I'm quitting!

Chapter 21 To hell with your fate! Your destiny is in your own hands, not in the heavens!

Lin Xiaofan stood alone outside the sect leader's residence.

A gentle evening breeze rustled his robes. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the fiery sunset on the horizon. His figure, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, added an air of profound mystery to his appearance.

With a creak, the wooden door opened slightly.

Xianyunzi, his blue robe fluttering, slowly emerged. Upon seeing the figure on the stone steps, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. He rushed forward, bowing respectfully.

"Senior! Why have you come in person? Please come in! I have a problem that I've been struggling to solve, and I'd like to come and ask for your guidance!"

Lin Xiaofan nodded slightly, his expression calm: "Oh? Tell me about it."

Xianyunzi quickly stepped aside to make way: "Since receiving your guidance on the true meaning of 'the Way of the Cake' last time, my mind has become much clearer and my cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds. However... I've been stuck at the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage lately, and I still can't get past the threshold of the Out-of-Body stage."

He led Lin Xiaofan into the inner room, saying as they walked, "The Out-of-Body Realm emphasizes the complete fusion of the Nascent Soul and the physical body. The Nascent Soul can freely leave the body, but whenever I try to circulate my cultivation technique, a nameless fear always wells up in my heart, as if my physical body will decay and dissipate in an instant..."

At this point, he sighed deeply, "I had planned to visit you at the woodshed tomorrow, but you have come to my door in person today. It is truly fate!"

Lin Xiaofan smiled slightly, secretly delighted: This opportunity has come knocking on my door!

He coughed twice to suppress his laughter and said in a nonchalant tone, "I came here today for this very reason."

The room was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Xianyunzi respectfully served Lin Xiaofan a cup of spiritual tea, then sat cross-legged on a futon, his hands on his knees, his back straight, his eyes full of anticipation, just like a child waiting for his teacher to begin a lesson.

Lin Xiaofan took a leisurely sip of tea, then reached into his robe and pulled out a spirit wheat cake: "Take this cake."

Xianyunzi took it with both hands, turning it over and over, his brows furrowing slightly: "Senior, this..."

"Didn't you say that the Nascent Soul is afraid of leaving the body?" Lin Xiaofan raised his chin slightly and gestured towards the pancake. "Break it open."

Xianyunzi followed his instructions and slowly separated the cake with both hands. The cake split open from the middle, and several strands of gold thread were pulled apart in the gap, tough yet unbroken.

"Look at this cake, its crust is golden and crispy, while the inside is soft and chewy. The nascent soul and the physical body are the same."

Xianyunzi was taken aback upon hearing this, and stared intently at the words, seemingly lost in thought.

"If the cake is too hard, it will break easily; if it is too soft, it will lose its shape." Lin Xiaofan put the two halves of the cake back together. "The nascent soul and the physical body are about this balance of strength and gentleness... Your nascent soul is afraid of leaving your body, not because your cultivation is insufficient, but because your state of mind is unstable."

"Unstable state of mind?" Xianyunzi frowned even deeper. "I recite scriptures and meditate daily; my Daoist heart is as firm as a rock. How can you say it's unstable?"

"Hahaha--!"

Lin Xiaofan suddenly burst into laughter.

"That's not called a steadfast Dao heart, that's called rigidity and inflexibility!" He leaned forward. "Back when I was nearing the Nascent Soul stage, my nascent soul was just beginning to develop sentience, and I carried it with me every day..."

He paused deliberately.

Xianyunzi held his breath, his eyes wide open, not daring to utter a sound.

Lin Xiaofan slowly raised an eyebrow and casually uttered three words:

"Let's go buy groceries."

"……what?"

Xianyunzi was struck dumb, and the spirit wheat cake in his hand almost slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

He stood frozen in place, his face filled with disbelief—while the invisible line of Awakening Points above his head was quietly rising:

16%...17%...18%...

Lin Xiaofan saw this and was secretly pleased, but he maintained a serious expression and cleared his throat:

"In the morning, I take the Nascent Soul to the East Market to pick out fresh spiritual wheat; at noon, I detour to the West Street to try Wang Po's spiritual tofu; in the evening... I also have to go to the South of the City to watch a shadow puppet show."

He pressed his advantage, becoming more and more enthusiastic as he spoke:

"When the Nascent Soul sees the bustling world and tastes the flavors of life, it will naturally develop a longing for this mortal realm... With longing comes attachment... With attachment comes no longer fear of leaving the body... Because it knows that as long as the physical body remains, as long as the world continues, it can return at any time."

Xianyunzi was stunned, his mouth slightly agape, and after a long while, he managed to stammer, "This...this is too..."

"Too reasonable?" Lin Xiaofan raised an eyebrow and asked, "The great way is simple, why be bound by form? You have been in seclusion all day long, and your nascent soul has never seen the world, so it is naturally too dependent on the physical body... What it fears is not leaving the body, but that after leaving the body, it will not be able to find its way home."

These words, once heard, were carefully considered by Xianyunzi. The more he pondered them, the more reasonable they seemed, and his eyes gradually lit up.

However, after a brief moment of light, he hesitated and said, "What you say is very true, senior... but as the head of the Qingyun Sect, is it perhaps... inappropriate for me to openly go to the market to buy vegetables?"

"Inappropriate?" Lin Xiaofan abruptly stood up, his voice rising three octaves. "Who says a sect leader can't be down-to-earth!"

Before he finished speaking, he pulled out an air bass, gripped the strings with his fingers, and plucked them sharply—

The melody of "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Crazy" exploded, the notes transforming into golden threads that weaved and leaped amidst the wafting sandalwood incense, infusing the tranquil room with an absurdly lively atmosphere.

Xianyunzi's waist twisted uncontrollably, his old face flushed red, and he struggled to speak, "Senior...Senior! This...this is outrageous!"

"Relax!" Lin Xiaofan's fingertips frantically plucked at the air, musical notes swirling around Xianyunzi. "Don't resist, try letting your nascent soul come out for some fresh air!"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xianyunzi's forehead as he swayed more and more to the rhythm.

Sudden--

A golden light suddenly flashed from his dantian!

A chubby, illusory nascent soul slowly poked its head out.

The key point is that the little guy was holding half a spirit wheat cake in his arms, with crumbs all over his chubby cheeks.

Lin Xiaofan was taken aback, his nimble fingertips paused slightly—it really could come out?!

As the nascent soul landed, its tiny feet danced merrily on golden musical notes, and with each step, crumbs of biscuit scattered in the air.

"My nascent soul... has really left my body!" Xianyunzi was first shocked, then his face lit up with joy. He didn't even care about his involuntary twisting. His eyes were fixed on the nascent soul's every move, and his face was full of the expression of an old father watching his child walk for the first time.

Lin Xiaofan secretly felt uneasy.

The Eye of Truth unfolds—as expected, after Xianyunzi's awakening level soared to 92%, it began to stagnate.

Oops.

The sect leader's joy prevailed, completely masking his deeper emotions. While I'm happy to help him break through, I'm here to collect rebellion points!

In the blink of an eye, Lin Xiaofan began to search his mind for "stimulating points"—the various scenes of his first meeting with Xianyunzi flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

With a change of fingertips, the musical style suddenly shifts.

The melody of the "Great Compassion Mantra" is plaintive and sorrowful, pouring out boundless grief and instantly freezing the joyful atmosphere in the room into a deathly silence.

The nascent soul's dance came to an abrupt halt.

The spirit wheat cake in her arms fell to the ground with a "thud." The little guy slowly squatted down, hugged his knees with both hands, and his chubby little shoulders swayed as he began to sob.

Xianyunzi snapped out of his euphoria, his face full of confusion: "Senior...why did you suddenly change the tune?"

"What's there to be happy about?"

Lin Xiaofan hardened his expression and approached step by step: "Your Nascent Soul has emerged, but why is it holding a cake?"

Xianyunzi was taken aback: "This..."

"Because it's like you, carrying something it can't let go of!" Lin Xiaofan's voice was low and sharp. "What will you do three years from now?"

The room fell silent as soon as the words were spoken.

The smile on Xianyunzi's face faded inch by inch, and the nascent soul's eyes dimmed as well. It covered its face with its little hands, and its cries grew louder and more sorrowful.

"Why...why is it crying?" Xianyunzi's voice trembled.

"We should mourn its fate." Lin Xiaofan pointed at the curled-up little figure, "We should mourn the destiny it was born to bear."

Xianyunzi trembled violently, clutched his head in his hands, and knelt on the ground. Tears streamed through his fingers, and his voice was hoarse and broken: "I...I saw it...Senior...I saw it!"

Lin Xiaofan froze on the spot—I hadn't even started explaining yet, and you already saw it?!

"What...did you see?"

He suppressed his shock, speaking in a very soft and gentle voice, but he couldn't hide the slight tremor in the last syllable.

Xianyunzi slowly raised his head.

Tears streamed down his face, his expression was disheveled, and his eyes were filled with pain and confusion.

"I...I stood beside Shi Tiandi's corpse, my nascent soul...my nascent soul was constantly drilling into his dantian...Why? Why must I do this? Is this...fate?"

Lin Xiaofan's heart skipped a beat: Holy crap! He really saw his "script"?!

Without a second thought, Lin Xiaofan bent down, grabbed Xianyunzi's collar, and lifted him up, his eyes flashing like lightning:

"Xianyunzi! Behave yourself! Tell me, what are you?"

Xianyunzi's eyes were blank, and her lips trembled uncontrollably: "What...what am I?"

"Cultivators!"

Lin Xiaofan's voice was as loud as a bell, causing the candlelight in the room to flicker.

"Cultivators who defy the heavens! Your fate is in your own hands, not in the heavens. Immortality and freedom are our destiny! As for fate..."

He gave a cold laugh.

"I utterly despise it!"

Xianyunzi's pupils dilated violently, and he murmured repeatedly, his voice growing louder: "Defying the heavens... achieving immortality and freedom... Defying the heavens... achieving immortality and freedom..."

Right now—

The nascent soul that had been crying incessantly on the ground suddenly floated up.

Its body was filled with golden light, and six "big cakes" slowly rotated behind it, surrounded by radiance and a magnificent sight.

Lin Xiaofan squinted to examine it closely, and the next moment, his heart clenched.

That wasn't some big pie at all, but rather the complete manifestation of Xianyunzi's own six realms of reincarnation!

Hiss... What's going on now?

The nascent soul stopped crying, its small face still wet with tears, but its expression was now completely calm. It transformed into a dazzling golden light and entered Xianyunzi's dantian.

The confusion in Xianyunzi's eyes faded away, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and determination.

He slowly sat cross-legged, his hands forming a mudra, his true essence surging, and the aura of his nascent soul and physical body perfectly merging. A cocoon of light bloomed from the inside out, enveloping his entire body and suspending him in mid-air.

Lin Xiaofan stood to the side, his lips twitching slightly.

Hey, hey... Last time it was Dan Xuanzi breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, and this time it's Xian Yunzi breaking through to the Out-of-Body stage? What am I even here for...?

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the cocoon of light and filling the entire room with a mysterious atmosphere.

Lin Xiaofan silently put away his air bass and tiptoed to a corner, watching the sect leader under his "guidance"...

To walk the right path...?

[Rebelliousness Value +300]