Chapter 16

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This chapter is edited by Bakhtawar Kakar. Thank you for your contribution!

Chapter 16: One Might Have Started Cultivating Earlier Than the Other

When cultivating in Yunluo Peak, Qing Luan’s talent was hailed as the finest in a millennium. Even so, it took her until the age of 22 to reach the late stage of the Golden Core Realm.

For this reason, she found the rumors about Bai Lian hard to believe.

“A cultivator at the Golden Core Stage slaying a dragon?” Qing Luan rolled her eyes. “What nonsense! At best, it was probably just a large snake.”

The tale of Bai Lian defeating a Ghost King during her Foundation Establishment Stage was even more preposterous.

“That had to be some random ghost with a self-inflated title!” she scoffed.

But what really tested her patience was the rumor claiming Bai Lian reached the Nascent Soul Stage in just forty-two months.

“Don’t make me laugh!” Qing Luan said aloud to no one in particular, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “If that were true, then I must be the reincarnation of the Qing Luan Holy Bird itself!”

Clearly, these stories were fabricated beyond reason. They might as well claim Bai Lian was the child of some celestial being.

“Sigggghhhh.” Qing Luan leaned back, rubbing her temples. “If only rumors came with a bit of common sense.”

But the more she thought about it, the more it annoyed her. These tales were too extravagant, yet so many disciples believed them blindly. To them, Bai Lian was an invincible protector.

“Everyone is drunk, and I alone am sober!” she muttered to herself.

Yet today’s events shook her convictions.

In the aftermath of Zhou Hongyun’s defeat, Qing Luan sat deep in thought.

“I wonder… will Sister Hong Luan believe me if I tell her what I saw?”

She frowned, recalling the battle. Chen Yizhi, whose cultivation level matched her own, had easily slain Zhou Hongyun—a feat that seemed insurmountable to her.

This couldn’t be denied.

Other factors might be exaggerated, but Zhou Hongyun’s death was real. And the key difference in that battle wasn’t Chen Yizhi’s strength—it was Bai Lian’s guidance.

Qing Luan closed her eyes and tried to envision someone else in Bai Lian’s place. Elder Gaoyi, perhaps.

If it had been Elder Gaoyi, the battle might have gone like this:

Elder Gaoyi would have obliterated Zhou Hongyun with a single strike. He might even have killed the Demon Soul that had possessed Chen Yizhi. But Chen Yizhi himself? He’d have been left broken, his body so damaged it would take a month to recover. No miraculous breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage would have occurred.

The stark contrast stung.

“Who is the true master here?”

Qing Luan sighed deeply, leaning back against the wall.

It was almost comical. A casual comparison between Bai Lian and others made her feel utterly insignificant.

She clenched her fists. The name Bai Lian burned in her mind like a brand.

At first, the realization made her feel uncomfortable, even resentful. But as the hours passed, a new thought emerged.

“Perhaps… Bai Lian can help me too.”

Her gaze sharpened as determination replaced her frustration. Others had ascended to new heights under Bai Lian’s guidance. Wen Ren Ya Le, Jiang Ning, Chen Yizhi, Gong Juren, even the Saint of the Biluo Sect… all had found breakthroughs with her aid.

If Bai Lian could achieve so much for them, what might she accomplish for Qing Luan?

For the first time, Qing Luan allowed herself to hope.

What remained in Qing Luan’s heart was only strong desire.

Learning from Bai Lian didn’t mean Qing Luan would forever remain in Bai Lian’s shadow. The future was vast and unpredictable—who could say she wouldn’t surpass Bai Lian someday?

With this thought, her resolve solidified.

As Qing Luan’s consciousness settled, Chen Yizhi had already risen from the ground. He retrieved his flying sword, which had been cast aside during the battle, and cast a wary glance at the group of trembling tigers before him.

*Crisis loomed heavy in the air.

[*If a worrying or threatening situation or event is looming, it seems likely to happen soon.]

The leader of the white tigers, its massive frame trembling, stepped forward to shield its kin. While the destruction of the White Tiger Hall should have been a moment of liberation, it now left them vulnerable to a group of vengeful cultivators, each far stronger than the foes they had just escaped.

The silence stretched thin.

Chen Yizhi’s grip tightened around his sword. His first impulse was to exact vengeance by cutting these tigers down. After all, weren’t they a part of the White Tiger Hall’s tyranny?

But then, a memory flashed across his mind—a memory of Martial Sister Bai Lian.

“If Martial Sister Bai Lian were here, how would she handle this?”

The question brought to mind a story he had once heard about her—a tale of her feeding an injured eagle with her own flesh. Bai Lian’s methods weren’t always about destruction. They were about balance and understanding.

His grip loosened slightly as another thought surfaced. These tigers, too, had been victims. Zhou Hongyun had enslaved them, mutilating some to maintain control. The Demon Soul’s lingering memories revealed the extent of the cruelty inflicted upon them.

“What a sin,” Chen Yizhi murmured, his heart heavy.

Still, uncertainty lingered. He wished Bai Lian were here to guide him directly. Turning to her, he asked, “Martial Sister Bai Lian, what do you think I should do?”

Bai Lian blinked, caught off guard. She had no idea what Chen Yizhi was talking about. But seeing no system warning pop up, she decided to improvise.

She spoke calmly, “Your sword is your sword. The most important thing for a sword is not to be confused.”

Chen Yizhi froze, her words echoing in his mind.

“The Heart of the Sword…”

Realization struck him. Martial Sister Bai Lian wasn’t here to make decisions for him—her role was to show him the path. The true answer lay within himself.

He turned to the white tigers.

“You… go,” he said at last.

The leader of the tigers blinked in disbelief. “You’re letting us go?”

Chen Yizhi nodded firmly. “If it were me a day ago, I would have killed you all. But now…” He glanced at Bai Lian, his voice softening. “Thank her. Not me.”

The tiger leader hesitated, then crawled toward Bai Lian, bowing its massive head. It understood. This change in Chen Yizhi was Bai Lian’s doing.

As the white tigers prepared to leave, the leader made a quiet vow. When they found a new home in Yuheng Mountain, it would spread Bai Lian’s name to the other demon beasts.

“Let’s go!”

With that, the white tiger group left, their cries echoing in the distance.

When the commotion died down, Bai Lian turned to Qing Luan. “The rest is up to you. After all, this is your trial.”

Qing Luan bowed respectfully. “Yes, Martial Sister.”

But inwardly, she had already made plans. She would sneak into Bai Lian’s room later that night. While she was determined to learn from Bai Lian, she didn’t want anyone else to know about it.

As the disciples of Duxian Sect dispersed to hunt down the surviving members of the White Tiger Hall, Xiao Jinse and Su Youwei rushed over to Bai Lian, their faces beaming with excitement.

Bai Lian’s expression hardened.

“Do you realize what you’ve done wrong?” she snapped.

The two younger martial sisters froze, their smiles fading.

“This was supposed to be a trial, not a leisurely outing,” Bai Lian scolded. “If I hadn’t arrived in time, that Demon Soul would have killed you both.”

“Elder Martial Sister…” The two hung their heads, shame washing over them.

Bai Lian sighed. “Fine. As long as you’ve learned your lesson, we’ll leave it at that for now. Finish your test first. We’ll discuss this in detail tonight.”

“Yes, Martial Sister!”

Though chastised, Xiao Jinse and Su Youwei felt warmth in their hearts. However, both secretly wished the other would disappear, so they could face Bai Lian’s “devastation” alone.

With her younger martial sisters gone, Bai Lian quickly summoned the jade rabbit and instructed it to quietly transport Si Yunshang back to the Aurora Boat.

“Hoo~” Bai Lian exhaled in relief once the crisis was averted.

Half an hour later, she returned to the Aurora Boat with Qing Luan and the others, along with the captured remnants of the White Tiger Hall.

But there was no time to rest. The next phase of their mission loomed, and they had to act quickly. If the Huaxin Sect detected anything unusual, their targets might slip away.