The Carefree Sect Is Founded

"Strange. Why did the classroom get so hot after Zhou You left?" a classmate muttered.

"It's hot sitting here anyway. Why don't we follow Zhou You and take a look?" suggested Wei Hang, one of the students in Class Three. As head of the School Newspaper Club, he had the biggest appetite for gossip.

When Zhou You left, he had Su Tingxue in his left hand and Chu Xiaoyao in his right. Wei Hang was dying to know what would happen next.

Wei Hang's suggestion quickly won widespread approval.

Even the class's few quiet types were tempted.

"Count me in."

"Me too."

The students eagerly raised their hands, a far cry from their lifeless behavior during lessons.

"All right, all right, we can't all go." Seeing so many hands raised, Wei Hang hurried to rein them in.

"Too many people will get us spotted. Let's keep the group small."

Wei Hang picked two classmates and followed Zhou You's route to the stairwell on the second-year floor, where he abruptly stretched out an arm to stop them.

"Don't go any farther. They'll see us."

It was the other two's first time doing anything like this. They didn't dare speak and simply nodded repeatedly.

The three cautiously peeked around the corner, just in time to witness a shocking scene.

Su Tingxue dropped to her knees before Zhou You with a thud.

"What the hell happened?!"

Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They gasped one after another, disbelief written all over their faces.

They were only a minute behind. What had happened?

"Are you okay? I thought you were pretty strong." Tenderhearted toward a pretty girl, Zhou You hurried to help Su Tingxue up. His concern looked genuine.

Then he glared at Chu Xiaoyao beside him. "You don't know how to hold back."

Chu Xiaoyao said nothing.

"I get it." Realization dawned on Wei Hang. As head of the School Newspaper Club, he had seen plenty and could easily piece together the truth from a few clues.

"What do you mean?" the other two hurriedly asked, their curiosity itching like a cat was scratching at them.

"Chu Xiaoyao and Su Tingxue must have fought over him while Zhou You stood by and watched. Su Tingxue lost to Chu Xiaoyao."

"Then he comforted the loser and blamed the winner. He's really mastered the balancing act."

"What a jerk."

The other two were indignant. Zhou You normally seemed so honest, yet he was playing games like this behind everyone's backs. They felt sorry for Su Tingxue.

Poor Su Tingxue. Zhou You had taken advantage of her two years ago. Two years later, she finally worked up the resolve to make him take responsibility, only to be bullied by Chu Xiaoyao and manipulated by Zhou You.

"Quiet, quiet. They're talking again."

The two classmates' whispered curses at Zhou You meant Wei Hang could only catch fragments of what followed.

He vaguely heard words like "Dragon-Tiger Mountain," "self-taught," "cultivation," and "realm."

The three exchanged traditional salutes, looking every bit like characters in a martial arts or cultivation drama.

"Does Su Tingxue have delusions of grandeur too?"

"Or did she catch it from Chu Xiaoyao that quickly?" Wei Hang pondered, unsure which it was.

Either way, Zhou You had definitely caught it from Chu Xiaoyao.

Unaware that her image had undergone yet another change, Su Tingxue was still puzzling over what realm the half-step Qi Refining stage was supposed to be.

Half-step Qi Refining Stage—didn't that simply mean he hadn't reached the Qi Refining Stage?

If he hadn't even reached the Qi Refining Stage, how could he see ghosts? Could he have been born with yin-yang eyes?

Zhang Daoling, the founding patriarch of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, had been born with yin-yang eyes. Based on his own abilities, he had created the Secret Art known as the Yin-Yang Heavenly Eye, which became Dragon-Tiger Mountain's exclusive art.

Did that mean Zhou You had the same yin-yang eyes as their founding patriarch?

Riiing-

The class bell interrupted Su Tingxue's thoughts.

The three had no choice but to head upstairs to their classrooms.

After Zhou You and Chu Xiaoyao returned, he felt that everyone was looking at him strangely. Their looks weren't quite the same as the ones branding him a scumbag before he left.

Apparently, he was an even bigger scumbag now?

What did I even do?

"Do you feel like everyone's looking at me funny?" Zhou You asked the all-knowing Free and Unfettered Female Emperor.

The Free and Unfettered Female Emperor had plenty of experience in this area and offered advice drawn from her own life. "For a cultivator, one's state of mind is paramount. Neither delight in external gains nor grieve over personal losses. How can you concern yourself with other people's opinions?"

Zhou You nodded with only a vague understanding, feeling that she had a point.

During class, Zhou You noticed that Chu Xiaoyao kept frowning and wondered what was on her mind.

He got his answer during the break.

"Zhou You, when Su Tingxue asked about our backgrounds earlier, didn't you feel that our introductions lacked presence?" Chu Xiaoyao asked solemnly. The question had troubled her for the entire lesson.

"Now that you mention it, yes," Zhou You admitted. Out in the world, regardless of the other person's background, saying, "I learned from my deskmate, Chu Xiaoyao," would immediately rob him of much of his presence.

"On the Primordial Continent, the first thing cultivators introduced was their sect. A powerful sect gave you confidence and presence. Whether meeting someone or fighting them, you could seize the upper hand!"

"When I founded the Carefree Sect, my enemies gathered on the day of its establishment. I ascended into the sky to undergo my tribulation and broke through before everyone's eyes. Single-handedly, I slaughtered my enemies until rivers of blood flowed, laying the foundation for the Carefree Sect!"

"Afterward, the Carefree Sect became the greatest sect under heaven. Wherever it appeared, all the mighty powers gave way, not daring to challenge it. An emissary bearing the Carefree Token represented my presence in person. Even the patriarchs of great sects and ancient kingdoms had to come out to welcome them!"

"Alas, with my demise, the glory of the Carefree Sect can no longer be seen." Chu Xiaoyao sighed, recalling her extraordinary years on the Primordial Continent.

"So?"

"So I have decided to rebuild the Carefree Sect and make its name resound throughout the universe!" Chu Xiaoyao positively glowed as she spoke, as though a beam of light shone upon her, dazzling beyond compare.

"Zhou You, you'll be the sect master."

Zhou You was startled. Since when had Chu Xiaoyao become so generous? In the past, he would only have qualified to be the Vice Sect Master.

"I'll be the Grand Supreme Elder."

"Hey, why should you get that?" Zhou You knew Chu Xiaoyao couldn't be that generous. Before, she had ranked half a step above him. Now she wanted to rank a full step above him. She was pushing her luck, and he certainly wouldn't agree.

Chu Xiaoyao presented a well-reasoned argument. "I was the Grand Supreme Elder on the Primordial Continent. Since we're rebuilding, naturally everything should remain as it was."

"Oh, please. You were the Free and Unfettered Female Emperor on the Primordial Continent too. Now you can't even beat me."

In the end, Chu Xiaoyao secured the position of Grand Supreme Elder by bribing Zhou You with two packets of spicy strips. Zhou You reluctantly agreed to become sect master.

Chu Xiaoyao found a test paper with writing on only one side and a blank reverse.

She then asked Zhou You for double-sided tape, folded the paper into a triangular prism, and wrote "Grand Supreme Elder of the Carefree Sect" in large letters on the blank side, tracing them repeatedly with a black pen to make them stand out.

Following her example, Zhou You folded his test paper into a triangular pyramid and wrote "Sect master of the Carefree Sect," though his handwriting was nowhere near as pretty as Chu Xiaoyao's.

Chu Xiaoyao looked disgusted. "Your handwriting is awful. I'll write it for you."

Zhou You scoffed. "Why didn't you say that when you were copying my summer homework?"

At the same time, he handed Chu Xiaoyao a fresh sheet of paper.

"Done."

With both nameplates finished, they placed them on their respective desks.

Zhou You happened to have an empty bottle from a cheap, one-yuan bottle of mineral water. Its plastic was very soft. Holding it around the middle, he twisted the two halves in opposite directions, then loosened the cap halfway. With a muffled bang, the cap shot off and white mist rose from the bottle's mouth.

At the sound of the ceremonial cannon, Chu Xiaoyao applauded enthusiastically to celebrate the founding of the Carefree Sect.

Zhao Zhuo, sitting in front of them, heard the commotion and despaired. He had stopped playing make-believe like this when he was eight.

Originally, Chu Xiaoyao had been the only nutcase sitting behind him. Great, now there were two.

"Only two people. That's a bit small." Amid her joy, Chu Xiaoyao began planning the sect's future. A sect with only two people wouldn't sound impressive.

"Ask Nuomi if she wants to join our sect."

The Grand Supreme Elder of the Carefree Sect was broad-minded, advocating education without discrimination and equality for all beings. Humans and ghosts alike could join her sect.

"Do you want to join the Carefree Sect?" Zhou You turned to ask Nuomi, who was applauding beside them.

"Yes, yes!" Nuomi thought it sounded like great fun and readily agreed.

"You'll be the Vice Sect Master."

In just two sentences, the Carefree Sect's membership had increased by half, a clear testament to its rapid growth.

With the Carefree Sect founded and expanded, Chu Xiaoyao decided to lead the sect master and Vice Sect Master to meet Dragon-Tiger Mountain's accomplished disciple again.

The two humans and one ghost arrived at the entrance to Class One and stopped a random student to ask where Su Tingxue was.

The student gave Zhou You a couple of pointed looks. This was the guy who had some shady relationship with Su Tingxue, and now he was showing up with another beauty?

Was he really that brazen?

"Zhao Cancan, someone's looking for Su Tingxue," the student called.

Zhao Cancan was Su Tingxue's best friend.

"You're looking for Su Tingxue? She took leave and went out," Zhao Cancan said, feeling that Chu Xiaoyao and Zhou You looked like bad news.

The moment those two approached, a chill washed over her. It seeped deep into her bones, so cold that she wanted to shiver.

To feel something like this in the blazing summer heat-she didn't believe it was her imagination.

"Would you mind telling us what she took leave for?"

"I don't know." Zhao Cancan shook her head. Su Tingxue often took leave to go out.

The two humans and one ghost had no choice but to leave.

Zhao Cancan noticed that the chill faded after the two left, confirming her suspicions.

"Did you notice the look in that person's eyes? There was fear in them when she looked at me." Chu Xiaoyao analyzed the changes in Zhao Cancan's expression for Zhou You and Nuomi.

"Although my cultivation has fallen to that of a mortal, my imposing aura remains. Even the slightest trace is more than ordinary people can withstand."

Nuomi was shocked by Chu Xiaoyao's words. Her cultivation had fallen to that of a mortal? Then she recalled how Chu Xiaoyao had called herself the Free and Unfettered Female Emperor in her inner world and struck her with an axe.

Could this woman be a reincarnated mighty cultivator, one whose realm had reached unimaginable heights?

Now that's someone to rely on!

Joining the Carefree Sect was worth it.