Watching the Mountain

After sending Shen Wuchen off to contemplate his path, Xu Ran finally found a moment of peace to focus on his own affairs.

Right now, his top priority was, of course, Little Xiyue, who was in the process of being reborn.

Following the method Ye Shan had given him, he had been feeding the Phoenix Egg with his own blood every day.

Ye Shan had said that one drop of blood a day for one hundred consecutive days should be about enough. After that, it was up to him to decide whether to continue feeding it.

In Xu Ran’s understanding, the words "about enough" meant making do, acceptable, or a passing grade—but definitely not excellent or perfect.

When it came to Little Xiyue, how could he possibly settle for "about enough"? If he was going to do this, he had to do it perfectly.

Therefore, for 365 days, he gave a drop of his blood every single day without fail.

He had originally planned to drip a drop of blood on the Phoenix Egg every day until Little Xiyue hatched and was reborn.

But on the 367th day, the blood he dripped unexpectedly failed to seep into the eggshell, remaining on the surface instead. This sent a jolt of panic through him. ’What’s going on? Don’t tell me something happened to Little Xiyue!’

After cursing Ye Shan under his breath, Xu Ran dripped another drop of blood onto it. This time, the Phoenix Egg trembled slightly and emitted a soft glow that spread outward.

As the glow washed over him, Xu Ran sensed a feeling from the egg: ’I’m full. That’s enough. I can’t eat another bite.’

Seeing this, Xu Ran’s expression shifted, and the tension in his heart finally eased. ’As long as Little Xiyue is all right, that’s all that matters.’

He then stared at the Phoenix Egg and asked, "Is it really enough? Xiyue, I have to stress this to you. You’re essentially living a second life now. Someone living a second life can’t be measured by ordinary standards. You must hold yourself to the strictest of standards to forge the most perfect foundation."

"So, I’ll ask you one more time. Think carefully before you answer. Is it *really* enough?"

A moment later, the Phoenix Egg flashed with a faint red light, and the blood on its surface slowly seeped inside.

Seeing this, Xu Ran slowly nodded, a gratified smile spreading across his face.

’That’s more like it. It seems that when it comes to getting kids to eat, parents really have to be vigilant. Otherwise, they’ll claim they’re full in the blink of an eye. So dishonest.’

*

*

*

Now that Little Xiyue was being reborn, he obviously couldn’t carry the Phoenix Egg around in his Storage Ring.

He didn’t currently possess a high-tier Spatial Magical Treasure, and there was nothing in the Sect Treasure Vault that satisfied him. He had already commissioned the Sect to find one.

He refused to compromise when it came to Little Xiyue; he wanted only the best for her. Therefore, for the time being, he could only place the Phoenix Egg in his Cave Mansion.

For safety’s sake, he planned to upgrade his Cave Mansion’s Protective Array.

Then, as he mulled over how to set up the Array, the Sparrow Transformation Array Map Little Xiyue had left in his sea of consciousness surfaced on its own. It then proactively presented him with several Array Maps based on the problem he was considering.

Xu Ran was completely stunned.

After a moment’s thought, he tried posing a few more problems related to Arrays. In an instant, the Sparrow Transformation Array Map provided the solutions.

At this point, he had a sudden realization. ’So, what Little Xiyue left me wasn’t just an Array Map with over ten thousand Arrays. She basically gave me the Array Dao True Understanding itself!’

As long as he had this True Transformation of the Sparrow, he would be an Array Master even if he knew nothing about arrays himself.

Any Array Dao problem he encountered could be solved with ease, as long as it didn’t exceed the scope of Little Xiyue’s knowledge.

The rebirth had been arranged by Ye Shan, and Xu Ran hadn’t told Little Xiyue about it beforehand. She had no idea.

In other words, in Little Xiyue’s mind, she believed she would disappear forever after transforming into the Vermilion Bird that day. This Sparrow Transformation Array Map—or rather, this Array Dao True Understanding—was the life-saving treasure she had prepared to leave for Xu Ran before her final departure.

She had used her life’s learning to create the Array Dao True Understanding, all to provide her master with Protection Dao.

That had been her true intention.

Xu Ran let out a long, soft sigh. ’To create such a convenient "Array Dao True Understanding" for me, just how much thought and effort did my disciple put into this?’

’She was only the disciple, yet she was the one making all these arrangements for me, her master. Unbelievable...’

Xu Ran shook his head slightly, a ripple of emotion shimmering in his eyes.

As he looked at the solutions provided by the Sparrow Transformation Array Map, he discovered a problem. Although he could set up those Arrays without any prior study, he was limited by his Cultivation. Since he was only in the Foundation Establishment Stage, the highest he could deploy was a Tier Four Array.

’How could that possibly be enough?’

’This is supposed to protect Little Xiyue. I’ll need something at the Eighth and Ninth Tier at the very least.’

Realizing this, he immediately made a decision.

He decided to find Teacher Qing Xuan and ask to have the area surrounding his Cave Mansion officially allocated to him. Then, he would find someone from Inference Dao Peak to set up a High Tier Array on the outer perimeter, while he himself would personally set up a series of Chain Arrays on the inside.

Having made his decision, he no longer hesitated and set off at once to find Teacher Qing Xuan.

On his way to find Teacher Qing Xuan, he saw someone in the distance.

It was Wang Xiaohu, the very same person who had previously sought out Teacher Qing Xuan to demand justice.

He was currently surrounded by a group of people, his head held high, looking like the moon surrounded by a cluster of stars.