Chapter 218: A Lot of Thoughts

[Monthly Summary: You were mentioned less than ten times in your diary this month. You receive a guaranteed one-month increase in Internal Qi cultivation, and the diary owner's favorability towards you is 30. No additional bonuses are awarded. Ultimately, you receive one month's worth of Internal Qi cultivation.]

Qin Mengyao felt a surge of zhenqi within her, pushing her cultivation up a fraction. She then broke through the bottleneck of the seventh level of the Grandmaster Realm and became an eighth-level Grandmaster.

She stared at the diary in astonishment. She hadn't expected it to have such miraculous powers.

The diary could reward her, the reader, and automatically create a new entry. Qin Mengyao felt that this diary was more than just a simple journal; perhaps it was a legendary artifact.

She tried to damage it, but found that no matter what she did, whether it was slashing with a sword, immersing in water, or burning it, it couldn't be damaged.

"Perhaps this diary is the reason Pang Ban has targeted that person. This diary has miraculous powers, and it must not fall into Pang Ban's hands." Qin Mengyao pondered this, and her desire to find the diary's author grew even stronger.

She had to stop her senior sister, Jin Bingyun, whom she had never met. She couldn't let her sister aid and abet the evil.

After making this decision, Qin Mengyao looked at the diary's owner's favorability rating: 30 points. Qin

Mengyao felt that this was not a low rating.

After all, the diary's author had openly stated his dislike for Cihang Jingzhai, not to mention that her senior sister, Jin Bingyun, had willingly become Pang Ban's pawn in his schemes. Given this, Qin Mengyao felt that the person still had a 30-point favorability rating, suggesting they must be a decent person. In

reality, Ye Xiu's favorability rating for Qin Mengyao was only 30 points because he wasn't very familiar with the work "Overturning Rain."

Before crossing over, Ye Xiu had only read the original novel for Return of the Rain once, and the film and television adaptations didn't seem very popular. Ye Xiu's knowledge of Return of the Rain wasn't extensive, and he'd even forgotten much of it.

At most, he only knew characters like Pang Ban, Jin Bingyun, Lang Fanyun, Jin Bingyun, and Han Bai, and had a general understanding of the plot.

Unlike Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty, he'd read the original novel, watched the TV series, and even read a fair amount of Twin Dragons

fan fiction. This was due to the series' inherent lack of popularity. Because he wasn't as familiar with characters like Qin Mengyao in Return of the Rain, his favorability rating was only 30 points, far less than Wanwan and Shi Feixuan.

In reality, Qin Mengyao was a more accomplished descendant of the Cihang Jingzhai sect

than Shi Feixuan. Her aptitude was even superior.

In Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty, Shi Feixuan only managed to cultivate the Cihang Sword Canon to the realm of swordsmanship, while Qin Mengyao mastered it to the final stage.

Regardless of the magnitude of Qin Mengyao's adventures, she ultimately reached the realm achieved by Di Ni, the founder of Cihang Jingzhai. She was arguably the greatest figure under Di Ni, perhaps even rivaling him.

Unfortunately, during Qin Mengyao's time, with the presence of Pang Ban and Lang Fanyun, two Void Shatterers, and Han Bai, a consummate cheat, Qin Mengyao's aura faded considerably.

After making this decision, Qin Mengyao decided to report everything to her master, Yan Jing'an, including the diary.

However, Qin Mengyao didn't know that when she decided to approach her master with the diary, her master, Yan Jing'an, also had a diary in hand. Ye Xiu had mentioned Yan Jing'an in his diary, though only casually, stating that he was Jin Bingyun's master.

[Monthly Summary: If you were mentioned less than ten times in your diary this month, you will receive a guaranteed monthly internal cultivation reward. The diary owner's favorability towards you is 20, so you will only receive half of the reward. Ultimately, you received fifteen days of internal cultivation reward.]

Yan Jing'an was equally surprised to notice an additional surge of zhenqi within her. She even carefully examined her condition, but found no changes, aside from the fifteen days of zhenqi within her. Of

course, although Yan Jing'an's cultivation reached the ninth level of the Grandmaster Realm, she was not, like Zhu Yuyan, a Half-Step Grandmaster. Therefore, the fifteen days of zhenqi had not allowed her to achieve any breakthroughs. Her cultivation remained at the ninth level of the Grandmaster Realm. It could be said that her strength had not changed at all.

Unable to find anything, Yan Jing'an frowned as she stared at the diary. She had already studied the diary she had obtained yesterday, but had not gained anything. Today's diary even offered a reward, which made Yan Jing'an even more curious about the diary, but also more cautious.

In particular, the diary's author seemed to have little regard for Cihang Jingzhai, which made Yan Jing'an even more wary.

Was this some kind of conspiracy?

After all, Jin Bingyun had followed Pang Ban's orders to plot against the enemy, intending to use him as Pang Ban's cauldron. It was only natural that the enemy would vent their anger on Cihang Jingzhai because of Jin Bingyun.

However, Yan Jing'an was now determined to stop Pang Ban. She must not let his plan succeed. She absolutely could not allow Ye Xiu to become Pang Ban's cauldron.

As a celestial being, Pang Ban was already putting Cihang Jingzhai under considerable pressure.

If it weren't for Zhang Sanfeng, a fellow celestial being in the Mongol Yuan Dynasty who could rival and contain Pang Ban, perhaps the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and even the Ming Dynasty's martial arts world would have been dominated by Pang Ban.

Furthermore, Pang Ban represented more than just himself; he also represented the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and its imperial court.

If Pang Ban achieved perfection in the Dao Heart Demon Cultivation Technique, and if Master Zhang Sanfeng could no longer contain him, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for both the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Yan Jing'an absolutely would not allow Ye Xiu to become Pang Ban's cauldron.

She would have Jin Bingyun stopped, preventing Pang Ban from using Jin Bingyun to plant the demon seed in Ye Xiu's body.

Especially when Yan Jing'an thought about the fact that Jin Bingyun was her disciple, and that she had personally sent Jin Bingyun to Pang Ban, she couldn't help but smile bitterly.

She wasn't surprised at all that Jin Bingyun would fall in love with Pang Ban.

After all, hadn't she, Yan Jing'an, also fallen for Pang Ban? Fearing she would fall deeper into love, she withdrew early and distanced herself from Pang Ban. Over the years, she had barely managed to break through that barrier. But Jin Bingyun, having been by Pang Ban's side for so many years, with no way to leave, falling for him was perfectly natural.

Yan Jing'an even felt that Jin Bingyun had suffered in her place.

Therefore, Yan Jing'an's feelings towards Jin Bingyun were truly complicated.

...

"Master! Disciple Qin Mengyao has something to report." Qin Mengyao's gentle yet compassionate voice echoed from outside the door.

"Come in." Yan Jing'an heard Qin Mengyao's voice and felt a little strange. He wondered why Qin Mengyao came to see him at this time.

"Master." Qin Mengyao pushed the door open and walked in, holding a diary in her hand.

"Huh?" Yan Jing'an saw the diary in Qin Mengyao's hand and couldn't help but show a little surprise.

Qin Mengyao also saw the diary Yan Jing'an had placed on the table, and she too was puzzled.

"Mengyao, what are you holding—"

"Master, this is a diary I stumbled upon. But the one on your table—"

Yan Jing'an took a deep breath. "What I hold is also a diary, and it's no ordinary diary."

Yan Jing'an and Qin Mengyao suddenly realized that perhaps there wasn't just one diary containing this artifact.

"Mengyao, you must find the person who wrote it. Stay close to them, because we don't know how many others might have obtained it. Especially since this diary can actually increase others' cultivation. If it falls into the hands of someone like Pang Ban, it would be extremely dangerous for the entire martial arts world, and indeed, for the entire world." Yan Jing'an looked at Qin Mengyao with a serious expression.

"Yes, Master!" Qin Mengyao nodded. She had always wanted to find the person who wrote the diary.

"Mengyao, if, if things truly become so dire that they're out of control, then kill him!" Yan Jing'an's eyes were cold, his tone resolute.

Yan Jing'an was completely unreliable. If she killed Ye Xiu, would she miss out on opportunities? Even if she never reached Grandmaster status, it wouldn't matter.

Speaking of which, the Cihang Jingzhai of the Ming Dynasty and the Cihang Jingzhai of the Sui Dynasty, while both Cihang Jingzhai, differed significantly.

The Ming Dynasty's Cihang Jingzhai devoted itself to maintaining stability within the martial arts world, and even within the nation, even though the state offered them no special favors or treatment.

Meanwhile, the Sui Dynasty's Cihang Jingzhai, intent on controlling the Sui Dynasty, would target it if it showed any signs of overcoming its control, even going so far as to overthrow the dynasty.

Of course, this difference between the two could be attributed to the Ming Dynasty's preoccupation with their enemy, Pang Ban. Under Pang Ban's pressure, they were forced to focus on dealing with him.

Meanwhile, Cihang Jingzhai of the Great Sui Dynasty had eliminated all threats. They even possessed Ning Daoqi, the most powerful Grandmaster in the Great Sui Dynasty, leading to their own arrogance.

"Kill him?" Qin Mengyao was stunned.

"Yes. This diary is truly amazing. It can actually increase a person's cultivation out of thin air. It's fine for you and me to obtain this diary, but if Pang Ban obtained it, he wouldn't even need to cultivate the Dao Heart Demon Cultivation Technique to perfection to achieve a breakthrough and become a land-based immortal. Imagine if Pang Ban became a land-based immortal. I'm afraid no one in the entire world would be able to stop him. That would be an absolutely terrifying thing." Yan Jing'an's expression grew increasingly serious and heavy.

"Yes, Master, I understand." Qin Mengyao nodded. She understood her master Yan Jing'an's thoughts.

"Mengyao, killing him is the ultimate solution. As the diary records, he has many powerful women around him. Despite your extraordinary talent, it's nearly impossible to kill him under the protection of two great masters, Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue. Therefore, you need to approach them and gain their trust, and to do so, you'll need to sacrifice yourself. Mengyao, you are my Cihang Jingzhai's most outstanding disciple. If there were no other way, I wouldn't want you to do this. However, for the safety of the martial arts world, for the safety of the world..." Yan Jing'an couldn't continue.

She had sent her own disciple, Jin Bingyun, to the magician Pangban in the past, and now she was going to do the same, sending Qin Mengyao to the person who wrote the diary.

These two most outstanding disciples, those who could have inherited Cihang Jingzhai and even furthered its glory, were being sent away in this way.

Yan Jing'an felt torn, but she had no choice.

"Master, I understand." Qin Mengyao had no objection to Yan Jing'an's arrangement, as it had been her upbringing. Furthermore, her mind had already reached the state of clear swordsmanship, making her indifferent to many things.

"Mengyao, I know this diary is crucial to you. Perhaps you could even use it to become a celestial being—but Pang Ban is simply too powerful. We can only stop him. If you can stop Pang Ban without killing the diary writer, then I will allow you to do it, even if it means attacking Jin Bingyun—" Yan Jing'an spoke these words with a touch of heartache.

Ultimately, Yan Jing'an harbored a selfish motive.

She longed for Qin Mengyao to become stronger, perhaps even achieve a breakthrough and become a celestial being. A celestial being was incredibly important to Cihang Jingzhai. As for

killing the diary writer, Yan Jing'an considered it only a last resort. If there were other options, she would have preferred the writer survive.

To this end, Yan Jing'an even considered sacrificing his disciple, Jin Bingyun.

Yan Jing'an also chose to see his own disciples killing each other, a tragic act.

It must be said that the inner drama between Yan Jing'an and Qin Mengyao, the master and disciple, was truly remarkable, capable of thinking so much and so far ahead.

...

"Master, I have mastered the Mingyu Gong." Zhou Zhiruo said to Lianxing with a delighted look on her face.

"Yes, that's good. But this is just a shortcut. On a normal day, you still need to calm down and practice seriously." Lianxing nodded and gave Zhou Zhiruo serious instructions.

"Yes, Zhiruo understands." Zhou Zhiruo nodded vigorously.

Looking at Zhou Zhiruo's well-behaved face, Lianxing sighed inwardly.

She gave Zhou Zhiruo these instructions, hoping that she would calm down and practice seriously. But in reality, she, Lianxing, couldn't do it.

Because her own hard work in practice was no match for the benefits that Ye Xiu gained from simply writing a few words in his diary.

Lianxing practiced diligently for a month, but at most, her internal strength increased by one month.

But as long as Ye Xiu's favorability improved, and he mentioned her name a few more times in the diary, she could easily gain several years of internal cultivation.

This was far easier than her painstaking training, and not only was it easier, the results far surpassed those of diligent practice.

Lian Xing barely felt like practicing on her own anymore, but thankfully her willpower remained strong enough to keep her from giving up her daily practice.

But could Zhou Zhiruo, at such a young age, resist the temptation of such easy power gains?

Lian Xing suddenly felt that accepting a diary holder like Zhou Zhiruo as a disciple might not be such a good idea.

She didn't want her disciple to become a useless person, relying on Ye Xiu for her internal cultivation and nothing else.

In Lian Xing's eyes, the young women around Ye Xiu, such as Huang Rong, Qu Feiyan, and Yue Lingshan, were practically useless.

They seemed to have almost completely given up on their own practice, passively waiting for the rewards from the diary. They lacked the discipline and willpower to cultivate on their own. They were truly no different from useless people.

In reality, Lianxing admired Jiang Yuyan more.

As Ye Xiu's maid, Jiang Yuyan could easily gain his favor. Although her sister Lianxing and Dongfang Bubai's protection prevented Jiang Yuyan's favorability from increasing further after reaching a certain limit,

Jiang Yuyan still received a considerable amount of rewards each month.

But even though Jiang Yuyan received many rewards, she still maintained her diligent daily training.

Even when Jiang Yuyan was in Yihua Palace, Lianxing had seen Jiang Yuyan practicing until she was exhausted more than once.

Lianxing felt that even if Jiang Yuyan hadn't received the diary, she was destined to become a strong person. This was

because Jiang Yuyan was diligent enough and was also very hard on herself.

Lianxing glanced at Zhou Zhiruo again, her expression becoming more serious.

She decided that she would have to be strict with Zhou Zhiruo in the future. Although she didn't need to worry too much about her internal strength, she would need to be strict with her in terms of moves, combat experience, etc., and she would also find ways to hone Zhou Zhiruo's will and strive to make sure that Zhou Zhiruo had no flaws or shortcomings.

This was what she, as a master, should do.

Zhou Zhiruo looked at Lianxing, whose eyes gradually became stern, and subconsciously felt a chill in her heart. She instinctively had a bad premonition.

"Zhiruo, since you have mastered the Mingyu Gong, you should not ride in a carriage when you are traveling. You should run on your own two legs. And, unless I tell you to stop, you must not stop even if your legs break." Lian Xing said to Zhou Zhiruo in a cold tone.

Zhou Zhiruo shuddered subconsciously, but Lian Xing's cold face forced her to nod: "Yes, Master!"