Chapter 197 – Practicing the Thousand Leaf Spell, Elders Making Things Difficult

Yu Xian stepped into the Scripture Pavilion.

The Foundation Establishment disciple at the entrance watched his figure disappear into the depths of the pavilion. His eyes were filled not only with envy and jealousy but also a hidden trace of resentment.

It is said that ordinary men resent others for having what they lack and mock those who go without.

Such are the dark, base thoughts of the lowly—and even in the cultivation world, such things cannot be avoided.

He hated that Yu Xian possessed such privileges. He hated that those privileges weren’t his.

Despite guarding the Scripture Pavilion, he himself had no right to read the inner collections freely!

As Yu Xian’s figure vanished into the inner hall, the disciple considered something and beckoned a passing protector disciple.

“Greetings, Senior Brother!” the disciple greeted respectfully.

The Foundation Establishment disciple took a step forward and whispered a few words into his ear.

The protector disciple’s expression changed instantly. He nodded solemnly and replied, “I will inform the Grand Elder immediately!”

With that, he quickly departed.

The Foundation Establishment disciple watched him go, eyes glinting.

Of course, this needed to be reported to Elder Luo. Whether the Sect Master had truly given such permission still needed to be confirmed.

They couldn’t simply believe Yu Xian’s one-sided claim! Who knew whether he had truly received such a bold privilege?

Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Yu Xian strolled through the rows of shelves, skimming the names of various manuals, techniques, and spells.

He wasn’t interested in cultivation methods.

Any technique stored here certainly wasn’t top-tier. If one could reach the mid-Golden Core stage using these methods, it would already be quite impressive.

After all, the better methods would never be placed here for public access—they were rewards for meritorious Foundation Establishment disciples.

Spells were the same. Nothing beyond third-grade was stored here. The highest were high-tier third-grade spells.

Still, since Yu Xian was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he could study some of the more advanced spells used by later-stage Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators. They’d serve as references.

After all, the Fire Jiao Technique he had been using was outdated and no longer matched his current cultivation. Its power was insufficient.

Currently, his offensive techniques included only the Spirit Communication Finger, the Seven-Vine Great Art from the Wood Vine Technique, the incomplete Soundwave Art, and a lackluster Earth Flame Art.

Learning more offensive spells was necessary.

As for defense, his Wood God Armor was already excellent. It scaled with his cultivation and didn’t need replacement. Defense needed refinement, not variety.

Attack, on the other hand, required diversity. Relying on vines alone would lead to weaknesses.

Unless he faced soul attacks or divine sea damage—things beyond normal spell categories—Wood God Armor would suffice.

More important, however, were the alchemical recipes.

Fifth-grade pills probably weren’t available here, but fourth-grade recipes would be perfect for him right now.

Consuming a fifth-grade pill at the Foundation Establishment mid-stage was wasteful. The medicinal power exceeded what his body could absorb—most of it would be lost or even risk harming him.

Higher-grade doesn’t always mean better. It depends on absorption capability.

Fourth-grade pills were ideal for Foundation Establishment cultivators. In fact, for most, just being able to afford third-grade pills was already impressive.

As Yu Xian considered all this, he continued walking, scanning scrolls and books.

Back at the Elders’ Hall.

Another late-stage Foundation Establishment elder spoke with a sneer.

“Oh? So he’s the type who cultivates hard, but knows nothing. What use is that? Just takes but gives nothing back? Hahaha…”

“‘Takes but doesn’t give’? Hahaha, that reminds me of something else… haha!”

The ten elders all laughed, their expressions full of mockery as they looked toward Yu Xian’s absent seat.

They had already agreed among themselves to ostracize him.

This new Eleventh Elder was too uncooperative—he didn’t know how to blend in.

Even if he was the Sect Master’s illegitimate son, they had their dignity!

Yu Xian, however, remained calm and quiet. His silence was a blade sharper than their ridicule.

The elders’ laughter quickly grew hollow. In the end, it was they who felt awkward.

Luo Fan raised a hand and said, “Enough idle talk. Let’s get to the matter at hand.”

The others fell silent.

Luo Fan looked at Yu Xian and said calmly, “Elder Yu, let’s be brief. In the past, the sect’s matters were handled by us ten elders to ensure smooth operations. Now that you’ve joined us, enjoying cultivation grounds and a monthly stipend of ten thousand spirit stones, it is time you take on responsibilities to match your position.”

The others nodded in agreement.

As expected, Yu Xian remained calm and replied, “I understand. Please let me know what responsibilities you propose.”

Luo Fan smiled faintly. “Maintaining sect stability is our collective duty. Since Elder Yu is new and your cultivation is a bit lower, we’ve decided to assign you a lighter responsibility.”

The other elders grinned.

Yu Xian remained silent, waiting.

Luo Fan continued, “We would like Elder Yu to maintain the sect’s great formation.”

Yu Xian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Luo Fan explained, “The Fire Sect’s great mountain-protecting formation has been in use for over four hundred and sixty years. Its components are aging, the spiritual power in many formation nodes has dimmed. We would like Elder Yu to restore, refine, and return the formation to peak condition.”

“Well said, Brother Luo.”

“Such a simple task shouldn’t be difficult for Elder Yu, right? Hahaha.”

“Elder Yu is a genius—this is a mere trifle for him.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“I agree.”

“Agreed.”

“This is fitting.”

“I support it.”

The other nine all spoke in turn, voices filled with mockery.

Only Yu Xian smiled slowly, his expression calm, lips curling.

Luo Fan paused. A faint unease stirred in his heart.

Then Yu Xian said lightly, “You all agree. But I… do not.”

Outside, a male disciple frowned. Recognizing the sarcastic tone, he realized the man was that Elder Yu—not directed at him personally.

He spoke flatly: “I’m not here to study. I came to find Elder Yu. Elder Luo and the others want him at the Elders’ Meeting. He can’t just take benefits and do nothing.”

“Exactly!”

The man beside him, surnamed Wu, snapped his fingers with a cold laugh. “Why should he get away with it? I’ll go call him!”

Excited, he walked into the Scripture Pavilion.

“Elder Yu! The Elders have convened! Please attend at once!”

Yu Xian, at that moment, was immersed in studying a high-tier fourth-grade alchemical recipe.

Committing such a recipe to memory was far more difficult than memorizing a high-tier third-grade spell.

In ten hours, he had only memorized two. This was his third.

Hearing the call, he frowned, gently placed the scroll back in its place, and thought:

“No matter. I’ll return later.”

He stepped out calmly.

Seeing the Wu-surnamed disciple, Yu Xian asked, “What is it?”

The disciple replied with a polite smile, “Grand Elder has summoned you. The Elders are meeting to discuss duties.”

“I see.”

Yu Xian nodded, stepped outside, and flew toward the rear mountain.

The disciple stared after him, jealousy rising once more.

The rear mountain of Fire Sect housed the Elder residences—spiritual energy there was twice as dense as the front mountain.

Yu Xian flew directly toward the Elders’ Hall.

The Sect Master, Zhou Qingyuan, rarely involved himself in affairs. The two Vice Sect Masters handled major matters.

The rest were decided by the ten elders.

Running a sect of thousands required division of labor: resource allocation, mission assignments, merit tracking, alchemy, forging, beast taming, law enforcement, and more.

Each elder managed a domain.

Now, there was an eleventh elder.

Even if he was appointed by the Sect Master, he couldn’t just take without giving.

In the Elders’ Hall, all ten elders were present—rarely fully assembled.

Three elders had returned from Fire Market City just for this.

Yu Xian entered, and Luo Fan greeted him with a calm, “Elder Yu, you’ve arrived. Please sit.”

Yu Xian already understood their intent.

He walked to an empty cushion, sat calmly, and said, “Elders, are we convening to assign duties?”

“Oh?”

Luo Fan’s smile deepened. “Elder Yu is indeed clever. That’s exactly right.”

Another elder said, “It’s been three days since you joined. You should now understand how the sect operates. Time to share the burden.”

“Ha! But didn’t someone say Elder Yu’s been in closed-door cultivation all this time? He might know nothing!”

Back in the Scripture Pavilion, Yu Xian had stopped in front of a scroll:

High-tier Third-Grade Spell — Thousand Leaf

For Foundation Establishment cultivators, third-grade spells were already powerful, and high-tier ones especially so.

But stronger spells required more energy. Trying to practice them too early could backfire.

Still, Yu Xian’s abundant qi sea and strong wood-elemental foundation made this Thousand Leaf spell perfect for him.

He took the scroll and opened it.

Thousand Leaf — a wood-element spell.

By following its method, one could condense dozens to hundreds of leaves. As mastery grew, eventually one could summon a thousand.

As comprehension deepened, each leaf grew sharper, eventually comparable to flying daggers—or swords!

Yu Xian read and practiced simultaneously.

Soon, a sharp, vibrant green elm leaf appeared in his palm.

The shape of the leaves was determined by the caster’s mind upon first use.

Yu Xian hadn’t consciously chosen, yet it had become an elm leaf—unsurprising, considering his body’s affinity.

He managed to condense three before stopping.

He was quite satisfied. With effort, he could aim for a hundred. That alone would rival his Spirit Communication Finger in power!

A thousand leaves would be akin to wielding a thousand flying swords!

After committing the spell to memory and practicing over a dozen times, he returned the scroll and continued browsing.

Ten full hours passed unnoticed in the Scripture Pavilion.

Such a long time would take years of effort for Qi Condensation disciples to earn.

Even Foundation Establishment disciples rarely managed more than a few hours.

But Yu Xian used time freely—and he still had endless more sessions ahead.

This alone was enough to incite boundless jealousy.

At the entrance, the same disciple saw the sun rise and fall, yet Yu Xian still hadn’t emerged. Hatred brewed in his heart.

He had confirmed with Elder Luo that Yu Xian was indeed permitted to study anything at will—directly by the Sect Master!

He must be the Sect Master’s bastard son!

Why else would his surname be Yu?

Yu, as in “extra.” As in, a child that shouldn’t exist.

“Who knows what whore gave birth to this brat…” he muttered venomously.

Just then, a fellow disciple hurried over.

“Senior Brother Wu, is that Yu guy still inside?”

Wu’s expression was blank. “Of course he is. With unlimited access, wouldn’t you live in there too? Heh…”

With a sneer, he looked up at the other disciple.

“Going in to study spells, Junior Brother Kong? Remember to pay your contribution points. You don’t have a powerful daddy, after all.”