A Pretty Face: What Good Was It?

After class, Wei Yuan returned to the courtyard and saw Zhang Sheng.

After going over to greet him, Wei Yuan answered a few questions about his studies. Zhang Sheng then smiled and said, "Our patriarch specially came out of seclusion today because he wanted to meet you. You've brought great honor to our Azure Hall this time, and he's very pleased. Let's see what kind of treasure we can get out of the old man!"

Hearing Zhang Sheng say that, Wei Yuan was eager to meet him too. He washed up, tidied his appearance, and then Zhang Sheng summoned a flying sword. It instantly grew from the size of a palm to six feet long. Zhang Sheng took Wei Yuan onto the sword, and they shot into the sky.

It was Wei Yuan's first time flying on a sword, and he was both thrilled and terrified. Watching the courtyard and valley below rapidly shrink, he felt his legs go weak, as if he might pitch headfirst to the ground at any moment.

Zhang Sheng gave Wei Yuan a gentle pat on the back. At once, warmth spread through Wei Yuan's body, as if he were soaking in hot water. The feeling was indescribably pleasant. What was more, the flying sword seemed to have become one with him: he was the sword, and the sword was him. He no longer had to worry about suddenly falling.

Zhang Sheng didn't fly very fast. People passed by them from time to time, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Standing on the flying sword, Wei Yuan rose higher and higher, heading straight toward a suspended peak in the sky. A short while later, they finally landed on a jade-green plaza at the foot of the mountain.

Zhang Sheng put away the flying sword and led Wei Yuan up a winding stone path. They passed through woods and crossed streams, eventually stopping in front of a hall. The most striking feature of the building was its two red-jade pillars. Flames continuously surged inside them, and Wei Yuan felt waves of scorching heat wash over him even from a great distance. Fortunately, wisps of green rain appeared around Zhang Sheng, shielding Wei Yuan and making him feel somewhat better.

The hall doors swung open by themselves, though there was no wind. A deep, resonant voice came from within. "Come in!"

Wei Yuan was both eager and apprehensive. Over the past couple of days, he'd heard plenty of stories about Azure Hall between classes. True Monarch Xuan Yue had rarely taken action in recent years, but whenever he did, it was for something earthshaking. Among the True Persons under him, True Person Fen Hai had the most stories and the most illustrious battle record. His Daoist art of burning the heavens and boiling the seas was nearly unstoppable. The thought of meeting such a legendary figure left Wei Yuan excited.

Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan straight through the main hall and into the rear courtyard. There, Wei Yuan saw an old Daoist in robes feeding fish by a pond. But the pond held no water; it was filled with blazing earthfire. The fish swam through the lava as though they were perfectly at ease.

The old Daoist slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan felt a scorching current of fire enter through the crown of his head and race through his entire body. It nearly set him alight from the inside out!

Just then, a jade toad appeared in Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness. It opened its mouth and swallowed the fiery current in one gulp. Its body immediately turned red, but several wisps of black qi flashed across its eyes. The red faded, and its body gradually turned luminous white again, leaving only a red line down its back.

In that instant, steam billowed from Wei Yuan's head. He was drenched in sweat, and his mouth was parched beyond measure. Yet his body felt much lighter and clearer.

The old Daoist was astonished. "The heavenly fire I used to temper your foundation—you swallowed it in one gulp?"

Both the old Daoist and Zhang Sheng had clearly seen the vision in Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness. Zhang Sheng had never witnessed anything like it and couldn't make sense of it. The old Daoist, meanwhile, stepped right up to Wei Yuan and scrutinized him from head to toe. His gaze was as sharp as a sword, seeing right through him.

Wei Yuan looked up and finally saw the old Daoist's face. He wasn't tall—in fact, he was a little gaunt—and his features were ordinary, save for a hint of dark red at the end of his eyebrow. Other than that, he looked like an ordinary old man from the countryside, nothing like the famous True Person Fen Hai.

The longer the old Daoist looked, the broader his smile grew. "Your foundation hasn't even been formally established, yet your visualization diagram already has spirit. This child is promising! My disciple, finding him means you haven't wasted these past few years."

Zhang Sheng said, "Wait, what do you mean?"

True Person Fen Hai said, "The future of our Azure Hall rests on my grand-disciple!"

Zhang Sheng stared at him in disbelief. "So now that you have a grand-disciple, I don't matter anymore?"

True Person Fen Hai kept his eyes on Wei Yuan, smiling as though a flower had bloomed across his face. "The waves behind push the waves ahead. The wave in front... well, that's you. It's the way of the world! My disciple, just accept it!"

Zhang Sheng's expression darkened. "Aren't you a wave in front, too?"

True Person Fen Hai stroked his beard. "It's fine. It'll be decades before this young wave behind us grows up! That's not long. Your master can wait!"

As he spoke, True Person Fen Hai scooped Wei Yuan into his arms. "Come, good boy! Let your grandmaster give you a hug!"

But True Person Fen Hai wasn't tall, and Wei Yuan was already big for his age, so the embrace was rather awkward.

Zhang Sheng's brows shot up. "Do you really have to make your favoritism so obvious? What's this kid got that I don't?"

Without even turning his head, True Person Fen Hai replied, "He's better-looking than you!"

"Uh..." Zhang Sheng nearly choked. His long hair rose in a wind that wasn't there, and faint blue Sword Qi flickered in his eyes. He snapped, "This is just a shell, a shell! What's the point of comparing him to my shell? Why not compare him to the real me?"

True Person Fen Hai continued examining Wei Yuan. "Fine. I won't mention his looks, in case you feel inferior. This child swept the Martial Assessment, beating down every great household until they couldn't even raise their heads. That hasn't happened in a thousand years. And it's not just a matter of bringing honor to me and Patriarch Xuan Yue. Don't you understand what it means?"

"If I hadn't created Heaven and Earth Madman, he wouldn't have swept anything! And what do you mean, 'in case I feel inferior'? When it comes to looks, who exactly am I supposed to lose to?!" Zhang Sheng was completely worked up now.

True Person Fen Hai replied languidly, "You may have created it, but you can't use it!"

Zhang Sheng's face turned black as the bottom of a pot. He was at a complete loss for words. True Person Fen Hai's sharp tongue was every bit as famous as his heavenly fire.

At last, True Person Fen Hai deigned to set Wei Yuan down. "This child's fate from beyond the heavens is extraordinary, but it's too soon to say whether it's good or bad. So giving him the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Diagram was the right choice. Turning that fate into an additional foundation can only help him. Still, fate from beyond the heavens doesn't belong to our world, so the foundation formed from it is bound to be unstable. You'll have to put in extra effort to make up for that."

True Person Fen Hai stroked his beard thoughtfully. A moment later, his face twisted with pain. "All right, I still have three Chonglou Dinghai Pills. They're remarkably effective at strengthening a foundation. After he's taken those, he'll need a Peiyuan Pill every three days. As his master, you'll have to figure out how to get them!"

Zhang Sheng said grumpily, "I'm not as good-looking as him, and now I have to find pills for him too?"

True Person Fen Hai glared at him. "And what of it? Did I ever shortchange you when you were young? To forge your Dao Foundation, I swallowed my pride and begged and borrowed from all sides just to scrape together the materials. I spent three whole years paying back the Immortal Silver I owed!"

Zhang Sheng's heart softened. He sighed. "All right. I'll find a way."

True Person Fen Hai snorted. "That's more like it. Oh, right, that copy of Heaven and Earth Madman has already been submitted to the palace. But no one should be able to use it, so the reward probably won't be much."

Zhang Sheng said, "I created it in a moment of passion and only meant it for Yuan'er. What about Patriarch Xuan Yue? Has he still not come out of seclusion?"

"On the day of your exam, the patriarch argued with someone and fought three opponents at once. He suffered a minor injury. Otherwise, those great households would never have let you take first place."

Zhang Sheng was startled. "Three opponents at once? Why did I sense only two?"

True Person Fen Hai snorted. "Bao Manshan from the Bao Household hid beyond the heavens and launched a sneak attack. Of course you didn't sense him."

Zhang Sheng fell silent for a moment, then said gravely, "Good. I'll remember this. Yuan'er, you remember it too!"

Wei Yuan nodded firmly.

True Person Fen Hai's old face blossomed into a smile once more. "Hey, what are you doing? Don't teach the child bad habits! We in Azure Hall aren't the sort to hold grudges!"

True Person Fen Hai looked at Wei Yuan, liking him more with every glance. Unable to resist, he patted Wei Yuan's head. "Child, a True Lord's revenge can wait three hundred years. Save this for when your Daoist arts have reached mastery. If you run into Bao Manshan again then, don't go too far. After all, we've known each other for so many years. Just break a few of his legs to make your point!"