Chapter Nine: The World Remains, but the People Have Changed

Wang Li did not see his master; instead, he found Granny Zheng, who had grown increasingly frail. When Granny Zheng saw Wang Li, she told him that Master Chu Xuan had entered the sect’s secret realm to stabilize his cultivation and would not return for a while. She cautioned Wang Li to be wary of the other elders in the sect. Her reasoning was vague; she hinted that someone wished to exploit the incident where he had been possessed, and there might be disputes over interests involved. Wang Li listened, feeling bewildered.

It was only when Granny Zheng advised him to avoid contact with Master Chu Xuan in the future that Wang Li suddenly realized the scripture repository had changed while he was away—it was no longer the familiar place he once knew. Because his identity had shifted, he was no longer the boy responsible for cleaning, but now belonged to a category that must be guarded against, an untouchable.

Disappointed, Wang Li returned to his small room to wait for someone to deliver the benefits promised by the sect leader. It was a standard servant’s dormitory—a hard cot, a small window, a meditation cushion, all standard and familiar. The only things that weren’t standard were the bedding that cultivators never used, and the clay pot and stove in the corner for preparing medicine.

Wang Li looked around at everything familiar in the little room and felt lost. Everything he knew was about to leave him. The attachment to the past and the uncertainty of the future clashed in the heart of a sixteen-year-old boy, a confusion that needed someone to help unravel.

But where was that person who could guide him? It seemed only Old Sheng remained.

“Old Sheng, can you sense what I’m thinking?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I want someone to talk to, but it seems no one wants to speak with me. The scripture repository was strange today—not a single person around. I wonder if they’re deliberately avoiding me.”

“Looking for comfort?”

“I suppose so. Having someone to talk to would make me feel better.”

“Sentimental!”

“I really do feel abandoned.”

“You’re just idle. Find something to occupy yourself, get busy, and you’ll be fine.”

Wang Li scratched his chin and walked to the familiar scripture repository.

“Someone’s already cleaned up. Go read a book.”

After his return, he had only seen Granny Zheng, but the scripture repository now gave him the sense that everything had changed.

Old Sheng said, “Still thinking about doing chores? Do you really want to be the Pure Yang Temple’s sweeping monk?”

“What’s a sweeping monk?”

This question caught Old Sheng off guard. In the Celestial Profound World, there was no Buddhist sect, so naturally there was no Shaolin Temple or monks. Wang Li couldn’t understand the reference. After a pause, Old Sheng explained, “A sweeping monk is a term for a powerful master who hides quietly within a sect. Do you want to be a great master hidden among the ordinary?”

Wang Li replied, “Why would a master hide? Wouldn’t showing strength be more intimidating?”

Old Sheng shook his head inwardly, feeling how difficult it was to train a steady disciple.

Why was it so hard to teach someone who would be cautious and dependable?

Old Sheng had suffered grave losses and understood well the true meaning of caution. But Wang Li simply didn’t seem steady enough; it was inevitable the two would clash over this in the future.

“The world outside is dangerous. Without strength, don’t wander; even with strength, don’t wander. This little Pure Yang Temple can still tolerate you, so just stay here quietly. If you can stay hidden until the end of days, all the better.”

Old Sheng warned Wang Li formally: “I only dared to venture out because I thought myself invincible. But I soon found that there is no true invincibility in this world. The so-called Immortal Saint of Primordial Infinity—ha! They’re just self-entertaining fools.”

“I’ve lived so long that I barely have a concept of time. I’ve seen more geniuses than stars in the sky, but not one survived to the end. Do you know why?”

Wang Li shook his head.

“Because after reaching a certain level, those geniuses inevitably enter into some chessboard laid by another, becoming pawns manipulated by others. Once you become a pawn, you lose control over your own fate. If they don’t die, who will?”

Wang Li frowned slightly. “I don’t quite understand. You said you were a Saint, once the most supreme existence in the world—so how did you end up like this?”

“And who’s the person you mentioned? He sounds formidable, able to set traps for so many geniuses.”

Old Sheng was silent for a moment. “You’re too weak now; you wouldn’t understand even if I told you my story. When you grow, I’ll tell you everything.”

“As for that person, it’s better you don’t know. If I even mention his name, he might sense it instantly. I am but a remnant soul now, unable to protect you. Don’t ask about him in the future.”

“The myriad worlds are vast and dangerous; you won’t come into contact with them for now. Even the Celestial Profound World is far less peaceful than it appears. It’s a unique world, its power ceiling not high, but I can’t guarantee there aren’t ancient monsters lurking about. Those big shots have many tricks; even before my fall, I couldn’t say I could find them.”

“Remember, the outside world is dangerous. Without strength, don’t wander; even with strength, don’t wander. Right now, you’re just a little Foundation Establishment cultivator. In the vast world, you’re not even a grain of sand. Don’t reveal your talent. Young man, the way of caution is the true path. Trust Old Sheng, and you’ll live forever!”

Wang Li: “......”

The righteous and demonic factions of the Celestial Profound World have been locked in deadly conflict for hundreds of thousands of years, and you call that peaceful... Could it be that you have a peculiar understanding of peace, Old Sheng?

To Wang Li, Old Sheng’s words sounded more like rambling nonsense, riddled with illogical leaps. In his view, it was impossible for there to be some existence capable of manipulating everyone. If such a thing existed, it could only be a fabrication by Old Sheng meant to scare him.

He had long known that cultivation was a path against the heavens, that a cultivator must have a spirit of defiance and progress. Now that he had embarked on the path of cultivation, how could he believe himself to be a pawn in another’s hands?

Old Sheng said, “The righteous and demonic struggle in the Celestial Profound World is just petty squabbling to me.”

“The existence capable of manipulating everyone is not some fiction of mine. Your thinking is fine for a place as small as the Celestial Profound World. Its consciousness has not fully awakened and it operates under a restricted, impartial law—limiting its cultivators to maintain balance, but not interfering excessively in the world’s workings. In this regard, all cultivators here should count themselves lucky.”

Wang Li: “Old Sheng, everything you say is just...”

“Just nonsense?” Old Sheng laughed. “Go on, say what you’re thinking. It’s uncomfortable to keep it bottled up inside!”

Wang Li wanted to refute him, but suddenly sensed something was off and asked tentatively, “Can you really know what I’m thinking?”

“Didn’t you ask if I could sense your thoughts? Only now do you realize it—truly foolish, haha...”