Adding a Generation

"Are you sure he'll come?"

"Of course, we made plans! Wen Xu-Xu isn't someone who breaks his word. You... Ah, Wen Xu-Xu, you finally came! Well? Well? Which great master did you become a disciple under?"

Wen Xu revealed a suitably fragile smile.

The expression on his face looked nothing like that of someone who had found his ideal master.

"Why did the color of the ribbon over your eyes change?" It had clearly been crescent white, the same color as the Yonglu Mountain disciple robes, when he left. How had it faded to pure white by the time he returned? And judging by the material, it faintly had the velvety texture of fish-scale patterns.

Wen Xu touched his eyes. "It's a long story. My master bestowed it upon me."

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

Bian Chunchou blinked. He was quite curious as well. After successfully taking a master today, he had immediately gone to Founding Peak to collect his Inner Sect disciple plaque and newcomer gift package. While picking up the package, he had chatted with one of the senior brothers from Founding Peak and learned that the number of elders intending to accept disciples in Juyong Hall this time had set a record over the years—there had been a full fifteen Spirit Transformation Venerables and twenty-five Nascent Soul True Lords.

As for Body Integration Divine Venerables, there naturally had been none, so neither of them had considered that possibility.

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

Pill King was actually an honorific for high-level alchemists. Generally speaking, any alchemist capable of refining pills of the seventh grade or above could be called a Pill 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 household this genius would fall into. Forget the Inner Sect—even well-informed Outer Sect disciples were following the matter. These two venerables had the highest "popular" support: one was strong enough, while the other... well, his profession was a perfect match.

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

"Huh? Then who else could it be? Don't tell me it was the Sect Master?"

Wen Xu thought that if the Sect Master had possessed that kind of courage, it would have been better. He would rather have taken the Sect Master as his master. "My master's Daoist title is Cheng Wei."

Huh? Cheng Wei? Bian Chunchou was stunned. He had never heard that name before. Could it be that the Spirit Transformation Venerables had fought until their heads cracked, only for a Nascent Soul True Lord to pick up the leftovers? That couldn't be possible, could it? Hadn't the Sect Master come out to keep order?

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

Chen Zui's reaction truly was enormous. He nearly overturned the yin-yang hotpot on the table. "Bian Chunchou, have you never heard the stories of Divine Venerable Cheng Wei?"

Huh? Wait, Divine Venerable?!

Bian Chunchou could not stay seated now either. Fortunately, he was fiercely protective of his food; the yin-yang hotpot on the table continued to bubble steadily with steam.

"Wen Xu-Xu, you took a Body Integration Realm great master as your master?!" Bian Chunchou thought, Wow, won't he be able to swagger sideways through Yonglu Mountain from now on? "Then why do you look so... unhappy?"

Chen Zui shot Bian Chunchou a strange glance. "So there really are people in the Cultivation Realm who haven't heard the stories of Divine Venerable Cheng Wei." For once, Mother had not lied to him.

Bian Chunchou looked at one, then the other. "Um, is it strange not to have heard 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 know." Chen Zui's face was full of confusion. "I heard Mother say that every cultivator in the Cultivation Realm has heard the story of how Divine Venerable Cheng Wei's enemies blanket the world."

"Huh? How does he blanket the world?"

"There are so many that whenever he goes out, out of every ten cultivators, at least one has a grudge against him—or that person's master, elder, or fellow disciple has a grudge against Divine Venerable Cheng Wei."

Wen Xu: slowly cracking apart.jpg

He had known only that this master of his was somewhat of a trap. He had not expected him to be this much of a trap. Calculated this 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 himself away and stopped appearing, so there have been far fewer rumors about him in the Cultivation Realm. Still... if his enemies learn that he has taken a disciple, they should send congratulatory gifts."

Read as congratulatory gifts, written as life-demanding gifts?

Even Chen Zui could think of that, so of course Bian Chunchou understood it too. His genius friend seemed to have taken a truly extraordinary master! His enemies were scattered throughout the Cultivation Realm, yet he could still remain quietly on Yonglu Mountain. This 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 through people's hearts. No one beneath his cultivation can hide before him."

Bian Chunchou thought, Why did everyone else cultivate such fantastical things? When it came to me, it just turned into fire and water refusing to coexist.

"That exaggerated? There isn't any figure of speech in that statement?"

Chen Zui shook his head. "I don't know. That's what Mother said. She said Divine Venerable Cheng Wei is a Divine Dragon. Seeing through people's hearts and probing Destiny Patterns are his innate abilities."

What? What the hell was that? Had he missed an entire segment?!

Bian Chunchou sprang to his feet again. In the myths and legends of the flower-growing homeland, Divine Dragons! No person from the flower-growing homeland could remain calm in the face 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 filled with puzzlement. "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 become a dragon master's disciple. Rounding it up, he could count as having seen a Divine Dragon too! Oh yeah, this transmigration had been worth it. So what if he had a Fire-Water Spiritual Root? He belonged to the same sect as a Divine Dragon! Thank you to his past self, who had chosen Yonglu Mountain because of his fixation on prestigious schools :).

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

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

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 Grain Avoidance, but Yonglu Mountain had no dining hall. Qi Refining disciples either consumed Grain-Repelling Pills or went down the mountain to buy their own food. This hotpot had naturally been carried up the mountain with great effort by Bian Chunchou and Chen Zui.