The Head of the Clan: Young People Should Communicate More

Xiao Ruobai was immersed in the profound mysteries of the Shadow-Treading Steps when he suddenly sensed a familiar aura coming from the foot of the mountain. His footsteps paused subconsciously.

Recalling his master's usual instructions to keep a low profile, his mind stirred, and he quietly circulated the "Cannot See Through Me" technique taught by Gu Changge.

The surging late Foundation Establishment spiritual energy in his body retracted like the ebbing tide, and his roaming battle aura also withdrew deep into his meridians.

His surging vitality condensed within his internal organs, not revealing the slightest bit of sharpness.

In merely an instant, the aura around him plummeted, steadily stopping at the first level of the Body Refining realm.

He looked no different from an ordinary Body Refining realm disciple. Only his eyes retained a bit of clarity from his recent epiphany.

Watching this practiced execution, the corners of Gu Changge's mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

This kid had grasped the essence of hiding one's capabilities quite quickly.

The fierce momentum from practicing his footwork had yet to fade, but in the blink of an eye, he could feign a green and ignorant appearance. It somewhat resembled the way Gu Changge himself used to fool the sect elders back in the day.

He took a sip of tea, a leisurely thought floating in his mind: Mm, the boy is teachable.

Before long, Xuanyangzi's laughter pierced through the bamboo forest: "Junior Brother Changge, I'm here!"

Hearing the voice, Xiao Ruobai withdrew his stance, looking exactly like he had just finished practicing basic techniques. His breath was steady, revealing no flaws whatsoever.

As soon as Xuanyangzi sat down on the stone stool, he took a storage ring from his sleeve and pushed it across the table. "Here, for your disciple."

Gu Changge swept it with his divine sense. Inside were a hundred dusty-looking medicinal herbs, their roots still stained with dirt, yet faintly exuding a gentle and nourishing medicinal fragrance.

"These are Azure Vein Grasses. Don't let their plain appearance fool you; boiled into a medicinal bath, they are the best for nourishing the physical body."

"I remember this kid had a weak constitution when he first joined the sect. He couldn't even withstand ordinary body-tempering decoctions. This grass has a mild nature, perfect for building him up."

Gu Changge glanced at the jade box and thanked him, "You are very thoughtful, Senior Brother."

"Hey, no need to be polite with me."

Having said that, Xuanyangzi's eyes stared straight at the purple clay teapot by Gu Changge's hand.

His hands were faster than his mouth. He grabbed the teapot, poured himself a full cup, and gulped down the steaming tea.

It burned him so much he bared his teeth, but he couldn't bear to spit it out. He mumbled, "Your tea is still the most potent. That garbage tea I have tastes like plain water... Speaking of which, what exactly is the origin of this tea of yours?

Drinking it always makes my whole body feel comfortable. Last time I was stuck in seclusion at a bottleneck for half a year, I drank three cups of your tea, and hey, I inexplicably broke through."

Xuanyangzi's hand had already reached the teapot again. He poured himself another cup, took a huge gulp, and smacked his lips.

"The effects of this tea are so heaven-defying, I thought having a few leaves would be incredible, but I didn't expect you to still have more."

Gu Changge grinned and said leisurely, "I picked it in the back mountain. It's an unnamed wild tea."

"Bullshit."

Xuanyangzi smacked his lips and refilled his cup again, a hint of probing in his eyes.

"A while ago, I was looking through the sect's secret records and saw a drawing of the Dao Enlightenment Tea. The leaf veins were exactly the same as your tea.

But isn't that thing a legendary supreme treasure that can make a Great Emperor achieve an epiphany?

Let alone our Qingxuan Sect, even an ancient nest with ten thousand years of heritage like the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Laws probably couldn't scrape together a single leaf."

Gu Changge raised his hand and pushed the teacup slightly toward him, interrupting his words: "Just drink your tea."

Xuanyangzi stopped talking, holding the teacup and closing his eyes.

The warmth of the tea spreading on the tip of his tongue sank down his throat, transforming into countless tiny specks of light that seeped into his limbs and bones.

The blocked junctures deep within his sea of consciousness actually began to slowly loosen, like frozen soil soaked by spring rain.

The spiritual energy flowing throughout his body became increasingly smooth, and even the exhaustion between his brows faded a bit.

The extremely dense spiritual energy within Purple Bamboo Peak transformed into pale cyan air currents, barely visible to the naked eye, and surged toward Xuanyangzi's body.

His robes fluttered slightly, and the hairband in his hair trembled gently, as if an invisible vortex was quietly operating within his body.

One incense stick of time, two incense sticks... It wasn't until the sun climbed to the tips of the bamboo that Xuanyangzi slowly opened his eyes. Divine light flowed in the depths of his eyes, and the corners of his mouth carried an unconcealable smile.

He tapped his fingertip lightly on the stone table, and a faint spiritual light actually rippled across the surface—clearly, this one hour of comprehension was more effective than years of secluded cultivation.

"Good heavens..."

Xuanyangzi let out a long sigh, his gaze toward the bamboo forest growing a bit more complex.

"This tea of yours is truly extraordinary."

Just as his voice fell, his gaze landed on Xiao Ruobai, seeing the young man currently using the Shadow-Treading Steps to weave through the bamboo.

He spoke while glancing into the bamboo forest. His gaze paused on Xiao Ruobai, and he raised an eyebrow slightly: "This disciple of yours... has actually reached the first level of Body Refining?"

Gu Changge looked over following his line of sight and gave a faint "Mm."

Xuanyangzi immediately perked up, stroking his beard and clicking his tongue in wonder.

"If I remember correctly, your disciple's aptitude is only Inferior Mortal Grade, right?

It's been less than a month, and he's already at the first level of Body Refining. This speed isn't slow at all.

Although the first level of Body Refining is nothing much in the sect, this momentum of progress is considered quite good among the newly recruited disciples."

"His temperament is just acceptable. His aptitude is far worse than your disciple with the Jinghong Sword Body."

Gu Changge smiled, speaking modestly.

Xuanyangzi's gaze circled over Xiao Ruobai's agile figure.

"This child is just like you. Silent and unassuming, yet hiding quite a bit."

"I say, Changge, this disciple of yours is good material, but he can't just stay cooped up cultivating on Purple Bamboo Peak all the time."

Gu Changge raised his eyes to look at him, but didn't speak.

Xuanyangzi continued on his own: "They are all around sixteen or seventeen years old, exactly the age when they should be messing around with their peers. Look at this kid burying his head in cultivation all day. I'm afraid he hasn't even stepped out of Purple Bamboo Peak since he joined the sect, right?"

He lifted his chin toward the bamboo forest: "Let him wander around the front mountain more, spar with the inner sect disciples, or even just go to the martial arena to watch others exchange moves.

Cultivation isn't just about training blindly. Only by interacting with others can one know their own shortcomings. Besides... holding everything in all the time easily breeds inner demons, doesn't it?"

Gu Changge tapped his fingertip against the rim of his teacup, his gaze falling on Xiao Ruobai.

A faint trace of a smile flickered in the depths of his eyes.

This kid really should go out and meet some people.

Xuanyangzi stroked his beard, his eyes narrowing into slits, and he suddenly changed the subject: "If you ask me, it doesn't matter if Ruobai doesn't want to go out."

He suddenly leaned in a bit closer and lowered his voice.

"I'll just take a small loss and have a few of my disciples—Xuanfeng, Jinghong, and the others—come to Purple Bamboo Peak more often to keep him company. Young people, after all, it's always good for them to interact more."

The hand Gu Changge used to hold the teacup paused slightly, and he looked up at Xuanyangzi.

He saw this Sect Master senior brother wearing a sincere "I'm doing this all for the child's own good" expression, yet a shrewd light gleamed in the corners of his eyes.

"......"

Gu Changge suddenly realized—good heavens, after beating around the bush for so long, this was what he was actually waiting for!

What worrying about his disciple breeding inner demons from being cooped up, what young people needing more interaction...

This old fox had clearly taken a fancy to the cultivation environment of Purple Bamboo Peak and was trying every trick in the book to seek benefits for his own disciples!