At the entrance to Qingyun Dao Sect.
Several somewhat dilapidated halls stood there, much of the paint on their walls having peeled away.
Outside the main hall sat an incense burner, with a single lonely stick of incense burning within it, radiating poverty at every moment.
Today, Su Changyu had risen early.
As Qingyun Dao Sect's eldest senior brother,
welcoming the Sect Leader was naturally his responsibility.
Of course, welcoming the Sect Leader home was a trivial matter. The important thing was how to start things off and fool his newly arrived junior brother.
He had already arranged for the other junior brothers and sisters to go about their own business. It was best if they did not have too much contact with their little junior brother at first.
They needed to maintain an air of mystery first.
Of course, the most important thing was still the first impression.
Su Changyu knew very well just how important a first impression was.
That was precisely why Su Changyu had put on his battle robe—the Qingzhou Brocade Dao Robe awarded to the top five hundred finalists of the Qingzhou Sword Trial.
Once he put on the Dao robe, his bearing improved tremendously. Especially with a Three-Foot Green Edge Sword at his side, he looked even more like a peerless Sword Immortal.
Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, Su Changyu felt somewhat emotional.
He was so handsome and looked the part so well, so why was he merely an ordinary man?
He could not help but sigh. Indeed, his appearance had caused quite a few people to mistake him for an expert.
But paper could not wrap up fire forever. Fooling people once or twice was easy, but if he could not produce any real skill, he would be exposed sooner or later. That was why Su Changyu did not particularly like going down the mountain. Quietly being the eldest senior brother at Qingyun Dao Sect was quite enjoyable too.
Just then,
Su Changyu set down the bronze mirror.
Judging the time, it was already noon. The Sect Leader was probably about to return.
With that thought, Su Changyu walked out of his room.
Arriving outside the sect gates, Su Changyu stood quietly atop a small slope. His gaze became tranquil, and his handsome face carried an unfathomable air.
The Three-Foot Green Edge Sword floated before him. He stood with his hands behind his back, his pose already set, merely waiting for his junior brother—whom he had never met—to take the bait.
And so, before even the time it took for one stick of incense to burn,
two figures slowly entered his sight.
At that moment, Su Changyu felt a little nervous. But he quickly steadied his emotions and displayed his unique aura to the fullest.
On Qingyun Dao Sect's mountain.
Ye Ping, climbing the mountain on foot, was already panting heavily.
Mountain climbing was physically demanding. For an ordinary person who had neither practiced martial arts nor cultivated immortality, the winding mountain path was even more exhausting than hauling bricks.
If not for his burning determination to cultivate immortality, Ye Ping would have given up long ago.
Beads of sweat had already formed across Ye Ping's forehead, and walking through the mountains was making him quite uncomfortable. In contrast, Grand Hua Daoist still appeared incomparably light and graceful, without a speck of dust touching his body. He displayed the bearing of an immortal cultivator to the fullest, leaving Ye Ping envious beyond measure.
Just as Ye Ping was full of envy,
a figure soon caught his attention.
Not far away, atop a slope,
stood a man of around twenty-seven or twenty-eight with his hands behind his back.
The man was handsome, wearing a jade crown and a brocade robe. A Three-Foot Green Edge Sword floated before him, while his gaze was as deep as though it contained the stars themselves.
"A Sword Immortal?"
The term surfaced in Ye Ping's mind of its own accord.
The figure in the distance fulfilled every fantasy Ye Ping had ever had of a Sword Immortal.
Handsome and unrestrained, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, elegant and striking, like a supreme Sword Immortal.
Especially those eyes—indifferent to everything, as though all things beneath heaven and earth were no more than this in his eyes.
Ye Ping stood frozen in place.
To be honest, before joining this sect, Ye Ping had thought Qingyun Dao Sect must be a terrible sect. Otherwise, how could even a cultivator with No Spiritual Roots be accepted?
But when Ye Ping saw this young man,
he suddenly felt that he might have been mistaken.
Perhaps this sect appeared to be an insignificant sect on the surface, but in truth, it was some Hidden Sect. Every person in the sect was a heavyweight, the kind where any one of them could send him soaring to the heavens.
At that thought, Ye Ping could not help but grow excited.
Just then, Ye Ping could not help but slowly speak.
"Three million Sword Immortals fill the heavens; when they meet me, they too must lower their brows."
The words came from the bottom of his heart, because only those words were worthy of the man before him.
Only those words could describe the aura of such a peerless Sword Immortal.
Ye Ping was so excited that his entire body trembled.
Su Changyu, meanwhile, was also stunned.
He could hear Ye Ping's voice.
That line of poetry made him pause slightly.
Three million Sword Immortals fill the heavens; when they meet me, they too must lower their brows.
That was rather interesting.
Very good, showy enough. From now on, that line is mine.
Su Changyu was delighted. He had not expected that merely coming out to welcome the Sect Leader would earn him such an impressively showy line for free.
Good, very good, excellent. This little junior brother knew what he was doing.
But Su Changyu quickly suppressed his delight. His face remained calm and detached, yet at that moment, he turned his gaze toward Grand Hua Daoist and respectfully cupped his hands.
"Your disciple greets Sect Leader. Welcome back, Sect Leader."
His voice was as warm and smooth as jade.
"Mm." Grand Hua Daoist nodded. He had taken in everything that had happened just now. He had observed Ye Ping's every movement, even every shift in expression, with perfect clarity. Naturally, he already knew that Ye Ping had been bluffed.
Though delighted inside, Grand Hua Daoist still tried his best to remain composed.
If they were putting on an act, they had to see it through. Would it do to make a fuss and shout about it?
"Changyu, what are you doing here?"
Grand Hua Daoist slowly asked Su Changyu.
The latter grasped his longsword and then replied.
"Reporting to Master, this disciple is here comprehending the Heaven and Earth Sword Dao, and also came to welcome Master's return."
Su Changyu spoke without the slightest embarrassment, opening with comprehending the Heaven and Earth Sword Dao and leaving Grand Hua Daoist somewhat stunned.
Although he had sent them a letter asking them to pretend to be Peerless Experts, there was no need to put on such a grand act, was there?
Coming out to welcome him was one thing, but he had even dragged the Heaven and Earth Sword Dao into it?
Yet when he saw Ye Ping's expression grow even more shocked, Grand Hua Daoist relaxed slightly.
As long as Ye Ping was willing to believe it, exaggerating a little did not matter. The key was keeping him here. Whatever methods they used were irrelevant.
"Since that is the case, then continue comprehending the Great Dao here. Ye Ping, this is your eldest senior brother, Su Changyu. Go pay him your respects."
Grand Hua Daoist said.
Ye Ping immediately snapped back to his senses. He stepped forward a few paces, then bowed deeply to Su Changyu.
"This junior brother, Ye Ping, greets Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping spoke as he cupped his hands in salute, appearing incomparably respectful.
"Junior Brother, you are too courteous. Since Master has chosen you, it proves that you possess some talent. Your senior brother has nothing much to offer, so I shall grant you a stroke of fortune. Comprehend it well."
As he spoke, Su Changyu waved his hand, and a gentle breeze swept over them.
In an instant, Ye Ping felt refreshed and at ease, as though his entire being had been elevated.
At the side, Grand Hua Daoist marveled repeatedly in his heart.
Poor was poor, yet he could turn a gust of breeze into a fated opportunity. Who would have thought his eldest disciple was so good at putting on airs?
What a pity such a talent for putting on airs had gone to waste.
"Many thanks, Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping had no idea what kind of technique this was. As a transmigrator, immortal arts like this were nothing short of miracles in his eyes.
Whether it truly was a stroke of fortune or not did not matter for now. In any case, this eldest senior brother was definitely a Peerless Expert!
Before you continue