"Come out. Don't force this old man to act."
It was Elder Sky!
Simon Stone widened his eyes, his body unconsciously shrinking back a little.
This visitor was clearly up to no good...
His fifth senior brother, Elder Sky, had barely spoken a word to him since Simon Stone joined Master Sage Subhuti’s disciples. The Monkey King had tried several times to build a friendly relationship, but every time he greeted him, Elder Sky would just nod and walk away, never uttering a single extra word.
His face was like a slab of iron.
According to Belle, Master Sage Subhuti rarely bothered with daily affairs, and almost all matters in the monastery were managed by Elder Sky, who insisted on personally overseeing everything, no matter how trivial.
It was said that before cultivating the Dao, he had served as a government official. But because he was too upright, handling everything impartially, he not only failed to get promoted, but even lost his own exhausting post. Only then did he join the monastery.
The two who watched over him every night were Elder Sky’s disciples. Simon Stone had long known this, and always pretended not to notice, handling the situation quietly. But now, Elder Sky himself had come!
"Are you really going to force this old man to act?" Elder Sky stretched out a hand, a swirl of white mist spinning at his fingertips.
Helpless, Simon Stone could only step out from the darkness. Bathed in the tranquil moonlight, his gaze met Elder Sky’s.
“Hmph!” Elder Sky withdrew the white mist from his fingertips and barked angrily at Simon Stone, “I knew you’d never behave, you little monkey! But I didn’t expect you could fool Ethan and Ivan—seems you’ve got some cunning after all.”
Simon Stone grinned widely. “What are you talking about, Fifth Senior Brother?”
“Don’t play dumb with me! I’m asking you—without Master’s token, why are you here in the middle of the night?”
“Well… I saw you come in, so I followed you, Fifth Senior Brother! Do you have Master’s token?”
“You!” Elder Sky was so furious he nearly spat blood. “Sharp-tongued little rascal! Fine, fine! Let’s see how you explain yourself to Master!”
With a flick of his sleeve, a wave of white spiritual energy swept toward Simon Stone.
Simon Stone’s heart tightened, but he swiftly shifted his steps and dodged with ease.
Seeing this, Elder Sky’s eyes widened in shock. “You can sense spiritual energy? Half a year of meditation in the back mountain, and instead of refining your mind, you’ve reached the Spirit-Focusing Realm! Looks like you’ve been sneaking into the Scripture Tower for quite some time!”
The Spirit-Focusing Realm, also known as the Spirit-Gathering Stage, is the first level for those entering the path of cultivation.
Cultivators who enter this realm can sense the spiritual energy floating between heaven and earth, absorb it for their own use, and transform it into spiritual power that flows through their veins, tempering their bodies.
All Daoist arts and divine abilities must be driven by spiritual power.
"Senior Brother, you're overthinking it. This is my first time coming in here today," Simon Stone said, slowly backing away, ready to bolt at any moment.
"Enough talk! Whether it's your first time or not, Master will know!"
Elder Sky stretched out his five fingers toward Simon Stone, and immediately, a strange wind whirled around him, leaving nowhere to escape.
In the midst of struggling, Simon Stone's feet suddenly left the ground and he was lifted into the air!
Elder Sky leapt lightly onto the windowsill and flew out, taking the wind-enshrouded Simon Stone with him.
The strange wind wrapping around Simon Stone was invisible and formless; no matter how he struggled, he could not break free.
Soon, Elder Sky had dragged Simon Stone to Subhuti's door and threw him heavily onto the stone slabs.
The Daoist disciples guarding the door hurried forward to stop them, respectfully saying, "Uncle Sky, Master has already retired for the night. If you have business, please wait until tomorrow..."
"Out of my way!" Elder Sky interrupted before the disciple could finish, shoving him aside and shouting, "I have urgent matters to discuss with Master tonight! No one will stop me!"
Just as he was about to push open the door, it swung open on its own!
Inside the ancient room, two lanterns flickered. Subhuti reclined on his couch, sipping tea, his gaze toward Elder Sky calm and indifferent.
Seeing this, Elder Sky was momentarily startled. After a pause, he stepped inside, knelt down, and cried, "Master! This beast..."
Before he could finish, Subhuti said calmly, "Simon Stone, kneel outside."
"Yes, Master." Simon Stone obediently knelt outside.
With a sharp sound, the door closed by itself, the noise giving Elder Sky a faint sense of foreboding.
Now, only Subhuti and Elder Sky remained inside.
"Master! This beast—"
Subhuti slammed the lid onto his teacup. The sharp clink of porcelain echoed through the room, cutting Elder Sky off mid-sentence.