The Dispute Between Ling Tian of Qingyun Peak

The next day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the thick white mist atop Qingyou Peak, Lingyun was preparing to send Ling Tian to Qingyun Peak.

Today, little Ling Tian was neatly dressed, a milky-white small robe embroidered with a few green lotus leaves, paired with his fair, jade-like skin, making him appear even more tender and adorable. Yet his small face was heavy with reluctance, his little mouth perpetually pouted, his small eyes blinking, a pitiful look that stirred endless affection.

"Little one, don't be upset. Your mother and I will visit you often. Besides, the Storage Ring I prepared for you has a Communication Jade Pendant I modified. Whenever you miss us, you can speak to us. I've already explained how to use the ring and such, no need to repeat it, right?" Lingyun consoled him.

"Mm, I understand, Daddy." Ling Tian's small face relaxed slightly, but his heart was filled with anticipation for the outside world.

"You have a special Amulet on you. If you're in danger, crush it, and it will protect you. I doubt anyone on Qingyun Peak can—or would dare—harm you." Lingyun reminded him once more.

"Squeak squeak." Humei squeaked, her expression brimming with deep maternal love.

"I'll take care of myself, Mother." After ten years together, Ling Tian could already understand Humei's language.

Humei caressed Ling Tian's tender little face, as if trying to imprint his image into her mind.

"Let's go, Mei'er, Tian'er." Lingyun steeled himself and said.

"Oh." Ling Tian's little mouth was so pouted it could hang an oil bottle.

"Flowers, birds, and little grass—you're the naughtiest. I'm off to learn my arts. I won't be able to play with you often anymore. Be good and listen, okay?" Ling Tian bid farewell to the plants in the courtyard, looking very much like a child about to leave home for a long journey.

To everyone's astonishment, these plants rustled their leaves a few times, as if understanding Ling Tian's words and waving goodbye to him. Lingyun and Humei were unfazed, clearly already familiar with Ling Tian's "abilities."

"Wait for me—I'll be back." Ling Tian's voice rang out again.

Hearing this, the plants instantly curled up, trembling, evidently still afraid of this "Little Demon." One could imagine the "torment" Ling Tian had inflicted on them over the years.

"Haha..." Ling Tian was immensely pleased. He turned his head, waved goodbye, then quickened his pace to Lingyun's side.

"Up!" A streak of green shadow shot away into the distance.

Qingyun Peak, the highest summit of Qingyun Mountain. It was surrounded by eight other towering peaks, giving it an aura of stars encircling the moon.

Upon it lay one of the Nine Meridians of the Qingyun Sect—the Qingyun Meridian, also the main meridian of the sect.

Qingyun Peak was lush and beautiful, its spiritual energy palpable. Gazing into the distance, a waterfall over a thousand meters long cascaded down the mountain's back, a white ribbon like an inverted Milky Way, its thunderous roar like ten thousand horses galloping—majestic and magnificent. Misty spiritual energy filled the air, a true Blessed Land, with scenery so extraordinary it seemed like a pure land cut off from the world.

The Great Hall of the Qingyun Sect sat atop Qingyun Peak, its summit leveled long ago by a Senior with great divine powers. The hall was solemn and imposing, stretching endlessly. Before it lay a vast square, surrounded by pavilions, towers, and jade edifices in neat rows, countless in number.

The entire main peak was guarded by the Sect Protection Array, usually inactive, only activated by the peak masters when a powerful enemy attacked. Out of respect for the sect, flying was generally forbidden before the Great Hall.

That day, with a whistle, several figures landed halfway up Qingyun Peak. Upon closer look, they were a middle-aged man and a child over a meter tall. Oh, and on the man's shoulder sat a white fox with eight tails.

The middle-aged man stood as straight as a peerless sword, with a slender build, sword-like brows, and starry eyes—truly elegant as jade. The child wore a milky-white robe. Who else could it be but Lingyun and his companions?

They ascended slowly from the mountainside, the winding steps stretching deep into the beautiful mountain scenery.

Along the way, ancient trees towered, their branches gnarled like coiled dragons. Many halls could be faintly seen, hidden among the vegetation, blending harmoniously and naturally.

On both sides of the mountain path were man-made Herb Gardens. Inside, ginseng was as thick as a child's arm, Lingzhi hung with nine leaves... and countless rare medicinal herbs shimmered with light, brimming with vast spiritual energy, their fragrance drifting and refreshing the heart.

As they walked, Lingyun casually introduced the surrounding herbs and ancient trees to Ling Tian—their names, uses, growth years, and so on.

Ling Tian nodded occasionally, pondered at times, and now and then asked a few questions, clearly very interested in Lingyun's explanations. He carefully committed this knowledge to memory.

Thus, the two and the fox chatted as they walked, arriving at the Great Hall's entrance only by noon. There, Green Cloud Master and the others were respectfully waiting. They had waited long, yet none dared to complain.

"Benefactor, you've arrived." Seeing Lingyun approach, Green Cloud Master hurried forward a few steps to bow, and the others followed suit.

"No need for formalities. You know my purpose. From now on, Tian'er is in your care." Lingyun gently stroked Ling Tian's little head, speaking calmly.

"We shall follow Benefactor's orders." Green Cloud Master quickly nodded in agreement.

"Very well, then. I'll take my leave." Without waiting for Green Cloud Master's reply, he turned and strode away, and moments later, a streak of green light whistled into the distance.

Ling Tian watched Lingyun depart so freely, a hint of emotion stirring in his heart.

"That Senior sure is decisive," Xiong Xiong said helplessly.

"Senior experts have their own temperaments; it's best we say little. Come, let's enter the hall and discuss." Green Cloud Master took Ling Tian's small hand and led the way toward the Great Hall.

Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.

Meanwhile, Lingyun flew through the air but did not head straight for Qingyou Peak. Instead, he halted in midair not far from Qingyun Peak.

"Uncle Ling, please show yourself." Astonishingly, Lingyun spoke to empty air.

Suddenly, the void twisted, and a short, elderly man stepped out. He was stooped, with disheveled gray hair and murky, lifeless eyes—one might think he could drop dead at any moment. Yet who would guess this was a profoundly skilled Expert?

"Greetings, Young Pavilion Master." The old man knelt on one knee, bowing to Lingyun.

Lingyun quickly helped the old man up, saying, "Uncle Ling, how many times must I say it? Don't bow—you're embarrassing me. Besides, the Lingxiao Pavilion has already..." His expression darkened.

"Rites cannot be abandoned." The old man was sparing with words, but his tone brooked no argument.

"Alas, forget it. As you wish." Lingyun sighed.

"Young Pavilion Master, please give your orders." Old Man Ling shot a glare at the fox on Lingyun's shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of coldness.

"Go protect Tian'er. This child has an extraordinary origin and carries something even more powerful than an Immortal Artifact. I fear someone might covet it and harm him." Lingyun, aware that Old Man Ling disliked Humei, shifted slightly to block the old man's view of her.

"The Old Pavilion Master's final order was for me to protect you, never to leave your side." Old Man Ling's face was full of reverence.

"No one in the Five Elements Domain can harm me. Besides, my father has already..." Lingyun's face showed guilt, then overwhelming hatred, tinged with a sense of helpless defeat.

"Better safe than sorry." Old Man Ling remained stubborn.

"Tian'er is my continuation, perhaps the future hope of our Lingxiao Pavilion. I am already a cripple. Can you not weigh what matters more?" Lingyun's voice drifted, carrying an indescribable air of a hero at his end.

"This—" Old Man Ling hesitated.

"Stop with the 'this' and 'that.' Go protect Tian'er. I'll take good care of myself." Lingyun cut the old man off.

"Mm, very well. Young Pavilion Master, take care." Before the words faded, his figure had already vanished.

"Alas!" Lingyun let out a sigh.

"I hope that one day Tian'er can rebuild Lingxiao Pavilion, make it strong, and fulfill Father's last wish. Maybe then my guilt toward Father will lessen by a fraction, and he can rest a little easier in the underworld." Lingyun murmured, his expression steeped in endless melancholy and loneliness.

"Squeak squeak." Humei's face was equally downcast.

"But making Tian'er bear such a heavy burden alone—it's too hard on him." Lingyun gazed toward Qingyun Peak, as if trying to see through its majestic and beautiful slopes, straight at Ling Tian atop it.

"Tian'er, take good care of yourself. Green Cloud Master, don't think I don't know what you're scheming. I hope you don't choose wrong this time. Otherwise, hmph..." Lingyun's expression shifted, his face full of Sha Qi.

So it turned out that Qingyun Sect wasn't as calm on the surface as it seemed.

"Let's go, Mei'er." As he spoke, a green light rose and shot away with a roar.

In the Great Hall of Qingyun Peak, Green Cloud Master and the others were seated in order of precedence.

Ling Tian swept his gaze around, casually taking in the Great Hall of Qingyun Peak and the people inside it, looking curious and completely unafraid of strangers.

"Speak up. Let's see what to do with this child." Green Cloud Master glanced at Ling Tian, who was looking all around, and spoke with a slightly authoritative tone, getting straight to the point.

"I say, I'll take this child as my disciple." Xiong Xiong's voice boomed like a bell, his aura mighty and imposing, rushing to speak first as if afraid of falling behind and losing the child.

"Hehe, Xiong Xiong, lad, your Qingshi Peak is full of burly men. When did a bunch of rough guys ever learn to take care of a child?" Yuan Ming let out a strange laugh, teasing Xiong Xiong.

"Hmph, that's still better than your Qingming Peak full of old fogies. You lot are always buried in formation research, half-crazy and babbling. You'd scare Ling Tian out of his wits." Xiong Xiong's face flushed with anger as he shot back.

"You—" Yuan Ming's beard jumped with fury.

"Sect Master, the moment I saw this child today, I took a great liking to him. It seems fate has brought us together—a past-life bond, perhaps. Why not let him join my Qinghuang Meridian?" Huang Se didn't wait for Yuan Ming to retort, jumping in first.

No sooner had Huang Se spoken than someone in the crowd stood up with a cold laugh. "Elder Huang, you already have several hundred disciples under you, the most aside from the Qingyun main branch. If every disciple of yours shares a past-life bond with you, then your fate must be quite abundant, heh heh." The man paused briefly before continuing, "My Qingquan Meridian has the fewest people among the Nine Meridians, aside from the Qingyou Meridian—only a dozen or so. That's far too shabby. I think this child should join my branch instead."

Huang Se's old face flushed red. He was about to speak when a seductive woman cut in first. "I don't think Peak Master Huang is talking about 'fate' at all. More like he wants to smooth things over with Senior Lingyun through little Ling Tian. You were quite disrespectful to Senior before, weren't you, hehe."

Huang Se's face turned redder than pig liver. He used to often badmouth Lingyun behind his back, calling him a "waste." After seeing Lingyun display his divine might that day, he'd been genuinely terrified, afraid Lingyun might remember him and seek revenge. So he wanted to use Ling Tian to put on a good show and mend his relationship with Lingyun.

"Haha..." A few people around burst into laughter, looking thoroughly amused.

Ling Tian, who had been surveying the hall, cast a deliberate glance at Huang Se, a hint of hostility and mockery in his eyes. But Huang Se and the others were too deep in their argument to notice anything unusual.

"Brother Gu Yuan, your Qingquan Peak may have the fewest people, but in recent years, all the talented disciples have been funneled into your branch. We haven't taken a single disciple in all this time. Don't fight me for Ling Tian, alright?" The woman blinked her seductive eyes, dripping with allure.

"Ahem, fine. Since Sister Wu Yun has spoken, I won't argue with your Qingsong Meridian." Gu Yuan's mind wavered for a moment at Wu Yun's charm, his face reddening as he silently scolded himself for his lack of composure.

"Little brother, come with your big sister, okay? My Qingdie Peak has lots of little sisters your age. I'll have them play with you, alright? And I have plenty of beautiful butterflies—do you like butterflies?" A young woman with delicate features and a slender figure approached Ling Tian, scooping him up with blatant temptation.

Ling Tian's lively eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly, a sly look on his face. "Mm, I like them."

"Then you agree to join my Qingdie Peak!" The woman's face lit up with joy.

"No." Ling Tian shook his head even faster than he'd nodded.

"You, you—ah, you're driving me crazy..." The woman nearly lost it. She set Ling Tian down and stormed back to her seat in a huff.

"Haha..." The crowd burst into laughter again.

"Sister Ye Feidie actually got shut down! Haha, rare, rare." Wu Yun covered her mouth with a light laugh, teasing her.

"Hmph, this little brat is impossible." Ye Feidie fumed with indignation.

Ling Tian smiled faintly and said nothing.

"Leng Jian, your Qingjian Peak isn't going to compete?" Green Cloud Master looked at the only silent young man, a bit surprised.

Qingyun Sect had a long history. Though the various branches seemed harmonious on the surface, there was always an undercurrent of rivalry. Who would want their branch to be weaker than the others?

In the path of cultivation, talent was paramount. It was often said that a genius's single day of enlightenment could surpass a mortal's century of cultivation. Seeing Ling Tian's exceptional aptitude, no one could say whether he might one day surpass the prodigies of old. And at worst, taking him in just meant one more disciple, while keeping him from the other branches.

Besides, taking him in would build a good relationship with Lingyun, a peerless expert and senior. Why not?

"I want to, but I can't win." Leng Jian was like a great sword with its edge sheathed, yet a sharp, icy intent faintly leaked through. He spoke little, cold as ice.

"Oh? How so?" Green Cloud Master was taken aback.

"This child's expression is calm. He likely already has his own ideas." Leng Jian was concise.

"Mm, that must be it. No wonder he wouldn't join our branch. So that's the case." The others were sharp-witted; a moment's thought and they grasped the meaning.

"Ahem, no rush. Let's first test Ling Tian's talent and Innate Attribute." Green Cloud Master gave the order.

"Agreed." Everyone chimed in unison.