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Chapter 18: A Block of Wood — Sourly

Chen Moqing shook his sleeve and looked at the small, fluffy white ball curled up inside.

He raised a finger and poked it.

The little fluffy ball didn't move at all.

It was curled into a puffy ball, a small round lump.

Chen Moqing lowered his sleeve and walked forward.

Before long, a snow-white little creature hugged his wrist and slid down, poking its small head out from the sleeve to look at him.

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

The young cultivator, accompanied by the wordless little fluffy ball, walked along the moonlit mountain path at night, passed through the fireflies among the stream and bamboo grove, and entered a simple, rustic courtyard deep within the bamboo forest.

A plain wooden house, with the faint glow of candlelight shining through the window lattices.

"Elder Yun, this junior, Chi Fei, is a newly admitted outer disciple as of today. I have come here to seek your guidance on the art of arrays."

"......"

No one answered. Chen Moqing stood with his back straight, still and quiet.

Not until the time it takes for one incense stick to burn did the wooden door open on its own without any wind, and a tall figure in ink-green walked out.

Her dark hair was streaked with a few strands of frost, loosely pinned up with a gold-green hairpin. Beneath her eyes were two deep, long lines that lent her a slightly aged look, while her narrowed eyes tilted upward at the corners, revealing a coldness that kept others at a distance.

She wore a simple, plain ink-green robe with no accessories whatsoever, only the hairpin seemed particularly exquisite, adorned with gold-green turquoise and carved with a feather pattern at the end.

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

She stood beneath the eaves and swept a glance over Chen Moqing from head to toe, then cast a brief look at the snow-white little creature on his shoulder. Her voice was like water steeped in cold: "If you have come for cultivation, why do you still bring a demon pet along? Such indulgences erode one's will."

Chen Moqing replied with neither arrogance nor meekness: "This is my companion, who has traveled alongside me all the way."

Yun Buwan let out a cold laugh, her tone inexplicably taking on a sharp edge: "Keeping company with a demon?"

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

The wooden door closed, and bamboo shadows fell across the steps.

Cang Shun tilted his head and looked at Chen Moqing, watching him calmly pick up the jade slip.

With a single sweep of his divine sense, Chen Moqing found that the knowledge of array arts within the jade slip was remarkably detailed, encompassing every stage of Yun Buwan's journey from novice to proficiency to mastery, organized by category, comprehensive and specific, with even some highly obscure knowledge recorded within.

Without a doubt, this Elder Yun was indeed a great master of array arts.

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

He turned and walked out of the courtyard, casually found a rock near the bamboo grove and stream, and sat down on the spot to cultivate.

Cang Shun jumped onto his lap, stretched out his claws, arched his back, and gave a long, languid stretch.

They were to sleep outdoors again.

The snow-white little creature tucked away its claws and watched as, beneath the faint glow of the vast and brilliant starry sky, dappled bamboo shadows brushed across the side of the person's face.

He had seen quite a few so-called heavenly prodigies from major sects, most of whom were accustomed to pomp and grandeur. Yet this person was different, gnawing on roots and sleeping in the wild without the slightest sense of burden.

He also knew that this person's early years had probably not been easy.

Cang Shun silently raised his paw, reaching slightly toward Chen Moqing, paused for a second, then quietly let it fall again. He hopped down from his knee, moved to his side, and still pressed closely against him.

The morning mist was thin, and birdsong skimmed through the forest.

Suddenly a radiance pierced through the mist, and a circular formation rose from the ground, enveloping the space above the bamboo grove. The green bamboo swayed, the stream water splashed, then the formation dissipated, and the forest fell back into stillness.

A small formation array floated between his slender fingers. Chen Moqing lowered his eyes; the snow-white little creature lay sprawled across his lap in an utterly casual posture.

He caught a bamboo leaf spiraling down and gently placed it over the soft belly of the snow-white little creature.

After a moment, the snow-white little creature rolled over, batted the leaf around to play with it, then slowly wandered over to the stream's edge, stepped onto a smooth pebble, and raised its paw to pat the icy water.

In a moment of carelessness, it slipped and fell in with a splash.

A few seconds later, a sopping wet little fluffy ball hopped back up, pretending nothing had happened, shook and flicked the water from its fur on the bank for quite a while, then sprinted back to Chen Moqing's side and rubbed itself against his robe as if nothing were the matter.

Chen Moqing picked it up by the scruff and set it on another rock to dry in the sun.

In the days that followed, Chen Moqing's divine sense was completely immersed in the jade slip as he devoted himself to studying array arts. By day he listened to the wind pass through the grove and the stream trickling along; by night he gazed at the vast starry sky and the faint glow of fireflies. He saw only the shifting of daylight and felt no passage of time.

Atop a bamboo stalk, a snow-white little creature drifted on the bamboo leaves, basking in the sun, and let out a lazy yawn.

Within a radius of fifty feet, every single rock had been turned over by him, and his fur was practically going moldy.

He had lost count of how many times he had been counting the dried little fish in the stream when he heard the calm voice of the person below: "How much time has passed?"

Cang Shun jumped down.

【Half a month】

Chen Moqing rose to his feet, casually brushing the grass and leaves from the hem of his robe, and extended his hand toward Cang Shun.

The snow-white little creature nimbly jumped onto his arm, shook its fluffy fur, and nestled into his embrace.

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

Chen Moqing spotted in the distance a pavilion standing above a deep cliff, enveloped in dense spiritual energy. Drawing closer, he found it was the Wanhua Sect's library pavilion, containing countless texts on array arts—accessible only to inner disciples.

"Junior Brother Chi!"

A familiar voice rang out from afar. Chen Moqing turned his head with an unhurried calm. Not far away, Xiao Jibai was waving at him, surrounded by a cluster of people orbiting him like stars around the moon.

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

"Junior Brother Chi, why haven't I seen you these past few days?" Xiao Jibai said with a bright and lively air, "My master recently gave me a new magic tool. What about your Elder Yun? Did she send you off to do odd jobs?"

Chen Moqing: "She imparted to me her attainments in array arts."

Xiao Jibai gave a casual laugh: "I've heard that Elder Yun used to have excellent aptitude, only that within the past five hundred years, her cultivation has not advanced even a fraction."

"Why don't you come over to my side, Junior Brother Chi? I'll put in a word with my master, he might just take you on as a registered disciple."

Cang Shun watched on with cold eyes, hearing Chen Moqing's voice, still light and unhurried: "There is no need."

Xiao Jibai looked him over—wearing the lowest-ranking disciple uniform, his cultivation not having advanced in the slightest over half a month, with nothing of worth on him, only that useless spirit cat.

That display on the sect gate steps that day had been nothing more than a flash in the pan. Just a piece of rotting wood.

He instantly lost interest and walked away into the distance, surrounded by the cluster of other Wanhua Sect disciples.

"Brother Xiao, are you very familiar with that person?"

Xiao Jibai: "We exchanged a few words the day we entered the sect."

The Wanhua Sect disciple beside him laughed: "The entry assessment in three months, whoever takes first place can go directly into the inner sect. By then, we'll all be calling Brother Xiao 'Senior Brother'!"

Xiao Jibai had no regard for such flattery, thinking to himself: naturally, can I really not beat a bunch of good-for-nothings?

"System, when exactly will that array arts secret realm appear? Murong Zhou isn't going to trick me, is he?"

"No deception detected on his part, and no aura of a secret realm has been sensed yet. Host, you should be cultivating today."

"Heh, no rush. I'm a genius across all schools, a mere array art is child's play!"

A nine-story tower hung over a deep valley, encircled by several large formations. It was the training pavilion the Wanhua Sect provided exclusively for its disciples.

Chen Moqing was stopped at the entrance, where the guard laughed out loud: "You're not even a formal disciple, and you have the nerve to use the training rooms..."

Chen Moqing tossed out a pouch of spirit stones.

The guard stepped aside: "Please come in."

Cang Shun: "......"

【The customs of this place are enough to make one laugh upon reflection】

Chen Moqing calmly stroked the snow-white little creature's fluffy fur and chose a private training room. Once inside, he drew talismans directly, sealed the room with a barrier, then said to Cang Shun: "I would ask the Demon Emperor to assist me in my cultivation."

Cang Shun raised his chin slightly: 【Come】

Chen Moqing formed a hand seal with one hand, his spiritual energy flowing, and a formation array rose from beneath his feet, sweeping outward in an instant.

Cang Shun slapped it apart with one paw.

Chen Moqing's expression showed not the slightest trace of disappointment: "Again."

The formation rose once more, and between the orderly lines of the array, runes wove and flowed through it.

To actually weave runes into the array arts, merging the two into one?

Cang Shun let out a soft laugh: 【Interesting】

Slapped it apart with one paw.

Almost at the very moment the formation shattered, several more arrays rose up, interlocking at different positions, linked together, cutting off all four directions.

【Not bad, progressing quickly】

Slapped apart with one paw again.

Every time Chen Moqing raised a formation, Cang Shun answered with a single paw strike.

After several rounds, the snow-white little creature unconsciously swayed its tail with a smug air.

Two seconds later it felt something was off, lowered its tail, and stole a glance at the expression on the person across from it.

Chen Moqing was watching him quietly, and within his dark ink-colored eyes something like a flash of light seemed to pass—like stars lighting up against the night sky. It was a vitality Cang Shun had never seen on his face before.

A brilliant and sharp-edged genius, bold and high-spirited, had met a friend worthy of standing at his side.

Cang Shun was momentarily startled, then heard his laughing words: "Again."

The formation arrays rose and fell, shattering and gathering anew. Although Cang Shun was at ease, he was not the slightest bit distracted, watching closely and attentively every move the human made.

He watched as the human's technique shifted rapidly from initial unfamiliarity to mastery, the formations advancing from the most rudimentary to growing complexity with each move, every strike a marked improvement over the last.

His combat style was fluid and adaptable, shapeless as water, impossible to read. Yet the moment he struck, his edge was fully bared—ruthless, precise, a killing blow—the kind of fierce, decisive, and coldly merciless way of fighting that could only be forged through countless brutal battles on the edge of life and death.

Cang Shun's gaze grew intent, and in some inexplicable way he arrived at another realization: this human was born, as if by destiny, for the great path of cultivation.

In the days of the Demon Emperor's full power, even in the world of cultivation, the rare few who stood at the same level would still flee at the sight of him, retreating far out of reach. Across all of the Nine Thousand Prefectures, countless great cultivators and immortal venerables alike were cast into shadow and obscurity by the Demon Emperor.

And now, Cang Shun could already say with certainty—

One day, when this human's cultivation reached the same level as his own, he would be, beneath all of heaven and earth, the sole person capable of standing as his equal, sharing the sun and moon between them.

He was a great demon born in accordance with the Heavenly Dao, innately carrying the resonance of the Heavenly Dao within him, and he knew the final end that awaited him. Yet this human... seemed not to follow the Heavenly Dao at all.

A formation array suddenly flashed out from an extraordinarily strange angle and knocked the snow-white little creature squarely on the head.

Cang Shun: "?"

One paw strike came down.

.

Inside the training room, formation arrays and runes flickered and alternated, flashing and dimming without cease.

A snow-white little creature drifted in the air, bobbing up and down, its long tail drooping listlessly.

"What is it," Chen Moqing said, "we've only been at it for a short while."

The snow-white little creature propped itself upright: "Meow!"

【It has already been ten hours!】

Chen Moqing looked at him without a word.

Cang Shun: "?"

Why did this human's gaze seem to carry a hint of disdain.

As though he was being looked down on for being lazy.

The Demon Emperor inexplicably felt a touch of guilt and reflected on whether his own cultivation as of late had been a little too lax—then suddenly remembered that this time around, his awakening required no cultivation at all; his demon power would naturally recover with the passage of time.

And so he puffed out his chest again with full justification.

So what.

Chen Moqing: "Are you still up for it?"

Cang Shun: "......"

"............"

【Again! Benzun will keep you company in training until the ends of time!】

——And so, it was not until the afternoon of the third day that Chen Moqing and a certain Demon Emperor finally walked out of the long-sealed room.

He gently squeezed the snow-white little creature's soft paw and gave it a light sway: "Thank you, you've helped my practical combat improve quite a bit."

The snow-white little creature looked at him and let out a lazy "mii."

"Stop right there."

A slightly sharp voice rang out abruptly. A male cultivator in a high-ranking disciple's uniform strode toward Chen Moqing across the plaza, his face wearing a thoroughly disagreeable expression.

"Since when are low-ranking disciples allowed to wander freely around the sect?"

He cast a contemptuous gaze, fixing his eyes on the demon beast resembling a spirit cat clan member nestled in this low-ranking disciple's arms, and said as a matter of course: "Your little master here has taken quite a liking to that kitten of yours. Hand it over."

Chen Moqing gave his fleshy features a casual glance: "You are Elder Duan's son?"

Duan Shou let out a scoff: "You know who my father is, and you're still not offering it up with both hands?"

Chen Moqing said: "A worthy son of a worthy father indeed."

Duan Shou looked thoroughly pleased with himself: "At least you know how to talk!"

Then he watched as the demon beast in that low-ranking disciple's arms laughed so hard it rolled onto its back, while the person himself ignored him entirely and walked straight ahead.

Being the son of Duan Ya, he was accustomed to throwing his weight around in the sect, and had never been dismissed so completely. He flew into a rage at once, reaching a clawed hand toward the audacious disciple's throat—

Chen Moqing stepped down with one foot.

A formation array rose.

Several pale blue lines lit up from the soles of his boots, extending and weaving together, spreading into a blue formation array in an instant.

Duan Shou's hand froze mid-air. Realizing he could not move, his expression turned to sheer horror.

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

"How dare you lay a hand on me! Undo this right now! My father won't let you get away with this!"

He struggled with all his might, but was pinned in place by the formation, unable to so much as twitch a single finger, and could only listen as the person said breezily: "Can a high-ranking disciple really be immobilized by a low-ranking one?"

Duan Shou nearly spat blood in fury. He cursed and raged, yet could do nothing at all, watching helplessly as the young cultivator walked away without looking back.

He wanted to cry out for help, only to find that the plaza was completely empty at this moment—it had been cleared out by his own arrival earlier!

Duan Shou was so furious he was practically shortening his own lifespan.

.

【Should I take on a different appearance?】

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

Earlier, he had accepted this human's dried little fish, and had also placed a concealment technique on himself, so that anyone other than this human who laid eyes on him would perceive him as nothing more than an ordinary spirit cat.

【Like transforming into a Black Tortoise?】

"No need," Chen Moqing, not particularly keen on being seen in public holding a turtle, said with perfect composure, "the Demon Emperor is truly well-liked."

Those words fell on his ears, and Cang Shun immediately looked up, fixing his gaze on Chen Moqing's calm eyes for a few seconds, his thoughts suddenly stirring.

He... was he jealous?

Should I make some kind of gesture?

The snow-white little creature's round, soft ears perked up slightly, and it slowly raised its paw—

"Brother Chi! Long time no see!"

Not far away, a young man also dressed in a low-ranking disciple's uniform waved vigorously and came running toward Chen Moqing in large strides—it was none other than Chu Luo, whom he had met in front of the sect gate that day.

Cang Shun: "......"

The snow-white little creature scrambled up to the top of Chen Moqing's head at lightning speed and sat there in a huff.

Chen Moqing was at a loss, and tilted his eyes upward slightly. A small head peeked down from atop his head, met his gaze for a moment, then huffily retreated back up.

Chu Luo had barely drawn close when he was startled by the icy stare of the white spirit cat perched on Brother Chi's head, and said: "It's so fierce!"

"Brother Chi, where have you been these past few days? I was thinking of looking for you, but I couldn't find you anywhere!"

Chen Moqing raised his hand and caught the paw Cang Shun was using to fidget with his hair crown: "Cultivating under Elder Yun's guidance."

"That's wonderful! Elder Yun is a Nascent Soul master, one of the five great elders of the sect!" Chu Luo said with unconcealed envy, "My master has been pretty good to me too, taught me quite a few things these past few days— oh right, Brother Chi, where are you staying?"

Chen Moqing lifted the snow-white little creature down from the top of his head, gently ruffled its fluffy head, and said: "I have no lodgings at the moment."

Chu Luo was taken aback: "...I knew it! We outer disciples, apart from Senior Brother Xiao and a few senior brothers and sisters with superior spiritual roots, all share one courtyard. I was wondering why I never saw you, turns out they never arranged a room for you at all!"

"It must be that Elder Duan. It seems you really did offend him that day!"

As he said this, he seemed somewhat indignant: "What business does a Nascent Soul master have picking on us newly admitted disciples—"

Chen Moqing raised his hand slightly, cutting off his words: "These kinds of remarks, do not say them to others."

"I know, it wouldn't be good if they overheard," Chu Luo nodded repeatedly, "I just feel it's unfair. I'm someone of little standing and can't do much to help you, Brother Chi. How about you squeeze in with me for the time being?"

A certain Demon Emperor raised his paw again. Chen Moqing calmly pressed it back down: "No need."

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

Not far from them, a passing female cultivator swept a brief glance in his direction, then walked away without a word.

"Ah, she's one of my master's formal disciples," Chu Luo shrugged, "Since we haven't passed the entry assessment yet, none of them consider us proper disciples."

His expression brightened again, full of anticipation: "Brother Chi, we must pass the assessment into the inner sect, make something of ourselves, and make all these people see us in a new light!"

Chen Moqing smiled faintly: "Then I wish Brother Chu every success in seeing that wish fulfilled."

After parting ways with Chu Luo, he had barely taken a few steps when a soft, drawn-out voice drifted to his ear: 【How is it that you seem to have a particularly warm manner only with him】

Chen Moqing lowered his lashes and met that pair of crimson demon eyes: "I am the same with everyone else."

Cang Shun's voice remained soft and drawn-out: 【Is that so, I couldn't tell】

Chen Moqing picked up the snow-white little creature and leaned in slightly closer.

Cang Shun's demon eyes stilled slightly, reflecting within them the approaching clear and composed features—distinct black and white, with a flowing luminance, like gazing through a rain-washed window at the bright and open mountains and rivers beyond, a clear moon in a fresh wind.

Within a hair's breadth, a crisp, faint fragrance drifted in and out of his breath, winding around him.

"Sour."

He heard that calm and unruffled voice, and within those utterly clear and limpid mountains and rivers of the world, saw his own reflection.

Cang Shun: "......"

"............"

For the entire journey back after that, a certain Demon Emperor had turned into a quiet, dazed block of wood.

In the bamboo grove courtyard, fallen leaves brushed past the hem of his robe as the young cultivator passed through and gave a light knock on the wooden door.

The wooden door opened on its own without any wind. The woman in the ink-green robe sat in meditation on the couch, and slowly opened her eyes.

Chen Moqing bowed like a respectful disciple: "Elder, there are a few points this junior does not understand. I would trouble you to offer some guidance."

Yun Buwan listened quietly until he finished his questions, gave thorough answers, and then said: "You have read through that jade slip already?"

Several days had passed, and her tone no longer carried the sharp coldness of their first meeting.

Chen Moqing: "I have read it in full. It has been of great benefit."

Yun Buwan's expression didn't change much. Her fingers tapped lightly against her knee: "You did not cultivate for these three days. Where did you go?"

Chen Moqing recounted it all. Upon hearing that he had paid spirit stones just to enter the training room, Yun Buwan tossed something over directly: "Take it."

It was a token bearing the character 'Yun'.

Chen Moqing accepted it: "Can this be used to enter the library pavilion? I would like to read the array arts texts there."

Yun Buwan said: "As you wish."

She looked at him, then added lightly: "For the sect assessment in three months, if you do not place in the top three, leave on your own."

Chen Moqing gave a nod. Just as he was about to take his leave, he heard her voice again: "You carry my token now. If you run into Duan Ya, do not go looking for trouble."

Chen Moqing said openly: "I have already looked for it."

Yun Buwan raised an eyebrow: "What, did he bark at you like a dog?"

Chen Moqing told her what had happened.

Yun Buwan's reaction upon hearing it was mild, and she said casually: "Well then, trouble has been looked for."

She closed her eyes and returned to her cultivation.

Chen Moqing turned and walked out into the courtyard. Just as he was about to head back to the forest stream from before, a creak rang out, and the door of a vacant wooden house across from him slowly swung open, facing him directly.

He glanced at Yun Buwan's already closed door, smiled slightly, and walked into the house across.

The room's furnishings were simple—a wooden bed, two tables and chairs, nothing more. Chen Moqing swept the dust from the wooden bed, then set the block of wood in his hand to one side.

The block of wood didn't move, still a dazed and motionless block of wood.

Chen Moqing: "I just recalled something I haven't told Brother Chu yet. I'm leaving."

With that, he turned to go.

Cang Shun: "?"

He immediately reached out a paw, but couldn't catch the person, and so darted out at once, like a little cotton ball springing loose, and grabbed hold of his hem in one swift motion.

"Meow!"

The snow-white little creature clutched Chen Moqing's hem tightly with both small paws, fur all puffed up, tugging him backward.

【You are not allowed to go!】

【You... you haven't cultivated yet today!】

Chen Moqing lowered his eyes and looked at this little puffed-up cotton ball.

"Well, what do you know, the block of wood has come to life."

Cang Shun: "......"

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