Chapter 124 Clues: The half-month-long disciple competition will officially begin tomorrow, and any disputes must be quelled...
The two-week disciple competition will officially begin tomorrow, and any disputes must be nipped in the bud.
The Qingfeng Sect disciples acted decisively, leading the Feixian Palace to another part of the mountain and settling them in properly.
As for what happens next, it has nothing to do with the Qingfeng Sect; they should handle it themselves.
As a well-known sect on the mainland, they have no shortage of places. Almost every major sect that comes here has two or more plans before checking in. If one way is not feasible, they will change their route.
Feixian Palace was unaware of this matter, and believing that they had come to the original place, they did not feel negligent and rested peacefully.
The grand competition will officially begin tomorrow and last for half a month. The first three days will feature Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, with few outstanding matches and few spectators.
Golden Core cultivators will begin to take the stage three days later. Due to the variety of competition content, the time required and the duration will be longer.
Following closely behind are the Nascent Soul stage cultivators. This group of participating cultivators is generally the smallest in number, but their participation lasts for a shorter period compared to the Golden Core stage cultivators.
Whether it's a competition or a duel, Nascent Soul stage cultivators need to complete the task and achieve victory within the specified time.
In addition, the highest cultivation level of the participants in the competition is limited to the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage. During the competition, they are not allowed to use any means to hide their true cultivation level, as the seniors present can see through it at a glance.
If someone conceals their cultivation level during the competition in an attempt to win first place, they will be punished; if they break through during the competition, it will not count, and they will be disqualified on the spot, and their advancement will be calculated based on the opponent's cultivation level.
"...Also, Miss Su is at the Golden Core stage. If she wants to know her opponent, she can only do so by looking at the selected candidates on the day of the match. The selection is not limited to rogue cultivators or sect disciples; it is all random to avoid any unforeseen complications before the match begins."
There's always a reason behind strange rules, Lan Hui recalled. "These are probably the rules..."
Remembering that this was Xi Congshuang's first time participating in the competition, Lan Hui came over and, while drinking tea, explained the competition rules.
In fact, Xi Congshuang knew that Lan Hui's explanation of the rules to her was genuine, and her desire to help Su Wenxin understand the rules was also genuine.
Su Wenxin wanted to try his luck, but only as a rogue cultivator. For various reasons, the two of them coincidentally ignored the matter of becoming disciples.
But in Lan Hui's opinion, Su Wenxin ate and lived with the young palace master and personally taught him; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a direct disciple.
Is it possible to achieve this level of achievement simply because one is unwilling to be restrained?
Lan Hui certainly wouldn't understand.
There were other things she didn't understand, such as the changes in the expressions of the two people in front of her as she explained.
Even if two shut-ins who never leave their homes get together, they'll be completely clueless about the rules of battle, no matter how strong they are.
Su Wenxin, who was sitting behind Xi Congshuang, looked enlightened after hearing what Lan Hui said.
In Lan Hui's view, what she actually saw were two faces that suddenly realized something.
Lan Hui: "..."
One is the young master of the Flying Immortal Palace, and the other is the daughter of the world's number one sword cultivator. Yet, the two find the most ordinary rules novel and surprising.
She truly regretted it, wishing she could hide her face with her sleeve.
Thinking back, I really shouldn't have kept advising the young master not to wander around and to stay in the formation to recuperate.
The sight of the two people, who seemed like country bumpkins visiting the city, filled Lan Hui with deep guilt, and she dared not look them in the eye.
Lan Hui said heavily, "It was my fault before, Young Palace Master. I will no longer advise you not to go out."
Xi Congshuang: "?"
I didn't understand, but I accepted it readily: "It's okay?"
*
Meanwhile, the Palace Master of Feixian Palace, who had gone out to search for medicine, returned to the palace.
When the palace master suddenly returned, all the disciples left behind in the palace went forward to greet him.
"Welcome back to the palace, Your Highness!"
The palace mistress, dressed in indigo robes, exuded a cold and majestic aura. She returned on her magical artifact, vanishing like a shooting star without a word.
Some of the bolder disciples secretly looked up and realized that the Palace Master hadn't brought anything back this time either.
A fleeting glance revealed the Palace Master's cold expression; he seemed quite displeased.
It's normal to be unhappy if you've worked hard only to find it was all for nothing.
Before long, the disciples who remained in the Immortal Palace knew that the Palace Master had returned empty-handed, and they became even more silent, not daring to offend him.
The palace master knew as soon as he arrived at the palace gate that someone had been here.
A cultivator at the Integration Stage has an extremely accurate intuition; for the past thousand years, she has survived by relying on her intuition.
"Disciple greets Palace Master and welcomes your return." The disciples on duty had already been replaced several times. The two people in front of the gate were only two of the Palace Master's nominal disciples, far inferior to his personal disciples.
Therefore, the two were more respectful than affectionate in front of the palace master.
The palace master's gaze fell on the two of them, and the powerful aura of a great being pressed down on their shoulders without their knowledge. The disciples were puzzled, and fine beads of sweat appeared on their fair foreheads.
After a long silence, the palace master finally said, "...Hmm, you may leave."
She didn't rush to announce that someone had gone in; she waved them away and pushed the door open to enter.
The disciples breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped back, the palace gates closing behind them.
As soon as she stepped into the hall, the palace master became even more convinced that her feeling was not a hallucination. Someone had indeed been here, and that person had carefully left no trace. Everything in front of her looked exactly the same as before she left.
Nothing was added or removed; only that wisp of aura was still detected by the Palace Master.
People tend to reveal what they care about when they are nervous. Even someone as powerful as the Palace Master is no exception. His first reaction was to flash to the antique shelf and turn the most ordinary candlestick mechanism.
As the mechanism turned, a deep passageway was revealed to the palace master. The mermaid candles on both sides of the wall never went out, illuminating the path inside the passageway.
The palace master stepped inside, walking deeper and deeper until he reached the rolled-up scroll.
Just as before he left, it was still rolled up and hung on the wall. The palace master raised his hand and tore off the scroll's binding.
The rolled-up scroll fell down; it was a blank scroll, containing nothing. At first glance, it made one wonder why a blank sheet of paper would be framed and hung deep within a secret room.
But as the palace master raised his hand, his fingertips brushed across the blank scroll, and the contents of the scroll appeared before his eyes.
The palace mistress stood before the portrait, and suddenly, she let out a soft, puzzled "Hmm?"
She raised her hand and extracted a wisp of residual spiritual energy from the scroll. A fleeting, icy sensation flashed across her fingertips before she could even trace its source.
“People have been here while I was away.”
She looked up at the figure in the painting, her eyes cold and indifferent, yet she habitually imitated the smile in the painting. Her emotions and expression were completely opposite; her smile was jarring and chilling.
He asked in a gentle tone, "Have you seen her?"
"Tell me who it is?"
*
The second thing the Palace Mistress did upon returning to the palace was to go to the Immortal Pavilion to comfort her daughter, who was destined to be beyond saving.
This time, the palace master came up empty-handed. The fairy pavilion was quiet and peaceful. The figure who always sat upright on the jade bed, along with that wild little girl, was nowhere to be seen. The back forest was also very quiet, obviously no one was there.
After leaving the Immortal Pavilion, the Palace Master summoned someone to inquire.
The disciple asked in surprise, "Didn't Senior Sister report to the Palace Master? The Young Palace Master went to Qingfeng Sect with the participating disciples to watch the competition."
The pressure from his body intensified, and the disciple lost his balance, kneeling on both knees and instinctively lowering his head even further.
"Qingfeng Sect watching the battle?" The Palace Master's voice came from above the female cultivator's head. She said with displeasure, "She is not in good health and should be recuperating in the Immortal Pavilion. Lan Hui is also confused. How could she agree to let her go out?"
As she spoke, she hurriedly prepared to fly away on her magical artifact to bring back her daughter whose spiritual abode had been shattered: "I have to go to Qingfeng Sect and bring her back. It must be that little girl who corrupted her."
"Enough, enough, Palace Master," an elder who had come upon hearing the news advised. "It's rare for the young Palace Master to go out, and after all, she hasn't left the house for many years. She still has the spirit of a young man and is a bit playful. With your two senior sisters and your disciple Lan Hui watching over her, she will be fine."
As the elder spoke, he gestured for the disciple kneeling on the ground to take the opportunity to leave.
Everyone says that the Palace Master has done too much for the Young Palace Master, but to no avail. Anyone would feel upset, to the point that she is paranoid and overly suspicious.
The palace master was being pulled along and couldn't leave, so she forced herself to be patient and said, "But Shuang'er hasn't left the house for so many years. You don't know how much it hurts me every time I see Shuang'er having an attack."
Another elder arrived and said, "But what can she do even if she comes back? Since she's determined to go out, we might as well let nature take its course. If you ask me, Huaizhen, you've gone a bit too far these past few years."
She was older and should be the sect's supreme elder, so the palace master should address her as "Master Aunt." Only she could say such a thing to the palace master.
The palace master dared not argue with her elders, but looked at another elder with worry: "You taught Shuang'er and watched her grow up. What kind of criticism will a crippled young palace master face when she appears in front of others? Can you bear it?"
The elder's memories were touched, and his eyes showed wavering.
How could she bear to do that?
Even if he wasn't a biological student, he was still the most successful student I had ever taught.
One of the elders said, "The palace master need not worry too much about Cong Shuang. She stayed in the palace for a few days before she left and seems to be safe and sound."
It was Xi Congshuang's unharmed performance during those few days that made everyone in the palace feel that letting the young palace master move around freely wouldn't be a problem, and whether keeping her locked up all the time was going too far.
The palace mistress paused, then asked, "She came down?"
“She came down here several times. Apart from needing to patiently suppress the surge of spiritual energy, she is fine.”
"Speaking of which, Shuangqi is in a much better mood now, and she's talking to her junior sisters about cultivation again, just like before."
The Supreme Elder laughed out loud: "She has no idea that there are so many people like her in the world, and she even thinks that her junior sisters are a bit slow, hahaha."
All the elders confirmed that Xi Congshuang had appeared in the Immortal Palace, and even pointed out the cave where she had lived, but the Palace Master wouldn't listen to anything else.
There was only one thought in my mind—it was her after all.
The Palace Master said again, "No, I can't rest easy. I have to go to Qingfeng Sect to bring her back. I can't be at peace until I see her with my own eyes."
“Huaizhen, look at you saying that again.”
The elders were also helpless, and they did everything they could to prevent the palace master from leaving, so that he could have some fun.
The disciples on the ground rarely saw the elders and the palace master make a move, so they watched from afar, deeply shocked.
So this is what it means for powerful beings to spar. Even though they are far apart, they can still feel that terrifying and profound pressure.
The distant rumble of thunder still echoed in the sky, proving that the rumors of powerful beings stirring up the wind and clouds, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas, were indeed true.
“Huaizhen, why are you doing this? If you go like this, even more people will criticize Congshuang, and she will feel even worse!”
Upon hearing this, the palace master realized that things shouldn't go too far, and finally stopped.
The Supreme Elder landed and withdrew his imposing manner: "Let her play."
In the eyes of the elders who are over a thousand years old, Xi Congshuang, who is only three hundred years old, is no different from a child. Moreover, she has not been out for a long time, and her understanding of the human world is really no better than that of Su Wenxin, who is by her side.
Cultivation requires not only improving one's realm but also one's state of mind. If one is always seeking stability and peace in one's corner, one may miss many opportunities for a better future.
Many things cannot be forced upon others.
After listening to a lot of profound道理 (principles/reasoning), the Palace Master agreed not to leave the palace and returned to her Palace Master's Hall. She was now quite certain that the person who had entered her secret chamber was Xi Congshuang.
Long ago, the Palace Master had a vague feeling that Xi Congshuang seemed to know something. Even though she was still blind, she waited for Xi Congshuang to come out of seclusion every day. It was Xi Congshuang's carelessness that made her think that Xi Congshuang was ungrateful and she did not realize that she was being secretly guarded against.
That time, she broke free from the Immortal Pavilion's formation and muttered incantations. If she hadn't lost control of her spiritual power on the way and broken a pillar in the training ground, and hadn't been sent back to the Immortal Pavilion by the elders to heal her injuries, Xi Congshuang should have said what she dared not say to the elders at that time.
But she didn't say that she became even more depressed and gloomy after regaining her senses.
What unparalleled genius? Right now, there's only a blind man who's unpredictable and injured a disciple in the palace.
Who would want to get close to such a young master?
Over the years, Xi Congshuang's temperament has become even more unpredictable, and she has even turned away Lan Hui.
However, Lan Hui was indeed a responsible and good disciple, so it was only natural that Xi Congshuang would be wary of him.
For many years, they lived in peace. But as Xi Congshuang broke more and more medicine bottles, she went from being a genius to a burden, a burden that everyone avoided.
Seeing the person becoming more and more useless, the palace master felt a great sense of pleasure. He even regretted that her eyes were covered with a white silk ribbon, otherwise, it would have been so satisfying to see that face rolling around on the ground in front of him.
It was around that time that she suddenly didn't want Xi Congshuang, who was only twenty years old, to die peacefully; she was too much like Xi Huaizhen when she was young.
It even gave her the illusion that Xi Huaizhen was really wailing in pain before her eyes, her spiritual palace shattered, and that Xi Huaizhen, who led the cultivation world to victory in the war between immortals and demons, no longer existed. She was despised by everyone and no one admired her.
The palace master was so engrossed in the scene that she accidentally laughed out loud. It seemed that Xi Congshuang heard her, but she said she didn't. She was too heartbroken to even think about taking Xi Congshuang's place.
Xi Congshuang leaned weakly on her shoulder, spitting out a mouthful of blood as she listened to her words.
The palace mistress reached out to catch the still-warm blood, her heart inexplicably stirred. She mistook it for that person, yet her reason clearly recognized that this was a child with that person's bloodline, completely under her control.
How wonderful, to let your daughter experience the pain I went through back then. But this is not enough; it needs to last a long time.
"This is Xi Huaizhen, whom you should return to me." The Palace Master said, standing in the Palace Master Hall. "The same face, the same spiritual root, even the same birth time, why are you the young Palace Master when your cultivation speed is not as fast as mine? Why is it that when I want something, I am restless and impetuous?"
The lowered voice repeated resolutely: "This is what you owe me, and I have taken it back myself. The position of Palace Master and the holy name are both mine."
There was no way to leave the Flying Immortal Palace in the eyes of the elders. If they continued to make demands, those old fogies would take the opportunity to follow suit.
However, the Palace Master was not without options; she could not allow Xi Congshuang to continue lingering in the sect of Xi Huaizhen's old friends.
After much deliberation, she crushed the jade slip and left a message.
*
Although they were both in the celestial palace, each had their own thoughts.
"We just tried it too, but there's nothing we can do. Tingzhu is so much stronger than she was back then."
The Supreme Elder said, "If I had continued to act at that time, it would have triggered a tribulation of lightning, and even the Immortal Palace would have been in danger."
The elder in green robes said, "How about the three of us join forces?"
They had just pretended to persuade the Palace Master and exchanged a few blows with her. Her cultivation was even more profound than before, just like before, only slightly different from Palace Master Huaizhen.
The Nascent Soul stage cultivators are very powerful, but the three elders are also quite strong, being at the Void Refinement stage, which is below the Nascent Soul stage.
With the combined efforts of three Void Refinement stage cultivators, it's not impossible for them to kill her.
The Supreme Elder shook his head: "Have you considered who could fill the vacancy of the Palace Master position?"
"..."
These words were like a wake-up call, and the elders fell silent.
The Supreme Elder has been delaying his ascension and suppressing his cultivation every day in order to protect the sect.
"Huai Zhen's whereabouts are unknown, but fortunately her reputation remains. In addition, I can protect the sect. If Ting Zhu were not here, Cong Shuang would not be able to secure her position as palace master. Lan Hui is still young, and I am just an old bone who can only stand by and watch..."
Without the Supreme Elder personally explaining the advantages and disadvantages, it wouldn't be long before the Abyss Demon Cultivator, who was dead but not yet dead, came knocking on the door.
The casualties at that time will not be the death or injury of one person, but the death or injury of all the disciples in the palace.
"Therefore, Tingzhu cannot move until Huaizhen is found."
The Supreme Elder made the final decision.
————————
Thank you everyone for your concern. I took allergy medication; one dose should keep it from recurring for two or three days. [Applause]
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