Everyone in the World Is Blind

The disciples who were also Weak Seeds couldn't help but sigh. Qin Haoxuan seemed to be favored by heaven, even daring to challenge Purple Seed disciples, while they had to fawn over these special Immortal Seeds to secure a good future for themselves.

If a special Immortal Seed disciple could root within twenty days, it would be considered normal for these Weak Seeds. But Qin Haoxuan's instant rooting threw their psychological balance completely off! Feeling the varied gazes from others, Qin Haoxuan felt increasingly out of place.

Cultivation is about refining the mind. He had indeed encountered a great fortune, but his mind... he had been different from them from the very beginning, and this was a crucial reason why.

In fact, Qin Haoxuan's rooting not only made the Weak Seed disciples intensely jealous, but even Elder Chu, after his initial shock, repeatedly pondered what was going on. Could it be that Weak Seeds could now compensate for their lack of talent through hard work and diligence? He was filled with questions. In his decades as an introductory immortal master, this was the most peculiar yet astonishing disciple he had ever encountered. Qin Haoxuan either dozed off or meditated in class, his Dao Heart was firm but overly stubborn, and he made enemies everywhere, leading to seven days of confinement right after entering the sect. Yet, with a mortal body, he had injured cultivators at the Immortal Seedling Realm Third Leaf and Fifth Leaf stages.

What kind of great fortune does this Qin Haoxuan possess? Elder Chu speculated for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He secretly planned to investigate Qin Haoxuan's residence late at night. If it was indeed a significant fortune, he would report it to the Sect Master for a decision on whether to reclaim it and give it to a Purple Seed, or let Qin Haoxuan keep it.

Qin Haoxuan's various deeds were unbelievable when told, yet he truly existed.

The news of a Weak Seed rooting in twenty days quickly spread throughout the Taichu Sect, even reaching the ears of the sect's higher-ups. Even the four Hall Masters were shaken. Numerous rumors arose; some said Qin Haoxuan succeeded in rooting in twenty days due to his hard work and diligence, while others claimed he must have practiced some demonic arts or strange techniques. Opinions were divided.

At the Hidden Dragon Temple, True Lord Huang Long was absorbing spiritual energy. A large amount of spiritual energy gathered above his head, forming ribbons that floated in the air as if tangible. With each breath, he drew in concentrated spiritual power equivalent to several ribbons.

A small paper crane flew in through the window.

The paper crane was how True Lord Huang Long, while in seclusion, received timely updates on sect matters from his informants. Sensing the paper crane's arrival, True Lord Huang Long quickly ceased his practice, unfolded the crane that landed beside him, and read its contents. Even as the Sect Master of the Taichu Sect, he displayed a look of grave contemplation.

"A Weak Seed rooting in twenty days?" True Lord Huang Long murmured to himself. Having been Sect Master for several hundred years and knowing the Taichu Sect's long history of thousands of years, he racked his brain but couldn't recall any Weak Seed in his knowledge who could root in just twenty days. He himself, a Gray Seed, had taken twenty days to root, and other Gray Seeds took around twenty-one or twenty-two days.

After finishing the contents of the paper crane, the paper crumpled into dust in True Lord Huang Long's hands and scattered in the wind.

"Qin Haoxuan, this Qin Haoxuan again?" True Lord Huang Long's expression was peculiar as he muttered, "It's a pity he's at odds with Zhang Kuang and has some grudges with Li Jing. Otherwise, he could be cultivated. I suppose he must have some great fortune on him?"

Weighing the pros and cons, True Lord Huang Long, having formed a plan in his mind, didn't delve deeper. A Weak Seed disciple rooting in twenty days was indeed astonishing, but the cultivation world was full of wonders. If he had a great fortune, it wasn't impossible for him to reach this point. But what kind of fortune could it be?

If he truly had a great fortune, how should it be handled? Should it be confiscated and given to a Purple Seed? Huang Long suddenly found himself amusing. If Qin Haoxuan truly had a great fortune, it was his luck, why confiscate it? Having someone like him around wasn't bad; he could even temper the character of the Purple Seeds at lower levels. If this fortune, which might not be particularly significant, were confiscated and given to a Purple Seed, it would instead lead the Purple Seed's character astray.

The more Huang Long thought about it, the more he felt this was the right course of action. Compared to the Purple Seeds who rooted in seven or eight days and Zhang Yang, a Gray Seed who rooted in eight days, this astonishing feat seemed insignificant. It was just bad luck that he happened to arrive at the Taichu Sect during a period when three Purple Seeds had emerged, making Gray Seeds worthless. Otherwise, with his performance, he would definitely have been a key focus of cultivation. But currently, they couldn't even manage the three Purple Seed disciples, let alone spare time for a mere Weak Seed like him.

Gu Yunzi, who had an informant in Spirit Field Valley, learned of Qin Haoxuan's rooting news immediately. Overjoyed and surprised, he grew fearful upon hearing the exaggerated rumors about Qin Haoxuan. He worried that his act of feeding Qin Haoxuan the Corrosion Pill would be exposed. The crime of harming fellow disciples and hoarding heretical techniques was something even he, one of the four Hall Masters, couldn't bear. Thus, he personally went to Spirit Field Valley and told Elder Chu and other elders, "Qin Haoxuan is my private disciple. Please take good care of him."

As the Hall Master of Gu Yun Hall, one of the four major halls, he was a high-ranking figure in the sect. That he would personally come forward to clarify Qin Haoxuan's situation made Elder Chu and the others look at Qin Haoxuan with different eyes. With Gu Yunzi's private tutelage and full support, Qin Haoxuan's rooting in twenty days, though a miracle, could at least be explained. However, the Taichu Sect had countless individuals with much better aptitude than Qin Haoxuan. Why had Gu Yunzi taken a special interest in Qin Haoxuan?

Elder Chu soon learned of Gu Yunzi's message and immediately abandoned his idea of investigating Qin Haoxuan.

Amidst the widespread rumors and everyone's jealousy, only Xu Yu and Murong Chao genuinely congratulated Qin Haoxuan.

Qin Haoxuan, who had set the fastest rooting record for a Weak Seed, showed no arrogance. After meditating and practicing qi all night, he realized his Immortal Seeds were still quite weak. He would need to nurture them more in the future to strengthen these Immortal Roots, which would greatly benefit his future cultivation progress.

After rooting, what pleased Qin Haoxuan the most was the sect's increased subsidy to his family, from two hundred taels of silver per year to three hundred. Thinking of how his parents would smile brightly upon learning that he had earned an extra hundred taels of silver through his hard work and improvement.

While Qin Haoxuan was quietly planning his future, he was unaware that because of him, key members of Zhang Kuang's and Li Jing's factions had met multiple times to strategize in response to Qin Haoxuan's rise.

Upon first hearing the news of Qin Haoxuan's rooting, Li Jing immediately summoned the core members of his faction to his room for a meeting.

As soon as the discussion began, various remarks were immediately aimed at Qin Haoxuan!

"I think this Qin Haoxuan is definitely suspicious!"

"Nonsense, a Weak Seed rooting in twenty days, how could he not be suspicious? If he weren't suspicious, you'd have rooted by now!"

"I feel like he has great ambitions. He's won over Xu Yu, making Xu Yu devotedly follow his lead, calling him 'Brother Haoxuan' all day long, which is sickening. He's also recruited Murong Chao. Of the five special Immortal Seed disciples in our generation, Zhang Kuang, Zhang Yang, and you are in your own factions, but Xu Yu and Murong Chao have become his people! I think he wants to control Xu Yu and Murong Chao, expand his influence slowly, and eventually have Xu Yu or Murong Chao become Sect Master, while he enjoys the thrill of being a behind-the-scenes Sect Master!"

This analysis was logical and well-supported. Li Jing couldn't fully agree, but he felt there was some truth to it. However, for a mere Weak Seed like Qin Haoxuan, with no backing and no potential, ambition would be useless.

As Li Jing was silently analyzing, a subordinate rushed in in a panic.

"Senior Brother... Senior Brother, I just received news that True Lord Gu Yunzi, the Hall Master of Gu Yun Hall, personally went to Spirit Field Valley to inform Elder Chu and others that Qin Haoxuan is his privately tutored disciple."

Upon hearing the news, Li Jing jumped up from his chair in shock and became restless.

The original Qin Haoxuan was just a Weak Seed, and no one paid him any attention or cared about him. Even if Xu Yu befriended him, and later Murong Chao joined them, it was of no consequence.

But the current Qin Haoxuan was different. Setting aside the unknown number of Immortal Roots that perfectly matched him, just based on speed alone, he, as a Weak Seed, had matched the rooting record of the current Sect Master. Moreover, he had gained the appreciation of Gu Yunzi, the Hall Master of Gu Yun Hall. Gu Yunzi, to vindicate Qin Haoxuan, had even condescended to personally go to Spirit Field Valley and explain the situation to several elders, clearly indicating that Qin Haoxuan was his privately tutored disciple.

Being privately tutored by the Hall Master of Gu Yun Hall made his status noteworthy. With Gu Yunzi's support, if this Weak Seed helped Xu Yu contend for the position of Sect Master, with Murong Chao assisting, wouldn't that truly threaten him?

When Gu Yunzi went to Spirit Field Valley to announce that Qin Haoxuan was his privately tutored disciple, even Zhang Yang, who was also privately tutored by Gu Yunzi, felt indignant. Qin Haoxuan was merely a Weak Seed disciple, why did he deserve his master's condescension and private tutelage? However, Gu Yunzi had previously said that Qin Haoxuan's affairs were his responsibility. Could this be a move by his master? Zhang Yang seemed to vaguely guess something, and amidst his shock, there was a hint of anticipation.

But Zhang Yang was not one to passively watch events unfold. After much thought, he suddenly remembered Gu Xiaoyun, who had been severely humiliated by Qin Haoxuan. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately went to find him.

"Senior Brother Gu, do you remember that Qin Haoxuan?"

The moment Zhang Yang mentioned Qin Haoxuan, Gu Xiaoyun's face darkened. After being rejected by Qin Haoxuan that time, he had repeatedly asked Qin Haoxuan to exchange land, but was invariably refused.

"Senior Brother Gu, you've been busy with your cultivation lately and might not know that Qin Haoxuan has rooted, right?"

"Rooted? He, a Weak Seed disciple, rooted in twenty days after entering the sect?" Gu Xiaoyun looked at Zhang Yang in surprise, his face full of disbelief.

Zhang Yang sneered, "What Senior Brother Gu definitely wouldn't expect is that the one who helped Qin Haoxuan root is your own uncle, Hall Master Gu Yunzi, my master."

Gu Xiaoyun was once again shocked by Zhang Yang's news and jumped up, roaring, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Absolutely!"

"Good Qin Haoxuan! He rooted under my uncle's cultivation, and he wouldn't even agree to exchange land with me. Let's go, we're going to find trouble with him!"

Learning that Qin Haoxuan had received such significant benefits from his own uncle, Gu Xiaoyun's confidence surged. He led a few lackeys and swaggered towards Qin Haoxuan's residence. He had initially wondered which senior figure in the sect was helping him, but it turned out to be his own uncle. This made things much easier!