Chapter 76: Fitting In

The aftermath of the match was incredibly long-lasting. Let alone the participants themselves, even the spectators had been discussing it excitedly for days. Whenever anyone brought it up, their hearts would still race.

The disciples who had missed the match due to other commitments were filled with regret. Fortunately, someone had recorded the entire duel with a Shadow Retention Stone, which was later copied many times. Even during classes on Liujiang Peak, the substitute instructors from Sword Peak and Blade Peak used this duel as material to explain the flexible application of swords and blades in combat.

Some even studied it closely and actually managed to gain some insights from it.

Normally, the spotlight of the Sect Tournament was always focused on the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment stages. After all, those in the Qi Refining Stage had only just begun their cultivation, so their duels were not much to look at. But this year was different. Because of this high-quality duel between sword and blade, it completely overshadowed the other finals below the Golden Core stage.

Furthermore, the two of them had only joined Yonglu Mountain last year. It had only been a single year! Even eating immortal elixirs wouldn’t make someone progress this rapidly. If they were only slightly ahead, others might still make sour remarks. But this was fought with real blades and swords; no one, no matter who, could find any fault with it.

Whether it was Chen Zui or Wen Xu, both were fully deserving of their current fame.

Perhaps in the past, some had muttered to themselves that Wen Xu was only able to suppress the other genius cultivators because he had apprenticed under a good master and possessed a great spiritual root. But now, those voices had completely vanished.

Everyone on Yonglu Mountain knew that Venerable Chengwei was not famous for his swordplay. For the Little Grand-Uncle Master to wield a sword to such a degree, it had to be due to his own extraordinary comprehension.

While the name of the Wind-Folding Fan was not yet a household word, the Zhefeng Sword was now known to everyone on Yonglu Mountain.

As for Chen Zui, whether addressed as Senior or Junior Brother, he was a truly fierce character. He seemed to find the fame too annoying; as soon as his injuries healed, he took his secret-realm slot and rushed straight to the back mountain. He was probably about to enter the secret realm by now.

Huo Shengyin was also a witness to that match. How should she put it? Before the match started, she could still grumble in her heart about how annoying geniuses were. But after the match ended, her mind went blank, and she was left utterly speechless.

Geniuses were terrifying enough, but a genius going all out was even more frightening.

She suddenly felt that losing the match wasn’t so bad after all. At least she now had a scale in her heart, and its weight had been forged for her by her own sect members, rather than by other ill-intentioned cultivators outside of Yonglu Mountain.

Carrying her zither on her back, Huo Shengyin prepared to go to Kaiyuan Peak to complete the procedures for entering the inner sect. Yes, although she had lost the match this time, a master had accepted her. Furthermore, her master also played the zither, so she could finally settle down and hone her skills.

The procedures to enter the inner sect were very simple. After exchanging her disciple waist token, changing into a new disciple robe, and registering her soul lamp^[1], she officially became an inner sect disciple of Yonglu Mountain.

“Congratulations, Junior Sister Huo.”

Huo Shengyin was naturally delighted. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

“No need for thanks. When do you plan to collect your prize for the Sect Tournament, Junior Sister?”

Regarding the prizes for the Sect Tournament, the top ten all received a basic reward: a Foundation Establishment Pill and a slot to accompany the sect to next year’s Five Sects Conference. The top three received additional rewards. Since Chen Zui had already taken the secret-realm slot, the remaining options were a custom-made magic treasure and fifty thousand spirit stones.

“Has the Little Grand-Uncle Master already made his choice?”

The senior brother from Kaiyuan Peak nodded. “Yes, so the magic treasure…”

“What?” Huo Shengyin was utterly shocked. “Wait, the Little Grand-Uncle Master chose the fifty thousand spirit stones? He…”

“Yes. He said that you might have more need for a suitable zither, Junior Sister.”

What was she supposed to do? She was suddenly so moved. When Huo Shengyin was in the outer sect, she was a reliable senior sister. Her junior brothers and sisters all looked up to and respected her, and she had certainly experienced the goodwill of her fellow disciples before. But fifty thousand spirit stones and a custom-made magic treasure, especially one crafted by their own Refining Peak, were not comparable at all.

“He…” Huo Shengyin had no way to refuse this kindness. Even though she knew that with the Little Grand-Uncle Master’s status and ability, he wouldn’t lack a low-grade rank-three magic treasure, especially since the Zhe Feng in his hand had been crafted by the genius Little Martial Uncle of the Refining Peak, meaning he had absolutely no need for a custom-made magic treasure, when all was said and done, he didn’t have to yield it to her. It was only right for her to take the fifty thousand spirit stones, as she had lost the match fair and square. “I will claim it now.”

She would remember this kindness.

“Junior Sister, you just need to leave your spiritual energy imprint here. Once you’ve decided what kind of magic treasure you want to forge, you can go straight to the registration desk in the main hall of the Refining Peak. The disciples there will record your requirements.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

While Huo Shengyin was collecting her reward at Kaiyuan Peak, Wen Xu, who had recovered from his injuries, was taken by his master to… review his own Sect Tournament finals. More precisely, to watch the Shadow Retention Stone.

He had no idea where his master had obtained such a high-grade Shadow Retention Stone, which even captured that immersive, firsthand feeling.

But watching his own duel, even though he remembered every detail, sitting there and watching it with his own eyes still felt inexplicably embarrassing. As for losing the match, Wen Xu felt no resentment.

“Ah Xu worked so hard. Master will cherish this Shadow Retention Stone forever.”

“Seeing Ah Xu strive so hard to win, Master is suddenly looking forward to next year’s Five Sects Conference.”

Wen Xu was speechless and fell silent.

But Venerable Chengwei clearly didn’t need his disciple to play along. He could happily chatter away on his own. “Originally, I had reserved three harsh remarks for you, but now it seems one is enough.”

As expected of him. If Jun Zhaoying saw this Shadow Retention Stone, wouldn’t she… Hehe, she wouldn’t dare come up Yonglu Mountain to pick a fight with him again.

“Speaking of which, what reward did you get?”

Since Wen Xu hadn’t won, he naturally couldn’t get his desired secret realm slot. As for the remaining two rewards, they made no difference to him. After the Wind-Folding Fan was reforged, it could be used all the way until the Nascent Soul stage. So after weighing his options, he chose the fifty thousand spirit stones.

“What? Only fifty thousand spirit stones? Has our sect fallen on hard times lately?”

Wen Xu: “…Master, don’t say that.” If Sect Master Gu heard this, he would be heartbroken again.

“It’s the truth. But your sword is indeed excellent, so you don’t need any other magic treasures anyway.” Venerable Chengwei clearly knew exactly what was what. “As for the secret realm in the back mountain, I think it would be better for you to enter after you reach Foundation Establishment.”

“Actually, the secret realm in the back mountain is very suitable for your training, but the benefits are greatest the first time you enter. When the time comes, you will understand why I say this.”

Meaning: don’t ask now, because he wouldn’t get an answer even if he did.

Wen Xu already understood his master’s temperament well, so he didn’t press the matter. Lately, he hadn’t been cultivating like a madman as before. Instead, he allowed himself a rare chance to clear his mind. Chunzhou thought he was taking his loss in the tournament too hard, but in truth, he simply needed this blank period of time to settle his thoughts.

After going through the Sect Tournament, the high-intensity combat finally allowed him to touch the threshold of being a cultivator. It was no longer just theory on paper or mental rehearsals; having experienced it firsthand, Wen Xu finally felt a sense of grounded reality.

He could finally distinguish between his past self and his present self. Walking the path of cultivation had been both forced upon him and a natural progression; it did not stem from his own desires.

In other words, his opportunity to study was something he had fought desperately to earn, but stumbling into the cultivation world was a chance granted by heaven when he was hunted down and on the verge of death.

He had grabbed this sliver of opportunity, but because everything happened too quickly, he had no time to quiet his mind and truly reflect on what his purpose in pursuing cultivation was.

Even now, he remained unenlightened.

Chunzhou’s heart was relaxed and free, for there was no gloom or dust in his eyes. Chen Zui’s heart was straightforward and open; he could charge forward without a second thought.

But he was different. He was a mundane man with too many calculations and too many cares, always putting his own interests first. He was not the noble, pure-hearted person others spoke of, yet he had deliberately fashioned himself into one.

Wen Xu had to admit that when he entered Yonglu Mountain, he had considered his purpose in pretending to be blind, but he had never thought about shedding his disguise. It was like his “skin”; without it, he would lose the sense of security he relied on to survive.

But a battle fought to the absolute limit had finally begun to awaken his inner self.

In the past, when he was in the Mortal Realm, he had needed to disguise himself to climb higher and extract the benefits he wanted from others. But now… did he still need to?

Did he still need to disguise himself at every moment? To force himself to fit in?

When he was fighting with complete abandon, he hadn’t heard a single jeer.

No one hated him for his sharp, aggressive attacks. In fact, his reputation had only grown after that.

The strong write the rules of the world. In a cultivation world where the strong preyed on the weak, this was the absolute law. Entering the path of cultivation with only revenge in his heart was far too narrow-minded.

Wen Xu steadied his mind and cleared it once more.

His young disciple’s expressions and reactions did not escape Venerable Chengwei’s eyes. With his insight into human nature, he naturally understood that Wen Xu’s state of mind was somewhat shallow. But so what if it was? Everyone started out that way.

Cultivators needed to cultivate, but they needed to think even more. Wen Xu was thinking and self-reflecting, which meant he was not far from making progress.

Seeing his young disciple finally snap out of it, Venerable Chengwei spoke lazily, “Last year during the New Calendar, you were in seclusion. Do you plan to go into seclusion again this year?”

Wen Xu shook his head honestly.

“I see. That means this year will be the first New Year you spend in the cultivation world. My suggestion is, for the first day of the New Calendar, you should go watch the sunrise from the roof of Juyong Hall.”

Juyong Hall?!

Wen Xu was astonished. “Juyong Hall doesn’t allow anyone…”

“But your seniority is high. Trust me, it’s very suitable for you.” Venerable Chengwei, a dragon to his very bones, was the definition of rebellious, and he was no different when teaching his disciple. In any case, Juyong Hall was only opened once a year. What was wrong with letting his disciple go up there to feel the first breeze of the New Calendar? It wasn’t like he would lose a piece of flesh.

Wen Xu: “…”

“Don’t be afraid. You can sneak up there with your little friends. As long as you don’t get caught, you were never there, right?” Venerable Chengwei felt he was incredibly considerate. He really was the best master in the world. “Of course, even if you are caught, it doesn’t matter. If the sky falls on Yonglu Mountain, your master will be there to hold it up!”

“Really?” Wen Xu wanted nothing more than to flee Guochun Peak overnight.

“Of course. Worst-case scenario, the two of us can just cling to the Sect Master’s legs and cry. To avoid airing dirty laundry in public, the Punishment Hall naturally won’t dare to punish you.”

Wen Xu: “…Thanks, but I’d rather take the punishment.”

He had to admit, he was still someone who cared deeply about his reputation! He couldn’t afford to lose face like that! And his master’s face couldn’t be lost either! The dignity of the divine dragon was his to protect!