Chapter 96

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Chapter 96: Who Will Come With Me?

As night fell, the thousands of mountains of Qingliu Sword Sect were bathed in dusk, quiet and beautiful, with a hint of softness.

Except for The Second Peak.

The Second Peak has a phoenix, said to be raised by a senior, living for hundreds of years, now a revered spiritual being on the mountain.

At this moment, the phoenix lazily flapped its wings and flew into its golden nest, while disciples below waited with fresh spiritual rice and water for it.

Eating the same food every day, the phoenix was getting tired of it.

Just as the phoenix was considering throwing a tantrum about wanting a change in its diet to some pig worms or something similar–

A blazing fireball suddenly flew from behind, startling the phoenix to flee high in the sky, but its long and gorgeous tail feathers were caught in the flames!

"Giggle giggle!"

"Sorry sorry! I accidentally threw it in the wrong direction!"

From a distance, Zhu Erchong rode his sword over, grabbed the chicken by its neck, and vigorously patted its rear end, finally putting out the fire.

The disciples below did not mock him, as all the disciples of Qingliu Sword Sect were practicing the mysterious techniques left by Ancestral Master Wen before his ascension.

It is said that by practicing this technique along with spiritual power, there is a chance to merge into some sort of source power in the future. Then, there is hope for ascension!

The path of practicing this technique is completely different from before, inevitably leading to mistakes. Things like throwing fireballs at chickens are minor incidents. Not long ago, it was even heard that a senior brother accidentally burned his master’s hair!

After repeatedly urging his junior not to tattle, Zhu Erchong, with his head full of pecks from the chicken, awkwardly escaped and headed towards The Tenth Peak.

However, before he could arrive, he heard his own master’s angry shout from behind, "Zhu Erchong, you come back to me. If you don’t let the chicken’s feathers grow back today, I will pluck all of yours!"

Zhu Erchong trembled in his heart, extended his sword with his right hand towards the sky, and used his magic wand with his left hand to apply a Floating Skill. He didn’t even dare to look back and ran faster than a dog.

Under double acceleration, finally ran back to The Tenth Peak in full.

On The Tenth Peak, a group of sword cultivators were sitting around a grill, roasting meat skewers and eating.

Three senior ancestors sat at the head, unashamedly snatching food with their grandchildren, including wine. Mengran poured a cup, and Yue Xingzhou naturally reached out to drink it.

Brave and outspoken Bao Pilong said, "Ancestral Master Yue, please leave us some! There is only one jar of plum wine that Martial Sister Mengran buried last year, and I haven’t even tasted it yet. Please don’t drink it all!"

Yue Xingzhou, half drunk, swayed and raised his head.

He looked over with red eyes, smirked coldly, and said, "Good grandson, are you telling old man not to drink?"

As he spoke, his fingers had already closed on the sword.

Bao Pilong, who had learned a lesson before, felt a chill in his heart, immediately recalling the fierce situation back then, and sobered up quickly, forgetting about the wine.

He skillfully handed over a skewer of roasted pork, saying seriously, "Of course you shouldn’t drink, you didn’t even eat any appetizers just now! Here, appetizers are coming, you can continue drinking."

Little did Yue Xingzhou know that when the roasted kidneys were handed to him, he refused and just held onto his wine glass with a disdainful smile. He said, "I brought my own snacks to go with the wine. Younger martial sister used to give me the best fragrant peanut crisps, a whole hundred pounds of peanuts…"

As he spoke, he tried to take out the peanut crisps from the space bag. In the past, he could grab a handful with one grab, but this time, after feeling around for a long time, he only found a small shriveled piece.

Despite being stored in the space bag and coated with oil, it had almost worn away due to time.

Yue Xingzhou held the peanut in his hand and stared blankly. The drunkenness in his eyes seemed to clear up.

Without saying a word, he threw the peanut back into the space bag, chuckling self-deprecatingly, "I forgot, younger martial sister and master have been gone for forty years since their ascension. It’s time to finish these hundred pounds of peanuts."

With these words, the previously noisy crowd fell silent for a moment.

"Oh… upon careful calculation, this year marks the forty-eighth year since they left," Zhu Erchong counted on his fingers, then scratched his head in embarrassment, "I still haven’t achieved the power of the source of heaven and earth after all these years of cultivation. I really let down Martial Sister Wen and the technique she taught me."

Xu Wanfeng, who was accustomed to not showing mercy to these male disciples, immediately sneered, "It’s your own fault for being so incompetent. Look at Mengran and Bao Pilong, they both reached Nascent Soul stage last year, while you’re the slowest."

Not one to be belittled, Zhu Erchong retorted without fear, "Well, Ancestral Master Yue and the other ancestral master have both reached the Transmigration Realm, but you’re still at the Soul Changing Stage…"

Xu Wanfeng drew his sword.

"It’s simple for my Soul Changing Stage to defeat your Golden Core Stage. Are you sure you want to be arrogant?"

Zhu Erchong quickly became obedient when his neck shrunk.

Mengran helplessly shook her head and smiled as she watched the scene. Since Wen Yun and Ye Shubai left, The Tenth Peak has become even more lively instead of quieting down.

Normally, everyone practiced together here, exploring how to blend spiritual power and magic, or learning swordsmanship under the guidance of the three ancestral masters. Among the younger generation now, they were already prominent figures.

However, true geniuses were always those who had ascended and left, their whereabouts unknown.

Before Wen Yun left, she asked them to spread the cultivation method of the soul throughout the cultivation world to major sects like the Wan family and Jiang family, as well as smaller sects with only Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.

Mengran remembered vividly that Wen Yun’s eyes seemed to be glowing at that time.

She said, "Whether they can achieve it is up to them, but I want everyone to have hope and opportunity."

The very first teacher in the world of cultivation, even the most despised independent cultivators would bow in respect and call her "Fairy Wen".

The cultivation world is lacking in resources, but geniuses like Wen Yun and Ye Shubai have successfully advanced through this new cultivation method. Wen Yun has just reached the Nascent Soul stage, and her junior apprentice is close behind. It is unknown when they will ascend.

Mengran leaned against the plum tree and looked up, wondering aloud, "Have you seen Junior Brother Shen?"

Xu Wanfeng smiled and pointed towards the distant mountains beyond the ten main peaks, saying, "He doesn’t want to waste time, so he’s practicing soul cultivation in the quiet of night."

"He is really dedicated, cultivating his spirit at midnight and his spiritual power in the morning. I haven’t seen him rest during the day either. No wonder he has quickly reached the Golden Core Stage again. Compared to him, I feel ashamed as his senior brother."

Zhu Erchong sighed while holding a chicken claw.

Despite feeling ashamed, Zhu Erchong showed no intention of moving, and continued to happily nibble on the braised and roasted chicken claw with chili flakes and crushed peanuts sprinkled on top.

After finishing the chicken claw, they would go find Junior Brother Shen to cultivate together!

Shen Xinghai was sitting atop an ancient tree, surrounded by silence, only hearing the faint rustling of leaves in the wind.

In the quiet surroundings, he quietly sent out his mind power to explore around.

Wen Yun once said that to strengthen your soul, you have to push yourself to practice, or else you won’t become powerful at all.

So every time, he tried his best to extend his mind power to the extreme that he could achieve, almost torturing himself as he stretched it out bit by bit, gradually enveloping this area.

Yesterday he extended it to that dead tree, today he wanted to reach further, to touch that big rock there with his mind power!

Shen Xinghai’s face gradually turned pale, his fingers tightly clutching his clothes, actually tearing several big holes in that half-worn garment.

Just as he was about to extend his mind power to the target, a dazzling golden light suddenly flashed across the sky, making him lose focus.

With this distraction, Shen Xinghai’s soul, which was already unguarded, was instantly counterattacked. A sharp pain came over him, he coughed up blood, and weakly fell from the tree.

Martial Sister Wen never lies to me.

When cultivating the soul, you must find a quiet place in the middle of the night. Otherwise, if disturbed by others, it could really be deadly!

*

"Actually, it’s not really the senior’s fault… He didn’t expect Junior Brother Shen to be in the middle of cultivation at that time."

"But why does Junior Brother Shen always seem to attract various misfortunes? It was fine when he went to the outer sea on his own, and now even staying well in the sect has brought trouble. How bad must his luck be?"

"Shh, quiet down, Junior Brother Shen is awake!"

"Junior Brother Shen, are you okay?"

Shen Xinghai struggled to open his eyes and saw several heads crowded together in a circle, all looking at him with concern.

His head still throbbed like needles, he forced out in a dry, gritty voice, "I’m fine."

As he spoke, his left hand instinctively reached for his sword, while his right hand reached for his magic wand. After gripping them tightly, he struggled to get up.

"I should get up and practice swordsmanship."

Martial Sister Mengran held him gently and said, "Don’t move, your face looks pale. Please rest."

He cleared his throat, looked around the room silently at everyone, then spoke cautiously, "Before I fainted, I saw a strange light in the sky. It looked very similar to the golden light that Martial Sister Wen had when she left before."

He didn’t dare to say the second part, perhaps even he was doubting if it was just a dream.

After Wen Yun left, he dreamt about her many times.

Every time, it was the same scene. She walked on a golden path, going higher and higher, with her back towards everyone, until she became a small golden light in the distance, like a faraway star.

So maybe this time was also just a dream.

However, Zhu Erchong suddenly patted his shoulder and whispered, "You’re not wrong. Someone has returned from the upper realm!"

Shen Xinghai’s pale face instantly regained color, his eyes brightened, and he eagerly got up, looking around, "Martial Sister Wen is back? Where is she? Did she go back to The Tenth Peak first? Let’s go find her now!"

Saying that, he quickly put on his coat and rushed straight out the door.

"No, Martial Sister Wen hasn’t returned."

Shen Xinghai stopped in his tracks, grabbed the door handle to prevent himself from falling.

Bao Pilong called out from behind him, "Senior Su Yuan has returned!"

Shen Xinghai, who was just cheerful moments ago, now looked downcast. He turned around emotionlessly, walked back to the bedside, and laid down.

Zhu Erchong looked surprised and asked, "Aren’t you going to greet your senior?"

Shen Xinghai turned around, facing away from everyone.

"No, I am spiritually injured and cannot walk. Let me lie down for a while," he said.

However, he only lay down for a short while. Despite feeling disappointed, he knew it was impolite not to greet his senior.

Immortal Su Yuan arrived in the mortal realm quietly in the middle of the night. As soon as he arrived, he went to The Tenth Peak, and ordinary disciples did not dare to come to greet him.

In the celestial realm, Wen Yun and Ye Shubai were very relaxed after dealing with a few Peak Lords who came to visit. The Tenth Peak regained its peaceful atmosphere.

However, as soon as Zhu Erchong and the others arrived, they felt the atmosphere become tense.

Bai Yushan, who always looked serious and didn’t talk much, was one thing. Even Yue Xingzhou, who was usually friendly, and Xu Wanfeng, who loved to joke around, remained silent and solemnly stood in front of Immortal Su Yuan.

Zhu Erchong, being the bravest, greeted the seniors and then jokingly said, "Seniors, Ancestors, are you back this time to give those three a lesson? I see they look like they’re almost in tears from your scolding."

He was trying to lighten the slightly awkward atmosphere, but Yue Xingzhou looked at him with a complicated expression, shook his head, and sighed softly.

"Please all take a seat, Ancestor has come back with important matters this time."

Important matters?

Shen Xinghai, sensing the heavy atmosphere, felt a dreadful thought surfacing, "Senior, could it be that Ancestral Master Ye and Martial Sister Wen have encountered trouble in the celestial realm?"

"Bah, stop speaking ill! Those two are fine now, don’t curse them to be trapped in Cloud Sea Tower!" Immortal Su Yuan rudely rebuked Shen Xinghai, saying, "Not only are they safe, but they have also found a place to settle in the celestial realm through their efforts. I am here this time on the request of Little Yun girl to take you all to cultivate in the celestial realm!"

"What? Go to the Upper Realm?"

Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong were immediately surprised and exclaimed, even Martial Sister Mengran, who was usually very calm, had sparkle in her eyes.

Shen Xinghai’s chest suddenly felt hot.

Yue Xingzhou and the other three watched them quietly, then sighed silently.

They were happy too early, not realizing there was another cruel decision to make.

Indeed, Immortal Su Yuan spoke again–

"However, only two people can go this time. Next time, it might be another half a century before you get another chance, or perhaps even longer."

As for how long exactly, no one knows.

It’s even uncertain whether they can wait until that day before their lifespan runs out.

He spoke the last half of the sentence with deep meaning, his deep eyes quietly scanning the faces of everyone, not missing any slight change.

The room fell into a sudden silence, the atmosphere froze.

Zhu Erchong’s mouth stiffened, unable to speak the last sentence as he looked around at his friends in the room.

Bao Pilong stood still, looking at the distracted Mengran, the frowning Shen Xinghai, and the three ancestral mastons of The Tenth Peak, still unsure of how to speak.

Shen Xinghai was the first to react.

He looked expressionless at Immortal Su Yuan, pursed his lips, and his dark eyes seemed to hold extremely complicated and conflicting emotions.

"I…"

As he said the first word, everyone’s gaze turned towards him.

Shen Xinghai’s body trembled, suddenly feeling intense pain in his right hand, which should have been numb, or maybe it was just the place where his arm was broken hurting.

This is the last gift Wen Yun gave him before leaving.

She said that once he ascends, he can reshape his body with the power of heavenly thunder, and then he won’t need it anymore.

His talent is not outstanding, even among his peers here, he is considered lacking. He had to work very hard to achieve his current level of cultivation. Comparatively, the others are all extremely talented and can be called geniuses. It is believed that gaining more resources in the higher realm will be more advantageous for their cultivation.

He looked at everyone and took a step back.

Shen Xinghai finally found his voice again.

In a low voice, he said, "I wish to stay here."

Martial Sister Mengran firmly rebutted, "No, you are the one who needs to go up first to cultivate and reshape your body!"

Though she still seemed hesitant, she forced a smile and said, "I just advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, my lifespan is still long. Waiting for another hundred years won’t hurt."

Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong also realized, "Yes, Junior Brother Shen, you are the one who needs this opportunity the most."

Shen Xinghai didn’t budge, he took a step back and stubbornly said to Immortal Su Yuan, "My senior brothers and sisters take care of me, I feel unworthy and dare not go."

"Brother Shen!"

"Unworthy my foot!"

"The young man is quite respectful of martial ethics." Immortal Su Yuan’s face softened slightly, feeling satisfied with the situation.

But I wonder whether they are telling the truth or not, and if Wen Yun’s trust will be betrayed.

He nodded and said with a smile, "Since you are hesitating due to our relationship as fellow disciples, let’s do this: we will draw lots to decide who will go first."

Everyone was surprised, such an important matter decided so casually?

Immortal Su Yuan didn’t care what they thought. He leisurely took out a lottery tube, which was a prop he used when he was a fortune teller in the past, little did he know it would come in handy now.

He put seven lots into the tube, shook them up with the heads facing down, and lazily said, "Draw, there are two red-headed lots inside. Whoever gets drawn will go to the upper realm with me in three days."

Seven hands reached for the jar at the same time and each pulled out a stick.

Yue Xingzhou opened his hand, revealing a plain stick, and said calmly, "No."

Xu Wanfeng and Bai Yushan had the same result.

When it was Zhu Erchong’s turn, he stared at the red stick in his palm, sounding incredulous, "It’s me?"

There was one stick left.

Bao Pilong held the ordinary stick and chuckled, "Oh, I didn’t win."

Martial Sister Mengran glanced at the stick in her hand and then smiled at Shen Xinghai, saying, "Junior Brother Shen, look, fate wants you to go to the Upper Realm."

Shen Xinghai held the red-topped stick, looking conflicted and lost in thought.

Immortal Su Yuan observed everyone’s reactions, stretched lazily, and shooed them away, saying, "Alright, alright, I’ll take you all in three days. You can go back now. Phew, all these years of traveling really exhausted me…"

Everyone had to say goodbye to their ancestors and went their separate ways towards their own peaks.

Although they used to be playful and cheerful, today everyone seemed to have something on their minds, and their gaze quietly focused on Shen Xinghai.

As they bid farewell, the sky was extremely dark, and they couldn’t see each other’s expressions clearly.

The light in the quiet courtyard where Shen Xinghai lived was on for half the night, and finally was extinguished.

The night was as deep and dark as ink.

In the thick darkness of the night, a figure silently sneaked into the courtyard, startling the birds on the ancient trees in the courtyard. However, with a strong mental force, they opened their mouths but couldn’t make a sound.

In this silence, the intruder quietly tightened their grip on the sword handle.