Watching the Mountain

Ye Shu’s actions had truly exceeded Xu Ran’s expectations. He originally thought that with Ye Shu’s aptitude—only reaching the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer after more than ninety years—even ten Foundation Establishment Pills might not be enough.

To his surprise, however, Ye Shu hadn’t used a single one.

A Cultivator’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit are far from their peak by the time they reach one hundred years of age. At that point, even with the aid of multiple Foundation Establishment Pills, the chance of success is less than twenty percent, to say nothing of attempting Foundation Establishment without any pills at all.

Xu Ran stared at Ye Shu for a moment, a hint of shock on his face, before sighing softly.

"Looks like you had this planned all along."

Ye Shu gave him a slight bow and replied, "Mother said that a Cultivator should rely less on external aids and more on their own strength. Only then can one walk a longer path."

Xu Ran fell silent for a moment, then sighed in resignation. "That was too reckless. Success is a good thing, but you can’t count on being this lucky every time. A Cultivator must learn to be adaptable; survival has to be your first consideration."

While Ye Shu succeeding at Foundation Establishment without relying on any pills was certainly cause for celebration, his stubborn, inflexible nature truly gave Xu Ran a headache.

If he kept this up, he was bound to suffer for it sooner or later.

"I’ve made you worry, Uncle Xu. I’ll be more careful in the future." Ye Shu bowed deeply to Xu Ran, his expression full of shame.

Seeing his expression, Xu Ran knew the words hadn’t truly sunk in. He could only let out another resigned sigh, shake his head, and say:

"Never mind. Just watch out for yourself. I only hope that if you run into trouble in the future, you’ll remember you have me, your Uncle Xu. Don’t try to shoulder everything alone."

Hearing this, Ye Shu nodded solemnly but said nothing.

Xu Ran didn’t press the matter. Instead, he made an invitation.

"How about a sparring match between us, uncle and nephew?"

He was quite curious about Ye Shu’s actual strength. From the very beginning of his cultivation, Ye Shu had always been called slow-witted, someone who was slow to learn anything. But since he had managed to reach Foundation Establishment, he surely couldn’t be as useless as people claimed.

After all, he was the child of Ye Shan and the Little Witch. Even if not by birth, to be chosen by Ye Shan, he must have something extraordinary about him.

"It would be my honor to receive your guidance, Uncle Xu," Ye Shu replied with the utmost respect.

"Oh, you..." Xu Ran shook his head in resignation, saying no more. A personality like that was basically set in stone.

He said no more, his expression turning serious as he faced Ye Shu.

Once the fight began, Xu Ran immediately noticed something: Ye Shu seemed to be using only a few basic Five Elements Daoist Techniques, and nothing else.

Furthermore, the way Ye Shu used those Five Elements Daoist Techniques gave Xu Ran a strange sense of familiarity, because it was an exact mirror of how he himself had been in the beginning.

Everything was rigid, by-the-book, as if recited straight from a textbook.

To be honest, seeing Ye Shu use the Five Elements Daoist Techniques nearly left him dumbfounded.

’I never thought there’d be someone else in the world just like me.’

"You only know Five Elements Daoist Techniques?" he asked, a bit puzzled.

Ye Shu nodded and replied respectfully, "Mother says my strength is my single-minded focus. If I learn too many things, I’ll just get distracted. She said it would be better to first master the basic Five Elements Daoist Techniques completely before learning anything else."

Xu Ran blinked. ’Single-minded focus? It’s obviously because he learns too slowly. She was worried he wouldn’t be able to grasp anything else, so she framed it that way.’

’As I thought, the Little Witch is too soft on him as a mother.’

He then asked curiously, "What about Swordsmanship? Have you learned it?"

’As Ye Shan’s child, surely he’s learned Swordsmanship?’

However, to his surprise, Ye Shu shook his head and replied, "Mother won’t let me learn Swordsmanship."

"What?" Xu Ran looked utterly shocked.

He found that impossible to believe. Back when Ye Shan had unleashed that one sword strike, the Little Witch, even on the verge of collapse, had instructed Ye Shu to keep his eyes wide open, to see that strike clearly and commit it to memory, no matter what.

’Doesn’t that mean she wanted Ye Shu to inherit Ye Shan’s Sword Dao?’

’If so, why wouldn’t she let Ye Shu learn Swordsmanship?’

"That’s just what Mother told me. She said it would be best if I never touched a sword in my life," Ye Shu said very seriously.

Xu Ran fell silent. He truly couldn’t understand the Little Witch’s reasoning, but since she had decreed it, it wasn’t his place to interfere.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "You have your own path, and it’s not really my place to interfere with how you walk it. However, since you’ve called me Uncle Xu, I must take some responsibility for you."

"If nothing else, let me teach you a Divine Technique for your own protection."

A hesitant look crossed Ye Shu’s face, but when he saw the genuine concern in Xu Ran’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Instead, he nodded seriously and said, "Thank you, Uncle Xu."

’Uncle Xu cares about me. He would be sad if I refused.’

Seeing him agree, a smile touched Xu Ran’s lips. He nodded slightly and said, "Don’t worry, this Divine Technique is very simple. It’s a perfect fit for you."

He was referring to the Ten Thousand Woods Transformation Spell that Xiaoque’Er had once taught him. The idea had popped into his head the moment he saw that Ye Shu only knew a few basic Five Elements Daoist Techniques. Ye Shu was so much like his past self; he was a natural fit for this Divine Technique.

He then took out the Jade Scroll containing the Ten Thousand Woods Transformation Spell, a Divine Technique, and handed it to Ye Shu. "Take a look first. If you have any questions, come ask me."

Ye Shu accepted the Jade Scroll, nodded solemnly, and then began to study it with intense focus.

Half a day later, he slowly opened his eyes, a look of shock on his face.

"What is it? Is there a problem?" Xu Ran asked, puzzled by his expression.

Ye Shu stared blankly for a moment, then said in a tone of disbelief, "Uncle Xu, I... I think I’ve learned it. This is the first time I’ve ever learned a Magic Technique just by looking at it once. It feels... incredible."

Xu Ran smiled at his words. ’Isn’t this just like what happened to me back then?’ After encountering the Ten Thousand Woods Transformation Spell, he too had felt the mistaken impression that he was a genius.

"That’s the unique property of this Divine Technique. It’s extremely easy to get started with, which is why I said it was perfect for you."

"Of course, that only applies to the First Layer. The later stages are much more difficult. But even this is more than enough. Practice it diligently until it becomes second nature, and you’ll be able to handle the vast majority of crises you might face."

Ye Shu nodded and bowed once more. "I will remember your teachings, Uncle Xu."

Xu Ran had long grown accustomed to Ye Shu’s habit of bowing at every opportunity. With other people, such constant formality would create a sense of distance.

When he was with Senior Sister Yue now, things were very casual. It wasn’t like before, where he would respectfully bow over every little thing.

But with Ye Shu, it was completely different. That was just his nature; bowing was simply his way of expressing his heartfelt gratitude and respect.

After entrusting the Ten Thousand Woods Transformation Spell to Ye Shu, Xu Ran didn’t interfere with his cultivation any further. The path ahead was now up to Ye Shu himself to walk.

All Xu Ran could do was watch over him from the sidelines and help prevent any major mishaps.