Chapter 62

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 62: Rumor Has It That There Are Many Handsome Men Next Door

Castle Peak city was no different from usual, and even busier due to Qingliu Sword Sect recently accepting many new disciples, making it particularly lively near the Sword Sect.

Mortal cultivators mingled on the streets, swords flashing in the sky, and cultivators crowding the ground, achieving a rare harmony between the mortal and the divine.

Ordinary people who can enter Castle Peak City are not regular folks. They are either royal descendants or have ancestors who were cultivators. They see sword cultivators flying overhead and do not fear them like other people do.

They can all find some spiritual jade and go to a teahouse in the city to drink some spiritual tea. Of course, the most important thing is to listen to the storyteller inside talk about rumors and stories from the cultivation world.

The storyteller sitting at the head of the group is also extraordinary, as he also has the cultivation level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. With a wave of his hand, he can make a tea cup from far away fly into his hand, adding to his dignified appearance with his white beard and flowing robe, giving off an aura of a knowledgeable and respectable person.

Those knowledgeable people wonder why someone from the Foundation Establishment Stage is telling stories. Those less informed are amazed and are already halfway convinced before the storytelling even begins.

"The Qingliu Sword Sect is indeed one of the top sects in the cultivation world. Disciples who join this sect are highly respected by other sects."

Of course, what the storyteller does not explicitly say is that out of the respect they receive, three parts are genuine respect, and the other seven parts are fear.

Sword cultivators seek to understand the way of the sword through battles, so they challenge others to duels. Not only are the sword skills of the Qingliu Sword Sect fearsome, but they also use spiritual jade as bets in their challenges. They are persistent and won’t let you go without a fight.

The expressions on the faces of members of other sects in the teahouse are intriguing. Who would want to engage in a duel with them? Most would choose to avoid them altogether.

The storyteller sips his spiritual tea and continues, "If you are fortunate enough to join the Qingliu Sword Sect, you will be placed in either the outer or inner sect based on your talent. Those in the inner sect are considered the outstanding disciples of the future. Even without reaching the Golden Core stage, there is hope for reaching the Nascent Soul stage. If your talent is slightly lower and you become an outer sect disciple, you will only be able to learn basic sword techniques, unless you have exceptional luck to be promoted to the inner sect."

Many people around look disappointed, as if they know they are not the best, and they have no hope of being accepted into the inner circle.

The old man brushed his long beard and smiled, saying, "Of course, if you join the outer circle, there is still a chance. Today, I will tell you a story about a young female disciple from the outer circle. This girl, at the age of fifteen, named Wen Yun, was originally a disciple of the Qingliu Sword Sect’s outer circle…"

The waiter at the door draped a towel over his shoulder, looking at the astonished guests sitting down, and chuckled to himself, "These people really have no knowledge, they haven’t even heard of Wen Yun the fairy."

At that moment, a soft and gentle voice of a young girl could be heard from outside.

"Oh? Waiter, does it mean her story is well-known?"

The waiter was about to answer, but when he looked up, he was stunned by the two faces in front of him. He didn’t know which one to look at first and stood still in bewilderment.

The girl smiled, her coolness softened by three points, becoming even more stunning. "Hey, you haven’t said yet. So, what’s the story about Wen Yun the fairy?"

"You seem unfamiliar here, are you from outside? It’s normal not to have heard of it."

The waiter quickly smiled and found a reason for her, explaining further, "Wen Yun the fairy is very well-known now. It is said that she is one of the most talented young cultivators. Not only do the Immortal Masters in the cultivation world speak highly of her, even us ordinary people who are not knowledgeable love to hear her stories. Her fame is spreading everywhere, in teahouses and taverns."

The girl’s smile deepened, she suddenly tugged at the young man’s sleeve next to her. He reluctantly took out a shiny gemstone called a "spiritual jade", which she then generously gave to the waiter, saying, "Since such a famous fairy will be performing, I must listen carefully."

The waiter joyfully looked at the top-grade spiritual jade in his hand, then quickly led the guests upstairs, exclaiming, "Dear guests, please follow me! Tea is ready!"

Ye Shubai sat in the private room upstairs, sipping tea. He glanced at Wen Yun and reminded her, "This is the third teahouse we’ve visited."

After settling down, Wen Yun picked up a pastry and casually mentioned, "Isn’t it because the senior brothers’ sword is not yet repaired, we have to stay here for two days?"

Perhaps it was due to the three of them crossing the sea day and night, or always sharing the same sword, the swords were a bit damaged.

Passing by Castle Peak City, Wen Yun decided to give them the gemstones found in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm to take care of their sword properly.

As for her and Ye Shubai, they leisurely enjoyed tea and wine in the city, feeling relaxed and comfortable.

Downstairs, the storyteller was describing the scene where Wen Yun angrily fought Xie Mian and split the Golden Core with a sword. The audience cheered and threw gold and silver gemstones towards the stage.

Wen Yun also joined in, receiving a top-grade spiritual jade from Ye Shubai and tossing it down below. She even praised, "This storyteller is even better than the last one."

Ye Shubai sighed and, seeing her excitement, asked, "How can you tell?"

She nodded satisfactorily and said, "He just described my beauty in detail earlier."

Ye Shubai chuckled quietly.

The storyteller didn’t mind the things thrown on the stage, smiled, gestured politely, and continued lightly, "Now, let’s talk about Wen Yun from The Tenth Peak. Many of you may have heard of the Qingliu Sword Sect’s nine peaks, but not much about The Tenth Peak. To understand this, we must start from Wen Yun’s master, whose name is Ye Shubai and was a renowned sword cultivator five hundred years ago…"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yun paused in throwing the spiritual jade, a look of astonishment on her face, and turned to look at Ye Shubai, "Someone dared to talk about you!"

Ye Shubai’s story was known to everyone five hundred years ago, but now, with that time passed and almost all who lived through that era having passed away, coupled with the deliberate erasure of his existence in historical records by major sects, people below consciously avoided talking about it. Generations passed, and few now knew his story. Even upon hearing his name, they only knew him as a highly skilled predecessor from hundreds of years ago.

However, after the storyteller finished Wen Yun’s story, he unexpectedly began recounting Ye Shubai’s exploits, which turned out to be even more legendary than Wen Yun’s. The listeners below held their breath, afraid to even blink.

When the storyteller finished, a young man abruptly smashed a teacup on the stage, shouting, "Who doesn’t know that it was the joint effort of the three major sects and four major clans that defeated the demon cultivator together? Even if the Xie Family has now rebelled and been expelled by the righteous path, according to your account, it seems that the senior with the surname Ye took most of the credit? Absurd!"

The elderly man sitting above cast a gentle gaze downward and said, "From your appearance, you seem to be a descendant of an ordinary family member from the Qingliu Sword Sect, right? How come your ancestors never told you about Senior Ye? This won’t do. If you wish to join the Qingliu Sword Sect, how do you not even know about the founding ancestor of the sect?"

His voice sounded gentle, but his eyes showed a hint of disdain, making the young man blush.

Suddenly, some voices spoke confidently, saying, "My ancestors have told me stories about Senior Ye. He is a true hero. I believe his reputation in the Qingliu Sword Sect will be even greater after coming out of seclusion!"

These voices made those who hadn’t heard about Senior Ye feel embarrassed, wondering if they were ignorant for not knowing about such a powerful senior.

Wen Yun was amazed, looking at the people who were boasting about their grandfathers telling them stories about Senior Ye. She then turned to Ye Shubai and hesitantly asked, "Are these your guests?"

Ye Shubai glanced around and finally looked at a chubby boy in the front row, saying calmly, "Both on the stage and off the stage, they are all from the Wan family."

She wondered how these people knew so much about Ye Shubai’s appearance, even using words like "exceptionally handsome, like a Celestial Being", which seemed more exaggerated than compliments about her own beauty.

It turned out that all these people were sent by the Wan family, which explained why they all knew about Mr. Wan’s Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation level.

Curious, Wen Yun asked, "The Wan family seems very grateful to you. Is there a story behind this?"

Ye Shubai furrowed his brows slightly and searched his memory before vaguely remembering, "When demon cultivators invaded the Four Provinces, the Wan family’s ancestral home was under siege. I happened to be passing by on my sword at that time and struck a blow to help."

Wen Yun thought about the size of Wan family ancestral home described by her senior brother, rumored to be not inferior to the bustling Castle Peak city. There were probably more than ten thousand demon cultivators besieging it, but with one sword strike, he wiped out all the demon cultivators.

It must have been a scene like a deity descending to earth, no wonder Wan family revered him like a god.

When Wan family learned about the fragmentation of Ye Shubai’s jade nascent soul fragment, it was already too late to stop it. The other sects were powerful, and even Qingliu Sword Sect got two fragments. Injured by demon cultivators’ attack, Wan family had no choice but to silently accept it and wait for the day when Ye Shubai woke up.

When Ye Shubai appeared at the Swordsmanship Contest, young Wan Baocai mistook him for a junior from the Ye family. However, the ancestor of Wan family was not so confused and immediately guessed that Ye Shubai had come out of seclusion.

Who didn’t know that Ye Shubai was notorious for being a confirmed bachelor? How many female cultivators had their hearts broken by his cold and ruthless demeanor?

He hadn’t even found a wife, so how could he possibly have a grandson?

Knowing that Ye Shubai had reappeared, the Wan family members had already started weaving stories about him, spreading them through various towns by word of mouth.

Initially, Wan family did not participate in the division of the jade nascent soul fragments. To silence them, the other sects agreed to let Wan family establish businesses in the cities under their jurisdiction. Wanbao Pavilion spread throughout the cultivation world, but they never expected the convenience it brought today.

Now, all sects were busy dealing with infiltrating demon cultivators and failed to suppress the rumors in time. It dawned on them that Wen Yun and Ye Shubai had become legendary figures in the world of cultivation, with their words heard everywhere in the marketplaces.

On the stage, the storyteller was telling a story about Ye Shubai killing three demon cultivator clan leaders with one sword on the sea, when suddenly a commotion was heard outside.

The waiter took a few steps back and said, "Please wait, Immortal Master…"

The person who entered ignored the waiter and went straight to the storyteller on the stage. A round-faced female disciple at the front scolded loudly, "You are making up stories about our Qingliu Sword Sect again! Old man, stop right there!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the storyteller immediately flew out of the window. Wen Yun noticed that he was using a top-grade spiritual jade talisman from Wanbao Pavilion.

Ming Yuan’s round face turned red with anger. Leading a group of disciples from The First Peak, she was about to chase after them. However, the others who were listening immediately complained, "You are praising the achievements of your Qingliu Sword Sect’s predecessors. Why are you trying to hide something? Is there a secret?"

Wen Yun’s sharp eyes recognized that the person speaking was from the Wan family, sent to influence public opinion. Truly cunning of the Wan family to be so thorough.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. Just then, a sword cultivator in white stood up and frowned at Ming Yuan, saying, "Younger martial sister of The First Peak, our Qingliu Sword Sect is honorable and has nothing to hide. I am a disciple of The Seventh Peak. I have heard of this senior before, but this is the first time hearing about his deeds. It is unreasonable for you to drive away the storyteller. Let us listen together attentively."

The First Peak is known for being brazen and is not well-liked by the other peaks. He then bowed and said, "Please forgive us. Not all members of our Qingliu Sword Sect are like The First Peak causing trouble. I will treat everyone to tea this time, and I hope for your forgiveness."

Upon hearing this, someone immediately responded, "Indeed, there is no confusion. I remember The First Peak came to collect debts a few days ago, and I have never seen other peaks behave in the same manner."

"Yes, maybe they are worried that Fairy Wen’s reputation is overshadowing them recently."

Wen Yun whispered to Ye Shubai, "Those two are also from the Wan family. I saw the Wanbao Pavilion logo on their sleeves."

Ming Yuan clenched her teeth and gave a hateful glance at the Seventh Peak disciple. She turned around with others and headed to catch up with the storyteller.

With no more stories to listen to, the crowd left disappointed. Wen Yun packed some snacks to take with the three blacksmiths.

Walking into the main hall, they saw the young Seventh Peak disciple surrounded by people who were preparing to join the Qingliu Sword Sect as disciples, trying to befriend him.

He was friendly and shared details about the sect’s entrance exam with the crowd. Then, he politely said, "There will be a cloud boat departing for the sect tomorrow morning. The fare is just ten high-grade spiritual jade. If anyone wants to go, I can help buy tickets for you."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yun felt conflicted, and Ye Shubai noticed her expression changing and looked at her questioningly.

Wen Yun whispered, "I heard that the cloud boat fare was only five spiritual jade per person last time I visited. He’s selling scalped tickets!"

Ye Shubai asked, "What are scalped tickets?"

"They are robbers, oh, these sword cultivators have become really poor these past two years!"

While they were talking, the robbers over there had already walked up to Wen Yun. They first looked at her face in surprise, then their eyes lit up. "Are you also heading to Qingliu Sword Sect?"

That seems right, so Wen Yun nodded.

The other person immediately smiled, without asking her for spiritual jade. Instead, he gave her a token for boarding the cloud boat, and whispered, "If you can join the sect, remember to come to The Seventh Peak. The martial arts on The Seventh Peak have beautiful scenery and great resources. The senior brothers are all handsome and charming, guaranteeing the younger martial sisters won’t regret it."

Wen Yun dizzily accepted the token, only slowly realizing what had happened after she walked back to the inn she was staying at.

She grabbed Yue Xingzhou, who had just returned from forging, handed him the pastries, and whispered, "Elder Martial Brother, how about The Seventh Peak?"

Yue Xingzhou smiled while eating the pastries and replied, "Ah, The Seventh Peak, it’s completely opposite to the Sixth Peak, all male disciples."

Wen Yun carefully looked outside at Ye Shubai and lowered her voice even more, "I heard that the disciples of The Seventh Peak are all handsome and charming…"

Before she could finish speaking, Ye Shubai silently turned his head and looked at her quietly, with calm yet profound eyes.

Wen Yun felt a hollow in her heart, grabbed a piece of pastry and put it into her mouth, then closed her mouth.

*

Eventually, Wen Yun and her friends took a cloud boat to Qingliu Sword Sect. Along the way, a disciple from The Seventh Peak often came to chat with Wen Yun, but Yue Xingzhou always stood in front of her with a fake smile.

"Oh, The Seventh Peak? Sorry, but my siblings and I have agreed to join The Tenth Peak this time."

Especially with Bai Yushan’s strong and imposing figure stepping forward and holding up his newly forged giant sword, no one dared to approach Wen Yun anymore.

Although Wen Yun felt a bit disappointed inside, she didn’t show it on her face. Every time those four people from The Tenth Peak glanced over, she would firmly declare, "I was born for The Tenth Peak, and even in death, I will remain loyal. Even if The Seventh Peak has many handsome men, I will not waver!"

Those three were easily fooled because they thought Wen Yun was a simple girl.

Only Ye Shubai understood her well, he gave Wen Yun a cold stare all the way, so she had to find ways to compliment him, making his ears turn red.

The cloud boat was brand new and flew faster than the usual flying swords, landing at the foot of the outer mountain of the Qingliu Sword Sect in no time.

At the entrance of the mountain, there was a chubby steward with a fat yellow dog, looking down at the approaching crowd with a proud expression.

"Alright, alright, those who pass the Spiritual Root test go to the left, then proceed up the mountain. Those who can climb a thousand steps will be Inner Disciples, and those who climb over ten thousand steps will enter the Inner Gate!"

All the young people looked at the towering mountains with fear and looked towards the endless blue stone steps. For a moment, they felt as if they were embarking on a long and exciting journey filled with both fear and excitement.

Wen Yun and the others walked among the crowd, hiding their high cultivation levels from the Foundation Establishment Stage steward was easy for them.

When they approached Steward Zhou, his proud expression faltered as he recognized Wen Yun and his group. He quickly shifted his gaze to Ye Shubai’s face and pretended to casually wave and speak loudly to their backs.

"Alright, alright, don’t delay. Today, your luck is good. Sect Master Liu is in seclusion, so Supreme Elder Ouyang is managing affairs. Those who can enter the Inner Gate will see the great power of the Transmigration Stage. You might have the chance to be accepted as disciples!"

Wen Yun and Ye Shubai climbed the steps.

She chuckled softly, saying, "I never knew the Wan family had such influence. It turns out that Steward Zhou is one of them."

"But little does he know, we have been waiting for this day, witnessed by all these people…"

Ye Shubai originally wanted to sneak into the valley and steal the jade nascent soul without anyone noticing, but Wen Yun insisted on waiting for the day when Qingliu Sword Sect took in new disciples.

Ye Shubai held a simple wooden sword in his hand, his plain clothes rustling in the mountain breeze, his expression cold like snow.

The girl’s voice was like a silver bell, speaking confidently.

"I just love killing people in a fair and square manner."