Chapter 378 : Smoothly Passing the Trial
Chapter 378: Smoothly Passing the Trial
“Ah Zhi, do you think that by doing this your mother won’t be able to see you?”
The Purple Jade Beast King shook her head and smiled helplessly.
Upon hearing this, the Seven-Tailed Purple Fox withdrew the fox tails behind her, leapt lightly, and landed in the Purple Jade Beast King’s arms. A soft, coquettish sound full of ingratiation escaped from her throat as she chose another way to act spoiled.
Seeing her daughter like this, a trace of helpless indulgence flashed through the Purple Jade Beast King’s eyes.
“You, honestly.”
She extended her slender, jade-like finger and gently tapped her daughter’s nose in a doting gesture.
“Ying.”
The Seven-Tailed Purple Fox blinked her round, glossy eyes, knowing she had successfully passed by acting cute. Her gaze then turned curiously toward Chen Beiwu.
‘Rest assured, he is fine. He merely drank the Cloud-Mist Tea. His comprehension surged, and he automatically entered a state of enlightenment to digest his past accumulations.’
The Purple Jade Beast King raised a brow, her fingertip lightly stroking the soft fur between her daughter’s brows. A faint trace of jealousy lingered within her divine sense.
Good heavens.
Her daughter had yet to form a Companion Contract, yet she was already so concerned about Chen Beiwu—so much so that she even suspected that something had been added to the tea.
If a Companion Contract were formed, would Ah Zhi have only Chen Beiwu in her eyes and forget about her own mother?
“???”
The Seven-Tailed Purple Fox’s heterochromatic eyes widened.
What was that supposed to mean?
If the Cloud-Mist Tea was truly so effective, why had she only felt her stomach grow warm and her sleep improve after drinking it twice, with no other sensation at all?
‘What, do you think your mother would deceive you?’ The Purple Jade Beast King’s expression turned serious.
“Ying.”
The Seven-Tailed Purple Fox shook her head timidly.
Though she feared angering her mother, she knew her mother was someone whose word carried absolute weight and who never lied.
The Purple Jade Beast King’s expression eased slightly as she took a sip of hot tea.
Originally, she had planned to keep her daughter by her side and personally guide her until she safely passed through her exceedingly long infancy.
Even if her daughter would one day need to find a Contract Cultivator to mutually verify the Great Dao, she would select carefully—choosing a Yuqing prodigy of the highest talent, foundation, temperament, and background, someone thoroughly known and vetted.
Under such circumstances, Chen Beiwu had actually been a good choice. His background was clean, his talent respectable, and with her assistance as a mother-in-law, his chances of reaching Divine Transformation were promising.
Otherwise, she would not have allowed her daughter to interact with Chen Beiwu in the first place, nor would she have permitted her to gift him the milk bottle.
But today, her thoughts had shifted.
Indeed, jade must be carved to become a vessel.
For her daughter’s future growth, she would eventually need to choose a suitable Yuqing prodigy.
Yet Chen Beiwu’s recent changes were simply too great—so great that even her daughter might not be able to grasp him.
Simply put, in the Purple Jade Beast King’s eyes, entrusting her daughter to such a prodigy—one with enormous potential and even greater unpredictability—might be a blessing, but it might also be a calamity. She would need more time to evaluate him cautiously.
‘Ah Zhi, your mother will only ask you once. Are you certain you wish to choose him?’
The Purple Jade Beast King looked at the Seven-Tailed Purple Fox with a solemn expression.
“Ying.”
The Seven-Tailed Purple Fox did not understand why her mother had suddenly changed her stance and asked such a question. Yet she nodded slightly, her answer unwavering.
‘Since it is your choice, your mother will respect it.’
The Purple Jade Beast King stroked the Seven-Tailed Purple Fox’s head. Her gaze imperceptibly swept over the half-closed eyes of Golden Egg, Iron Egg, and the Five Qi Vine. Through divine sense transmission, she added: ‘But I hope you spend a few years with him before deciding whether to form a Companion Contract.’
The Seven-Tailed Purple Fox turned to look at Chen Beiwu, who sat quietly in enlightenment. She did not reject her mother’s suggestion again; otherwise, the matter of the contract might encounter complications.
Soon, three hours passed. Chen Beiwu’s state of enlightenment neared its end, and the spiritual mechanisms of Heaven and Earth swirling around him gradually dissipated.
The next moment, he opened his eyes. His left eye reflected the Heaven-Bestowed Beginning Scene, while his right eye reflected the Heaven-Bestowed Middle Scene.
Golden Egg, Iron Egg, and the Five Qi Vine were the same—their eyes each contained two grand landscapes.
At this sight, the Purple Jade Beast King’s gaze appeared calm, yet ripples had already stirred within her heart.
Two scenes intertwined—Observing Form, Observing Nature, and now Observing Mind.
If he had accomplished this step, it meant he had already succeeded in Observing Mind. He was not far from merging spirit into the landscape and forging the Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene.
Meanwhile, Chen Beiwu himself felt astonished.
What grade of heavenly treasure was this Cloud-Mist Tea? A Fourth-Tier Mystic Herb? Or a Fifth-Tier Origin Herb?
Merely one cup had allowed him to enter enlightenment, perceive the flaws in his landscape, and open the path toward the Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene.
The only regret was that the tea, as an external aid to boost comprehension, could not push him further to grasp the artistic conception of the two Supreme Scenic Steles.
“Excellent tea. It can illuminate obscurations—truly rare!” Chen Beiwu praised.
The Purple Jade Beast King smiled faintly, her bearing still dignified. “When opportunity arrives, matters naturally flow as water. The tea merely happened to coincide. It is your own profound accumulation.”
“If you like it, you may take some with you.”
After a courteous exchange, she shifted the topic. “There is something that often troubles me. I wonder if you might enlighten me?”
“Please speak, Your Majesty,” Chen Beiwu replied with timely curiosity.
The Purple Jade Beast King looked toward the Seven-Tailed Purple Fox, her tone carrying a trace of indulgence. “Ah Zhi’s heart is pure. Once she decides upon something, she would not regret pouring out everything for it. For this reason, her father often sighs, unsure whether such a temperament is a blessing or a misfortune.”
“Your Majesty worries too much. A childlike heart is precious in its naturalness and beneficial to the path of cultivation. Whether it is fortune or calamity does not depend on Ah Zhi, but on whom she encounters.”
Chen Beiwu’s expression remained calm. “I have always believed that sincerity will not be betrayed. There will always be those in this world who respond to sincerity with sincerity.”
“As for the ungrateful and base-hearted, even if they disguise themselves for a time, their vile temperament and narrow outlook will eventually be revealed by time.”
“Mm, that is reasonable.”
The Purple Jade Beast King nodded slightly, offering no further comment.
The Seven-Tailed Purple Fox seemed to grasp the subtext between them. She puffed out her small chest, her eyes curving into crescents, looking proud.
“Young friend, your insights are uncommon. I have three questions and would like to hear your thoughts.”
Though her gaze appeared casual, she had already activated the Seven-Tailed Purple Fox’s innate mind-reading divine ability.
Chen Beiwu’s expression turned solemn. The true test had arrived.
Unlike those Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts born free of lineage, those like the Seven-Tailed Purple Fox, who possessed clan and inheritance, had elders who scrutinized potential contract partners with utmost severity.
It was no exaggeration that some Yuqing prodigies risked their lives to pass such trials.
Compared to that, this face-to-face questioning was the gentlest method.
“Please ask.”
“First, in your view, what is a Companion Beast to a cultivator?”
“Second, when choosing a Companion Beast, what do you value most?”
“Third, if you and your Companion Beast clash in ideals or fail to get along, how would you handle it?”
The questions were simple yet incisive.
Through his answers, the Purple Jade Beast King could judge his values and temperament—whether he sought merely powerful bloodlines or possessed the capacity to grow together with his beast and achieve the Dao.
She was unconcerned about lies. Unless he had already reached Divine Transformation True Venerable, he could not deceive her mind’s eye.
Golden Egg, Iron Egg, and the Five Qi Vine all fixed their gazes on him.
Chen Beiwu answered without hesitation:
“First, to me, Golden Egg, Iron Egg, and the Five Qi Vine are companions, family, fellow travelers on the path of cultivation—Dao companions—not merely Companion Beasts.”
“Second, I value frankness, shared burdens, and mutual sincerity. In summary, kindred spirits who can entrust their future generations to one another.”
“As for the third—” his eyes sharpened, “I do not believe I would have companions with fundamentally opposed ideals. But if conflict arises, whether of principles or pride, I would prioritize communication and guidance. If necessary, we fight—whoever loses listens. But dissolving the Companion Contract would never be an option.”
“Once we embark upon the same vessel, there is no abandoning ship midway. Even amid differences, we seek common ground and temper one another.”
The Purple Jade Beast King observed him.
He had not lied—but he had selectively told truths.
Still, it was enough.
‘If he can uphold this over a long cultivation journey, he would make a fine son-in-law.’
Ah Zhi’s eyes nearly sparkled.
Even Golden Egg, Iron Egg, and the Five Qi Vine looked moved.
‘These little ones are far too naïve,’ she thought and quickly changed the subject.
“Your answers are unexpected.”
She leaned back lazily. “Ah Zhi’s bloodline awakening will take time. During this period, you may spend more time together.”
Chen Beiwu understood he had passed—for now.
“Ying~!”
The Seven-Tailed Purple Fox leapt into his arms. A faint milky fragrance greeted him.
“Go. If needed, have Bai Li notify me.”
The Purple Jade Beast King closed her eyes.
Chen Beiwu bowed and departed.
…
The next morning.
Taiyuan Heavenly Realm, before the Supreme Scenic Stele of Bi’an Qiongqi Striving to Cross.
Chen Beiwu sat in white robes, eyes closed, immersed in the Dao’s rhythm.
A palm-sized young beast lounged lazily on his shoulder.
“Seven-Tailed Purple Fox cub!”
Gasps erupted.
Xu Xiu felt envy but concealed it.
‘To gain the Purple Jade Beast King’s approval—Chen Beiwu’s future is bound to soar!’
Golden Egg snorted inwardly.
Strong? He could suppress her with one claw.
“Wu-qiu!”
The Seven-Tailed Purple Fox sneezed.
“Hungry?” Golden Egg hurriedly produced the milk bottle.
“Ying.”
She shook her head.
“Buzz!”
Chen Beiwu ignored the outside world, wholly immersed in the Scenic Stele.
He needed to gather insights and forge the Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene as swiftly as possible.
Only then could he trigger Heavenly Gang ahead of time when the Law-Heaven Realm opened and condense his Heavenly-Gang Dharma Aspect.