The Sides Were Clear

Of course, that was only how Uncle Chen saw him.

With his magnetic-field ability to rely on, he would never fall to such a state.

Still, Zhou Qing was touched by Uncle Chen's goodwill. He could not easily reveal his true strength, and building prestige among the disciples would indeed make things much easier for him in the future.

The situation Chen Qingxuan had envisioned soon came to pass.

The next day, Chen Qingxuan watched over the disciples as they circulated their qi, while Zhou Qing chatted with Wei Xu, Nie Yunxi, and Wang Xiaohu.

The three of them loved chatting with Zhou Qing.

As long as they were by his side, they would rather skip cultivation than miss hearing him ramble about everything under the sun.

That was because his words often contained remarkably penetrating insights into tempering the heart, leaving them feeling that they had gained greatly.

Zhou Qing also enjoyed chatting with them.

The three knew far more about the Azure Cloud Sect than he did, and through their conversations, Zhou Qing could learn much about the sect.

For instance, they spoke that day of Living Dead Cliff on Azure Cloud Mountain. Countless caves had been carved into its sheer cliffs, each housing an Azure Cloud Sect elder in death-seclusion.

These elders were all at the peak of Foundation Establishment. They had entered death-seclusion in pursuit of a breakthrough to the Golden Core realm. Some would eventually emerge from seclusion and achieve Golden Core, but most would die in obscurity.

These elders were one of the foundations that allowed the Azure Cloud Sect to stand firm in the Cultivation World of Qionghua Continent.

If the sect encountered danger, these elders could be awakened at any time to fight for it.

The three then mentioned that an elder from the Hall of Skill Transmission would soon enter death-seclusion.

The new elder would be selected from among the Hall of Skill Transmission's most qualified stewards, and Chen Qingxuan was one of them.

Naturally, Zhou Qing and the others all hoped Chen Qingxuan would be chosen.

But it was not something they could influence.

The four were chatting enthusiastically when a stunning young woman dressed all in red suddenly approached. All four recognized her and knew she was a princess from a small mortal kingdom in the Cultivation World, named Yuan Hongying.

Yuan Hongying walked up to Zhou Qing and timidly called out, "Senior Brother."

Her manner was somewhat restrained. Rather than interacting with a fellow disciple, she seemed to be paying respects to an elder.

Zhou Qing smiled. "No need to stand on ceremony, Junior Sister. Do you need something from me?"

Yuan Hongying said, "Could I trouble Senior Brother to guard me and guide me in circulating my qi?"

Nervousness brought a fine layer of sweat to her fair, full forehead.

Zhou Qing said, "Of course. Please, Junior Sister."

He pointed to a meditation cushion nearby, indicating that she should sit there and circulate her qi.

Seeing that her request had been granted, Yuan Hongying gave Zhou Qing a grateful smile, then sat on the cushion and began circulating her qi according to the mnemonic verses.

Zhou Qing observed the state of her qi circulation with his magnetic field and, from time to time, positioned her in strange postures to help her grasp the proper timing.

Watching such a beautiful young woman being arranged into one odd pose after another by Zhou Qing, Wei Xu and Wang Xiaohu found it amusing and stayed nearby to watch.

"Eh? Miss Nie, where are you going?"

After watching for a while, the two suddenly noticed that Nie Yunxi had silently slipped away, and they asked curiously.

Nie Yunxi did not respond. Her figure soon vanished into the dense forest nearby.

Wang Xiaohu said in puzzlement, "Weren't we just chatting and laughing? Why does she suddenly seem upset?"

Wei Xu smiled. "What would a child know? Leave her alone. She'll be fine after a while."

About half an hour later, Zhou Qing helped Yuan Hongying circulate her qi to the Platform Passage, then woke her and said, "Junior Sister, remember the timing just now. Practice it several more times on your own, and you'll have it."

Excitement brought a flush to Yuan Hongying's face, making her seem even more radiant.

She dipped into a curtsey in the manner of a lady from the mortal world and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. If Senior Brother ever gives an order, this Junior Sister will obey without exception."

Zhou Qing smiled. "You're too polite, Junior Sister."

The other disciples had long been itching to ask Zhou Qing for guidance as well, but they had their reservations, worried that doing so would offend Chen Qingxuan's authority as their proper instructor.

When they saw that Chen Qingxuan showed no displeasure after Yuan Hongying sought Zhou Qing's instruction, they immediately set their minds at ease and came to Zhou Qing one after another.

Before long, ten disciples were seated cross-legged before Zhou Qing, just as they had been before Chen Qingxuan, while Zhou Qing guided each of them in turn.

The disciples discovered that Zhou Qing's guidance seemed even more effective than Chen Qingxuan's.

Chen Qingxuan's instruction was based on the Azure Cloud Sect's inheritance and his own experience.

But whether it was inherited teachings or another person's experience, neither could possibly fit oneself perfectly.

Zhou Qing, however, was different.

He always seemed able to keenly sense each person's exact problem, then take different measures for each of them, allowing them to smoothly grasp the proper timing.

In less than an hour, more disciples had gathered around Zhou Qing than around Chen Qingxuan.

Chen Qingxuan did not mind at all. With a wave of his hand, he sent the disciples before him to Zhou Qing as well. Then, chuckling, he hugged his wine gourd and sat behind his desk.

He took a swig of wine and stared blankly at the white clouds in the sky. Suddenly, he felt a trace of sadness.

If someone like Zhou Qing had been among our generation, she would not have ended up neither dead nor alive, would she?

Eldest Senior Sister... your junior brothers all miss you so much...

After being busy the entire day, Zhou Qing returned to his quarters that evening and began his own cultivation.

After three hours of cultivation, it was already late into the night. Zhou Qing hurriedly went to sleep, and when he woke the next day, the sky was already bright.

He quickly washed and dressed, then hurried toward the Instruction Platform once more.

As he walked, he thought that his current state was rather like that of a student rushing to early morning self-study.

In truth, life here really did give him the feeling of being back on campus.

Life in the Azure Cloud Sect differed from what he had imagined.

Before entering the Cultivation World, he had viewed it as a dangerous land, where cultivators fought and slaughtered one another without end, as did sects against sects.

Even within a sect, he had imagined it would be full of schemes and intrigues.

But after entering the Azure Cloud Sect, he found that although factions existed here and different factions openly and covertly fought each other, the sect's upper ranks did their utmost to keep such struggles beneath the table. They created a fine environment for cultivation and growth for the sect's disciples, preventing the sect from exhausting its vitality through internal strife.

This gave him a somewhat greater fondness for, and sense of belonging toward, the Azure Cloud Sect.

Before he knew it, Zhou Qing arrived at the Instruction Platform.

All the disciples had already arrived and were exchanging cultivation experiences with companions they knew well.

When Zhou Qing stepped onto the Instruction Platform, all the disciples stopped talking. Most immediately rose to their feet, respectfully bowed to Zhou Qing, and called out in unison, "Good morning, Senior Brother!"

Only Wei Kuang and the twenty-odd Azure Cloud Sect-born disciples around him remained seated where they were.

Among the sixty disciples on the Instruction Platform, the sides had clearly split into two factions.

One faction stood, while the other sat. The difference between them was as stark as heaven and earth, and an atmosphere of tension suddenly erupted.