"You could even say that, elsewhere, it wouldn't be impossible for you to become a sect's true disciple outright."
At Ye Lingtian's words, not only Qian Renxue but everyone watching the sky screen across Douluo Continent froze.
In Spirit Hall's Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu went rigid for half a second, then smashed the white jade armrest before him with a palm. His white beard bristled with rage.
"What a heartless, ungrateful Primordial Sect! My granddaughter clearly has the talent to be a true disciple, yet they deliberately demoted her to a maid to humiliate her! I, Qian Daoliu, can't swallow this insult!"
Beside him, Bibi Dong slowly picked at her nails, a faint, gloating smile curling her lips. "Worshipper Qian, why get so angry? Perhaps your granddaughter is willing?"
"That Ye Lingtian has a handsome face, and he's the one with real authority on Sword-Seeking Peak. As a maid, she'd be close enough to get a head start. Surely that's more comfortable than being a true disciple everyone keeps at arm's length?"
Her words nearly made Qian Daoliu pass out with rage. His face turned so black it could have dripped ink, but he couldn't find a word to refute her. He could only glare at the sky screen, gritting his teeth and swallowing his anger.
In the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Emperor Xue Ye sprang to his feet in shock, then stroked his beard and sneered. "A demoness is a demoness! What good is talent, no matter how great? She impersonated the crown prince and plotted treason. With such a blemish on her character, she wouldn't have a leg to stand on anywhere!"
"The Primordial Sect did the right thing. She deserves to be humiliated!" The assembled civil and military officials hurried to echo the emperor, and soon the hall rang with denunciations of Qian Renxue.
In Shrek Square, Yu Xiaogang was the first to recover. His face full of "I knew it all along" disdain, he immediately began tearing into her.
"I said so long ago! Someone like Qian Renxue, who disguised herself as a man and impersonated the crown prince, harbors sinister intentions and lacks virtue. What good is her talent, no matter how great?"
"Even the Primordial Sect doesn't trust her. Sending her off to be a maid is already an act of mercy! This is what happens when virtue doesn't match one's station. It was inevitable!"
Meanwhile, on the bluestone path of Sword-Seeking Peak, Qian Renxue stood stunned for a long while. At last, she clenched the hem of her robe and looked up at Ye Lingtian, who stood tall before her in his green robes. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she finally asked, "Then why... if my aptitude qualifies, must I be relegated to the position of a maid?"
Meeting her gaze, Ye Lingtian pondered, seemingly gathering his words, before speaking softly to Qian Renxue. "What do you think would happen if someone who looked like a foreigner and whose origins were unknown joined the sect?"
Qian Renxue froze at his words. So, after all that, it still came down to her looks. This world judged people by their faces a little too much, didn't it?
"See? You guessed it yourself." Ye Lingtian shrugged. "If it were you... never mind. In any case, you're in an awkward position right now. The sect can't determine whether you bear it any ill will, so it handed you over to me."
"Sword-Seeking Peak hasn't taken in anyone new for fifty years, and I'm the only one living on the whole mountain. It's quiet, and keeping an eye on you is easy. I do need someone to take care of my daily needs, too. You're a maid in name, but in truth, Sword-Seeking Peak is giving you a place to stay. It's not really mistreating you."
He paused, and seeing the shock in Qian Renxue's eyes ease a little, added, "As long as you behave well during your time on Sword-Seeking Peak, I won't be stingy with cultivation arts or magical treasures. You can rest assured of that. You have Dual Spiritual Roots, after all. You're worth the sect's investment."
Only then did Qian Renxue's expression soften considerably. So they hadn't deliberately humiliated her; they had given her a legitimate place to stay.
In all her years, when had anyone ever sheltered her in such an indirect way? She looked up again at the upright young man in green before her, and the tips of her ears couldn't help turning pale pink. "Thank you, young master," she murmured. "Qian Renxue will remember this."
Ye Lingtian waved it off without putting on airs and continued leading her up the mountain.
The higher they climbed, the quieter it became, with only the clear ringing of wind through the forest of swords. They rounded a mountainside hung with the sword tassels of disciples from generations past.
The main courtyard of Sword-Seeking Peak came into view, nestled amid the whispering pines and sea of clouds.
A ten-foot-tall slab of bluestone stood before the courtyard gate, carved with the words "Sword-Seeking." The strokes bore the force of a thousand jun, and sword Qi rushed at Qian Renxue's face, making her heart tremble.
Even the sword force of Qian Daoliu's Angel Holy Sword, which she had seen years ago, probably hadn't pressed down on her with such purity.
"You'll live in the west side courtyard, but you'll have to tidy it yourself. I won't have you working on your first day, so get your own things in order first."
Ye Lingtian pushed open the courtyard gate and pointed out her quarters. He then turned and pulled a book with a brand-new cover from the bookshelf in the main room: the Lingtian Qi-Guiding Art.
"For now, you can't learn the sect's cultivation arts, so start with this basic art I worked out myself. Oh, right. To switch cultivation arts, you have to discard your original cultivation. Take care not to damage your foundation."
Qian Renxue's fingertips had only just touched the cool pages when the words "discard your cultivation" struck her ears. She froze on the spot.
The fingertips clutching the art's cover abruptly turned white. She looked up at Ye Lingtian, her eyes filled with disbelief. "You said... I have to discard my cultivation?"
She was Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden, born with level-twenty Angel Soul Power. She had earned her Soul Saint cultivation by rolling on the edge of a blade through decades of lurking in Heaven Dou. It was the foundation carved into her very bones and blood. How could she discard it just like that?
When everyone on Douluo Continent saw this, the previously noisy square fell silent in an instant, then erupted.
"Discard her cultivation? Wouldn't that cripple her outright?!" Ning Rongrong couldn't help frowning as she exclaimed under her breath.
Dai Mubai nodded as well, his face full of disapproval. "Whatever Qian Renxue has done wrong, she's a genuine prodigy. What's the difference between destroying her cultivation and cutting off her path to survival?"
Yu Xiaogang had already stepped forward, his face full of indignation. "I said so long ago! This Primordial Sect harbors no good intentions, from top to bottom!"
"Her talent clearly qualifies her to be a true disciple, yet they insist on sending her off to be a maid. Now they even want to destroy her cultivation. Isn't it because they're afraid she'll be hard to control if she keeps it?"
"Such underhanded tricks can only fool young people who don't know any better! Only my Tang San understands the greater good and would never end up in such a predicament!"
Flender and Liu Erlong hurried to chime in.
Amid the chorus of denunciations, the temperature in Spirit Hall's Worship Hall dropped several degrees.
Qian Daoliu's chest heaved violently. He smashed the entire offering table with one palm, his white beard bristling with rage. "How dare that brat! He dares destroy the angel cultivation of my Qian Family's granddaughter! If I could cross over, I'd grind that boy's bones to dust and scatter his ashes!"
Bibi Dong sat to the side, slowly turning a teacup with her fingertips, a gloating smile on her lips. "Worshipper Qian, why get so worked up?"
"Didn't your granddaughter stay on Sword-Seeking Peak of her own free will? To remain by the side of the one she loves, what's a little cultivation worth?"
Qian Daoliu couldn't draw breath and nearly choked. His face turned so black it could have dripped ink.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, by contrast, was jubilant. Emperor Xue Ye stroked his beard and laughed. "Good! Wonderful! That demoness impersonated my crown prince for decades. Now that her cultivation has been destroyed, heaven has truly opened its eyes!"