Chapter 123 Life and Death Regardless: Before an incense stick could burn, Xi Congshuang passed through the secret passageway and walked towards the ground. ...
Before an incense stick had burned, Xi Congshuang passed through the secret passageway and walked towards the ground.
She knew time was of the essence, and such a commotion would inevitably attract attention sooner or later, so she had to leave as soon as possible.
As soon as they reached the ground, Lan Hui's voice came from afar outside the door. She also lived nearby and came over to handle the situation upon hearing the sound.
Upon hearing Lan Hui's voice, Xi Congshuang sensed something was wrong and gripped the candlestick, twisting it.
Sure enough, she immediately spotted the two disciples who had been led away.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't it be your turn to guard the main palace today?"
The two disciples seemed to respond to something, but Xi Congshuang didn't have time to listen. After confirming that everything in the secret chamber had returned to normal, she closed the door and slipped away.
Leave along the other side of the road.
Before leaving, Lan Hui's voice drifted over from afar: "You all go back to continue your duties, and you also go and say hello to the young palace master... never mind, I'll go myself."
Fighting between spirit beasts is a common occurrence; even cranes often peck at each other. The disciples in the palace didn't suspect much, assuming it was just an unexpected incident.
Lan Hui took the main road, so Xi Congshuang took a longer route to avoid running into her. Fortunately, she made it back to the cave before Lan Hui arrived.
That's how the scene just now happened.
Seeing Lan Hui leave, Xi Congshuang put down her teacup and told the truth: "I just went to the main palace. The commotion outside was caused by me."
Still agonizing over whether she was a child who needed someone to play with her, Su Wenxin was startled upon hearing this: "You caused all of this?"
Xi Congshuang hummed in agreement, calmly acknowledging it.
Su Wenxin was far from calm; just thinking about it made her heart pound with nervousness.
Thinking of Lan Hui's timely arrival, Su Wenxin glanced at the closed door, then looked at the figure sitting by the bed: "What about Senior Lan?"
What is left unsaid is self-evident.
To be honest, Xi Congshuang wasn't sure either. She was even more wary of anyone associated with the Palace Master. The only person she could trust here was Su Wenxin.
Xi Congshuang: "Lan Hui is meticulous. If she doesn't say anything, we'll pretend nothing happened. After we leave, we won't be back so soon, so you should focus on your cultivation."
Upon reflection, Su Wenxin immediately stopped overthinking. Rather than fearing things that haven't happened yet, she should focus on doing her best in the present so that she would have the energy to deal with them in the future.
Three days later, the day officially arrived for the Qingfeng Sect to participate in the disciple competition.
On the open ground in front of the immortal ship, many disciples gathered, all eager to try their skills, cultivating every day, just to make a name for themselves one day.
It is important to know that the winners of the disciple competition will be recorded by the Hundred Stories Society, which will spread the news among everyone. Moreover, the top 100 disciples will also be recorded in the World Ranking.
This is a fragment of the Heavenly Pillar Stone that supported the heavens and earth at the beginning of the creation of the Xuankun Continent. It was born and nurtured by the earth, and can communicate with the heavens and earth. It is an existence recognized by the Heavenly Dao and could not be more just.
Furthermore, our sect's senior sister's name has consistently ranked first on the world's ranking list; who doesn't know her?
However, this year, the eldest senior sister will not be able to participate. Her cultivation level has exceeded the threshold for participating in the competition, so the opportunity should be left to more people.
With a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation level, he could be considered a guest elder in a small or medium-sized sect. Compared to other new generation members, he was suspected of bullying the weak.
There were two elders leading the team, including the eldest sister, Lan Hui, who was responsible for assisting the elders in leading the team this time.
People boarded the immortal ship one after another, but it did not take off for a long time. Just as the disciples were discussing this, an unexpected person appeared on the deck of the immortal ship.
"This is……"
The newcomer had a three-foot-wide white blindfold over her eyes, her snow-white hair was tied up, and a three-inch-long ebony hairpin was inserted diagonally into her hair bun. Upon closer inspection, the shape was exactly the same as the ink dragon wooden staff she often held in her hand, which subconsciously brought back some unpleasant memories.
Her right hand was empty, no longer holding the wooden staff, because someone had taken its place.
A girl in a red dress stood beside her, carrying a long sword, and with both hands on the arms of the woman in a moon-white dress, led her onto the deck.
Compared to before, she appeared more composed and calm. If it weren't for the identical appearance, one would almost forget how unruly the drug user used to be.
The humble medicine man has risen to become the young palace master's close attendant, and he is truly different from before. His temperament and cultivation have improved by leaps and bounds.
The surrounding chatter ceased in front of Xi Congshuang, and only one thought remained in her mind—the young palace master is truly a divine being.
Many disciples were shocked. Some pinched their thighs, some looked back to see if the sun had risen in the west, and some even turned to ask the disciples around them if some elder had a mischievous urge and given them a small trial before they set off.
For example, the young master in front of us might be an illusion or something...
Various speculations arose, but none of them genuinely believed that the young palace master would appear calmly before everyone, and no one knew this beforehand.
Only Yu Se and a few disciples who had been instructed by Xi Congshuang knew that the young palace master was going to the Qingfeng Sect together. They were all people who did not like to gossip, and the more nervous they were, the more patient they became in their cultivation.
The scene that led to Xi Congshuang appearing on the deck of the ship about to depart for Qingfeng Sect seemed like an unreal dream to the disciples in the palace.
Xi Congshuang seemed oblivious to the sudden silence before her. She asked, "Where am I?"
The disciples instinctively looked around them and then into the cabin, as if there was nowhere to put this great Buddha.
"The young palace master lives upstairs with the elders. Yu Se, could you show me the way?" Lan Hui stepped out from the crowd amidst the silence and called out to a familiar figure.
Yu Se, who was holding Se, turned around in response, stopped talking with her junior sister, got up and went out.
Among the disciples, Lan Hui visited the young palace master most frequently, followed by Yu Se.
She no longer saw the young palace master as a monster; after all, he was someone she had been dragged along by the collar. She smiled and waved to Su Wenxin, "Miss Su, come this way. I'll take you and the young palace master upstairs."
In fact, everyone's fear is not without reason. Anyone would be afraid of a powerful person who is not rational. The pillar in the training ground is the best example.
As soon as Xi Congshuang moved, the disciples on the deck spontaneously separated and watched the two leave.
Su Wenxin, carrying a long sword, reminded him, "Go forward, there is a threshold every fifteen steps."
Su Wenxin has grown quite a bit taller recently and is gradually able to keep up with Xi Congshuang's pace. One day she will be able to wear a long sword at her waist without the scabbard scraping the ground as she walks.
The primary task is to cultivate quickly and grow taller.
Fifteen steps later, Xi Congshuang crossed the threshold with perfect precision.
Among the disciples passing by, some were looking at the young palace master, whose name they had only heard of but never seen, while others were looking at the young girl who accompanied her.
First, look at the spiritual energy that has accumulated around her; second, look at the long sword on her back.
Even someone with no expertise could tell that this longsword was extraordinary; it was at least a spirit weapon of Earth Rank or higher.
The girlish aura blended perfectly with the sharp aura of the longsword, and he was secretly amazed by the young palace master's discerning eye.
Strangely enough, not many people in the Flying Immortal Palace had seen the young palace master, but quite a few had seen Su Wenxin. Compared to the young palace master, who lived in the deep and unspoken conversations of the senior sisters, the "guilty" Su Wenxin was much easier to see.
But seeing them today, it seems that both have been underestimated.
The young palace master is not someone who is blind and unable to control his spiritual power, nor is Su Wenxin an incorrigible person who intends to kill and deceive others.
“There are stairs, Young Master Xi, lift your foot.” This was the second sentence Su Wenxin spoke in front of others.
She realized she had almost let something slip, pursed her lips, and looked at her.
I don't want to embarrass Xi Congshuang.
A smile appeared on Xi Congshuang's lips. She responded with a soft "hmm," lifted her leg onto the steps, and began to climb.
*
The celestial ship would take about a day to reach Qingfeng Sect. None of the disciples could sleep, as they cultivated all night, partly out of curiosity and partly out of nervousness.
What followed turned into a late-night chat among the fellow disciples. Yu Se was pulled out of her room by a fellow disciple who said that the room was too stuffy, and it was stuffy even with the window open.
She knew that her junior sister was nervous, and the room was not stuffy and the spiritual energy was plentiful.
The two went out together, only to find the main cabin outside the room eerily quiet.
Yu Se was surprised: "What's going on? Why aren't you all saying anything?"
There were quite a few people here, speaking in hushed tones, huddled together in whispers. The three heads that were huddled together in front of them immediately looked up at the newcomer, their eyes filled with shock.
Even though they didn't say anything, Yu Se could tell what they meant—no, how dare you?
Yu Se was puzzled.
Her junior sister, who was traveling with her, tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Senior sister, look over there."
Looking up, Yu Se realized why everyone in the main cabin was so quiet, because the young master was sitting by the corner window.
Two elders stood neatly in front of the table.
These two most serious elders in the sect are perfectly suited to suppress these bunch of brats.
Upon hearing the elders' words, the young palace master calmly shook his head, raised his wrist, and his wide sleeve slipped down, revealing a section of his fair wrist.
The two elders refused to believe in the superstition and took turns trying, but were both blasted away by the surging spiritual power and ultimately left with regret.
Seeing the young master I once taught become like this, it would be a lie to say I don't feel regret.
After the elders left, Su Wenxin sat down, lit the Wuding Wood with the spiritual fire at her fingertips, put it into the small stove, and began to brew tea.
These were some pieces of driftwood she had cut down in the back forest. She cut them into palm-sized pieces overnight to burn for fun.
Those familiar with the Wuding Wood know that Su Wenxin's ability to ignite it with a flick of her wrist signifies her terrifyingly precise control over spiritual energy.
After the elders left, the conversation in the main cabin gradually grew louder, with the topics of discussion changing frequently and without any fixed theme.
Not long after, Lan Hui also came over. She saw the two people in the corner but did not go over to disturb them.
As she passed by a few people, someone suddenly grabbed her sleeve, and her junior sisters pulled her over together.
"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, may we ask you something?"
Lan Hui looked down and said, "..."
Sitting on the prayer mats were girls in pink dresses, all looking up at her with curious eyes. Lan Hui's first thought was: If only those thirsty eyes were used for cultivation.
It's obvious that anything that could pique the curiosity of my junior sisters must have nothing to do with cultivation.
Lan Hui didn't think she had any chance of leaving smoothly, so she stood still and said, "Speak."
"We'd like to know if the young palace master participated in the grand competition? What was her ranking?"
Lan Hui: "No, she didn't place."
"What?!" Everyone was shocked.
I heard that the young palace master also has a glorious past. I thought he was a cultivator who dominated the world rankings like the senior sister. I didn't expect that he didn't.
Lan Hui looked up in that direction, her gaze filled with reminiscence.
Only those who have personally experienced it can truly understand the elders' regret.
Xi Congshuang sat down by the window, feeling the gentle breeze outside. The ribbon at the back of her head was blown by the wind, making her look ethereal and otherworldly.
At the table opposite her sat another person who picked up a teapot and poured her tea.
It was Su Wenxin, who was usually quiet and reserved during the day, staring intently at the small stove where tea was being brewed. It was hard to imagine that someone who could kick over a furnace when she was stubborn could sit so calmly at the table.
She was only safe because of her fire spirit root; otherwise, any other cultivator would have been burned by the spiritual fire of the alchemy furnace. She was unharmed, and despite her burnt clothes, she turned and ran away.
Of course, every time, the result was that she was caught and brought back by her senior sister. All the well-intentioned words were a waste of time when used on Su Wenxin. Therefore, many people were curious about how the young palace master managed to tame her.
The tea had boiled, so Su Wenxin extinguished the fire in the stove and picked up the handle to pour the tea.
The steaming tea poured out, but she didn't push it to the other side immediately. She tested the temperature of the cup with her fingertip, and when she felt it was just right, she pushed it over.
Xi Congshuang seemed to sense something, turned around, picked up the teacup, and slowly drank it.
She didn't tell the meticulous Su Wenxin that she had an ice spirit root and could cool down the tea at any time. She accepted and encouraged Su Wenxin's thoughtfulness.
Su Wenxin still looked like the same cold and aloof young swordswoman with few expressions, but the smile in her eyes was so obvious that anyone who wasn't blind could see it.
On the other side, Lan Hui said regretfully, "She cultivated too fast from a young age. She exceeded the cultivation limit of the disciple competition at the age of eighteen and could not catch up with the disciple competition held once every fifty years."
"..."
Okay, that's a very simple reason.
The female students' wildly imagined thrills all came to an end.
It turns out that it wasn't that the young palace master wasn't powerful, but rather that he was too powerful, exceeding the registration limit before even registering.
Therefore, those on the World Ranking are indeed geniuses, but the young palace master who couldn't make the list is a genius above these geniuses.
*
As early as a month ago, Qingfeng Sect began to receive cultivators who came to the competition one after another. However, most of them were small sects or independent cultivators who needed to travel on their own, so as not to miss the competition due to miscalculation of time.
The Flying Immortal Palace arrived late, traveling by celestial boat, so their arrival was naturally different from others.
However, no one would comment on these matters. The major sects arrived later and later, and Feixian Palace was relatively early in comparison.
It seems that the later they arrive, the bigger the entourage; sometimes they even compete to see who arrives later and makes a bigger show of it.
Of course, Feixian Palace is always too lazy to get involved in these things.
This is related to the humble nature of the current palace master. Since she took over the position of palace master, she has disliked fighting with people over empty titles, and the elders and disciples in the palace have continued her style.
Everyone from top to bottom behaves like the Palace Master of Feixian Palace: easy to talk to, but capable of fighting.
"The elders of Feixian Palace have arrived with their disciples—"
The Qingfeng Sect, which had been relatively calm, was stirred up by this announcement. Before long, the sect leader and his disciples personally welcomed the Feixian Palace.
The celestial boat landed slowly, but the Qingfeng Sect leader, who had been waiting for a long time, did not see any familiar faces.
From the moment the familiar elder disembarked, the Qingfeng Sect leader knew it was impossible to see the person she wanted, but she still asked one more question: "Haixin has not yet arrived?"
The elder explained briefly, "The Palace Master went out to find medicine and was unable to come."
The Qingfeng Sect leader said with great regret, "Huaizhen has rarely appeared since the war between immortals and demons. When she does leave the palace, it's always in a hurry to find spiritual herbs. Speaking of which, I saw her near Changnan Sea a hundred years ago and spoke a few words with her. How is she now? Has her cultivation and injuries recovered?"
The elder knew that the Palace Master had friends all over the world in the past. The Qingfeng Sect leader had gone down the mountain with her when she was young, and she had been with Su Xianzun.
However, they later rose to high positions and took on responsibilities, which led to them seeing each other less and less.
During the war between immortals and demons, the Qingfeng Sect was often responsible for logistics, and had very few opportunities to meet with the Palace Master. They would only exchange a few words before having to part ways due to official business.
Therefore, the elder slowly shook his head: "It's still the same."
The Qingfeng Sect leader then asked, "Has your young master's injury improved?"
The elder's expression improved considerably this time, and he said with relief, "She's much better now."
Before the Qingfeng Sect leader could ask any more questions, the elder turned around and pointed to the two people who were disembarking.
The Qingfeng Sect leader also looked up and saw a white-haired, white-robed figure disembarking from the boat. Beside her was a little girl in red, carrying a long sword. She wasn't wearing the Feixian Palace disciple's uniform, and her face was stern, making her look very unapproachable.
Su Wenxin was even more bothered by the stares than Xi Congshuang. She couldn't stand it no matter what she thought about it, so she said to Xi Congshuang, "The sun is a bit strong. Could you give me an umbrella?"
Without asking any questions, Xi Congshuang raised her hand and, as if by magic, a mechanical umbrella appeared in her palm, which she handed to Su Wenxin.
Xi Congshuang said, "This is the only umbrella I have. It can provide shade, so I'll just make do with it."
As soon as the contraption appeared, all the seemingly indistinct gazes around vanished, and everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
Who said the young palace master who never leaves the world is useless? Judging from the situation, he doesn't seem useless at all. It looks like he can still incapacitate a few people.
Cultivators don't judge a person by their appearance; they look at the spiritual energy emanating from their body. No matter what, Xi Congshuang is at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, and what people say about her cannot affect her strength.
Aside from those with higher cultivation levels than her, others could not perceive her restless spiritual power; they could only sense her profound and oppressive aura.
Su Wenxin reached out and took the mechanical umbrella, holding it above their heads to block most of their view.
The disciples behind them were still lining up to disembark from the immortal boat, and Lan Hui had no time to pay attention to the two of them. Besides, Xi Congshuang was not a child and did not need to be taken care of step by step.
A disciple from the Qingfeng Sect stepped forward and led the two to their lodgings. As a disciple selected by the Qingfeng Sect to be responsible for receiving them, he remained well-behaved and quiet throughout.
Throughout the sect, everyone lives up to their name, acting as swiftly and gently as a breeze.
Su Wenxin held an umbrella in one hand and led the person forward with the other.
Unfortunately, I ran into someone I didn't want to see for the time being.
"This person looks familiar?"
Su Wenxin paused, tightened her grip on Xi Congshuang's hand, and wanted to ask the Qingfeng Sect disciple to hurry up.
But no matter how fast he went, he couldn't outrun the conversation in front of him: "I remember now, isn't that Su Wenxin? How come she was released?"
Where?
"There he is, Elder Qu."
Elder Qu, who had his back to the three people, turned around and immediately saw Su Wenxin under the umbrella.
When faced with the child who had almost killed him, Elder Qu's face turned pale for a moment, but he was immediately overwhelmed by the anger in his heart, and his face showed disgust.
Then I saw what she was doing: she was holding an umbrella for a blind man. She had no backbone at all.
Elder Qu scolded, "It's shameful for you to be so subservient to others."
Knowing she shouldn't have paid attention and should have just walked past, Su Wenxin realized that she was such an impatient person, and subconsciously wanted to refute the things related to the past in front of Xi Congshuang.
Su Wenxin couldn't help but retort, "I'm no better than you. You're a double agent, flattering your superiors and bullying your inferiors to become the new elder of the Su family."
Elder Qu was furious: "You unfilial brat, is this what you learned at the Flying Immortal Palace?"
He made a pointed remark, unwisely implying that Feixian Palace was blind to talent. Xi Congshuang belatedly realized who this person was, but she did not get angry.
Xi Congshuang acted as if she didn't know who was opposite her, and said calmly, "Of course not, she has learned a lot. Do you want to have a match with her?"
"..." He fell silent instantly.
Seeing that Su Wenxin had a knife on her back and a mechanical umbrella in her hand, and seemed to really want him to agree, Elder Qu was extremely unwilling.
Although his cultivation level was higher than his opponent's, being at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, he knew his own limitations all too well.
He knew very well that Su Wenxin had no regard for ethics or moral principles and was not afraid of the crime of patricide. He also knew that the most popular thing for sword and saber cultivators was to kill people of higher levels.
Those raised by monsters are raised by monsters; no matter how you teach them, they'll always be ungrateful.
Losing is fine, but losing to the child you personally kicked out of the house is a huge loss of face.
Elder Qu pretended not to hear Xi Congshuang's words: "Hmph, I won't bother with you today. Instead of practicing swordsmanship, you practice sabers. You're really wasting your mother's reputation."
The mechanical umbrella in Su Wenxin's hand was silently taken away. She drew her sword and walked in the sunlight: "Please lead the way, senior brother of Qingfeng Sect. I would like to borrow your sect's martial arts arena to have a match with Elder Qu of the Su family. Life or death is irrelevant."
Qingfeng Sect disciple: "Young friend, please don't get agitated. Elder, you're being unreasonable. How could you..."
Before the Qingfeng Sect disciples could even try to mediate, Elder Qu summoned his sword and flew away at an astonishing speed.
The Qingfeng Sect disciple felt ashamed and said somewhat embarrassedly to Xi Congshuang, who was holding an umbrella, "Young Palace Master, how about I arrange for your sect to stay somewhere else?"
Previously, I had heard that Feixian Palace and the Su family had a good relationship and were arranged to be on the same mountain, but now it seems that I need to reassess the situation.
"Young Palace Master?!" exclaimed the Su clan disciple who had been thrown down by Elder Qu. "Is this the Young Palace Master of the Flying Immortal Palace?"
So the remaining Su disciples also flew away on their swords, half of them were frightened, and the other half only then noticed that Xi Congshuang's eyes were covered with a white silk cloth.
It perfectly matches the characteristics of the young master of Feixian Palace.
Unexpectedly, we saw Xi Congshuang alive and walking outside. We must inform the head of the family and the other elders.
Elder Qu's sarcastic remarks might be acceptable if they came from an ordinary disciple, but if it were the young palace master himself, it would damage the relationship between the two factions.
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