Chapter 30: Is there really a celestial maiden descending to the mortal realm?

"First, bow to heaven and earth?!"

Chen Yi tilted his head to look at Lin Xueru’s blank eyes and her face full of curiosity, but ultimately dared not utter the words "wedding ceremony." It wasn't that he was afraid of corrupting the little girl, but he worried that if she found out what it meant, she would be too embarrassed to lift her head. More importantly, a superficial explanation would be worse than none at all. He knew very well that there were people so obsessed with the subject that they could write hundreds of thousands of words just on the procedure of the ritual—though most of it consisted of meaningless filler.

Aside from Lin Xueru, who had experienced a wedding ceremony at such a tender age, the other children had also undergone quite spectacular experiences under the influence of the "Nightmare Realm Technique."

Take Du Yanqing, for example; he dreamt that he had successfully taken charge of the Prince of Zhenbei’s estate, commanding thousands of troops to march north and annihilate demons. It is worth mentioning that he claimed that in his dream, Chen Yi had not only inherited the title of Marquis of Wu'an but was also leading the Wu'an Army under his command.

After hearing this, Chen Yi chuckled. If it weren't for the fact that the Princess of Zhenbei frequently visited their manor, he would have taught the young heir a lesson about "those below defying those above."

Du Yan’s dream was much simpler. It could be summarized in four things: eating, practicing martial arts, disciplining her older brother Du Yanqing, and sleeping. Chen Yi had initially thought her dream was plain and unpretentious—though Du Yanqing certainly did not think so. However, he hadn't expected the little fatty Wang Yongnian’s dream life to be even purer: it consisted only of eating and sleeping. What was more exaggerated was that he had eaten three thousand three hundred and thirty-three meals and slept for over a thousand days and nights in his dream alone. Yet, seeing the lingering sense of unfulfillment on his face, Chen Yi and the others could only sigh at his "pig-like existence."

And so, the "Xingwu Academy" got off to a rather novel start.

However, as the saying goes, "In a large forest, you will find all sorts of birds." That afternoon, after lunch in Qingzheng Hall, the Twelfth Prince, Wei Letian, brought the descendants of the Prince of Zhennan—led by Gongye Shou—to challenge Gu Tiangang. At first, he wanted to drag Du Yanqing and the others along, but with a signal from Du Yan’s eyes, Du Yanqing "solemnly" refused. Wei Letian retreated in defeat and immediately joined forces with the Thirteenth Princess, Wei Xiaoyun, to declare that they would never play with them again.

Chen Yi didn't care; he only wanted to watch the show. The result was predictable: for three-year-old children to try and cause trouble for Gu Tiangang was truly "striking a stone with an egg." Gu Tiangang didn't even need to invoke the "Imperial" authority mentioned by Liu Gao; with a casual wave, he left Wei Letian and the others hanging upside down in mid-air, wailing loudly. If it weren't for the timely arrival of the Emperor’s decree, they might still be hanging there in Qingzheng Hall.

From then on, all the children behaved themselves. But what Chen Yi didn't expect was that for five consecutive days, Gu Tiangang would simply cast the "Nightmare Realm Technique," distribute Spirit-Nurturing Pills, and then make everyone practice their cultivation methods. Although this allowed Chen Yi to receive two Spirit-Nurturing Pills each time and gain quite a few "Counter-Attack Points," this "Xingwu Academy," personally commissioned by the Emperor, seemed far removed from the high standards he had anticipated.

Even Wang Yongnian, who only cared about eating and sleeping, had an epiphany after experiencing his fifth "pig life."

"Brother Yi, if this goes on, I’m going to throw up from all the eating." Wang Yongnian’s small face was scrunched up, and he rubbed his hollow stomach, aggrieved. "Last night, I even skipped a meal of braised pork..."

"That’s right, Brother Yi." Du Yanqing also let his head droop. "Those demon armies are truly boring. As soon as your Wu'an Army flag appears, they get scared off for hundreds of miles."

"Why don't I find it boring?" Du Yan glanced at them sideways and lifted her chin. "The fifth time, I successfully broke my brother’s leg..."

"Shut up!" Du Yanqing glared at her. But after only two seconds, he drooped his head again under her "milk-fierce" gaze, muttering that beating someone in a dream didn't count for anything.

Seeing this, Lin Xueru gently tugged at Chen Yi’s sleeve and whispered, "Brother Yi, why don't you think of a way?"

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. "Even you can't stand it?" He knew that Lin Xueru had been the least affected by the dreams these past few days. From the "bowing to heaven and earth" on the first day to the "entering the bridal chamber" on the fifth, the progress was nothing if not swift.

"In the dream... the way those people look at us is so strange," Lin Xueru’s face flushed red. "It’s like they want to eavesdrop outside..."

Eavesdropping? Chen Yi suddenly understood. He pondered for a moment and nodded. "I’ll go talk to the teacher."

Upon hearing this, the four children, including Du Yanqing, were all startled. Even the nearby children of the civil officials and the Prince of Zhennan’s faction looked at him expectantly. Even the Twelfth Prince, Wei Letian, and the Thirteenth Princess, Wei Xiaoyun, tilted their heads slightly, paying attention to his movements. Over the past few days, as the number of times they experienced the "Nightmare Realm Technique" increased, the other children had vaguely sensed that something was off about Chen Yi. Especially after one incident where Gongye Shou woke up early and caught Chen Yi taking an extra Spirit-Nurturing Pill before joining the others to receive a second one. These children all began to realize his abnormality and speculated whether he had a close relationship with the teacher. Now was the time to test the truth!

Chen Yi ignored their gazes. While there was still time before the cultivation practice began, he walked up to Gu Tiangang, whispered something quietly, and returned to his seat.

"That’s it?" Not just Wei Letian and Gongye Shou, but even Du Yanqing and the others couldn't help but ask him. "Did the teacher agree?"

"Of course." Chen Yi nodded confidently. He didn't believe that Gu Tiangang would lie about his own word. In fact, he hadn't even finished speaking when a voice reached his ears via sound transmission—it must have been a sound transmission:

"Do not make a fuss. A new teacher will arrive tomorrow."

With that, Chen Yi understood. This Deputy Sect Master of the Taixu Dao Sect, a grand cultivator of the second-grade Spirit Wandering Realm, truly didn't know what to teach them. But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. A person of such formidable strength would usually teach disciples who were at least eighth-grade or higher; it was no surprise that he struggled to teach disciples who were only ninth-grade in the Mortal Realm.

...

The next day.

Chen Yi and the others had just arrived at Qingzheng Hall and sat down, waiting for Gu Tiangang to appear.

"Brother Yi, is it today?" Du Yanqing couldn't help but ask in a low voice. In five days, he had gone through thousands of battles and won every single one; he was truly fed up.

"Should be." Chen Yi feigned mystery. He had no idea when the teacher Gu Tiangang had found would arrive.

"I hope it’s not the 'Nightmare Realm Technique' again. I’m going to puke." Wang Yongnian had only sat for a moment before slumping over his desk, lamenting that he hadn't eaten dinner last night.

This behavior seemed contagious, and the other children began to complain in a similar fashion. However, soon, a light sound of footsteps approached. These noble children, whose strength had generally reached the middle stage of the Mortal Realm, instantly sat up straight, their small faces tense. Clearly, the lingering awe of the old Daoist Gu remained.

While Chen Yi was secretly amused, his gaze turned toward the door, muttering to himself. The footsteps didn't sound right; it didn't sound like Gu Tiangang... Could it really be a new teacher?

Soon, a graceful silhouette appeared at the doorway, and an ethereal, slightly cold voice echoed through Qingzheng Hall.

"My name is Ning Xue. Entrusted by my master, I have come to instruct you!"

Bathed in the halo cast by the sunlight, Chen Yi stared at her, stunned. At this moment, only one thought crossed his mind:

I never expected the portraits in "The Ten Great Immortal Maidens of the Dao Sect" to be real! Is there really an immortal descending to the mortal world?