VHSTS CH7

By the time Luo Jianqing arrived at Yitian City in Liang Prefecture with the twelve little turnips in tow, the blazing sun was already high overhead.

Twelve Qi Refining cultivators dressed in uniform robes, accompanied by a peerlessly handsome Golden Core cultivator—such a lineup was far too imposing, drawing considerable attention all along the way. Since flying was forbidden within the city, Luo Jianqing and his group disembarked from their flying magic treasure and entered Yitian City on foot.

The moment they stepped inside the city gates, Luo Jianqing met up with the four Foundation Establishment shidi and shimei along with the other twelve new disciples.

The four disciples immediately bowed in salute upon seeing Luo Jianqing, calling out, “Eldest Shixiong.”

The twelve new disciples promptly bowed as well: “Eldest Shixiong.”

Luo Jianqing nodded slightly, sweeping a calm gaze across the group. When his eyes passed over Li Xiuchen, he showed no reaction whatsoever, simply shifting his gaze away tranquilly before leading everyone to Taihua Mountain’s local stronghold in Yitian City to hand over duties with the people arranged by the Yitian Sect.

Inside the largest inn in the entire city, a tall, burly man saw Luo Jianqing, a flash of astonishment and admiration crossing his eyes before he cupped his hands in greeting. “Fellow Daoyou¹Daoyou (道友): Literally “Fellow Daoist.” A standard, polite term of address used between cultivators of different sects or backgrounds, regardless of age, to show mutual respect on the path of cultivation., I am Liu Dong, an elder of the Yitian Sect. Regarding the secret realm, our sect has already dispatched people to scout it out. Please rest temporarily at this inn today, and tomorrow morning I will personally guide everyone to the entrance of the secret realm.” Pausing briefly, the man asked, “May I ask how to address Daoyou?”

Toward outsiders, Luo Jianqing maintained an aloof expression, replying calmly, “Luo Jianqing.”

The burly man froze abruptly, his eyes widening. It took him half a beat before he lowered his head respectfully and said, “Luo-daoyou.”

Only after the four Foundation Establishment disciples had properly settled all twenty-four newcomers did Elder Liu belatedly take his leave. Before departing, he even sneaked several glances at Luo Jianqing, his eyes filled with complicated emotions as if pondering something.

Luo Jianqing paid no mind to such trivial matters, though he knew very well what the elder was thinking.

The reputation of the Seven Scions of Taihua had long since spread across the entire Xuantian Continent. As written in Seeking Immortality, when this Elder Liu heard that the team leader was the youngest shimei at the tail end of the Seven Scions of Taihua, he had likely reacted in much the same way. After all, for a small sect like the Yitian Sect, the strongest expert in their entire sect was merely at the late stage of Golden Core, and Elder Liu himself was only at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

On Taihua Mountain, one could only become an elder upon reaching the late stage of Golden Core and accomplishing great meritorious deeds; normal elders were all at the Nascent Soul realm or above. Among the seven peaks, Peak Master Xuanlingzi Zunzhe of Yuxiao Peak was the sole Deity Transformation cultivator in the world. Of the remaining six peaks, five peak masters were at the Mahayana realm, while only Yuqingzi Zunzhe of Qinglan Peak was at the Tribulation Transcendence realm.

Taihua Mountain sat at the very center of the entire Xuantian Continent, with Yuxiao Peak soaring straight into the clouds, looking down upon all living beings. Within a million li surrounding Taihua Mountain, every sect enjoyed Taihua Mountain’s protection; the sole requirement was that whenever these sects discovered any ancient ruins or secret realms, they had to notify Taihua Mountain to send people to inspect them.

The ruins of a Nascent Soul cultivator discovered by the Yitian Sect this time were one such case.

Taihua Mountain naturally looked down on the ruins of a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, yet it happened to coincide with the once-every-ten-years practical trial for new disciples, so the Sect Master decided to let the newcomers gain experience here.

This sort of “tribute” arrangement was actually beneficial for these smaller sects as well. Possessing a treasure without the strength to guard it only invited disaster; only under Taihua Mountain’s protection could they secure a share of resources beneficial to themselves.

That night, after concluding his meditative cultivation, Luo Jianqing summoned one of the Foundation Establishment disciples.

That disciple hailed from Haoming Peak—and could be considered Xie Zizhuo’s trusted confidant. Upon entering Luo Jianqing’s room, he immediately said tactfully, “Shixiong, Xie-shixiong instructed me to inform you that whatever you dislike, he dislikes too. Therefore, during this period, he has handled the thing you dislike very well.” After speaking, he let out a sly chuckle.

Luo Jianqing raised an eyebrow. “How did he handle it?”

The disciple glanced around cautiously. Luo Jianqing casually waved a hand to set up a restrictive barrier, blocking out any prying senses from the surroundings.

Only then did the disciple explain, “None of us on Haoming Peak like that Li Xiuchen. As you know, there’s less than a year left until the next Sect Grand Competition. Last time, Haoming Peak ranked second from the bottom, barely ahead of Qinglan Peak, which focuses exclusively on alchemy. Our entire peak has been pouring all our effort into climbing the rankings—who would’ve thought we’d get saddled with a newcomer who has zero spiritual roots, nothing but dog-shit luck, and arrogance towering to the skies?”

Where there was competition, there was motivation; ranking the peaks during the Sect Grand Competition was only natural. The disciple continued, “What’s even stranger is that after Li Xiuchen arrived at Haoming Peak, forget about cultivating properly—he kept sneaking off to the back mountain every couple of days. All the other new disciples had already reached Qi Refining while he was still wasting his time.”

Hearing this, Luo Jianqing finally furrowed his brows. “Today, I saw that he is already at the second tier of Qi Refining.”

The disciple nodded immediately. “Exactly! That’s the weird part! He barely cultivated at all, yet half a month ago he suddenly broke into the Qi Refining stage, and seven days after that, he jumped straight to the second tier of Qi Refining! Xie-shixiong found it bizarre too and disliked him even more, so he arranged for some disciples to provoke him and docked his meal rations. Yet he confronted us furiously and even said…”

At this point, the disciple paused, thinking for half a moment before recalling, “Right! Li Xiuchen actually said something like, ‘Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not bully a youth for being poor!’²“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river…” (三十年河東，三十年河西，莫欺少年窮): A famous Chinese proverb meaning fortunes inevitably reverse over time. In xianxia web novels, this exact line is the protagonist catchphrase (popularized by Battle Through the Heavens), which Li Xiuchen parroted straight from the tropes he read. While saying it, he even stood arrogantly atop a boulder looking down on us, claiming we would eventually be left in his dust and become his stepping stones. Xie-shixiong was so speechless that he arranged for a few new disciples to give him a sound beating.”

Luo Jianqing: “…”

The disciple went on with a face full of admiration, “Xie-shixiong truly lives up to his reputation—he only said a single sentence and left that Li Xiuchen completely unable to utter another word. He said, ‘I am at the Golden Core stage, and you are at the Qi Refining stage. On our Haoming Peak, strength is king—believe it or not, I can crush you to death with a single pinky finger!'”

Luo Jianqing finally broke composure: “Pfft.”

The disciple recounted several more unfortunate incidents Li Xiuchen had encountered on Haoming Peak before finally taking his leave after half a shichen³Shichen (時辰): A traditional Chinese unit of time equal to two hours. Half a shichen is one hour.. Before stepping out, however, the disciple stared in surprise at the sword mark between Luo Jianqing’s eyebrows and couldn’t help asking after a pause, “Luo-shixiong, may I ask what this on your forehead is…”

Noticing the disciple’s gaze, Luo Jianqing swept his sleeve to open the door and said indifferently, “Merely a minor mark. Pay it no mind.”

With Luo Jianqing’s gesture of dismissal so unmistakable, the disciple naturally dared not pry further. He cupped his hands in salute and promptly departed.

Once he was alone in the room again, Luo Jianqing raised a hand to conjure a water mirror in mid-air, gazing quietly at his reflection within.

After cultivating Yuxiao Peak’s supreme scripture, the Nine Lotuses True Heart Record, practicing swordsmanship would form a sword mark between the cultivator’s brows. Shaped like nine lotuses, this mark bloomed its first petal upon reaching Foundation Establishment, and its second petal at Golden Core… By the Deity Transformation stage, eight petals would have bloomed, and upon finally ascending to immortality, the ninth petal would open—transforming into the Nine Lotuses, roaming heaven and earth unmatched by any.

Luo Jianqing currently had two blue-green lotus petals between his brows, whereas Xuanlingzi already possessed eight golden petals.

At this very moment, right at the center of his blue-green sword mark, a crimson cinnabar dot adorned his skin. Vivid red like fire and dazzling in its splendor, that bright cinnabar mark seemed to bring his peerlessly refined face to life, adding a touch of inviolable, celestial aura between his brows.

When that wisp of Xuanlingzi’s spiritual sense had entered Luo Jianqing’s sea of consciousness, it had formed this cinnabar imprint. All the way to Yitian City, Luo Jianqing had carefully examined the mark, yet he had been completely unable to conceal it, let alone erase it.

That person was a Deity Transformation cultivator, while Luo Jianqing—gifted as he was—was still only at the Golden Core stage.

Separated by five major realms, even a single wisp of the other man’s spiritual sense was something he could not resist.

Gazing at the cinnabar imprint in the water mirror for a long time, Luo Jianqing slowly lowered his eyes, waved his sleeve to disperse the water mirror, and turned back to sit cross-legged in meditation, cultivating wholeheartedly just as that person had instructed.

The following day, he looked over the four Foundation Establishment disciples and the twenty-four new disciples, nodded in satisfaction, and activated his flying magic treasure, having everyone step aboard as they set off together toward the ancient ruins.

This time, the person guiding Luo Jianqing was no longer yesterday’s Foundation Establishment Elder Liu. Instead, an elderly man at the early stage of Golden Core cupped his hands toward Luo Jianqing and said, “The Yitian Sect was unaware that Taihua Mountain had actually dispatched Luo-daoyou to lead the team this time; yesterday was truly a lapse in etiquette. This humble one is Cao Haining, Third Elder of the Yitian Sect, sent specifically to guide Daoyou today. I hope Luo-daoyou will be magnanimous and not take offense.”

Seeking Immortality hadn’t mentioned the Yitian Sect switching guides, though Luo Jianqing didn’t care. After exchanging a few brief words with Elder Cao, he returned to his cabin, erected a restrictive barrier, and resumed his meditative cultivation.

This flying magic treasure had been gifted to Luo Jianqing by his sixth shidi a few years ago. Shaped like a grand treasure ship, it contained eighty-one rooms; though its flying speed was half as fast as a Golden Core cultivator flying solo, it was exceedingly comfortable and ideal for transporting a large group of little turnips.

Upon nearing the mountain range where the ruins lay, Luo Jianqing put away the treasure ship and proceeded on foot alongside the other disciples.

A cultivator’s stamina and pace were naturally far beyond that of ordinary mortals. However, the ruins were located deep within the Yitian Mountain Range; even after walking for a full day, they still hadn’t caught sight of the ruins. Worried that Luo Jianqing might misunderstand, Elder Cao immediately cupped his hands and explained, “Luo-daoyou, these ruins lie deep within the Yitian Mountains and are exceedingly well-hidden. It will require another full day of travel to arrive.”

Luo Jianqing nodded in understanding.

With his and Elder Cao’s speed, they could naturally reach the site in no time at all. Yet this bunch of little turnip-heads was a different story—the highest among them was merely at the fourth tier of Qi Refining, while over a dozen were total beginners who had just reached the first tier. That they had managed to persevere this far without faltering was already commendable; one couldn’t demand more of them.

That night, the group sat down to rest amidst a grassy clearing in the mountain forest. They lit two campfires in total—one for Luo Jianqing alone, and the other for everyone else. Although Cao Haining was a Golden Core cultivator just like Luo Jianqing, he knew full well that this leader of the Seven Scions of Taihua had slain an early Golden Core demon cultivator back when he was still at Foundation Establishment; his true strength was leagues beyond Cao Haining’s match.

Gazing at Luo Jianqing from afar, Elder Cao remarked with admiration, “Luo-daoyou is truly diligent, cultivating without pause the entire way.”

One of the Foundation Establishment disciples laughed heartily. “Elder Cao wouldn’t know, of course—our Eldest Shixiong is Taihua Mountain’s most famous cultivation maniac. When Shixiong was brought back to Taihua Mountain by Xuanlingzi-shishu, he was merely an infant. Back then, Second Shixiong had already reached Foundation Establishment and was a full zodiac cycle⁴Zodiac Cycle / Yilun (一輪): Refers to one complete cycle of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, meaning twelve years. Second Shixiong is twelve years older than Luo Jianqing. older than Eldest Shixiong! Yet look at them now: Eldest Shixiong has already reached the mid-stage of Golden Core, while Second Shixiong is still only at the early stage of Golden Core.”

Elder Cao gasped in astonishment. “Luo-daoyou is really that formidable?”

Another Foundation Establishment disciple chimed in to explain, “More accurately, Xuanlingzi-shishu has always been extraordinarily strict with Eldest Shixiong. Rumor has it that Eldest Shixiong could have broken Xuanlingzi-shishu’s record for reaching Foundation Establishment back in the day, yet Xuanlingzi-shishu claimed Eldest Shixiong’s foundation wasn’t stable enough and flat-out forced him to go to Ten Thousand Beasts Ridge to slay demonic beasts for three years before allowing him to break through.” Pausing, the disciple sighed with emotion, “Back then, Eldest Shixiong was barely in his teens…”

Elder Cao widened his eyes in awe and shock. “Xuanlingzi Zunzhe truly has… truly has extraordinary resolve!”

Everyone burst into hearty laughter.

Even after cultivating to the Golden Core realm, nobody was immune to the allure of good gossip. Before long, these seasoned Foundation Establishment disciples began sharing amusing anecdotes and rumors from Taihua Mountain. Aside from Elder Cao, the Qi Refining newcomers also perked up their ears curiously to listen.

Under the pitch-black night sky, no one noticed that Li Xiuchen had quietly gotten to his feet and walked over to the nearby campfire.

Luo Jianqing had set up a protective barrier around himself that prevented anyone below the Golden Core realm from approaching, though he hadn’t bothered adding a soundproofing ward. Sizing Luo Jianqing up and down with a bizarre look in his eyes, Li Xiuchen finally spoke in a low voice: “Television?”

Luo Jianqing kept his eyes closed, continuing his cultivation.

Li Xiuchen tried again: “Computer? Contra? The internet?”

Luo Jianqing’s expression remained utterly impassive, his strikingly gorgeous face illuminated by the firelight with a breathtaking, soul-stirring beauty.

Refusing to give up, Li Xiuchen pressed on: “Bro, the 2008 Olympics? Korean boy bands? The Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong⁵Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong (港島四大天王): The four legendary Cantopop stars of the 1990s—Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Leon Lai.?”

Li Xiuchen rattled on for three full minutes without Luo Jianqing lifting his eyelids even once. Just as he opened his mouth to say more, Luo Jianqing suddenly opened his eyes, fixing an ice-cold gaze upon him. Li Xiuchen shivered all over and was about to speak when Luo Jianqing gave a casual sweep of his wide sleeve. Letting out a miserable howl, Li Xiuchen was flung a full ten meters through the air, slamming heavily into a massive tree with a deafening crash.

The group gossiping not far away: “…”

Luo Jianqing stood up, dusted off his robes, and said in a frigid voice, “Shut your mouth and go back to your own spot.”

Gritting his teeth, Li Xiuchen scrambled to his feet. By the time he limped back to his spot, Luo Jianqing had already sat back down and resumed meditating.

Enduring the pain, Li Xiuchen glared at Luo Jianqing with a dangerous, furious expression, muttering under his breath, “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—enjoy your smugness while you can, wait until later… Argh!”

The other disciples watched in horror as Li Xiuchen suddenly flew backward three or four meters, crashing into another centuries-old tree. Inexplicably, a clear shoe print had appeared right on his face, nosebleed slowly trickling down as he was knocked completely unconscious this time.

None of the disciples understood what had just happened; only Elder Cao, at the early stage of Golden Core, wiped the sweat from his forehead with trembling fingers, thinking inwardly: Th-this strength is truly terrifying! His movements were fast as lightning—even I couldn’t see clearly how Luo-daoyou kicked him before he was already back in his seat meditating!

The people of the world truly did not deceive me! Leader of the Seven Scions of Taihua—he genuinely lives up to the title!

A day later, the group finally neared the site of the ancient ruins. Li Xiuchen trudged resentfully at the very tail end of the line, still sporting the shoe print on his face. No matter how hard he had tried to wash it off, it refused to fade, leaving him no choice but to walk along with his head hung low in bitter humiliation.

Before long, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator stepped through the air toward them. He first exchanged a nod with Elder Cao, then turned his head toward the blue-green-clad cultivator standing out gracefully amidst the crowd, cupping his hands in salute: “Luo-daoyou, I am Zhao Yufeng, Second Elder of the Yitian Sect. Leading thirty Qi Refining disciples and twelve Foundation Establishment disciples, I have been awaiting your arrival here for quite some time.”

_____

Footnotes:

• 1
  Daoyou (道友): Literally “Fellow Daoist.” A standard, polite term of address used between cultivators of different sects or backgrounds, regardless of age, to show mutual respect on the path of cultivation. ↩︎
• 2
  “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river…” (三十年河東，三十年河西，莫欺少年窮): A famous Chinese proverb meaning fortunes inevitably reverse over time. In xianxia web novels, this exact line is the protagonist catchphrase (popularized by Battle Through the Heavens), which Li Xiuchen parroted straight from the tropes he read. ↩︎
• 3
  Shichen (時辰): A traditional Chinese unit of time equal to two hours. Half a shichen is one hour. ↩︎
• 4
  Zodiac Cycle / Yilun (一輪): Refers to one complete cycle of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, meaning twelve years. Second Shixiong is twelve years older than Luo Jianqing. ↩︎
• 5
  Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong (港島四大天王): The four legendary Cantopop stars of the 1990s—Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Leon Lai. ↩︎