Chapter 83: Setting Off

“Why? On what basis were we kicked off the Floating Cloud Steps and banished to Lingyao Peak to dig dirt?!”

“…Do you want to go to the Sect Master Peak instead?”

“No, no, no, that’s not how it works. Could it be that we all guessed wrong?” Did the Little Grand-Uncle Master and the others getting into trouble have nothing to do with Juyong Hall?

“Impossible!”

…

How should one put it? Humans are naturally curious. Furthermore, there was indeed no sect rule explicitly forbidding ordinary disciples from visiting Juyong Hall without permission. Thus… while there were law-abiding disciples, cultivators generally preferred to take the road less traveled. In fact, the latter made up the majority. After all, cultivation itself was an act of defying heaven.

If one lacked even the curiosity to explore, what was the point of cultivating immortality?

“Just admit it, you all just want to know what the Little Grand-Uncle Master and the others saw when they went up there.”

“Hmph! I admit to nothing!”

Whether they admitted it or not, the first batch of disciples had already returned in defeat. However, the spiritual energy barrier was not entirely unbreakable. In any case… Lingyao Peak would not be lacking free labor for the foreseeable future.

Right up until the eve of the Five Sects Conference, the mystery of what made Juyong Hall so special remained unsolved. Had the disciples given up? Of course not. They only grew more enthusiastic.

Fortunately, the proposal to amend the sect rules had already been submitted to the Discipline Hall. Once it was officially recorded, heh, the Punishment Hall’s staves could rightfully be turned upon these troublemaking youngsters.

Gu Wufang was currently confirming the roster for the Five Sects Conference, including the substitutes and accompanying personnel. The official competitors only included those in the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages, totaling thirty-six disciples: sixteen in Foundation Establishment and twenty in Golden Core. The accompanying list, however, was much longer. Aside from ten Qi Refining rookies brought along to gain experience, there were also two Nascent Soul geniuses ranked in the top ten of the Heaven’s Pride List. In addition to Gu Wufang himself, the group included Elder Zhao Qi of the Discipline Hall, who had previously been in charge of recruitment.

Zhao Qi was an upright and strict man, feared by all the rowdy disciples. Bringing Elder Zhao along was like having an anchor to steady the team. Most importantly, only Elder Zhao could keep the Refining Peak’s genius, Zheng Jin, in check.

However, Zhao Qi was only at the Nascent Soul stage. For the safety of the entire traveling party, Gu Wufang added a Soul Transformation cultivator to the list: Sword Venerable Morong of the Sword Peak. In terms of cultivation realm, Gu Wufang and Morong were neck and neck, but in terms of combat power, two Gu Wufangs combined could not match a single Yun Morong.

There was no helping it; the combat power of sword and saber cultivators was just that absurd. Gu Wufang reviewed the promising talents participating in this year’s Five Sects Conference and figured that securing fourth place while aiming for third was a safe bet. Good, good. They would set off like this.

The roster was quickly released. As members of the top ten in the below-Foundation Establishment division of the Sect Tournament, Chen Zui, Wen Xu, and Bian Chunzhou were all on the list. In other words, they were finally going to end their “corporate slave torture.”

“It hasn’t been easy. The law of conservation of energy really does apply to this world; you have to give to get. It’s just that the price seems a bit too high! I gave up my very soul!” Bian Chunzhou slumped over the table, looking utterly drained of life.

Chen Zui nodded silently. “The Sect Master really worked us to the bone.”

Wen Xu did not dare to speak. Lately, whenever he spoke up, his two friends would gang up on him. Actually… it hadn’t been that bad. It was just a bit tedious, like clearing years of accumulated silt from a riverbed. As long as you put in the effort, the work would get done. It wasn’t like cultivation, where no amount of effort could compare to a sudden flash of insight.

“It wasn’t easy for me either,” Bian Chunzhou said, lazily rolling over. “We set off in three days, so I need to prepare more talismans. Even though we don’t have to fight, I like the feeling of having my pockets full.”

Chen Zui patted his saber, indicating that it was all he needed.

Then, he looked at Wen Xu. “How long has it been since you last comprehended the sword?”

Although Wen Xu had paused his cultivation progress, he still meditated and practiced his swordplay daily. He still practiced the 《Nine Revolutions Sword Art》. Even though there were only six forms, he did not find it dry or tedious. In fact, because his body had already memorized the movements, practicing the sword was the most peaceful part of his day, a time when his mind could go blank without any anxiety.

But as for comprehending the sword: “I have never comprehended the sword.”

Chen Zui immediately perked up. The question he had just asked was one his master had asked him, but he hadn’t been able to answer. After all, wasn’t practicing the saber just practicing the saber? As long as he worked hard, the saber in his hand would never let him down. This was something both he and his saber knew.

But since his master had asked, there had to be a reason. Wen Xu was his smartest friend, so Chen Zui had decided to copy his answer. Who would have thought…

See? Geniuses don’t need to comprehend.

“I have never comprehended the saber either.”

Wen Xu considered himself reasonably conversational, but he found himself at a loss for how to respond to that.

“Hahaha, you two are too funny!” Bian Chunzhou laughed, slapping his thigh. “As expected, smart people are helpless against directness. I’ve comprehended it now.”

Wen Xu: …There is really no need to comprehend it so thoroughly.

Three days flashed by. On this morning, the mountain gate of Yonglu Mountain was exceptionally bustling. The Five Sects Conference was a grand event in the cultivation world. Although there was no strict rule, the Five Great Sects were usually led by their respective sect masters. As for the smaller sects and rogue cultivators, they were not bound by such formalities.

“Hey, this is my first time riding such a massive flying vessel.”

“Tell me about it! This is my first time traveling far from home since I joined the sect!”

Listening to the chatter of the senior brothers and sisters around him, Bian Chunzhou nodded vigorously in agreement. Who wasn’t in the same boat? Although he had only entered the sect the year before last, two years of a boarding-school-style cultivation academy had been a bit too much. Even if his cultivation level wasn’t high enough to compete, being able to go out and have fun was just amazing.

“Huh? Chen Zuizui, where is Wen Xuxu?”

Chen Zui pointed toward the very front of the line. “He was dragged off by that Little Martial Uncle from the Refining Peak. Said he wanted to introduce him to some new friends.”

The word “dragged” was very apt.

But this new friend… could it be the Nascent Soul True Monarch ranked third on the Heaven’s Pride List?

Anyone who knew anything understood the prestige of the cultivation world’s hundred-seat Heaven’s Pride List, and the top ten were the absolute elite among geniuses. Although Yonglu Mountain ranked last among the Five Great Sects, they occupied two of the top spots on the Heaven’s Pride List. True Monarch Zheng Jin was ranked sixth, while the Nascent Soul True Monarch ranked third came from Feiming Peak and was named Zhi Lianshan.

It was worth mentioning that the twenty-first cultivator on the Heaven’s Pride List was named Zhi Lianshui, who possessed a late Golden Core stage cultivation.

Bian Chunzhou had guessed correctly: the geniuses on the Heaven’s Pride List all knew one another, especially those from the same sect. Even though Zheng Jin was universally disliked, he was still a fellow disciple. Because they were going out to meet guests today, Zheng Jin was not wearing the Dharma robe Wen Xu had gifted him. To be honest, Wen Xu breathed a massive sigh of relief, which was why he hadn’t struggled much when he was dragged along earlier.

“Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Yonglu Mountain’s freshly minted Little Grand-Uncle Master. If you give him a greeting gift, I’ll allow you to call him Junior Brother.”

Zhi Lianshan had a thin, slender build. For a cultivator, he looked far too frail, as if he had slacked off on his Body Tempering. However, he was ranked third on the Heaven’s Pride List, so that was absolutely impossible.

“Cough, Zhi Lianshan greets the Little Grand-Uncle Master.” After speaking, he lowered his head and began to cough, even coughing up blood.

Wen Xu: …Is he really that weak?

Zheng Jin, however, was used to it. He even reached out to pat his friend’s back. “Look at you, you’ve frightened the Little Grand-Uncle Master. Have you still not found a solution to the drawback of your overly abundant vital energy and blood?”

…You call this “overly abundant”? He wasn’t just making things up because he thought Wen Xu was blind and couldn’t see, was he?

“My apologies, it is nothing. I have frightened the Little Grand-Uncle Master. Here is a small gift, please do not… cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough…”

Wen Xu did not dare to accept it. It looked as if the man was about to cough up his lungs.

“Don’t be afraid, he’s always like this. It won’t kill him,” Zheng Jin said, speaking from experience. “He usually looks like he’ll blow over in the wind, but when it comes to combat, he fights even fiercer than the Lord Cranes of Beast Taming Peak.”

…It was common knowledge in Yonglu Mountain that the gatekeepers of Beast Taming Peak were a pair of Lord Cranes. They fought every single day, sometimes so fiercely that they even forgot their duties. Yet, no one knew what the Peak Master of Beast Taming Peak was thinking; he simply refused to replace the peak-guarding beasts.

“Your compliments are indeed pleasing to hear.”

Wen Xu: …Ranked third on the Heaven’s Pride List, do you just not have a temper? How is that pleasing to hear?!

“Of course, we are good friends after all. Now that you’ve come out of seclusion, are you planning to go out and travel? Can you take me with you?”

Zhi Lianshan’s face was pale, and he seemed a complete pushover. Hearing this, he nodded. “Sure. Did your master give you permission to go out?”

“It’s fine, my master is in seclusion. Even after I go out to gain experience and return, he might not have emerged yet.”

Wen Xu felt he couldn’t listen to this any longer. He hastily accepted the gift and left. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to refuse, but… the moment he said he didn’t want it, the man would cough earth-shatteringly, as if he could control his coughing at will.

Conveniently, the flying vessel set off soon after.

Among the ten people below Foundation Establishment, only nine were actually at the Qi Refining stage. Shi Yijian was currently in the late Foundation Establishment stage and was still in seclusion within the sect to stabilize his cultivation. After all, having leaped three sub-realms, it was impossible for him to emerge anytime soon.

The nine of them had all crossed paths during the Sect Tournament and could be considered acquaintances. In particular, Huo Shengyin and Li Anqu, who had both been promoted from the outer sect to the inner sect, had become friends through fighting.

Aside from Bian Chunzhou and Wen Xu, the other seven were all at the peak of Qi Refining. In other words, everyone was seeking an opportunity to establish their foundation. In fact, except for Chen Zui, the other six had already been stuck at the peak of Qi Refining for several years, some for three or four years, and the longest for as long as twelve years. In the cultivation world, there were even cultivators who remained at the peak of Foundation Establishment for their entire lives without making a single inch of progress.

Chen Zui was twenty years old this year. While he seemed very close to Foundation Establishment, Sword Venerable Meixi, who had broken the record by establishing his foundation at twenty-five, had actually reached the peak of Qi Refining at the end of his eighteenth year. Even so, he had still waited until he was twenty-five to establish his foundation.

It was not that one could not establish their foundation earlier, but cultivation was a long-term endeavor. If one rushed into Foundation Establishment out of a desire for speed, then as their cultivation grew, more and more flaws would be exposed. In fact, many high-level rogue cultivators regretted being too hasty during Foundation Establishment, which made their subsequent cultivation increasingly difficult.

Therefore, breaking the record of establishing a foundation at twenty-five was not actually difficult for geniuses. However, no one wanted to gamble their future for a bit of empty fame. Besides, even if one broke the record, did that mean they could surpass Sword Venerable Meixi?

“Breaking news! Sword Venerable Meixi’s record of establishing his foundation at twenty-five has been broken!”