The "Phoenix Codex Sutra" was an orthodox Daoist cultivation technique, passed down from a great expert of the Profound Realm.
That expert had been a woman. Even after her death, her corpse remained free from decay, retaining the radiance she had held in life.
When Lu Zhexuan first saw her remains, she was startled, but after careful observation, she realized that the woman had already passed away.
That Profound Realm expert had left behind a final letter.
Its contents were sparse, but the general message was this: she had once had a deeply affectionate Dao companion.
The two lived, ate, and cultivated together every day. They had believed they would ascend side by side, until the man's heart strayed, and she became disillusioned. She finally sealed herself in the cave abode, never emerging until her death.
At that time, Lu Zhexuan hadn't understood that a "Dao companion" was fundamentally different from the concept of a spouse or lover as she had understood it.
This so-called dual cultivation was one of the orthodox paths within Daoism, a method aimed directly at the Great Dao of immortality.
The ultimate goal of dual cultivation was to achieve union of yin and yang, where life essence and spirit were one, co-living and co-dying, until they transcended even life and death.
Thus, the selection of a Dao companion was of critical importance.
Only heretical and unorthodox paths sought to plunder yin or yang from others. In contrast, orthodox dual cultivation techniques emphasized mutual benefit, a coexistence of yin and yang.
Which meant a Dao companion had to be someone with shared intent, comparable cultivation, ideally a single partner for life, and, preferably, someone practicing the same technique, or else the effects would be greatly reduced.
The "Phoenix Codex Sutra", without doubt, was an exceedingly high-grade cultivation technique.
But it was also a double-edged sword.
Having a Dao companion meant enormous sunk costs, emotional investment, spiritual connection. If something went wrong, it was extremely difficult to start over.
This Profound Realm expert had failed to do so, and as a result, her path was forever blocked. In the end, she died in quiet despair.
Yet back then, Lu Zhexuan had been naive. She simply wanted to survive, to avenge her family. And this was the only path available to her.
Under the guidance of a residual wisp of thought left by that Profound Realm expert, she began cultivating, following the basic cultivation methods at the front of the Phoenix Codex Sutra, and made some small progress.
But by the time she finally understood what "bedroom arts" meant... it was already too late.
By then, she also knew her own physique would only serve as a benefit to the male in a dual cultivation pairing. People were greedy by nature. How could she possibly find someone willing to treat her as an equal?
And so... Lu Zhexuan had entered a dead end.
Though the Phoenix Codex Sutra was an unparalleled dual cultivation technique, for her, it was worthless.
The only parts she could truly study and cultivate were the basic techniques at the very beginning.
This was the main reason her progress had always been so slow!
Chen Kuang, of course, didn't know any of this. He simply assumed Lu Zhexuan was grieving over her family's downfall.
He offered gentle consolation:
"They say that good things are often forged through hardship. Trials... can also be encounters. You need not dwell too deeply on it. I, too, was once nothing more than a lowly court musician. When my nation fell, I barely escaped with my life. Only then did I attain what I have now."
There's a saying: "Do not counsel others toward goodness if you haven't suffered their pain."
If you casually tell others to "let it go," it comes off as shallow. But if you've walked a similar, or even more painful, path, it creates a connection, a shared understanding.
Sincerity is the true killer move.
And it just so happened that if one were to describe Chen Kuang's experience with a single word, it would be: tragic.
Sure enough, upon hearing that this master whose cultivation far outstripped her own had also suffered greatly, and had once been an ordinary person, Lu Zhexuan immediately felt a surge of closeness.
With curiosity, she gently asked more. Chen Kuang altered his tale slightly, framing it as something that had happened in a now-destroyed minor nation of this era.
He also changed any references to Sages into "Grandmasters," lest his story sound too fantastical.
But even with this toned-down version, his winding, dramatic experiences were strange enough to be remarkable even among cultivators.
Otherwise, how could he have tricked that little girl Lianmi into falling head over heels and emptying her little treasury?
And Lu Zhexuan, although a bit older, reacted more or less the same...
The Daoist nun sat holding her teacup, listening with rapt attention. Her phoenix eyes widened slightly, unwilling to miss even a word.
Ever since she understood the true meaning of her physique, she had avoided others. Even when contact was necessary, she concealed her appearance and avoided trouble.
Now, though she was already past thirty, her way of dealing with people, and her emotional maturity, remained much the same as when she had been a cloistered young miss.
No one had ever spoken with her like this before.
Still, Chen Kuang knew she hadn't come here just to listen to his stories. If he said too much, he might slip up, so he only touched lightly on the subject before steering the conversation back to its true purpose: seeking the Dao.
He asked what doubts had brought her here.
Realizing she had just lost composure, Lu Zhexuan's face flushed faintly. She quickly gathered her thoughts and responded honestly:
"These past years, I've often felt that my talent is lacking... my cultivation progresses far too slowly."
She sat up straighter, her expression solemn. "Lately, I've heard talk of the Way of External Elixirs as a shortcut to cultivation. I've been tempted... but I've also read many writings that condemn it as a heretical path. I find myself torn."
She looked toward Chen Kuang. "What does Daoist friend think?"
In truth, her issue wasn't lack of talent. She had only ever practiced the introductory techniques of a dual cultivation method, naturally, her progress had been slow...
But she was unwilling to speak of that.
Still, if she remained forever at this level, and her physique were someday exposed, she would be reduced to a plaything!
So she had begun considering external means to aid her cultivation.
Yet she had no one to discuss this with, no master, no trusted friend to guide her. She could only struggle with uncertainty.
Now that she had encountered someone whose zither music alone could elevate her cultivation, of course she would seize the opportunity to ask for instruction.
Chen Kuang's expression turned strange.
Fate truly was unpredictable, now it was his turn to give Daoling Daojun a lecture on how to cultivate?
This so-called Way of External Elixirs (外丹之道) referred, in fact, to consuming alchemical pills to aid cultivation, or forcibly elevate one's realm.
Chen Kuang had never consumed pills himself, but the Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique did include formulas for supportive medicinal elixirs.
He simply had no need for them.
Those properly developed and stable pills were beneficial to cultivators, so long as one trained diligently to fully refine the medicinal energy.
The cases where pills caused harm were rare. Typically, it occurred in two situations: either the pill was inherently extreme in nature, or the cultivator consumed them constantly while slacking off, allowing the unrefined medicine to accumulate and block their meridians.
The first type were fierce individuals. The second were lazy ones.
Neither described Lu Zhexuan.
Chen Kuang covered his mouth and coughed lightly, then explained the situation in simple terms. He added:
"The merits or faults of the Way of External Elixirs lie in one's intent. So long as you do not neglect your cultivation and refine the medicinal energy properly, there will be no harm."
"If you were part of a major sect, you would have been taught this from the beginning."
Lu Zhexuan's expression turned ashamed. "I am merely a wandering cultivator. My talent is average. No sect was willing to accept me..."
Chen Kuang asked with interest, "Have you tried the Mysterious Divine Path Sect? I've heard that the disciples of Floating Glass Immortal Province place more importance on temperament than talent."
Lu Zhexuan shook her head. "I've been to Floating Glass Immortal Province before, saw it once from a distance... Later I learned that Mysterious Divine Path Sect doesn't accept any disciples over thirty who have yet to set foot on the Tower Ascension Staircase."
"At that time... I had just reached Innate Void Force."
Good heavens...
The Mysterious Divine Path Sect of this era had even stricter standards than in later generations!
Disciples under thirty who had already entered the Tower Ascension Realm, that meant at minimum they ranked in the top 200 of the Canglang Evaluation.
In other words, only the top two hundred of the young generation were qualified to be accepted by the Mysterious Divine Path Sect. They truly selected only the best of the best.
If they still followed this rule in the future, the Mysterious Divine Path Sect wouldn't even be able to muster forty thousand disciples.
One had to wonder... if the Mysterious Divine Path Sect of later generations ever realized that their second-in-command had once been turned away due to overly high standards, just how awkward would that scene be?
Chen Kuang held back a laugh, forcing himself to keep a serious expression. "Then that just means the Mysterious Divine Path Sect didn't know what they were missing."
"Someone like you, blessed by the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth, favored by the essence of sun and moon, emerges once in a thousand years. Even I was stunned when I saw you. Why belittle yourself?"
Hearing such lavish praise, Lu Zhexuan's face flushed even redder. Her heart fluttered with embarrassment, and she almost wished she could put her straw hat back on to hide.
Th-this was just... too nauseatingly sweet.
From her perspective, there was no way he was praising her cultivation talent, after all, a woman over thirty who had only just broken through to Tower Ascension First Level was at best mediocre.
"To climb the Twelve Towers of Heaven, each level is a new barrier, each more perilous than the last..." This saying wasn't empty talk.
The difficulty of advancing within the Tower Ascension Realm surpassed even that of Opening the Meridians or reaching Innate Realm combined!
She had reached Tower Ascension at thirty-four. Even assuming all went well, at the most optimistic pace, she would need at least eighty to ninety years to reach the twelfth level.
And by then... her lifespan would have already run out.
At this rate, whether she could break through before her natural end was still uncertain.
That was why she so urgently sought guidance and assistance in her cultivation.
And so...
Chen Kuang's praise, in Lu Zhexuan's eyes, could only mean one thing:
He was complimenting her appearance.
Back in the boudoir, she had no point of reference and never thought herself especially beautiful, gazing at her reflection every day with a detached calm.
But as time went on, she repeatedly encountered lecherous and ill-intentioned men. She gradually learned how to protect herself, and thus realized that her appearance was a dangerous curse.
Where others looked at her with lust and greed, Chen Kuang's sincere appreciation felt all the more precious...
She quickly shook her head. "The Mysterious Divine Path Sect's rules are strict. I didn't meet the standard, so naturally I wasn't accepted. If I had been let in anyway, that would have been unjust."
"And that kind of Mysterious Divine Path Sect... wouldn't be the kind I'd wish to join."
At last, Chen Kuang couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
"Don't be so quick to write them off. Who knows, maybe one day, they'll have to swallow their pride and beg you to join."
Lu Zhexuan treated it as a joke, but couldn't help smiling. She quickly restrained herself and pressed her lips together.
She said, "Though I wasn't fated to join the Mysterious Divine Path Sect, if one day I can no longer remain a wandering cultivator... I think I'd like to, if it's possible, lower the cultivation threshold just a bit, as you said, and prioritize those of exceptional heart and spirit."
Softly, she murmured, "May the world have fewer wandering cultivators like me... who've lost their way for lack of guidance."
Chen Kuang was momentarily stunned.
Could it be... the future expansion of the Mysterious Divine Path Sect was her doing?
If so, that truly would be a blessing for many.
He continued chatting with her, exchanging insights on cultivation, explaining the proper ways to consume pills, and even gave her several elixir recipes.
Though he couldn't share the ones from the Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique, he'd collected a good number from Xi Mengquan over the years and sold them for coin.
That Xi Mengquan fellow was practically a universal genius, even self-taught in alchemy. If not for the fact that Chen Kuang had spent nearly five years under the same roof with him, he'd have suspected the man was hiding some ancient "Old Master" in his soul.
Now that was what a true Heaven's Favored One looked like!
After Lu Zhexuan took her leave and stepped out of the courtyard, she heard the sound of a zither playing behind her. The melody began bright and cheerful, then turned wistful with farewell.
She could hear the shift clearly and couldn't help but smile.
She placed her straw hat back on her head and walked toward the newly rebuilt Daoist temple she now called home.
...
In the following months, Lu Zhexuan visited Chen Kuang almost daily, seeking his insights on cultivation.
At first, she had been reserved, treating Chen Kuang as a senior expert.
But over time, she grew more relaxed, smiling more frequently. And since this place was indeed secluded enough, she eventually stopped covering her face with white gauze and straw hat.
Until one day, not long after she had broken through to Tower Ascension Second Level, on a whim, guided by a faint premonition, she picked a stalk of bamboo and fashioned a simple bamboo flute.
Thereafter, whenever Chen Kuang's zither music began to drift through the mountains, she would quietly pick up her bamboo flute and try to play along, shyly echoing his melody.
In her own eyes, her playing was crude and embarrassing, especially compared to his.
Each time his music stopped, she would flush red and hurriedly stop playing.
Raising her hand, she held the flute to her chest, feeling the slightly accelerated heartbeat beneath it, and muttered:
"How utterly shameful... if he finds out..."
What would happen if he did find out?
Lu Zhexuan didn't know.
She only knew... a small part of her wanted Chen Kuang to discover it.
These days continued, quietly and gently, for nearly a year.
And then, Lu Zhexuan successfully broke through to Tower Ascension Third Level!
For the old her, that would've been utterly unthinkable.
That day, as she sat in her temple, feeling the surging Spiritual Energy within her, she looked through the window toward the small house at the foot of the mountain and couldn't suppress her joy.
She murmured, "It's already been a year since I received instruction from Mister Tongjun... and I still haven't given him a proper gift..."
Though Chen Kuang always said it wasn't necessary, to not give anything at all would be truly disrespectful.
Having made up her mind, she thought for a moment and decided to make a rare trip to the city to purchase a worthy marvelous-grade Spiritual Treasure.
The Daoist nun put on the straw hat that had gathered dust for a year, straightened her robes, and soared into the sky in a streak of light.
There was only one major city nearby.
She had already scouted it out. It held a Baotong Trading Guild, known for its fair prices and reliable dealings.
Her savings were limited, but if she used it all, she could afford at least a "Star-ranked" Marvelous Spiritual Treasure.
But Lu Zhexuan failed to notice: the moment she stepped into the trading guild, two cultivators began watching her from afar.
One narrowed his eyes. "Physique of Celestial Allure... It's her?"
The other nodded. "Yes. Two years ago, she escaped from the clutches of that old devil from Northern Shuo, sought help from us at Jade Cloud Sect, and I happened to run into her. But just as we killed the old devil, she grew wary and slipped away."
"Never expected her to be hiding out in the western outskirts for a whole year..."