Chapter 19: Gaining Seniority

His expression did not look at all like that of someone who had just apprenticed under their dream master.

“Why did the color of the ribbon over your eyes change?” When he left, it was the same crescent-white color as the Yonglu Mountain disciple robes. Yet, he had returned with it faded to a pure white. Moreover, looking closely at the material, it had a faint velvet texture with a fish-scale pattern.

Wen Xu touched his eyes. “It’s a long story. My master gave it to me.”

Hearing this, Chen Zui, who was straightforward by nature, immediately asked, “Which elder did you apprentice under?”

Bian Chunzhou blinked. He was actually quite curious too. After successfully apprenticing today, he had immediately gone to Kaiyuan Peak to collect his inner disciple nameplate and beginner’s gift pack. While collecting the pack, he had chatted with a senior brother from Kaiyuan Peak for a bit. Only then did he learn that the number of elders interested in taking disciples at Juyong Hall today had set a record, with a whopping fifteen Soul Transformation Venerables and twenty-five Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

As for Integration-stage Venerables, there naturally were none, so neither of them even considered that possibility.

“Is it Sword Venerable Morong of Sword Peak? Or Pill King Jibai of Alchemy Peak? I heard from the senior brother at Kaiyuan Peak that the last senior brother who gathered King Danxiang Grass, Daoist Master Suiyuan, apprenticed under Pill King Jibai.”

“Pill King” was actually a title of respect for high-level alchemists. Generally speaking, an alchemist who could refine grade-seven pills or higher could be called a Pill King. However, to refine a grade-seven pill, one’s cultivation level had to be above the Soul Transformation stage.

In fact, ever since a Mutated Wind Spiritual Root appeared in the sect, everyone had been watching to see whose disciple this genius would become. Not to mention the inner sect, even the better-informed outer sect disciples were paying close attention. These two venerables had the highest popularity among the general populace. One was powerful enough, while the other… was a perfect match for his specialty.

However, Wen Xu gave a negative answer. “Neither.”

“Huh? Then who else? It couldn’t be the Sect Master, could it?”

If only the Sect Master had that kind of courage, Wen Xu thought. He would rather have apprenticed under the Sect Master. “My master’s Daoist title is Chengwei.”

Huh? Chengwei? Bian Chunzhou was bewildered. He had never heard of this name. Could it be that while the Soul Transformation Venerables were fighting over him, a Nascent Soul True Monarch had snatched him up? Surely not? Did the Sect Master not step in to oversee things?

“Whoa, Chen Zuizui, why are you reacting so strongly!”

Chen Zui’s reaction was indeed huge. He almost flipped the split hot pot on the table. “Bian Chunzhou, have you really never heard the stories about Venerable Chengwei?”

Huh? Wait, Venerable?!

Bian Chunzhou couldn’t sit still either. Fortunately, he was very protective of his food, so the split hot pot on the table remained steady, bubbling with steam.

“Wen Xuxu, you apprenticed under an Integration-stage powerhouse?!” Wow, Bian Chunzhou thought, won’t he be able to walk sideways in Yonglu Mountain from now on? “Then why do you look… not very happy?”

Chen Zui cast a strange look at Bian Chunzhou. “So there really are people in the cultivation world who haven’t heard the stories of Venerable Chengwei.” For once, his mother hadn’t lied to him.

Bian Chunzhou looked from one to the other. “Uh, is it that strange not to have heard of him?”

“It’s not strange for him not to know, since he came from the Mortal Realm. But it’s very strange for you,” Chen Zui said, looking puzzled. “I heard from my mother that every cultivator in the cultivation world has heard the stories of Venerable Chengwei having enemies all over the world.”

“Huh? What do you mean, all over the world?”

“It means there are so many that if you go outside, at least one out of every ten cultivators has a grudge against him, or their masters, elders, or brothers have a grudge against Venerable Chengwei.”

Wen Xu: Slowly cracking open.jpg

He had known this master was a bit of a trap, but he hadn’t expected him to be such a massive one. Calculated this way, he was indeed extremely famous.

Chen Zui glanced at Wen Xu, whose face had turned slightly pale. “However, in recent years, Venerable Chengwei has closed off his mountain and hasn’t come out, so the rumors about him in the cultivation world have decreased a lot. Still… if his enemies find out he has taken a disciple, they will probably send congratulatory gifts.”

Pronounced “congratulatory gifts,” but written as “death warrants”?

If even Chen Zui could think of this, Bian Chunzhou naturally realized it too. His genius friend seemed to have apprenticed under a truly extraordinary master! To have enemies all over the cultivation world and still live peacefully in Yonglu Mountain—this was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful Integration-stage Venerable.

“But that isn’t what Venerable Chengwei is most famous for,” Chen Zui said, looking at Wen Xu. “The most widely circulated rumor about the Venerable is that he can see through human hearts. No one with a lower cultivation level than him can hide anything from him.”

How come other people’s cultivation is so fantastical? Bian Chunzhou thought. Meanwhile, I’m stuck dealing with water and fire being incompatible.

“That exaggerated? Is there no hyperbole in that statement?”

Chen Zui shook his head. “I don’t know. That’s just what my mother said. She said Venerable Chengwei is a divine dragon. Seeing through human hearts and reading fates are his innate abilities.”

What? What on earth? Did he miss a segment?!

Bian Chunzhou stood up again. A divine dragon from Chinese mythology! No Chinese person could remain calm in the presence of a dragon. “You’re saying the Venerable is a divine dragon? A real, flying dragon?”

Chen Zui nodded, looking puzzled. “Of course. Why are you so excited?”

That was a dragon! How could he not be excited? If only he could apprentice… Well, his brother apprenticing under a dragon master was basically the same thing. Close enough, he could count it as having seen a divine dragon! Oh yeah, this transmigration was totally worth it! Who cared about having a Water-Fire Spiritual Root? He was in the same sect as a divine dragon! He had to thank his past self for choosing Yonglu Mountain because of his obsession with prestigious schools :).

As expected of me. You’ve got some serious luck on your side, Bian Chunzhou.

“…You seem even happier than Wen Xu?” Chen Zui thought for a moment. “Aren’t we eating hot pot? Weren’t you looking forward to it for a long time?”

Oh right, hot pot. Although the divine dragon was important… hot pot was also important.

A pair of chopsticks was shoved into Wen Xu’s hand. Those in the Qi Refining Stage had not yet fasted. Since Yonglu Mountain did not have a cafeteria, Qi Refining disciples either consumed Fasting Pills or went down the mountain to buy their own food. This hot pot, of course, had been painstakingly carried up the mountain by Bian Chunzhou and Chen Zui.

Wen Xu had eaten hot pot before, but compared to the bowl of freshly cooked meat in front of him, the flavors in his memory seemed to pale in comparison. It was surprisingly delicious.

He rarely had moments of such peace and tranquility. For the first twenty years of his life, he had either been struggling to survive or busy studying. Because of his eyes, he had no close friends, and he rarely even ordered around his personal pageboy. Sometimes, he kept forcing himself—forcing himself to do everything he possibly could, because he never knew which day fate might knock him down again.

As it turned out, his worries were justified. If he had not been alert enough, he might have lost his head the very day he stepped into the capital.

Bian Chunzhou was, in every sense of the word, the first good friend he had ever made.

In truth, Wen Xu’s definition of a friend was very vague. To recognize “people he had met,” he would try hard to remember everyone’s features. Because he could not remember faces, he used to project the status of “friend” onto everyone he met.

Besides, when scholars made friends, even if it was just a connection of minds from afar, they could still call each other friends. No matter how good his memory was, there would still be times when he mistook someone.

“Why aren’t you eating? Is it not good?” That shouldn’t be the case. He had never failed at mixing dipping sauces. Had his title as the “Little Prince of Haidilao^[1]” lost its magic?

“No, I just…”

“Just what?”

Wen Xu composed his thoughts. “I just haven’t asked you yet. Which elder’s disciple did you become?”

“Oh right, I forgot to tell you!” Bian Chunzhou said happily. “Actually, I thought I had no hope of entering the inner sect, but things took an unexpected turn. The elders all seemed very interested in me. But I know my own limits, so in the end, I took Venerable Ruoshui as my master.”

“My master is super beautiful, super cool, and an amazing person. Plus, she specializes in talismans. Once I start using water and fire cultivation methods to make talismans, I won’t have to worry about them being too expensive!” Bian Chunzhou patted his chest. “Once I finish my studies, I’ll cover all the talismans you two need!”

Chen Zui touched his saber. “I don’t use talismans.”

This guy is completely impervious.

Listening to their exchange, Wen Xu couldn’t help but smile. “Then I’ll be relying on you for my talismans in the future.”

“Ah, you’re the best!”

The three of them continued to eat their hotpot enthusiastically. Of course, Bian Chunzhou’s mouth never stopped. He chatted about this and that, and by the time the meal was over, Wen Xu had learned that Chen Zui had become the disciple of his preferred master, Venerable Daofeng. He also learned that there would be a sect tournament in a year, which all disciples below the Golden Core realm were required to attend.

As soon as he finished the hotpot, before the smell had even dissipated, Chen Zui grabbed his saber and left in a hurry, saying he had to go back and practice to make up for slacking off today.

“Wen Xuxu, I suddenly realized something very serious.”

Wen Xu was puzzled. “What is it?”

“Venerable Chengwei’s seniority in Yonglu Mountain must be extremely high, right?” After all, he was a Body Integration stage powerhouse and a divine dragon. His age had to be at least four digits.

“…The Sect Master calls my master ‘Little Grand-Uncle Master’.” Wen Xu had realized this as well.

Bian Chunzhou had a look of constipation on his face. “Then doesn’t that mean… even the Sect Master has to call you ‘Little Martial Uncle’?”

“He didn’t.” Having stayed in the cultivation world for a while, Wen Xu no longer spoke so euphemistically. The main reason was that if he spoke too indirectly, his two friends probably wouldn’t understand him anyway.

“Aha, the Sect Master…” Bian Chunzhou couldn’t find the right words, so he changed his phrasing. “It seems like I have to call you ‘Little Grand-Uncle Master’ too.”

Let alone him, in the entire Yonglu Mountain, my friend has the second highest seniority!

Talk about a massive jump in seniority, my friend.

Wen Xu smiled. “Why don’t you try calling me that and let me hear it?”

Bian Chunzhou fell into a rare silence. Don’t even mention it—he couldn’t even bring himself to call his own brother “brother,” let alone… Well, actually, there was nothing wrong with calling him “Little Grand-Uncle Master.” If the Sect Master called him that, he would too!

“Ah, the moon is really bright tonight. Wen Xuxu, your ring is pretty nice, very shiny.”

Wen Xu raised his hand. “This is a storage ring my master gave me.”

Bian Chunzhou: Ahhh, a divine dragon master is indeed incredibly generous! But my master isn’t bad either.

“I have one too. My master gave me a lot of protective talismans. Wen Xuxu, do you want some?”

Wen Xu thought to himself that Bian Chunzhou was indeed a very straightforward person. If he could be that straightforward one day, perhaps he wouldn’t be so anxious about the future anymore.

But if he became straightforward, perhaps he wouldn’t be himself anymore.

His master was right. He should advance to the Golden Core realm as soon as possible, then return to the Mortal Realm to thoroughly investigate his so-called Emperor Fate^[2]. If someone had indeed maliciously twisted his destiny, he would make them pay a thousand times over.