Chapter 221: The Dao of the Dao Ancestor!
Beside the Cold Pool, Li Chunsong was briefly stunned by the scene before him.
A helpless smile surfaced on his face.
"So, he really *is* the 'key' to the Dao Ancestor's inheritance?" The Sixth Elder couldnât help but sigh.
The restriction left behind by the Dao Ancestor was something that even the top Dao Gate figures couldnât forcefully break together.
Yet this kid, relying on the power of the ăDao Canonă within him, could come and go as he pleased, entirely unhindered!
It was as if the Dao Ancestor himself had verified itâthis kid was his legacy successor.
At this thought, Li Chunsong unconsciously puffed out his chest again, feeling so elated he nearly started humming.
"The only one in a millennium to master the ăDao Canonă, the one worthy of being called the Dao Ancestorâs legacy successorâChu Huaixuâwas brought up the mountain by me. Noâby *this seat*!"
"Without Li Chunsong, the inheritance of the Dao Canon wouldâve been severed!"
"This is a millennia-old lineage of cultivation being preserved."
"This seat has rendered a service to the ages!"
Thus, Chu Huaixuâs 'fly mount' soared back to the great hall of Ask-Dao Peak, strutting proudly.
The others were somewhat baffled by his expression.
Clearly, they had all been casually chatting earlier, not following with their divine senses.
When Han Shuangjiang had entered the Dao Ancestorâs secret realm, a wave of energy had swept through the Dao Gate, which they sensed immediately.
But Chu Huaixu, who possessed the 'key', entered like he was going home, silently and without a trace.
Seeing Li Chunsong acting like this again, Jiang Zhi felt his eye twitch.
Previously, when this old Sixth had fetched the wrong person from the mountain, Jiang Zhiâas the Little Martial Uncleâhad harshly scolded him and dragged him into his Sword Domain for a good beating.
Now, Chu Huaixuâonce an unpredictable variableâhad become the key to salvation, making this old Sixth all puffed up.
Which, naturally, made it a slap to Jiang Zhiâs own face.
"Speak. What did Chu Huaixu do this time!" He frowned deeply. Even if his wisdom orb kept rolling to the ground, he could still guess it must be Chu Huaixu-related.
Sure enough, Li Chunsong dropped a bombshell.
"In the Dao Ancestorâs inheritance realm, he seems to come and go freely!"
Inside the secret realm, Han Shuangjiang sat cross-legged, adjusting her inner breath.
This was the thirteenth day since she entered.
Even she hadnât expected to enter the realm so inexplicably.
"Could it be that, as Chu Huaixu said, I truly possess overwhelming fortune?" she muttered in confusion.
Previously, she had just been passing by the Cold Pool.
By then, she and Chu Huaixu had already been separated for over a month.
The two adjacent bamboo huts now housed only her.
It felt like a return to the pastâto that rainy night at the foot of the Wumeng Mountains, before she met that young man who rushed through the rain.
In the days before meeting him, Han Shuangjiang had lived a wandering life, yet she never felt anything odd about it.
Eating alone, traveling alone, thinking of ways to protect herself alone.
She never felt desolate, nor did she feel lonely.
That isâuntil she experienced the warmth of the world.
Since Chu Huaixu had left, she still cooked early as usualâbut often got distracted, accidentally adding too much rice to the porridge.
Habit was a terrifying thing.
Especially habits brought by others.
Because every time, habit would remind youâto think of him.
But now that the familyâs Big Eater was gone, she had no way to finish that much porridge by herself.
The Little Housekeeper, unable to bear waste regardless of wealth, drank porridge morning, noon, and night.
She thought of him while cooking porridge, while drinking it, and even cursed him when she couldnât finish or got tired of it.
Han Shuangjiang resumed solitary cultivationâbut now without a reference.
Innately driven, she kept wondering: "What realm has Chu Huaixu reached now?"
"Since he returned safely from the Origin Spirit Realm, he probably isnât stuck in a bottleneck, right?"
Often, she felt her world had grown too quietâeerily quietâeven though she used to dislike noise.
The Dead Fox used to joke around shamelessly, and as a Body Training cultivator, his sparring always made a ruckus.
If Little Xu were home, things would be even rowdierâoccasionally, sheâd hear painful groans from cultivation.
Now, Han Shuangjiang somewhat understood why the sisters at ăRed Sleeves Beckonă, once smitten with a patron, would lose their appetite and sleep.
Because when you couldnât see him, your every distraction and absent gaze became your most intimate gesture across the distance.
Still, the Big Ice Block held the script of ăBorrowed Swordăâs main female protagonist. She wouldnât neglect business just for longing.
"Heâs refining the Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin. I should be working harder too, right? Canât let him pull ahead."
Dao companions were just thatâcompanions who walked the path of cultivation together.
ââEach striving on their path, yet sharing the same wind across a thousand miles.
In this time, the Profound Yin Body broke through five minor realms and reached Second Realm Perfect Completion.
For both Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang, the Cold Pool at Medicine Mountain held special meaning.
Here, in the Cold Pool secret realm, they had their first moment of intimacy.
It was also their first joint tribulation.
Han Shuangjiang, upon passing by, had somehow been compelled to approach and casually sat on a rock by the pool.
Her plump buttocks had barely touched the stoneânot even fully seated, not even compressedâbefore she was instantly sucked into the stone world!
She felt her vision blur into chaos.
When sight returned, a massive stone wall stood before her.
And on itâa single character.
ââăDaoă!
With just one glance, her Sea of Consciousness trembled!
Her first instinct was to avert her gaze.
It was like staring at the blazing sun with the naked eyeâinstinct screamed to look away.
But for some reason, she couldnât.
That ăDaoă character held a power she couldnât resist.
Her eyes were lockedâshe could see *only* that character!
The turbulence in her Sea of Consciousness intensified.
Though only seven or eight seconds passed, it felt like half an hour!
Cold sweat beaded on her, and she fought to keep her mind from slipping.
She frantically circulated spiritual energy, even activating her Reincarnation Sword Intent, trying to force herself into the ăHeaven-Man Stateăâto no avail.
What sustained her was sheer stubbornness.
A battle of willpower!
One breath. Two. ThreeâŠ
At first, it was just mental tremorsâsoon, her Sea of Consciousness began to collapse!
The ăDaoă character doubled in her vision.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, long legs quivering, a chill running through her.
The dizzying pressure made her head and eyelids unbearably heavy.
Still, she held on, trying every method.
The calm of the Heaven-Man State helpedâshe stayed composed.
But how many tricks could a Second Realm cultivator really have?
No matter what she tried, nothing worked.
Her mind blurredâheld together only by her indomitable spirit.
Half her Sea of Consciousness had collapsed.
Yet she remained composed, resisting desperately.
She knewâlosing focus here meant madness or death!
Time passed.
Eighty-one breaths.
Han Shuangjiang truly feared she might die at any moment.
This torment was like mental torture at the most excruciating level.
Boomââ!
Suddenly, everything faded like a receding tide.
She snapped awake.
Looking again at the ăDaoă character, she felt no more pressure.
Instead, her divine sense in the Sea of Consciousness had grown denser and stronger!
Her entire Sea of Consciousness became sturdierâfar beyond before!
"What⊠is this?" Han Shuangjiang was baffled.
But the gain was undeniable!
Below that massive ăDaoă character, a stone door opened.
After a deep breath, she strode forward decisively.
If that ăDaoă was the first trial, she had passed only two trials in thirteen days.
Now, the Big Ice Block was stuck in the third.
At that moment, Chu Huaixu also entered the secret realm.
The first thing he heard was a system prompt.
And the content amused him.
"ⶠDing! Youâve entered the solo instanceâDao Ancestor Inheritance!"
Chu Huaixu found it funny. Did he force his way into a solo instance?
After a moment of blurred vision, he found himself standing in the exact same spot Han Shuangjiang had.
Right in front of the stone wall. Facing that massive ăDaoă character.
As his vision cleared, it entered his gaze.
His eyes narrowed. Guarded by his Heart Sword and a wisp of Origin Power, his Sea of Consciousness felt nothing wrong.
However, just as he was about to look aroundâhe found he couldnât avert his gaze.
His eyes were locked on the ăDaoă!
"Hm?" He hadnât expected this.
So, he just stood there, puzzled, staring.
One breath. Two. ThreeâŠ
Eighty-one breaths.
It passed in no time.
With no discomfort at all, Chu Huaixu could now move his eyes freely.
Then, he immediately felt his Sea of Consciousness grow denser, his divine sense vastly strengthened!
"Hm? What kind of thing is this?"
No trialsâjust pure rewards?!
"The Dao Ancestor truly is generous."