Just moments ago, they were discussing her ties to the Buddhist Realm, and how did they end up with her asking him to take her as a disciple? The only possible link between the two was this: she wanted to learn his techniques, grow strong, and then seek trouble with the Buddhist Realm.

Ye Wen could certainly consider that possibility, but he found it utterly unreliable. The Buddhist Realm was one of the most powerful factions in the entire Immortal World, and his own Shu Mountain Sect? It was weaker than weak. Surely Hasna couldn't be so ignorant as to not grasp the might of the Buddhist Realm? Or perhaps, his success in rescuing her from Kong Xuan had given her the mistaken impression that he was powerful enough to contend even with Kong Xuan?

His guess was entirely correct. Hasna had originally been born into an ordinary family far to the west of the Western Heaven Buddhist Realm. That entire region belonged to the Muslims, effectively subjects of the Muslim powers.

However, Hasna's ancestral home lay precisely on the border between the Muslim territories and the Buddhist Realm. In the Immortal World, the power of the Buddhist Realm far surpassed that of the Muslims, and they were constantly expanding their territory.

Only recently, compared to the rapid and violent expansion of the past, the Buddhist Realm had adopted a policy of attrition—building one temple after another, slowly eroding the land belonging to other factions, bit by painstaking bit.

Under such circumstances, conflicts between Buddhist disciples and local inhabitants were inevitable. Furthermore, given the Buddhist Realm's immense power, it was impossible to guarantee that every disciple possessed impeccable mental cultivation; violent incidents would crop up now and then. Hasna's village was destroyed due to one such conflict.

The enraged civilians, having lost their homes, retaliated. Hasna, having learned some martial skills since childhood, became a primary force in the assault on one of the temples, practically single-handedly carving a path of slaughter through it, resulting in countless monks dying by her hand.

Subsequently, when numerous Buddhist disciples learned of this, they exacted revenge in kind, relentlessly surrounding and slaughtering the group of avenging locals. Everyone cornered by these disciples died at the hands of the Buddhist monks.

If matters had continued to unfold this way, the inevitable end would have been the deaths of Hasna and all her comrades. But the deities worshipped by the Muslims detected the situation and intervened!

With their intervention, the tide of the conflict began to swell, eventually escalating into a direct confrontation between the two major powers! By this point, the focus had long since shifted away from the pitiful Hasna. She was still constantly fleeing through the mountains and forests, desperate to avoid discovery by the enemy.

Originally, she had intended to flee back into Muslim-controlled territory. However, the Buddhist Realm had tightened security around that area. Moreover, one incident deeply scarred her: she accidentally witnessed one of the gods she worshipped being utterly defenseless against a Bodhisattva or Arhat from the Buddhist Realm. It was then she realized that even returning to her own people would be entirely useless.

She still had a few companions with her. One of them, who frequently traveled the seas, suddenly announced, "I heard that in the distant East, there exists a power as mighty as the Buddhist Realm! And there, there are people who can achieve supreme power akin to gods and Buddhas purely through their own cultivation... If we could find these people and persuade them to teach us their techniques, perhaps we could lead our people to resist these fiends!" This suggestion did not receive universal approval; most still wished to return to their kin. But Hasna longed to attain that power, a strength comparable to gods and Buddhas. She even hoped to lead her people out of their current predicament through her own strength—their living space was constantly shrinking; if this continued, they would eventually lose it all.

Either be slaughtered, or submit to the Buddhist Realm!

She desired neither outcome. Thus, Hasna embarked on the arduous, thorny journey toward the East—a journey fraught with peril. Along the way, the few companions willing to join her died one after another due to the relentless pursuit by the Buddhist Realm.

Yet, Hasna stubbornly survived. But her condition was dire. By the time she finally traversed the territories of the Buddhist Realm and stepped onto the land of the Eastern Immortal Continent, the Arhats and Bodhisattvas, having cleared their previous engagements, learned that one of the principal 'culprits' had still not been eliminated.

Upon learning this and making inquiries, the Peacock Great Bright King himself journeyed over and eventually caught up to Hasna, who had arrived in the East long before him.

The reason the Peacock Great Bright King personally intervened was simple: the temple that had been completely massacred was one dedicated to the Bodhisattva Mahāmāyūrī, the Great Peacock Bright King!

After detailing all these events, Hasna explained to Ye Wen why she sought him as a master: "Because of some prior karmic connections, I... I simply have no idea where else to find someone like you in this realm!"

"Understood!"

It turned out that Hasna was just as clueless as anyone. Even with Wu Zhen’s memories, she didn't know how to locate the cultivation sects within this Immortal World, as Wu Zhen had only been a Buddhist monk on Earth. And Hasna was merely an ordinary mortal in the Immortal World, an outsider from a distant land.

In fact, neither Hasna nor Ye Wen had any real grasp of Ye Wen’s current standing in the Immortal World. Merely because Ye Wen managed to save Hasna from Kong Xuan, she assumed his power must be formidable. Ye Wen, though looking slightly paler, hadn't lost limbs nor was he dead.

She had witnessed one of the gods she believed in being annihilated by a mere wave of Kong Xuan's hand; this alone demonstrated the sheer, terrifying strength of Kong Xuan.

At the same time, the memories Hasna acquired from Wu Zhen also informed her that there had once been some form of acquaintance between her past self and this powerful entity. In her view, this was all the better; otherwise, as an outsider, even if she stumbled upon a sect that taught immortal arts, they might not impart their ultimate secrets freely. If she couldn't learn anything truly useful, wouldn't her efforts be in vain? Thus, looking at it from every angle, becoming Ye Wen's disciple was the optimal choice.

The extensive conversation clarified these reasons for Ye Wen, yet it also left him more perplexed: "Was Wu Zhen’s cultivation really that terrifying? To know so many things?"

Hasna seemed to notice his confusion and interjected, "The Buddhist path emphasizes sudden enlightenment (Dunwu). When many divine abilities (shentong) are cultivated to a profound level, a moment of sudden enlightenment can trigger marvelous effects! Especially before passing into Nirvana (yuanji), nearly all divine abilities can be spurred to their peak state—even a direct emissary of the Buddha could achieve no more!" Ye Wen instantly understood. It wasn't that Wu Zhen’s cultivation was inherently monstrous, but rather a characteristic of the Buddhist divine abilities manifesting at that time.

Wu Zhen was near the end of his life, meaning he was on the verge of death! At such a point, the power of Buddhist divine abilities would display immense might; it wasn't so strange for Wu Zhen to deduce something.

"Besides, at that time, I only vaguely perceived some fragmented scenes; the general situation was all deduced by myself!" As Hasna said this, she sounded quite self-satisfied, as if she had orchestrated these events herself. This left Ye Wen utterly speechless, and he silently scorned her a bit.

However, from this, he did learn that perhaps Wu Zhen's raw power wasn't the most frightening aspect, but his intellect truly was—far surpassing ordinary people... Unfortunately, after reincarnation, that brilliant, sharp mind hadn't come along with the rest. Hasna’s hair was so long; it seemed her IQ...

"Bah, bah! My hair isn't short either! I almost insulted myself!" Xu Xian and Ning Ruxue watched their senior martial brother acting like a clown with darkened faces, knowing their brother’s mind was undoubtedly spinning some wild nonsense.

Only Hasna looked utterly perplexed, tilting her head up at Ye Wen, still kneeling there!

Ye Wen looked down at Hasna kneeling before him, her head tilted up in a pitiable manner. He finally recalled that he himself had benefited greatly from Wu Zhen in the past. After Wu Zhen taught him Buddhist doctrine, his Hun Tian Bao Jian had improved significantly. He even comprehended the formidable technique of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Taking on just one disciple now seemed like no big deal.

After all, the Shu Mountain Sect had so many disciples; adding one more or losing one made no difference to how they were taught! As for Hasna's outsider status? The Shu Mountain Sect now had people of all races—adding one more Arab wouldn't change anything!

"It’s not impossible for me to take you as a disciple. Get up first."

"Don't I need to perform the formal bowing ceremony?" Although Hasna knew much from Wu Zhen, she clearly lacked the ability to apply knowledge practically. She probably hadn't fully digested many things yet.

Ye Wen raised his hand slightly, releasing a wisp of true energy, lifting Hasna up. "It’s not too late to bow when we perform the official initiation ceremony!" Hasna, suspended by the vital energy, did not resist. Instead, she curiously experienced the peculiar sensation. After standing there and examining herself for a while, she asked, "This technique is very interesting. Can I learn it?"

"When your skills are deep enough, you naturally will..." The more they conversed, the more Ye Wen felt the vast difference between Hasna and Wu Zhen. Despite knowing they were technically the same person, Ye Wen still couldn't connect the two.

After standing for a while, Ye Wen suddenly felt his body go weak, completely drained of strength. He instructed Ning Ruxue, "Arrange lodging for her nearby... Put her in the same courtyard as Claire. Have Claire help her get accustomed to life on the mountain for these few days. We'll discuss specifics later. I need to go rest." Ning Ruxue, noticing Ye Wen’s poor complexion, readily agreed, then watched her senior martial brother leave the room and head straight for his own quarters.

Slightly worried, Ning Ruxue led Hasna to the courtyard where Claire lived. After a brief arrangement, Hasna became Claire's neighbor.

Ye Wen had initially thought that since the two shared a similar ethnic background, they might get along well. But to his surprise, upon meeting Claire, Hasna erupted with a fierce killing intent. Although she suppressed it quickly, it greatly concerned Ning Ruxue.

Claire, completely in the dark, nearly unleashed the spiritual pellet she had instantly condensed on her finger. Thankfully, Hasna quickly explained the reason.

It turned out that conflicts weren't just common between the Western Heaven Buddhist Realm and the Muslims; Heaven and Mount Olympus across the Mediterranean also held deep animosity toward the Muslims. Back then, Muslim influence covered both the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean, but the northern shore had been carved up by Heaven and Mount Olympus. Consequently, the subjects of the Muslim powers held no affection for any of these neighbors.

Claire’s appearance happened to be that of a standard citizen of the Heaven faction! This is what caused Hasna’s intense reaction—it was only due to Wu Zhen's memories that she managed to suppress it.

After learning that Claire wasn't a native of the Immortal World at all and had no connection to that Heaven faction, Hasna cast aside the last shred of her apprehension.

"Actually... my parents were Christian. When I was little, they almost made me undergo baptism, but I was too playful and managed to escape."

Claire didn't seem bothered. While showing Hasna around, she recounted some of her own experiences as jokes, while Hasna just smiled awkwardly and looked around curiously. This was because neither her current life nor Wu Zhen's memories contained any information about the Shu Mountain Sect. Coupled with the fact that her current personality and memories were dominated by this life, she was extremely intrigued by the distinctly different styles of architecture and scenery.

As a result, over the next few days, Hasna’s head seemed to spin like it had a motor installed, making one worry that she might accidentally spin her head clean off.

Meanwhile, Ye Wen barely left his room during these days, spending his time sitting in meditation to restore his depleted vitality!

Ning Ruxue specifically brewed some restorative tonic soup for Ye Wen to help him recover quickly. Ye Wen looked at the pot of specialized soup with deep amusement.

"Doesn't this look like the kind you used to drink often?" He had seen this kind frequently, especially before Ning Ruxue achieved success in her cultivation.

"What’s with the chatter? This soup is effective!" Her face flushed slightly; it seemed she was a bit embarrassed too. "Besides, this is the soup I’m most familiar with..." "So you’re giving this to me..." Ye Wen scooped a spoonful and spotted a red date. His expression grew more colorful: "Something women drink?"

"If you don't drink it, I'll just pour it out!" She reached out to take the bowl, but Ye Wen stopped her, leaning forward and enveloping the entire bowl protectively with his arms, like a mother hen guarding her chick.

"How could we waste it? We aren't rich on this mountain!"

"Then give it to Huayi!" "Huayi is currently full of vigor; if she drinks this, I’ll become even weaker!" As he spoke, he began gulping down the hot soup. In a short while, he had consumed more than half.

Seeing him drink so heartily, a sudden thought struck Ning Ruxue, and her face reddened. "Senior Martial Brother, could you... could you feed your junior martial sister a little...?"

From an angle she couldn't see, Ye Wen’s eyes were filling with tears, and he kept sticking out his tongue in mock agony. Upon hearing his junior sister’s request, he froze for a long moment before managing a reply: "What?"

Not noticing Ye Wen’s strange reaction, her blush deepened. She lowered her head and softly repeated, "Mm... feed it to me..."

This time, Ye Wen heard clearly. Although he thought it was a rather nice suggestion, especially since it was requested by his own junior sister—how rare!—it was just a bit inappropriate right now. He could only reply with a grimace, "We're practically an old married couple, why be so mushy!" Ning Ruxue paused, then grew furious. "Hmph!" She didn't bother speaking another word to Ye Wen, only occasionally glaring at him as he noisily downed the contents of the large bowl.

Only after Ye Wen had completely finished every last drop did she huffily take the bowl and leave. But as soon as she stepped out of the courtyard, she saw Li Xiaoyao approaching with a bowl in hand.

"Xiaoyao? What do you have in your hand?"

Li Xiaoyao glanced at the large bowl in the Senior Martial Mother's hand, looking confused, but he answered smoothly and swiftly, "I saw a bowl of medicinal broth left in the kitchen just now, and I heard it was prepared for Master. So I brought it for him!" "Medicinal broth?" Ning Ruxue glanced at it; it was clearly the dregs of the restorative soup she had just made. Had Li Xiaoyao mistaken it for medicine?

"This is the restorative soup just cooked for your Master. Your Master has already drunk it all. You don't need to deliver this bowl."

"Restorative soup?" Li Xiaoyao's face instantly turned incredibly strange. Then he noticed the large bowl in Ning Ruxue’s hand was sparkling clean enough to be reflective, and a wave of profound admiration surged through him: "Master, you are too ruthless!"

Understanding the situation, he chuckled a few times, turned with the bowl, and was about to leave, not daring to linger another moment for fear his Senior Martial Mother might notice something.

Though his movements were quick, they did not escape Ning Ruxue's notice. She called out, "Wait, give me that bowl of soup!"

"Yes, Senior Martial Mother!" Handing over the soup bowl, Li Xiaoyao took the large empty bowl. "Senior Martial Mother, I'll be going now!" Without waiting for a reply, he turned, used his movement technique, and vanished. Even Ning Ruxue didn't have time to react!

Watching Li Xiaoyao disappear in a flash, Ning Ruxue suddenly had a bad feeling. She lifted the soup bowl, took a small sip, and instantly felt her tongue subjected to the most horrifying torture in the world. All sorts of bizarre tastes churned through her mouth and throat, and even her nose wasn't spared.

"So bitter..."

At this moment, Ning Ruxue forgot all about maintaining her image, sticking out her tongue and making various strange faces just to alleviate the agony in her mouth.

The moment she thought about her senior brother having consumed an entire large bowl of that, Ning Ruxue immediately turned around, placed the bowl on the stone table in the courtyard, and rushed into the room, desperate to check if her master was alright.

But the moment she set the bowl down and looked up, she saw Ye Wen standing by the open window, pointing at her and laughing uncontrollably, having clearly witnessed Ning Ruxue's recent ordeal.