Volume 4 Chapter 1

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Volume 4 Chapter 1: The Beginning

After the elder announced the order from the front mountain, he said no more. He then transformed into a streak of red light and swiftly flew towards the front mountain, disappearing from everyone’s sight in an instant.

After bowing to see off this elder of Jiuhua, Xu Qingfan noticed the worried expressions on Sheng Yushan and Li Yuhan’s faces. Thinking that they were concerned Zhang Hualing might take revenge on them as direct disciples of Zhou Huahai, he quickly comforted them, saying, "Don’t worry, my dear nephews. I’m sure the Sect Master will not be so petty. Besides, when we were trapped in the ‘Nine Pole Array,’ you both already showed your stance. So, even if Martial Uncle Zhou rebels, the Sect Master won’t hold anything against you. Perhaps he’s calling you to reward you."

Jin Qinghan nodded in agreement, indicating he shared the same view. It seemed that after this Jiuhua disturbance, he had developed some recognition for Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan; otherwise, given his character, he would not have expressed his opinion at such a time.

Li Yuhan shook his head and softly said, "Martial Uncle Xu, do you know why, in the ‘Nine Pole Array,’ despite our ancestral master’s overwhelming advantage, Senior Brother Sheng and I stood on the side of sect leader martial uncle?"

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback, recalling the odd stance Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan had taken in the ‘Nine Pole Array.’ Logically, when everyone was trapped, Zhou Huahai had the upper hand, and they were his direct disciples. Reason dictated they should side with Zhou Huahai, but surprisingly, both Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan stood with Zhang Hualing without hesitation.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan glanced at Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan, seeking an explanation.

Li Yuhan slowly explained, "Senior Brother Sheng and I were just two orphans, relying on each other and wandering the world, suffering its pains and disdain. On the brink of starvation, we met the sect leader martial uncle during his travels, and he saved us. Seeing our potential, he brought us to Jiuhua Mountain. However, as the sect leader martial uncle never takes disciples, he sent us to the ancestral master, who in turn entrusted us to our master."

After pausing, Li Yuhan continued, "After we made some progress in our cultivation, Sect Leader Martial Uncle arranged for us to become senior disciples among the ‘Yu’ generation disciples. This was to lead all ‘Yu’ generation disciples and take on important tasks at Jiuhua Mountain, often sharing insights on our cultivation journey. Our master tends to be cold in demeanor, but compared to him, we feel a bit closer to Sect Leader Martial Uncle."

As Li Yuhan spoke, Sheng Yushan nodded in agreement, his eyes showing a look of reminiscence.

Hearing Li Yuhan’s words, Xu Qingfan felt reassured, but curiously asked, "If that’s the case, why are you worried? With such a relationship with the Sect Master, surely you won’t be implicated by Martial Uncle Zhou’s issues."

However, Li Yuhan shook his head and sighed, "We’re not worried about ourselves, but about our master. Although he is naturally aloof and doesn’t interact much with us, a master is like a father for life. We worry something might happen to him."

Xu Qingfan suddenly understood and said, "It seems the Sect Master calling you this time is to discuss this matter. Worrying here doesn’t help, let’s go to Linghua Hall and ask the Sect Master for clarification."

Li Yuhan nodded and respectfully bowed to Xu Qingfan and the others, saying, "Martial Uncles, let’s go now."

Xu Qingfan nodded, settled Ting’er, and then flew with Jin Qinghan, Li Yuhan, and Sheng Yushan towards the front mountain. Upon arrival, they split up to find their respective targets. Xu Qingfan went to the top of Jiuhua Mountain to visit Martial Uncle Liu Huaxiang Liu at the ‘Herb Garden’, while Jin Qinghan went to his master’s retreat. As for Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan, they headed to ‘Linghua Hall’ to meet the sect leader, Zhang Hualing.

…

As Xu Qingfan flew towards the ‘Herb Garden’ on the ‘Nimbus Cloud’, he continuously pondered the reason Liu Huaxiang wanted to see him.

As far as Xu Qingfan knew, although Liu Huaxiang was incredibly powerful, he was quite reclusive and often clashed with the other elders of Jiuhua. Therefore, his influence on Jiuhua Mountain wasn’t great. How did he manage to get Zhang Hualing to direct the Jiuhua elders to send a message to him? And after the recent turmoil at Jiuhua, what purpose did this peculiar Martial Uncle Liu have for seeking him out? It’s worth noting that this Martial Uncle had never sought him out before.

The fact that Liu Huaxiang was the former sect leader Li Xuhan of Jiuhua was originally only known to the current sect leader, Zhang Hualing. Even after the recent turmoil, this secret was only shared with the sect elders. So, until now, Xu Qingfan only saw Liu Huaxiang as a peculiar Martial Uncle with similar interests.

Despite his confusion, the message from the Jiuhua elder brought Xu Qingfan a sense of relief.

During the recent turmoil at Jiuhua, many disciples and even elders suffered injuries or deaths. Xu Qingfan was very worried that something might have happened to Liu Huaxiang, as Liu Huaxiang was one of the few elders he was closely acquainted with at Jiuhua Mountain. Initially, Xu Qingfan planned to visit Liu Huaxiang and Xiao Huazhe after taking care of his tasks.

The "Nimbus Cloud" was incredibly fast, and before long, Xu Qingfan flew to the top of Jiuhua Mountain.

Despite any changes or destruction that might have occurred at the front of Jiuhua, regardless of the endless injuries and deaths among disciples and elders, the top of Jiuhua Mountain remained snow-covered and windswept, seemingly gazing coldly at the vast changes below.

Seas can turn into fields, and mountains can become valleys. To Jiuhua Mountain, the Jiuhua Sect and even the entire cultivation world might be just fleeting moments, while the night winds blowing from the horizon and the starlight and moonshine falling from the sky are the true eternals.

As Xu Qingfan guided the "Nimbus Cloud" to land at the peak of Jiuhua Mountain and was about to knock on the dilapidated wooden door of the "Herb Garden," Liu Huaxiang’s aged voice suddenly came from within.

"Is that you, Martial Nephew Xu? No need to knock, just come in."

"Yes," Xu Qingfan replied respectfully.

Pushing open the old wooden door, Xu Qingfan discovered Liu Huaxiang was, as usual, crouching in the courtyard of the "Herb Garden." However, unlike before, Liu Huaxiang was not tending to the usual exotic plants but was in front of an unusually large green cocoon, over ten feet tall and six to seven feet wide, emitting a faint green glow and strong waves of Spirit Qi. The small stature of Liu Huaxiang crouched beside it made the cocoon appear even larger.

Seeing this sight, Xu Qingfan was stunned. Pointing at the cocoon, he hesitantly asked, "Martial Uncle Liu, what is this?"

Liu Huaxiang turned his head and smiled at Xu Qingfan, saying, "Are you referring to this cocoon? You should be quite familiar with it. Try sensing its Spirit Qi vibrations properly."

When Liu Huaxiang turned his head, Xu Qingfan was taken aback, staring intently at Liu Huaxiang’s face, he asked in shock, "Martial Uncle Liu, what’s happened to you? Why have you become like this?"

Originally, although Liu Huaxiang appeared weary and extremely aged, there was still a trace of vigor about him, and occasionally, a spark of brilliance flashed in his eyes. Despite his old appearance, there was a hint of the formidable power hidden within his aging body.

But now, Liu Huaxiang’s appearance had shifted from gloomy to lifeless; his once gaunt figure had turned into skin and bones, and his eyes were devoid of any sparkle. If Xu Qingfan hadn’t just heard Liu Huaxiang speak, he might have mistaken him for a dried corpse.

Therefore, after seeing Liu Huaxiang’s appearance, Xu Qingfan was so shocked that he even forgot about the peculiar green cocoon beside Liu Huaxiang.

Noticing the worried look on Xu Qingfan’s face, a warm glimmer flickered in Liu Huaxiang’s otherwise dull eyes. He laughed lightly and said, "Martial Nephew Xu, there’s no need to worry. I suffered some internal injuries during the Jiuhua upheaval, but I’ll be fine after some time."

Upon hearing Liu Huaxiang’s explanation, Xu Qingfan still felt some worry in his heart. However, since Liu Huaxiang had spoken this way, Xu Qingfan thought it wasn’t appropriate to ask more questions. He just gently advised, "Martial Uncle Liu, since you have an internal injury, why are you still busy here? You should sit quietly and recover."

Liu Huaxiang laughed casually and said, "There’s no need for such trouble. As I grow older, I find it harder to sit still. Meditation may be enjoyable for others, but for me, it’s quite unbearable. Besides, I’ve meditated my whole life, and with not much time left, why waste it on endless sitting? I’d rather spend these last moments doing what interests me."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang speak this way, Xu Qingfan’s uneasy feeling grew stronger. Although he wanted to persuade him further, he knew from Liu Huaxiang’s expression that it would be futile, so he just said, "But Martial Uncle, at least you should heal your internal injuries first?"

Liu Huaxiang shook his head and sighed slowly, "This kind of injury can’t be cured just by meditating." Seeing Xu Qingfan’s worried eyes, he smiled and added, "With time and some special medicine, it will gradually heal. There’s no need for such trouble."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang say this, Xu Qingfan still felt some unease but couldn’t say anything more, as Liu Huaxiang knew much more about internal injuries than he did.

Then Liu Huaxiang continued, "Enough about this old man. You haven’t yet explored the Spirit Qi fluctuations of this green cocoon as I instructed you."

Xu Qingfan hesitated for a moment but then closed his eyes and carefully sensed the Spirit Qi fluctuations from the cocoon, just as Liu Huaxiang had described.

Fierceness, gentleness, mixed and pure, various feelings flooded into Xu Qingfan’s Divine Sense, along with a strong Wood-type Qi and a beastly aura. Xu Qingfan felt as if a towering green demon beast was roaring angrily at him, its power was astonishing.

Xu Qingfan was familiar with this kind of sensation and energy fluctuation, as he had encountered it twice before. Once, the fluctuation was slightly weaker than that from the cocoon during a battle with a Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast when Xu Qingfan returned to the Southern Wasteland to avenge his clan. The other time, it was much weaker, when Ting’er’s Little Green woke from a coma and lunged at him after he had slain the Beast.

Xu Qingfan was startled, opened his eyes in disbelief, and looked at the green cocoon before him, exclaiming, "Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast!?"

Liu Huaxiang nodded with a smile, gazing at the cocoon beside him, with a touch of nostalgia in his eyes, and said, "Indeed, it is the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, and it’s one that’s about to evolve after consuming a large amount of spiritual medicine. You know, the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast is already a rare sight in the cultivation world, and an evolving one is even more extraordinary and hard to come by. We’re really lucky this time. If I’m not mistaken, this Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast will complete its evolution in just one or two more days."

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to say something, he hesitated for a moment, suddenly remembering Ting’er’s Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, Little Green, which he hadn’t seen since returning to Jiuhua Mountain. With all the strange occurrences lately and Ting’er not mentioning much, Xu Qingfan had overlooked it. But upon seeing Liu Huaxiang’s Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, and recalling the disappearance of Little Green, Xu Qingfan felt a sudden bad premonition.

"Martial Uncle Liu, the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast is exceedingly rare in the cultivation world. Where did you get this one?" Xu Qingfan asked hesitantly.

Liu Huaxiang laughed heartily, looking at Xu Qingfan with a faintly smiling expression and said, "Didn’t you mention last time that you accidentally got a small Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast while outside? I went to your cave dwelling during your trip to the Zhantai Newcomer Competition, spoke with your little Ting’er, and brought it out. I also fed it some spiritual medicine, and now it’s like this."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang’s explanation, even though Xu Qingfan had a premonition, he couldn’t help feeling a mix of helplessness and amusement. That Little Green had a deep-seated grudge with Xu Qingfan, which he had previously told Liu Huaxiang about, but he never expected Liu Huaxiang to feed it spiritual medicine to aid its evolution.

Who knows what type of spiritual medicine Liu Huaxiang gave Little Green? Although it hasn’t fully evolved yet, the Spirit Qi emitted from the green cocoon is already more powerful than the mother’s wave back then. Once it’s fully evolved and recognizes Xu Qingfan as the enemy who killed its mother, it may charge at him for revenge. Although Xu Qingfan’s abilities have significantly improved, he suspects it will take considerable effort to handle the situation.

With the thought of defending against an adult Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast every day, Xu Qingfan felt a wave of frustration, tempted to summon a Chomper and swallow both the cocoon and Martial Uncle Liu in one bite. But the impulse remained just an impulse; Liu Huaxiang was his elder, leaving Xu Qingfan at a loss for words, though a hint of dissatisfaction crept onto his face.

Even though Martial Uncle Liu isn’t concerned about anything, please don’t create unnecessary trouble for me.

Xu Qingfan thought to himself quietly.

With age comes wisdom, and with even more age comes cunning. How could Liu Huaxiang, with his vast experience spanning over a millennium, not notice the dissatisfaction in Xu Qingfan’s heart? Yet he paid it no mind, merely offering a slight smile before tossing Xu Qingfan a glistening green bead. Xu Qingfan instinctively caught it, and as he held it up for a closer look, he saw that not only was the bead crystal clear, but it also swirled with an emerald mist and emitted a strange aura of Spirit Qi.

"What is this…?" Xu Qingfan asked curiously.

Liu Huaxiang explained with a smile, "This is the Soul Bead of the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast. As long as you wear it, the life and death of the beast are entirely in your hands. Moreover, possessing this Soul Bead instills great fear in the creature, and even after it evolves and gains in strength, it wouldn’t dare cause you trouble."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang speak in this manner, Xu Qingfan knew that with Liu Huaxiang’s cultivation and techniques, there could be no falsehood, so he felt at ease. Yet, he couldn’t help but think about how, once the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast grew taller and larger, its already enormous appetite would only increase, causing him a sense of helplessness. Nevertheless, he said, "It was my mistake to wrongly accuse Martial Uncle, please forgive me."

With that, Xu Qingfan bowed deeply to Liu Huaxiang.

Liu Huaxiang waved his hand, saying, "There’s no need for forgiveness, it’s enough that you don’t blame this old man for being meddlesome."

After a brief pause, Liu Huaxiang continued, "I know this Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast harbors a deep hatred for you, and to prevent it from gaining the power for revenge, you never gave it spiritual elixirs, hindering its evolution. However, you might not be aware that the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast is a peculiar creature that, if deprived of spiritual nourishment for too long, will wither and die. I once had a Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast as a mount spirit beast, and it was very loyal to me, but it died in a mishap. I couldn’t bear to see this one meet the same fate. Considering its rarity, it would be a waste for it to die, so I brought it here, hoping you might understand."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang’s words, Xu Qingfan suddenly understood why Ting’er had easily allowed Liu Huaxiang to take Little Green away—it was likely because Liu Huaxiang had explained this to Ting’er. With this thought in mind, Xu Qingfan quickly replied, "There must be a reason for Martial Uncle’s actions, how could I dare to blame you?"

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan suddenly remembered some information he had learned from Zhao Qingxuan before and curiously asked, "Martial Uncle Liu, as far as I know, in the history of our Jiuhua, only the previous sect leader, Martial Uncle Li Xuhan Li, ever kept a Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast. How is it that you also had one?"

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Liu Huaxiang was slightly taken aback, but quickly smiled and said, "Haha, that’s because Martial Uncle Li is more famous, so everyone pays attention to him. Someone like me, who is reclusive and doesn’t have many friends, even if I were to keep a dragon, no one would notice."

Then, Liu Huaxiang suddenly changed the topic and asked, "Martial Nephew Xu, do you know why I called for you to come here to see me?"

Xu Qingfan was momentarily puzzled and then remembered the purpose of his visit, quickly saying, "Please enlighten me, Martial Uncle."

Liu Huaxiang explained, "I’m old, with not many days left to live, and the top of Jiuhua Mountain is too desolate, so I wanted to find a younger person to keep me company to ease the loneliness. Among those familiar with Jiuhua Mountain and able to converse with me, you are the only one left. Coincidentally, your master passed away years ago, and without a master to guide you, you must have many questions about cultivation over the years, which you can also ask me. So I wanted you to move here and live with me. In addition, I can pass on my unique skills to you. What do you think?"

Hearing Liu Huaxiang say this, Xu Qingfan was overjoyed. Having a Condensed Core Stage cultivator offer guidance is invaluable to an ordinary cultivator (unknown to Xu Qingfan, Liu Huaxiang is not just a simple Condensed Core Stage cultivator).

Having cultivated alone all these years, Xu Qingfan’s progress was swift for various reasons, but he had many doubts in his heart that no one could answer. Xiao Huazhe was naturally serious, so Xu Qingfan didn’t dare to approach him much, and Liu Huaxiang always seemed disdainful of cultivation, so Xu Qingfan rarely asked him questions. But if things continued this way, Xu Qingfan would eventually have a Qi deviation due to some accident.

Now that Liu Huaxiang had taken the initiative to offer personal guidance in cultivation, how could Xu Qingfan not be delighted?

However, as he was about to agree, Xu Qingfan remembered Ting’er in the back mountain and hesitated.

Liu Huaxiang clearly understood Xu Qingfan’s concerns and smiled as he said, "What, are you worried about Ting’er? I was just going to bring that up. You can bring her to the ‘Herb Garden’ too. I’m quite interested in the changes happening to her body and can offer some guidance. This girl has a cold nature from being bound to a magical pearl and must be taught from a young age; otherwise, she might go astray in the future."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang speak this way, Xu Qingfan finally relaxed and bowed respectfully to him, saying, "Thank you, Martial Uncle."

Liu Huaxiang laughed heartily and said, "No need for thanks, we’re just helping each other. It’s getting late now, so you should go back, get some rest, and move in early tomorrow."

"Yes."

After bidding farewell to Liu Huaxiang, Xu Qingfan quickly flew on the ‘Nimbus Cloud’ towards his cave dwelling in the back mountains of Jiuhua.

As Liu Huaxiang watched Xu Qingfan’s figure fade into the distance, the smile on his face quickly disappeared.

Among the younger disciples on Jiuhua Mountain, there are many with better talents than Xu Qingfan, but Liu Huaxiang chose to have Xu Qingfan accompany him and decided to personally teach him for his own reasons.

First, Liu Huaxiang is well-versed in the notes and insights on the dark arts left by Zhang Xusheng on Jiuhua Mountain eight hundred years ago. He has built upon them and created new techniques like ‘Blood Congealing Method’ and ‘Soul Annihilation Technique’, which even Zhang Xusheng did not know. Some of these cultivation methods can improve Xu Qingfan’s aptitude. Liu Huaxiang believes that if Xu Qingfan can enhance his skills, his potential will be as great as Feng Qingtian’s or Jin Qinghan’s. He would then become another master of Jiuhua Mountain.

Secondly, Liu Huaxiang knows that after this strange change, his days are numbered. He doesn’t want his research on these spiritual arts to be lost, so he wants to find a successor to pass them on. Some of these methods are too brutal, and if taught carelessly, might lead some to misuse them for power, harming others. Xu Qingfan is the only one in Jiuhua Mountain whose nature and character align with Liu Huaxiang’s intentions. Through years of observation, Liu Huaxiang knows that Xu Qingfan would never use these arts to harm others, which is why he chose Xu Qingfan as his successor.

Most importantly, as a master who has guarded Jiuhua Mountain for years, Liu Huaxiang has begun to consider the future of Jiuhua Mountain.

To quell Zhou Huahai’s chaos, Zhang Hualing used the "Heavenly Substitute Technique" at the cost of his own lifespan to defeat Zhou Huahai. Although nothing seems wrong now, Liu Huaxiang knows that Zhang Hualing’s power and lifespan are both greatly diminished, and the position of Master of Jiuhua may not last long for him.

Even if one day Zhang Hualing is no longer around, Jiuhua Mountain still has some elders of the "Hua" generation, but in Liu Huaxiang’s view, although these elders may have some strength, none of them have the ability to manage a sect. Therefore, he abandoned the idea of allowing other elders to succeed as Master of Jiuhua.

Among the disciples of the "Qing" generation, the outstanding ones are none other than Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan, Feng Qingtian, and Lv Qingshang. Jin Qinghan’s personality is too sharp, making him unsuitable for leading the currently weakened Jiuhua Mountain, while Feng Qingtian is too proud to be a sect leader. Lv Qingshang is better suited as a mentor rather than a leader. Among the "Yu" generation disciples, Li Yuhan is a good choice; he is young yet very capable, and in many ways more suitable than Xu Qingfan to be a sect leader. However, he lacks reputation and prestige. Additionally, Liu Huaxiang finds it difficult to imagine a "Yu" disciple leading a group of "Qing" disciples and over a dozen "Hua" elders.

After much thought, only Xu Qingfan seems the most suitable, and his personality is very similar to Liu Huaxiang and Zhang Hualing’s. If Jiuhua is entrusted to Xu Qingfan, Liu Huaxiang can be confident that the policies they implemented over the years can continue. Also, Xu Qingfan’s experience on Huandao Island proves he has good leadership skills.

In Liu Huaxiang’s view, Xu Qingfan, although possessing leadership skills, has significant flaws, especially a soft personality, often indecisive and naive in understanding human nature, holding onto many innocent thoughts. But Liu Huaxiang believes that through his guidance, he can correct these shortcomings.

"Xu Qingfan, I hope you can pass my future tests and become what I hope for, otherwise, I will have to seek other methods. Whether you become a great sect leader or just a skilled person depends on your performance."

As Xu Qingfan’s figure disappeared from Liu Huaxiang’s sight, Liu Huaxiang sighed softly, his eyes becoming very distant, and he thought to himself.

However, although Liu Huaxiang is a highly intelligent master, can he truly foresee and arrange someone’s future path? Life is unpredictable, and any result is composed of countless coincidences. Where Xu Qingfan’s future will lead is beyond what he can plan.