Parting

Sitting in front of the Daoist Black Shoes was a middle-aged cultivator. He wore a felt hat and had no hair or beard, but this did not affect his handsome face in the slightest.

The cultivator's attention wasn't really on the grand competition below; instead, he would occasionally glance at a piece of ice in front of him, his eyes holding a somewhat indescribable expression.

Seeing the Daoist Black Shoes turn back, the cultivator turned around and spoke, his voice surprisingly aged. "Did that young Kang's disciple win?"

"Yes, Lord Shan has keen insight," the Daoist Black Shoes replied respectfully.

"Heh, not at all. I haven't even looked down there much. I just thought that young Kang's disciple has more experience, so he should be able to win." Lord Yin Shan, whose appearance had changed, spoke with a hint of self-mockery.

After speaking with the Daoist Black Shoes, he turned to look at the ice mirror in front of him, and as he spoke softly, there was a hint of regret in his voice. "I never knew before that I would look like this when I got old."

I rarely took my own eyes when I was young, thinking it was too girly. After some misfortune, I didn't take them for many years. These past few days, I suddenly took some, and I feel like I haven't had enough of them."

"Lord Shan," the Daoist Black Shoes wanted to say something, but he couldn't get the words out, as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

"It's nothing. This is a scene I've never even dreamed of. In the past hundred years, these past few days have been the most enjoyable I've ever felt." Lord Shan straightened his brocade robes and subconsciously reached for his ears, only to find his hands empty.

Only then did he realize that the vines beside his ear had withered and fallen after he shed his demonic form.

Lord Shan smiled again, showing no fear even though he knew he was going to die. He then looked at the Daoist Black Shoes and said softly, "Come, let me play another game with you."

"Yes,"

The Daoist Black Shoes laid out the chess set, and the Lord Shan sat down opposite him with great interest. As expected, in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Daoist Black Shoes was utterly defeated and routed.

"Your chess skills are nowhere near as good as your Swordsmanship." The victorious Lord Yin Shan felt bored and tapped the chessboard, and the scattered pieces fell back into the chess jar in an orderly fashion.

"Cheer up! If I wanted to see you looking so miserable, I'd rather die at that brat Qin's hands."

After these words, the Daoist Black Shoes remained silent, but Lord Yin Shan laughed out loud, "You lad, your temperament is indeed quite poor. You must have had some fortuitous encounters, otherwise, with your aptitude alone, it would be extremely difficult to cultivate to such a level."

These words were already quite harsh, but the Daoist Black Shoes showed no anger whatsoever, merely bowing in agreement. Lord Yin Shan, however, smiled and said, "You've become one of the most prominent figures in Cloud Horn Prefecture. Logically speaking, I, an old man, have no right to speak to you about matters of cultivation."

At this point, Lord Yin Shan paused again, and after a long while, he asked again, "You still remember Chen Ye, don't you?"

How could the Daoist Black Shoes forget that name? Although he didn't know why Lord Yin Shan would mention this scourge, he still respectfully replied, "Of course I remember."

After nodding, the smile on Lord Yin Shan's face suddenly faded, "This scoundrel may have a thousand faults, but his sincerity and sincerity in his Daoist heart are beyond question."

The Daoist Black Shoes silently considered Chen Ye's actions for a while, then nodded and said, "I understand, lad."

"Simply knowing is not enough," Lord Yin Shan shook his head and said again:

The eight characters "perseverance can carve even metal and stone" are so well-known that even young children in elementary school can recite them fluently. However, among those who cultivate themselves, very few can truly achieve them.

In all my years of cultivation, I've encountered countless cultivators. But honestly, perhaps only Chen Ye truly deserves to be called one.

The Daoist Black Shoes paused for a moment, then remained silent before speaking again, "This young man is capable of doing it."

"That's fine," Lord Yin Shan said, not bothering to argue with the Daoist Black Shoes. He simply turned back to look at the ice mirror, his voice now tinged with a weariness, "Boy, you must promise me you won't become the next Chen Ye."

The Daoist Black Shoes's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly shouted, "That can't be!"

"That's good then," Lord Yin Shan's lips curled up again, his self-deprecating expression deepening. He didn't turn around in a hurry, but simply murmured to himself in the ice mirror:

"Some people cultivate to the Golden Core or Nascent Soul, living for a thousand years. But in the end, they don't even know if they are still themselves. I may be old and useless, but fortunately, I can still be myself for a few days before I die."

The Daoist Black Shoes was about to speak when Lord Yin Shan stopped him with a wave of his hand. The latter stared intently at the ice mirror, his tone becoming much more indifferent. "I really don't have the time. Go watch the competition down there and come back to tell me. My eyes just can't take them off."

Kang Changyi hadn't expected that his opponent in the fourth round would be Jin Shilun, who had just fought Song Cheng and was still injured. The latter looked somewhat disheveled, with even the willow-leaf longsword in his hand having a nick.

Seeing this, Kang Changyi didn't rush to make a move. He first exchanged pleasantries on the stage. "Senior brother, how badly are you injured?"

Jin Shilun just grinned, his words carrying a hint of satisfaction:

"It's nothing serious, just a superficial injury. I miscalculated before; I hadn't seen Junior Brother Song for a long time, and I didn't expect him to be so powerful after advancing to the True Disciple. That's why I suffered a slight loss. But if you junior brothers want to surpass us old guys, I'm afraid you'll need to cultivate for a while longer."

Kang Changyi's expression softened upon hearing this, and he was about to ask a few more questions when the referee, Jiang Qing, urged, "A loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer. I've already said no more idle talk, let's get started!"

Few among the younger generation of the sect were not afraid of this cold-faced senior uncle. After hearing his voice, Jin and Kang dared not disobey.

Jiang Qing gave the order casually, and Kang Changyi, without any further politeness, preemptively brandished his trident and said in a deep voice, "Then Junior Brother will have to take advantage today; it would be unfair to win."

Jin Shilun did not answer, but chuckled lightly. He wielded the willow-leaf knife in his hand with great speed and skill, disregarding its damaged blade. With each swing, he flung away several fragments of spirit iron and charged straight at the trident.

For a moment, the clang of metal on metal was deafening, and the glint of halberds and the flash of blades clashed fiercely in the arena.

Kang Changyi, having conserved his energy, was in high spirits; Jin Shilun, despite his injuries, fought on and held his own, leaving the defeated disciples who had gathered around to watch in utter exclamations of how exciting and thrilling it was.

The disciples enjoyed the duel, but the sect leaders did not fully approve of it.

Zhou Yixiu frowned slightly, leaned close to Kang Dabao, and said frankly, "Sect Leader, this Brother Yi is somewhat lacking compared to Shilun."

Even Zhou Yixiu, who was not good at fighting, could see some signs, so Pei Yi naturally saw them even more clearly.

After thinking for a while, he continued, "That's right. The resources my sister-in-law has spent on Changyi over the years could probably cultivate a whole bunch of late-stage cultivators. Yet Changyi still couldn't defeat Shilun, who was only at 60% strength after a fierce battle, and the latter didn't even have a backup plan."

This unusual situation was obvious to everyone, and even the Sect Leader Kang Da sighed in a low voice, "This lad's Cultivation Method not bad, and he has also put a lot of effort into nurturing his Hong Grade Law Artifact. He is quite capable, but he has less experience in battle than Shilun."

Zhou Yixiu, having witnessed many grand occasions over the years and boasting of his keen eye, agreed, saying, "Yes, in my opinion, it won't be long before Brother Yi is at a disadvantage."

Sect Leader Kang Da shook his head again, and simply said:

"I've always said that jade needs to be carved to become a useful object, but my wife can't bear to see our child suffer. She even argues that once cultivation progresses, the ability to fight will naturally follow. Rather than wasting effort on Qi Refinement, it's better to become a True Cultivator as soon as possible."

Upon hearing that Fei Shuhe in this matter, Zhou Yixiu's tone became more tactful. Even though he didn't agree with the underlying meaning, he changed his tune and said:

"Sister- Fei Household comes from a wealthy family, and her knowledge and experience are far superior to ours. Upon closer examination, this statement does make sense."

Compared to Zhou Yixiu, Pei Yi was much more direct. After hearing Kang Dabao's words, he still said, "If you hold such thoughts, you might end up raising a spoiled brat."

"Who can argue with that?" Sect Leader Kang Da sighed after hearing this. "But she still had something to say. She said that if high-ranking cultivators were to fight to the death with worthless Rogue Cultivator for a little bit of cultivation resources, that would be truly unreasonable."

After Kang Dabao finished speaking, Pei Yi was also taken aback. After all, to be fair, Fei Shuhe's words were not without reason. Even he began to reflect on whether he was too ignorant to see the truth in the matter.

Seeing that Pei and Zhou were actually pondering these words, Sect Leader Kang Da immediately coughed a few times to draw their attention to him.

"Of course this makes no sense. A useless person during the Qi Refinement She Mountain Hall is still useless once they become True Cultivator, right? Otherwise, how could I, an outsider, have won first place in the small competition for those under 150 years old at Sheshan Hall?"

This was a rare moment of glory in the life of Sect Leader Kang Da, and his two junior brothers found his words quite reasonable.

Pei Yi had prepared his thoughts, about to say something, but as soon as Kang Dabao finished speaking, the outcome of the match was already decided on the stage.

Kang Changyi found an opening in Jin Shilun's defenses and used his trident to lock the latter's willow-leaf blade. This top-grade Law Artifact was truly remarkable; even though Kang Changyi's spiritual power was much weaker than Jin Shilun's, he still managed to immobilize the murderous willow-leaf blade.

However, just as a slight sense of pride arose in his heart, the situation changed.

But then Jin Shilun suddenly released his hand seals, ignoring the fact that his magical Law Artifact was locked by Kang Changyi. He moved swiftly, like a white ape, following the wind and shadows as he rushed over.

"White Ape Step? Or is it an improved version by Second Uncle?!" Kang Changyi hadn't expected Jin Shilun to have this as a backup plan, but he wasn't too flustered.

He knew that his cultivation was ultimately insufficient. Once he summoned his defensive Law Artifact and was caught in the latter's continuous attacks, he would probably not be able to hold out for long before revealing a weakness, which would be exactly what Jin Shilun had planned.

"Then let's fight fire with fire!" Kang Changyi made up his mind. Seeing that Jin Shilun had already come close, he suddenly raised his hand and flicked it, and a short dagger swiftly shot out, aiming at Jin Shilun's vital point between the eyebrows.

Kang Changyi's short spikes were clearly of a high grade, and judging from his movements, he must have put in considerable effort. His speed was so fast that even Jiang Qing on the sidelines raised his eyebrows slightly.

However, he made no move, ignoring the fact that Jin Shilun was already in danger. Only when the short spike was an inch closer to Jin Shilun's brow did Jiang Qing murmur softly, "Defeat."

"What?!" Kang Changyi saw Jin Shilun, who was rushing towards him, suddenly stop. He used the White Ape Step to easily turn around and change direction, avoiding the short dagger that Kang Changyi suddenly launched.

"Did Senior Brother Jin deliberately lure me into making a move? But what's the point?"

Just as Kang Changyi had this thought, a vine covered in sharp thorns suddenly sprouted from beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, it grew to the height of a person and then bound him tightly without any regard for reason.

"It was those few flourishes of the knife that Senior Brother Jin made after Third Uncle gave the order!" Kang Changyi realized this too late. No matter how frustrated he was, the thorns on the vines still pierced through his immortal robes without mercy, and blood seeped out, staining the robes bright red.

"Ouch!" Kang Changyi, who had never suffered much hardship since childhood, cried out in pain, and his grip on the trident loosened involuntarily.

Jin Shilun had been waiting for this moment. He murmured something, and his hand gestures changed several times. The willow-leaf knife, which had been tightly gripped by the trident, suddenly trembled.

With a "bang," another small piece of the blade broke off, but it was managed to be pulled out.

Jin Shilun had already rushed out before the willow-leaf dagger was damaged again. The White Ape Step moved swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, it had regained its grip on the broken dagger. At this moment, Kang Changyi could not sit idly by and wait for death. He quickly used his Divine Sense to pull out several high-quality talismans from his Storage Bag.

"Bang!" A ball of lightning and sparks landed on Kang Changyi, but the vines on his body were only half burned and he was still not free. His throat was hit by the strong wind, leaving a white mark.

Jin Shilun held the broken knife to Kang Changyi's throat and whispered, "Junior brother, forgive me!"

"Jin Shilun wins!" Jiang Qing said in a low voice, expressionless. Kang Changyi looked somewhat regretful and said, "Junior Brother is convinced."

"No, no, when I was your age, I could... Hey, Third Uncle, please don't hit me! My junior brother and I will go down now!"

The two, who hadn't learned their lesson, were chased away by Jiang Qing after exchanging pleasantries. Kang Dabao, sitting on the platform, sighed, "If it were a life-or-death struggle, my foolish son would have been killed by Shilun three times over."

Zhou Yixiu sighed, "I thought I'd gotten old and my eyesight was failing me, and I'd made a mistake this time."

Pei Yi offered words of comfort, "If Brother Yi had been more experienced and had discovered the seeds of vines that Shilun had planted at the beginning, he wouldn't have lost so quickly."

The Sect Leader Kang Da's mood did not improve upon hearing this. He shook his head again, thinking to himself, "This son really cannot be raised like this any longer."

The three of them were silent for a moment, then continued reading.

In the fifth round, Jin Shilun easily defeated an inner disciple with good luck in the draw. In the sixth round, he defeated Wei Gu, the top cultivator of his generation, who had meticulously crafted the Illusionary Heart Array Plate. In the seventh round, he fought a fierce battle with his old rival Ye Yaoling and won a narrow victory. In the eighth round, he was finally unable to fight anymore and was easily knocked off the stage by Duan Anle.

As expected, Duan Anle faced Kang Rongquan, who had just defeated Ming Zhe. These two Foundation Establishment seeds, favored by the higher-ups of the Chongming Sect, were indeed a step ahead of the other disciples.

Thus began a competition that, in the eyes of the lower-ranking disciples, was nothing short of earth-shattering.

Following Jiang Qing's order, Kang Rongquan's wood-based Technique Method emerged in endless variations; Duan Anle, with a solid foundation and the support of the Gray Spirit Falcon, steadily advanced without showing any signs of weakness.

The audience gasped in surprise. Some of the more credulous ones even began recording the entire duel, intending to compile it into a book later to help their two senior brothers gain fame.

While the audience on stage showed some relief, they were hardly excited.

This is because, so far, the two disciples' performances have been nothing more than those of ordinary Foundation Establishment seed cultivators. Even with such performances, they are still far from being as amazing as Tie Xishui back then, let alone Jiang Qing, who fought against the Fire Dragon Daoist.

After about fifteen minutes of fighting, Duan Anle was still one move behind and was defeated along with the Gray Spirit Falcon.

Kang Rongquan's temperament has clearly become much more composed. If he had won first place in the competition a few years ago, he probably would have been smug and proud on the spot.

At this moment, however, he only bowed Duan Anle, then ignored the Pseudo Spirit Artifact and the Reed Flower Pill that were right in front of him, and turned to look in the direction of the pavilion.

At this moment, as he gazed upon the pavilion, Sect Leader Kang Da was smiling at Pei Yi, who was beaming with satisfaction, saying, "In the end, it was Junior Brother Pei's disciple who defeated my disciple. Rongquan is indeed quite impressive."

Pei Yi, who always maintained a gentlemanly demeanor, made no attempt at modesty this time. He simply smiled and said, "Junior brother, please go and call him up."

"No rush," the Daoist Black Shoes spoke first, then stepped in from outside the pavilion, saying to the crowd, "I'm taking Rongquan, the top-ranked contestant, to see Lord Shan."

Everyone readily agreed. When Sect Leader Kang Da heard this, he wanted to follow, but was stopped by the Daoist Black Shoes. Although Kang Dabao was surprised, he did not ask any questions and simply watched as the latter led the slightly bewildered Kang Rongquan towards the other pavilion.

Confused, Kang Rongquan followed the Daoist Black Shoes step by step and saw a handsome middle-aged Daoist on the high platform.

"This is."

"It's me," Lord Yin Shan said, looking up from the mirror at Kang Rongquan's surprised expression. He then smiled and asked, "Is this the Double Brightness of Chongming's competition this time?"

The Daoist Black Shoes respectfully responded, and after briefly describing Kang Rongquan's performance, added, "Acceptable, but lacking in talent."

"Hey," Lord Shan glared at the Daoist Black Shoes before pulling Kang Rongquan aside and saying, "To be able to prepare for Foundation Establishment at such a young age, you are truly promising and have unlimited potential."

"This junior dares not accept such praise from you Lord Shan!" Although the Daoist's face was unfamiliar, Kang Rongquan could easily guess who he was just by looking at the attitude of the Daoist Black Shoes and his expression.

"Very well, the next generation of the Chongming Sect still has Foundation Establishment. Even if something changes along the way, it should still be able to keep Ping and Jin counties at peace for a while." After laughing, Lord Shan looked at the ice mirror again.

Having gazed at the human form in the mirror for so long, he had almost forgotten what the body of the monkey that had been carried for a hundred years looked like. The joy in his eyes was almost overflowing.

"Boy, boy! I, Yin Hongying, came into this world as a human, and I will leave as a human, without regret! Don't forget what you promised me. I'm going to die now, so go, go!"

"Lord Shan! Lord Shan! Lord Shan!!" Kang Rongquan, who had just entered the place, saw Lord Yin Shan collapse and immediately rushed to help him up, panicking and calling out repeatedly.

The Daoist Black Shoes stood silently, his chin lowered, but his eyes were already wet with tears. As Kang Rongquan's calls grew more urgent, he finally couldn't hold back any longer and roared, "Get Kang Dabao over here!!"