Free Web NovelChapter 164: Chapter 156: Junior Sister, From Now On, Your Funeral Will Be Held Every Monday
"Why... why have so many seniors failed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage?"
Su Ling’er finally couldn’t help but ask.
"So many people in the sect have died. Is that... really okay?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingfeng cleaned out his ear, then began spouting utter nonsense with a straight face:
"Dead? Ah, little Junior Sister, your perspective is, in the end, still too narrow."
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
"You see only their ’fall,’ but you have not yet seen ’reincarnation.’"
"You see only the annihilation of the ’form,’ but you have not yet understood the eternity of the ’Dao.’"
"Heaven and Earth are the furnace, creation is the smith, and all living beings rise and fall within it."
"A death today may very well be for a birth tomorrow, a way to accumulate the foundation for a more powerful breakthrough next time."
"The path of cultivation is one of seeking life through death. If you cannot grasp this point, the Nascent Soul Dao will forever remain an illusion, like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water."
This barrage of convoluted, mystifying words left Su Ling’er feeling that while she didn’t understand a thing, it all sounded incredibly profound.
Even though she couldn’t understand it, it somehow felt very reasonable.
"Besides,"
"The ultimate reason they failed is that their resources were insufficient and their foundations were not deep enough, understand?"
"Attempting to reach the Nascent Soul stage is incredibly perilous. Without foolproof preparations, death is all but certain."
Su Ling’er nodded, only half-understanding, and voiced another doubt in her heart:
"Then... with so many people dead, do we... really not need to hold some kind of funeral for them?"
Lin Qingfeng waved his hand dismissively, his expression one of utter nonchalance.
"We didn’t need to last time, so naturally, we don’t need to this time. Little Junior Sister, you’re still too hung up on formalities!"
"The dead are gone, and the living carry on. The great Dao is ruthless, its cycles unending."
"We Cultivators should advance with courage and diligence, always looking forward. How can we be shackled by the tedious rituals of the past?"
"To be burdened by the dead is a sign of an unstable Dao heart."
Su Ling’er completely lost it.
’On what grounds?!’
’All those Golden Core masters died trying to reach the Nascent Soul stage, and you just brush it off with a "no need to get hung up on formalities"?!’
’But when I, a mere Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, pretended to be sick, you insisted on dragging the entire sect into holding a grand funeral for me?!’
’There was a coffin procession, basin-smashing, the whole shebang! The spectacle was so big it was like you were sending me off to ascend to immortality!’
’Isn’t this double standard a little too extreme?!’
’Even though I feel so valued, why can’t I feel even the slightest bit happy about it?!’
"Ah, little Junior Sister,"
Lin Qingfeng seemed to see right through her, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Looking at your expression, do you feel it’s unfair? Are you particularly eager to experience that feeling of being the center of attention again?"
Su Ling’er shook her head like a rattle drum. "No! I’m not! I don’t!"
"Now, don’t be shy,"
Lin Qingfeng patted her shoulder understandingly, his tone as gentle as if coaxing a sulking child.
"I understand you."
"It must have been the last funeral. It made you feel deeply valued and gave you a sense of presence and belonging in the sect, right?"
Su Ling’er nearly choked. "Wrong! Don’t talk nonsense! I don’t!"
"Relax, I, your Senior Brother, have already seen right through you." Lin Qingfeng’s eyes shone with the light of wisdom.
"Our sect has always placed great importance on you, our Holy Daughter."
"Your funeral... not only must we hold it on a grand scale, but from now on, we will... hold it every week!"
"Huh?"
"Didn’t you just say we shouldn’t get hung up on formalities?"
Su Ling’er’s expression instantly froze.
"But little Junior Sister, you’re different! You are special! We need to hold it weekly, rain or shine!"
Lin Qingfeng held up a finger, his face completely serious. "Don’t you worry! I, your Senior Brother, am a man of my word!"
’After all, that Yin Spirit Institute instance only resets once a week. If it reset every day, we’d be holding a funeral for you daily!’
’We’d make you feel right at home every single day!’
Inside, Su Ling’er was beyond frantic; it was a landslide, a tsunami of rage.
’Are you incapable of understanding human language?!’
’Who would want a funeral held for themselves every week?!’
’What kind of demonic curse is this?! Hey!’
’Did I dig up your ancestral graves in a past life for you to treat me like this?!’
’Rain or shine, you say?!’
’This is one time when it’s okay to be obstructed! Really, it’s fine! I’m begging you!’
...
After placating his little Junior Sister, Lin Qingfeng opened the sect channel. He wanted to see which old geezers were repeatedly jumping around last night, making a scene like a fireworks display.
[Sect Channel]
[Lin Qingfeng]: So, which of you were grinding the Heart Demon last night? It was like dropping dumplings in a pot. Wasn’t the commotion a bit much?
[Shen Nong]: Hehe, Guild Leader, I was one of them! I have to say, that Heart Demon Illusion Realm is top-tier! So many varieties, excellent experience. Five-star review!
[Lu Wu]: Me too! Self-destructing to lose a level, then chugging potions to level back up and go again—that feeling is awesome! It’s just that the cost of elixirs is a bit hard to swallow.
[Shi Gandang]: The main thing is that chugging potions is too expensive, or I’d have gone a few more times. Next time someone makes a run, remember to call me. I’ll hang around nearby and leech some Spiritual Qi for Body Tempering.
[Ji]: Heavens! I’m so jealous of you guys, ahhh!!
[Yan Buliu]: Earth! I’m so jealous too, ahhh!!
Lin Qingfeng got a clear picture of last night’s scene. It was really just a few old-time players.
After self-destructing and losing levels during their Nascent Soul ascension, they had frantically chugged potions and spent real money to grind their levels back up, then continued to attempt the breakthrough, all just to experience the wondrous Heart Demon Tribulation a few more times.
Although no one had actually succeeded in ascending, it created the false impression that "the sect has countless Golden Core masters lining up to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, only to fall one after another."
Lin Qingfeng closed the channel, satisfied.
’This is good too. It better demonstrates the profound foundation of my Guixi Sect.’
’An endless stream of Golden Core Cultivators able to attempt the Nascent Soul breakthrough... isn’t this perfect for intimidating those new disciples?’
’Even if not a single one of them has successfully broken through to Nascent Soul, that’s not important!’
’As long as we have the intimidating aura, that’s all that matters!’
...
The days passed one by one.
The spies, living in constant fear, discovered that the surges of Spiritual Qi had actually become a daily routine in the sect.
Every now and then, a pillar of light would shoot up from some corner, only to collapse with a tremendous BANG.
They had gone from initial terror to a state of numbness. Now, they could even calmly glance in the direction of an explosion before lowering their heads to continue with their tasks.
However, they no longer dared to carelessly use the [Lingxi Inquiry Profound Mirror] to transmit intelligence.
Heaven knew if some fiend attempting a Nascent Soul breakthrough would pop out in the next second and shatter their divine sense again.
On this day, Su Ling’er woke up in her bamboo house as usual.
"DEE DEE DAH—! DEE DEE DAH—!"
In her groggy state, she seemed to hear the faint sounds of a funeral dirge coming from outside her bamboo house—the wail of a suona, mixed with the clamor of gongs and drums.
It seemed someone else had died and was being given a funeral procession.
A jolt shot through Su Ling’er, and she was instantly wide awake.
The hair on her body stood on end as an ominous premonition flooded her heart.
’No way...?!’
’They must just be passing by...’
’What Senior Brother said last time... he was definitely joking, right?’
Peering through a gap in the bamboo leaves, she saw a familiar coffin.
The Ten Thousand Years Warm Jade Coffin!
...
「Meanwhile.」
Anhe City, the Su Mansion.
The Su family was having a meal in the inner hall.
At the dinner table, Mrs. Su looked at the empty seat and couldn’t help but sigh.
"I wonder how Ling’er is doing with her cultivation at Qingxu Temple. It’s been more than three years since she went up the mountain. I don’t know when she’ll be able to come back for a visit."
At the mention of his daughter, the smile on her father Su Hongyuan’s face also faded slightly.
"Speaking of which, even the Cultivators from the Celestial Furnace Sect who guard Anhe City have disappeared recently..."
"Nothing bad is going to happen, is it?"
