Chapter 55: Warning

As Liang Yan listened to the names of the three musical scores, he silently recalled the battle just now, mapping them one by one to the three variations in the technique. He remarked, "Qingping Melody, Panic Tune, and Soul-Severing Chant—these three names are quite fitting; they align perfectly with my own experience. Especially this last one, the Soul-Severing Chant; a single note truly severs the soul. It lives up to its name."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a profound sense of lingering fear, only to hear the person in the pavilion say, "Junior, don't just sit there foolishly outside. Come into the pavilion for a chat."

Though Liang Yan was extremely reluctant in his heart, under the circumstances, he could only struggle to his feet, step onto the nine-turn corridor bridge, and walk toward the center of the pond.

With a rustle, Liang Yan pulled back the bamboo curtain outside the pavilion. What met his eyes was a carved stone table with an ancient rosewood zither resting upon it. Sitting behind the zither was a beautiful woman in palace attire, possessing gentle features and an elegant temperament. Ordinarily, she would be the type of person one would feel an immediate sense of closeness toward, yet her gaze possessed a piercing sharpness that made people hesitate and dare not approach.

Liang Yan calmed his chaotic state of mind, took a deep breath, and cupped his hands in greeting. "Liang Yan, a miscellaneous disciple of the Array Vein, greets Senior!"

The beautiful woman ignored him, tidying the zither and adding a bit of incense to the burner on the table before finally looking up at him.

"No need for formalities. Please, sit."

As she spoke, she pointed to the stone stool opposite the table. Though her tone was as calm as still water, it carried an irresistible aura.

Liang Yan sat silently on the stone stool and finally could not help but ask, "Senior summoned me here; I wonder what your instructions are?"

To his surprise, the woman showed no intention of answering him. Instead, she asked in return, "What is the name of the Buddhist cultivation method you practice? As far as I know, the first floor of the Hall of Transmission records seventy-two Buddhist techniques, yet none of them are similar to the one you possess."

Liang Yan's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that after a mere moment of combat, this woman would have seen through his background. In his momentary confusion, he found himself uncharacteristically speechless.

The woman glanced at him and curled her lip. "If you don't want to say, then don't. Looking at you, do you think I could possibly covet the technique of a mere junior?"

Liang Yan felt slightly more composed after hearing this. The woman continued, "I do not care what fortuitous encounters you have had outside, but I must remind you: our Yixing Pavilion is a great sect of the Confucian school. Although the Library of Books records methods from various schools, fundamentally, we excel in Confucian supernatural powers. You might be chasing the immediate benefits of other schools' techniques now, but you may well regret it later."

Liang Yan's heart stirred, and he asked tentatively, "Is there some secret involved in this?"

The woman frowned, appearing somewhat impatient. However, after a moment of thought, she eventually restrained her temper and said seriously

"The human race has passed through countless tens of thousands of years of inheritance. Although the Great Desolation currently sees a hundred schools of thought flourishing, the four great traditions—Buddhism, Demonism, Taoism, and Confucianism—are the oldest, having accompanied the origin of humanity to this day. The techniques of these four schools are worlds apart and incompatible. Once you practice one, unless you exhaust your entire cultivation of spiritual power, you will be unable to practice the techniques of the other three in this lifetime. This is the iron law among the four great traditions."

She paused, then looked at Liang Yan again, her eyes carrying a hint of disdain. "I know that Buddhist techniques focus on body tempering, which is quite advantageous in the early stages of Qi Refinement combat. But that is predicated on the assumption that the spells of low-level cultivators cannot break through your physical defense. If high-level cultivators were to fight, they would never allow you to get close, and the power of their spells and divine abilities would be far beyond what your physical body could withstand. I do not know where you obtained a low-level Buddhist manual, and you might even be quite proud of yourself, thinking you are invincible among your peers, but in reality, you are already moving in direct opposition to our Confucian method of refining the spirit and nourishing the breath. When the time comes that your cultivation can no longer advance, it will be impossible to switch to Confucian techniques."

The woman finished her speech in one breath, expecting Liang Yan to have an expression of sudden realization or profound regret. To her surprise, he did not. Instead, he wore a strange expression, rubbed his nose, and said, "Thank you for the guidance, Senior. This junior will pay more attention in the future."

The woman did not expect such a lukewarm attitude and couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Hmph, they say you can't make bricks without straw, but I think this kid isn't even worth the straw."

What she did not know was that although Liang Yan's experience was shallow, he was supremely confident in the technique the old monk had taught him. Not only could this technique reach the Foundation Establishment stage, but even if he practiced it all the way to the Golden Core stage, he wouldn't find it surprising at all. Thus, the issue of changing techniques did not exist for him. Furthermore, the "Two Fish Twin Array" within his body had perfectly resolved this problem, so he was not at all concerned.

Of course, he could not tell her this directly; he could only be vague, brushing it off with a promise to be more careful in the future.

The woman thought for a moment and then said, "Kid, I see that although your aptitude is poor, your divine sense is far beyond that of ordinary people. In these past five years, you are the first Qi Refinement disciple to listen to all three chapters. It just so happens that I have recently considered taking a disciple. Why don't I take you as a registered disciple? If you perform well, you might even become a formal disciple and inherit my mantle in the future."

"Become your disciple?"

Liang Yan was stunned. He had never expected her to propose such a thing. Although this woman possessed incredible powers, her motives were unknown, and Liang Yan naturally would not become a "foolish disciple."

He scratched his head and smiled somewhat sheepishly. "I admire your divine abilities, Senior, but since we have never met before, I do not even know how to address you. It would be quite impolite to proceed otherwise."

The woman glanced at him and smiled. "My surname is Yan, and my given name is Xinyu."

"Yan Xinyu?"

Liang Yan had an intuition that he had heard this name somewhere; it sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't recall it in his haste. He frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly his eyes widened in disbelief. Looking at the beautiful woman before him, he cried out in shock

"Yan Xinyu! You are the Daoist Master of the Zither Path, Yan Xinyu!"

Although Liang Yan was merely a miscellaneous disciple, he had been in the Yixing Pavilion for over five years. He might not know much about other things, but he had certainly heard of the four famous Daoist Masters of the Yixing Pavilion. He had simply failed to react in the moment, but now that it had clicked, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He instinctively moved to rise and salute, but unexpectedly, Yan Xinyu flicked her sleeve. Liang Yan felt as if a thousand pounds had dropped upon him, making it impossible to stand up.

Yan Xinyu spoke, "I brought you here for a casual chat, so there is no need for such worldly formalities. As for this discipleship—will you accept it or not?"

Liang Yan hesitated. By nature, he was a free spirit; the only master he acknowledged in his heart was the old monk, and his relationship with Xumu Sheng was merely that of a friendship across generations. To call someone else his master felt inherently resistant. Furthermore, this person was a complete stranger who was asking him to become her disciple immediately; he had to ponder her true intentions.

However, the person sitting opposite him was a Daoist Master. It was impossible for him not to feel even a shred of pressure.

After much deliberation, he finally replied, "This junior has shallow luck and poor aptitude, and I possess no achievement in the Dao of music. To take Senior as my master would be to insult the prestige of the Zither Path. I must thank Senior for her kindness, but I cannot."

Yan Xinyu's expression indeed soured. "Hmph, ignorant junior. Do you realize that the status of a registered disciple personally taken by me is incomparable to that of an outer sect disciple?"

"Of course. It is not that I am being disrespectful, Senior, but I truly know that I have no affinity for the Great Dao of music. I fear I would fail your high expectations and tarnish your reputation," Liang Yan said hurriedly.

Yan Xinyu waved her hand. "Fine. Since you have no intention of entering my lineage, I will not force you."

She paused, then continued, "I heard that during your trip to Yongle Town, you were quick-witted and composed. Not only did you complete the task well, but you also handled unexpected situations outside the mission. You are quite a talent. My Yixing Pavilion is in need of managers like you. I have already spoken with Wang Yuan of your miscellaneous department; from now on, you will no longer be required to perform manual labor. Once you are formally promoted to an outer sect disciple, an outer sect deacon position will be arranged for you."

Hearing this, Liang Yan felt no joy; instead, he thought to himself, "Trouble!"

Sure enough, Yan Xinyu's expression turned solemn. She looked at Liang Yan seriously and said, "All these benefits can be granted to you immediately, provided you agree to one thing of mine. After that, there will be many more resources provided to you."

Liang Yan thought to himself, *It's finally here. First she tries to guide my cultivation, then she tries to take me as a disciple, and now she's promoting my position in the sect—there must be a condition.*

Thinking this, he bowed slightly and said, "If Senior has a request, please speak plainly."

Yan Xinyu nodded and stared at Liang Yan, pronouncing each word clearly

"I want you to swear a Heart Demon Oath: in this lifetime, you shall never see Tang Diexian again, nor shall you contact her under any pretext."