Chapter 21: Planting a Golden Lotus in the Sea of Suffering

Yuhua Sect.

Inside the Canon Pavilion, Lin Jiufeng sat quietly, reading.

The rivers of the martial world age swiftly — even the most stirring news, once it has spread for a time, gradually fades away.

The grudge between Yuhua Sect and Taishang Sect, the boldness of Bai Yunfei's defiant assault on the Eighth Seal — no one spoke of these things anymore.

The Cultivation World had once again returned to calm.

Even so, many people had been keeping a close eye on Yuhua Sect's mountain gate recently, curious to know what the sect planned to do next after repelling Taishang Sect.

They soon discovered that Yuhua Sect was exactly as it had always been — the mountain remained sealed, the gates stayed shut. No visitors were received, no disciples recruited, no expansion undertaken.

It was as though the battle against Taishang Sect had never happened at all.

Many found this baffling.

But no one from within Yuhua Sect came out to offer an explanation, and after enough time passed, the onlookers stopped coming to investigate.

Lin Jiufeng had long since stopped caring about the storms of the outside world. His only real concern was Taishang Sect — but for now, there was nothing he could do. The only path forward was to keep cultivating, to accumulate enough strength to face whatever unknown dangers lay ahead.

Inside the Canon Pavilion, all was as tranquil as ever.

The three youngsters were scattered in different corners, each absorbed in their own cultivation. Whenever they encountered something they didn't understand or found themselves confused, they would come to Lin Jiufeng with their questions. The rest of the time, they buried themselves in diligent study.

Lin Jiufeng was perfectly content with this arrangement.

He brewed a pot of tea, picked up a book, and read in silence.

The fragrance of tea drifted through the air, the scent of sandalwood curled around his nose, and the smell of old books seeped into his heart.

Dressed in a white Daoist robe, Lin Jiufeng sat by the window, leisurely turning the pages of his book. He was utterly at ease — so much so that he seemed to have merged with the Canon Pavilion itself, his presence and the building's aura flowing together as one.

Outside the window, plants and trees grew freely, lush and green. Ancient towering trees swayed gently, their leaves rustling with a soft shush.

Taken together, it all carried the quiet, unhurried flavor of time passing in peace.

This was his aura — even unconsciously, it shaped everything around him.

When Lin Jiufeng's heart was serene, everything nearby seemed equally at ease.

If Lin Jiufeng were to glare with fury, everything around him would turn restless and agitated.

Setting down the book he had just finished, Lin Jiufeng glanced out the window and murmured, "Two months have passed since that battle."

Over those two months, he had moved back and forth between the Canon Pavilion and the Small World.

Reading, contemplating the Dao, cultivating his mind, practicing calligraphy…

Day after day, without fail.

He felt his accumulation had grown extraordinarily deep. Yet ever since that moment when he had glimpsed the Divine Soul, he had made no further progress.

During this time, he had also attempted to excavate the immortal treasury hidden within his Divine Soul — but each time, it felt as though something was just slightly out of reach, and he never succeeded.

Lin Jiufeng had been through this before. He knew it was not something that could be rushed. All he could do was continue accumulating, and wait for that single flash of insight. When it came, he would have more than enough foundation to break through.

Now two months had passed, and Lin Jiufeng's cultivation and accumulated foundation had long since reached the very edge of a Breakthrough.

Within the Sixth Seal, he dared to call himself unrivaled.

But he was still just that little bit short.

Lin Jiufeng let out a soft sigh. "I wonder what schemes Taishang Sect is brewing."

Over the past two months, there had been no movement from Bai Yunfei's side either. He remained quietly in the midst of his Breakthrough.

Lin Jiufeng had not gone to disturb him.

He continued reading. He continued accumulating.

The day passed quickly. By nightfall, thunder rumbled across the sky above Yuhua Sect.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Dark clouds gathered, fierce winds swept through, and the crack of thunder reverberated between heaven and earth. Lightning writhed through the clouds, jagged and menacing.

Dressed in his white Daoist robe, Lin Jiufeng stood beneath the eaves and watched the scene unfold, murmuring, "Rain is coming."

He saw Wen Xinyun, Zhou Tianzi, and Yue Dashan all come running back, gathering with him beneath the eaves.

"Senior Uncle, judging by the look of things, it's going to pour tonight," Wen Xinyun said.

"Indeed. It hasn't rained in a long while," Lin Jiufeng agreed with a nod.

Crack!

The words had barely left his mouth when a bolt of lightning split the sky and struck the ground before the Canon Pavilion, as though it had cleaved heaven and earth apart — like the wrath of a god made manifest, terrifying in its power.

Drip.

The next moment, raindrops began to fall, striking the stone tiles before the Canon Pavilion with crisp, clear sounds.

A few scattered drops pried open the sky's eyelids — and then, in an instant, a torrential downpour came crashing down, driven by howling winds.

Accompanied by lightning and thunder, it scoured the world clean.

Lin Jiufeng and the three youngsters looked up, watching as the eaves, the corridors, and the mountain forests were all swallowed by rain in what seemed like no time at all.

"What a downpour," Zhou Tianzi remarked with feeling.

"This world's gotten a bit dirty — good thing the rain's here to wash it off," Yue Dashan said with his usual simple honesty.

"Wen Xinyun, go bring out my tea set. On a night with rain this heavy, listening to the rain while sipping tea — now that would be a refined pleasure," Lin Jiufeng said, moved by the moment.

Wen Xinyun's beautiful eyes lit up. Listening to the rain over tea — she loved that too. She darted into the Canon Pavilion without hesitation, brought out Lin Jiufeng's tea set, washed everything carefully, and set the tea to brew.

"Senior Uncle, I'll keep you company," Wen Xinyun said with a bright, happy smile.

"Count me in — this kind of refined mood doesn't come around every day," Zhou Tianzi laughed heartily, dragging over a few chairs to set up in the corridor.

"Me too — I'll go light the candles," Yue Dashan grinned his simple grin, bringing out candles and lanterns. Their warm amber glow swayed gently, stretching the shadows of the group long across the ground. A cool breeze drifted through, the lanterns swung, and the shadows swayed along with them.

Lin Jiufeng teased Yue Dashan: "You've always gulped your tea down like a cow chewing on peonies. Have you actually learned to appreciate it now?"

Yue Dashan replied with genuine feeling, "I never thought much of tea before — but drinking it in a scene like this, I find my heart is actually moved."

Lin Jiufeng smiled and, with practiced ease, poured a cup for each of them. Without another word, he simply held his cup and sat in quiet stillness, listening to the rain, watching the rain.

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, wind howled and rain lashed.

In the corridor, Lin Jiufeng and the three youngsters sat in peaceful silence, sipping tea and listening to the storm, utterly at ease.

Lin Jiufeng took a light sip of tea, then turned his gaze toward the downpour.

In this storm, he contemplated the world.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunder rolled on and on through the dark night, asserting its presence. Lin Jiufeng watched, and watched, and gradually fell into a trance.

He looked at this storm, and saw more than just a storm.

He saw rivers that carved through mountains and rushed in torrents.

He saw waterfalls that plunged straight down from the nine heavens.

He saw babbling streams that wound their way through quiet valleys.

He saw vast oceans that embraced all rivers within their depths.

And he saw the unpredictable, ever-shifting voyage of a life adrift upon the Sea of Suffering.

As he watched, a line of text appeared before Lin Jiufeng's eyes.

[You have contemplated the rain and gained insight, activating Heavenly Comprehension. You have comprehended: Planting a Golden Lotus in the Sea of Suffering.]

In the next instant, within Lin Jiufeng's Divine Soul world, a vast ocean surged and churned, cleaving through the Soul Sea. His Divine Soul, wreathed in the stars of the myriad heavens, floated high above — and from within the roiling ocean below, a golden lotus flower slowly emerged.

Planting a Golden Lotus in the Sea of Suffering — this was the immortal treasury Lin Jiufeng had excavated from within his Divine Soul world.

In that moment, a sudden clarity descended upon Lin Jiufeng. The barrier of the Seventh Seal that had long stood in his way let out a crack, and a fissure appeared.

Immediately after, the energy he had been accumulating for two months surged forward in a mighty torrent, crashing against that barrier with overwhelming force.

The threshold that had long blocked his path — shattered by a single rainstorm.

He broke through the Sixth Seal.

And entered the Seventh Seal!