LABMY CH112

After obtaining the cultivation technique, Mu Jingzhuo did not rush to start cultivating. When he first left Qingyun Fudi, he was eager to cultivate as soon as possible, but his master disappeared for a whole month.

After waiting for a month, he was no longer in such a hurry and was able to calm his mind. Moreover, the grand ceremony for acknowledging his master was about to begin. If he were to abolish his current cultivation and start over now, who knows what would happen during the ceremony?

During this month, the entire sect was busy preparing for the grand ceremony. Once his master appeared, they would naturally begin as soon as possible.

The other elders were working tirelessly, fearing that the sect leader might disappear again. So, as soon as Jian Yuanbai appeared, they immediately sought his opinion and began sending invitations to the various sects.

“We of the Wenxian Sect will surely arrive on time,” an elder of the Wenxian Sect said with a fake smile as he accepted the invitation from Elder Yan, who delivered it with a cold face.

Due to the conflict between the disciples of the two sect leaders, Wenxian Sect and Wangyun Sect had been at each other’s throats. Yet, now they had no choice but to attend Wangyun Sect’s grand ceremony due to various factors. Naturally, the elder of the Wenxian Sect felt a bit resentful.

Elder Yan returned an even more perfunctory smile, “Then we shall eagerly await your arrival.”

In just one day, Elder Yan delivered invitations to all the well-known sects. His resentment was far greater than that of the elder from the Wenxian Sect. If it were any other sect, he might have shown some sincerity, but since it was the hostile Wenxian Sect, there was no need for that.

After leaving the area visible to the Wenxian Sect, Elder Yan transformed into a red-feathered, long-clawed demonic beast. With a flap of his wings, he soared into the clouds, traveling thousands of miles in an instant. No wonder the sect relied on him for delivering messages—his speed was unparalleled among all flying demonic beasts.

The Cloud-Stepping Foal that Jian Yuanbai and Mu Jingzhuo previously rode was like a carriage compared to a flying boat in front of him.

Though Elder Yan was constantly sent around delivering messages, he was genuinely loyal to Wangyun Sect. Speaking of this, one couldn’t ignore the status of demonic beasts in the Asriga Empire.

Demonic beasts were divided into tiers, and high-level ones possessed intelligence on par with humans. Everyone knew this. However, what no one knew was that demonic beasts could also take on human form. It was just that the demonic beasts within the Asriga Empire had no possibility of transforming.

Elder Yan wasn’t originally from the Asriga Empire; he had fled here.

In the eyes of the people from the Asriga Empire, the Ninefold Continent was synonymous with the Asriga Empire. It was merely another name for the same land.

However, what they didn’t know was that the reason the Ninefold Continent wasn’t called Asriga was that there were other places beyond this land. The people over there knew of their existence, but the people here were like frogs trapped in a well, completely unaware of the vast world beyond.

Even Jian Yuanbai himself was ignorant of this until…

“I can no longer trigger heavenly tribulation?” Jian Yuanbai looked at the person from the Asriga Imperial Court in front of him, stunned. “Why?”

The person from the Imperial Court was the Grand Advisor, who, in terms of status among cultivators, was equivalent to the Grand Elder of a sect.

The Grand Advisor appeared young, but his hair was completely white. He calmly said, “Why pretend to be confused, Sect Master Jian?”

“I know you’re dissatisfied with being unable to ascend, but there’s nothing that can be done. If you draw the attention of those across the sea, it will bring no benefit to the entire Asriga Empire.”

Across the sea?

Jian Yuanbai pondered for a moment. To the east of the Asriga Empire lay a long coastline. Beyond the shore stretched an endless sea known as the Sea of Falling Waters.

No matter how powerful a cultivator was, whether on a ship, a flying boat, or a demonic beast, they couldn’t fly over that sea. A single leaf could float on the surface, and mortals could swim in it, but cultivators would sink to the bottom.

If one insisted on trying, they would drown like an ordinary person.

It was a sea of death that only targeted cultivators and demonic beasts.

On the map, the sea had no end, nor did it show anything beyond. The entire Ninefold Continent map was essentially the map of the Asriga Empire.

But from the Grand Advisor’s words, it seemed that there were other beings beyond that sea—ones they couldn’t afford to offend.

Jian Yuanbai asked the system in his mind, “What’s going on?”

The system replied, “The plot didn’t mention this, but I can guess. It’s probably because Long Aotian has leveled up enough to unlock a new map.”

Jian Yuanbai frowned, “But Mu Jingzhuo is only at the Foundation Establishment stage.”

The system replied, “That’s why you know about this, not him.”

Jian Yuanbai had no memories, and Wangyun Sect didn’t need him to handle any affairs. The elders were used to his mysterious and elusive nature. Even when he was unfamiliar with the situation in Qingyun Fudi, the leading elder stepped in to refute Shiyun on his behalf.

As for those whom he should remember, Jian Yuanbai had already memorized their faces, so there was no risk of being exposed.

Now, because the heavenly tribulation descended when he modified the cultivation technique, this Grand Advisor from the Imperial Court suddenly appeared and warned him not to attract attention from the beings across the sea.

Jian Yuanbai knew the right approach was to comply, but he couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “We’ve endured for so many years. So what if we draw their attention? Worst case scenario, we fight.”

The Grand Advisor’s white hair seemed to turn even whiter, “Fight? How?”

“Our ascension is merely crossing the sea to reach the other side. What we consider the pinnacle of cultivation here is only the lowest level of power over there. How do you plan to fight?”

“After so many years, most people on the Ninefold Continent think the Asriga Empire is all there is. Your words are far too naive.”

Jian Yuanbai understood now. The power gap was like that between a lower plane and a higher one.

The system chimed in, “In this kind of cultivation world, Long Aotian’s story tends to be longer. It’s understandable. But when Mu Jingzhuo reaches the Nascent Soul stage and crosses the sea, he’ll probably have to protect you.”

Jian Yuanbai sneered, “Why?”

The system replied, “Because you’re only at the Great Ascension stage, which is the pinnacle here. Didn’t you hear the Grand Advisor? After crossing the sea, that’s only the lowest level of power over there.”

Jian Yuanbai snorted, “I am his master. I will always be one step ahead of Mu Jingzhuo.”

Then he turned to the Grand Advisor and said, “I understand. You can rest assured.”

The Grand Advisor sighed, “I know you feel resentful because you can’t undergo tribulation and ascend, but if those people from across the sea increase their extraction of spiritual energy from our Asriga Empire, cultivation will only become more difficult, and mortals will only grow more numerous.”

“Wait a minute,” Jian Yuanbai spotted a flaw. “If it’s impossible to ascend through tribulation, then why could so many people in the past ascend, but only I can’t?”

The Grand Advisor gave him a strange look. “You’re the Sect Master of Wangyun Sect. How could you be the same as others?”

What kind of reasoning was that?

Just because he was the Sect Master of Wangyun Sect, he couldn’t ascend through tribulation?

Fortunately, the Grand Advisor quickly explained his confusion. “You are the Sea Guardian. With you here, only then can others who undergo tribulation borrow your power to cross to the other side of the sea. In the entire Asriga Empire, only you, at the Great Ascension stage, can wield power equivalent to that of an Earthly Immortal and support those who have just ascended in crossing that sea.”

“As long as we keep sending people over there, one day, eventually, someone will attain enlightenment and return, breaking this barrier for the entire Asriga Empire.”

Jian Yuanbai spoke to the system in his mind, “Then why not just let me go directly? I’ll beat them all and come back.”

System: ……

“Have you ever considered that the identity you’re playing might not possess that kind of talent? Besides, this kind of plot is clearly reserved for the protagonist, Long Aotian.”

Having roughly understood the situation, Jian Yuanbai couldn’t be bothered to continue talking with the Grand Advisor. He simply replied, “Your advice is noted. I understand.”

“I still have my disciple acceptance ceremony tomorrow, so I won’t accompany you any longer.”

He turned to leave, but the Grand Advisor stopped him again, “Sect Master Jian, you are the White Tiger. Your innate talent is already set. Even if you were to undergo tribulation and cross the sea, you’re destined to reach only the Heavenly Immortal level. But above the Heavenly Immortal, there are Mysterious Immortals, Grand Luo Golden Immortals, Immortal Lords, and Immortal Emperors. I know you feel unwilling, but… this is fate.”

Jian Yuanbai glanced back at him, “The reason I’m staying here is because I want to. When I decide to leave, no one can stop me.”

“Not even Heaven itself.”

After saying that, he strode away, leaving the stunned Grand Advisor behind.

However, what the Grand Advisor didn’t know was that, at this moment, Jian Yuanbai’s heart was filled with panic.

“System! I’m doomed, doomed, doomed!”

The system was confused by his anxious tone, “What happened? Nothing even happened just now.”

Jian Yuanbai: “I just blurted out, ‘Not even Heaven can control me.'”

The system hesitated, “And…?”

Jian Yuanbai said in despair, “I’ve been brainwashed by the protagonist’s lines.”

System: ……

With a heavy heart, Jian Yuanbai decided to find his little protagonist disciple, Mu Jingzhuo, to check on his progress. More importantly, he wanted to see how the cultivation technique was coming along.

No matter how confident he sounded in front of the system, deep down, Jian Yuanbai still felt a little guilty.

When he reached Mu Jingzhuo’s door and knocked, he received a response and entered. Jian Yuanbai immediately asked, “Little Spoon, you haven’t started cultivating yet?”

Mu Jingzhuo’s aura was still at the Foundation Establishment stage. If he had started cultivating the technique Jian Yuanbai gave him, he would have had to abolish his current cultivation and start from scratch. It was impossible for him to still be in the Foundation Establishment stage.

“Master,” Mu Jingzhuo seemed to have been reading a letter just now. Seeing Jian Yuanbai, he put it down and replied, “I was thinking that since the disciple acceptance ceremony is in a few days, it wouldn’t be too late to start cultivating after that.”

If he were to abolish his cultivation and start over now, he would undoubtedly attract criticism during the ceremony. Mu Jingzhuo himself didn’t mind, but he didn’t want his master to be talked about because of him.

Hearing this, Jian Yuanbai nodded and emphasized, “If you encounter any problems in cultivation, you must come to me immediately.”

“If you have any doubts in your heart, come to me right away. As your master, I will do my best to support you.”

Mu Jingzhuo nodded, “Thank you, Master.”

The two of them fell silent for a while, as if there was nothing more to say.

Jian Yuanbai looked at the obedient and delicate little spoon and thought to himself that he wanted this little disciple to become his wife. However, the title of “Master” was both a sign of respect and a shackle that restrained him.

Getting too close would seem frivolous, while staying distant would appear too aloof. It left Jian Yuanbai feeling a little uncertain.

During this silence, Jian Yuanbai noticed that Mu Jingzhuo was nervously clutching the corner of the letter he had just been reading, hesitating to speak.

Jian Yuanbai asked, “Do you have something on your mind?”

Mu Jingzhuo squeezed the letter repeatedly, hesitating. The reply from his father had taken several days to arrive, unlike the letters he had sent through Elder Yan within the sect.

At first, Mu Jingzhuo hadn’t planned to involve his master, but he had gone down the mountain to investigate during this free time and found no clues. That’s when he thought of his master.

Since the matter was somewhat inappropriate, Mu Jingzhuo hesitated even more. Moreover, he couldn’t find his master before, so he had delayed until now.

Just as he took out the letter to read it again, Jian Yuanbai happened to come over.

After calming himself, Mu Jingzhuo finally spoke, “Master, do you know a Nascent Soul stage mercenary with the surname Mo?”

Jian Yuanbai was stunned. Although he didn’t understand why Mu Jingzhuo would ask about his alternate identity, he still remembered the excuse he used when sneaking out, “Of course, I remember. I told you before, I have a grudge against that person.”

“Why are you asking about him?”

Mu Jingzhuo opened his mouth but didn’t know how to explain, “It’s nothing. He once escorted me to Wuwang Peak. He left in a hurry, and I didn’t have time to thank him properly.”

“My father hired a mercenary to escort me” was something many people knew. Instead of hiding it, he decided to be honest. “But Master, why do you have a grudge against him?”

Suddenly, Mu Jingzhuo froze. The mercenary had taken the mission to escort him to Wuwang Peak. Knowing that the person he was escorting was Jian Yuanbai’s disciple, why would he accept the mission if he had a grudge against Jian Yuanbai?

Wait, that day when he left, he said he only realized it was his enemy after seeing Jian Yuanbai.

Mu Jingzhuo became lost in thought and forgot that his master was standing right in front of him.

Back in Qingyun Fudi, Mu Jingzhuo had been busy with cultivation and had no time for wild thoughts.

After leaving Qingyun Fudi and coming to Wuwang Peak, where his master forbade him from cultivating, Mu Jingzhuo suddenly found himself with too much free time, leading to overthinking.

And most of those thoughts were about that unreliable mercenary.

It was hard to explain why, but he always remembered him—remembered the figure that shielded him when he was about to lose in a rigged competition, remembered the words the man spoke when they rode on the back of the Cloud-Stepping Foal high above the skies, and remembered the moment when the man grasped his hand while drawing the rage of countless berserk apes.

Perhaps, deep down, he understood why, but he dared not think too deeply about it.

The Asriga Empire was vast, and the Mercenary Guild had no way to contact him. Wanting to see that man again was like reaching for the heavens.

Jian Yuanbai pondered the reason for the grudge in silence for a moment before noticing that the little spoon in front of him was lost in thought.

Looking at the little spoon, who hung his head and seemed lost in his own world, Jian Yuanbai suddenly had a bad premonition. He tentatively asked, “You’ve been apart from him for a year now. Why do you still keep him in your heart?”

Mu Jingzhuo was startled out of his thoughts by the voice and immediately became visibly flustered. “N-No, that’s not it.”

“It’s just… he helped me a lot back then, so… I was just thinking… if there was a chance, maybe we could become friends?”

Jian Yuanbai narrowed his eyes slightly. “You want to be friends with a Nascent Soul cultivator?”

Mu Jingzhuo’s ears turned slightly red. “H-He’s not the type to care about cultivation levels.”

“I spent time with him, so I know his character. That’s why… I’m curious why, Master, you hold a grudge against him.”

Jian Yuanbai stared at his flushed earlobe with a deep gaze and reached out to pinch it. “So warm.”

Mu Jingzhuo jerked away like a startled little animal, putting distance between them. Although his master occasionally ruffled his hair or pinched his cheeks, this was the first time he’d pinched his earlobe. Mu Jingzhuo vaguely felt that this level of closeness was crossing a line.

He rubbed his own earlobe awkwardly, trying to dispel the strange sensation, and mumbled, “Master, why are you suddenly pinching my ear?”

Jian Yuanbai looked at him with a half-smile. “The grudge between us…”

Mu Jingzhuo immediately perked up and stared at him eagerly.

But Jian Yuanbai sighed at that moment. What grudge? The grudge of stealing his wife.

“It’s nothing. Get some rest. The disciple acceptance ceremony is in a few days. You should appear before everyone in your best state.”

Though disappointed, Mu Jingzhuo didn’t dare press further when he saw his master turn and leave. He slumped into a chair, staring blankly at the letter in his hand.

So… what exactly was the grudge?

If he asked his master whether he knew where that man was, would he tell him?

Meanwhile, Jian Yuanbai didn’t go anywhere else but returned to his main hall. Standing before a tall mirror, he reached up and removed his mask.

In the mirror, a face of flawless beauty reflected back at him, yet his expression was indescribably complex.

Good news: The little spoon liked him.

Bad news: The little spoon liked the other him, not his identity as a master.

Very bad news: The other identity was the cousin of the fiancée he had annulled the engagement with.

Jian Yuanbai felt he’d never been this conflicted in his life. What made it worse was that he actually felt a bit jealous.

As the disguised mercenary by the little spoon’s side, hearing him call “Master” all day made him jealous.

As the master, discovering that the little spoon liked the mercenary made him jealous too.

This jealousy bubbled up so inexplicably that even Jian Yuanbai couldn’t understand himself.

At this moment, the system lazily chimed in: “You like Mu Jingzhuo.”

Jian Yuanbai: “If I didn’t like him, why would I want him to be my wife?”

System: “In this world of Dragon Proud Heaven, you were originally supposed to have three wives.”

Jian Yuanbai quickly retorted, “Three wives are out of the question, but two husbands are fine.”

The system, eager to stir up trouble, goaded him: “Then just confess. Let’s see if Mu Jingzhuo will end up with two husbands, or if you’ll get a rebellious disciple who kills his master.”

Jian Yuanbai fell silent. He felt guilty and muttered, “After the disciple acceptance ceremony, the little spoon will go out to gain experience, right?”

System: “And then he’ll coincidentally encounter the cousin of his annulled fiancée.”

Jian Yuanbai firmly declared, “He will never know that I am the cousin of Shen Zilan.”

Though he said that, he didn’t deny that Mu Jingzhuo would meet the other identity.

After all, who would want to maintain the lofty facade of a master when they could hold their adorable little wife in their arms?

The system said nothing more, silently counting on its fingers. One: the cousin. Two: the master and the mercenary being the same person. Three: the forbidden dual cultivation technique. Three bombs waiting to explode. When it all blew up, Jian Yuanbai would surely be quite the sight to behold.

It was very much looking forward to it.

…

On the day of the disciple acceptance ceremony, the Cloudwatch Sect was bustling with unprecedented excitement. Normally, when the sect accepted disciples, they wouldn’t hold such a grand ceremony, but this time, it was the sect master himself taking in his one and only personal disciple. Naturally, it was treated with great importance.

Inside the grand and magnificent main hall, Jian Yuanbai sat at the head of the table, while the Cloudwatch Sect’s welcoming disciples, dressed in uniform white robes, guided the various sect representatives to their respective seats.

One by one, the gifts and congratulatory messages were announced, accompanied by polite words. The master of ceremonies was a chubby elder with a cheerful appearance.

Mu Jingzhuo had seen him before and remembered that this elder was called Elder Xiong.

When it was his turn, Mu Jingzhuo hurriedly stood up, holding a tea cup. Under everyone’s gaze, he knelt before his master and raised the cup high.

Unlike the Dao companion ceremony, the disciple acceptance ceremony required no contracts or blessings from the heavens. However, once the master accepted the disciple’s tea, a karmic bond would be formed between them.

Back at the Mu family, when Mu Jingzhuo had offered tea, Jian Yuanbai refused to drink it. Only today, at this ceremony, would that cup of tea be fulfilled.

Mu Jingzhuo’s mind was focused solely on performing every action perfectly. He respected his master and naturally didn’t want to bring shame to him in front of others.

Jian Yuanbai accepted the tea and drank it in one go. As the ancient bell tolled, its deep and resonant sound signaled the completion of the ceremony.

The hall erupted in congratulations and toasts, but Mu Jingzhuo’s gaze unconsciously drifted toward one direction.

That direction was where the Wenxian Sect was seated. Because the Cloudwatch Sect’s master was accepting a disciple, even if the sect leaders couldn’t attend, the elders with high status were present.

The Wenxian Sect’s master hadn’t come, but their great elder and several others had. However, Mu Jingzhuo’s attention was on a young man he had never seen before.

The young man stood beside an elder, looking like his disciple. His appearance was plain, dressed in simple black robes with an ordinary aura, making him seem entirely unremarkable.

Logically, Mu Jingzhuo shouldn’t have noticed him at all, yet for some reason, he couldn’t stop looking at him.

A strange feeling surged within Mu Jingzhuo, as if…

As if that young man had taken something that belonged to him.

But Mu Jingzhuo was certain he had never met this person before, so how could that be possible?

The more he thought, the more puzzled he became, unable to take his eyes off that man.

At that moment, amid the lively atmosphere filled with spirit fruits and wine, a sudden voice broke through the noise:

“Since Sect Master Jian has taken in a disciple, it’s a joyous occasion. Naturally, we should liven things up. Why don’t each sect send someone to spar? I’ll offer a Three-Colored Jade Fortune Fan as the prize.”