Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Pfft."

Yu Yaoer was flung away, slamming heavily into the Big Willow Tree in the courtyard, a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed onto it.

It gave Jin Xu quite a scare. What was the Little Fish Demon up to? Was it faking an injury? He hadn't even used much strength.

"Is this what they call 'escaping death but not punishment?' Master really went all out," Yu Yaoer thought as she coughed up blood.

"You, are, doing..."

"What, exact,ly?"

A sluggish voice echoed in the minds of Jin Xu and Yu Yaoer.

The branches of the Big Willow Tree, moving without any wind, disdainfully swept off the blood Yu Yaoer had spat onto itself.

This Big Willow Tree must have a cleanliness obsession, and it can talk? Could it be another demon?

Jin Xu pondered upon witnessing this scene.

"I, am, not, a demon."

"I, am, the, Guardian Spirit of Xuanxu Temple."

"That, little fish, is, the demon."

The Big Willow Tree seemed to directly sense what Jin Xu was thinking and answered his question earnestly, although it sounded somewhat unintelligent.

"Who's Guardian Spirit talks like a big..."

Realizing the Big Willow Tree could hear his thoughts, Jin Xu quickly suppressed his active internal monologue.

Jin Xu then thought that since it was the Guardian Spirit of Xuanxu Temple, it must recognize his master. He had just begun to speak when he was interrupted.

"Guardian Spirit elder, I..."

"I, remind, you, of, what?"

"..."

Jin Xu almost blurted out something that would have metaphorically put Xuanxu Temple in a basement.

Fortunately, the Guardian Spirit did not continue to pry and continued to speak, word by word.

"I, know, you."

"That day, you, worshipped, heaven..."

"and took that child as your master."

"It, was, I, who helped, clean..."

"the, aura, from, your, body."

Jin Xu listened with aching teeth; this way of speaking was too uncomfortable.

Are you a Guardian Spirit or a senior brother?

Later, Jin Xu asked the Big Willow Tree about his master's whereabouts. The tree said it did not know, explaining that its Divine Soul had been severely injured and that it usually spent most of its time in slumber unless summoned by Tianxing.

The Big Willow Tree indeed had an obsession with cleanliness, having been awakened by a mouthful of blood from the Little Fish Demon.

Knowing Jin Xu's predicament and Tianxing's disappearance, it merely offered some comforting words to the young Taoist, also mentioning that a trace of spiritual essence Tianxing left with it still had signs of life, though it too was in slumber.

So your master should still be alive.

Then, the Big Willow Tree placed the willow branch that had wiped the blood onto Jin Xu's forehead, imparting a Xuanxu Temple control mantra of eight hundred characters to him. (The author isn't showing this part to you)

And it stated if his master truly were no longer around, Jin Xu would henceforth be the thirty-fourth temple master of Xuanxu Temple.

Regarding the Little Fish Demon who had been flung and was bleeding, the Big Willow Tree told Jin Xu that the demon's storage magic item seemed to have a water pouch carrying his master's aura, which might have old ties to Xuanxu Temple.

Thus, he let go of the idea of pursuing her for spitting blood on him, even casting a healing spell on her.

After going through the entire process, which took four hours, Jin Xu gained the eight hundred character control mantra of Xuanxu Temple, and a willow branch.

After imparting the skills, the Big Willow Tree snapped off the willow branch and said he was giving it to him.

An advanced case of cleanliness obsession, completely assessed.

"emmm... having something is better than nothing!"

Jin Xu whispered to comfort himself and also felt that Xuanxu Temple was too laid-back—didn't the temple spirit worry about his master at all?

As the Big Willow Tree sank back into sleep, Jin Xu recalled that he hadn't yet inquired about the fishing rod from the guardian spirit.

However, considering the elder's slow manner of speaking, Jin Xu decided it was best to let him sleep for now.

Eight hundred characters were too much; he needed a moment to digest.

Meanwhile, Jin Xu was getting acquainted with the control mantra he had just learned.

Over there, Yu Yaoer's mind was in complete turmoil.

The Big Willow Tree's initial four sentences of transmission hadn't left her out.

"Xuanxu Temple, the legendary Xuanxu Temple!"

In the Nine Provinces Realm, the well-known forces were ranked as follows: One Immortal Palace, Two Buddhist Taoist, Three Dynasties, Four Immortal Sects.

The Immortal Palace referred to was Kunlun Immortal Palace, universally acknowledged as the top cultivation sect. It was said that their founding ancestor had extraordinary cultivation and had not ascended to the Upper Realm yet because he wanted to become a True Immortal, a feat not seen for thousands of years, before ascending.

Three Dynasties referred to the Xia, Shang, and Jin dynasties; however, the Shang and Jin dynasties crumbled during the great celestial-demonic war a thousand years ago, fragmenting into many minor nations and scattering the remnants of the imperial clans, rendering them non-threatening.

The Great Xia dynasty dominated alone, occupying both Central State and Ling State. During its peak period, its enforcement agency extended into the major towns governed by the Four Great Immortal Sects, supposedly to help the sects maintain city order.

Four Immortal Sects referred to Qingmu Academy, Blazing Sun Sword Sect, Pan Shi Valley, and White Emperor Pavilion, four ancient immortal sects. Qingmu Academy primarily focused on scholar cultivation with titles like chancellor and various subordinate scholars and students.

Blazing Sun Sword Sect was famous for sword techniques and artifact refining. Influenced by their cultivation techniques, disciples were mostly fiery and detested evil.

Pan Shi Valley specialized in body refinement techniques and had robust physical bodies. Their spells were average, often earning mockery from other cultivators as brutes with no brains.

White Emperor Pavilion was relatively low-profile. Although its disciples walked the Cultivation World, they followed an elite path, comprising not many but highly cultivated individuals.

The Two Buddhist Taoist was the most mysterious, as it had no fixed temple or visible traces in the world.

Rumors had it that an ordinary person once entered a Taoist temple and drank from an ancient well there, achieving Divinity Transformation in a hundred days.

Of course, that was nonsense; Jin Xu had been drinking for half a year and hadn't achieved Divinity Transformation in a hundred days either.

Another rumor was that an unknown little cultivator entered the Wanbao Temple and found an extremely powerful artifact, making a name in the Cultivation World.

That remained to be verified.

Legends about the Two Buddhist Taoist were commonly discussed among mortals, yet not only had few seen the two forces, even their names were scarcely known among cultivators.

However, Yu Yaoer was an exception.

Initially researching new recipes, she had heard that the Taoist temple of the Two Buddhist Taoist contained a celestial well. The legend was that well water from this well made exceptionally delicious soup.

She pestered the Great Elder of her clan—who was also her grandmother—for a long time before she gleaned a bit of information: the Buddhist temple was called Wanbao Temple, and the Taoist temple was called Xuanxu Temple.

She had then specifically sought the well water for a long time, wanting a sample.

After months without success, her grandmother suddenly gave her a water bag one day, claiming it was well water from Xuanxu Temple.

She also warned Yu not to search further, as the old Taoist in that temple was not a good person!

Unfortunately, when cooking, she accidentally evaporated the well water, failed to find more, and her new recipe had to be discarded... She had been saddened for a long time, and that water bag still remained in her storage artifact as a keepsake.

"Who would have thought Xuanxu Temple was such a minor Taoist temple!"

"But how did the old Taoist turn into a minor Taoist?"

"It doesn't matter. I must stay to research new recipes! It's definitely not because the minor Taoist is good-looking!"

Yu Yaoer resolved secretly. Then she looked up at Jin Xu, who was over there practicing the mantra.

She prepared to sprint over and cling to him.

Just as Jin Xu finished practicing the Xuanxu Temple's control mantra for the second time, he had fully mastered it.

He felt it was quite simple, much easier than when he took the driving test in his previous life.

Then he saw the Little Fish Demon suddenly shouting "Master" and hopping toward him.

Jin Xu's right hand instinctively radiated golden thunder light.

"Master~~~~~ ah... master, please no!"