Liang Yusi's face flushed red, then turned pale.

She had escaped from her family all the way, thinking that her disguise and behavior were flawless, but unexpectedly, she was seen through at a glance.

"I'm just out traveling and won't pose any threat to you."

Her appearance was fair and beautiful. When dressed as a man, she had a scholarly air. Once it was known that she was a woman in disguise, that scholarly air turned into a quiet elegance in the eyes of others.

Unfortunately, the two people in front of her had no heart for chivalry.

Yun Zong's tone remained cold: "Since you're traveling, why were you in such a hurry to follow us out of the city?"

Liang Yusi bit her lower lip. "I encountered an old acquaintance in Lingzhou and wanted to avoid them, so I came to Luzhou. I didn't expect them to follow me to Luzhou."

She paused, then said, "My original surname is Mu, and my name is Mu Jie. It's inconvenient for female cultivators to travel on the continent, so I changed into men's clothing. You two seniors have higher cultivation than me, so I'm sure you'll be magnanimous and won't make a fuss with a young woman like me."

Seeing that she couldn't hide it, she decided to be honest. Seeing that Yun Zong and the other knew she was a female cultivator but didn't do anything excessive, she felt a little more at ease and lightly praised the two of them.

Yun Zong asked, "What is your relationship with the Mu family of Xianhu Island?"

Mu Jie said, "I belong to a branch family. My parents passed away early, and I was raised in the main family."

Yun Zong pondered, "The Mu family has a rule that all advanced techniques are only passed down to the main family's disciples, while the branch families can only learn some minor ones."

Mu Jie said, "Yes, that's the rule."

Zhou Yin suddenly spoke up, "But those minor techniques have already allowed you to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. If that's the case, the other disciples of the Mu main family should at least be at the Core Formation stage, right?"

It was purely a curious question, but to Mu Jie's ears, it sounded like he was mocking her for being overly modest. Her face instantly turned red.

Yun Zong said, "As far as I know, the head of the Mu family has just reached the Core Formation stage. If she's not lying, then her cultivation should come from her own talent or hard work."

"Yes," Mu Jie smiled bitterly. "I have indeed worked very hard to reach my current cultivation level, but that's all. If I can't learn more advanced techniques, I can only be a Foundation Establishment cultivator in this lifetime. That's why I wanted to go out, hoping for better opportunities."

There seemed to be a knot of worry between her brows that was difficult to untie, as if there was more to it than that, but Yun Zong didn't ask further.

From her previous performance, Mu Jie was indeed a novice cultivator. Perhaps she had great talent, but lacked experience. Even in the earlier battle, she was in a fluster. This couldn't be faked.

Zhou Yin asked, "Since you're talented and hardworking, why won't the Mu family cultivate you?"

Before Mu Jie could speak, Yun Zong said, "Because the main family is afraid of threats to their status, so they won't let the branch family members learn higher-level things. Outstanding female disciples from the branch families are used as marriage alliance targets, while the males are slightly better off. If they can be adopted into the main family, they can learn some more advanced things, but at most, they can only assist from the side and can never become the family head."

Mu Jie smiled bitterly, "Although I'm very reluctant to admit it, what you said is indeed the case."

Yun Zong snorted, "Many cultivation families on the continent stick to old rules and are mostly like this."

Zhou Yin listened quietly without saying a word.

In his eyes, there was no distinction between noble and lowly, only differences in ability. Since it was a family, it should be a group with common interests. Naturally, to make the group stronger, they should unite from top to bottom, without distinguishing between you and me.

But they actually had the leisure to exclude dissidents within the group. No wonder in the five thousand years after his death in his previous life, so many sects and families declined and disappeared.

In his previous life, Zhou Yin was a demonic cultivator who mostly acted alone and rarely got involved in these internal disputes of sects. In this life, after entering the Mirror Sea Sect, he experienced the rise and fall of the sect, which was closely related. More or less, he needed to face and even deal with such matters.

Seeing more, his mentality and behavior naturally changed unconsciously.

To a certain extent, he was actually a very pure person. So in the past, he would find such things very ridiculous. Human selfishness and greed were fully displayed in these people.

But in this life, he had more contact with people and saw more. There was Lu Yanping, who was naturally smooth but willing to hand over the sect to others in order to protect his disciples. There was Chen Yuanzhi, who was willful and arrogant but abandoned her life for her foster father. And there was Yun Zong in front of him, who originally only had a relationship of interests with him but didn't leave at a critical moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Yun Zong saw Zhou Yin's pensive look.

"Nothing," Zhou Yin said indifferently. "What did you say you wanted to discuss earlier?"

Yun Zong said, "Sima Liang plays a crucial role in Qinggu Sect. They may not be willing to give up. What plans do you have?"

Zhou Yin said, "Find a place to go into seclusion."

Before Yun Zong could react, Mu Jie on the side said, "I have a suggestion. I don't know if you two seniors are interested."

Seeing the two of them looking at her, Mu Jie said, "Three years from now, there will be a grand event that happens once every hundred years on Haisha Island in the South Sea."

Yun Zong said, "Are you talking about Lianyin Immortal Residence?"

Mu Jie nodded, "That's right. Lianyin Immortal Residence opens once every hundred years. It's said that there are countless treasures and rarities inside. As long as you pass the test, you can become a destined person. It just so happens that three years from now, at midnight on June 18th, it will be the day Lianyin Immortal Residence opens again.

"I was interested, but unfortunately my cultivation is insufficient. Going alone probably won't work. I was just thinking of finding someone to go together. I don't know if you two seniors are willing to take me along. I am now at the peak of early Foundation Establishment. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to advance to mid Foundation Establishment in three years. I definitely won't hold you two back."

Although she was a female cultivator, she was straightforward and didn't have the coyness of ordinary women. Yun Zong and Zhou Yin didn't dislike her. Hearing her words, they naturally became interested in Lianyin Immortal Residence.

Yun Zong judged that his injuries had not healed and he needed time to recuperate, so he was somewhat moved. He looked at Zhou Yin and saw him slightly nod at him, obviously agreeing to this suggestion.

Yun Zong pondered for a moment, "We'll each go into seclusion for these three years and meet on Haisha Island in three years."

Seeing the two agree, Mu Jie couldn't help but smile, instantly dazzling.

"I've been to Haisha Island once. The largest inn there is Bamboo Shadow Inn. We can meet there."

Yun Zong and Zhou Yin naturally agreed, and the appointment was set. Over the next few days, as Zhou Yin's injuries healed, the three of them set off again. Emerging from the forest, they crossed over the mountain peaks. Several days later, they arrived at a small town where they temporarily parted ways, agreeing to meet again in three years.

With three years at his disposal, Zhou Yin decided to take the opportunity to go into seclusion and break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

With the spirit stones from Yun Zong and the talismans on his body, advancing his cultivation would not be a problem. Once everything was arranged, he found a secluded cave in the mountains, set up a barrier, and began his three-year seclusion.

For cultivators, there are mainly two situations when it comes to advancing in cultivation.

One is when their cultivation reaches a certain level and their state of mind is pure, naturally leading to a successful breakthrough. This situation is becoming increasingly rare nowadays.

The state of mind is meant to complement cultivation, making it more stable. However, many people are impatient for quick success and do not deliberately cultivate their state of mind. Instead, they rely on a large number of spiritual elixirs and medicines to boost their cultivation and reach the point of advancement.

The other is when cultivators feel the time is ripe and actively go into seclusion to advance. This often leads to two outcomes: success or failure. Throughout history, many cultivators have stumbled in such situations. Many, despite not reaching the end of their lifespan, are eager to advance, simply hoping to become stronger.

However, when they feel the time is ripe, it may not truly be the case. The path of cultivation is filled with thorns; few attain the Dao while many perish. There are also some who, nearing the end of their lifespan, have no choice but to forcibly enter seclusion to advance. These people generally have no hope of success, but want to take a chance in their final moments.

Naturally, the chances of failure are even greater in such situations, as was the case with the former sect leader of the Mirror Sea Sect, Zou Jingyuan.

The last situation is advancing unknowingly, such as when Zhou Yin previously ventured into the cave beneath the Dragon Shadow Pool and had the extraordinary experience of returning to ancient times. Upon his return, he advanced without realizing it. In fact, the reason he was able to advance is related to the first situation. Although he did not actively enter seclusion, after experiencing a series of events, his cultivation and state of mind had both reached a certain level of perfection, eliminating the need for deliberate seclusion and cultivation.

Now, as Zhou Yin entered seclusion, it was the second situation.

Advancing within the same stage is much easier than crossing a major threshold. For example, many people easily perish when attempting to advance from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Core Formation stage, but rarely do so when advancing from the middle to late Foundation Establishment stage. This is precisely the reason.

Zhou Yin's cultivation and state of mind were already perfect, so his advancement was naturally almost guaranteed. However, he was not content with mere advancement.

Seclusion can consolidate cultivation, making the circulation of spiritual power smoother and unobstructed. It can also allow one to reflect on past events and temper their state of mind.

From his tribulation crossing in his previous life to Zhou Village in this life, then the tragic deaths of the Zhou couple, followed by his own near-death experience and the disappearance of Zhou Chen - the past events surged forth like a tide, impossible to suppress.

In his previous life, Zhou Yin rarely thought about such matters, single-mindedly focused on becoming stronger. But this life was different; there were now people and events that had once settled in his heart. Once his mind was calm, these people and events naturally surfaced.

He also thought back to the scene of him crossing the lightning tribulation just before his death in his previous life. At the time, he had not paid attention, but now, upon careful reflection, he wondered why, despite his Nascent Soul stage cultivation being no worse than the other Nascent Soul stage cultivators, the others had all successfully advanced to the Void Refinement stage and ascended to the upper realm, while he alone had perished.

Before, he had been single-minded, focused solely on cultivation, not bothering with such matters. But after personally experiencing the ancient era, he couldn't help but ponder more.

In an instant, his mind was flooded with thoughts.

Not returning to one, yet one naturally returns; not guarding the center, yet the center naturally guards itself.

A single true thought, hidden in the spiritual platform, unshakable and immovable, is called guarding the heart.

The essence of the Dao is nothing like the natural way; where the natural way lies, nothing compares to cultivating the heart.

Regardless of what experiences He Lian had in the past or how high his cultivation was, now, he was only Zhou Yin.

A water droplet from the cave ceiling slid down the stone pillar, making a faint sound as it fell onto the rock below, yet also seeming to drip onto the tip of his heart.

All distracting thoughts dissipated into nothingness.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Profound understanding perfected, myriad phenomena returning to one.