Refusal

Three years was neither long nor short.

Wei Dawu had grown much taller. The childishness of his former self had faded, and he had become increasingly steady and composed, though there was still a faint sense of familiarity in his features.

Meeting Xu Chunniang's gaze, Wei Dawu smiled slightly.

He had not expected that, after three years apart, they would meet again in such a way.

He walked straight toward Xu Chunniang, his manner exceedingly sincere. "Will you come to the inner sect with me? Retainers are very important to me. The spiritual plant specialty is not without its merits, and besides... we are from the same hometown. We are closer than others."

Xu Chunniang paused. She was certainly going to enter the inner sect, but she did not want to get in this way.

She had considered refusing recruitment, but she had never expected Wei Dawu to be the one recruiting her.

Seeing that she did not agree at once, the smile on Wei Dawu's face faded slightly, and his tone took on an air of admonition.

"The immortal sect is nothing like the mortal world. Without cultivation resources, you will merely waste your time for nothing. Given the ties between us, so long as you do your utmost in serving me, once I reach Foundation Establishment, I naturally will not forget the help you gave me.

"The gap between the inner sect and outer sect is as vast as heaven and earth. You do not intend to remain at Qi Refining for your whole life, do you?"

Naturally, Xu Chunniang did not wish to stop at Qi Refining. But she had her own path to walk, not to become someone else's dependent and trade loyalty for an opportunity at Foundation Establishment!

She did not understand what people meant by one's original heart, but she did not want to force herself to do things she disliked.

Xu Chunniang raised her head and looked straight at the older brother from the neighboring village who had entered the immortal sect with her and had looked after her aboard the Flying Ship.

"I want to enter the inner sect through my own strength. Wasn't it what you said? Whether inner sect or outer sect, our goal is cultivation."

Wei Dawu's face went blank for an instant. Had he ever said such a thing?

Perhaps he had simply been too ignorant back then, to say something like that.

Not to mention the heaven-and-earth difference in resources between the inner and outer sects—even among the nine inner sect peaks, every peak had its own distinctions.

Aside from Carefree Peak, the Main Peak with the strongest influence, Pill Peak, Artifact Peak, and Beast Taming Peak each had their own strengths and were considered relatively better peaks.

As for Talisman Peak, Thousand Mechanisms Peak, and Mystic Sword Peak, their overall strength was considerably inferior, and comparatively fewer disciples joined those three peaks.

Hundred Flowers Peak was rather special. Though it had few people, it excelled at sorcery and poison, and its influence in the inner sect could not be underestimated.

Nameless Peak, however, existed in name only. In recent years, almost no new disciples had joined Nameless Peak.

He came back to himself and spoke blandly. "I take back those words now. Only after stepping onto the path of immortality did I realize how ignorant I had once been.

"You are like my former self—nothing more than a frog trapped at the bottom of a well, with no chance to witness the vastness of the world beyond. Once you realize how insignificant you are, you will use every means possible to make yourself strong."

Xu Chunniang felt a chill rise in her heart. Her expression cooled, and the joy of reuniting with an old acquaintance completely froze over.

It was precisely because she knew how insignificant she was that she strove forward without stopping for even a moment.

She had thought that Wei Dawu, having been chosen into the sect alongside her from that small place, would understand her persistence.

Yet she had not expected him to so easily lose the original heart with which he had once pursued the Dao.

Xu Chunniang's feelings were complicated. She was disappointed in Wei Dawu, yet she was also resolute in wanting to prove herself. But she understood that those who walked different paths could not make plans together. The two of them were no longer traveling the same road.

She no longer wished to explain herself and said directly, "Brother Dawu, I am sorry to tell you this, but I refuse to become your retainer."

After Wei Dawu had painstakingly tried to persuade her for so long, this was the answer he received. He was somewhat displeased.

Everything he had done had clearly been for the sake of her immortal path.

Yet she showed no appreciation whatsoever. With such a foolish disposition, how could she travel far on the path of cultivation?

If anyone else had been standing here today, they would likely have accepted such a fine opportunity with wild delight. He would not have needed to waste so much effort and breath persuading them.

Xu Chunniang had truly made him misjudge her.

His expression turned somewhat cold. "Have you truly thought this through?"

"I have."

In the end, Wei Dawu chose another female disciple who had performed outstandingly.

He attached great importance to this recruitment of retainers. Although Xu Chunniang's performance had greatly disappointed him, Wei Dawu was rational and naturally would not waste a retainer's slot recklessly.

The disciples standing on the stage were among the most promising of all the newly inducted disciples. They would also be the support he relied upon to establish himself in the inner sect in the future; there could be no mistakes.

Seeing this, the others began discussing it one after another, their faces bearing amused smiles as though watching a good show.

Without even listening, Xu Chunniang knew they were mocking her for failing to appreciate kindness and rejecting recruitment by an inner sect disciple.

After all, among these more than one hundred inner sect disciples, Wei Dawu ranked thirty-seventh. Not just anyone could catch his eye.

But if more people chose to become retainers, did that make this path the right one?

Cultivating in the outer sect was difficult. Every year, there were always some "blind" disciples who refused recruitment, unwilling to take this so-called shortcut, and insisted on trying their luck at the Outer Sect Grand Competition!

She was one of them, and so was Su Chen. Some senior sisters and brothers from previous cohorts had made similar choices as well.

They had chosen a more difficult road. Yet only by cutting through brambles and thorns, tempering themselves as they pressed onward, could they walk more steadily and farther upon this path of seeking the Dao.

Xu Chunniang drew a deep breath and warned herself inwardly: "Even a frog at the bottom of a well has the right to leap out of it! They all think I cannot do it, but I will show them that a road others cannot walk does not mean I cannot walk it!"

At that moment, Xu Chunniang felt that her heart for cultivation had never been more steadfast.

In the past, she had not known why she cultivated. She had merely been fortunate enough to be chosen by the Carefree Sect.

After joining the sect, she had simply wanted to cultivate diligently and avoid being driven out of the sect. If she could enter the inner sect, that would be even better.

If one asked Xu Chunniang why she wanted to cultivate diligently and enter the inner sect, she might not even have been able to answer.

But now, she had made her cultivation goal clear: to leap out of the well and witness a broader world.

And to let everyone see that she could do it!

Even if this road was fraught with hardships and dangers, she would only face them head-on and charge forward in song; even if she died and her Dao vanished upon the path of seeking the Dao, with her soul and spirit utterly extinguished, she would have no regrets!

Xu Chunniang's heart completely calmed. As her state of mind changed, signs of loosening gradually appeared in her cultivation. This was an omen of an impending breakthrough.

But now was not a good time for a breakthrough. Xu Chunniang took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the restless spiritual energy in her body.

The fifty people on the stage quickly dwindled until only two remained: Xu Chunniang and Su Chen, who had both refused recruitment.

The two exchanged a glance and smiled at one another, unexpectedly feeling a sense of mutual appreciation.

Steward Mu glanced at them, a rare trace of a smile appearing on her face. "Since you two have refused recruitment, do not stand up there any longer. Go down."

"And what about our assessment results?" Xu Chunniang hurriedly asked.

I have been posting extra chapters continuously for a week, and my saved drafts are being consumed very quickly. Let me catch my breath first—just one update today. I would like to ask everyone: would you prefer one update a day until it goes premium on April 1, or would you prefer it to go premium as soon as possible? After it goes premium, there will be two updates daily, with occasional extra updates, and there will be a ten-thousand-word update burst on the day it goes premium. (Thanks to Fellow Daoist Huang Yueping for the reward, and Fellow Daoist 20210301106610829852 for the monthly ticket support.)