New Year's Day

The New Year was drawing near; the days grew longer, and the nights shorter.

In the Qingyun World, this was an exceptionally auspicious and important festival, signifying the beginning of the cycle of the four seasons, when all things would slowly revive from this moment onward.

Whenever this time came, Shengjing City would be decked in lanterns and colorful decorations, with lantern festivals and temple fairs held together.

Among the common folk, Spring-Prayer Feasts would be prepared and Spring-Prayer Talismans painted, in hopes that spring would return early and the ice and snow would melt.

At this moment, through Apricot Blossom Alley, Shengjing's busiest street, a group of Mountain Sea Pavilion disciples hurried past, their expressions equally hurried.

At their head was Qiu Ni, who had once spent one tael of silver at the Celestial Academy to cultivate swordsmanship. Holding a portrait, she questioned neighbors and vendors in every direction, asking whether they had seen the people in it.

They had lost five disciples yesterday, and after searching for a day and a night, they had found no trace of them.

Meanwhile, in Apricot Blossom Tower nearby, a group of Celestial Academy Outer Court disciples sat drinking together, discussing the events that had taken place in the academy over the past few days.

"Chu He condensed his seventh spiritual light yesterday. He's only two steps away from breaking through."

"It isn't just Chu He. There's also Du Zhu. Do you remember Du Zhu?"

"That Nirvana Realm cultivator from Liangzhou?"

"That's right. It was as if he suddenly comprehended the Dao. A month ago, he abruptly reached Perfection of the Lower Three Realms. Later, he took leave to visit relatives outside the city, and who would have thought that by the time he returned, he had already gathered two spiritual lights?"

Hearing this, several Celestial Academy disciples who did not know the details exchanged glances, finding it utterly inconceivable.

Chu He had suddenly broken through his bottleneck, rising from utter dejection to seven strands of Mystic Light, yet in the disciples' eyes, that was still understandable.

After all, the Chu Household's talent was renowned throughout the world.

And though Ji You was merely an unaffiliated cultivator from the countryside and should not have been highly regarded, he had sensed the heavenly book and had cultivated step by step beneath the gaze of all. There was nothing much to say about that.

Especially some time ago, he had single-handedly held two battlefields in check with three swords and rescued two Inner Court senior brothers from a Dao Integration Realm cultivator. His prestige had been quite high lately as well.

But Du Zhu had initially been a nobody whom no one cared about. Now, he had suddenly surged ahead from behind, which truly left people amazed.

"I thought Ji You entering the Inner Court was as certain as a nail driven into a board. Who would have expected such twists and turns?"

"The matter of cultivating immortality truly is mysterious beyond mystery."

"Ji You isn't the son of an Aristocratic Clan. If he truly surpasses us and enters the Inner Court, wouldn't that be a slap across everyone's face?"

The disciples present buzzed with discussion, unable to resist turning their heads toward Xihe Tower across the way.

Lu Qingqiu was hosting another gathering today, inviting several classmates to drink with her. Ji You was among them.

She had originally wanted to invite Chu He and Du Zhu as well, but ever since their breakthroughs, the two had become strangers no one could approach. Aside from comprehending the Dao, they went nowhere.

"Chu He has now gathered all seven strands of Mystic Light and is on the verge of entering the Upper Five Realms. What does Young Master Ji think?"

"As long as he doesn't snatch my position as academy head, it's fine."

"?"

Lu Qingqiu thought he was finding joy amid bitterness. After smiling, her brows furrowed slightly.

She had thought she had befriended an Inner Court disciple with a bright future, yet Chu He and Du Zhu were charging in with fierce momentum.

Qian Yunxiao picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, then suddenly looked at Bai Rulong. "A-Long, why are you so quiet today?"

Bai Rulong's brows were tightly knitted. "A few days ago, my household sent me a spiritual pill for cultivation and told me to take it. They even said something about the Bai Family's honor resting entirely on my shoulders. I don't know what to do."

Lu Qingqiu had been swallowing pills since childhood and did not think much of it. "Taking medicinal pills is perfectly normal."

"But I keep feeling there's something wrong with it."

"What could possibly be wrong with a pill?"

Bai Rulong folded his arms. "Ever since my mother died, my father has favored the second branch. All the household's resources have gone to my second younger brother. If there really were some spiritual pill for cultivation, why would it fall into my hands?"

Hearing those words, everyone suddenly recalled the day they had delivered the sword.

When they had been guessing the attacker's identity, Bai Rulong had mentioned that second younger brother.

He believed that attack had been arranged by his second younger brother, Bai Si Hu, whose purpose was to cripple him so he could not return to inherit the family estate.

"Every medicine carries three parts poison. It's better to eat fewer pills, lest they harm your body."

Ji You cleared the dishes before him clean. "Although there's no evidence proving the dangers of pills, those who use them to enter the Upper Five Realms basically remain stuck at the Profound Connection Realm and can advance no further. Look at me—I never take pills."

Bai Rulong paused. "Isn't that because you're poor?"

"That's merely my disguise."

Ji You was somewhat irritated. Reaching out, he moved the untouched ginseng soup in front of Bai Rulong to himself.

Lou Siyi suddenly remembered something and raised her head. "Speaking of breakthroughs, Spirit Sword Mountain's Young Master Jian seemed to have broken through the day before yesterday as well."

"She broke through again?"

"Mm. A twenty-two-year-old in the Heavenly Beginning Realm—the foremost personal disciple of the present age. I wonder whether she has condensed a Dharma Idol."

Lou Siyi spoke with some admiration. "I heard that when she broke through the day before yesterday, something quite interesting happened."

Lu Qingqiu loved gossip more than anything. She lifted her head at once. "What interesting thing?"

"Dao Seeking Sect's personal disciple has carried a torch for that Young Master Jian for many years. Upon hearing of her breakthrough, he went to congratulate her with great fanfare and brought countless gifts, only to fail to see her."

"Why couldn't he see her?"

"Spirit Sword Mountain's academy head said she left the mountain on the night of her breakthrough and was not currently on the mountain. She also said she did not know where she had gone, but everyone thought that was merely an excuse."

"Spirit Sword Mountain is the foremost great sect in the south, its standing nearly equal to the Celestial Academy. Dao Seeking Sect has always wanted to befriend Spirit Sword Mountain, but they were far too impatient. No wonder they refused to see him."

Just as they chatted, a violent gust suddenly rose in the distance, making the flower lanterns throughout the city sway without cease.

Everyone stopped drinking. Before they could tell what had happened, the waist tokens in their arms all bloomed with a thread of golden Mystic Light.

They were first stunned, then saw the Celestial Academy disciples seated opposite them hurrying back in great haste.

"It's the Celestial Academy's summons order!"

"I've never seen the summons order light up before. I thought it was nothing more than an ordinary waist token."

"When something goes against the norm, there must be a demon at work. It seems something will happen tonight."

The group exchanged looks, then set down their chopsticks and returned to Mount Ni through the dusk-darkened night.

Sure enough, a great number of disciples had already gathered upon the Ascending Immortal White Jade Platform.

Before them stood the three stewards of the Affairs Management Courtyard. Their faces were grave, their fists clenched, before they spoke in steady voices.

Every New Year's Day, the Pill Sect escorted vast quantities of spiritual pills to supply the sects in all directions. Tonight, they had been attacked at Wanzhuo Mountain outside the city.

The Pill Sect chiefly cultivated the Dao of alchemy, and its overall combat strength was not high.

Yet the higher the quality of a spiritual pill, the less stable it was and the more easily it could be damaged. Thus, each pill delivery required at least five Pill Masters to protect the pills.

Cultivators of the present age relied heavily on medicinal pills, so this was no trivial matter.

Because the incident had occurred too suddenly, they had no choice but to activate the summons order.

At that moment, as the three stewards pressed two fingers together, an enormous flying sword came whistling down from the sky and landed upon the White Jade Platform.

(The next chapter is terribly difficult to write. It'll be delayed by an hour or two—please vote with monthly tickets and keep reading.)