Chapter 250: Sleeves Conceal a Vast World, The Moon and Sun Last Long in the Pot

On a sunny slope deep within Niu Kui Mountain, there was a narrow, elongated cave, about ten feet wide and twenty feet high. Inside, it appeared very spacious. After about forty to fifty feet in depth, the passage narrowed and sloped downwards, connecting directly to an underground river.

At this moment, inside the cave, a large, imposing tiger was curled up in its nest of soft grass. Feeling an itch on its head, the tiger extended a paw to scratch, but then paused in mid-air.

After hesitating for more than a dozen breaths, the intense itch became unbearable. It finally couldn't resist, so it carefully retracted its sharp claws and rubbed its forehead only with its paw pad.

Just as it was enjoying the relief, it suddenly felt its paw slip. The tiger's heart immediately sank.

It clenched its paw and brought it closer to its eyes to look. Sure enough, its paw held a large clump of yellow and black fur. A faint spiritual glow shimmered on it, but that didn't change the fact that it had fallen out.

"Sigh... I should have just used my claws to scratch it..."

Lu Shan-jun was filled with worry, looking at yet another clump of his fallen fur. He could imagine that a significant patch on his head was now bald.

At the back of the cave, there was a small pool of water formed by dripping stalactites. It could serve as a mirror, but Lu Shan-jun dared not look into it.

He looked at his hindquarters. His long tail, like a steel whip, also looked mottled, with many spots revealing bare skin.

"Sigh..."

He sighed again. Lu Shan-jun carefully brought the clump of fur from his paw to his mouth and swallowed it.

All previously shed fur had been treated the same way, swallowed and preserved within him. Since achieving a certain level of cultivation, his fur had not shed. It had been with Lu Shan-jun for over a hundred years. Now, seeing it all fall off, his heart was filled with particular melancholy.

"Lu Shan-jun... Lu Shan-jun..."

Hu Yun's voice came from outside, making the tiger, lying in the cave, perk up. But hearing fast approaching footsteps, it quickly let out a roar.

"Roar... Stop! Don't come into my cave, just speak from outside!"

Lu Shan-jun usually imitated his teacher's dignified manner when instructing the red fox. With his body mottled and bald like a mangy tiger now, he truly had no face to see the fox.

In Lu Shan-jun's view, he had already become Disciple Ji's pupil. Although Hu Yun was still somewhat childish, he was becoming more steady and would achieve something significant sooner or later. They were both spirits destined for immortality in the future.

It wouldn't matter if his teacher saw him like this, but if Hu Yun saw him, he'd be laughed at for centuries.

Hu Yun came running excitedly from the mountain, a piece of paper tucked under his neck. He had intended to rush into the cave, but hearing the tiger's roar, he quickly stopped outside.

The fox hadn't seen Lu Shan-jun in his current state for quite some time. While very curious about the extent of the "shedding," he was still more afraid of Lu Shan-jun.

"Master, uh, has Teacher awakened? Did he have a message for you?"

Lu Shan-jun's majestic voice came from the cave, carrying a slight whistling wind, blowing away the leaves, dry grass, and other debris near the cave entrance with a rustling sound.

Hearing this, the red fox extended a paw and picked up the paper tucked under his neck. He shook it in his paw.

"Yes, yes! Teacher Ji said that your current condition is similar to that of some extraordinarily gifted water spirits before they transform into dragons. It's a fundamental metamorphosis! He said you might not be a tiger anymore, or at least not an ordinary tiger, in the future. Teacher Ji told you not to worry too much and to cultivate diligently!"

In the shadows of the cave, the tiger's eyes suddenly flared with a faint glow.

"So that's it! So that's it! To comprehend such supreme wisdom from Teacher's teachings, how wonderful..."

The tiger suppressed the intense excitement within him, whispering excitedly. But with this excitement, the itchy spots on his body became sensitive again.

However, Lu Shan-jun was no longer afraid now. He extended a paw and scratched vigorously. Compared to the fearful and cautious way he had been these past few days, this was truly satisfying scratching, making the tiger almost want to groan with pleasure.

Hu Yun held the Xuan paper in his paw, examining it against the sunlight and occasionally sniffing the ink fragrance. He had returned too quickly earlier and hadn't examined it closely on the way. Now, he was studying it thoroughly.

But his cultivation was too low. Apart from a deceptive feeling that the paper was "heavy," he didn't notice any other differences. In fact, if he diverted his attention, he wouldn't even feel this "weight."

Once he had finished examining it, Hu Yun held the paper and shouted towards the cave again.

"Oh, right, Shan-jun, Teacher Ji also sent you something. He said it would be helpful to you. It's what I have in my paw..."

"What?! Teacher has a gift for me? Roar!"

Amidst a fierce tiger roar, a mottled giant tiger, filled with immense excitement, leaped out of the cave. It leaped over the red fox's head and landed on the hillside.

"Where is it? Where is the thing Teacher gave me? Is it this, the words Teacher wrote?"

Lu Shan-jun immediately spotted the Xuan paper between Hu Yun's paws. On it, the four characters "Fundamental Metamorphosis" occasionally flashed with shimmering light, and a rich aura of Dao permeated the air.

"These are Teacher's words... Excellent calligraphy, excellent calligraphy! Fundamental metamorphosis, fundamental metamorphosis..."

The tiger approached cautiously. Then, retracting its sharp claws, it gently cradled both sides of the paper with its paw pads, receiving the decree from Hu Yun's paws.

The moment he took it, another line of smaller characters unexpectedly appeared on the paper, reading, "Gifted by Ji Yuan to Lu Shan-jun."

As soon as the characters appeared, Lu Shan-jun immediately felt a surge of Dao aura from the paper flow into his body, causing his spirit to revitalize, and his bones and muscles throughout his limbs to feel stretched and invigorated.

"Teacher gave me something! Hu Yun, look, this is from Teacher! Hahahahahaha... This is from Teacher!"

The tiger's laughter was like a roar, stirring up a mountain wind and making the surrounding mountain foliage tremble uncontrollably.

"Uh... Shan-jun... how did you... become like this...?"

Hu Yun stared at Lu Shan-jun, dumbfounded. The usually majestic tiger spirit was now bald in many places. There was barely any fur left on his forehead and face. He looked exactly like a half-bald giant cat. This state was ten times uglier than being completely bald.

The tiger's laughter abruptly ceased.

The previously overjoyed Lu Shan-jun became rigid. He looked down at Hu Yun, who stood there dumbfounded. The tiny fox eyes met the round tiger eyes.

'Should I just eat him to eliminate future trouble?'

Lu Shan-jun even thought this with resentment for a moment, which was reflected in his eyes, which shone with an intense, ominous glow.

The red fox suddenly felt a chill run through him. His body trembled twice. In a moment of desperation, he shouted,

"I will absolutely not tell anyone! Absolutely not! Ah... Teacher Ji's paper has magical power, it's making my eyes really uncomfortable, I can't see things clearly. I didn't see anything just now! I, I'll go cultivate in the mountains now!"

After saying these few sentences, the red fox mustered all his strength and leaped away from the hillside.

"Sigh..."

Watching the red fox disappear into the forest, the tiger spirit sighed. Then he looked at the calligraphy he held in his paws, and his mood brightened once more. He carried the calligraphy into the cave.

Since gaining consciousness, this was the first time Lu Shan-jun had received something that could be considered a gift. And it was bestowed by his respected teacher. Combined with the message Hu Yun brought, it was enough to dispel all his recent anxieties.

After examining it closely for a long time, Lu Shan-jun placed the paper into a recessed crevice in the cave wall, and then began to absorb spiritual energy and cultivate.

He had heard that water spirits transforming into dragons had to go through several painful or prolonged stages. Lu Shan-jun didn't know what kind of situation he would face, but he wasn't flustered at all; his revered teacher stood behind him.

'Perhaps the day I completely undergo this fundamental metamorphosis will be the day I successfully transform into human form!'

Without that distinctive fragrance, the small Ju An Pavilion appeared even more inconspicuous in Ning'an County. As if a unique aura of Dao permeated it, the pavilion always seemed exceptionally tranquil.

Not long after Hu Yun left, the small courtyard gate was, uncharacteristically, knocked on again.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Ji Yuan looked up towards the door. He personally walked to the courtyard gate and opened it. Outside stood the old beggar and the young beggar.

"How did Elder Lu and Little You find this place?" Ji Yuan bowed in greeting while asking, then gestured towards the courtyard.

"Please come in!"

The solemn young beggar and the smiling old beggar returned Ji Yuan's greeting together, then entered the courtyard.

"As the saying goes, 'The greatest recluse hides in the city.' This couldn't be more fitting for Teacher Ji!" The old beggar sighed, his gaze naturally drawn to the large jujube tree in the courtyard, which appeared ordinary yet was extraordinarily divine. He could even see the scattered, fiery red jujube fruits hidden behind the green leaves.

Ji Yuan shook his head and closed the courtyard gate securely.

"Don't look anymore. This jujube tree in my courtyard also cultivates. It won't bear fruit unless there's something truly special."

"My arrival isn't special enough?"

The old beggar said this, and seeing Ji Yuan return to writing at the table under the tree, he could only smile helplessly.

"This old beggar visited Mount Yuhai. They also witnessed the 'head-severing' interaction between me and Teacher Ji, and with a brief mention, I managed to ascertain that you reside in Ning'an County."

'Alright, so that's where the problem lies,' Ji Yuan mused inwardly, his hand not stopping its writing.

"Since our parting after the 'head-severing' ritual at the Capital Prefecture, Elder, your whereabouts have been unknown. I thought you had left Da Zhen entirely. Who would have thought you'd remain here?"

'Isn't it because I owe you a favor and my heart aches until I repay it!' The old beggar muttered inwardly, but laughed aloud.

"Within the land of Da Zhen, it's already rare to have the sacred realm of Yuhai; the Tongtian River also harbors a true dragon, and there's even a hidden true immortal. This old beggar is extremely curious, and it's no wonder those long-bearded elders of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion calculated that Da Zhen's fortune is greatly flourishing."

Ji Yuan wrote with a smile, glancing at the old beggar. "Alright, I don't want you to repay any favors, dwelling on it as if a commoner owes silver. For a beggar who takes the sky as his quilt and the earth as his bed, you're quite worldly."

"Oh, Teacher Ji, you're truly cruel! You know perfectly well that for someone of my cultivation and temperament, the more you say that, the more I'll dwell on it, the more uncomfortable I'll feel, yet you still say it... Tsk tsk tsk..."

While the old beggar was caught between laughter and tears, Lu Xiaoyou had already walked to the stone table, resting his elbows on the surface and propping his chin in his hands, looking at the paper on the table.

Although he was a young beggar, he had learned to read since following the old beggar at the age of nine, so he could clearly see what was written on the paper.

"Within the sleeve, the universe expands; in the pot, sun and moon endure. Cultivated within an inch, the Dao encompasses myriad things—this is the Art of the Sleeve Universe..."

"Child, how presumptuous!"

The old beggar's expression immediately became tense. He reached out and pulled the young beggar closer. He hadn't expected Teacher Ji to so unguardedly write such crucial techniques on paper. Just hearing Little You recite these few lines, he could imagine what a profound and remarkable immortal technique it was.

He also blamed himself for rarely discussing matters of the cultivation world with Little You. Prying into others' profound techniques was a great taboo in all cultivation circles!

Ji Yuan saw the old beggar, uncharacteristically, suddenly get angry at the young beggar. He was initially startled, then reacted and chuckled. "It's nothing. I was just practicing my calligraphy while deducing."

After saying this, he habitually waved his sleeve, and all the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table were swept into his sleeve. The brush in his hand spun once and also flew into his sleeve.

Let alone successfully cultivating the Sleeve Universe through deduction, it currently couldn't even compare to a fraction of the magnificent divine ability Ji Yuan envisioned. The first few lines on the paper were merely an expression of a wish; to be more blunt, they were more like self-aggrandizing boasts and encouragement, yet they completely startled the old beggar.

The old beggar looked at the tabletop and then at Ji Yuan's sleeve with an inscrutable expression. The way he just collected the writing implements was absolutely not like an ordinary spatial storage technique; it was far too fluid and unrestrained.

'Within the sleeve, the universe expands; in the pot, sun and moon endure...'