Crazy-Gossiping-C23
by MarineTLChapter 23
At this very moment, the Sect Leader was sitting in a dark and damp dungeon. Staring at the son he had raised for eight hundred years, he couldn’t help but feel bitter.
Eight hundred years of deception—how could it be so easily resolved?
At least, he knew he couldn’t get over it anytime soon.
He could still vividly recall the heart-wrenching pain he felt when he first discovered the truth.
The dungeon was far from the square where the disciple recruitment ceremony was taking place, so he hadn’t heard the conversation between Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System.
Fortunately, he had a group of gossip-loving sect members.
The Sect Master was the first to relay Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System’s conversation to him.
When he learned that his mortal enemy had become a eunuch, the Sect Leader couldn’t help but choke on his laughter.
What?
Is this for real?
No, that wasn’t even the right question.
If the Melon-Eating System said so, then it must be true!
Thinking of the phrase “explosive in every way,” the Sect Leader burst into laughter.
“Explosive in every way, hahaha! What a perfect description! Explosive indeed!”
He laughed so hard that tears came out.
His bloodstained son, who had suffered torture for days, looked up in terror.
Explosive in every way? Was the Sect Leader so traumatized that he had lost his mind?
The Sect Leader laughed for a full fifteen minutes before finally stopping.
Originally, he hadn’t planned to stay in the dungeon for long. Every time he saw his son’s face, it reminded him of the eight hundred years of deception, stirring up endless resentment.
But now, he had changed his mind.
He wanted to personally meet his mortal enemy who had become a eunuch!
He couldn’t help but wonder—after losing a certain part, what had his mortal enemy become?
For the first time in his life, he was eagerly looking forward to seeing his old rival again.
On the Square
The sect’s disciple recruitment ceremony was still ongoing.
By this point, all the selected disciples had stepped forward.
Out of the 1,300 new disciples, only 200 were chosen.
The brutal reality of the cultivation world was laid bare.
However, Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System were completely unaffected.
Ning Xu asked, “Is it common for spiritual energy to flow downward when someone makes a mistake during cultivation?”
The Melon-Eating System understood her concern and replied leisurely: 【Not really.】
Ning Xu was surprised. “Then how did he…”
Of course, the “he” she referred to was the Sword Immortal Eunuch.
The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue: 【Don’t worry. Even if you make a mistake during cultivation, this kind of thing won’t happen to you. In the end, the problem lies in the cultivation technique he practiced—it had a small flaw.】
【That flaw doesn’t show up under normal circumstances, but it tends to cause trouble at critical moments.】
Ning Xu grew curious. “What kind of cultivation technique did he practice?”
The Melon-Eating System explained: 【It was a Heaven-Tier technique that he found by accident in a secret realm.】
【Thanks to this technique, he managed to rise to fame and become the Sword Immortal who dominated fourteen provinces within a few hundred years.】
Ning Xu asked, “Did he know the technique had flaws?”
【He knew.】
【He always knew.】
【Because the technique he found was incomplete from the very start.】
Hearing this, Ning Xu could somewhat understand the Sword Immortal’s decision.
Heaven-Tier techniques were incredibly rare in the cultivation world.
Even if it was incomplete, it was still a treasure countless people would fight for.
The saying “fortune favors the bold” seemed to fit perfectly—he had resolutely chosen to cultivate it.
Didn’t he know that incomplete techniques could be dangerous?
Of course, he knew.
But after weighing the risks and benefits, he chose the path that favored his growth.
Cultivators were always making choices.
Which techniques to practice, which master to follow…
Seeing Ning Xu fall silent, the Melon-Eating System added leisurely: 【All the Heaven-Tier techniques I offer are flawless. You can rest easy!】
Ning Xu’s earlier sentimentality vanished in an instant. “Thank you.”
After all, with the Melon-Eating System bound to her, she was already far luckier than most cultivators.
While the two were chatting, the only Heaven-Root disciple among the new recruits stepped forward.
The Sect Master announced, “Qin Shuai, Heaven Fire Root. Which elder do you wish to apprentice under?”
Qin Shuai cupped his fists and respectfully said, “I wish to apprentice under you.”
The Sect Master nodded in satisfaction. “Very well. From this moment on, you are my seventh disciple. Remember to respect your seniors, cherish your peers, and train diligently. Understand?”
Qin Shuai answered loudly, “Yes, Master!”
After Qin Shuai’s formal induction, the second disciple—a dual spiritual root—stepped forward.
Ning Xu whispered to the Melon-Eating System, “Only one Heaven-Root disciple this year?”
The Melon-Eating System replied lazily: 【Yep. All the good seedlings were snatched by the top-ranking sects. This one just happened to be overlooked.】
What a lucky find.
Had Qin Shuai not lived in a remote village, he would’ve been taken by another sect long before Wenxin Sect arrived.
Ning Xu said, “So he has the best spiritual roots among us.”
【Not exactly.】
“Ah?”
Everyone else: “Ah?”
Qin Shuai wasn’t the strongest? Then who was?
Ning Xu perked up. “Could it be that someone’s real roots weren’t detected?”
【No.】
“Stop keeping us in suspense. Just tell me already.”
Everyone was dying of curiosity.
The Melon-Eating System finally answered: 【There’s a Chaos Root misidentified as ordinary five-element roots.】
【It just shows how poor this sect’s judgment is. They mistook a gem for gravel.】
Ning Xu: !!!
Everyone else: !!!
Ning Xu repeated, “Chaos Root?”
【Yes, the Chaos Root—hailed as the strongest spiritual root since the creation of the world. In ten thousand years, only one person might be born with it!】
【Yet this strongest root was dismissed as trash. Wenxin Sect has truly fallen.】
【A thousand years ago, making such a mistake would’ve been considered a grave error!】
Ning Xu’s eyes scanned the 200 selected disciples.
Ninety of them had five-element roots.
One of them was hiding this legendary talent!
In the Dungeon
The Sword Immortal finally broke through Wenxin Sect’s barrier using forbidden techniques.
Wounded and weakened, it took him considerable effort to force his way in.
In an instant, he teleported into the dungeon.
Over the past 800 years, he had mapped out every detail of Wenxin Sect through his beloved son.
In truth, he probably knew the sect better than most of its disciples.
Originally, he planned to act swiftly and avoid conflict.
His only goal was to rescue his son and leave immediately.
However, fate had other plans.
He hadn’t expected to run into his mortal enemy here!
Gripping his sword, he said instinctively, “You…”
The Sect Leader smiled and replied word by word, “It’s me.”
With an oddly relaxed demeanor, he even greeted the Sword Immortal.
“Long time no see, Qi Xin.”
Qi Xin frowned.
Before leaving, he had cast a divination, and the omens suggested little risk of encountering high-ranking members.
Yet, here he was—face-to-face with the last person he wanted to meet.
The Sect Leader pulled out two spirit beast eggs, crushed them, and sneered:
“Today, just like these eggs—you’re finished!”
The Sword Immortal: !!!