The immortal boat descended without sound.
Gu Yan stood at the courtyard threshold of Cloudwatch Sect and watched the clouds part as if a hand had brushed them aside. The vessel was not large, but its presence weighed heavily on the air. For a brief moment, he forgot where he was.
Immortal boats were things of legend in Stillwater. To forge even the most basic one required a Golden Core artifact refiner and a Golden Core array master working in tandem. In the entire region, there were only two early Golden Core cultivators—and neither possessed both paths. Such a thing should not exist here.
Yet it did.
The boat settled gently. Qingshi stepped down.
Gu Yan bowed at once. His movement was instinctive, unhesitating.
"Dao Warden Qingshi."
Qingshi inclined his head in return, unchanged.
Only then did Gu Yan notice the young man standing behind Qingshi.
Early Qi realm. Barely formed. Yet the air around him was strangely clean, as if dust refused to cling. His presence did not press outward like most cultivators'. Instead, it felt… hollow. Like standing before a quiet lake with no ripples.
The young man met Gu Yan's gaze and felt it immediately—the pressure. Not hostility, not threat, but the undeniable weight of someone who had crossed his realm long ago. Zhao steadied his breath without realizing it.
Qingshi spoke, voice even. "This is Zhao."
Then, to Zhao, "This is Gu Yan."
Nothing more was said. No origins. No past.
Qingshi continued, "You may come and go as you please. From now on, you cultivate here."
Gu Yan acknowledged without question. Heaven did not place pieces without reason.
With a casual motion, Qingshi recalled the boat into his sleeve. The clouds closed as he rose and vanished, leaving the mountain eerily still.
Zhao turned and bowed deeply. "Teacher."
Gu Yan studied him for a long moment. He did not accept the bow, nor did he refuse it. He only spoke.
"How long since you sensed qi?"
"Just over a month," Zhao answered.
Gu Yan nodded once. "Can you maintain stillness for one incense?"
"Yes."
There was no pride in the reply. No hesitation either.
Gu Yan turned toward the inner courtyard. "Rest today. We begin tomorrow."
Zhao followed.
Behind them, the mountain remained unchanged, as if nothing extraordinary had occurred. But Gu Yan knew better. Heaven had placed a student in his hands again—and this one felt nothing like the disciples he had lost.
End of Chapter 56