Unknowingly Going Astray

"I had a headache deciding on what to gift you. I can easily afford jewelry but it's too ordinary and martial arts training manuals are probably of no use for people like you. I gave a thought about it, and perhaps your father invited me here for a favor. If I put it all my effort to fulfill the request, that would be the most precious gift ever." Shen Lian smiled as he let his guard down.

"Son, you are a smart person. Shisiniang, stop making it difficult for him." An old voice with a hint of a smile could be heard.

Xin Shisiniang rolled her eyes, hit the stalk of the old plum tree and headed inside.

The first thing Shen Lian saw as he entered the lighted place was an elderly man with a figure similar to Xin Shisiniang. The elderly gave out a wise aura; one can tell from his eyes that he had been through time. His gaze was duller compared to the Old Master Shen.

Anyone with great wisdom would have experienced tremendous winds and waves. They may not have taken the initiative to train their spirits but they were capable of remaining calm and collective.

Just like the saying, cool as a cucumber. His expression would probably not change even if a mountain collapsed right in front of his eyes.

This showed that he had achieved a very high level of enlightenment. He may not be a celestial being or Buddha, but he was apart from other practitioners.

Such spiritual calmness was not achievable with sheer spiritual power. It was obtained by securing one's natural instinct and letting go of what one had acquired in his lifetime.

Shen Lian may be a composed person but when it came to spiritual calmness, he may not be able to match Old Master Shen who had been around longer than him.

The elderly person was not pretentious. He lightly nodded his head and a simple gesture as that made him looked old and frail.

Back then when Shen Lian was still in school, he attended several lectures by old professors like this elderly man. Although they were in their eighties and nineties, they were so full of energy and charismatic. Even if they were talking about basic arguments, it was always a pleasure to hear them speak.

Shen Lian submissively said, "Greetings to you sir."

"Son, you came through the snow from afar. Although we were a little ignorant, we were just testing out your bravery. Sure enough, you are indeed as peaceful and as solid as jade. I've definitely picked the right person."

The elderly signaled him to take a seat.

The winter night may be freezing cold but the elderly and Shen Lian was not affected by it. They just sat around the fireplace and spoke to each other.

Xin Shisiniang served them tea. The tea looked crystal clear but it was bubbling on the surface as if it was extremely hot.

Shen Lian took a small sip to test the temperature. After determining that the heat was acceptable, he took a big gulp without hesitating. After swallowing, he could feel a rush of warm air gushing up from his belly. That made him felt really good.

"Are you not worried that the tea might be poisoned?" Xin Shisiniang asked crudely.

"What your father did to Ye Liuyun was unpredictable. Even if I was being careful, what could I have done to prevent something from happening? I might as well come clean and be honest about it," Shen Lian laughed. He witnessed the elderly's techniques and became aware of the skills gap between them. He knew that no tricks would save him and the best bet was to behave well.

"This is the spirit awakening soup. A late friend of mine taught me how to make it. Although you have been working hard and you have a pure spirit, it seems that your physical body is rejecting your training. You have reached the realm of astral projection, but you were not able to experience the transcendent state. If this goes on for long, you might fall into psychosis." The elderly was able to see through Shen Lian.

Shen Lian knew that his unofficial training would cause problems to him sooner or later. All he could do was to constantly remind himself to be careful and things would be fine but it was still something inevitable.

The elderly may have dramatized his words but there were some truths behind it.

The other day while he was reciting a poem in the snow forest, he had a sudden feeling of flow, as if he was about to break his plateau. However, he suppressed that urge with his concentration and it made him realized that he was incapable of controlling his innermost being.

Although the poem was a reflection of his temperaments, it should not have triggered such a big reaction.

That was the tricky part of Dao. It was more difficult to train your spirit than your energy. The human being was complicated and could not be described in a phrase or two.

Shen Lian was not born as Dao genius. It was through many coincidences and opportunities that led him to where he was.

Fortunately, his thoughts were more composed compared to the previous owner of this body. It was his calmness that saved him from trouble.

"Please guide me, sir." Shen Lian is eager to learn how to resolve his problem from the elderly.

"Son, you can address me by my name. Although I am much older than you, we don't have to be too rigid in the road to Dao. My surname is Xin and we are named according to order. Shisiniang is my fourteenth daughter and that is why she was named Shisiniang. Back then when I was roaming around the human world, I named myself Xin Qubing, Zi Shaoan," Xin Qubing said with a warm expression.

"I shall call you Mr. Shaoan then. Could you tell me more about the transcendent state you mentioned earlier?"

"To be honest, I heard about that from someone else and I don't know enough to go into details. But son, you are like an unpolished jade and I am confident that you will make it through the celestial doors. Xuan Men is so much more powerful than a wild fox like me. Besides, they will have the solution to your question." Xin Qubing could only let out a smile.

Shen Lian knew that he got lucky with his training. That was also the reason why his spirit could not blend well with his physical body. And this elderly man who self-claimed as a wild fox was able to see him through so easily. Could he be a fox deity who has been in practice for centuries?

"Mr. Shaoan, you've mentioned Celestialisms for several times but I am not too sure what were you trying to say." Shen Lian went straight to the point as he knew that this would be the highlight of their meeting.

"Just like how Jianghu people have different clans and sect, the practice of celestial studies too has different Celestialisms. It's just that immortals are not like Jianghu beings who enjoy showing off their skills," Xin Qubing said.

Shen Lian thought to himself that a realm beyond life and death sure do exist. He has heard stories from Ling Congxiao and then from this elderly man. He was definite that many predecessors have probably experienced Celestialism.

The only chance to longevity was to go beyond the door of Celestialism and not by unorthodox methods that could potentially kill him if he took the wrong steps.

"It seems that Mr. Shaoan knew how to enter the door of Celestialism. But why do you need my help?" Shen Lian doesn't believe in kindness without reason and there are no reasons for the elderly to treat him so nicely.

That cup of spirit awakening tea was such a precious thing. Why would they serve it to strangers as if it was a cup of water? Shen Lian was not convinced that they have no hidden intention.

He knew that the only reason the elderly would look for him was because they needed him to complete a task that only he could have accomplished. That was why he was not too stressed out about the meeting.

In other words, he was a dead pig who was not afraid of boiling water any more.

"My request can only be fulfilled once you've entered Celestialism. You don't need to worry about it for now. But before that, take a look at this thing." The elderly took out a scroll of painting from his sleeves.