Qiu Changtian Is Me!

Kunlun Spring wasn't originally a hot spring.

It was merely an underground mineral spring, its water icy cold to the touch and never freezing, rich in minerals.

Or rather, it was the earth vein spiritual energy within the minerals that gave it its beauty-enhancing, dirt-cleansing, and spirit-purifying effects when bathing.

Thus, the female cultivators of the ancient Heavenly Origin Sect diverted the spring water into pools built with warm jade, creating indoor hot springs. Now, it had become a tourist hotspot on the Kunlun border.

Inside a private hot spring room, Xu Yinglian shed her plain robe, revealing a flawless body, her long black hair wrapped in a towel behind her head.

She first raised her jade-like foot, slowly testing the water temperature, before finally stepping into the clear water and immersing her gracefully curved body.

"Hoo." Leaning against the warm jade wall in the hot spring pool, Xu Yinglian let out a long sigh amidst the rising mist, a comfortable and blissful expression on her face.

After an unknown amount of time, a thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.

What is Senior Brother doing now?

Is he also soaking in a hot spring in some room?

Regarding this Senior Brother Qiu Changtian, Xu Yinglian felt both respect and resentment.

She respected his peerless talent, which was truly admirable.

She resented it too, for his terrifying talent made her chase him with near despair.

What was most infuriating was that her family had arranged a Dao Companion engagement with him without even asking her...

Xu Yinglian slowly submerged her face in the water, feeling a sense of helplessness.

She didn't actually dislike Senior Brother Qiu, but she had never considered him in a romantic light.

Qiu Changtian was merely a goal she had to surpass.

Once she completely defeated him, he would be no different from any other idle person in the world, and she wouldn't even spare him a glance.

Hmph.

Thinking this, Xu Yinglian's mood improved as she soaked in the hot spring water.

Contrary to her guess, Qiu Changtian was currently out socializing, meeting with other Kunlun disciples who had also accepted the "Hunt Demonic Beasts" mission.

In the restaurant, all participants had arrived. Besides Qiu Changtian, there were three men and two women, all dressed as outer disciples of Kunlun. They introduced themselves.

"I am Lu Zheng, greetings to all fellow Kunlun disciples," one of them said, performing a fist-and-palm salute.

"Likewise, I am Liu Daoran."

"Liu Yiyi."

"Wen Qin."

"Hu Haozhi."

After everyone had introduced themselves in order, their gazes fell upon Qiu Changtian.

"Qiu Changtian," he also introduced himself with a smile.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Then, the disciple named Lu Zheng, as if to break the awkward atmosphere, chuckled:

"What a coincidence, to have the same name as our current Chief Disciple."

Qiu Changtian: ...

Wait, how did I become someone with the same name?

However, his mind was quick, and he soon figured out the reason.

Qiu Changtian was a direct disciple of the Sect Master, holding a noble position, and had no need to venture out for trials!

Who among those standing here wasn't a struggling outer disciple, forced to become self-reliant without the protection of a master?

To quickly increase their cultivation, they had no choice but to take Qi Refining Stage missions from the Hall of Stewards, just to earn a few spirit stones to supplement their cultivation.

And among all Qi Refining Stage missions, hunting demonic beasts was the one with the least reward and the hardest work.

After all, exploring ancient ruins or searching for enemy cultivators offered opportunities to obtain extra magic treasures, elixirs, or even cultivation techniques.

What could one get from hunting demonic beasts? Furs? Flesh? Excrement?

The only advantage of this mission was its speed. One could quickly rack up a large number of completed tasks in a short period, accumulating enough spirit stones... Therefore, only outer disciples in dire need of spirit stones would take this mission.

Let alone the current Chief Disciple, even other direct disciples or inner disciples who received a monthly allowance from their masters wouldn't bother with such meager spirit stones!

Thinking this, Qiu Changtian could no longer insist that "I am that Chief Disciple" and could only nod in agreement.

The other outer disciples remained oblivious, chatting amongst themselves to get acquainted.

"Speaking of that Kunlun Chief Disciple Qiu Changtian, he seems to be undeserved of his reputation," the disciple who introduced himself as Liu Daoran sneered. "I heard that when he joined Kunlun, he didn't even go through the Heaven-Ascending Path and was directly appointed by the Sect Master!"

"Really?" another female disciple named Wen Qin, who clearly hadn't heard this before, asked in surprise. "Without completing the Heaven-Ascending Path, how did the sect confirm his cultivation aptitude? Why was he directly made the Chief Disciple?"

"What other reason could there be?" Liu Daoran pouted. "He probably came from a cultivation family and had connections."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this. It was an open secret that disciples from large cultivation families often occupied most of the inner disciple and direct disciple positions within the Kunlun Taiqing Sect. Some even with poor aptitude could secure a spot due to their elders being True Lords or Elders in Kunlun, which was often looked down upon by fellow disciples.

"Never mind the Chief Disciple, let's focus on this mission." Seeing everyone's dejected expressions, Lu Zheng quickly tried to smooth things over and introduced the mission. "Recently, Tu Lou have intruded into the spirit stone mine in Old Dragon Ridge, obstructing mining operations."

"This monster resembles a wild sheep, has four horns, is adept at running and jumping, eats people, and becomes ferocious upon seeing blood."

"Fortunately, it cannot wield the Five Spirit Arts and is considered a low-level demonic beast. Therefore, as long as we act cautiously and kill it swiftly with our Flying Swords, it shouldn't be too difficult."

"It's not far from here to Old Dragon Ridge. If everything goes smoothly, it'll take at most two hours to hunt and return."

He passed the mission scroll around for everyone to see, and no one had any objections.

After all, cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage had not yet undergone Marrow Cleansing. While their physical bodies were as frail as ordinary people's, the attack power of their Flying Swords was sharp enough.

Unless the demonic beast found an opportunity for a sneak attack, it would die from a Flying Sword piercing its vital points, rather than the "you cast a fire spell, I'll use a wind blade" kind of turn-based combat described in fantasy novels.

With the mission confirmed, everyone prepared to set off. At this moment, Qiu Changtian suddenly spoke:

"Wait a moment, I have a Junior Sister who will be accompanying me. Could you all wait for me to bring her?"

"That might not be appropriate," Lu Zheng said with difficulty. "There aren't many spirit stones for this mission to begin with. It's manageable for five people to split, but if it's six, it'll be too little."

Qiu Changtian was speechless. He had seen the mission reward earlier – only one hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones. The difference between five and six people splitting it was only four stones. What difference could such a small amount make?

Looking at the other disciples, although they remained silent, their expressions conveyed the same sentiment: they didn't want to share the reward with an extra person.

Qiu Changtian then had a sudden realization: four low-grade spirit stones meant nothing to him, but to these outer disciples, it was a considerable sum that would sting their wallets!

"How about this?" he changed his tone and smiled. "My Junior Sister and I will contribute our efforts together, but we'll only take one person's share of the reward."

"That would be wonderful!" Lu Zheng was overjoyed, as this was essentially gaining an extra hand for free. "But will your Junior Sister be willing?"

"She won't mind," Qiu Changtian chuckled. "She comes from a cultivation family and doesn't care about such trivial spirit stones."

As these boastful words were spoken, everyone's expressions became strained. Lu Zheng was about to ask, "Then why are you doing this mission?" when he was rudely interrupted by Hu Haozhi beside him:

"Fellow Daoist, if you're bringing your Junior Sister, hurry up. We can't have so many of us waiting for just the two of you!"

The others were all disciples of the 280th generation, having joined Kunlun not long ago. Hu Haozhi, however, was from the 279th generation, having joined Kunlun thirty years before them.

Therefore, he put on an air of seniority to interrupt, making it difficult for Lu Zheng to press further. He could only show a doubtful expression.

"Yes, yes, please wait a moment, everyone. I'll be right back." Qiu Changtian turned and left.

Once he was completely out of sight, Liu Daoran sneered, "An Eldest Young Lady from a cultivation family, how could she possibly come out to do such tiring work? This person is likely exaggerating. Everyone, be careful later and don't let him slack off."

"Putting that aside," Liu Yiyi, who had been silent until now, suddenly said, "at least he's quite handsome."

"You think so too?" Wen Qin chimed in excitedly. "He really looks like a dashing young master from a prominent family!"

"Can good looks be exchanged for spirit stones?" Liu Daoran asked with a dark expression. "A pretty face with no substance, understand?"

"What would a ugly guy like you know?" Wen Qin, who had long been annoyed with him, directly cursed. "Just keep your jealousy to yourself! Don't be so passive-aggressive and irritating!"

"You!" Liu Daoran was furious and about to retort, but Lu Zheng quickly stepped in to mediate. "Alright, alright, we're all fellow disciples of Kunlun. Let's not damage our camaraderie."

After finally calming his anger, Liu Daoran began to consider leaving the team and going solo.

After all, having fallen out with the female cultivators in the team, not talking back meant being wronged and scolded, while talking back meant losing face. It would be better to just leave.

But then he thought, if he left in such a dejected manner, who knew what gossip and ridicule he would face from these female cultivators behind his back.

It would be better to wait for the other party to bring back his Junior Sister and let everyone see what kind of "Eldest Young Lady" she was!