VHSTS CH18

Huo Yuchong had still wanted to spar with Xie Zizhuo, yet Luo Jianqing let out a light cough. Huo Yuchong cautiously glanced up at his Eldest Shixiong before finally backing down, muttering resentfully, “I’ll settle the score with you later,” and standing obediently off to the side.

Luo Jianqing held considerable authority among his shixiong and shidi. After all, in the cultivation world, whoever had the biggest fist was the boss. The Seven Scions of Taihua were all resounding figures in the outside world, yet once they returned to their own sect, they would get beaten by their Eldest Shixiong until they couldn’t tell north from south.

Only Zuo Yunmo could hold his own against Luo Jianqing to some extent; among the other five, not even Third Shijie Wei Qiongyin was Luo Jianqing’s match.

Before long, Haoxingzi Zunzhe arrived riding on a cloud and took his seat at the center of Lingyun Hall.

Seeming completely oblivious to the commotion among the younger generation, Haoxingzi briefly outlined the precautions for the upcoming Sect Grand Competition before having Zuo Yunmo explain the details thoroughly. He then added, “This session of the Sect Grand Competition happens to coincide with your twenty-four newly inducted shidi and shimei joining Taihua Mountain. Each peak must remember to remind the new disciples: do not seek victory, only friendly sparring. This matter does not involve Yuxiao Peak, so Yunmo, you must handle it properly.”

Zuo Yunmo stepped forward and nodded. “Yes, Shizun.”

For years, Yuxiao Peak had only a single disciple in Luo Jianqing, making its presence sparse during every Sect Grand Competition compared to the lively enthusiasm of the other peaks. Yet Luo Jianqing welcomed the peace and quiet, as he alone—with a single person and a single sword—could claim first place for Yuxiao Peak.

When he was at the Qi Refining stage, first place in Qi Refining belonged to Yuxiao Peak. When he reached Foundation Establishment, first place in Foundation Establishment inevitably went to Yuxiao Peak as well. Now that he had firmly become the highest-cultivated individual of the disciple generation, the top spot in the Sect Grand Competition belonged exclusively to him; not even Zuo Yunmo could hope to snatch away a single shred of it.

Inside Lingyun Hall, the white-robed, wide-sleeved Eldest Shixiong wore a tranquil expression, aloof and unapproachable just like Yuxiao Peak towering above all other peaks. At his waist hung a long tasseled pendant bearing a tiny blue-green jade bead—the token of Yuxiao Peak and the symbol of its status.

Standing there so effortlessly, he radiated a bearing entirely distinct from everyone else.

It was not merely a display of extraordinary good looks; this was Luo Jianqing, the one and only Eldest Shixiong of Taihua Mountain.

Having governed Taihua Mountain for many years, Haoxingzi Zunzhe tended to be somewhat long-winded when giving instructions. Aside from Zuo Yunmo, the direct eldest disciples of the other peaks had long since let their minds wander into the clouds; even Luo Jianqing merely stood with his posture straight while his thoughts drifted to recent issues in his cultivation.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a smile-laced voice sounded right beside his ear: “Shixiong, I am about to break through.”

The moment these words fell, Luo Jianqing snapped abruptly to attention, looking in surprise at Zuo Yunmo beside him.

Clad in the pale-colored uniform of Cangshuang Peak, Zuo Yunmo curved his brows and eyes slightly, actually whispering right in front of his Shizun to Luo Jianqing: “In this Sect Grand Competition, I will go all out—I hope Shixiong will not hold back.”

Luo Jianqing nodded solemnly. “I will certainly prepare with utmost seriousness.”

Over on the main seat, after speaking for another ke, Haoxingzi Zunzhe likely noticed the inattentiveness of these direct disciples. The white-haired old man coughed glumly before continuing, “Yunmo will remind you of the earlier matters in greater detail. However, for what comes next, you must muster twelve hundred percent of your focus and listen carefully to my words.”

Everyone immediately turned their attention earnestly toward Haoxingzi.

Haoxingzi’s expression grew steadily graver as he spoke in a stern tone: “A demon cultivator has appeared in Chang Prefecture.”

An uproar broke out across the grand hall at once.

Wei Qiongyin’s expression turned icy as she stepped forward directly and declared, “Shibo, I volunteer to go eliminate the enemy!”

Haoxingzi swept his wide sleeve. “This time, that demon cultivator wiped out an entire sect and killed two of their Supreme Elders—the strongest of whom had already reached the Nascent Soul realm. You going there would only be throwing your life away!”

Frost covered Wei Qiongyin’s coldly stunning face. Hearing Haoxingzi’s words, she clenched her teeth and said, “I swear I will slay demon cultivators!”

Haoxingzi let out a sigh upon hearing this and said no more.

Wei Qiongyin had only come to Taihua Mountain when she was already at the Foundation Establishment stage, rather than growing up there. By rule, Taihua Mountain only accepted new disciples with zero prior cultivation; however, Wei Qiongyin’s parents had been life-and-death bosom friends with the Peak Master of Taihua Mountain’s Bishen Peak. Thus, when a demon cultivator slaughtered Wei Qiongyin’s entire family, the Peak Master of Bishen Peak overcame every objection to take her in as a disciple.

Cultivators under heaven collectively cultivated the Eighty-One Grand Daos and Three Thousand Minor Daos.

Among them, human cultivators were divided into Daoist cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, ghost cultivators, and demon cultivators. Daoist cultivators took cultivating the Grand Dao as their foundation, Buddhist cultivators sought to deliver all living beings from suffering, ghost cultivators were formed from the souls of the deceased cultivating after death, while demon cultivators were an anomaly altogether.

Demon cultivators were scarce on the Xuantian Continent—so scarce that ordinary cultivators could rarely find their tracks—yet their strength was formidable, and their cultivation methods exceedingly ruthless and vicious, making them targets to be slain on sight by cultivators everywhere. Although demon cultivators would join forces with other humans to fight fiercely against the demon beast race during major racial wars, whenever they weren’t battling demonic beasts, they turned right back around to hunt human cultivators.

Luo Jianqing knew that demon cultivators were solitary by nature and rarely banded together. Nevertheless, demon cultivators across the world unanimously revered a late-stage Mahayana demon cultivator as the Demon Sovereign—an expert whose cultivation was second only to Xuanlingzi, truly the number two powerhouse under heaven.

That Demon Sovereign had single-handedly founded the Demonic Dao Palace, gathering numerous demon cultivators beneath his banner. Aside from him, demon cultivators had no other sects or organizations, operating entirely as rogue cultivators.

Yet even a single rogue demon cultivator was enough to give righteous path cultivators a massive headache. Prior to the Nascent Soul realm, demon cultivators appeared no different from ordinary cultivators, yet their combat strength was noticeably higher; once they reached the Nascent Soul realm, their power surged dramatically, leaving ordinary cultivators of the same tier with no fate save death upon encountering them.

At this thought, Luo Jianqing stepped forward and asked, “Sect Master Shibo, with a demon cultivator appearing this time, will elders be dispatched to resolve it?”

Haoxingzi shook his head lightly. “That demon cultivator is merely at the Nascent Soul stage. This time, Taihua Mountain will dispatch a Body Integration elder to lead the top three winners of each cultivation tier from this Sect Grand Competition out for practical experience.” Pausing briefly, Haoxingzi said, “Yunmo, explain the specific arrangements to your shixiong and shidi.”

Zuo Yunmo smiled. “Yes.”

Half a shichen later, everyone departed together on clouds, returning to their respective peaks to handle their own affairs—save for Luo Jianqing, who remained behind on Cangshuang Peak to assist Zuo Yunmo with reception arrangements for the Sect Grand Competition.

Although Luo Jianqing had been asked to help, Zuo Yunmo essentially handled the vast majority of the work. Vast as Yuxiao Peak was, only Xuanlingzi and his disciple resided there; despite holding the title of Eldest Shixiong, Luo Jianqing was not particularly skilled at managing administrative affairs, whereas Zuo Yunmo frequently helped the Sect Master handle sect business and was thoroughly experienced.

By the time dusk fell, Luo Jianqing took his leave first. Before departing, he couldn’t resist asking, “Shidi, since Flowing Flame Valley in Chang Prefecture opened ahead of schedule due to that demon cultivator’s meddling, are you planning to go as well?”

Zuo Yunmo smiled faintly and asked gently, “Shixiong, do you not believe Shidi can win a spot in the top three among the Golden Core disciples?”

Luo Jianqing hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “If a demon cultivator truly is stirring up trouble there, you should remain on Taihua Mountain to assist Sect Master Shibo.” Moreover, you gained zero treasures in Flowing Flame Valley that time, and instead suffered severe injuries that left you bedridden for half a year…

Luo Jianqing left the rest of his words unspoken, yet beneath the moonlight, a look of genuine worry inevitably surfaced on his face. His eyebrows, painted like distant hills, knitted lightly together as his phoenix eyes shimmered like starlight. A long moment passed without any reply from Zuo Yunmo.

Unable to hold back, Luo Jianqing lifted his gaze—only to see his usually composed Second Shidi staring at him with an unreadable expression. Half a beat later, Zuo Yunmo finally spoke: “Shixiong, you needn’t worry. I am confident I can protect my life in Flowing Flame Valley. Even if I fail to obtain any fortuitous opportunities of my own, being able to help Shixiong secure treasures will still count as a worthwhile gain.”

Luo Jianqing tried to dissuade him a bit more, yet Zuo Yunmo merely smiled without replying.

As Luo Jianqing flew off toward Yuxiao Peak, he failed to see the smile slowly fade from Zuo Yunmo’s face as the latter let out a soft sigh.

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A streak of blue-green light sped rapidly toward Yuxiao Peak. Before Luo Jianqing had even ascended the mountain, he spotted someone waiting at the foot of the peak.

Luo Jianqing smiled knowingly, landed in front of the person, and raised an eyebrow. “How long have you been waiting?”

Xie Zizhuo’s face darkened immediately as he huffed, “Shixiong, I’ve been waiting for you for a whole ke!”

Luo Jianqing swept his sleeve to retrieve a white jade bottle and said, “I ended up chatting late with Second Shidi today. You were the one who gathered the ingredients for this bottle of third-grade medicinal pills in the first place—you should keep them; they may be of great use later.”

Xie Zizhuo promptly pushed the pills back. “No need! If little shimei sees them, she’ll blow up at me again and chase me all across Taihua Mountain to beat me up.” Pausing, Xie Zizhuo got down to business, grinning slyly as he hunched his shoulders and leaned close to Luo Jianqing’s ear: “Shixiong, over the past half year I’ve spared no effort—I definitely haven’t let you down.”

Luo Jianqing raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What did you do?”

Xie Zizhuo clapped his hands together and launched into an endless monologue: “We’ll have to start from half a year ago! Think back—the moment you returned, Shixiong, you went straight into closed-door seclusion and dumped the whole mess onto me. Like it or not, Li Xiuchen placed second among the new disciples and became an Inner Sect disciple of our Haoming Peak. He left looking like a normal human being and came back in that state—my head practically swelled twice its size…”

Luo Jianqing was well acquainted with Xie Zizhuo’s penchant for exaggeration. According to his account, Li Xiuchen had practically died ten times over, living every single day in boiling water and scorching fire—more miserable than plunging through the eighteen levels of hell—while Xie Zizhuo himself stood tall as a radiant beacon of justice worshipped by countless disciples.

Listening with an amused expression, Luo Jianqing waited until Xie Zizhuo had rambled on for nearly half a shichen before asking, “Thirsty?”

Xie Zizhuo: “…A little.”

Luo Jianqing let out a cold snort and snapped, “Then speak human language!”

Xie Zizhuo: “…” Shixiong, you’re bullying me!!!

In truth, although Xie Zizhuo had exaggerated somewhat, Li Xiuchen really had lived a miserable life over the past half year. First were his palms: though they had mostly healed on the surface, his meridians remained slightly blocked. Second were his blinded eyes: since no elder was willing to waste cultivation base healing him, Li Xiuchen was still half-blind to this day, unable to see clearly once night fell.

Most importantly, Xie Zizhuo had dedicated himself wholeheartedly to “oppressing” this new disciple.

Aside from banishing him to the Outer Mountain, Xie Zizhuo frequently sent people to provoke Li Xiuchen; every time Li Xiuchen spouted lines like “Do not bully a youth for being poor” or “Sooner or later I will trample you all beneath my feet,” Xie Zizhuo’s eyes would light up with excitement as he ordered people to give him a thorough beating.

—You always need a proper pretext to beat someone up, and look at that: Li Xiuchen disrespects his shixiong and curses people all day!

To be fair, however, even setting aside Xie Zizhuo’s meddling, Li Xiuchen was genuinely unpopular on Haoming Peak. Ever since losing his sight, his temper had grown even more volatile; he treated the non-cultivating servants horribly and snapped irritably at his fellow shixiong and shidi.

Once, a Foundation Establishment disciple had walked past without noticing him and casually remarked to a companion, “The light’s too dim at night to see the mountain path clearly—let’s walk faster,” only for Li Xiuchen to furiously slam his walking stick onto the ground, leaving the other disciple completely bewildered and disgusted out of nowhere.

In the cultivation world, strength reigned supreme. Having a mere Qi Refining disciple walk around with his nose pointed straight at the sky was guaranteed to make everyone despise him.

Speaking up to this point, even Xie Zizhuo looked perplexed. “He really is bizarre.”

Xie Zizhuo didn’t understand, yet Luo Jianqing had a fairly clear idea.

When all was said and done, Li Xiuchen was merely a teenager with an unstable character. Through past interactions, Luo Jianqing had long noticed that Li Xiuchen seemed aware of the fortuitous encounters and magic treasures awaiting him in the future, leading Luo Jianqing to suspect that Li Xiuchen—just like himself—had obtained a copy of Seeking Immortality.

However, Li Xiuchen did not appear to possess memories of a past life, which puzzled Luo Jianqing somewhat.

Still, as long as Li Xiuchen had Seeking Immortality, his reckless behavior made complete sense. Knowing the Heavenly Dao favored him and believing himself to be the protagonist of Seeking Immortality, yet lacking real perseverance or brains, the moment events veered off the script he knew, he lost all composure and didn’t know how to act.

For instance, in that book, Li Xiuchen was a disciple of Yuxiao Peak—an object of envy and admiration for disciples of all other peaks—with zero need to mingle with ordinary disciples on Haoming Peak. Without his script to follow, Li Xiuchen’s actions naturally stemmed from his true nature, making him thoroughly detestable.

One detail, however, made Luo Jianqing furrow his brows tightly: “He has already reached the fourth tier of Qi Refining?”

Xie Zizhuo looked utterly depressed. “Yes! Everyone I sent to keep tabs on him said he barely cultivated at all, yet somehow he jumped straight to the fourth tier of Qi Refining! Shixiong, he doesn’t have Transcendent-grade spiritual roots—he doesn’t have any spiritual roots at all! How on earth is he cultivating so fast…”

Luo Jianqing remained silent. After a brief pause, the two shixiong and shidi bade each other farewell at the foot of Yuxiao Peak.

Xie Zizhuo vowed loudly to get to the bottom of Li Xiuchen’s secret and continue making life miserable for that arrogant newcomer, while Luo Jianqing merely smiled faintly, keeping deeper thoughts hidden inside his heart.

When Luo Jianqing returned to Yuxiao Peak, the two bamboo cottages looked as though carved from jade beneath the moonlight, cool and silent.

Xuanlingzi’s door remained tightly shut, showing no reaction whatsoever to his disciple’s late return. Luo Jianqing had spent half a year in seclusion, while Xuanlingzi had remained in seclusion the entire time, emerging only to offer brief guidance whenever Luo Jianqing encountered a cultivation bottleneck and never stepping outside otherwise.

Luo Jianqing turned his head to glance at the tightly closed bamboo cottage before stepping into his own dwelling.

Seven days later, the major sects arrived one after another, and Luo Jianqing went out alongside Zuo Yunmo to receive them.

These sects had come for three main purposes: first, to discuss countermeasures against the demon cultivator with Taihua Mountain; second, to deliberate on how to handle the premature opening of Flowing Flame Valley; and finally, to witness Taihua Mountain’s Sect Grand Competition three days from now!