Who let him join the Sword Sect?!

"Where do you two want to go?" Chen Qianhu's voice was calm.

"Nowhere, this is just fine." Zhang Ze awkwardly smiled.

Seeing Old Ascender in person, especially a Mahayana Stage Old Ascender, Zhang Ze immediately abandoned any thoughts of resistance.

He stood obediently, waiting for interrogation.

However, the Sect Leader seemed not to fully trust him. Even though Zhang Ze wasn't planning to resist, Chen Qianhu still casually cast a Body-Stabilizing spell on him.

Being immobilized was one thing, but what puzzled Zhang Ze was why the Sect Leader was treating them differently.

Zhang Ze really wanted to ask, why immobilize only me, and not your daughter?

It's not like I was the one who ran away from home.

But Zhang Ze didn't dare to ask this question, nor would the Sect Leader have explained.

"You can go play now, just be safe," said Chen Qianhu kindly to his daughter while holding onto Zhang Ze.

Seeing she was in no trouble, Chen Qin secretly made a face at Zhang Ze and then unmercifully ran off, leaving her senior brother behind.

Watching his treasured daughter leave, the Sect Leader stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Ze, and with one step transported him to a mountaintop at the Sword Pavilion's rear mountain.

"I have another task for you."

Chen Qianhu was racking his brains to keep an eye on these two little rascals.

Due to the failure of the previous plan, he decided to try a different approach.

The previous method of sending Zhang Ze out to train and having his daughter stay home for cultivation didn't seem very effective.

Because that little rascal Zhang Ze worked too quickly, no matter how far he was sent out, he would sneak back to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion within a week and cause all sorts of trouble, bringing back a lot of random things.

As for his daughter, being so capable and adorable, Chen Qianhu couldn't bear to discipline her harshly.

Besides, it wouldn't work; he had tried controlling her before, but she would still run away when she wanted to.

So why not find something proper for Zhang Ze to do?

The task he found for Zhang Ze was something every normal cultivator should do.

He asked Zhang Ze to go into seclusion.

From what Zhengyi said, the kid had been quite obedient in previous seclusions without causing trouble.

"Next March, you reach Golden Core?" Chen Qianhu set a straightforward requirement.

Chen Qianhu calculated the time and felt that given Zhang Ze's current cultivation and talent, he should remain steady until next March.

Zhang Ze looked at the Sect Leader, and he wanted to say if you're in a hurry and want me to reach Golden Core quickly, it could happen right now.

The system points were more than sufficient; he could reach Golden Core with just one tap.

However, Zhang Ze only thought about it and gave up the idea of showing off and advancing three levels on the spot in front of the Sect Leader.

It's not that he feared the Sect Leader would study him like a specimen, but he was worried the Sect Leader might change his requirement to reach Nascent Soul before next March.

After all, the Sect Leader's main concern was his lack of trust and not wanting a grandchild too soon.

Reaching Golden Core wasn't the key, seclusion was.

Moreover, without mentioning it, Zhang Ze aimed to save experience for a legitimate reason.

Zhang Ze listened with one ear open and the other closed, absorbing the Sect Leader's earnest instructions.

"Cultivate properly. I'll be on my way," the Sect Leader said.

"Understood, take care," Zhang Ze replied obediently.

But once the Sect Leader's Dharma Aspect faded, Zhang Ze hummed a little tune and headed down the mountain.

"I'll start cultivating tomorrow~ Today, I'm going to hang out with Junior Sister for some fun..."

However, before Zhang Ze could enjoy himself for long, he was caught and brought back when he was only halfway down the mountain.

This time, it wasn't by Chen Qianhu. The Sect Leader was known for keeping his word; when he left, he truly left.

It was his master, Li, who caught him.

"What do you want, Master?" Zhang Ze asked.

"Go cultivate." Li Guanqi grabbed Zhang Ze and took him to a place Zhang Ze had only marked once.

Sword Pavilion's Sword-Seeking Cliff.

Whenever Sword Sect disciples needed to go into seclusion, they would come here to refine their Sword Intent and cultivate their breathing techniques.

Since he was going to seriously go into seclusion to breakthrough to the Golden Core, he certainly had to come to this place.

Perhaps as a special privilege, Li found Zhang Ze a good spot.

This Cave Mansion was halfway up the mountain, near a cliff, surrounded with Spiritual Qi, with a small path leading directly to the base and a cold pond nearby where white fish swam.

Standing at the cave entrance, he could look up at Spirit Sword Peak, shrouded in clouds and fog, like a divine sword piercing the earth.

"I once went into seclusion here to form my Core. You should still be able to find the records I left on the rock wall." Li stood at the cliff's edge, stroking his beard and sighing, reminiscing about the past.

But after waiting a long time, he didn't hear Zhang Ze respond like he usually did.

"Why are you just standing there, not going inside?"

Li Guanqi looked at Zhang Ze, who was lingering at the cave entrance and not going in, and summoned his Big Iron Rod again.

"Seclusion is a serious matter. You need to let me prepare; otherwise, my Tao Heart won't be stable, and what if I slip into a mental disorder?" Zhang Ze took a step back and gestured for his master to put away the Magical Treasure.

Li Guanqi thought about it and acknowledged that Zhang Ze had a point. Preparing well for such an important task as going into seclusion to breakthrough to Golden Core was indeed necessary.

"Hmm, go prepare. We'll come back tomorrow," Li Guanqi said, intending to grab Zhang Ze by the collar and leave, but Zhang Ze took another step back.

"Why aren't you moving again?"

Li saw that Zhang Ze seemed unwilling to leave.

"There's another matter. If it's not resolved, my Tao Heart definitely won't be stable," Zhang Ze said defensively.

"And what might that be?" Li Guanqi asked.

"You promised me that Ink Sword. You have to give it to me; without holding that sword, I guarantee I can't form my Golden Core," Zhang Ze finally revealed his true intentions.

Watching Zhang Ze reaching out for the treasure, Li couldn't help but wonder what on earth this kid was thinking about all day.

Previously, when they tricked Nameless, Li Guanqi used an Ink Sword with a built-in Sword Array. Zhang Ze had pestered his master for it for a long time, but Li just said that he would give it to Zhang Ze after he formed his Golden Core.

Now, using the excuse of going into seclusion for Core Formation, Zhang Ze planned to get the sword first and play with it for a few days.

Li Guanqi sighed and said, "Here you go."

Seeing the Ink Sword in his hand, Zhang Ze twirled it skillfully, just about to praise his master, but he found that Li Guanqi had already flown to the top of the mountain and was almost out of sight.

"Master, hey, master, could you give me a ride?"

"Aren't you good at climbing mountains? Go back yourself." Li Guanqi's voice echoed around Zhang Ze.

...

The next day.

The surroundings of the Cave Mansion at Sword-Seeking Cliff had completely changed.

There were chairs and benches in abundance, a soft big bed was placed inside the Cave Mansion, and various Thousand Mechanism Tools developed by the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion to enhance life quality were casually piled up.

A stove made of stones was built to the right of the entrance, with Li chasing a few big roosters around.

Sword-Seeking Cliff had turned into a countryside retreat in an instant.

Li Guanqi watched as Zhang Ze moved his whole home here, paused for a moment, and then took out his Big Iron Rod.

"Master, stay calm, we don't judge by appearances but by results. You know I have exceptional talent, ordinary cultivation methods aren't much use to me."

"I assure you, such an environment is most suitable for my cultivation. Old Tang has said, cultivation needs to be done in the mortal world, entering the red dust is the true way."

"Some smokiness in the place of my cultivation is quite normal," Zhang Ze argued.

"You are a disciple of the Sword Sect, then Dragon Tiger Mountain..."

Before Li Guanqi could finish, Zhang Ze took out the waist plaque of the Grand Elder from Dragon Tiger Mountain.

For a moment, Li Guanqi could relate to the Sect Leader's frustration.

That kind of feeling where you can't bear to hit him, and hitting him won't do any good.

Li Guanqi's Divinity Transformation Stage intuition told him that even if he confiscated all these things from Zhang Ze, it would be of no use.

Because in Zhang Ze's Hundred Treasures Bag, which was like a junk market, there was surely another set of furniture.

"Master, don't worry, I promise to complete the Sect Leader's task, it's just a mere Golden Core, after all."

"Master, please trust me one more time, after all, you wouldn't want to have thirty years of salary deducted again, would you?"

It was fine when Zhang Ze didn't mention this, but as soon as he did, Li Guanqi got irritated.

He raised his hand and grabbed Zhang Ze over, "A day won't matter for going into seclusion, right?"

Zhang Ze thought for a while and nodded his head.

"Then let me help you lay a better foundation." Li grabbed Zhang Ze and took him to the training ground.

Putting Zhang Ze down, he waved his hand, and a rain of swords filled the sky.

Wang, who was sipping tea, saw the commotion and also waved his hand, adding countless streaks of thunder to the rain of swords.

The rain of swords and the thundering streaks brushed past Zhang Ze's scalp with a subtle distance just shy of contact, chasing him around the training ground.

Fuji, emerging from who knows where, saw Zhang Ze's plight and cheered him on from the sidelines.

She even snapped a photo and sent it to the group.

[Tang: Good body technique]

[Chen Qin: Senior brother is impressive]

...

In short, the results were indeed impressive. Within just one day, Zhang Ze comprehended the Art of Joint Attack.

He also gained a deeper understanding of his master and Wang's skills.

...

Sword-Seeking Cliff

This place is quite secluded, and Zhang Ze doesn't have the habit of playing loud music, so it didn't affect the normal cultivation of other senior brothers and sisters.

The chickens all ended up in Li's stomach last night, cooked in various styles like white-boiled, red-braised, and soy-roasted.

Now Li is out hunting, saying that he saw some cute bunnies on the other side of the cliff yesterday.

He plans to invite those cute bunnies over as guests.

In the Cave Mansion.

Zhang Ze was lying on the bed with the Ink Sword, feeling the mountain breeze blowing from outside the cave, incrementally gaining experience.

When he hit a bottleneck, he would sit up on the bed, close his eyes to sense the changes in Spiritual Qi, running the Heart Method to break through the bottleneck.

At the same time, he meticulously experienced and verified the feeling of breaking through with the Thousand Mechanism Heart Method.

He wanted to have some involvement in the process of Core Formation.

Since, barring any mishaps, the opportunity to form a Core comes only once.

Firstly, Zhang Ze wanted to test whether the Thousand Mechanism Heart Method was flawed, and whether it could truly lead him to the Golden Core stage.

Secondly, as immortal cultivation happens once, if forming the Golden Core was done muddle-headedly, wouldn't the whole cultivation have been in vain?

He was quite curious about the matter of condensing a sphere inside his body.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ze and Li were temporarily living a reclusive, rural lifestyle.

Junior Sister finally remembered her association with the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, and Chen Qin was helping Dan Dan recruit disciples.

By the statues of Zhang Ze and Lily at the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, they set up a platform there.

Dan Dan was in a cheerful mood under the Sun's aspect.

And Lily, being a lively one, was setting off fireworks in the sky.

Chen Qin coordinated with Lily, controlling seventeen Flying Swords, weaving through the sky to form various patterns in different colors with their sword lights.