I'm quitting!

Chapter 38 I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon needed to catch up on her less

Inside the Qingyun Sect's Sutra Repository, the lingering fragrance of aged ink permeates the air, and a faint glow flickers in the light.

As soon as Lin Xiaofan stepped across the threshold, a slender figure swept up to him.

The young man bowed deeply, his respect evident in his voice: "Elder Lin! You've arrived!"

The visitor was none other than Wu Dao.

Since the day Lin Xiaofan enlightened him, the boy's gaze towards him quietly changed from "respect for teachers and elders" to "appreciation of the Way of Life".

"No need for formalities... I'm just looking up some books, you can go about your business." Lin Xiaofan waved his hand gently and walked straight into the medical book section.

Mi Lanfang, the master of Baihua Valley, will soon be visiting with her heartbroken daughter for treatment, so he needs to prepare some "homework" in advance.

After poring over dozens of medical classics, Lin Xiaofan finally found a key point in the fragments of "The Spiritual Pivot of Herbs"—wood-type spiritual plants have roots connected to the earth's veins and leaves that absorb pure spiritual energy. If one uses the original wood energy to nourish the spirit and soul, one can soothe the restlessness of inner demons.

"Wood's warmth nourishes the spirit and soul..." Lin Xiaofan silently memorized.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, Lao Xian's voice leisurely rose: "So, after all this time, Boss, your agreement with Valley Master Mi was something you just learned on the spot?"

Lin Xiaofan retorted inwardly, "How could I be so hasty? As a mother, she has placed all her hopes for saving her daughter on me. How could I dare to be ambiguous?"

Oh? Does the boss have any plans?

"I originally planned to treat him with the 'Awakening Bell,' but plans don't always go as expected, and the rebellion points were depleted too quickly. If we can resolve this matter without having to exchange for it, that would be the best outcome."

So you came here to dig through old documents?

"Not only for this, but also for that child." Lin Xiaofan closed the medical book and turned his gaze to Wu Dao, who was engrossed in studying talismans at the long table.

At this moment, Wu Dao was holding a talisman brush in front of him, his brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes, spiritual energy flowing from the tip of the brush. Although Lin Xiaofan was not familiar with the way of talismans, his spiritual sense had been enhanced, and he could see the exquisite patterns under Wu Dao's brush even more clearly.

Unfortunately, as he finished writing, Wu Dao frowned and sighed in frustration, "I've failed again... How can I simplify this 'Fire Gathering Talisman'?"

He subconsciously looked up and his eyes met Lin Xiaofan's.

"Elder Lin! I benefited greatly from your guidance last time. However, I am of dull aptitude and have now encountered a bottleneck. I humbly request that you enlighten me again."

Do you need further guidance?

Lin Xiaofan steeled himself and approached, his gaze falling on the table, but he couldn't help but be taken aback.

The talismans displayed on the table this time were several times simpler than those seen last time. The lines were no longer intricately piled up, but instead exuded a simple and unadorned beauty. Even he, a layman, could glean some understanding of their significance.

"This is... your own creation and improvement?" Lin Xiaofan asked with slight surprise.

Wu Dao nodded, his ears turning red: "This disciple felt that the traditional talismans consumed too much true energy, so I tried to simplify the circuit..."

"Good lad!" Lin Xiaofan exclaimed, sincerely praising, "Your talent in the art of talismans is truly extraordinary, able to simplify the complex and break conventions to create something new."

Hearing such high praise, Wu Dao became even more shy, but the light in his eyes grew firmer and firmer.

He took a deep breath and softened his voice: "Elder, I come from a remote mountain village. It was only thanks to the Qingyun Sect's support that I was able to enter the immortal realm. I still have a younger brother who has no chance to cultivate and an elderly and frail mother at home... I do not regret this choice, and I know that there will eventually come a day when we are separated between the mortal and immortal realms, but I cannot let go of them in my heart."

He paused, then pointed to the talismans on the table: "Therefore, I have come to wonder—could some of these talismans be improved so that ordinary people can also use them? For example, 'Fire Gathering Talismans' and 'Water Purification Talismans' that can be activated without requiring true energy. In this way, the hardship of housework may be reduced, and if it can be promoted, it may even benefit more poor families in the world."

Lin Xiaofan listened and remained silent for a moment.

Looking at the young man before him, who cared deeply for the common people and his loved ones, he smiled slightly and said with satisfaction, "Good boy... You have chosen an extremely difficult path, but it is also an unprecedented feat."

After saying that, he secretly opened the Cross-Veku and spent 100 points of Rebellion Points to exchange for a brand new storage bag.

With a slight thought, he took half of the spirit stones given to him by Dan Xuanzi and put them into his bag, handing the rest to Wu Dao.

Wu Dao was stunned, taking half a step back, his voice trembling slightly: "Elder... what does this mean?"

"How can a kid doing R&D lack 'supplies'?" Lin Xiaofan said in a relaxed tone. "Take it, consider it an investment in your 'great undertaking'."

Wu Dao waved his hands repeatedly, his cheeks flushed with urgency: "It's too precious! This disciple dares not accept it—improving talismans is a personal wish of mine, how could I dare let the elder spend so much money..."

Seeing his refusal, Lin Xiaofan assumed he was unwilling to accept favors. She then suppressed her smile and became serious: "This is not charity, but 'venture capital'."

"Your individual strength is ultimately limited, and improving talismans requires a massive amount of materials and repeated trial and error. If you truly aspire to benefit the world, you shouldn't give up at the very beginning. Besides, since the Qingyun Sect has accepted you, they won't let you fight alone. I'll accept you—consider it a loan. Once your research is successful and benefits mortals, you can repay me with interest."

These words were reasonable and persuasive, each word like a hammer blow, shattering the last trace of doubt in Wu Dao's heart.

The boy stood there, stunned, his mind replaying the concepts of "benefiting all under heaven" and "fighting alone." He felt a surge of passion rush to his head, and the mental block that had troubled him for so long suddenly cleared up at that moment.

"Disciple...I have learned so much!" Wu Dao's hands trembled slightly as he accepted the storage bag, his eyes reddening. He solemnly kowtowed, "Disciple will certainly live up to Elder's high expectations!"

[Rebelliousness Value +300]

Looking at the notification that appeared before him, Lin Xiaofan was secretly surprised: Oh? Awakened? It really was an unexpected stroke of luck.

"Alright, get up." Lin Xiaofan helped him up, patted his shoulder, and encouraged him, "Go for it, I have faith in you... If you encounter any problems you can't solve, come find me at the back of the mountain anytime."

After saying this, he turned and leisurely left the library.

However, after taking only a few steps—

Did I speak too definitively? If he really does come to the back mountain, the one who will be troubled by the "guidance"... won't it be me?

Hiss... I got carried away with my passion and dug myself a hole.

That's fine. Things will work themselves out; if not, I'll just take a car.

Lin Xiaofan walked along the mountain path toward the Star Gazing Cliff, intending to find out about Su Qingxue's recent cultivation progress.

Halfway there, the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end.

Someone is watching.

The feeling was like thorns on the back, extremely subtle and hidden, yet wrapped in a sticky, locking sensation.

Could it be the Script Management Bureau?

Lin Xiaofan's expression remained unchanged, but the shadow beneath his feet twisted mysteriously in a blind spot of sunlight. The ground rider silently detached the "array" from the shadow, merging into the surrounding tree shadows, and probed in the opposite direction.

Three breaths later, feedback from the "array" entered his sea of ​​consciousness: there was no aura of decaying stars, but instead a familiar, slightly rapid fluctuation of wood-elemental true essence.

Lin Xiaofan sighed softly and stopped: "Come out, stop hiding—if you keep hiding, you'll tear the leaves off the trees."

A rustling sound came from the bushes behind her, and Shan Ling'er peeked out, two innocent, withered leaves still clutched between her fingers. She blinked her bright, watery eyes and strode forward confidently: "Senior Brother's senses are still so sharp!"

"You little brat... tell me, why are you following me?"

Dan Ling'er lightly touched her lower lip with her fingertip: "Hmm... worried that Senior Brother might get bored traveling alone?"

"So boring that my junior sister followed me the whole way?" Lin Xiaofan smiled bitterly and shook his head helplessly.

"And what about Senior Brother? It's the middle of the day, he can't be out for a stroll, can he?" Shan Ling'er twisted her fingers and moved a little closer.

"Go to Stargazing Cliff and find out about Senior Sister Su's cultivation progress."

Dan Ling'er's ears twitched, keenly catching the key words. Her previously innocent eyes instantly turned wary: "Stargazing Cliff? Looking for Senior Sister Su? Senior Brother, take me with you! I promise I'll behave and won't disturb your 'cultivation'!"

She emphasized the word "spiritual practice" with extra force.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, Old Salty writhed excitedly: 【Take her with you! Take her with you! A battleground! A battleground! Let's eat sunflower seeds! Let's eat sunflower seeds!】

"If you keep causing trouble, I'll have Maqiu put you in solitary confinement."

His mind fell silent instantly.

Looking at Shan Ling'er's expectant expression that seemed to say, "If you refuse me, I'll explode," Lin Xiaofan could only rub his temples and say, "Alright, alright, keep up, don't fall behind."

On the Star Gazing Cliff, a spiritual spring flows around the wall, and wind chimes tinkle softly.

Su Qingxue sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff, her body surrounded by a misty aura of coldness. A phantom of a blue lotus bloomed in her dantian, and strands of icy blue true essence were constantly being purified and refined.

Hearing footsteps, Su Qingxue slowly finished her practice and opened her eyes.

Upon seeing Lin Xiaofan, a soft light flashed across his clear, cold eyes. However, when his gaze swept over Shan Ling'er behind him, the soft light froze, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop by two degrees.

"Junior Brother Lin, Junior Sister Shan." Su Qingxue stood up, her tone indifferent, but her eyes made no attempt to conceal her territorial intent.

"Hello, Senior Sister Su!" Shan Ling'er smiled sweetly and pressed herself against Lin Xiaofan's side without backing down, almost trying to take his arm.

Lin Xiaofan was caught in the middle, his left side feeling as if he were standing on an iceberg, and his right side as if he were near a furnace. He quickly changed the subject: "Senior Sister's aura is restrained and steady. She has completely stabilized her early stage of the Fusion Realm."

Su Qingxue nodded slightly, about to speak, when Shan Ling'er grabbed Lin Xiaofan's sleeve, tilting her head up: "Senior Brother! You've been so good at guiding Senior Sister Su, could you give me some pointers too? I'm at the late stage of the Revolving Illumination Realm, and I've been stuck at a bottleneck for so long!"

Lin Xiaofan looked troubled: "Junior sister, it's not that your senior brother is unwilling—your cultivation is the wood path, which is not compatible with my specialty. If I give you random guidance, there is a risk of you going astray in your cultivation."

"It's okay, senior brother, I'm not afraid!" Shan Ling'er held on tightly.

Lin Xiaofan was about to refuse, but Su Qingxue spoke up calmly: "Junior Brother Lin, there's no need to be so modest... You once said, 'The Great Dao is simple, and all methods share the same origin,' and even the Sect Leader and Elder Dan Xuanzi highly praise you. Guiding a Wood Dao cultivator in the Revolving Illumination stage should be a piece of cake for you."

This compliment made Lin Xiaofan's scalp tingle.

Su Qingxue wasn't praising him at all; she was clearly deliberately putting him on the hot seat.

[Oh ho, what's Su Qingxue up to? Why is she trying to push you next to her love rival?]

Lin Xiaofan ignored Lao Xian's ramblings, his mind racing.

Kido...?

He suddenly recalled a line from the "Hundred Herbs Spiritual Pivot" in the library: "Wood-based spiritual plants, roots connected to the earth's veins, leaves absorbing pure spirit."

Let's be on the safe side... let's test the waters first.

Lin Xiaofan cleared his throat: "Junior Sister, since you cultivate the Wood Path, do you always feel that your true energy flows sluggishly through your meridians, as if you are walking in mud?"

Dan Ling'er nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly how it feels!"

Lin Xiaofan breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Try it, but don't treat the wood-elemental true essence as an inanimate object."

"Not a dead thing?" Shan Ling'er tilted her head.

"Wood represents growth and development. You should see yourself as a tree—the veins are the roots, and the essence is the moisture in the soil. If you want the moisture to rise, you must rely on the roots to penetrate and the leaves to transpire, following the natural flow."

Dan Ling'er listened with rapt attention.

Don't misunderstand, she didn't understand, but felt that the words coming from Lin Xiaofan's mouth were particularly seductive.

Boom——

"Ouch!"

Su Qingxue lightly flicked Shan Ling'er's forehead with her middle finger, causing the latter to cry out in pain.

"Ling'er, don't forget our promise, and don't hold him back," Su Qingxue whispered in his ear.

"Hmm... I know which is more important."

Dan Ling'er rubbed her forehead and immediately sat cross-legged. Following Lin Xiaofan's advice, she abandoned the forced restraint of her true essence and instead used her spiritual sense to "feel" the natural rhythm of her meridians.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a faint green light emanated from Shan Ling'er's body, and her aura actually rose steadily, showing signs of breaking through to the Great Perfection of the Revolving Illumination Realm!

Su Qingxue chuckled and turned to look at Lin Xiaofan: "As expected of the title 'Master,' you are truly proficient in everything."

"Ha...you flatter me..." Lin Xiaofan chuckled dryly.

Or... should I just open a tutoring center...?