A Letter from Big Bamboo Peak

On this day, a disciple from Big Bamboo Peak arrived at Morning Sun Peak with his head held high, delivering several exquisitely crafted invitations.

The content of these invitations was to invite the outstanding disciples of each meridian to Big Bamboo Peak to attend the coming-of-age ceremony for Tian Ling'er, the daughter of Peak Master Tian Buyi.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see the truth behind this matter at a glance.

This was no mere coming-of-age ceremony; it was clearly a thinly veiled "husband-selection contest" hosted by Tian Buyi for his exceptionally gifted daughter.

He intended to announce to the entire Green Cloud Sect that his daughter was destined to be paired with a dragon among men, a pillar of the future.

On the side of Morning Sun Peak, several disciples with higher cultivation levels, including Chu Yuhong, all received invitations.

Even Shen Tiandou, who had just been defeated and lost all face, received one.

Only the newly appointed senior brother, and Tian Ling'er's former fiancé, Li Xiaoyu, was "forgotten."

The implication behind this was self-evident.

This was a provocative act of humiliation from Big Bamboo Peak.

It was as if they were saying: Even if you have returned as a genius, even if you have become the senior brother of Morning Sun Peak, we at Big Bamboo Peak still look down on you!

You are not worthy!

Once this news broke, the entire Morning Sun Peak was abuzz with discussion.

"This is too much! This Tian Buyi is simply going too far!"

Holding his invitation, Chu Yuhong turned red with rage, the first to stand up for Li Xiaoyu.

"Our senior brother has now stunned everyone with his talent and has a limitless future; what right do they have to humiliate him like this?"

"Exactly! It was one thing to break off the engagement back then, but to pull a stunt like this now is truly the behavior of a petty person!"

Many disciples who had recently begun to idolize Li Xiaoyu chimed in, filled with disdain for the actions of Big Bamboo Peak.

Of course, there were also some discordant voices.

A small group led by Shen Tiandou stood on the sidelines, gloating.

"Hmph, so what if he's the senior brother? In the eyes of Big Bamboo Peak, he's still just a discarded piece of trash."

"That's right, Junior Sister Tian is now at the fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm and is rumored to be breaking through to the fifth level soon. She is also highly favored by Senior Brother Qi Hao of Dragon Head Peak. What does Li Xiaoyu have to compare with them?"

All sorts of discussions reached the ears of Li Xiaoyu.

Everyone assumed that this newly appointed senior brother, having suffered such a grave humiliation, would surely be furious or even do something impulsive.

However, to everyone's utter shock, Li Xiaoyu showed no reaction at all.

He was terrifyingly calm.

When an indignant Chu Yuhong told him about the matter, he was in his small courtyard, focusing intently on his sword practice.

The Autumn Water Sword in his hand transformed into a stream of light, the sword momentum continuous and filled with the essence of the Dao.

After hearing Chu Yuhong's words, his sword moves did not falter, and the rhythm of his breathing did not even waver.

Only after finishing the entire set of sword techniques did he slowly retract his sword and stand still.

He looked at the fuming Chu Yuhong and smiled.

"Let them be strong; the breeze blows over the mountain. Let them be arrogant; the bright moon shines upon the great river."

"Old Chu, why disturb your own state of mind for the sake of irrelevant people?"

Chu Yuhong was stunned. "Old Li, you aren't angry at all?"

"Why should I be angry?"

Li Xiaoyu countered, "A past that has long been severed, a spectacle that has nothing to do with me—to me, it is nothing more than wind passing by my ears or clouds drifting past my eyes. How could it ever leave even the slightest mark in my heart?"

His tone was so indifferent, so detached.

Chu Yuhong looked into Li Xiaoyu's calm eyes and was momentarily mesmerized.

While they were still fuming over worldly face and dignity, their senior brother's heart had already transcended the mundane, focusing solely on his own "Dao."

This state of mind was the heart of a true powerhouse!

"Old Li, I understand."

Li Xiaoyu smiled and said nothing more.

He truly did not care.

Because he knew that a real counterattack was never achieved through words, but through strength.

When the day of the Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament arrived, he would make everyone who looked down on him pay the price for their foolishness today.

Shang Zhengliang naturally learned of the matter as well.

He was so angry that he smashed a beloved teacup in his study.

"Tian Buyi! You faithless, short, fat man! You've gone too far!"

He roared, wishing he could rush to Big Bamboo Peak immediately to have it out with his old rival.

But in the end, he held himself back.

He knew that going now would only escalate the situation and, conversely, put him in a position of inferiority.

He arrived outside Li Xiaoyu's courtyard and took a quiet look inside.

When he saw his disciple still as calm as still water, focusing on sword practice and unmoved by the outside world, the anger in his heart miraculously subsided.

Only gratification remained in his heart.

"Good child, good temperament."

Shang Zhengliang nodded silently. "With such a state of mind, why worry about failing to achieve great things?"

He left quietly, though he had already made plans for Li Xiaoyu's next steps in his heart.

The day before Tian Ling'er's coming-of-age ceremony, the entire Green Cloud Mountain became extraordinarily lively.

Disciples from various branches took to their swords one after another, flying toward Big Bamboo Peak to prepare for the grand banquet.

Morning Sun Peak was, naturally, no exception.

Before leaving, Chu Yuhong and the others specifically came to bid farewell to Li Xiaoyu, their faces filled with awkwardness and sympathy.

Li Xiaoyu merely smiled and urged them to drink less and not lose face for Morning Sun Peak at another branch.

That composure and calmness made Chu Yuhong and the others admire him even more.

Amidst this lively atmosphere, Li Xiaoyu was called aside by Shang Zhengliang to the edge of a cliff behind the mountain.

Here, the sea of clouds surged and the mountain winds howled; it was the very place where Li Xiaoyu had been rejected in marriage.

"Xiaoyu, your master knows that your state of mind is transcendent and you do not care for such worldly matters."

Shang Zhengliang looked at the sea of clouds in the distance and spoke slowly.

"But out of sight, out of mind. Tomorrow, Big Bamboo Peak will be filled with guests; if you remain on the mountain, there will inevitably be some idle gossip to disturb your cultivation."

"After much thought, I have decided to arrange a new destination for you."

Li Xiaoyu's heart stirred, and he said respectfully, "I will follow your arrangements, Master."

Shang Zhengliang looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"You have now entered the Object Manipulation Realm; according to the sect rules, it is time for you to descend the mountain for some training."

"True powerhouses are never forged through bitter cultivation under the protection of the sect, but are honed in the blood and fire of the mortal world."

He took a letter and a map from his robes.

"Half a month ago, a small town on the border of the Central Plains, known as Nameless, sent a request for help to our Green Cloud Sect."

"The letter stated that monsters have been causing trouble in the town recently. At first, it was just missing livestock, but in the last few days, people have begun to disappear, and the town is in a state of panic."

"Our sect previously sent two outer disciples at the third level of the Jade Purity Realm to investigate, but they never returned and have had no news since."

Shang Zhengliang's tone became grave.

"This matter is likely not as simple as it appears; that monster is at least at the middle stage of the Jade Purity Realm, if not higher."

"I am now officially entrusting this mission to you."

He handed the letter and the map into Li Xiaoyu's hands.