Classmates Reunited

Clearwater Bay.

It was also the closest gathering place for cultivators to Green Bamboo Mountain Market, under the jurisdiction of Li Fire Palace.

Master Lu lived here.

Upon learning of Master Lu's passing, Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu immediately set off for Clearwater Bay.

"Big Brother Lin, we'll reach Clearwater Bay soon."

The two rode Spirit Horses day and night, covering three thousand li in only three days.

These Spirit Horses had been tamed from demonic beasts. As a son-in-law of the Beast-Taming Zhou Family, it was no difficult matter for Er Niu to borrow two Spirit Horses from the clan.

However, because of his status as a son-in-law, Li Erniu still had to report to the family before leaving the Market.

At dawn, while the sky was still gray and hazy, crisp hoofbeats rang out along the streets.

"Big Brother Lin, we're here."

The two dismounted and saw Clearwater Bay Market, built along the bend of a river.

Unlike Green Bamboo Mountain Market, Clearwater Bay was even more desolate.

Before entering the Market, the two first took out their Identity Jade Tokens—the so-called travel permits—and only then passed through the formation.

Looking at the familiar sights, the two felt a touch of nostalgia. Twenty years ago, after they had failed the selection, Master Lu had brought them here. After teaching them for two months, he had recommended them to Green Bamboo Mountain Market.

Travel-worn and dusty, the two made their way to Master Lu's former residence.

"Elder Lu!"

The small courtyard, draped in white mourning cloth, was cold and deserted, with few people present.

Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu entered the courtyard. Seeing the memorial tablet in the mourning hall, tears streamed down their faces.

"Elder Lu, we came too late."

Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu wore solemn expressions as they respectfully offered incense, then knelt and kowtowed.

Twenty years had passed in the flick of a finger.

Elder Lu had cultivated the Evergreen Art and passed away at the age of one hundred and thirty-eight. He had died a natural death in his sleep, which was already rare in the Cultivation World.

"Brother Lin, Brother Li."

"Brother Shen."

When they saw the newcomer, Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu's eyes lit up, and they promptly stepped forward with cupped hands.

After the three met, Shen Lie, the former Little Marquis, displayed none of the airs of his status. Instead, he walked up wistfully, took hold of the two, and sighed with emotion.

"Princess Yun came as well. She's inside comforting Junior Sister Lu right now."

Hearing Shen Lie's words, Lin Chang'an was stunned, while Er Niu said in surprise:

"I heard the Little Princess had already become an inner disciple of Li Fire Palace. I never expected her to come too."

Back then, the four of them had been Princess Yun Yao, the Little Marquis Shen Lie, Lin Chang'an, the Royal Mansion's swordsmanship expert, and Li Erniu, a farmer's son.

As for the Junior Sister Lu they spoke of, she was Elder Lu's granddaughter.

"I never expected Brother Lin and Brother Li to have both broken through to the Qi Refining Mid-Stage."

Little Marquis Shen Lie spoke with a face full of feeling, without the slightest hint of disdain. Lin Chang'an merely shook his head and cupped his hands.

"I cannot compare to Brother Shen."

Shen Lie was already at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

By age, Lin Chang'an was the eldest, Er Niu came next, and Shen Lie was the youngest. Yet in the Cultivation World, strength reigned supreme.

Thus, they addressed him as Brother Shen to show their respect.

"All these years, I only heard that Brother Lin and Brother Er Niu had gone to Green Bamboo Mountain Market. I never thought that when we met again, twenty years would already have passed."

Back then, all three of them had Low-grade Spiritual Roots and had all been eliminated. The difference was that Shen Lie had connections to rely on, and his cultivation resources were naturally beyond anything they could compare with.

After all, the great Sects stood behind the dynasties of the Mortal Realm.

As the three quietly spoke of their experiences over the years, the once-deserted courtyard visibly became thronged with visitors.

Seeing this, Little Marquis Shen Lie lowered his head and gave a contemptuous smile, then sent the two a voice transmission in explanation.

"Those people using the excuse of being classmates or having received Elder Lu's favor only came because they heard Princess Yun Yao was here."

"So that was it."

Hearing this, Lin Chang'an suddenly understood. He could not help recalling the Little Princess from long ago, carved from jade and powdered like a doll, yet always pretending to be an adult.

Yun Yao, an inner disciple of Li Fire Palace.

She possessed a High-Grade Spiritual Root, and her affinity with the water attribute was said to be only one step away from reaching the aptitude of an Earth Spirit Root.

In a great Sect like Li Fire Palace, she might not count as some peerless prodigy. Yet in the eyes of low-level cultivators like them, she was unquestionably beyond reach.

"My condolences."

"Senior Brother Shen, Elder Lu, he..."

As cultivators filed in one after another, some stepped forward sorrowfully, saying they had once received Master Lu's kindness. Others shamelessly claimed that Master Lu had guided them onto the immortal path as well.

They counted as classmates too.

The contempt on Little Marquis Shen Lie's face had already vanished, replaced by a look of deep grief. As he conversed with everyone, he handled them with effortless ease.

"Princess Yun is already a Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator and has begun preparing for the Sect's internal competition. There is a great chance she will achieve Foundation Establishment in the future."

After hearing Little Marquis Shen Lie's voice transmission, Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu revealed envious expressions.

They had entered the immortal path together as classmates, yet she was already planning for her future Foundation Establishment, while they had only just broken through to the Qi Refining Mid-Stage.

That was the gap between Spiritual Roots.

"The Princess and Junior Sister Lu are coming out."

When the rear hall door opened, the gathered crowd outside immediately stopped their hushed attempts to build connections.

Lu Qingqing looked like a delicate girl from a humble household. Today, however, she emerged slowly in plain white mourning clothes, her face filled with sorrow. The figure beside her drew everyone's gaze.

"Thank you all for coming to see Elder Lu off on his final journey."

Her voice was cool, yet it carried an innate air of nobility.

Princess Yun Yao wore a fitted outfit of plain white. Her brows resembled verdant peaks, and her features were clear and beautiful. Her gallant bearing carried a chill that seemed to tell everyone of the grief in her heart.

The girl once carved from jade and powdered like a doll had now changed beyond recognition.

Lin Chang'an could not help sighing at the sight.

"You are too polite, Fairy."

"Fellow Daoist Yun, you are too polite."

The forms of address everyone used for the Little Princess were varied.

Quite a few cultivators who had received Elder Lu's guidance shamelessly called her Junior Sister Yun.

Those who claimed to have received Elder Lu's favor called Yun Yao Fairy, while others addressed her as Fellow Daoist.

After all, Yun Yao's cultivation was profound, and because she cultivated a Water-Attribute Cultivation Method, she still looked like a young girl. Not a single person called her Senior Sister; Fellow Daoist and Fairy were far more common.

Everyone present was no longer young, after all. As for the title of Princess, it was merely what the four of them had called her in the past.

Everyone put on expressions of sorrow and lamentation, but how much was genuine and how much was false, none could say.

With Yun Yao, a late Qi Refining inner disciple of Li Fire Palace, presiding over matters, what had been a desolate funeral became packed to the doors with visitors.

It once again showed Lin Chang'an the reality of the Cultivation World.

Only after the burial was complete did the place return to its former desolation.

Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu knew their place. They remained in the crowd until Master Lu had been laid to rest, then prepared to leave. However, Little Marquis Shen Lie stopped them just then.

"Brother Lin, Brother Er Niu, the Princess has invited us to the Gathering Immortal Pavilion."

"A gathering?"

Lin Chang'an looked stunned, while Er Niu was somewhat at a loss. Back then, he had been the one of lowest status. Now he was facing a Princess who was already preparing to plan for Foundation Establishment.

The vast disparity in their status had not narrowed in the least. Instead, it had only grown wider and wider.

"It's just a gathering of old classmates."

Seeming to notice Er Niu's unease and Lin Chang'an's surprise, Little Marquis Shen Lie explained with a smile.

"The Princess may seem a little cold, but she's actually a very good person. Back then, we agreed to gather once every five years, but you two were far away at Green Bamboo Mountain Market.

"And I was traveling about with cultivators from the royal branch, while Princess Yun remained within her Sect. None of us ever had the time. This is a rare chance for us to reunite."

As Little Marquis Shen Lie explained, scenes from after their failed assessment rose in Lin Chang'an's mind.

Having just entered the Cultivation World, four youths from different stations in life had seemed to cast aside their identities from the Mortal Realm. Reluctant to part, they had made an agreement to meet once every five years.

But afterward, the four struggled onward along their respective cultivation paths. At most, they exchanged letters. Their promise to reunite had been nothing more than a remnant of youthful innocence.

In the Cultivation World, one could not help oneself, especially when they were scattered to the ends of the earth.