Everyone Was So Cute

The disciple recruitment ceremony ended, and everyone went their separate ways.

Qiu Changtian looked at the six people before him and felt a little strange.

Of the six, whether it was Guan Zhan of Longxi, Yan Zhitui of White Deer Cave, or any of the others, nearly all came from cultivation clans. None of them were nobodies.

And now they had to respectfully call him Senior Brother. The feeling was truly... exhilarating.

"Senior Brother," Xu Yinglian said coolly. "Where are we going now?"

"Oh." Qiu Changtian came back to his senses. "Let's return to Golden Ridge first."

He took an object from his sleeve and tossed it into the air.

The object grew with the wind. It was a small wooden boat artifact, which Qiu Changtian had borrowed in advance from his Foundation Establishment Realm Senior Brother, Xu Changqing.

No matter how invincible Clear Dao Heart was, it couldn't conjure an artifact out of thin air. Fortunately, he and Xu Yinglian were already engaged as Dao Companions, so he could receive some support from the Xu Family of Tiannan.

Everyone looked at it, and their hearts all gave a collective jolt:

It was a flying artifact! Senior Brother Qiu was actually this rich!

Everyone present came from cultivation clans, so they all knew how expensive flying artifacts were.

Even the most basic flying wooden boat like this, with no protective Magic Array or barrier-breaking function, and capable only of carrying people through the air, would still cost at least two thousand spirit stones.

Though this Senior Brother was the top disciple of his generation, he was still only at the Qi Refining Stage. After setting aside the expenses of his cultivation, he'd have to save for at least half a year, perhaps a whole year, to buy a little boat like this.

Chen Zhen and Zhong Tianhuai were quick-witted enough to calculate the cost in their heads. They thought that this Senior Brother was a man who cared about appearances, and that he'd spent every last coin he had on this boat to welcome them. How ridiculous.

Qiu Changtian seemed completely unaware of everyone's astonishment and private grumbling, and simply told them to board.

With a slight wave of his hand, the flying boat rose into the air and headed toward the distant snowy peaks.

Standing alone at the bow with his hands behind his back, Qiu Changtian wore a gentle expression as he spoke to his junior brothers and sisters:

"The Kunlun Sky Pillar you climbed to enter the sect is the highest peak in the Kunlun Mountain Range. It's eight thousand zhang tall, majestic and magnificent, piercing through the sea of clouds. It's also the tallest peak in the world."

"The many other snowy peaks of Kunlun are divided into three regions according to how close they are to the Sky Pillar."

"The outermost region is called 'Fandong.' It lies in the eastern stretch of the Kunlun Mountain Range and is where the outer disciples live. It also houses several of our Kunlun sect's public markets."

"The middle region is called 'Xuanpu.' It lies in the central stretch of the Kunlun Mountain Range and is where the inner disciples' cave abodes are. Many precious herbs, spirit springs, and demon beasts are scattered throughout it as well. You can explore it on your own."

"The innermost region is called 'Layered City.' It lies in the western stretch of the Kunlun Mountain Range and is where the elders, True Persons, and we personal disciples live. It also contains many pocket realms left behind by ancient immortals, with numerous powerful restrictions. Even the elders of Kunlun wouldn't dare touch them lightly."

"So, don't go flying around recklessly in Layered City. Usually, just stay near your own peaks."

"The peak where we live is called 'Golden Ridge.' It used to be home to the disciples of ancient Kunlun. It's now abandoned, so the cave abodes are all ready for use."

"Once we land, you can each choose one you like."

As he spoke, he suddenly noticed that the others' faces had turned faintly blue, and their bodies were trembling. Only then did he realize what was happening.

This wooden boat had no protective restrictions at all. The wind at high altitude battered their faces, and the air was thin. He was fine, but these mortals were both oxygen-starved and freezing to death.

Qiu Changtian quietly formed a hand seal. It was the first derivative art of the Clear Micro True Words, called the Universal Clear Sound Minor Brightness Art—a versatile healer's technique that combined restoring health, calming the mind, and curing poison.

As soon as its light appeared, everyone immediately felt warmth return to their bodies, as though spring breezes were circling them. Their misery from the cold vanished.

Even so, they were still shaken by Qiu Changtian's display.

Chen Zhen and Zhong Tianhuai, who tended to read more into things, thought that Senior Brother had noticed their earlier disrespectful thoughts and was deliberately giving everyone a little lesson. They quickly corrected their posture and expressions, feeling rather uneasy.

[Invincible Persona, synchronization value +1.]

Qiu Changtian was overjoyed. His junior brothers and sisters really were cute!

When they arrived at Golden Ridge, everyone disembarked and chose their own cave abodes.

Guan Zhan was cold and solitary. He chose a cave on the shaded side behind a cliff, then never came out again.

Chen Zhen and Zhong Tianhuai were close, so they chose two neighboring abodes near the summit.

Yan Zhitui liked reading, so he chose a cave abode on the sunny side.

Jian Qingnan was a little girl of thirteen or fourteen. Right now, she was pestering her "Sister Yinglian," wanting to live with her.

Xu Yinglian was full of fighting spirit toward Qiu Changtian, but with everyone else she was cool and aloof, showing no warmth at all. She paid no heed to Jian Qingnan's attentions.

"Who does that cave abode up to the right belong to?" Jian Qingnan looked around. It was the closest one to Sister Yinglian's, and also the highest and sunniest cave abode on Golden Ridge.

"That belongs to Senior Brother Qiu Changtian," Xu Yinglian said coldly.

At once, Jian Qingnan wilted. She was fearless by nature, but she still didn't dare show disrespect to this Senior Brother.

After all, only the top disciple of each generation was allowed to attend lectures in the Scripture Hall!

The other disciples had to study on their own, and if they didn't understand something, they had to ask the top Senior Brother.

If she offended him, she'd never be able to get by in the sect.

Qiu Changtian had no idea what everyone else was thinking. He simply stood at the entrance to his cave abode, calmly gazing out at the distant sea of clouds.

It was wonderful to have a few more cute junior brothers and sisters whose synchronization values he could raise.

Using the Kunlun Mirror, he reloaded. Shu Mountain became Ling Yunpo.

Senior Sister An Zhisu had been troubled lately because the monthly allotment for Green Snail Peak had run into problems.

Originally, each peak of Shu Mountain received a monthly allowance from the sect to maintain the peak's Spirit-Gathering Array.

As for the amount, the peak masters "discussed" it at the sect's once-a-year assembly.

Since Su Jian, the master of Green Snail Peak, had been in seclusion for a long time, the monthly allowance had already been reduced to the minimum. Even An Zhisu was powerless to do anything about it.

In ordinary times, the small amount of spirit stones they received each month could just about cover their needs if they pinched every penny.

But recently, for some reason, the Hall of Governance had cited a "shortage of spirit stones" and replaced the middle-grade spirit stones allocated to Green Snail Peak with an equivalent amount of low-grade ones.

"Equivalent" meant an equal total amount of spiritual energy, but the purity of that energy was far worse.

Maintaining Green Snail Peak's current spiritual environment now required more low-grade spirit stones, and their budget immediately grew too tight.

An Zhisu had been driven to the end of her rope. It would have been one thing if her own cultivation had stalled, but she couldn't let her junior brother suffer!

So she planned to take up the Shuangjiang Sword and raise a fuss outside the Hall of Governance.

Ling Yunpo had no idea what his Senior Sister was planning, because the Kunlun Mirror had given him a new mission:

"The third Sky Mending Stone has been found."

"Where?" Ling Yunpo asked.

"Donghai, Penglai's Yuqing Temple," the Kunlun Mirror replied. "Its precise location cannot be determined. It seems to be some kind of spatial displacement. Further investigation is recommended."

Did someone put it in a storage pouch? Ling Yunpo thought to himself, then sighed. "So I have to go undercover again, right? Come on, A Jing, bring out all your precious cheat abilities for me."

The Kunlun Mirror pulled up a list of templates. It contained all sorts of character profiles and their corresponding talents.

Penglai's recruitment focused primarily on comprehension, so Ling Yunpo looked through the comprehension-related talents.

Soon, he settled on a young man.

The talent bound to him was called One Hear Thousand Comprehensions. It allowed him to quickly grasp all kinds of new skills, making it a perfect fit for the requirements of Penglai's Yuqing Temple.

The corresponding persona was "Hypocritical." It sounded like a template that would take a high IQ to play, which suited him perfectly.

Looking at the young man's appearance, just like the other templates, his features were the same as Ling Yunpo's own, but Mirror Flower Water Moon had altered his hairstyle and bearing.

His hair was messier, his skin paler, and he wore an honest smile. His demeanor seemed harmless, but his eyes were narrowed like a fox's, making one wonder what they'd look like if he opened them all the way...

"Make him open his eyes," Ling Yunpo ordered.

The Kunlun Mirror did as he asked, and the young man opened his eyes wide.

Ling Yunpo: ...

Th-this bearing! In an instant, he'd gone from harmless to profound! Even his smile had become unfathomable!

Were you the ultimate hidden boss from some long-running epic?

Of course, even though every persona had exactly the same facial features, their hairstyles and bearing still differed.

For instance, Qiu Changtian had fair skin and neatly combed hair, which he tied up in the same topknot as a Kunlun cultivator and topped with a tall crown, giving him a dignified and handsome appearance.

Ling Yunpo's skin was somewhat darker. He let his disheveled hair grow long, and his gaze was sharp enough to give him the air of an unrestrained young swordsman.

This new persona had fluffy, slightly curled hair, a smile at the corner of his mouth, and a gentle face. Especially when his eyes were narrowed, he gave off a harmless, reassuring feeling.

On top of that, Mirror Flower Water Moon would, in actual use, place a mental suggestion on outside observers, reinforcing their impression of the persona's bearing. That made it basically impossible for anyone to mistake one for another.

"What would be a good name for this persona?" Ling Yunpo asked the Kunlun Mirror.

"Luo Yan," the Kunlun Mirror suggested.