Chapter 34 Just Friends
The moment Yan Shuoyun heard Hong Xuzi say "pulling someone into seclusion," many thoughts raced through his mind. From Hong Xuzi's earlier words about "something new that's hard to come by," to the other party's affirmative attitude that "he can bring out the legendary Daoist partner, Sword Venerable," to Yan Er's hesitant words about "Sword Venerable having no intention of taking on a disciple," and then the vague "You'll see when you see it" that followed... Yan Shuoyun thought of a "possibility," a "possibility" that he couldn't believe no matter how he thought about it.
To be honest, it's not hard to make that connection. It's just that Yan Shuoyun had never dared to think about it before.
Just as Hong Xuzi said, this illusion has remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years; the only thing that could bring about change is someone entering from outside the illusion. The time he first heard the rumors in the town outside the sect was roughly the same time Yan'er and Ren Yi arrived at the secret realm. Furthermore, currently, besides the Sword Master, only Yan'er and Ren Yi live on Han Cang Peak. The rumors couldn't be directed at Yan'er, so it could only be…
—Ayi.
Yan Shuoyun silently repeated Ren Yi's name in his heart, a mix of emotions welling up inside him, and his mind went blank for a moment.
Hong Xuzi was oblivious to the complex emotions of the young man opposite him, and was still furiously listing more than a hundred crimes committed by the previous peak master of Han Cang Peak—that is, the Sword Venerable Master. Many of the contents involved could be described as "secrets of the Tai Chu Sect," but Yan Shuoyun did not hear a single word of these words.
It took him a long time to finally compose himself. He didn't care about anything else and interrupted Hong Xuzi, saying, "Senior, rumors shouldn't be taken at face value. There might be some misunderstanding."
It's definitely a "misunderstanding".
A Yi and the Sword Master of that era were separated by tens of thousands of years. If it weren't for the illusion, the two would have no connection at all, and the concept of "Daoist partners" would be even more ethereal.
Hong Xuzi, however, disagreed. He retorted, "What misunderstanding?! What's there to misunderstand? Do you think I'm blind?!"
That day, Han Cang Peak caused such a commotion. If there wasn't a reason, why would Qing Ran cause such a fuss for no reason? And look at Han Cang Peak now—even Qing Ran's master probably wouldn't recognize it. With such a huge commotion, if the two of them didn't have some connection, he might as well have swallowed that sword left behind by his ancestor whole!
Hong Xuzi was about to elaborate on this point when he suddenly realized that Yan Shuoyun's attitude was not right.
He abruptly stopped what he was about to say, looked up and stared straight at Yan Shuoyun. His eyes, which were already somewhat cloudy in the whites, appeared unusually sharp under this expression.
Caught off guard by the sense of danger brought about by the suppression of cultivation, Yan Shuoyun groaned and barely managed to stand up by pressing down on a tree trunk. However, the heavy, mountain-like pressure made his bones creak as if they could not bear the weight.
Yan Shuoyun had long known that Hong Xuzi's cultivation was extremely high, but only now did he have such a direct understanding that the other party had only revealed a little bit of his aura, yet it had already put him in such a sorry state.
In contrast, the other party's previous actions of asking him to go to Hancang Peak were actually a "consultation" with him.
The oppressive pressure was only revealed for a moment, but Yan Shuoyun's throat was already filled with the taste of blood.
Meanwhile, Hong Xuzi, who had previously suppressed his imposing manner, suddenly burst into laughter. He seemed to have seen something extremely amusing, slapping his thigh and laughing so hard that the branches beneath him swayed. Finally, he simply jumped down from the tree and stood in front of Yan Shuoyun.
Just as Yan Shuoyun had caught his breath, he was suddenly slapped on the back.
Hong Xuzi did indeed hold back his strength, but this still caused Yan Shuoyun to immediately vomit a mouthful of blood.
Hong Xuzi didn't take it to heart at all—what's wrong with a cultivator spitting out blood? No bones are broken, no meridians are destroyed—he said with a smile, "Good lad, you have guts!! Daring to snatch someone from Qing Ran, hahaha, very good!"
Yan Shuoyun “…”
He did indeed have some "improper thoughts" about A-Yi, but so far it remained at the thought stage, and hadn't reached the point of "stealing" her. Yan Shuoyun didn't know how this senior had figured it out, but the other party's behavior gave him a bad feeling.
Sure enough, Hong Xuzi followed up with, "Do you want to become my disciple? At least in terms of seniority, you're no less than Qing Ran. What do you say?"
Yan Shuoyun said, "..." Not very good.
This is probably like a pie falling from the sky, but it's solid—the kind that could kill someone.
Xiao Hanzhou was exchanging skills with someone.
Because he carries the legacy of the Sword Master, many disciples of the Tai Chu Sect have come to challenge him these days.
Ten thousand years ago was the golden age of the cultivation world, a time teeming with talent and capable individuals. The Tai Chu Sect was a top-tier sect at the time, and every disciple was a genius among geniuses. In his battles with these people, even Xiao Hanzhou experienced both wins and losses, but regardless of the outcome, he benefited greatly. Xiao Hanzhou also took this opportunity to get to know many Tai Chu disciples.
Today's sparring match was no different from usual. The opponent, Xiao Hanzhou, was also very familiar with Luo Hengyi, a disciple of an elder of the same surname from the Taichu Sect, who also specialized in swordsmanship.
Luo Hengyi initially proposed the "sparring" because he had heard rumors of the Sword Master's guidance and wanted to see what Xiao Hanzhou was capable of. However, as they made friends through martial arts, after several rounds of competition with both sides winning and losing, their relationship actually improved, and at this point, the "sparring" became a genuine exchange.
Luo Hengyi's aptitude was considered excellent even within the talent-rich Taichu Sect. Having entered the sect very early, he was a standard successor raised according to the Taichu Sect's training methods. Xiao Hanzhou always gained insights from sparring with him and was happy to have more exchanges.
The Taichu Sect has a special martial arts arena for disciples to spar with each other. Disciples are not allowed to fight each other in private. If disciples want to spar, they can only do so here. The arena is equipped with formations to prevent disciples from using excessive force and actually causing death.
It's no surprise that this place has been extremely lively since its establishment; sect disciples even have to apply several days in advance to use it. However, thanks to his reputation, Xiao Hanzhou has been busy ever since arriving at the Taichu Sect. Despite not being a sect disciple yet, he has become so familiar with the arena that it feels like his own home.
There are special seats for watching the matches below the arena. During major competitions, disciples often watch from below, and if they are lucky, they can also learn something from it.
The two people currently fighting are both very famous in the sect. Xiao Hanzhou goes without saying; he has stirred up a storm of bloodshed since entering Tai Chu, and is still the center of attention in the sect. Luo Hengyi is also a very prestigious senior brother in the sect.
The sparring match between the two drew a huge crowd, filling the spectator stands to capacity.
But the two on the ring were already used to being the center of attention. No matter how much the crowd cheered and made noise, they remained unmoved, focusing only on their opponent.
However, this time seemed different. As soon as Xiao Hanzhou raised his sword, he seemed to sense something and turned his head slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, and he was stunned.
Is it A-Yi?
As the thought flashed through his mind, Xiao Hanzhou's smooth movements faltered. The opening was too obvious, and in an instant, the sword light from the other side was already close. Xiao Hanzhou reacted hastily, but a bloody mark was still added to his side shoulder.
Xiao Hanzhou subconsciously turned his body slightly to the side, trying to conceal his injury from the direction he had just been looking. However, when his gaze returned, he met a pair of completely indifferent eyes.
Xiao Hanzhou "..."
It was indeed A-Yi, but the look in his eyes was extremely unfamiliar.
Xiao Hanzhou had heard Yan Er talk about Ren Yi's amnesia, but in that instant, he couldn't think of that much. He only felt a heavy weight sinking into his heart, and a chilling aura rose from the soles of his feet, flowing through his entire body with the circulation of spiritual energy. Even his breath was tinged with icy coldness.
However, the current situation did not give Xiao Hanzhou any deeper feelings. In the brief moment of stunned silence, his opponent's sword light arrived again, and Xiao Hanzhou could only raise his sword to deal with it.
Xiao Hanzhou had no recollection of how the sparring match ended. He dared not look in that direction again, but those cold and indifferent eyes kept flashing in his mind. He dealt with his opponent's sword moves almost entirely on instinct.
After this period of sparring and honing, Xiao Hanzhou's swordsmanship improved at a terrifying speed that was almost visible to the naked eye. Although he had fought Luo Hengyi to a draw not long ago, he still won this time, even though he was completely out of sorts.
With the sword tip pressed against his opponent's neck, the outcome was already decided, but Xiao Hanzhou still dazed for a moment before remembering to sheathe his sword.
Xiao Hanzhou didn't know what he was feeling, and he turned his head to look in that direction while holding his breath.
Although the fight wasn't pretty, he won.
In nature, males are always happy to show their victory to their mates. Xiao Hanzhou didn't think that much about it; he just subconsciously wanted to gain recognition, or even a little bit of praise.
But the spot where he had been standing was now empty, as if the fleeting glimpse he had just seen was merely his imagination.
Xiao Hanzhou was not mistaken; Ren Yi had indeed been watching from the sidelines for a while, but he left before the two on stage had decided who would win.
From Ren Yi's perspective, the outcome of this exchange was obvious, and there was no point in looking at it any further.
Ren Yi's seclusion went very smoothly this time, and the duration was much shorter than expected.
"Frost Condensation," as the natal sword of the Sword Master's alternate account, can be considered half of the latter, facilitating the relocation of the array's core. Arrays are essentially a mode of energy operation. Although the alternate account's design isn't adept at such precise operations, in reality, the Transmigration Bureau's technology in this area has always far surpassed that of the smaller worlds. With all these factors combined, Ren Yi's emergence from seclusion occurred much earlier than originally anticipated.
It was early, but not by sheer coincidence. When he came out, Yan Er was temporarily staying at Fuling Peak because of some insights. However, in case her elder brother Ren came out of seclusion early and couldn't find her, she specially left a voice transmission outside the cave to tell him the situation. She also reported the arrival of her elder brother and the Xiao family head to the Sword Master's alt account. At this moment, there were only Ren Yi and his alt account on the entire summit of Hancang Peak. Ren Yi's emergence from seclusion this time could be said to have been completely silent.
With the telepathic message left by Yan'er, Ren Yi gained some understanding of the two newcomers to the secret realm. Considering that the Chosen One always receives special treatment, Ren Yi felt that these two were very likely the ones he was looking for. Naturally, Ren Yi decided to go and see for himself.
The Sword Master's alternate account is too easily recognizable in the Tai Chu Sect. If he leaves Han Cang Peak, the entire sect will be alerted before he has even taken two steps. Ren Yi doesn't want to cause such a commotion.
After a moment's thought, he had his main account change into a Tai Chu Sect disciple's uniform, blending seamlessly into the disciples. Because of his exceptionally handsome face, it was much easier for him to gather information, and he easily found out Xiao Hanzhou's whereabouts, which led to the scene of him watching the battle earlier.
After watching half of the competition, Ren Yi had a general idea of what was going on. However, just in case, he decided to go and check on another person, Yan Er's older brother.
Compared to Xiao Hanzhou, who was the center of attention and easy to find upon entering the sect, Yan Shuoyun's whereabouts were much more secretive. Ren Yi had to put in a lot of effort to inquire before he could get a vague direction. With a "let's give it a try" attitude, he followed the direction given by the kind "senior brother" who had provided the information. Clearly, he was lucky; after wandering around for a few moments, he successfully found the man.
Ren Yi did not deliberately hide his identity—after all, according to Yan Er's telepathic message, he knew both of these candidates for the Chosen One, so deliberately hiding would seem strange—but even so, Ren Yi was discovered much earlier than he expected.
Before Ren Yi could even see the figure, he heard a somewhat rough laugh, followed by a voice so powerfully amplified by spiritual energy that it made his ears ring: "Ha, you finally remembered your senior uncle?"
Based on the cultivation level revealed by this telepathic communication, it was clear that the speaker was not Yan Shuoyun.
Ren Yi: "..."
He fell silent for a moment, feeling awkward.
Although Ren Yi still couldn't remember, for some reason, upon hearing that voice, he had a feeling that "trouble is coming."
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