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Chen Moqing shook his sleeve, looking at a small, fluffy white ball inside.

He lifted a finger and poked it.

The little fluffy ball remained motionless.

Curled into a fluffy, round little lump.

Chen Moqing lowered his sleeve and walked forward.

Not long after, a small snow-white beast, clutching his wrist, slid down and peeked its little head out from the sleeve, looking at him.

As if nothing had happened, it silently floated into the air and silently sat on his shoulder.

The young cultivator, accompanied by the silent little fluffy ball, stepped onto the moonlit mountain path at night, passing through fireflies by the stream and bamboo forest, and entered an ancient, simple courtyard deep within the bamboo grove.

A modest wooden house, with faint candlelight shining through the window lattice.

"Elder Yun, this junior is Chi Fei, a new outer sect disciple who joined today. I’ve come to seek your guidance on array formations."

"......"

No one responded. Chen Moqing stood tall and straight, waiting quietly.

Until an incense stick’s worth of time later, the wooden door opened without a breeze, and a tall figure in dark green walked out.

Her dark hair was now streaked with strands of frost, loosely tied up with a gold-green hairpin. Two deep, long lines under her eyes hinted at a somewhat aged appearance, while the narrow, upward-slanting corners of her eyes carried a stern, unapproachable severity.

She wore a simple, unadorned dark green robe, without any accessories, except for the hairpin that seemed particularly exquisite, adorned with gold and green turquoise and carved with feather patterns at the tip.

—The only female cultivator among the four Nascent Soul Elders of Wanhua Sect, Yun Buwan, mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.

Standing under the eaves, she swept a glance over Chen Moqing from head to toe, then glanced at the snow-white beast on his shoulder, her voice as cold as icy water, "Since you have come for cultivation, why bring a demon pet? Frivolity leads to neglect of purpose."

Chen Moqing replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This is my companion, who has traveled alongside me."

Yun Buwan let out a cold laugh, her tone sharpening inexplicably, "Companions with demons?"

Without waiting for Chen Moqing to answer, she tossed out a jade slip, "Study it on your own. If you fail the sect's assessment in three months, leave on your own."

The wooden door closed, bamboo shadows fell upon the steps.

Cang Shun tilted its head to look at Chen Moqing, seeing him calmly pick up the jade slip.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Chen Moqing discovered that the jade slip contained exceptionally detailed knowledge of array formations, encompassing all of Yun Buwan’s journey from beginner to mastery and then to great achievement, meticulously categorized, comprehensive and specific. Even some extremely obscure knowledge was recorded.

Undoubtedly, Elder Yun was indeed a grandmaster of array formations.

He raised his hand in a salute, "Thank you, Elder."

He turned and walked out of the courtyard, casually finding a large rock by the stream in the bamboo forest, sitting cross-legged to cultivate on the spot.

Cang Shun jumped onto his lap, stretched its claws, arched its back, and took a long, lazy stretch.

Another night camping in the wild.

The snow-white beast tucked its paws and watched as dappled bamboo shadows brushed past the man’s profile under the faint glow of the vast, starry sky.

It had seen many so-called ‘heaven’s favored’ from major sects, most of them accustomed to grand displays and extravagance. Yet this man was different—chewing on roots, sleeping in the wild, doing it all without a care.

It also knew that this man’s youth had likely not been easy.

Cang Shun silently raised a paw, slightly reaching toward Chen Moqing. It paused for a second, then quietly lowered it, jumping down from his lap and moving to his side, still pressed close against him.

In the morning, the mist was thin, and birdsong swept through the forest.

Suddenly, a light pierced through the fog, and a circular array rose from the ground, enveloping the bamboo forest above. Green bamboo swayed, stream water splashed, and then the array dissipated, leaving the forest quiet once more.

A small array floated between his slender fingers. Chen Moqing lowered his gaze to the snow-white beast lying haphazardly on his lap in a very casual posture.

He caught a spinning, falling bamboo leaf and gently placed it on the soft belly of the snow-white beast.

After a while, the snow-white beast rolled over, playing with the leaf, then leisurely wandered to the streamside. Stepping onto a smooth pebble, it lifted a paw and patted the cold stream water.

Carelessly slipping, it fell into the water with a plop.

A few seconds later, a dripping wet little fluffy ball jumped up, pretending nothing had happened, shaking and flicking water off its fur by the bank for a long while before quickly trotting back to Chen Moqing’s side and nonchalantly rubbing against his robe.

Chen Moqing picked it up and placed it on another rock to bask in the sun.

In the following days, Chen Moqing’s consciousness was entirely immersed in the jade slip, focusing on studying array formations. During the day, he listened to the wind rustling through the forest and the babbling stream; at night, he gazed at the vast starry sky and the faint glow of fireflies, aware only of the shifting light of the heavens, oblivious to the passage of time.

At the top of a green bamboo stalk, a snow-white beast floated on a bamboo leaf, sunbathing and letting out a lazy yawn.

Within a radius of fifty feet, it had flipped over every rock, and its fur felt almost moldy.

As it was counting the little dried fish in the stream for who knows which time, it heard the light, clear voice from below, "How long has it been?"

Cang Shun jumped down.

[Half a month]

Chen Moqing stood up, casually brushing grass and leaves from his robe, and reached out a hand to Cang Shun.

The snow-white beast skillfully jumped onto his arm, shook its fur, and nestled in his embrace.

Wanhua Sect was built against the mountain, with many pavilions suspended in the air, supported by arrays.

Chen Moqing looked into the distance and saw a pavilion floating above a deep cliff, surrounded by dense spiritual energy. As he approached, he discovered it was Wanhua Sect’s library pavilion, housing countless array formation texts—accessible only to inner sect disciples.

"Junior Brother Chi!"

A familiar voice called out from a distance. Chen Moqing calmly turned his head to see Xiao Jibai waving at him not far away, surrounded by a crowd of people, like stars around the moon.

He stood where he was, letting Xiao Jibai leisurely approach him.

"Junior Brother Chi, why haven't I seen you these past days?" Xiao Jibai said with a spirited expression, "My master just gave me a new magic tool. And what about your Elder Yun? Has she been making you do odd jobs?"

Chen Moqing replied, "She imparted to me her mastery of array formations."

Xiao Jibai chuckled, "I heard that Elder Yun used to have excellent aptitude, but in the last five hundred years, her cultivation hasn't advanced at all."

"Why don't you come join me, Junior Brother Chi? I could talk to my master, and maybe he’ll take you on as a nominal disciple."

Cang Shun watched coldly, hearing Chen Moqing's still light and calm voice, "No need."

Xiao Jibai gave him a once-over. Dressed in the lowest-grade disciple uniform, his cultivation hadn't improved at all in half a month, possessing nothing of value except for that useless spirit cat.

That day at the mountain gate, climbing the steps must have just been a fleeting flash—nothing but a block of rotten wood.

He immediately lost interest and walked away, surrounded by other Wanhua Sect disciples.

"Brother Xiao, are you close with that person?"

Xiao Jibai, "I spoke a few words with him on the day we entered the sect."

A Wanhua Sect disciple beside him laughed and said, "Three months from now, during the entrance test, the top performer can directly enter the inner sect. By then, we'll have to call you Elder Brother Xiao!"

Xiao Jibai dismissed such flattery with disdain, thinking to himself: Of course, how could I not win against a bunch of good-for-nothings?

"System, when exactly will that array-path secret realm appear? You don't think Murong Zhou is scamming me, do you?"

[No deceit detected in his words, and the aura of the secret realm has not yet been sensed. Host, it is time for your cultivation practice today]

"Hmph, no rush. I'm a genius in all schools; something as trivial as array formations is a piece of cake!"

A nine-story pagoda hovered above a deep valley, surrounded by several large formations. It was Wanhua Sect's training pavilion, exclusively for disciples.

Chen Moqing was stopped at the entrance, listening as the guard openly mocked him, "You’re not even a formal disciple, and yet you have the nerve to borrow a training room..."

Chen Moqing tossed out a bag of spirit stones.

The guard stepped aside, "Please enter."

Cang Shun, "......"

[The culture of this place is truly laughable to think about]

Chen Moqing calmly stroked the snow-white beast's fur and chose a private training room. Once inside, he immediately drew talismans, sealing off the room with a barrier, then said to Cang Shun, "Please, Demon Emperor, assist me in my cultivation."

Cang Shun slightly raised its chin: [Come]

Chen Moqing formed a hand seal with one hand, spiritual energy flowing, and an array rose from under his feet, instantly sweeping outward.

Cang Shun shattered it with a single slap.

Chen Moqing showed no trace of disappointment in his expression, "Again."

The array rose once more, with neat lines and channels, and the runes flowing through it.

So he had integrated the runes into the array formation, merging the two?

Cang Shun chuckled lightly: [Interesting]

Shattered with a slap.

Almost the moment the array shattered, several more arrays rose, intersecting at different positions, connecting together to block off all directions.

[Not bad, improving quickly]

Another slap shattered it.

Every time Chen Moqing raised an array, Cang Shun would shatter it with a single slap.

Repeated several times, the snow-white beast unconsciously wagged its tail, feeling rather proud.

After two seconds, it felt this wasn't quite right, lowered its tail, and stole a glance at the expression on the face of the person opposite.

Chen Moqing quietly watched it, a gleam flashing through his dark, ink-like eyes, like stars lighting up the night—an expression Cang Shun had never seen on his face before.

The bold, sharp-edged pride of a prodigy who had found a friend to stand side by with.

Cang Shun was taken aback, hearing his light laughter, "Again."

Arrays rose and fell, shattered and gathered again. Though relaxed, Cang Shun never let its focus waver, attentively observing that human's every move.

It watched his technique quickly transition from initial unfamiliarity to proficiency, from the most basic arrays to gradually more complex ones. Every strike showed remarkable improvement over the last.

His combat style was flexible and adaptable, formless as water, elusive and unpredictable. Yet the moment he struck, his edge was sharp, ruthless, and precise—a single blow to kill. Only one who had endured countless life-and-death struggles, brutal battles, could possess such dominant, decisive, and coldly indifferent killing methods.

Cang Shun's eyes sharpened, and in that moment, it gained another profound realization: this human was born for the Great Path of cultivation.

In the Demon Emperor's prime, even among the few in the cultivation world of the same realm, they would flee in despair, giving way and avoiding him. Across the Nine Thousand Prefectures, countless mighty immortals and revered experts were overshadowed and rendered dim by the Demon Emperor.

And now, Cang Shun could already assert with certainty—

One day, when this human’s cultivation reached the same realm as his own, he would be the only being in heaven and earth capable of standing as an equal, sharing the sun and moon.

He was a great demon born of the Heavenly Dao, naturally bearing its principles from birth, and aware of his own destined end. And this human... seemed not to conform to the Heavenly Dao.

An array suddenly emerged from an extremely bizarre angle, smacking the snow-white beast on the head.

Cang Shun, "?"

A single slap came down.

...

Inside the training room, arrays and runes flickered and alternated, brightening and dimming intermittently.

A snow-white beast floated in the air, now high, now low, its long tail drooping listlessly.

"What's wrong?" Chen Moqing said, "We've only practiced for a little while."

The snow-white beast propped up its upper body, "Meow!"

[It’s already been ten hours!]  

Chen Moqing looked at it without a word.

Cang Shun, "?"

Why did this human’s gaze seem somewhat disdainful?

As if criticizing it for being lazy.

The Demon Emperor inexplicably felt a pang of guilt, reflecting on whether his recent cultivation had been too lax—and then suddenly remembered that he didn’t actually need to cultivate this time upon awakening; his demonic power would naturally recover as time passed.

Thus, he puffed out his chest with newfound confidence.

So what.

Chen Moqing, "Can you still manage?"

Cang Shun, "......"

"......."

[Again! Benzun will accompany you in practice until the end of the world!]  

—And so, it wasn’t until the afternoon of the third day that Chen Moqing and a certain Demon Emperor walked out of the sealed room.

He gently squeezed the soft paw of the snow-white beast, giving it a slight shake, "Thank you. It helped me improve a lot in actual combat."

The snow-white beast looked at him and lazily meowed once.

"Stop right there."

A slightly shrill voice abruptly rang out. On the square, a male cultivator dressed in a high-level disciple uniform walked toward Chen Moqing, his face etched with pettiness.

"Since when can low-level disciples wander around the sect so casually?"

He cast a contemptuous glance, eyeing the beast in the low-level disciple's arms that resembled a spirit cat, and said as if it were only natural, "Young Master here has taken a liking to your cat. Hand it over."

Chen Moqing glanced casually at his plump, coarse features, "Are you the son of Elder Duan?"

Duan Shou snorted, "Knowing my father, shouldn’t you offer it with both hands?"

Chen Moqing said, "Truly, a mighty tiger fathers no weak cub."

Duan Shou wore a pleased expression, "At least you know how to speak!"

Then he saw the beast in that low-level disciple's arms laughing so hard it rolled onto its back, while the person completely ignored him and walked straight ahead.

As the son of Duan Ya, he was used to throwing his weight around in the sect and had never been so blatantly ignored. Furious, he immediately reached out to grab the throat of that audacious disciple—

Chen Moqing took a step forward.

The array rose.

Several faint blue-green lines lit up from the sole of his boot, extending and intertwining, instantly spreading into a blue-green array.

Duan Shou's hand froze in mid-air. Realizing he couldn't move, his expression turned to extreme terror.

How was this possible?! He was a high-level disciple of the sect!

"You dare attack me?! Release me now! My father won’t let you get away with this!"

He struggled desperately but was locked in place by the array, unable to even twitch a finger. All he could do was listen to the other’s light, airy words, "So, high-level disciples can be trapped by low-level ones too?"

Duan Shou nearly coughed up blood in rage, cursing loudly, yet unable to do anything as he watched the young cultivator walk away without even a backward glance.

He wanted to shout for help, only to realize there was no one else in the square at the moment—he’d cleared it out himself when he arrived earlier!

Duan Shou was so furious he felt like he was about to drop dead on the spot.

......

[Should I change to a different appearance?]

On the way back, Cang Shun said to Chen Moqing.

Previously, when he accepted the dried fish from this human, he also cast a veil over himself, making anyone other than this human see him only as an ordinary spirit cat.

[For example, turn into a Black Tortoise?]

"No need," Chen Moqing, who didn’t particularly want to be seen holding a turtle in front of others, calmly said, "Your Majesty the Demon Emperor is truly quite popular."

Hearing these words, Cang Shun immediately looked up, staring into Chen Moqing’s calm eyes for a few seconds, and suddenly a thought flickered in his mind.

Hmm… is he jealous?

Should I do something about it?

The snow-white beast’s round, soft ears perked up slightly as it slowly raised a paw—

"Brother Chi! Long time no see!"

Not far away, a young man also wearing a low-level disciple uniform waved vigorously and ran toward Chen Moqing in large strides—it was Chu Luo, the one he had met at the mountain gate that day.

Cang Shun, "......"

The snow-white beast quickly scurried up onto Chen Moqing’s head and sat there, looking quite indignant.

Chen Moqing didn’t understand why, slightly raising his gaze. A small head peeked down from above, met his eyes for a moment, then huffily withdrew back up.

As Chu Luo approached, the cold glare from the white spirit cat on Brother Chi’s head startled him, and he said, "It looks so fierce!"

"Brother Chi, where have you been these past few days? I wanted to look for you but never saw you around!"

Chen Moqing reached up and gently held Cang Shun’s paw, which was fiddling with his hairpin, "I’ve been following Elder Yun in cultivation."

"That’s great! Elder Yun is a Nascent Soul mighty one, one of the sect's five great elders!" Chu Luo said with envy, "My master is pretty good to me too; he’s taught me quite a lot these days—by the way, Brother Chi, where are you staying?"

Chen Moqing plucked the snow-white beast from his head and gently rubbed its furry head, "No fixed residence for now."

Chu Luo was taken aback, "...I knew it! Except for Senior Brother Xiao and a few senior brothers and sisters with high-grade roots, the rest of us outer sect disciples all share one courtyard. I wondered why I never saw you—turns out they never arranged a room for you!"

"It must be that Elder Duan. Looks like you really offended him that day!"

At this point, he still felt somewhat indignant, "What’s a Nascent Soul mighty one doing bothering with us newly enrolled disciples—"

Chen Moqing slightly raised a hand to stop him, "Don’t say such things to others."

"I know, it wouldn’t be good if they heard." Chu Luo nodded repeatedly, "I just feel it’s unfair. I’m insignificant and can’t help you, Brother Chi. How about you squeeze in with me these few days?"

A certain Demon Emperor raised its paw again. Chen Moqing calmly pressed it down, "No need."

Chu Luo was about to say more when his eyes suddenly lit up, and he waved toward the left, "Senior Sister!"

Not far from them, a passing female cultivator glanced briefly at him and walked away without a word.

"Sigh, that's one of my master's formal disciples." Chu Luo shrugged, "We haven't passed the entrance assessment yet, so they don't see us as formal disciples."

His expression brightened again, filled with anticipation, "Brother Chi, we must pass into the inner sect, make something of ourselves, and make them all look up to us!"

Chen Moqing gave a faint smile, "Then I wish Brother Chu gets his wish."

After parting with Chu Luo, before he had taken more than a few steps, a soft voice drifted to his ear: [You seem to treat him with a uniquely pleasant demeanor]

Chen Moqing lowered his gaze, meeting those crimson demonic eyes, "I treat others the same way."

Cang Shun’s voice remained soft: [Is that so? I didn’t notice]

Chen Moqing lifted the snow-white beast, bringing it slightly closer.

Cang Shun’s demonic eyes fixed, reflecting the clear, calm features drawing near, distinct black and white with a flowing radiance, like viewing a clear mountain landscape after rain through a window, bright and refreshing.

Within a hair's breadth, a faint, cool fragrance lingered around his breath.

"It's sour."

He heard that light, untroubled voice and saw his own reflection in those clear, pure mountain-and-river eyes.

Cang Shun, "......"

"......"

For the rest of the way back, a certain Demon Emperor turned into a quiet, dazed block of wood.

In the bamboo forest courtyard, fallen leaves brushed past the hem of his robe as the young cultivator walked through, gently knocking on the wooden door.

The wooden door opened on its own without wind. The woman in the dark green robe sat meditating on the couch and quietly opened her eyes.

Chen Moqing bowed respectfully like a devoted disciple, "Elder, this junior has a few points of confusion and humbly requests your guidance."

Yun Buwan listened quietly to his questions and provided detailed answers. Then she added, "Have you read through the jade slip?"

A few days had passed, and her tone was no longer as icy as during their first meeting.

Chen Moqing, "I have read it all, and it has been greatly beneficial."

Yun Buwan’s expression didn’t change much. She lightly tapped her fingers on her knee, "You didn’t cultivate for these three days. Where did you go?"

Chen Moqing recounted everything in detail. When she heard he had paid spirit stones to enter the training room, Yun Buwan directly tossed an object at him, "Take this."

It was a token engraved with the character "Yun."

Chen Moqing accepted it, "With this, may I enter the library pavilion? I wish to browse the array formation texts there."

Yun Buwan said, "As you please."

Looking at him, she added lightly, "Three months from now, during the sect's assessment, if you do not place in the top three, you will leave on your own."

Chen Moqing nodded. As he prepared to take his leave, he heard her voice again, "Carrying my token, if you encounter Duan Ya, don’t provoke him."

Chen Moqing replied frankly, "I already have."

Yun Buwan raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Did he bark at you?"

Chen Moqing recounted the truth.

After listening, Yun Buwan showed little reaction and said casually, "Then you have provoked him."

She closed her eyes and returned to her cultivation.

Chen Moqing turned and walked into the courtyard. Just as he was about to return to the forest streamside, he heard a ‘creak’—the door of an empty wooden hut opposite slowly opened, facing him.

He glanced at Yun Buwan’s already closed door, smiled faintly, and entered the opposite hut.

The interior was simply furnished: a wooden couch, two chairs and tables, nothing more. Chen Moqing brushed the dust off the wooden couch and, in passing, placed the ‘block of wood’ he was holding to one side.

The ‘block of wood’ remained motionless, still a dazed block of wood.

Chen Moqing, "I just remembered there’s something I haven’t told Brother Chu yet. I’m leaving."

With that, he turned to leave.

Cang Shun, "?"

He immediately reached out a paw but couldn’t reach the person, so he quickly floated out like a tiny cotton ball, grabbing the hem of his robe.

"Meow!"

The snow-white beast tightly clung to Chen Moqing's robe with both small paws, fur puffed up, tugging him back.

[You’re not allowed to go!]

[You... you haven’t cultivated today!]

Chen Moqing lowered his gaze, looking at this puffed-up little cotton ball.

"Remarkable. The wood has come to life."

Cang Shun, "......"

–

TL: Muji

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