The bright moon hung high in the sky, while stars glimmered faintly.
In the courtyard, a group of disciples stood along the surrounding corridors, shouting excitedly as they watched Qing Ku spar with Jiang Changsheng.
Jiang Changsheng stood where he was, his feet never shifting. His left hand rested behind his waist while his right hand fended off Qing Ku. No matter how Qing Ku attacked, Jiang Changsheng easily dissolved the moves before pushing him away with the momentum.
At sixteen, he was handsome and refined, standing out sharply among the crowd.
Qing Ku had cultivated the Nine Seeking Heavenly Dragon Steps taught by Jiang Changsheng. The footwork was exquisite, but it lacked any real offensive power, so Qing Ku used Dragon Arising Temple's martial arts for his attacks.
It had to be said that most of Dragon Arising Temple's martial arts were terribly weak. In Jiang Changsheng's eyes, they were no different from the traditional martial arts of Earth in his previous life.
Jiang Changsheng pushed Qing Ku away with one hand again. Qing Ku staggered back seven steps, lost his balance, and fell onto the ground.
Qing Ku cried helplessly, "I'm done!"
The surrounding disciples immediately cheered, praising their Third Senior Brother for being formidable.
Ever since reaching the fourth layer of the Dao Follows Nature Skill, Jiang Changsheng had occasionally guided the other disciples. Thus, his image as Third Senior Brother had taken shape, and his prestige rose by the day.
Jiang Changsheng had just been about to ask who else wanted instruction when the courtyard gate was pushed open. Everyone turned to look, then ran back to their rooms in fright.
Qing Ku hurriedly scrambled to his feet and rushed indoors. Only Jiang Changsheng and the newcomer remained in the courtyard.
"Third Junior Brother, you should go to sleep early at night. Don't indulge these little brats in their nonsense."
Meng Qiuhe walked up to Jiang Changsheng and spoke earnestly. His brow was tightly furrowed, and several strands of white hair had appeared at his temples.
In merely two years, he had become a completely different person. The once lively and cheerful Second Senior Brother had turned into a gloomy man crazed by martial arts...
Jiang Changsheng sighed inwardly. In the end, it was because of him. If he had not been rescued and brought to Dragon Arising Temple, things would have been different.
Yet none of this had truly been caused by him. He was a victim as well.
Jiang Changsheng smiled. "All right, Eldest Senior Brother."
Meng Qiuhe stared at him with blazing eyes. "Third Junior Brother, two years ago, you were already able to kill the Evil King. How strong are you now? When will you spar with me?"
Jiang Changsheng did not want to discourage Meng Qiuhe, so he gently refused. "Forget it. The Evil King was only careless back then. I actually wasn't his match. Eldest Senior Brother, I'm tired, so I'll go back and rest first. We can practice swordsmanship together when we have time."
With that, he turned and walked toward his room.
Meng Qiuhe asked, "I heard Li Changqing has already entered the pinnacle realm. Third Junior Brother, do you wish to go down the mountain and make your way in the world?"
So quickly?
Could he have cultivated a Demonic Art?
Jiang Changsheng thought to himself. He waved his hand and said, "I don't want to go down the mountain. I only want to remain at Dragon Arising Temple and live without contending with the world."
Meng Qiuhe watched him enter his room before turning to leave.
Back on his bed, Jiang Changsheng frowned.
What had Meng Qiuhe meant by those words?
Did this fellow want to follow Li Changqing's path too?
After pondering it for a while, he decided not to meddle in other people's affairs and closed his eyes to cultivate.
Early the next morning, after returning from ringing the Dao bell, Jiang Changsheng found Qing Ku absent from the room. He took the Kirin Whisk out from his mind. He had worried that a survival reward could not be put back once removed, so he had never taken it out. Now, it was time.
During this period, he had fully mastered the Sword Control Art. Aside from cultivating the Dao Follows Nature Skill, he had nothing else to do. He might as well play around with a dharma artifact.
The Kirin Whisk appeared in his hand out of thin air. It looked no different from an ordinary whisk, but its handle was the color of white jade and resembled a white bone.
Holding the Kirin Whisk, he could sense the dharma power surging within it. As expected of a dharma artifact, it came with spiritual power of its own.
A memory surfaced in his mind, telling him how to make a dharma artifact acknowledge him as its master. He followed the method, extending his divine sense into the Kirin Whisk and breaking through the restrictions within the artifact.
Half an hour later, the Kirin Whisk successfully acknowledged him as its master. Afterward, it began absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy on its own. It was truly wondrous.
When Jiang Changsheng poured spiritual power into the Kirin Whisk, its long strands could freely extend, and he could control them to bind, strike, and perform other actions.
Wonderful!
Jiang Changsheng tried placing the Kirin Whisk back into his mind, but as expected, he failed.
Once an item from a survival reward was taken out, it could only remain in reality.
Though he felt somewhat regretful, there was nothing to be done.
From then on, Jiang Changsheng wore the Taihang Sword at his waist and held the Kirin Whisk in his hand, looking every inch an immortal with Dao Bone. Whenever disciples asked about the whisk, he said it had been given to him by Chen Li. The temple disciples all knew that Chen Li and the Fourth Prince occasionally came to visit him.
It was not only those two. Other high-ranking officials and nobles also wished to visit Jiang Changsheng. At first, he received them, but after it happened too often, he began politely declining. Those people merely wished to see him for themselves; they did not possess Chen Li's sincerity.
Summer blazed fiercely, roasting even the air until it faintly warped.
"Brother Changsheng, I'm joining the army. I won't be able to visit you for five years. I hope you'll forgive me."
The young man spoke spiritedly before Jiang Changsheng. His hands rested on his hips, sweat drenched his head, yet his energy remained as high as ever.
Jiang Changsheng had just finished guiding him in the Shadow Leg and had been about to send him away when he heard those words.
Jiang Changsheng asked, "Where are you going to enlist? Not in the capital?"
The Great Jing Dynasty had been founded for sixteen years. Internally, it was harmonious and peaceful, but wars beyond its borders had never ceased. Fighting had continued in the north, producing batches of generals with outstanding military achievements every year.
Jiang Yu smiled. "Of course I'm going north. I want to flatten the great desert and wipe out Gu Han."
Gu Han was a dynasty north of the Great Jing Dynasty. Its territory was vast, and it frequently invaded neighboring dynasties. During one period, the Chu Dynasty, predecessor of the Great Jing Dynasty, had been breached by Gu Han and lost over half its land. The imperial family and common people alike had suffered every humiliation, leaving the people of Great Jing with a hatred for Gu Han carved into their bones.
Aside from pursuing immortality, the current emperor's greatest ambition was to flatten Gu Han and achieve a feat that would endure for all ages.
Jiang Changsheng smiled. "For an imperial son to join the army will not be easy. You'd better think it through."
Jiang Yu grinned. "There's no helping it. If I don't join the army, I can't compete with my eldest brother."
Jiang Changsheng froze. This was the first time Jiang Yu had revealed his ambition to him.
The false Crown Prince's faction had grown ever stronger. It was said that he had already taken control of two of the Six Ministries, while the capital's government offices were personally supervised by him. At sixteen, he already possessed the ability to handle state affairs. Many people had begun looking forward to the golden age he might bring to Great Jing after ascending the throne.
As for the current emperor, the people held many complaints against him. Constructing the Grand Canal truly exhausted both the people and the treasury.
Jiang Changsheng followed up, "Then I wish you success."
Jiang Yu asked curiously, "If my eldest brother or another imperial son came to win you over in the coming years, would you go down the mountain?"
He appeared casual, but his heart was tense beyond measure.
Jiang Changsheng shook his head with a laugh. "Of course not. If I cared for fame and profit, I would have long listened to His Majesty and gone to participate in the Martial Arts Imperial Examination."
Jiang Yu smiled and turned to leave.
"Brother Changsheng, wait for the day I ride back to the capital! I'll carry your martial arts forward upon the battlefield!"
The young man's laughter echoed among the buildings. At fourteen, he was brimming with confidence and soaring vigor.
Jiang Changsheng looked at the pastries beside him, a regretful expression appearing on his face.
He would not be able to eat such delicious pastries for a long time.
The Fourth Prince's departure from the capital did not create any ripples there. The current emperor had more than ten sons, and a Crown Prince had already been established. The Fourth Prince did not have much presence.
Jiang Changsheng did not slack off after breaking through to the fourth layer of the Dao Follows Nature Skill. He cultivated diligently every day.
As the days passed, the leaves within Dragon Arising Temple began turning yellow, heralding the arrival of autumn.
Dragon Arising Temple had returned to its former state. Every few days, nobles and high officials came to burn incense and seek the Dao, while wandering heroes came to stay and cultivate peace of mind. Though Jiang Changsheng was the Third Disciple, he did not usually receive guests. The other disciples handled such matters. At present, Meng Qiushuang, his Second Senior Sister, oversaw Dragon Arising Temple.
Meng Qiuhe and Meng Qiushuang were blood siblings. Their parents had been killed by bandits when they were young, but Taoist Priest Qingxu had fortunately rescued them and brought them both up the mountain.
At noon, Jiang Changsheng sat cross-legged atop the Dao Bell Tower, facing the blazing sun as he circulated his skill, drew in qi, and absorbed the energy of heaven and earth.
Qing Ku suddenly ran beneath the tower and shouted, "Something terrible has happened, Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother has run away again!"
Jiang Changsheng opened his eyes and rose to the railing, looking down at Qing Ku. "What do you mean? Are you talking about Senior Brother Meng or Senior Brother Li?"
"Of course Senior Brother Meng! More precisely, another Eldest Senior Brother has run away!"
Qing Ku answered urgently, his tone filled with anxiety.
Jiang Changsheng frowned, then flipped over the railing and landed lightly like a white crane. Qing Ku was already accustomed to his movement technique and immediately led the way.
The two quickly arrived before the Hall of Bright Mind. Most of the disciples had gathered there. Those absent were either guarding the mountain gate or receiving guests.
Inside the hall, Taoist Priest Qingxu stood with his back to them, a letter in his hand, silent.
Meng Qiushuang gritted her teeth. "Master, I'll go find him!"
Jiang Changsheng was surprised. Meng Qiuhe had gone down the mountain without taking his own sister?
Taoist Priest Qingxu sighed. "No need. Respect his choice. Qiu He is different from Changqing. He has not joined the Devil Sect. He merely seeks greater strength. Perhaps you will meet him again in the capital someday."
He turned around and looked at the disciples.
Seeing his calm expression, Jiang Changsheng realized that he must have long suspected this.
"Let Qiushuang take the position of Eldest Disciple. The other disciples will each advance in rank accordingly," Taoist Priest Qingxu announced.
Jiang Changsheng had become the Second Senior Brother. He felt rather helpless. His promotion had come too quickly.
Won't I become Eldest Senior Brother in another two years?
"Changsheng, come with me."
Taoist Priest Qingxu flicked his whisk and turned to leave. Jiang Changsheng hurriedly followed upon hearing this.
The other disciples continued discussing Meng Qiuhe's descent from the mountain.
They passed through the Hall of Bright Mind and entered a long corridor. The noise outside gradually faded away. Jiang Changsheng followed behind Taoist Priest Qingxu, his thoughts churning as he wondered what the old priest wished to say.
Jiang Changsheng still wanted to know whether Taoist Priest Qingxu knew of his origins and what he thought of them. Only then could he decide how to seek revenge.
He still was not certain whether anyone in the capital could defeat him, so he had to be cautious.
They eventually arrived at a secluded courtyard. It was not large, and an ancient tree stood within it. Its trunk twisted like a dragon's body, its dense autumn leaves swaying in the wind, while a ring of yellow leaves had already accumulated upon the ground.
Taoist Priest Qingxu stopped, gazed at the old tree, and slowly said, "Changsheng, do you wish to go down the mountain?"
Jiang Changsheng was stunned and hurriedly asked, "Master, why do you wish to drive me down the mountain?"
He had not expected Taoist Priest Qingxu to mean this.
Taoist Priest Qingxu said calmly, "If you are unwilling to go down the mountain, would you be willing to become the abbot of Dragon Arising Temple in the future?"
Before you continue