Adding a Generation

"Are you sure he'll come?"

"Of course! We made plans! Wen Xuxu isn't the sort to break his word. You... Ah, Wen Xuxu, you're finally here! So? So? Which great master did you take as your teacher?"

Wen Xu timely revealed a fragile smile.

Adding a Generation

No matter how one looked at that expression, it did not seem like he had found a master he liked.

"Why has the color of the ribbon over your eyes changed?" When he had left, it had still been crescent white, the same color as the Yonglu Mountain disciple robes. How had it faded to pure white by the time he returned? And judging by the material, it vaguely had the velvety texture of fish-scale patterns.

Wen Xu touched the ribbon over his eyes. "It's a long story. My master gave it to me."

Chen Zui was straightforward by nature, so he immediately asked, "Which elder did you take as your master?"

Bian Chunchou blinked. He was actually rather curious too. After successfully taking a master today, he had immediately gone to Founding Peak to collect his inner disciple badge and beginner's gift pack. While collecting it, he had chatted with a senior brother from Founding Peak for a while, only then learning that the number of elders intending to accept disciples at Juyong Hall this time had set a record for all previous years: a full fifteen Spirit Transformation Venerables and twenty-five Nascent Soul True Lords.

As for Body Integration Divine Venerables, there naturally had not been any, so neither of them had considered that possibility.

"Was it Sword Peak's Sword Venerable Mo Rong? Or Pill Peak's Elixir King Ji Bai? I heard from the senior brother at Founding Peak that Sui Yuan True Person, the previous senior brother to obtain the Fragrant Elixir King Grass, became Elixir King Ji Bai's disciple."

Elixir King was actually an honorific for high-level alchemists. Generally speaking, any alchemist capable of refining pills of the seventh grade or higher could be called an Elixir King. But anyone capable of refining seventh-grade pills would inevitably possess cultivation above Spirit Transformation.

In fact, ever since the sect had produced someone with a Mutated Wind Spiritual Root, everyone had been watching to see which family this genius would fall into. Forget the inner sect—even well-informed outer sect disciples had been following the matter. These two Venerables had the highest "popular" support: one was powerful enough, while the other... was in the right profession.

Yet Wen Xu gave a negative answer. "Neither."

"Huh? Then who else could it be? Don't tell me it's the sect master?"

Wen Xu thought that if the sect master had the nerve, that would have been wonderful. He would rather have taken the sect master as his teacher. "My master's Daoist title is Cheng Wei."

Huh? Cheng Wei? Bian Chunchou was baffled. He had never heard that name before. Could it be that the Spirit Transformation Venerables had fought until their heads were bloody, only for a Nascent Soul True Lord to pick up the bargain in the end? That could not be, could it? Hadn't the sect master come out to preside over things?

"Whoa, Chen Zuizui, why are you reacting so strongly?!"

Chen Zui's reaction was indeed enormous. He nearly flipped the yin-yang hotpot on the table. "Bian Chunchou, haven't you heard the stories of Divine Venerable Cheng Wei?"

Huh? Wait, Divine Venerable?!

Bian Chunchou could not sit still now either. Fortunately, he was fiercely protective of his food, and the yin-yang hotpot on the table continued steadily burbling with steam.

"Wen Xuxu, you took a Body Integration Realm great master as your teacher?!" Bian Chunchou thought, Wow, won't he be able to swagger sideways through Yonglu Mountain from now on? "Then why don't you look very... happy?"

Chen Zui shot Bian Chunchou a strange glance. "So there really are people in the cultivation world who have never heard Divine Venerable Cheng Wei's stories." For once, Mother had not lied to him.

Bian Chunchou looked at one, then the other. "Um, is it strange not to have heard of them?"

"It isn't strange that he doesn't know, because he came from the Mortal Realm. But it's very strange that you don't." Chen Zui looked bewildered. "I heard Mother say that every cultivator in the cultivation world has heard the story of how Divine Venerable Cheng Wei has enemies all under heaven."

"Huh? What do you mean, all under heaven?"

"It means there are so many that whenever he leaves home, among every ten cultivators, at least one has a grudge against him, or that person's elders or fellow disciples have a grudge against Divine Venerable Cheng Wei."

Wen Xu: slowly cracking apart.jpg

He had only known that this master of his was somewhat of a pitfall. He had not expected him to be such a colossal pitfall. Calculated that way, he truly was very famous.

Chen Zui glanced at Wen Xu, whose face had gone slightly pale. "But in recent years, Divine Venerable Cheng Wei has sealed off his mountain and stopped appearing, so there have been far fewer rumors about him in the cultivation world. Still... if his enemies learn that he has accepted a disciple, they ought to send congratulatory gifts."

Read as congratulatory gifts, written as death warrants?

Even Chen Zui could think of it, so of course Bian Chunchou understood as well. His genius friend seemed to have taken an extraordinarily formidable master! Enemies spread throughout the cultivation world, yet he could still remain peacefully on Yonglu Mountain—he was undoubtedly an immensely powerful Body Integration Divine Venerable.

"But that isn't what Divine Venerable Cheng Wei is most famous for." Chen Zui looked at Wen Xu. "What has spread most widely about the Divine Venerable is that he can see into people's hearts. Anyone with cultivation below his has nowhere to hide."

Bian Chunchou thought, Why was everyone else's cultivation so fantastical? When it came to me, it turned into fire and water being irreconcilable.

"That exaggerated? There isn't a shred of rhetorical flourish in that?"

Chen Zui shook his head. "I don't know. That's what my mother said. She said Divine Venerable Cheng Wei is a Divine Dragon. Seeing into people's hearts and probing their fates are his innate abilities."

What? What the hell? Had he missed an entire section?!

Bian Chunchou stood up again. Divine Dragons from the myths and legends of his homeland—no one from his homeland could stay calm at the existence of dragons, all right? "You're saying the Divine Venerable is a Divine Dragon? A real dragon that can fly?"

Chen Zui nodded, his face full of confusion. "Of course. Why are you so excited?"

That was a dragon! How could he not be excited?! If he could become... well, it was just as good that his brother had taken a dragon master. Rounding it off, he had seen a Divine Dragon too! Oh yeah, this trip through time had been worth it. So what if he had a Fire-Water Spiritual Root? He was in the same sect as a Divine Dragon! Thank heavens his former self had chosen Yonglu Mountain because of his prestigious-school obsession :).

As expected of me. Bian Chunchou, you brat, you really do have some luck on your side.

"...You seem happier than Wen Xu?" Chen Zui thought for a moment. "Aren't we eating hotpot? Weren't you looking forward to it for ages?"

Oh right, hotpot. Though Divine Dragons were important, hotpot was... important too.

Wen Xu was handed a pair of chopsticks. Those in the Qi Refining Stage had not yet reached fasting, but Yonglu Mountain had no dining hall. Qi Refining disciples either consumed Grain-Repelling Pills or went down the mountain to buy supplies themselves. This hotpot had naturally been laboriously carried up from the foot of the mountain by Bian Chunchou and Chen Zui.