Night fell upon the headquarters of the Heavenly Way Academy in Langhuan Continent, one of the middle three continents.
Many could not understand why the academy, as one of the top powers of the human race, did not establish its headquarters in the spirit-rich upper three provinces, but rather in the mediocre — or even inferior to Yunmeng Prefecture — Langhuan.
However, any cultivator with the heart to study the history and legends of ten thousand or even a hundred thousand years ago would know that a “Heavenly Emperor” who once dominated the ages had emerged from Langhuan Continent.
The Heavenly Way Academy was not originally a place for teaching and education; it was merely the private library of that very Heavenly Emperor.
The spirit qi in this place contained a trace of “innate literary fortune,” which provided subtle bonuses to enlightenment, deduction, and the creation of new techniques.
Although the total amount was not high, its quality was close to “Dao Rhyme.” For the academy, it would be difficult to find a more suitable location in the entire cultivation world.
The academy headquarters was exceptionally vast, with each department assigned an entire mountain range.
Traveling from the southernmost department to the northernmost one took at least two hours, even when flying on a sword.
Fortunately, Du Ruolan possessed deep cultivation, so crossing this distance did not take her long.
However, upon arriving at the Wuya Mountain Range, Du Ruolan suddenly hesitated. She was unsure whether she should reveal this news to the person who was even more mysterious than the Headmaster.
Calling her mysterious was perhaps inappropriate; “mad” was a better description.
A jingle circulated throughout the cultivation world:
“Yun Wangji of the East, decides high and low at the gambling table. A Great Convergence peak guarding the nine heavens, laughing as he squanders a thousand gold.”
“Elder Lan of the West, a hundred arts hidden in a sleeve. Splashing the starry river in a drunken stupor to call the dragon carp, waking to dot the vastness with a dry brush.”
“The Head Constable of the South, slaying demons beyond count. Waist plates stacked into a tower reaching heaven, ghosts and gods tremble at a single glare.”
“The Dragon King of the North Sea, shedding scales for a fair face. Ten thousand years of cultivation traded for a smile, willingly falling into the gentle embrace of the red dust.”
“The Four Madmen guard the four directions, mad demons proving the Dao. Do not ask who is awake and who is dreaming, for the human realm is but a grand stage!”
Each of these four individuals was a master at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, yet not a single one of them acted in a way that a normal cultivator could understand.
Among them, “Elder Lan” was the legendary drunkard whose real name was Lan Lan, the head of the miscellaneous studies department at the Heavenly Way Academy.
Despite the name “Miscellaneous Studies,” the Wuya Mountain Range was actually the most “erudite” department in the entire academy.
Setting aside the fact that the department head, Lan Lan, studied and mastered everything, the “Bowen Tower” alone, with its billions of books, was a holy land that countless students dreamed of visiting.
“Oh, Sister Ruolan. I trust you have been well?”
Just as Du Ruolan was hesitating, someone lightly tapped her shoulder and playfully blew a breath of air into her ear.
Truly, the scent of wine arrived before the person did.
“… Elder Lan, you have classes tomorrow morning. Does drinking this much really not affect you?”
Du Ruolan sighed softly.
In theory, cultivators above the foundation establishment stage could not get drunk. A powerhouse at the Great Convergence Stage like Lan Lan had even less reason to be intoxicated.
However, Lan Lan had somehow “created” a unique wine ferment through her own intuition.
It was not some heavenly treasure that could heal a hundred illnesses; it was an “immortal grade wine ferment” with one and only one effect — it would absolutely make the drinker drunk.
How terrifying was this “absolute intoxication” effect?
To put it simply, Yun Wangji had once bought a portion and subsequently slept for seven days.
During that time, the Yun Clan Matriarch was so worried that she gathered a large group of cultivators to surround the Wuya Mountain Range.
Had she not discovered that Lan Lan was also fast asleep, she likely would have declared war on the Heavenly Way Academy.
“Relax, relax —”
Lan Lan gave a silly giggle and waved her hand at Du Ruolan.
“Didn’t I tell you a few years ago that I was researching how to lower the potency of that ferment? I finally have results. Now, the feeling it gives is roughly equivalent to a mortal drinking 1.5 pounds of white liquor. It won’t keep you drunk for long!”
She appeared as a short-haired female cultivator with blue-gray hair that was always a mess. She often wore thin, loose-fitting Daoist robes. Anyone who did not know her would mistake her for a mere mortal.
Du Ruolan had heard that Lan Lan had looked like this since before she even began her cultivation journey, so she was unsure if this was her true appearance. As for her age, it was impossible to discern.
“Why are you looking for me?”
Lan Lan sat on the ground, raised her gourd, and took a swig. She then let out a satisfied, “Ah — refreshing!”
Du Ruolan wanted to say something, but the words turned into another sigh.
She had tried many times to tell Lan Lan that such a lifestyle would be a bad influence on the students, but the other woman’s cultivation and expertise were both far superior to her own.
Eventually, Du Ruolan stopped trying to persuade her, as it only added to her own stress.
“That child from the Yun family wrote a letter of request. He asked for someone from our array formation department to go to Yunmeng Prefecture within three days to repair a mountain protection array.”
Du Ruolan said thoughtfully, “His tone was quite business-like, and he didn’t reach out to me directly. I only found out because I happened to be passing by the logistics department.”
This was why Du Ruolan had hesitated to inform Lan Lan.
If Yun Heng had relied on personal connections, Du Ruolan could have told Lan Lan directly. But if it was official business…
“Then it means he still has no interest in coming to our academy for now.”
Lan Lan shook her head, looking disinterested. “Just pick two Nascent Soul Stage disciples who have nothing better to do and send them over. Isn’t that enough?”
Lan Lan yawned. “It lets the students relax and earn some spirit stones for pocket money. Why not?”
“I thought so too.”
Du Ruolan nodded.
She had come here mainly because she wanted to hear the unique insight of the “scout” who had recognized Yun Heng’s talent at a glance years ago.
She wondered if she needed to provide any personal assistance.
Now it seemed Lan Lan’s thoughts were much the same as hers.
“Want a drink?”
Lan Lan pulled another wine gourd out from somewhere — despite the fact that she carried neither a storage bag nor a storage ring — and waved it in front of Du Ruolan’s eyes.
“No, thank you.”
Du Ruolan instinctively took two steps back, maintaining extreme vigilance against Lan Lan’s wine ferment. “I have many classes tomorrow.”
“No fun.”
Lan Lan sighed regretfully. In front of Du Ruolan, she stuffed the wine gourd into… er… the two mounds of fat on her chest.
‘She didn’t hide the storage bag in there, did she?’
Du Ruolan thought with a strange expression.
“If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to sleep.”
Lan Lan yawned again and stood up wobbling.
She always seemed exhausted. Despite being a Great Convergence Stage powerhouse, she constantly appeared in public with dark circles under her eyes.
Du Ruolan had worked at the Heavenly Way Academy for hundreds of years, yet she had never once seen Lan Lan full of energy. It was as if she simply couldn’t muster interest in anything.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
Du Ruolan cupped her hands and bowed slightly.
Lan Lan waved her hand and then, with her hands in her pockets, slowly walked toward her cave dwelling while humming an unknown tune.
“… Try to drink less. It’s not good for your health.”
As soon as she said it, Du Ruolan felt a bit of regret.
The woman was a Great Convergence Stage powerhouse; how could there be such a thing as “bad health” for her? It made it seem as though they were both just ordinary mortals…
“Isn’t being a mortal quite good? They feel pain and fear, joy and sorrow. They have worries and anxieties, ties and burdens.”
“You, oh you, take being a ‘cultivator’ too seriously. That is why you are trapped by ‘appearances’ and cannot cross your ‘tribulation’.”
Lan Lan’s hazy, ethereal voice sounded sometimes distant and sometimes near, echoing through the air.
The clouds were like mist, the distant mountains like barriers. Above the moon’s palace, the wind left its mark.
“Fame and merit weigh like mountains pressing down the stars; how can they compare to a small boat carrying the moonlight?”
When Du Ruolan looked again, she had already disappeared.
Du Ruolan fell silent.
After a long while, she murmured to herself, “But if we ask the heart through the red dust, what is the difference between this path of seeking immortality and sinking into the mundane world?”
“Is our nearly thousand years of bitter cultivation, self-discipline, and searching not for the purpose of breaking free from these mortal joys and sorrows?”
“If everyone seeks only to be drunk in a dream, who will uphold the principles, and who will pass on the Great Dao? Elder Lan, your Dao is too light, while mine… is too heavy.”
She then turned and departed.