What had to come would come.
Qu Youmeng looked somewhat guilty. Her gaze darted away, and she shook her head dejectedly.
"I've disappointed you, Master. I've let you down. I failed to take first place in the competition..."
"Oh?"
Heavenly Venerable Yunli was surprised. She had not expected such an answer. A barely perceptible trace of disappointment flashed through her eyes, but looking at the guilty, self-reproachful Qu Youmeng before her, she ultimately only sighed softly, without voicing any reproach.
"It's all right. I know you've done your best. Don't be too hard on yourself."
"But... if you didn't take first place, who could have?"
Heavenly Venerable Yunli was genuinely curious.
She knew those so-called geniuses of the Azure Yang Sword Sect like the back of her hand. Even the Holy Son and Holy Maiden were not strong enough to threaten her disciple, and no one knew her disciple's talent better than she did.
There should not have been anyone capable of matching her in this sect competition...
At her words, a trace of embarrassment crossed Qu Youmeng's face.
"First place went to... Senior Sister Su Lianxin."
"What?"
This time, it was Heavenly Venerable Yunli's turn to be astonished.
Su Lianxin? Senior Sister?
She knew how proud her disciple was. For her to sincerely address someone as senior sister, was this Su Lianxin... really the Su Lianxin she knew?
But wasn't that Su Lianxin a youngster at the ninth level of Body Refining? How could she have interfered with her disciple's victory?
And even taken first place...
How was that possible?
She could not understand.
After all, the gap between the ninth level of Body Refining and the fourth level of the Earth Profound Realm was not a few minor realms, but several major realms... overcoming that through strength was as difficult as ascending to heaven!
No, it could even be called utterly impossible!
Besides, she knew her own disciple best. Her disciple had learned quite a few of her techniques. Never mind a mere Azure Yang Sword Sect-even against the Profound Domain's top geniuses at the same realm, she might well have been able to put up a fight.
For her to suffer a defeat, her halberd broken and buried in the sands of the Azure Yang Sword Sect's competition, was all the more inconceivable.
Qu Youmeng also knew that her finishing second was far too unbelievable. She sighed helplessly and began explaining.
"Master, this is what happened..."
A short while later, the bitter smile on Qu Youmeng's face grew increasingly helpless as she recounted the entire course of the Azure Yang Sword Sect's competition.
Only after hearing Qu Youmeng's explanation did Heavenly Venerable Yunli finally understand what had happened. The shock that followed nearly made her lose her composure.
A Thearch Grade cultivation method?
The shock deep within Heavenly Venerable Yunli was beyond compare.
That cultivation method the Starfall Peak Master gave my disciple back then... was a Thearch Grade cultivation method?
This...
Even when she was alive, at her peak, with Heavenly Venerable Realm strength, she had never possessed a Thearch Grade cultivation method.
Thearch Grade cultivation methods existed almost exclusively within supreme imperial palaces and sacred lands. They were simply not something a Heavenly Venerable like her could covet.
She might have already reached the Heavenly Venerable Realm, seemingly only one step away from the Thearch Realm, but only she knew best just how vast that gap was.
Though a Heavenly Venerable stood at the pinnacle of the Venerable Realm, before a Thearch Realm expert, they were no different from an ant. The further one advanced, the more terrifying the gulf between each major realm became!
Over so many years, very few had become Thearchs. Those who did were either masters of imperial palaces and great sects or rulers of sacred lands. Every one of them was a titan who held sway over an entire region.
A Thearch Grade cultivation method stood at the same grade as a Thearch Realm expert. Its rarity was easy to imagine.
In such a tiny Azure Yang Sword Sect, the unassuming Peak Master of a bottom-ranked peak could actually produce a Thearch Grade cultivation method, and even teach it to his disciples...
Even within supreme great sects and imperial palaces, Thearch Grade cultivation methods were exceedingly precious. Only their most central members had the opportunity to cultivate them.
Just who was this Lin Xuan?
Of course, what Heavenly Venerable Yunli did not know was that the Azure Emperor Scripture was not actually Thearch Grade, but... Saint Grade!
However, the Azure Emperor Scripture in Qu Youmeng's hands contained only its first level.
The Azure Emperor Scripture had seven levels in total. The first three were Thearch Grade, while the fourth and above were... Saint Grade!
"Youmeng, take me to meet that master of yours..."
Elsewhere, not long after sending Wang Yan off to cultivate, Lin Xuan found a troubled-looking young woman standing before him.
This lovely young woman was none other than Lin Xuan's nominal disciple, Qu Youmeng.
Lin Xuan was not surprised by her arrival.
He raised his head and glanced at the virtual panel above Qu Youmeng's head, gaining a thorough understanding of her condition.
Name: Qu Youmeng Age: 17 Realm: Earth Profound Realm, fourth level Identity: Starfall Peak disciple Heavenly fate: Nether Water Profound Physique (orange, eighth grade) Recent events: Following the awakening of the Heavenly Venerable Realm soul within her, she became dejected and despondent over failing to take first place in the sect competition for her.
"Master..."
Stepping into the hall, Qu Youmeng slowly spoke, only to realize that she seemed to have addressed him as master just once or twice over these past few months.
Compared with Su Lianxin and Wang Yan, she not only had little presence but had deliberately distanced herself from everything on Starfall Peak.
In her view, she would not remain on Starfall Peak, or even in the Azure Yang Sword Sect, for very long. There was no need to have much involvement with the people here.
She could not help giving a bitter laugh, once again confronting the arrogance deep within her heart.
Before this, although she had taken Lin Xuan as her master, she had never truly regarded him as her master.
A mere Tribulation Realm cultivator... not even at the King Realm. What right did he have to be called my master?
In her heart, only the Heavenly Venerable Realm soul within her-Heavenly Venerable Yunli-had ever been a true expert, and the master she acknowledged.
But now she realized.
She seemed to have been wrong.
And utterly, terribly wrong!
Especially after reading through the Azure Emperor Scripture, Qu Youmeng deeply realized that this nominal master of hers was nothing like what he appeared on the surface... merely calling him extraordinary could hardly describe him.
The Azure Emperor Scripture... never mind the Azure Yang Sword Sect, it was not something that should have existed even within the entire Profound Domain.
It was something that would shock even her master, Heavenly Venerable Yunli.
Lin Xuan calmly watched Qu Youmeng, whose voice sounded awkward, and saw through her thoughts at a glance.
Had she gone back and read the Azure Emperor Scripture after Su Lianxin's pointers, and now come to pledge allegiance to me?
Whether she pledged allegiance did not really matter.
What mattered was...
"Calling me master sounds far too forced. Enough. Since you're not used to it, just call me Peak Master. I'm afraid if you call me master too often, that real master inside you will be displeased."
Without holding anything back, without even leaving her a scrap to cover her embarrassment, Lin Xuan dragged Qu Youmeng's most deeply hidden secret into the open.
The moment his words fell, Qu Youmeng, who had been hanging her head, suddenly looked up in disbelief. Her pupils contracted, and her face turned unnaturally pale as she stared at Lin Xuan in terror.
Inside me...
My real master?
Lin Xuan knew?!
He knew there was a Heavenly Venerable Realm soul hidden inside me?
How was that possible!
The terror in Qu Youmeng's heart almost reached its peak. Had she not possessed enough self-control, she might have turned and fled.
Back then, her master had personally said that even a Venerable Realm cultivator might not detect her presence if she deliberately concealed herself.
This Lin Xuan before me...
Just what was going on!?
Not only was Qu Youmeng startled, but even Heavenly Venerable Yunli was not spared.
She almost thought she had failed to conceal herself properly, then rejected that notion, staring in horror at the calm-faced Lin Xuan.
How did he know I existed?
"Don't panic. I mean no harm."
Even without seeing Heavenly Venerable Yunli's expression, Lin Xuan could tell how frightened this master and disciple were. He smiled faintly and offered reassurance.
Qu Youmeng, however, struggled to speak. Only after a long while did she ask with difficulty.
"Master... Peak Master, you knew all along?"
Naturally.
Lin Xuan nodded casually, then said, "Although I don't know your purpose, you didn't mean any harm either way, and you couldn't affect me, so I left you to it."
But ultimately, who wasn't making use of one another?
Lin Xuan was also merely making use of her, using her talent to aid his own cultivation.
Of course, Lin Xuan had also provided compensation. The first level of the Azure Emperor Scripture was that compensation. Unfortunately, Qu Youmeng had lacked the patience to give it another look back then, and only now discovered its profundities.
Hearing Lin Xuan's words, Qu Youmeng could not help drawing a deep breath.
Oh, Master, Master. It turned out the Peak Master had known about your existence all along!
An inexplicable sense of shame welled up in her heart.
To think the two of them had believed that, within this tiny Azure Yang Sword Sect, no one could sway them, much less discover them. As it turned out, they had only been full of themselves.
Silently watching the changes in Qu Youmeng's expression, Lin Xuan leisurely added another remark.
"Since I've given it to you, I won't take it back. You may cultivate the Azure Emperor Scripture, but if you want the later portions, you'll need to truly take me as your master... of course, that requires your other master's consent first."
Lin Xuan would not readily bestow the later levels of the Azure Emperor Scripture. The first three were manageable, still only Thearch Grade, but from the fourth level onward, the Azure Emperor Scripture was no longer a Thearch Grade cultivation method, but a Saint Grade one.
Unless the recipient was absolutely loyal to him, Lin Xuan would not give it to them.
Having already been mentioned several times in succession, Heavenly Venerable Yunli sighed softly within Qu Youmeng. She knew Lin Xuan wanted to see her stance.
Her figure shifted, and she stepped out of Qu Youmeng's body. With light, graceful steps, she appeared within Starfall Peak's great hall and greeted Lin Xuan with the courtesy due a fellow Daoist.
"Yunli greets you, fellow Daoist."
"I never introduced myself and concealed my presence until now. I hope you will forgive me, fellow Daoist."
She knew that the moment Lin Xuan exposed her, she and her disciple had already fallen into the inferior position. But at this point, she had no other choice.
Now, she could only grit her teeth and take a gamble on whether this Fellow Daoist Lin would be willing to...
Extend a helping hand!
The graceful immortal beauty who emerged from Qu Youmeng's body nodded slightly to Lin Xuan, her expression calm and friendly.
She was Heavenly Venerable Yunli, that Heavenly Venerable Realm soul, and the true master Qu Youmeng had kept hidden all along.
This was Lin Xuan's first time truly seeing this Heavenly Venerable's soul. She did not look quite as ethereal as he had imagined, but she was indeed a peerless beauty.
Her attitude was not arrogant. Addressing him as fellow Daoist placed herself and Lin Xuan on equal footing, without daring to put on any airs.
Even though she had been a Heavenly Venerable in life, faced with the mysterious Lin Xuan, circumstances were no longer what they had been. Heavenly Venerable Yunli could not adopt a lofty attitude.
"So you're Youmeng's master?"
Neither Lin Xuan nor Heavenly Venerable Yunli intended to come to blows. Their meeting was exceptionally cordial.
But there was one thing Lin Xuan found curious.
"Though you're a soul now, you were still a Heavenly Venerable Realm cultivator in life. Why lie low in this tiny Azure Yang Sword Sect of the Tangqing Empire? Even if Qu Youmeng's strength made you delight in finding a promising talent, you could have taken her to a major sect in the Profound Domain for better nurturing, couldn't you?"
Hearing this, a bitter smile surfaced on Heavenly Venerable Yunli's face, and she slowly shook her head.
"Nothing escapes you, fellow Daoist. I acted this way for an object within the Azure Sun Secret Realm."
She did not conceal anything and directly stated her purpose.
"Only members of the Azure Yang Sword Sect can enter its Azure Sun Secret Realm. There is a treasure inside that can help me reconstruct my physical body!"
"As for me..." A hint of desolation and gloom crept over her face. "As you can see, I am indeed not from the Profound Domain. I came from beyond it, but after being betrayed by my disciple, I was plotted against by several mortal enemies and perished, losing my physical body."
At this point, she smiled helplessly and looked at Lin Xuan. "What a coincidence. The same experience as yours, Fellow Daoist Lin."
Heavenly Venerable Yunli's words left Lin Xuan sighing inwardly. Thinking of Nangong Yaoyue, who had abandoned Starfall Peak, he looked at the dignified, elegant Heavenly Venerable before him and sighed in his heart.
She was another unfortunate soul.
He had merely been betrayed. Nangong Yaoyue had not gone so far as to kill him.
When it came to misery, Heavenly Venerable Yunli certainly had it worse.
"After losing my physical body, my soul luckily escaped and drifted into the Profound Domain. Later, I met Youmeng and was drawn to her talent. The two of us shared the fate of master and disciple, so after testing her, I accepted her as my disciple."
Hearing herself mentioned, Qu Youmeng made an effort to straighten her back. She looked toward her master's translucent soul form, her brow filled with worry that would not disperse.
Master... had her soul grown a little fainter again?
Heavenly Venerable Yunli did not notice her disciple's concern. Calmly and helplessly, she recounted the story of her journey.
"Later... I sensed that there was something within the Azure Yang Sword Sect that could help me reconstruct my physical body, so I had Youmeng join temporarily. I intended to obtain that treasure before deciding what to do next. I thought it would go smoothly, but never imagined..."
As she spoke, Heavenly Venerable Yunli sighed.
Over these years, she had poured her heart's blood into nurturing Qu Youmeng. Though she had plans to reconstruct her body and return to life, she had truly treated Qu Youmeng as her beloved disciple, teaching her everything she knew.
But things had gone against her wishes. Qu Youmeng had fallen beneath the sword of a dark horse that appeared out of nowhere. She could no longer enter the Azure Sun Secret Realm or obtain that object, and her longing to reconstruct her body had now become a hope with no end in sight.
But...
Thinking of Su Lianxin, Heavenly Venerable Yunli's eyes stirred. She lowered her lovely, swanlike neck and pleaded sorrowfully.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, I have a presumptuous request. If you are willing to lend me a hand and retrieve the treasure within the Azure Sun Secret Realm that can reconstruct my physical body, I am willing to offer corresponding compensation. Once my physical body is restored, I will guard your path for a hundred years."
A Heavenly Venerable Realm Dao protector was truly precious. Never mind the Azure Yang Sword Sect-even the Tangqing Empire, or the entire Profound Domain, could not produce a single one. With one, a person could practically walk wherever they pleased.
A Heavenly Venerable protecting his path for a hundred years was an offer brimming with sincerity.
Heavenly Venerable Yunli also knew how generous her terms were. Having finished speaking, she looked expectantly at Lin Xuan, yearning for the answer she wished to hear.
Under Qu Youmeng and Heavenly Venerable Yunli's hopeful gazes, Lin Xuan slowly shook his head.
In an instant, both Heavenly Venerable Yunli and Qu Youmeng were deeply disappointed, bitterness showing on their faces.
But they could not blame Lin Xuan.
A moment's thought made it clear. Why should someone be willing to take risks for you over an empty, intangible promise?
How could a treasure capable of reconstructing a physical body be so easy to obtain?
Just as the two were feeling disappointed, Lin Xuan spoke again.
"I can't help you retrieve the item, but if it's just reconstructing a physical body, I do have another way."
At his words, Heavenly Venerable Yunli's heart jolted, and she looked at Lin Xuan in disbelief.
Did he even know what he was saying?
Even if she obtained the treasure in the Azure Sun Secret Realm, she could hardly say that she would definitely be able to return to life.
That treasure was only one of the things she needed to reconstruct her body. This would be an extremely lengthy process. When she decided to reconstruct her body, she had already prepared herself to spend decades, or even centuries, rebuilding it before stepping onto the path of cultivation once more.
But what had Lin Xuan said?
He actually said reconstructing a body was easy! And "just reconstructing a physical body"?
This was far too absurd...
It was no wonder Heavenly Venerable Yunli's first reaction was disbelief. After all, reconstructing a physical body was no small difficulty. This was coming back from the dead!
Not only did it require several supreme treasures, but it also required a Thearch Realm expert to personally take action. As for the price of persuading a Thearch Realm expert to act... that went without saying.
But her doubts flashed past, and Heavenly Venerable Yunli soon recalled how mysterious Lin Xuan was.
This was someone who could produce a Thearch Grade cultivation method.
Although he was not in the Thearch Realm, he was incomparably mysterious. Perhaps... he really did have a way to help her?
"You... really have a way?"
Lin Xuan did not explain his words. With a turn of his hand, he took out the Source Reformation Spirit Pill.
"This pill is called the Source Reformation Spirit Pill, a top-tier seventh-grade pill. Taking it can help someone reconstruct their physical body, and even a soul can swallow it. You can use this pill to return to the world of the living."
The small, exquisite pill rested in Lin Xuan's palm, giving off powerful fluctuations of spirituality. In the brief instant since it appeared, Heavenly Venerable Yunli had already sensed how extraordinary it was.
Though it was only seventh grade, its spiritual power fluctuations were stronger than those of some eighth-grade pills...
But a Source Reformation Spirit Pill?
She had never heard of such a thing!
But in the next instant, Heavenly Venerable Yunli noticed the clearly visible pill patterns on its surface.