Chapter 137 Soul Form — The Master’s Peculiar Taste Is Quite Unique

“Senior Yi Zifei.”

Hearing this, Feng Tianche nodded thoughtfully. “So it’s him.”

“Senior Yi asked me to pay his respects to you on his behalf.” Lian Mu decided to do what she was asked to do first before bringing up her own matter.

She had thought she would at most see Feng Tianche’s memorial tablet and perhaps obtain some unique secret technique — she hadn’t expected to meet him in person.

Lian Mu felt he wasn’t as terrible as the rumors painted him to be, and he wasn’t bad-looking either. Perhaps because he died young, his appearance had stayed at its youthful peak, and when he smiled, there was always a hint of mischief.

Feng Tianche said, “No need. Just tell him to mind Fragrance-Attracting Peak properly and stop coming here to look for trouble.”

“Little girl, climbing this high just to deliver a message for him — I suppose that’s not the only reason, is it?”

“I do have something I wish to ask you, Master.”

Feng Tianche sized her up and suddenly laughed. “You keep calling me ‘senior’ and yourself ‘junior’… but from your tone, you don’t sound like an honest person. Why pretend?”

Lian Mu: “… As expected of the Master.”

He saw through her at a glance.

Feng Tianche asked, “How many years have I been dead?”

Lian Mu said, “I don’t know.”

Feng Tianche pushed open the window; snowflakes drifted in, melting to water as they touched the room.

He looked out at the distant mountains — beyond them was Thousand Spirit Peak.

“Returning Immortal Sect is still snowing, huh.” Feng Tianche tried to catch a snowflake, but the moment his finger extended past the window, a beam of golden light repelled him.

“The year I died, Fragrance-Attracting Peak had a heavy snowfall too. I just stood outside, watching them cry in front of my coffin.”

Lian Mu asked, “Master, how come you—”

“How come I haven’t been obliterated by the Heavenly Dao?” Feng Tianche chuckled. “Obviously because I’m clever. That damn Heavenly Dao wants to wipe me out completely? Dream on.”

“Everyone I mingled with was among the strongest in the world. Binding a wisp of soul is child’s play.” He tapped the bracelet on his wrist. “But this barrier around the Library Pavilion was my doing. All these years, no one broke in. You’re the first to crack it.”

Lian Mu: “…”

So it wasn’t that Yi Zifei didn’t want to come — he simply couldn’t break the barrier.

Who would have guessed the famed number-one alchemy cultivator would disguise the unlocking rune as a turtle shape? If she hadn’t read that copy of Feng’s Secret Method, she’d never have figured it out either.

“Judging by you, you’re a sword cultivator. Whose disciple are you?”

“Senior Murong Yi is my master.”

“Murong Yi? I’ve heard of him. Wasn’t he that top sword cultivator who crippled both hands after the Immortal Sect Grand Competition? So he took a disciple, huh… how time flies.”

Lian Mu froze.

She had never known that her master had such a past. Come to think of it, she really had never seen him wield a sword.

“You came for him?” Feng Tianche asked. “Unfortunately, I’m just a soul now, I can’t refine pills anymore. Besides, back then his hands were bitten to pieces by a demonic beast, even his meridians were severed. It was a miracle they could be pieced back together at all. No matter how miraculous a pill, he could never return to what he was.”

“It’s not for him. Actually, I came for myself. To be honest, I too rebuilt my spiritual roots.”

As soon as she spoke, the room fell silent for a moment.

Feng Tianche raised an eyebrow, jumped off the desk, circled her once, then grabbed her collar.

“Little girl, haven’t you heard how I died?”

Lian Mu looked aside. “Before I reforged my roots, I hadn’t.”

“Where did you find the method?”

“The Library Pavilion.” Lian Mu pointed downward. “On the lower floors.”

Feng Tianche suddenly frowned. “Seems I didn’t make myself clear enough… That worthless book, even after I scribbled it up, someone still kept it in the Library Pavilion?”

“Senior Yi has it now,” Lian Mu said. “But I still have a copy. If you’d like, I can lend it to you—”

“There’s another one?” Feng Tianche cut her off. “The final complete version I left under my bed — I told them to burn it.”

“All four major sects have it in their Library Pavilions. The other three said it was passed down by your descendants.”

Feng Tianche fell silent for a moment. “… I never even had a wife. Where’d these ‘descendants’ come from?”

Lian Mu was stunned.

“White Tiger West’s Wuyang Feng Clan — that’s not yours?”

“I’ve only been to White Tiger West twice. Never heard of it,” Feng Tianche said. “As for relatives… I did have a few brothers by blood, all more talented than me. They joined the Immortal Sect young and looked down on me. I cut ties with them long ago, no love lost.”

“Wuyang Feng Clan used your name to get into the Immortal Sects, claiming to be the number-one alchemy clan. After you died, they took your belongings from the Returning Immortal Sect and sold some books to the other three sects.”

“Bastards.” Feng Tianche cursed. “Selling off every scrap — those three scoundrels really have no shame.”

So the Feng Clan in White Tiger West were all Feng Tianche’s enemies?

No wonder that clan had been declining for years — what they stole could never last. Apart from Feng Tianche, they never produced another renowned alchemy master.

“Hand me that copy you have.”

Lian Mu obediently produced it, but to her surprise, Feng Tianche immediately tore up the Feng’s Secret Method and tossed the shreds into the alchemy furnace.

“Wait, that copy—”

“That book should never have existed.” Feng Tianche shredded every page and burned it all.

Lian Mu: “…”

Ying You had borrowed that from the Clear Thought Sect’s Library Pavilion — she still had to return it.

“The markings in this copy aren’t from Penglai Sect or Wushuang Sect. Has a new sect risen?”

“Both of those sects are gone now. A few hundred years ago, Penglai Sect sacrificed itself in a war with the demon race — they perished together. There is no more Penglai Sect in this world.”

“Now the world is divided into four regions: Black Tortoise North, the Returning Immortal Sect; Vermilion Bird South, the Azure Profound Sect; Azure Dragon East, the Crimson Sky Sect; and White Tiger West, the Clear Thought Sect.”

“The Clear Thought Sect was founded by Wuyang Feng Clan. The current sect master is Shen Minglu. I’ve met him — he mentioned you too.”

“So all that time has passed outside… even Penglai Sect is gone… Shen Minglu, I know him. He was an old friend. Since you’ve met him, he must have told you everything you need to know.”

“Little girl, do you regret stumbling onto this path?”

“I didn’t stumble onto it. I sought it out myself.”

She thought for a moment — that sounded odd — so she rephrased it. “I was born with ruined roots. I wanted to cultivate. I learned the method to rebuild my roots willingly, and the money for spirit replenishing pills, I earned myself. This is my chosen path — I never regret it.”

“Good,” Feng Tianche said. “This path to reforging roots is meant for people like you.”

“I wanted to destroy those books because too many wanted this path but couldn’t bear its cost. Since you don’t regret it, then walk it well. I died young, but not as miserably as they say.”

Lian Mu knew he had lived more brilliantly than most.

In just a couple decades, he’d become the world’s undisputed top alchemy cultivator, easily outshining people who’d spent centuries.

“I’ve lifted the barrier at the door. My soul remains here and can’t leave, but you can come find me anytime.”

Feng Tianche said, “I’ve had countless disciples in my life, but few satisfied me. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

“As for repairing the dantian, before I died, I did come up with a couple of methods, but I never got to try them. My belongings were taken by those three bastards, and they’re probably lost by now.”

“But when it comes to replenishing spiritual energy, I’m still quite the expert. Learn from me, and you won’t die for at least twenty years.”

Lian Mu took out the supplementary volume of Feng’s Secret Method from her spatial pouch and said, “Do you mean the methods recorded in here?”

Feng Tianche was astonished when he saw what she had: “You already found it? That makes things easier.”

“Ordinary spirit replenishing pills can’t make up for the spiritual energy drain caused by damage to the dantian. You’ve read this book, so you should know that. So…”

Lian Mu took out two refined spirit replenishing pills: “So it works if you mix in something naturally rich in spiritual energy, right? I made these with demonic beast inner cores. What do you think?”

Feng Tianche stared for a moment, then leaned in for a closer look: “This isn’t your first day learning alchemy? I was ready to teach you from scratch, but I didn’t expect… our Returning Immortal Sect really does produce talent. Even a sword cultivator can do this now?”

“Well, the other sects are all gone, only the Returning Immortal Sect remains. As an old sect, it’s natural that its disciples are more talented than those from the other three nowadays.”

Lian Mu touched the tip of her nose, too embarrassed to tell him that the Returning Immortal Sect was on the verge of being kicked out of the Four Great Sects.

“This pill is well made. For a sword cultivator to refine something like this, you’ve already far surpassed many proper alchemists,” Feng Tianche said. “I mean alchemists from our time — I don’t know about now.”

Lian Mu said, “Probably not as skilled as you. No current alchemist’s name surpasses yours.”

“If you study properly, yours soon will.” Feng Tianche took the pill from her hand. “Do you need this? If not, let me examine it.”

“You’ve already taken it, why ask?” Lian Mu hurriedly stuffed the last pill back into her spatial pouch. “I only have one left.”

Feng Tianche tapped her forehead: “Who taught you to be so stingy? I’ll keep this pill as payment for teaching you. I may not be able to refine pills, but I can still help you spot problems. Pack up and come see me tomorrow.”

“Okay.” After saying that, Lian Mu suddenly remembered something: “By the way, I have an alchemist friend, a disciple of Elder Yi. She knows I’m seeing you and wants to know what you look like. Can I tell her?”

“I don’t mind at all.”

“Then can I take a picture?”

“You really know how to push your luck.” Feng Tianche laughed. “There’s an image-recording stone hidden in the secret compartment in the east wall. Go get it yourself.”

As Lian Mu walked over, she said, “Master, you even secretly stashed an image-recording stone in the library pavilion.”

“I built the library pavilion. I can keep whatever I want in it,” Feng Tianche replied.

Lian Mu took out the image-recording stone and moved closer to him. “Don’t worry, Master. Once my friend sees it, I’ll destroy it right away. I won’t show it to outsiders.”

“No need to destroy it. My soul is stuck here — no point hiding.”

Feng Tianche said, “You can use that image-recording stone to scare people. Tell them you’ve seen a ghost. Whoever offends you, I’ll hang over their bed at night and strangle them.”

Lian Mu: “…”

Master’s dark sense of humor is… rather unique.