"Damn it!
Now I don't have to wait until tomorrow, I'm dead!
When Yun Ze said the last sentence, he didn't think it through at all. He only realized something was wrong after he said it!
No matter how old she was, that question shouldn't have been asked!
His mother had always taught him since he was young that there were two extremely taboo questions for women of any age.
One was age, and the other was weight!
Especially for women who were very old and whose age was not obvious, the former question was even more taboo!
At best, you would lose the right to communicate with the other person forever. At worst... you would lose the right to communicate with the world forever.
"...What?"
After the 'Senior Sister' snorted, she paused and then retorted, "Are you so interested in my age?"
"Not very interested."
Cold sweat beaded on Yun Ze's forehead. He quickly tried to salvage the situation. "Why don't you just pretend I didn't ask? I'm just a junior, I was joking!"
"Junior?"
"No! I mean a younger generation... that's not right, a junior brother!"
"Just consider your junior brother as young and ignorant, speaking nonsense. Senior Sister, please don't take it to heart!"
"Oh?"
The 'Senior Sister' seemed to have discovered something interesting. She leaned closer and stared into Yun Ze's eyes. "Junior brother is young, so how old is Senior Sister?"
"I..."
Yun Ze was speechless and quickly waved his hand. "Senior Sister is as beautiful as a closed moon and a shy flower, as graceful as a falling fish and a graceful swan. She is as dazzling as a celestial fairy. She is at most eighteen years old! If it weren't for the matter of seniority, I would want to call you 'sister'."
The 'Senior Sister' curled her lips. "Then call me."
Call her?
Did he dare to call her that?
If the person opposite him was a real senior sister, or Luo Shang, Yun Ze would dare to call her 'sister', but facing this one...
She was very likely a Supreme Elder! Someone the Sect Master of Guiwu Sword Sect would have to treat with respect!
Did he dare to call her 'sister'?
He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, his tongue would be broken even more miserably than Senior Brother Xiao's!
"Senior Sister, the rites must not be neglected. I still won't call you that," Yun Ze said, forcing himself.
"You kid are quite interesting."
The 'Senior Sister' took a step back, no longer putting on a coercive posture. She sat back, and a long sword, shimmering with a faint blue light, flew out and floated beneath her, serving as a stool.
"Don't worry, I won't make a move on you. But you should already know my identity, right?"
With the conversation reaching this point, Yun Ze could no longer hide it. He stood up and said, "Disciple Yun Ze, greetings to the Supreme Elder."
"There's no need for such formality. I am not a disciple of Guiwu Sword Sect. I only learned swordplay at Guiwu Sword Sect for a period of time. My seniority is slightly higher, so I hold the position of Supreme Elder."
The 'Senior Sister' explained, then sized Yun Ze up. "I heard you became sworn brothers with that guy?"
"That guy?" Yun Ze wasn't sure who she was referring to.
"Xiao Han Shi."
"Yes."
Yun Ze nodded. "Big Brother Xiao and I hit it off immediately and became sworn brothers of different ages."
"Then you'll call me Senior Sister from now on, along with him."
"Huh!?"
Yun Ze seemed to have caught a very important piece of information. "You... you and Big Brother Xiao are Senior Sister and Junior Brother!?"
"Although I don't want to admit it, it's true."
The Senior Sister's gaze fell on the Sumeru Ring on Yun Ze's finger. "Did he give you this thing?"
"Yes."
"Then call me Senior Sister, and I'll give you a meeting gift."
If there's a freebie, it's a fool not to take it!
Yun Ze didn't hesitate and immediately said to the person in front of him, "Senior Sister!"
"Mmm, good boy."
The Senior Sister waved her hand casually, and a jade pendant shimmering with purple light landed on Yun Ze's waist. "This item is called the Immortal Shadow. It has two uses.
One is to actively infuse it with spiritual energy to summon an Immortal Shadow equivalent to your current realm, but not exceeding the Core Formation stage. This Immortal Shadow can obey simple commands, and its duration depends on the spiritual energy you inject.
The other is passive activation. When you face a fatal blow, it will summon a Golden Core stage Immortal Shadow to block for you. After blocking, this jade cannot be activated again for a month."
Golden Core stage!
Then this jade pendant is a third-tier spiritual artifact!
"Thank you, Senior Sister, for your generous gift! I'll shamelessly accept it."
Yun Ze cupped his fists in thanks and asked subconsciously, "By the way, Senior Sister, I still don't know your name."
"Mu Si Yue."
Mu Si Yue stated her name and then got to the point. "Do you remember what I told you last time?"
"I remember!"
Yun Ze quickly replied, "There is no Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment in this world."
"Yes, as long as you remember this sentence!"
A hint of helplessness flashed in Mu Si Yue's eyes. "Find a trace of Yuan Qi in the Foundation Building Secret Realm, and once you establish your foundation, stay put. Whether you search for spiritual materials or hide, as long as you don't try to seize Yuan Qi again, you can leave when everything is over."
"I remember."
Yun Ze responded and then asked, "Senior Sister, when you entered the Foundation Building Secret Realm back then, were you also looking for Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment?"
"Of course."
Mu Si Yue was here to answer his questions, so she answered them all. "The Foundation Building Secret Realm stretches for tens of thousands of miles. Besides Yuan Qi, which can replace Earth Dao Foundation Establishment, there are also many rare treasures, vengeful spirits, and demons.
When I entered the secret realm with those things back then, no one dared to compete with me. After capturing some Yuan Qi, I hid.
And I used that year to search the entire Foundation Building Secret Realm, capturing a total of ninety-nine strands of Yuan Qi. With all those Foundation Establishment items, I established my Qi Sea.
On that day, the nine heavens changed color, and a golden light descended upon my head. But for just a moment, that golden light disappeared.
I, ultimately succeeded in establishing my foundation, but I was only a slightly stronger Earth Dao Foundation Establishment."
Slightly stronger Earth Dao Foundation Establishment.
Yun Ze had heard her mention this countless times. He couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister, how strong is 'slightly stronger'?"
"After Emperor Sha established his foundation, he could slay Golden Core cultivators, you know that, right?"
Yun Ze nodded.
"After I established my foundation, I could slay peak Core Formation cultivators."
Mu Si Yue said calmly, "Although it was a Core Formation of Earth Dao, it was still just Core Formation."
"But that's still peak Core Formation!"
Yun Ze was shocked. "Even if it's not as good as Golden Core, it's almost there, right?"
"A world of difference."
Mu Si Yue corrected him. "No matter how strong a Core Formation cultivator is, they can't compare to a single finger of a Golden Core cultivator. This is not a gap in realms, but a difference in life levels.
It's like an ant and you and I. Even the strongest ant will be easily crushed by an infant.
Emperor Sha created a miracle! Do you understand now?"
Yun Ze nodded to show he understood, but then asked curiously, "Then Senior Sister, what is your current realm?"
"Peak Golden Core."
"Only Golden Core?"
Yun Ze was a little surprised.
Last night, after Xiao Han Shi left, he opened the cloth bag given by Luo Shang, which contained information about Xiao Han Shi given by Yu Xian.
The first line was written in vermilion ink... Xiao Han Shi, late Nascent Soul, suspected to have broken through to the Out-of-Body stage.
If his junior brother was already at the late Nascent Soul cultivation, his Senior Sister shouldn't be only at Golden Core!
But from her appearance, she didn't seem to be lying.
"This is the second point I want to talk about."
Mu Si Yue continued, "I embarked on the path of immortality at the age of thirteen and was detected as having a three-elemental Heavenly Spiritual Root. At fourteen, I was at the third level of Qi Refining. At fifteen, I reached the ninth stage of Qi Sea. At eighteen, I was at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
During this period, I had various spiritual delicacies and immortal wines, but even so, it took three years to go from the third level of Qi Refining to the ninth level of Qi Refining!
The following year, I entered the Foundation Building Secret Realm to establish my foundation, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and consuming spiritual items daily, all to fill my Qi Sea!
This stage took me eight years.
When I was twenty-six, I cultivated nine main paths and twelve auxiliary paths, forming a nine-patterned Golden Core. Beyond that... there was no path forward."
"No path forward!?"
Yun Ze was confused. "Isn't it Nascent Soul after Golden Core? Why is there no path?"
Mu Si Yue gave a wry smile. "Do you know about the transformation of the Qi Sea?"
Yun Ze shook his head again.
"The ninth stage of Qi Refining is to expand the Qi Sea to allow it to hold more spiritual energy. But when the Golden Core is formed, the Qi Sea will transform into a Purple Mansion, further expanding its volume. This is the transformation of the Qi Sea."
Mu Si Yue spoke tirelessly like a good teacher. "If a Golden Core cultivator wants to become a Nascent Soul, they must fill the entire Purple Mansion with their Golden Core. When the Purple Mansion is full, the core will shatter and become an infant.
But even if your spiritual root is the best, and you cultivate using the most top-tier pill-casting method, and pile up countless heavenly treasures, it is a fantasy to fill the Purple Mansion transformed from the ninth stage Qi Sea!
I have been in the Golden Core stage for five hundred years, cultivating day and night, and I am only at the middle stage of Golden Core now."
Yun Ze was stunned.
This was the first time he had learned about the cultivation method after Golden Core, but as soon as he heard it, he felt despair!
Although he was not at the ninth stage of Qi Sea now, he was not a Heavenly Spiritual Root, nor did he have the most top-tier pill-casting method, nor did he have endless heavenly treasures!
Forty-nine times the Qi Sea!
For him, this was already a nightmare!
Even a prodigy like Senior Sister Mu, who was stuck at Golden Core for five hundred years without progress, how long would he be stuck?
Wait, no!
Five hundred years!
Senior Sister Mu achieved Golden Core at the age of twenty-six. After five hundred years, wouldn't that mean... she is now five hundred and twenty-six years old!
A flicker of astonishment flashed in Yun Ze's eyes, but when he saw that beautiful face, he couldn't help but be stunned.
This person who was over five hundred years old still looked like she was in her early twenties?
Wouldn't Granny Li want to smash her head against a tofu if she saw this?
Mu Si Yue rolled her eyes helplessly, as if she knew what he was thinking. "Golden Core cultivators can maintain their appearance. The age at which a cultivator breaks through to Golden Core is when their appearance is fixed.
If you want to maintain a youthful appearance like me, you'll have to work hard."
"It's probably difficult."
Yun Ze shook his head helplessly. "Senior Sister, my aptitude is only mediocre. Even if I don't increase my Qi Sea anymore, it will probably be difficult to reach the Golden Core realm."
"Golden Core might be difficult, but Foundation Establishment is not."
Mu Si Yue took out a sheepskin scroll from her sleeve and handed it to Yun Ze. "This is a map I drew while traveling in the Foundation Building Secret Realm. It marks various spiritual materials and places where Yuan Qi gathers.
You can just collect a wisp of Yuan Qi, and then go find these spiritual materials. Five hundred years have passed, and the spiritual materials that were harvested back then should have grown back.
Remember, when collecting spiritual materials, follow the principle of leaving one root and taking one of two. Do not deplete the resources."
"Yes, Junior Brother remembers!"
Yun Ze took it with both hands. He naturally knew the value of this sheepskin scroll.
If he wanted to trade it, he could easily get a third-tier spiritual artifact!
"That's about all."
Mu Si Yue said, then got up. The azure spiritual sword disappeared instantly, as if it had never appeared. "Then I'll be leaving. Cultivate well within these three months. It's best not to expand your Qi Sea anymore. Improving your realm is the key."
"Senior Sister, wait!"
Yun Ze quickly stopped Mu Si Yue. "I have one more thing I want to ask."
"Mmm, ask."
"Big Brother Xiao..."
Yun Ze's tone deepened slightly. After a few seconds of hesitation, he asked, "Is he really a demonic cultivator?"
In the information about the immortal mansion, below the red line, there was another red line.
Suspected envoy of the demonic cave. If encountered below the Out-of-Body stage, report to the local inspector immediately!"