Chapter 108: A Hundred Years of Seclusion—Earlier Than Me?

Half a month had passed, and Ji Mingyue had finished her family matters and returned from Misty Ridge.

Only three days remained before the disciples of the major sects would set off for White Tiger West. At this crucial time, Guan Huilin, as the team leader, also rushed back overnight to discuss the upcoming competition with the other members of the chief team.

The two of them happened to meet when they arrived at Zhuque South and thus returned to Azure Profound Sect together.

However, as soon as they stepped into the protective barrier of Azure Profound Sect, several unfriendly gazes shot toward them—disciples of Azure Profound Sect who were guarding the barrier.

Ji Mingyue: “…”

She quietly asked the person beside her, “What’s going on with them? Why are they staring at us like that?”

Guan Huilin glanced around and guessed, “Maybe something unpleasant happened while we were away.”

As soon as he said that, Ji Mingyue immediately thought of Lian Mu. But then, after thinking carefully, she realized that Lian Mu hadn’t had any conflicts with the people from Azure Profound Sect, so it shouldn’t be the case.

“Could it be that people from other sects are trying to sow discord between us and Azure Profound Sect?” A possibility popped into Ji Mingyue’s mind.

Guan Huilin frowned, “Let’s go find out from them.”

The two of them immediately set off to find the other members of the chief team and found several of them gathered around Lian Mu.

When Ji Mingyue pushed the door open, she saw a few people with smiles on their faces, surrounding a giant black scorpion, teasing it with various items.

Lian Mu was sitting at the only table, polishing her sword. Hearing the noise, she raised her eyes in surprise. “You’re back? Why didn’t you let me know in advance?”

Ji Mingyue looked at the suddenly enlarged Green Bean and froze for a moment, not reacting right away. After a short pause, she said, “We came back in a hurry and didn’t have time to contact you through the Fish-and-Goose Stone.”

“It… how…”

Ji Mingyue pointed at Green Bean, which was surrounded by the others. Xu Xianxing was poking at its pincers, Wen Yun was curiously messing with its tail hook, while Guan Shize was sitting calmly to one side.

Wen Yun stopped what he was doing and said, “It grew this big overnight. When I first saw it, I didn’t recognize it.”

Lian Mu: “…”

Green Bean still preferred its normal form. She had just released it to let it stretch its legs inside the room when Wen Yun and the others came to find her and happened to see Green Bean lying on the floor after its sudden growth.

It didn’t matter if they saw it, as long as Green Bean stayed inside the room and didn’t run outside for others to see.

At this moment, Green Bean had become numb to the harassment from these people, lying there, indifferent to their poking and prodding.

It was the first time Guan Huilin had seen her spirit pet, and out of instinct, he nearly drew his sword. However, upon sensing no malice or darkness from the scorpion, he stopped himself.

“Junior brother and junior sister, how have you been lately?” Guan Huilin smiled slightly, his previously stern expression now softened.

Wen Yun: “Pretty good. Azure Profound Sect, apart from the bland food, the rain, and the poisonous bugs… everything else is fine.”

He listed a whole bunch of shortcomings without mentioning a single good point.

Guan Huilin: “…”

How is this any different from saying everything is bad?

He laughed and said, “Did you have some conflict with Azure Profound Sect?”

The four of them immediately fell silent, standing straight. Xu Xianxing glanced at Lian Mu with his eyes.

Lian Mu: “Azure Profound Sect’s chief Sword Cultivator secretly investigated me. I warned him not to do that again, and for some reason, their people got angry.”

Upon hearing this, both Guan Huilin and Ji Mingyue fell silent for a moment. No wonder, along the way, Azure Profound Sect’s disciples had been staring at them with strange expressions.

Guan Huilin could guess why they were angry. In previous grand competitions, Azure Profound Sect had always been the dominant force, unrivaled by any other sect. No one had ever dared to question their actions.

Now, a Three Spirit Roots Sword Cultivator directly clashed with their chief Sword Cultivator. Naturally, they wouldn’t be happy about it.

Moreover, Ying You held a very high position among the Azure Profound Sect disciples. He had joined the sect as a child, and now, most of the disciples in the Azure Profound Sect team had to address him as “Senior Brother.”

Guan Huilin had no other thoughts about Lian Mu offending Ying You. After all, the relationship between Returning Immortal Sect and Azure Profound Sect had always been lukewarm. Azure Profound Sect had never looked highly upon them, so a fallout was inevitable.

But he still frowned. “Ying You actually went out of his way to investigate someone…”

It seemed that Guan Huilin was a bit doubtful. Lian Mu didn’t understand why everyone was so surprised by Ying You’s actions, as though he were some great sage.

Lian Mu: “Why do you say that, Senior Brother Guan?”

Guan Huilin shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t trust his character, but a genius like him, unrivaled among the Sword Cultivators of his generation, doesn’t need to investigate others.”

“Still, this matter is worth noting,” Guan Huilin said. “Junior sister, how about you stay close to the chief team for the remaining matches and make sure we don’t get separated.”

In every Illusory Realm entry transmission, the chief teams would be bound together to ensure they wouldn’t get split up. Of course, each sect’s chief team also had the option to name a binding person, so that non-chief team members would be bound to travel with them.

Lian Mu didn’t even think twice before rejecting, “There’s only one chance to use it, so I’ll save it for when it’s crucial. Senior brother, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

In this round of Illusory Realm, she was going to find a metamorphosis stage flame beast to collect its crystal core for Wealth Bringer’s advancement, so it wasn’t convenient to move with the chief team.

“He won’t personally come after me because of this. He’ll probably send someone instead,” Lian Mu said. “It’s just right; I want to see where exactly Azure Profound Sect is strong.”

Wen Yun: “Don’t worry, she can handle it.”

Wen Yun had great confidence in her adaptability. He had fought against her before and even felt that her explosive power was not inferior to a single spirit root cultivator’s.

Guan Huilin hesitated for a long time before finally smiling. “It seems Junior Sister has made great progress. You’ve far surpassed who you were before.”

Upon hearing this, Lian Mu lightly curled the corner of her lips, offering a faint smile. “Senior Brother Guan, seems like you care a lot about the old me.”

Guan Shize: “?”

He secretly glanced at his senior brother, watching his expression.

Guan Huilin was momentarily stunned and then said, “I’m happy to see you progress. I forgot you don’t like talking about the past. Apologies.”

Wen Yun and Bai Li Que didn’t understand, and Xu Xianxing didn’t either. “Did you know Senior Brother Guan from before?”

Ji Mingyue already knew, her expression calm and unsurprised. Wen Yun noticed her expression and knew that Lian Mu must have only told her.

Lian Mu: “A long time ago.”

Xu Xianxing: “Earlier than me?”

Lian Mu: “Mhm.”

Xu Xianxing said, “I thought I was the first person to know you.”

Lian Mu took the initiative to change the subject. “There’s nothing to say about the past. Senior Brother Guan, how are things going in the sect after your return?”

Guan Huilin’s expression immediately turned a bit bitter. “Not great. Too many things are involved. I finally found a clue, but then it was cut off.”

Xu Xianxing knew that he returned to the sect because of the matters with the Demon Clan, but Wen Yun and Bai Li Que were still unaware of this. The fewer people who knew, the better, so he said, “Senior Brother Guan doesn’t need to worry. It’s just a small issue. The Sect Leader has come out of seclusion, and once he handles it, everything will be fine. We just need to focus on the competition.”

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to wait for that,” Guan Huilin said with a deep gaze.

Wen Yun: “?”

Bai Li Que: “What are you all talking about?”

Lian Mu wrapped her arms around the two of them and pulled them back. “It’s none of our business. Just listen for the entertainment.”

Xu Xianxing suddenly furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Guan Huilin explained, “The Sect Leader has gone back into seclusion. This time, who knows how many more years we’ll have to wait. We can’t rely on him for now.”

The focus of the group immediately shifted to the matter of the Sect Leader.

They all knew of the Returning Immortal Sect’s Sect Leader, but had only heard his name and had never seen his appearance.

Among the Four Great Sects, the Azure Profound Sect’s Sect Leader was an Artifact Refiner, the Crimson Sky Sect’s Sect Leader was a Body Cultivator, the Clear Thought Sect’s Sect Leader was a Talisman Cultivator, and the Returning Immortal Sect’s Sect Leader was a Sword Cultivator. Typically, each sect’s leader would remain stationed at the sect year-round, but the Returning Immortal Sect’s leader had been in seclusion for most of the time. It was said that the last time he went into seclusion was nearly five hundred years ago.

This year, he had finally come out for a brief period, but before even a year had passed, he went back into seclusion.

Returning Immortal Sect had long been in a state without anyone in charge. At first, the Elders helped manage things, but over time, many of the powerful Elders unexpectedly passed away under various circumstances. After the death of the seventh Heavenly Spirit Root Sword Cultivator Elder, Returning Immortal Sect became a laughingstock among the other sects, who dubbed it the “Graveyard of Talent.”

Because of its sinister reputation, this title spread quickly, and over time, fewer and fewer high-level spirit root cultivators were willing to join Returning Immortal Sect. This was why the sect had fallen to its current state.

Now, they could only rely on the Sect Leader to deter the other sects, but his appearances were rare, and whenever he entered or left seclusion, it would span decades. He rarely appeared in public, and didn’t even attend the discussions before each Immortal Sect Grand Competition. The chances to enter the Illusory Realm for the competition were almost always taken by the other three sects.

Some people had even begun to doubt if the Sect Leader was about to fulfill the title of “Graveyard of Talent” himself…

The group fell silent, only Lian Mu was left confused.

Wen Yun spoke up. “Maybe the Sect Leader has been in seclusion these past few hundred years to break through to a new realm, and is now re-entering seclusion to stabilize it. It won’t be a problem.”

Bai Li Que also said, “Actually, part of the reason I came to Returning Immortal Sect was to see just how sinister it really is. But from what I can see now, it’s not as terrible as the rumors suggest.”

At least the four of them, with Heavenly Spirit Roots, were fine and there had been no accidents. Moreover, this year, Returning Immortal Sect even seemed to be on the rise.

“This year’s Grand Competition will definitely break the deadlock,” Wen Yun said. “Not only do we have us, but Lian Mu as well. She’s so lucky, and her strength is no less than anyone else’s. It adds a little more chance of winning.”

Guan Huilin nodded. “As long as you juniors have confidence, that’s all that matters.”

“The next round of Illusory Realm will have a special environment. The Sect Leader of Clear Thought Sect personally set up the formation in the Illusory Realm, creating a second layer of heaven and earth in the original arena. We don’t know what the second layer will be like, but we’ll only find out after entering the Illusory Realm.”

“But one thing is certain—the second layer of heaven and earth will definitely be more dangerous than the original environment. You juniors need to be prepared.”

“Understood.”