Qingyun Sect.
Heaven-Piercing Peak, Yuqing Hall.
"Puzhi..."
"Blood Devouring Pearl..."
Dao Xuan Zhenren sat in the seat of honor.
His brows furrowed slightly as his fingers tapped gently against the armrest.
As the head of Qingyun Sect,
Dao Xuan was naturally no fool.
He knew very well how serious this matter was.
If Puzhi had died at the foot of Qingyun Sect's mountain,
then even if Qingyun Sect offered a reasonable explanation, Tianyin Temple would not let the matter rest.
"Sect Leader Senior Brother."
"Do you have any idea what happened?"
"..."
A moment later,
Tian Buyi spoke slowly, asking Dao Xuan.
Puzhi hadn't died and had returned safely to Tianyin Temple.
But that demonic cultivator had dared to strike right under Qingyun Sect's nose.
That was a provocation against Qingyun Sect.
If they didn't flush him out, wouldn't that be far too humiliating?
"Ah..."
"I have no idea either."
"..."
Hearing Tian Buyi's question,
Dao Xuan shook his head and answered helplessly.
There were simply too many demonic cultivators.
Even as the head of Qingyun Sect, Dao Xuan couldn't guess the black-clad man's identity.
"By the way."
"You said earlier"
"that one of your disciples saved Puzhi."
"Junior Brother, which nephew of mine was it? How did he manage such a feat?"
Suddenly,
Dao Xuan seemed to think of something.
He turned to look at Tian Buyi beside him, curiosity showing on his face.
Dao Xuan knew Great Bamboo Peak's situation quite well.
As far as he knew,
even Song Daren, the most accomplished among them, was only at the sixth level of the Yuqing Realm.
And the black-clad man?
Though he had attacked by surprise, he had truly managed to wound Puzhi.
That meant the man's cultivation had likely reached the Shangqing Realm.
A disciple at the sixth level of the Yuqing Realm forcing back a Shangqing Realm expert?
Was this a joke?
"Ahem..."
"Since Sect Leader Senior Brother has no leads,"
"I'll head back to Great Bamboo Peak first."
Tian Buyi gave a light cough and immediately changed the subject.
Only a few years remained until the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament, held once every sixty years.
He was planning to keep Ye Xuan under wraps and let him make a stunning debut at the tournament.
Reveal Ye Xuan now?
That was absolutely out of the question!
What if someone tried to snatch him away?
With that in mind,
Tian Buyi didn't give Dao Xuan a chance to say another word.
A flash of red light blazed.
The Crimson Flame Sword became a streak of light and vanished from Yuqing Hall in an instant.
"Heh..."
"Has Great Bamboo Peak produced a genius?"
Watching Tian Buyi's departing figure,
a faint smile appeared on Dao Xuan's face.
Tian Buyi hadn't said a word,
but Dao Xuan quickly guessed what he was thinking.
Dao Xuan was more than happy to see it.
Still,
just how capable was this genius?
Great Bamboo Peak, Shou Jing Hall.
Ye Xuan was still chatting with Su Ru.
He had great respect for Su Ru, his Mistress.
And Su Ru?
She was quite fond of Ye Xuan, her junior disciple.
Besides, Ye Xuan had been away from the mountain for over a year and had only returned to Great Bamboo Peak today.
For a while,
the two chatted happily.
Just then,
the sound of something cutting through the air came from outside Shou Jing Hall.
"Master! Mistress! I'm back!"
Song Daren's unmistakably loud voice carried in from far away.
Immediately afterward,
a muffled thud rang out.
It sounded as if something heavy had landed on the ground.
Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow.
Here they came.
The two main characters of the future.
Su Ru rose slowly and walked out of Shou Jing Hall.
Ye Xuan hurried after her, looking very much like someone eager to watch the commotion.
On the plaza outside Shou Jing Hall,
Song Daren stood there with an honest smile on his face.
Behind him stood two boys, both around ten years old.
The one on the left had delicate features and a hint of pride in his expression.
Though he had just arrived somewhere unfamiliar, his eyes darted about as he curiously surveyed his surroundings. He showed no sign of nervousness.
He was Lin Jingyu.
The one on the right looked quite ordinary, with dark skin and both hands clutching the hem of his clothes.
He kept his head lowered, looking somewhat uneasy.
This was Zhang Xiaofan.
"Mistress!"
"I've fulfilled my mission!"
"These are the two boys Master mentioned. I've brought them back!"
Seeing Su Ru come out,
Song Daren hurriedly bowed.
Not long ago,
he had gone down the mountain at Tian Buyi's request to look for Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan.
He had originally thought it would take quite some effort to persuade the boys' parents.
To his surprise,
the moment he explained why he had come,
the boys' parents agreed right away.
Song Daren had been greatly relieved.
Su Ru's gaze swept over the two boys.
When she saw Lin Jingyu, her eyes brightened slightly.
What a fine jade, blessed with natural talent!
His bones were exceptional, and his spiritual energy was contained within. Even someone who knew nothing about cultivation could tell he was a promising talent.
Then she looked at Zhang Xiaofan.
The light in Su Ru's eyes dimmed a little.
His aptitude was ordinary, no different from that of an average person.
Could this child really have the great fortune Seventh had spoken of?
"Eh?"
"It's you?"
"Big Brother, are you an immortal too?"
On the other side,
when Lin Jingyu saw Ye Xuan behind Su Ru, his eyes lit up and he asked curiously.
Even Zhang Xiaofan, standing beside Lin Jingyu, looked at Ye Xuan apprehensively.
That morning,
when the two of them had woken up in the ruined temple, Ye Xuan had been beside them.
Seeing Ye Xuan again now,
they couldn't help feeling a little more at ease.
"Heh."
"That's right!"
"We meet again!"
Looking at Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan before him,
Ye Xuan's lips curved into a faint smile.
Though his body was only twelve years old,
after breaking through to the Shangqing Realm,
Ye Xuan had grown to about 1.7 meters tall.
In Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan's eyes, he was certainly a big brother.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly,
another streak of red light plummeted from the sky.
Tian Buyi's short, stout figure soon appeared before them.
As soon as he lowered his flying sword,
Tian Buyi fixed his gaze on the two boys.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Tian Buyi strode over to Lin Jingyu and gave him a few squeezes.
"Excellent bones! Clear meridians!"
"Hahahaha... He really is a fine cultivation prospect!"
Soon,
Tian Buyi threw his head back and roared with laughter, shaking leaves from the surrounding trees.
The sudden appearance of this chubby uncle startled Lin Jingyu, and he instinctively shrank back.
But that only made Tian Buyi even more satisfied.
"Quick reflexes!"
"Good! Very good!"
After he finished laughing.
Tian Buyi finally turned his gaze toward Zhang Xiaofan beside him.
The smile on his face instantly froze.
Even without examining him personally.
He could already see Zhang Xiaofan's mediocrity.
In an instant.
Tian Buyi's heart filled with the same doubt as Su Ru's.
I wasn't tricked by Seventh, was I?
Could such an ordinary child really be favored by fortune?
Forget it!
He had already brought the boy up the mountain, anyway.
No matter how poor the boy's aptitude was, he couldn't possibly send him back down the mountain.
"Daren."
"Take them and get them settled."
"Tomorrow morning, we'll hold the apprenticeship ceremony!"
"..."
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