The Mentor’s Secret Plan

Qingyu Domain.

In the Divine Swallow Kingdom, upon Kunlun Mountain.

It was the heart of deep winter, with snowflakes drifting down and all creation shrouded in a bleak stillness.

A white-haired maiden, clad in green, was practicing her sword in a field of snow.

Chilling light glinted from her blade, and her sword intent was sharp and fierce.

She carried the aura of a cold-faced knight-errant.

Yet, her beautiful violet eyes would occasionally dart a glance at the black-haired youth twenty meters behind her.

“What are you staring at? Am I really so captivating? Focus.”

The black-haired youth, dressed in a simple dark-patterned Daoist robe, possessed an incomparably handsome face, like an immortal descended from the heavens.

Reclining on a lounge chair beneath a tree, his languid tone betrayed a hint of nonchalance.

“…”

At his words, the maiden’s delicate face flushed slightly, and the rhythm of her swordplay became somewhat disordered.

It was as if a hidden thought had been suddenly exposed.

The black-haired youth, however, merely closed his eyes to rest, completely oblivious to the subtle shift in the maiden’s expression.

Only when snowflakes, like falling leaves, brushed against her did the maiden compose herself, shedding her rather adorable shyness.

‘Good thing Master didn’t notice,’ she thought.

****

Half an hour later.

The black-haired youth sat up from his lounge chair, his eyes reflecting the elegant figure of the maiden, now glistening with sweat in the snow.

He gazed for a moment, his mind seemingly lost in thought.

‘This was bound to happen sooner or later…’

‘She will eventually embark on her own path.’

“That’s enough. We’ll stop here for today.”

The youth was named Zhuang Xun, and the one practicing sword in the snowfield was his disciple, Qin Zhaoyu.

“But Master,” Qin Zhaoyu said, halting her sword swings with a puzzled expression, “haven’t we always practiced for three hours?”

“Did you forget? Today is your birthday.”

“…”

The maiden fell silent for a moment, then smiled at Zhuang Xun. “I understand. Thank you, Master.”

Zhuang Xun slowly walked towards her.

The goose-feather-like snow, just before touching him, seemed to be gently pushed away by an invisible, soft force.

He possessed an otherworldly aura, untouched by the falling snow.

He placed his hand on the maiden’s head, stroking it gently. “There’s no need to reject your origins so much. In time, you’ll have the chance to resolve everything.”

Qin Zhaoyu naturally understood what her Master meant.

However, being gently caressed by her handsome Master at this moment made her heart flutter with an inexplicable longing.

She yearned to throw herself into his arms and act playfully affectionate.

“Come to my courtyard at midnight tonight. I’ll have your birthday gift ready then.”

“Mm-hmm~”

The maiden responded with a comfortable hum.

Zhuang Xun, in turn, naturally released her, took two steps forward, and with his body transforming into a sword, pierced through the air towards the peak of Kunlun Mountain.

“…”

Qin Zhaoyu stared at the sword light that tore through the sky, lost in a daze for a long time.

‘My sword dao realm…’

‘When will I ever reach even two or three tenths of Master’s level?’

****

The peak of Kunlun Mountain remained blanketed in swirling snow, like a phoenix’s head adorned in silver, having witnessed countless seasons.

A spirit body, entirely translucent white and emanating a faint silvery glow, sat poised beside a chessboard in a courtyard.

The pristine white snow blurred her features, making them indistinct.

Yet, judging by her posture, it appeared to be the spirit body of a young maiden.

“You’ve been sitting here for so long, and you still can’t break this chess formation?”

A gentle voice, imbued with a hint of carefree elegance, drifted from afar, growing closer.

The owner of that voice, accompanied by the sword light descending from the sky, gradually revealed their form.

“…”

“Do you really think I can’t tell you fell because your spiritual power ran out?”

The maiden’s voice was ethereal, like a melody from the nine heavens.

Hearing this, Zhuang Xun dropped his pretense, rolled his eyes, and sat opposite the maiden’s spirit body at the table.

He grumbled, “Who was it that placed three thousand ancient divine curses on me, forcing my cultivation realm to remain at Foundation Establishment?”

“I did it for your sake, Father…”

“Your soul power, Father, is far too immense. If it weren’t restricted, your physical body would crumble under the strain…”

“Moreover, it would be quite troublesome to guide you back into this world’s cycle of reincarnation then…”

“Alright, alright, I get it. No need to elaborate.”

Zhuang Xun felt a discomfort spread through him whenever the maiden called him ‘Father’.

While it wasn’t entirely wrong in a certain sense, he always found it strange.

“Let me confirm again: as long as I can make her an Empress who reigns over a star domain in the heavens, that’s enough, right?”

“Yes. That was a phased goal when you, Father, originally created her…”

“Once it’s accomplished, I can remove one hundred of your curses, Father.”

“…”

“Sigh…”

“This is tough…”

Zhuang Xun stretched, gazing at the endless white snow drifting down from the sky, and let out a sigh of lament.

This was a novel world he had written, titled ‘The Cultivation Plan of a Darkened Immortal Maiden’.

Originally, it was a novel he had intended to abandon halfway.

The ‘Cultivation’ in the title could easily have been changed to ‘Taming’.

However, due to various mundane matters in his life and work, coupled with his poor state during that period…

The plot and settings he wrote had repeatedly fallen apart, and the comment section was filled with curses.

Even his editor advised him to start a new book.

Thus, left with no other choice, he could only opt for a rushed, unsatisfactory ending.

But fate had other plans.

The moment he clicked the “finish” button, the sky suddenly roared with thunder, and his computer screen flickered with white light.

Two slender arms reached out from within, forcefully dragging him inside.

It was utterly preposterous.

Nevertheless, for a struggling author who frequently wrote novels, this kind of harmless and painless transmigration method was quite good.

At least it wasn’t being run over by a dump truck or hit by a speeding lorry.

No need to experience the ultimate proximity to death.

This peaceful method of transmigration was already quite humane.

Although, upon first arrival, it tended to be quite a shock to one’s mental state.

As for what happened afterward…

That could be discussed another day.

After all, he wasn’t the protagonist of this novel world.

He, Zhuang Xun, was merely a reclusive master forcefully inserted into this world by its Heavenly Dao.

To serve as support for the protagonist.

In other words, he was the path-opening mentor designated by the Heavenly Dao for the protagonist.

As her mentor, his immediate task was to help her achieve a small goal: unify the five mortal nations of the Qingyu Domain.

This would lay a solid foundation for her future path to emperorship.

According to Zhuang Xun’s plan…

The first step to achieving this goal was…

Expulsion from the sect.

****

Nighttime.

The snow had stopped, and midnight had arrived.

Qin Zhaoyu, her heart brimming with a hint of joy, pushed open the gate to her Master’s courtyard.

Inside the brightly lit courtyard, Zhuang Xun was reclining casually on a lounge chair.

“You’re here?”

“…”

“Disciple greets Master.”

“The item is in here. Take it and have a look.”

Zhuang Xun patted a plain brocade box on a small wooden table beside him, then resumed rocking in his lounge chair.

Qin Zhaoyu picked up the brocade box and opened it, revealing a dragon-shaped silver ring.

“Master, is this a storage ring?”

She took out the silver ring and placed it on her ring finger.

Suddenly, wisps of silver light seeped from the ring, enveloping her entire body.

“This…”

“Don’t resist. This ring’s function isn’t merely for storage.”

Hearing Zhuang Xun’s words, Qin Zhaoyu’s mind immediately calmed.

She felt the wisps of silver light slowly merge into her limbs and bones.

To her surprise, she found that the meridians, which had sustained minor damage during her cultivation, were showing signs of recovery under the nourishing warmth of the silver light.

“Mm~”

The sensation of being entirely enveloped in warmth, a soft tingling feeling, made Qin Zhaoyu let out an involuntary hum.

Her delicate face flushed slightly, and she glanced at Zhuang Xun’s reaction from the corner of her eye.

Zhuang Xun, unhurried and at ease, kept his eyes lowered, completely unfazed by her reaction.

“Just focus…”

“This Master is merely a rogue cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage…”

“I went through quite a bit of hardship to obtain this spirit treasure back then.”