Taichu Peak, one of the seven peaks of Canglan Immortal Palace, is also the most mysterious place in Canglan Immortal Palace.
Legend has it that the Peak Lord of Taichu Peak only accepts one Disciple in each generation.
And precisely this one Disciple, in the end, is able to become the strongest pillar among the seven peaks.
Even the Palace Lord has to give Taichu Peak some face.
—Shuo Heng had already witnessed the power of this 'some face'.
It was indeed quite significant.
…
Shuo Qianye looked at his Master, then turned to look at his short, small brother following behind the old man, feeling utterly uneasy.
“Brother, everything I just told you, you must remember,” Shuo Qianye reminded him again. “If you encounter anything you can’t solve, you must notify me with your communicator, and I will come quickly.”
Shuo Heng was too young, and as his elder brother, Shuo Qianye couldn't rest easy.
But Shuo Heng himself was calm and composed, showing no signs of unease after leaving home: “Big Brother, you don’t need to worry about me too much; you should focus on your Cultivation.”
Shuo Qianye… Shuo Qianye was not comforted at all and still looked at his little brother anxiously.
After Cang Lin nodded to Ming Wanli, he quickly took Shuo Qianye and left.
Ming Wanli also picked up Shuo Heng, tore open space, and headed to Taichu Peak.
—
The highest peak was indeed as elegant and unique as Shuo Heng had imagined.
The emerald green bamboo forest was dyed with the red glow of the setting sun, a truly beautiful sight.
Shuo Heng looked at the small bamboo house in front of him, full of life, and was about to walk in.
“Hey, hey, hey.”
Ming Wanli, with quick eyes and hands, grabbed Shuo Heng by the collar and pulled him back.
Dangling in mid-air like a fish, Shuo Heng helplessly wiggled his legs: “Master, what are you doing?”
“Hehe.” Ming Wanli chuckled twice. “That’s this old man’s house, not yours.”
Shuo Heng didn't buy it: “What’s yours and mine? Yours will all be mine eventually.”
The child spoke with a bit of effort, but Shuo Heng’s tone was quite fluent.
And his words were quite irritating.
“You little rascal.” Ming Wanli shook him by the collar. “Don’t pretend with this old man. Although you’re only one year old, your physical strength is not low.
This old man will now give you your first task after becoming my Disciple.
Look, see the bamboo over there?”
Ming Wanli raised a hand and pointed: “Build a house for yourself with the bamboo over there.”
Shuo Heng knew that although this old man had an interesting personality, he was a man of his word.
It seemed… he had no choice but to build this house?
“Then where do I live before I finish building it?”
Ming Wanli put Shuo Heng down on the ground, thought for a moment, then pulled out a dilapidated axe and handed it to him: “The entire Taichu Peak is so big, you can go wherever you want, but you cannot enter this old man’s house.”
Shuo Heng: “…”
Did that mean he had to sleep under the open sky?
If his mother knew about this, she would probably fly over immediately and take him away.
However, Shuo Heng was indeed tired of being meticulously cared for like a young child.
Compared to that, what was sleeping under the open sky?
“Got it.” Shuo Heng crossed his arms and glanced at his Master.
Ming Wanli found this little expression very interesting and rubbed his head: “At that time, I will prepare many Yao Beast meats with strong Qi and blood for you. Eat more; it’s good for your body.”
Shuo Heng nodded in agreement.
…
After Ming Wanli enveloped the entire peak with a mountain-protecting array, he briefly left Taichu Peak, leaving Shuo Heng alone.
Shuo Heng was not afraid at all; he was currently walking through the bamboo forest with great interest.
It was already late in the day, so he was destined to spend the night outside.
Newborn one-year-old children are always fragile, but Shuo Heng was different.
Firstly, he had a good background; the food his family gave him was mostly spiritual items that helped strengthen his body.
Secondly, Shuo Heng was not a truly one-year-old child; he consciously exercised himself, using Heaven And Earth Treasure to temper his body.
He understood very well that in this world of Cultivation, strength was the fundamental determinant of everything.
Being strong meant having more power to decide one's own life and death and that of others.
Being weak meant being at the mercy of others.
This even included the tasks issued by the System—it was obvious that a 'whole realm Ascension' task goal could never be achieved by someone with low strength.
So, no matter how one looked at it, he had to become stronger.
Much stronger.
…
【Little Four, do you have any videos on making crafts?】
Shuo Heng looked up at the lush bamboo leaves above, thinking that making a hammock to sleep in for one night would be good enough.
004 quickly sent over the videos.
【Lord, here are tutorials on making hammocks from bamboo.】
Shuo Heng glanced at them and generally had an idea.
He weighed the dilapidated axe in his hand, thinking that his Master was really stingy; he gave an axe, but it was such a broken one.
Would this broken wooden handle fall off with a single swing?
Shuo Heng held the axe, asking in his mind.
He gestured twice at the bamboo in front of him, then gripped the axe with both hands and swung it three times.
Thud, thud, thud.
“…”
Shuo Heng silently looked at the faint white mark left on the bamboo pole, finally realizing the fact that he might really have to sleep on the ground for a while.
Well, that's fine too.
Shuo Heng sighed.
Who told him he had a Master who liked to torment people?
…
When Ming Wanli returned the next day at noon, what he saw was not a dirty, troubled child who couldn't cut down bamboo and had slept outside for a night.
Instead, it was a lively brat happily catching fish in the stream.
He was not tall, so he only stayed by the riverbank.
He took off his outer robe and went into the water wearing a simple white short shirt.
Now, two fish were neatly placed on the bank.
Silver-white water-patterned carp, originally without much Spiritual Qi, but because of the stream water, they looked as crystal clear as spiritual fish.
Seeing Ming Wanli return, Shuo Heng stared at him with wide eyes.
His left eye read “I’m hungry,” and his right eye read “I want to eat,” making him look full of resentment.
Ming Wanli felt his conscience being pricked.
He lightly coughed and approached with a smile.
“My little Disciple, look what good things I brought back for you?”
Saying that, he took out two bloody pieces of meat and placed them in front of Shuo Heng.
Shuo Heng took a step back with a look of disgust.
A strong smell of blood assailed his nostrils, and he could even feel the meat steaming.
Freshly killed and eaten, truly invigorating.
“Master, I don’t eat raw food.” Shuo Heng couldn’t even open his eyes wide now; he looked at his old man, who didn't know how to take care of children, with a speechless expression.
Although Ming Wanli wanted to temper Shuo Heng’s character, he didn't intend to starve him.
He hadn't eaten for a night and a morning, and children were still growing.
This time, he was indeed late, so he felt a bit guilty.
So Ming Wanli pointed his hand, and a dazzling red flame appeared out of nowhere, slowly landing on the ground in front of Shuo Heng.
He controlled the temperature, surrounded the flame with a circle of stones, washed the meat pieces, and skewered them on bamboo to roast.
He also roasted the three small fish Shuo Heng had caught from the stream.
The flame's temperature was very high, but Shuo Heng, being very close, did not feel hot.
The Immortal Realm truly had interesting things everywhere.
The child lowered his eyes, looking at the flickering flame, and thought to himself.
…
Shuo Heng soon ate his first meal of the day.
When Ming Wanli brought the meat back, it was a whole bloody piece, so Shuo Heng didn't recognize what kind of Yao Beast it was.
But after eating the meat, he could clearly feel that his bones and muscles were warm.
It was like soaking in warm water, making him feel very comfortable.
Shuo Heng rubbed his stomach and let out a sigh of contentment.
This kind of life, it seemed… not bad at all?