Chapter 40 The Center of Heated Discussion: What Makes Her So Special?
Inside the Quanfeng Yujing Hall, the masters of the four peaks gathered, with the sect leader Yuan Liu seated at the head of the table.
Peak Master Donglu put down the jade token and said, "He's gone."
Ancestor Yaofeng Zhu Huo frowned: "He left? Is he heading straight for Qingzhou?"
Donglu: "He said that Uncle Mingran would lead the team for him. Uncle Mingran has returned all the inheritance and awakened the Realm Gang Array."
For a moment, Yujingtang fell silent.
The spiritual cultivation competition is fierce. To ensure fairness and maintain checks and balances, each sect sends its most senior cultivator to lead a team, who sits in the inner seats to watch the competition and supervise the process. Therefore, the team leader is not only a highly respected figure within the sect, but also a renowned and profound cultivator in the spiritual cultivation world.
They understood what Venerable Hongyan meant. Ji Mingran was of high seniority and nominally qualified to lead the team. Now, she had not only returned the sect's inheritance but also repaired the sect's protective formation. Such merits made her qualified to lead the team.
Even the usually skeptical Yao Feng Patriarch Zhu Huo disagreed: "The team leader must mediate resources between sects to protect the participating disciples. She is still only at the Qi Refining stage, and I'm afraid she's not up to the task." If the team leader of the Spirit Cultivation Sect doesn't have profound cultivation, how can she possibly restrain other sects and prevent them from being attacked?
After pondering for a while, the old ancestor of Kuangfeng, Qi Qingling, said, "Among the children who participated in the previous test, there were those with short tempers, those with stubborn tempers, those with heavy thoughts, and those with a lot of anger. Each one of them was more difficult to manage than the last. Judging from her appearance, the girl has a soft temper, but I'm afraid I can't control her."
Dong Lu calmly said, "The inheritance has been returned, but the Jinggang Formation is unstable. Venerable Hongyan is not here, so the ancestors must stay behind to protect the formation."
Li Sanyang had long known that the other elders would object, so he simply left the sect so that the other elders could not personally lead the team.
Donglu added, "Uncle Ji is Venerable Hongyan's junior sister. With her here, he won't just sit idly by."
In this vote, Lin Feng agreed, while San Feng opposed.
Yuan Liu simply said, "I will call her over tomorrow. You can meet her in person and then make a decision."
***
As the first rays of dawn touched the sky, Ji Mingran had already crossed half of the suspension bridge connecting Yaofeng and Luanfeng.
Today was her first day leaving the peak, so she got up early to go to Quan Peak for class. The purification technique course started at Shen Shi (3-5 PM), but Luan Peak was located in the northeast corner of Dingsheng Sect, quite a distance from Quan Peak, which was located in the center. Whether using the sect's teleportation array or flying on a sword, it would consume spiritual energy. Ji Mingran simply got up early and walked there, firstly to save the spiritual energy stored in her sea of consciousness, and secondly to exercise her body.
On the swaying suspension bridge, Ji Mingran walked as if on flat ground, moving at an extremely fast speed. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the other end of the suspension bridge and was about to arrive at Yaofeng Mountain.
"She's here! She's here! She's here!"
"Congratulations to Grandma Ji on her successful exit from the peak and her official debut!"
This was followed by a burst of applause.
Ji Mingran stared blankly at the three smiling faces huddled together under the large characters, and couldn't help but stop in his tracks: "Didn't you set off for Tianjing County in Yuanzhou?"
She was greeted by Shen Qingluo, Guan Wangzhen, and Zhu Shibai.
"I guessed that you would set off for Quanfeng before dawn to save your spiritual energy." Shen Qinglu smiled and raised her arms to welcome her. "We also set off at this time to try our luck, and we caught you." Usually, when Ji Mingran sneaked out of the peak and needed to go to other peaks, the three of them would take her there, so she wouldn't have to expend extra spiritual energy.
Ji Mingran smiled and ran into Shen Qingluo's arms: "You guys are so smart!"
Guan Wangzhen quickly approached, bent down to be level with Ji Mingran, and asked anxiously, "Grandma, why didn't you reply to my message last night?"
“The three of us happened to be with Master, and we all heard about the activation of the Realm Array last night. It must be related to you.” Zhu Shibai also bent down and leaned closer to examine Ji Mingran’s expression: “Grandma, the dark circles under your eyes are the same as usual, but your complexion is pale and your steps are unsteady. Are you alright?”
Shen Qingluo released Ji Mingran, lifted her chin, and pried open her eyelids to examine Ji Mingran's pupils closely. Hmm, her pupils were clear, and the whites of her eyes were unusually free of bloodshot veins, but Shen Qingluo still cautioned, "Don't push yourself."
After the appearance of the Realm Formation, the three who were already guarding their respective masters stayed even closer, eavesdropping and communicating with each other to confirm that Venerable Hongyan was inside Luan Peak and that no disciples had been injured. They knew that Ji Mingran was definitely alright, but the Realm Formation was, after all, an ancient formation, and they had not received any reply when they sent messages to Ji Mingran, so they could not help but worry.
Shen Qingluo: "You activated the sect's protective formation?"
Guan Wangzhen: "The old man told me it's great news, great news, what does that mean?"
Zhu Shibai: "A meteor streaks across the night sky above Quanfeng, is that you?"
Then came a series of messages between the three, asking if everything was alright. Guan Wangzhen's messages, such as "Are you there?" and "Reply to me quickly," made up half of the messages.
Ji Mingran put down the jade token, scratched the back of her head, and said apologetically, "Ah, I overused my spiritual energy last night when activating the array. After absorbing spiritual energy, I went straight to sleep and didn't check the messages." It was rare for her to go to bed early, so although she still had dark circles under her eyes, she was in good spirits and her eyes were bright.
"That's good." The three breathed a sigh of relief, and the jade pendants at their waists trembled simultaneously.
They exchanged a glance, and Zhu Shibai said to Ji Mingran, "They're urging us to leave." The three of them were just in time to depart when the jade token vibrated, indicating that the beast-slaying team had assembled and they couldn't afford to delay any longer.
The three of them each took a step back.
Okay.
"Let's go!"
"Find an opportunity to watch us compete and record it with a photo stone!"
After saying that, the three of them teleported away.
"Hey!" Their departure was as sudden as their arrival; Ji Mingran hadn't even had a chance to tell them that he was going to lead the team.
However, he would know when they met anyway. After thinking it over, Ji Mingran decided not to use the jade token to send a message anymore. He waved in the direction the three had left and turned to head towards Chaoquan Peak.
Before long it was noon. Ji Mingran stopped, took out some flatbread and gourd from his brocade pouch, found a big tree, and rested and ate under its shade.
"I heard that Grandmaster Zhu, Grandmaster Guan, and Grandmaster Chen have already set off. They will first go to Yuanzhou to slay beasts, and then head to Qingzhou to participate in the Spiritual Cultivation Competition."
"Yes, yes, I waited for them in the sect's territory today. Although the three of them appeared in a hurry just before they set off, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their faces. They are indeed heroic and beautiful. Just standing there, they are a beautiful sight. Oh my, their appearance alone is enough to bring honor to our sect."
Ji Mingran, with a large pancake in his mouth, watched a group of disciples approaching from a distance, engaged in a lively discussion.
It was truly rare. The Dingsheng Sect's territory was vast, and disciples seldom met unless they arranged to travel together or go to the study hall, let alone gather. Ji Mingran found it intriguing and kept staring at them.
One day, a disciple in blue robes said excitedly with shining eyes, "Their strength is also extremely strong. In the past, there were very few Foundation Establishment peak disciples participating in the Spiritual Cultivation Competition. This time, our sect sent three disciples from each faction. The remaining two members of the Jin family can also reach the peak together. Our Dingsheng sect has a good chance of turning the tide this time!"
Another plump disciple in a sky-blue robe calmly shook his head and said, "There's no need to be too happy yet. I heard that all the sects have predicted that spiritual treasures will appear in this spiritual cultivation competition. All the sects are putting in their best efforts to search for disciples with high talent and good aptitude. The cultivators who have crossed the Heavenly Gate are fighting tooth and nail to get here. The disciples sent by the ten cultivators of the Dao Sect are all at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage."
"Huh?" The disciple in the sky-blue robe stared in disbelief. "Every single one of them is at the peak of Foundation Establishment?"
"That's not all. Think about it, among the ten cultivators of the Dao Sect, there are also the Zhu family and the Shen family. Our two ancestors who participated in the test came from these two families. How can they possibly make a move against their own people?" The chubby disciple shook his head.
Another tall, thin disciple in azure robe immediately retorted, "Our Kuangfeng Temple's Master Wangzhen is the most enthusiastic about the sect. He was sent by his clansmen to be raised under the tutelage of Ancestor Qi since he was a child. His clan has been protected by the Dingsheng Sect for a thousand years, so they will never be lenient."
The chubby disciple glanced at the disciple in the sky-blue robe and said, "Your grandmaster Zhu Shibai is the heir of the Zhu family, a prodigy on whom the Zhu family places high hopes. Although I don't know how he came to our sect, the Zhu family is very concerned about him. They write to Sect Leader Yuanliu every now and then, asking him to take good care of him. I think he will eventually go back to inherit the family business."
Another disciple, a lean man in black robes, cautiously said, "I heard that our Grandmaster Shen Qingluo seems to be at odds with the Zhu family. Since she came from the small world, she has never visited the main family once. Even her clothes have always been those two sets of red robes, never changed. In addition, since the great battle with the Golden Core Purple Scale Red Python, she has lost her mount and has not been seen with a new one. Although she said it was a gift from her mother and there was no point in finding a new spirit beast to replace it, the Zhu family has indeed not sent her a new one. It seems that their relationship is indeed not very good."
The disciple in sky blue blushed and said loudly, "Since all three of you come from aristocratic families, don't make insinuations about my Peak Master Zhu. We don't know who will be lenient when they actually encounter an aristocratic family."
The group discussed animatedly, quickening their pace as they walked, passing Ji Mingran and heading towards Quanfeng Study Hall. Ji Mingran, wanting to continue listening, silently followed, clutching his flatbread.
"Ah? They have this kind of relationship." The disciple in the sky-blue robe, who had been so enthusiastic just moments before, suddenly lost his spirit and said dejectedly, "I thought there was hope for the restoration of the sect this time. I heard that the sect's protective formation was activated last night, which I thought was a good omen."
"The formation was activated last night, and Luanfeng's little ancestor, Grandma, emerged from seclusion today. I wonder if the two are related?"
“I heard that it’s because Venerable Hongyan found a magical treasure in the secret realm. After he returned last night, the great formation was restarted, which must be related to him.”
"Ah, but the timing of my little ancestor's emergence from seclusion is so coincidental, I feel there's something unusual about it."
"How is that possible? She is known for her low cultivation level. On her first day out of seclusion, she was learning purification techniques. How could a cultivator who doesn't even know purification techniques activate a great formation?"
In fact, they gathered here on their way to Quanfeng for the purification ritual because they had heard that this little darling was going to take the Quanfeng purification ritual. They came specifically to see what was going on.
Just then, Ji Mingran walked up to them. The group had noticed her as they passed under the tree, but she was drinking water with her head tilted back and they hadn't seen her face. Now, half of her face was covered by a large pancake, so they still couldn't see her clearly. However, seeing that she was dressed in simple gray robes, had a frail figure, and was all alone, they assumed she was an outer disciple.
Seeing her approach, the group warmly invited her to join the discussion: "Junior sister, we've seen you've been listening for quite a while, what do you think?"
Ji Mingran joined the conversation familiarly and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "The activation of the sect's protective formation is of course inseparable from Senior Brother Sanyang."
"Insightful! I've never seen such an insightful junior sister before. May I ask your name? I am Yang Jingjing, the 40th generation inner disciple of Kuangfeng." The chubby disciple's opinion was supported, and in his excitement, he did not notice Ji Mingran's address to Venerable Hongyan.
"Me?" The pancake was blocking his view, so Ji Mingran removed it and said with a smile, "My name is Ji Mingran, a disciple of Luanfeng."
The disciples all stopped in their tracks and stared at her.
"You, you, no, you are," the chubby Yang Jingjing stammered, his voice suddenly rising, "the great-great-grandmother of Luanfeng, Granny Ji?"
The girl before him had bright, dark eyes and smiled, revealing a set of white teeth: "Someone does call me that."
The young disciples stood there dumbfounded.
The disciple in the sky-blue robe was the first to react, bowing deeply and saying, "Shi Ling, the 40th generation disciple of Quanfeng, pays respects to Grandmaster."
The disciple in black robes followed suit, bowing and saying, "Chao Yingyue, the 40th generation disciple of Yaofeng, greets Grandmaster."
The remaining disciple in a sky-blue robe said, "Qi Ming, the 40th generation disciple of Kuang Peak, greets Grandmaster."
"It's you guys." The fortieth generation inner disciple was one of the top ten disciples who participated in the sect entry competition with her.
The group stood still. Ji Mingran asked, "Aren't you leaving?"
"Please, please go first." Another disciple in a light blue robe leaned forward, gesturing for him to go first.
The reason they were attending this class was because Coucou had participated in the competition with them before, and although he came in last place, he became the legendary disciple of their top master. Now that they had met him in person, what was the point of attending the class?
“Alright.” Ji Mingran nodded and continued on his way.
After watching her walk away, the chubby Yang Jingjing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You really shouldn't talk about people during the day, or you'll only embarrass yourself."
The black-robed Chao Yingyue whispered, "She seems to have only reached the Qi Refining stage. Could it be that she's been in seclusion for so long because her cultivation level is too low, making her reluctant to see people?"
Kuang Feng Qiming interjected, "Judging from her back, she seems to be a little lame."
Chao Yingyue: "But she's quite good-looking."
Quan Feng Shi Ling: "She also has a good personality."
***
When Ji Mingran arrived at the study hall, she found that there were quite a few people. Fortunately, she left early and managed to grab a seat in the middle of the first row.
When Qin Shijiu saw the packed study hall, he was equally surprised. How come the basic magic course, which he had specially set up to slack off and which had never attracted anyone before, suddenly became so popular after he came out of seclusion for a month?
Are none of them able to perform purification rituals anymore?
His doubts vanished the moment he saw the gray-robed girl sitting in the front row.
The girl had fair skin and bright, sparkling eyes that were smiling at him. She wore a gray robe, her hair simply tied up in a loose bun, her long black hair cascading down her back, making her appear even thinner beneath the loose robe and black hair.
Grandmaster?
Even though they hadn't seen each other for a year, Qin Shijiu recognized the person in front of him at a glance.
Ji Mingran immediately recognized the blue-robed disciple who had led her to Quanfeng. She greeted him with great enthusiasm and a loud voice: "Greetings, Master Shijiu!"
Qin Shijiu straightened up and bowed deeply, saying, "Grandmaster, you are too kind to your junior disciple."
Ji Mingran cupped his face in his hands and smiled, "Don't be shy, just teach as usual. This is my first class since I came out, and I will listen carefully."
Qin Shijiu gave a bitter smile. He had mocked Yang Zhen's surprised reaction when he saw Master Guan Wanzhen appear in his class, and now he was getting his comeuppance.
Why is the little darling choosing her own lessons to listen to?
Fortunately, it wasn't the first time he'd met the little darling. After adjusting his mood, Qin Shijiu maintained his composure as a lecturer and began his lesson.
Ji Mingran was the only one who came to the course with the intention of listening to the lecture. The other disciples crowded into the last three rows, whispering among themselves: "She really is our Grandmaster Uncle, our little ancestor."
"Why does the little ancestor still want to learn purification techniques?"
"I heard that she was only at the Qi Refining stage when she was taken in as a disciple by Emperor Taizu of Jiang in the small world by some unknown opportunity."
"Huh? Jiang Taizu, the sect still recognizes her?"
"With Venerable Hongyan's approval, who dares to say a word?"
"Ah," one disciple said enviously, "She's really lucky, she got her ancestral lineage for free."
"I thought she was in seclusion practicing some secret technique, but it turns out," another disciple chuckled, "she's just practicing Qi cultivation."
“Who says otherwise? She’s just a mere Qi Refining cultivator, yet we have to call her our ancestor.”
Although the disciples could speak in hushed tones, with so many whispering, Qin Shijiu could hardly pretend not to hear. He glanced at his little ancestor below, who was still staring intently at him, seemingly oblivious to the conversations of the disciples behind her.
If his disciples were all so eager to learn, would he still be thinking about how to dabble in the lessons every day?
He coughed loudly, adopting the stern demeanor of a teacher, and said, "Those who aren't paying attention, get out!"
Qin Shijiu held a high position in Quanfeng, with several junior disciples and grand-disciples among him. When he made his statement, the disciples dared not whisper among themselves.
The lesson lasted only half an hour. After the disciples finished their excitement, they dispersed in a hurry when the lesson ended. Ji Mingran chatted with Qin Shijiu for a few words before returning the way they came.
As the sun sets, its afterglow spills across the dense forest and lush greenery of Quanfeng.
Ji Mingran walked leisurely on the light spots that landed on the ground. She spotted a circle of light on the grass to her left and was about to jump over it when the circle disappeared.
Ji Mingran raised her head slightly; the sun had not yet set, and she squinted.
They've arrived.
The purification ritual lasted half an hour, enough for news of her presence at Spring Peak to spread throughout the entire peak region.
That's enough for those who have been searching for her to find her.
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