by a formation, leaving him tiredly maintaining a single posture, yet still unable to prevent his foot from being pierced into a bloody mess.

Ji Zhaixing walked over.

The sky was exceptionally dark right now, and the cultivation of this group of children hadn't reached the level where they could see in the dark at Chuyun Peak. They only saw a slender figure walking over, seemingly a very good-looking young man.

Although he wasn't much older than them, the little cubs still acted as if they had found their backbone. Their eyes lit up, and they began to ask for help.

Ji Zhaixing didn't busy himself with comforting them first. He merely bent down, held the injured youth's foot, formed a hand seal, and instantly unlocked the spiked lock that had left them helpless and extremely terrified.

The little cubs instantly filled with trust towards Ji Zhaixing!

Ji Zhaixing then took medicinal powder from his storage bag and applied it to the wound. The little young master, who looked extremely delicate, hissed and asked somewhat gloomily, "What medicine is this?"

"Five-Flavor Powder."

The little young master stopped talking; presumably, the name of this medicine hit his knowledge blind spot.

This was medicine Ji Zhaixing brought from his original sect in the small world. It was basically no different from wound medicine made from mortal herbs. Even if these little cubs knew the various types of spiritual herbs in the cultivation world like the back of their hands, they probably would find it difficult to know the origins of this medicine.

After applying the medicine, Ji Zhaixing used gauze prepared in his storage bag to simply stop the bleeding. Seeing that the child in front of him had a face so pale that it looked like he would stop breathing in the next moment, he acted very considerately, bending down to pick the child up into his arms.

Jin Wu was startled.

The little young master was quite repulsed by the approach of strangers. He leaned back slightly but couldn't stop anything. However, when he was truly embraced, he found that the person's movements were meticulous and gentle. Not only did it cause no pain or discomfort, but it was also extremely... reassuring.

Even the scent from his lapels was clean and pleasant.

Jin Wu's tightly furrowed brows relaxed. Even his half-pushing hands turned into awkwardly pinching Ji Zhaixing's sleeve, looking like he was rejecting yet also accommodating.

"I'll take you out," the black-haired cultivator's voice was gentle and pleasant. "You can hold onto the hem of my clothes, or you can hold onto your companions."

"I'll remind you when there are steep and uneven places."

"Be careful."

Most of the time, Ji Zhaixing was a person of few words, but when he truly needed to communicate with others, he would appear exceptionally meticulous and gentle, making people look forward immensely to exchanging even one more word with him.

The taut nerves of this group of little cubs also eased along with it.

They even quite eagerly wanted to strike up a conversation with this adult.

And Ji Zhaixing's replies would never make them feel brushed off or belittled, so the little cubs quickly spilled all their information.

Such as which sects they came from.

And why they appeared here.

Just as Ji Zhaixing expected, these little cubs indeed followed their fathers or teachers to attend Patriarch Yun Shu's Dao Companion Ceremony.

"We wanted to catch a glimpse of the graceful bearing of that Patriarch Yun Shu."

A little girl in an azure long gown said. She deliberately chose her words carefully, putting on the heavy airs of an adult: "I heard he reached the Nascent Soul stage by his twenties and the Soul Splitting Realm at a hundred years old. He practices the Dao of Slaughter and is majestic and awe-inspiring."

Ji Zhaixing: "You can see him tomorrow too, why did you run in so rashly?"

The little cubs were very afraid of leaving a bad impression on the pretty older brother, so they hurriedly explained, "Actually, actually we also wanted to take a look at Patriarch Yun Shu's Dao Companion..."

Unexpectedly, these kids were mischievous and smart, spilling gossip extremely fast.

"I heard that the cultivator named Ji Zhaixing has lower cultivation than even me!"

"Patriarch Yun Shu saved him, and he shamelessly latched onto the Patriarch, insisting that the Patriarch marry him, otherwise he would threaten him with his life."

"He definitely has his eyes on Patriarch Yun's cultivation and power. He has a deep, scheming mind!"

Ji Zhaixing soon brought the little cubs near the exit of the confusing array. Fortunately, the nearest Healers' Courtyard was only an incense stick's time away—after all, disciples injured by the formations at Chuyun Peak were truly as numerous as carp crossing the river.

Meanwhile, Ji Zhaixing had listened to the badmouthing words about himself all the way without changing his expression, remaining as gentle as ever: "Perhaps that Ji Zhaixing has no intention of forcing Patriarch Yun Shu to become Dao Companions."

Children's thinking is habitually straightforward, and they firmly believe without a doubt in the "good and evil" they have determined.

"You've been fooled by him! Don't think too highly of human nature." They said while shaking their heads.

"I just think that for not a single person to like him, his conduct must truly be somewhat terrible," Ji Zhaixing said.

They walked out.

The omnipresent, invading darkness of the confusing array faded away, and moonlight scattered like the luster of a bright pearl. The little cubs instantly saw clearly the black-haired cultivator who had led them out of the confusing array.

The silver light was like snow. The cultivator was born much, much better looking than the most beautiful beauty they had ever seen. He instantly captured the minds of this group of little cubs, making them not even blink, feeling that the scene before them was incomparably wonderful.

Their concept of appearance was actually quite ignorant, but at this time, it completely stemmed from a person's subconscious pursuit of beauty.

"Older Brother." At this time, the little cubs' voices were sweeter than the last. "Do you live on Chuyun Peak? Can we still come find you?"

The good-looking older brother said, "You will be able to see me tomorrow." He paused slightly and smiled, "My name is Ji Zhaixing."