Volume 1, Chapter 123 – The Extraordinary A-Yao

When Gu Han returned to the main hall of Yaochi Immortal Palace, it was utterly silent.

She summoned no one, nor did she resume refining the Donghuang Bell.

She simply sat there in silence, gazing through the lattice window at the distant mountains, dark as painted brows, her expression unusually pensive.

Immortal Ascension remnant souls, void nodes, the Ten Worlds…

These fragments of information intertwined like a slowly unfolding star chart, vast and full of mystery.

“Master Mama!”

A clear, childish voice brimming with joy and affection broke the silence of the main hall.

Little A-Yao raced in from outside and flung her tiny arms around Gu Han’s leg.

She tipped up her little face, her large eyes sparkling.

“Master Mama, did you go out again?”

Gu Han lowered her gaze to A-Yao’s cheeks, slightly flushed from running.

The complicated thoughts that had arisen as she contemplated the future were instantly washed away by a surge of warmth.

She bent down, lifted the little girl onto her lap, and gently pinched her soft cheek.

“Master just went out to teach a bad person a lesson!”

“A… bad person?”

A-Yao tilted her little head, bewilderment written all over her face.

At the sight of A-Yao’s innocent confusion, Gu Han merely smiled and gently stroked her head.

“Yes, a very, very bad person. But Master has already dealt with him.”

Her tone was light, as though she truly had done nothing more than take care of some trivial matter.

“Was A-Yao good today? Did you cultivate properly?”

“A-Yao was very good!”

A-Yao immediately puffed out her little chest and began counting on her fingers.

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“This morning, I ate the sweet pill Elder Yun gave me. Then I went to Yaochi to watch the fish for a while and talked to them, and then… then… Oh, right!”

“I also practiced the Primordial Unity Immortal Scripture that Master Mama taught me! But it didn’t seem to do anything…”

Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, and a hint of dejection appeared on her little face.

She had only just reached the peak of Qi Refinement. Although Master Mama and the elders all told her that she was still young and did not need to rush her cultivation, she longed to grow stronger whenever she saw her junior brothers and sisters flying and casting all kinds of powerful spells.

Of course Gu Han could tell what the little girl was thinking.

A-Yao possessed a unique constitution. Her true form was a wisp of an immortal soul, and Gu Han had fashioned an immortal body for her from Nine Heavens Xirang. Both her innate foundation and her potential far surpassed those of ordinary people.

Yet that was precisely why her growth cycle and method of cultivation were entirely different from everyone else’s.

Looking at A-Yao’s dejected little face, Gu Han could not help chuckling. She tapped the tip of A-Yao’s nose.

“Silly A-Yao, who says cultivating means you have to meditate and circulate your spiritual power like everyone else?”

A-Yao blinked her large eyes.

“But… all my junior brothers and sisters do it that way.”

Gu Han settled A-Yao more securely in her arms and patiently explained,

“A-Yao is different from them.”

“The Primordial Unity Immortal Scripture became one with you long ago. It circulates on its own at every moment, drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.”

She paused, then lightly touched A-Yao between the brows, sending a wisp of gentle spiritual energy into her.

“You can’t feel any obvious changes because all that spiritual energy is nourishing your foundation.”

“Once your foundation is perfected, you’ll naturally soar to astonishing heights. For now…”

Gu Han deliberately drew out the words, watching as A-Yao’s eyes widened with curiosity.

“For now, all A-Yao needs to do is eat spirit fruit every day and chat with the fish in Yaochi. That counts as ‘cultivating.’”

“R-Really?”

A-Yao’s eyes instantly lit up. She trusted Gu Han implicitly.

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“But A-Yao still wants to become powerful as soon as possible so I can help Master Mama beat up bad people…”

As she spoke, she even swung her little fist with all her might.

Her innocent words carried the purest sincerity.

Gu Han stroked her little head, her voice gentle yet certain.

“Our A-Yao will definitely become very, very powerful one day!”

“Really? That’s wonderful!”

A-Yao happily nuzzled against Gu Han. Then she seemed to remember something, and concern appeared on her little face.

“Master Mama, will Second Junior Sister, Third Junior Sister, and Fourth Junior Sister… come back safely?”

“A-Yao heard secret realms are very dangerous…”

“They’ll be back very soon.”

Gu Han reassured her.

“Mm-hmm!”

A-Yao breathed a sigh of relief, but soon clenched her little fist again and declared earnestly,

“When A-Yao becomes really, really powerful, I’ll go into secret realms to find treasures just like my junior sisters!”

Seeing her adorable determination, Gu Han could not help laughing.

Just then, Yun Yun’s voice came from outside the hall.

“Palace Master, the Grand Elder and the disciples have returned to the Immortal Palace. They are waiting outside for your orders.”

“Let them in.”

Gu Han set A-Yao down and motioned for her to stand beside her.

The doors of the hall soon opened without a sound.

Yun Yun and Li Hanyi entered side by side. Their demeanors were entirely different, yet they looked remarkably harmonious together.

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Behind them came the three personal disciples, Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and Ye Ling’er.

All three had changed into clean disciple robes. Although the bloodstains were gone, the lingering exhaustion on their faces remained clearly visible.

Behind them were more than twenty core disciples, including Zhao Ling’er, Wang Zhaojun, Xiao Ya, Wang Teng, Li Zhiwei, and Murong Xue, as well as over sixty Foundation Establishment disciples.

Nearly a hundred people filed into the hall without making a sound. Their movements were crisp and orderly, and they carried the composure of those who had survived a life-and-death ordeal.

Everyone formed ranks within the hall. Though all of them bore injuries and their auras had yet to fully settle, they stood perfectly straight.

Their eyes burned brightly as they looked toward the silver-haired figure on the raised platform, their gazes filled with reverence and awe.

“Greetings, Palace Master!”

Everyone bowed in unison, their resounding voices echoing through the hall.

Gu Han’s gaze slowly swept over every young face below.

Seeing the light in their eyes and sensing the newly honed edge in their auras, she nodded inwardly with satisfaction.

“Very good.”

Gu Han spoke, her voice clear and calm.

“Your performance did not disappoint me.”

Her voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone’s ears with perfect clarity, carrying a strangely soothing power.

At her words, the disciples felt as though the exhaustion and tension of the past several days, even the lingering fear buried deep in their hearts, had all been eased by the Palace Master’s calm assurance.

Warmth surged through them, and many felt their eyes begin to sting.

“We are fortunate not to have failed you!”

Liu Ruyan stepped half a pace forward and bowed on behalf of all the disciples.

Gu Han nodded slightly, swept her gaze over the crowd, and spoke again.

“Every disciple who took part in the expedition to the secret realm may collect double their usual monthly allowance. You are also permitted to return home and visit your families for up to three months.”

The moment she said this, the disciples’ eyes lit up with surprise and delight!

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Double the resources, and they could even return home to visit their families?

The cultivation resources they currently received already represented a considerable fortune to the families they came from.

If they could bring their surplus resources home, it would undoubtedly help their families grow even stronger.

“Thank you for your reward, Palace Master!”

Everyone bowed and thanked her in unison once more, their voices brimming with excitement.

“You’ve earned it.”

Gu Han waved a hand, then turned her gaze toward Yun Yun, her expression growing solemn.

“Compile a list of the disciples who perished in the secret realm. Their families are to receive three times the standard compensation. Assign a trustworthy elder to ensure it is delivered personally into their hands.”

“If any members of their families possess spiritual roots, make an exception and admit them as outer disciples. If none possess spiritual roots, the Immortal Palace will still protect their families and ensure their peace for the next hundred years.”

Gu Han’s words struck every disciple’s heart like a hammer blow.

The eyes of those from humble backgrounds reddened in particular, and their sense of belonging to the Immortal Palace soared to unprecedented heights.

The cultivation world followed the law of the jungle, and the lives of low-level disciples were worth no more than weeds. A Palace Master who cared so deeply about the families her disciples left behind was exceedingly rare.

“Yes. The Palace Master is benevolent. Yun Yun will see it done.”

Yun Yun solemnly accepted the order, equally shaken.

“Go and rest.”

Gu Han concluded,

“Those whose injuries have not yet healed may collect medicinal pills from Danxia Peak.”

“Remember, returning alive matters more than anything else. Your journey has only just begun.”

“We disciples will heed the Palace Master’s teachings! Thank you, Palace Master!”

Everyone bowed and voiced their gratitude in unison, their words filled with genuine appreciation and soaring resolve. Then they withdrew from the hall in an orderly fashion.