The Third Elder's Rear Palace

You Su remembered.

When the Blacksmith Wang handed him the reforged Ink Pine Sword, he didn't accept any extra money as a reward. Instead, he asked him to grant him one request—

Defeat a cultivator wielding a sword forged by Venerable Ye Qing.

It is unknown whether the Blacksmith Wang survived the calamity in Chuyun City. He left in such a hurry that he did not have time to say goodbye to the elders of Chuyun City.

The swordsmith is also a sword lover. I only hope that when the story of my sword slaying Blacksmith Wang City Lord Liu, he will not regret handing over the Ink Pine Sword to me.

As for this agreement, You Su will definitely find an opportunity to fulfill it. He no longer even wants to do what the Blacksmith Wang said back then, to find some rich young masters who have obtained swords by luck to compete with.

Now that he is a disciple of the Lotus Sword Venerable, his demeanor and style should be worthy of this title. It would be beneath his dignity to spar with those who are all show and no substance. If he is to fight, he should fight a true Sword Cultivator with real strength.

Afterwards, the two chatted briefly as they made their way towards Bihua Peak.

Passing by Bihua Residence, Shi Yan generously offered to treat You Su to drinks.

Mortal wine cannot intoxicate immortals, but immortals are reluctant to give up the pleasure of fine wine. Therefore, they use all the spiritual treasures and go through the most elaborate processes to brew immortal wine. The most potent immortal wine can even make a Venerable of the Void Glimpse Realm completely drunk if he drinks too much.

You Su smiled and politely declined, after all, he still had to meet the Third Elder later, and drinking could easily lead to trouble.

He certainly didn't think he could get away with anything while drunk, but it would be really impolite to reek of alcohol before visiting his elders.

Bihua Peak is famous for its Spirit Plant and is an important source of Spirit Plant for the Xuanxiao Sect and even Mount Henggao. Cultivating these Spirit Plant requires a very large scale, so in terms of size alone, Bihua Peak is the largest of the thirteen peaks of the Xuanxiao Sect.

The continuous mountain range is covered with almost every inch of land planted with immortal Immortal Plant and spiritual flowers. There are even large areas of spiritual fields at the foot of the mountain, making Bihua Peak stand between heaven and earth like a huge blue jade stone.

Even though You Su couldn't see it with her own eyes, she was still amazed by the various fragrances that filled the air. The Mystic Qi on Bihua Peak was even more concentrated than that on Lotus Peak, truly making it a treasure mountain.

Bihua Peak is free from the Trouble Wind, allowing free flight. It is said that there used to be such winds, but the Third Elder found it too troublesome to walk up the mountain each time, so he personally Trouble Wind away.

However, since You Su were not powerful enough and did not have any flying Law Treasure, they could only honestly walk up the mountain.

Unlike the other sparsely populated peaks of the Xuanxiao Sect, Bihua Peak is not only abundant in trees but also in people. Most of them are Outer Disciple invited by Bihua Peak to take care of the Spirit Plant covering the mountain. The Outer Disciple take on the task of cultivating Spirit Plant and can receive corresponding rewards from Bihua Peak after completing the task.

Along the way, many people greeted him as "Brother Shi," but Shi Yan seemed very uncomfortable with this title and tried to correct them each time, but to no avail.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Shi Yan finally led him to their destination. Only then did they learn that they had only reached the halfway point of Bihua Peak.

Halfway up the mountain stands a magnificent palace called Cui Lan Palace. Surrounded by lush green trees, Cui Lan Palace is a radiant sight, its shimmering surface rippling like blue waves in the breeze, hence its name.

Two beautiful senior sisters from Bihua Peak stood by his side, one in a pink dress and the other in a blue dress, both extremely beautiful. They stared intently at You Su's cold and handsome face, as if they were looking at some rare treasure, and walked over amidst their shoving and pushing.

"Eighth Senior Sister, Ninth Senior Sister," Shi Yan greeted them warmly.

"Hmm, Shi Yan, who is this junior brother...?" The Eighth Senior Sister, dressed in a pink dress, asked with concern without even glancing at Shi Yan.

"He is You Su, the second True Disciple of Lotus Peak," Shi Yan introduced.

Upon hearing this name, the Eighth Senior Sister and Ninth Senior Sister' eyes lit up. The two charming young women exchanged a glance, seemingly understanding each other perfectly. The Ninth Senior Sister, clearly more embarrassed, playfully patted the Eighth Senior Sister, who was covering her mouth and giggling, which only made the Eighth Senior Sister's smile deepen.

"You Su greets the two senior sisters of Bihua Peak." You Su bowed respectfully.

"I've long heard of You Su's great reputation, and now that I've met him, he truly is a man of imposing stature."

The Eighth Senior Sister smiled charmingly and pressed down the restless hand of the Ninth Senior Sister that was wrapped around her arm.

"Eighth Senior Sister, what about me? What do I look like?" Shi Yan asked curiously.

Eighth Senior Sister glared at him, looking at his bulging muscles, and laughed, "Go ask your Sixth Senior Brother, he likes guys like you the most."

Shi Yan smiled honestly, "It seems that some people like my appearance."

You Su raised an eyebrow, hoping this "like" wasn't that kind of "like," and replied:

"Senior sister, you flatter me. The reputation of Fairy Yaoru Chunhua Fairy Bihua Peak is far more renowned than that of junior brother."

This is no exaggeration. Apart from Shi Yan, who has an ordinary appearance, all ten True Disciples of Bihua Peak —two men and eight women—are of exceptionally good looks.

There were rumors among the disciples that appearance was also a major criterion for the Third Elder to accept disciples. After all, the Third Elder, the Peak Master, had always been ranked at the top of the Central Continent Heavenly Immortal Ranking compiled by busybodies. However, this rumor was dispelled after Shi Yan was accepted as a disciple by the Third Elder.

It is worth mentioning that even though the Lotus Sword Venerable rarely appears, he has still dominated the top spot on this list for many years.

"Junior brother, you really know how to talk. Tell me, who is prettier, me or this senior sister?" Eighth Senior Sister smiled and pointed to Ninth Senior Sister, who was leaning against her.

Before You Su could answer this question about death, Ninth Senior Sister, who had remained silent until now, spoke first, her tone reproachful:

"Senior sister! You Su can't see!"

Eighth Senior Sister was stunned for a moment before realizing she had spoken out of turn.

One of the main reasons for You Su's widespread fame is that he accomplished all of this while being blind. There are many outstanding talents who are beyond the reach of others, but You Su is the only blind person among them.

"Junior Brother You Su, it was my slip of the tongue, please don't take it to heart." Eighth Senior Sister's smile faded slightly.

"It's alright, senior sister. There's no need to treat me specially just because I'm blind," You Su replied calmly.

As soon as the words were spoken, the two beautiful Fairy looked at You Su with even brighter eyes. The Eighth Senior Sister smiled again and said:

"Junior brother has remarkable ambition. One day he will surely reach the Void Realm and undergo a complete transformation. When that time comes, it will not be too late to admire the scenery of the Five Continents."

"You Su will definitely work hard."

Eighth Senior Sister seemed to suddenly remember something, her pretty eyes darting around, and she said again:

"By the way, junior brother, your Ninth Senior Sister has planted quite a lot of Divine Valley Clear Grass in her cave abode. This grass is extremely effective in Qingming Festival the eyes. You should go with your Ninth Senior Sister to her cave abode later and pick a few more plants; they might be of some help to you."

To everyone's surprise, Ninth Senior Sister blushed crimson and whispered in embarrassment and annoyance, "What are you saying, Eighth Senior Sister! I... I don't have cave abode!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yan chimed in, "Yes, Eighth Senior Sister. Doesn't Ninth Senior Sister live in a treehouse on the Rootless Tree? How can you grow grass in such a small room?"

Eighth Senior Sister glared at him and said, "You're new to this sect, so it's normal that you don't understand. There's nothing strange about it. The Spirit Plant in your Ninth Senior Sister's room can even dance. You Su, would you like to go and see them?"

Ninth Senior Sister's face was flushed, her hands were clenched into fists and placed on her knees, her blue dress was wrinkled from the pressure, and she stammered, not knowing how to refute.

Before You Su went up the sacred mountain, he always guessed that the Fairy of the immortal sect were all reserved and aloof. However, the Eighth Senior Sister, who jokingly invited him to her sister's boudoir upon their first meeting, made You Su that Fairy are actually just like mortal women, each with their own personality.

He smiled helplessly, about to decline the joking invitation, when a strange male voice suddenly rang out, clear and authoritative:

"What are you talking about? You seem so happy."

A handsome young man with a refined and elegant appearance approached, dressed in a simple blue robe. Although his words sounded like a casual conversation, his tone was reproachful.

Upon seeing him approach, even the usually cheerful and lively Eighth Senior Sister's expression turned serious.

The three True Disciples of Bihua Peak respectfully greeted each other, "Second Senior Brother."

Bihua Peak's second senior brother is named Ye Qingchen. He comes from a prominent family and is the eldest son of the Ye Family, one of the three major families in Henggao City. He can be considered a true immortal family of great wealth and power.

Moreover, Ye Qingchen was 65 years old at the time and had already reached the Transformation Realm. He was hailed as the most promising person among all the True Disciple of Bihua Venerable to break through to the Void Glimpse Realm. He was also born with a dragon-like appearance and a phoenix-like demeanor, and could be described as both talented and handsome. He held a prominent position on Bihua Peak and was extremely popular in the Xuanxiao Sect.

Ye Qingchen merely nodded slightly, glanced at You Su as if to discourage him, and said calmly:

"The Divine Valley Clear Grass does indeed have miraculous effects on the eyes, but like elixirs, even the finest elixirs can only heal the injured, not bring the dead back to life. Even a thousand-year-old cassia seed cannot restore sight to someone born blind."

You Su was well aware of this principle. Before he turned ten, his master had tried various methods to restore his eyesight, including rare and precious herbs, but none of them worked. He eventually gave up and placed all his hopes on the transformation he would undergo after breaking through to the Void Realm.

However, now that he has merged with Tai Sui, he believes that the time for his restoration of sight is not far off, and there is no need for him to venture into that "dragon's den and tiger's lair" just to obtain the Divine Valley Clear Grass.

Eighth Senior Sister lowered her head, not daring to speak, while Ninth Senior Sister pursed her lips tightly, took the initiative to admit her mistake, and said in a trembling voice:

"Second Senior Brother, I misremembered the function of the Divine Valley Clear Grass. Qianqian will remember it from now on."

Eighth Senior Sister glared at her and said urgently, "It was my mistake that I didn't teach Junior Sister well."

You Su remained silent. It was clearly just a joke that no one would take seriously, so why was she so careful in front of her second senior brother?

"It's written very clearly in the Spirit Grass Record, how could you remember it wrong? You two go back and copy the Spirit Grass Record three more times, and give it to me tomorrow," Ye Qingchen said sternly.

Upon hearing this, the two Fairy, whose faces were furrowed in worry, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if the punishment was already quite lenient for them.

"Yes."

With that, Eighth Senior Sister pulled Ninth Senior Sister away from the Cui Lan Palace. Before leaving, the two of them looked back at You Su with lingering reluctance.

"He lacks any self-awareness as True Disciple of Bihua Peak."

After the two women left, Ye Qingchen muttered to himself.

You Su heard it clearly, and sighed inwardly, wondering if his second senior brother was making a mountain out of a molehill. However, it was not appropriate for him to say anything about matters on the peak.

Ye Qingchen glanced at You Su and Shi Yan again, his gaze indifferent, and said coldly:

"Go ahead and do what you need to do, don't pay any attention to these senior sisters."

After saying this, he left without waiting for Shi Yan's response, leaving the two of them with only his tall, straight back.

"Yes, Second Senior Brother." Shi Yan bowed and led You Su deeper into the Cui Lan Palace.

Ye Qingchen's voice appeared again, calling out to them:

"Shi Yan, where are you taking him? To collect the mission reward, go left."

You Su realized that the Third Elder was looking for him, and that only Shi Yan knew this.

"Second Senior Brother, You Su didn't come here to collect his mission reward; Master asked me to bring him up the mountain."

Ye Qingchen narrowed his bright eyes. His Sovereign Lord to invite a young man up the mountain? Although You Su had some reputation, he had never seen anything like this before. He said with slight anger:

"Master always receives foreign guests at the tea pavilion in the misty tea fields. Didn't anyone teach you that before you entered the peak?!"

Shi Yan, suddenly reprimanded, said sullenly, "Third Senior Sister has already taught me, but..."

"Since I've already taught you, why did you take him to the back of the hall? Don't you know that the back hall is the inner chamber of our master, which even I can't enter? Or do you want me to teach you again?"

Ye Qingchen didn't speak kindly to Shi Yan. He was extremely dissatisfied with this new disciple his master had taken in, and although he had tried to dissuade his master many times, his master had always refused.

This dissatisfaction wasn't without reason. The most obvious reason was that Shi Yan's appearance and temperament were completely incompatible with Bihua Peak. Among the disciples of Bihua Venerable, the two men were as handsome as jade trees, and the eight women were as delicate as willows, while Shi Yan had a physique that could uproot a willow tree, which was very incongruous. Furthermore, Ye Qingchen believed that Shi Yan's talent was also unworthy of Bihua Peak, not to mention his speechless cultivation method.

Of course, none of these are the most important reasons...

"Second Senior Brother, I remember everything, but it was Master who told me to have You Su wait in the back hall," Shi Yan said kindly.

"Master told him to wait in the back hall?!"

Ye Qingchen stared wide-eyed, looking You Su up and down in disbelief. "Are you sure you didn't hear me wrong?"

"I'm not stupid, how could I mishear something like this?" Shi Yan replied. "Second Senior Brother, I'll take him there first."

"No!"

Ye Qingchen spoke up to stop them. He put his hands behind his back, looked at You Su who had been smiling faintly and remained silent, and his eyes held an inscrutable meaning.

Even the honest Shi Yan was getting a little impatient with Ye Qingchen's obstruction.

"Second Senior Brother! What if Master comes back and finds out I didn't do what she asked me to do, and blames me?"

Unexpectedly, Ye Qingchen stepped forward, blocking their path, and puffed out his chest, saying:

"No one but our Eldest Senior Sister has ever been inside this inner hall. Do you really think Master would allow an outsider like him to enter? If you've misheard, wouldn't that mean he's defiling Master's inner chambers? You can't bear such a grave crime."

After saying that, he narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Or... did you do it on purpose?"

"No... Ouch!" Shi Yan was tongue-tied and didn't know how else to get Ye Qingchen to trust him.

"Qingchen, now you even dare to question your teacher's words?"

The voice that suddenly rang out was extremely charming, yet its tone was icy cold.

The voluptuous Third Elder moved with light, graceful steps, emerging from the palace gate behind You Su.

Ye Qingchen's gaze faltered slightly upon seeing his suddenly appearing master, but he quickly regained his composure and said in a flustered manner:

"This disciple dares not! But..."

The Third Elder neither looked at him nor listened to his explanation, and walked past him indifferently, leaving behind a lingering, alluring fragrance.

"You Su, come in with me."

"Yes, Third Elder."

You Su bowed to the plump figure from behind, then whispered to Shi Yan:

"Thank you for your hard work, senior brother."

Then he brushed past Ye Qingchen, never once glancing at him.

"Why call me Brother Shi? Just call me Shi Yan." Shi Yan smiled.

Ye Qingchen's cheeks puffed out slightly as he watched the beautiful woman and the young man disappear together at the end of the corridor leading to the rear hall. He squeezed out a voice through clenched teeth:

"Shi Yan, you don't need to go crash into the rocks today. Your second senior brother will personally guide your cultivation!"

"Really?! Second Brother, you're such a kind person!"