Volume 1, Chapter 31: Various Rumors

"Alright, alright, I am not blaming you. As long as you realize that such behavior is wrong, that is enough!"

Gu Mingxi patiently comforted Gu Mingyue. "We still need to go and sign up for the Sect Grand Competition. If you go around crying like this for others to see, it will really damage your image, won't it?"

"I, uh, I understand. Let's go and sign up for the Sect Grand Competition first!"

Gu Mingyue picked up her handkerchief, wiped her face haphazardly, turned, and smiled at Gu Mingxi.

Ultimately, the path of life is one that Gu Mingyue must walk herself. Gu Mingxi could offer a reminder once, but could she keep reminding her every single time?

Everyone must be responsible for the choices they make. Regardless of whether you can eventually bear the consequences of those responsibilities, they remain your own choices, unrelated to anyone else.

Therefore, regarding this matter with Gu Mingyue, Gu Mingxi would only intervene this once. If such a situation were to happen again, she would absolutely not intervene a second time. After all, this was the direction of Gu Mingyue's future cultivation; interfering too much would only make her unwelcome.

If Gu Mingyue truly set her heart on becoming a qualified alchemist in the future, Gu Mingxi would have nothing to say against it. Of course, she would not abandon Gu Mingyue either; the bond between them was not fake. She would not interfere with Gu Mingyue's future path of cultivation, but she would still look after her safety.

When Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue arrived at the Mission Hall, it was packed with people.

The Sect Grand Competition is held once every decade. Whether they are outer sect disciples or inner sect disciples, everyone hopes to change their fate through this competition—outer sect disciples wish to successfully enter the inner sect, while inner sect disciples hope to find a good master.

Even the personal disciples had their own goals, specifically the Ziyun Secret Realm.

The Ziyun Secret Realm is a realm exclusive to the Tianyan Sect. The highest level of cultivation it can accommodate is the Foundation Establishment stage, so it is generally used as a reward for sect disciples. It is said that the Ziyun Secret Realm is filled with opportunities everywhere, containing everything from heavenly treasures and spirit herbs to rare ores.

It is rumored that every disciple who emerges from the Ziyun Secret Realm returns with numerous treasures. Since cultivation relies on the four pillars of "Dharma, Companions, Wealth, and Land," wealth is of significant importance.

Gu Mingxi led Gu Mingyue to a less crowded area to find an administrator to register for the Sect Grand Competition.

The administrator asked, "Are you two junior sisters also here to sign up for the Sect Grand Competition?"

One might wonder why the administrator could call Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue "junior sisters." Naturally, it was because the administrator's cultivation was higher—he was already at the Golden Core stage. A Golden Core disciple can naturally address personal disciples who are still in the Qi Refining stage as junior sisters.

Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue nodded, and the administrator smiled and said, "Then please, junior sisters, take out your identity tokens so I can register you."

After receiving their identity tokens, the administrator was quite surprised: "Under the tutelage of Venerable Yuchen?"

Gu Mingxi asked in confusion, "Is there a problem with being under Venerable Yuchen?"

The administrator shook his head quickly: "No problem at all, no problem. Junior Sisters Gu, please wait a moment!"

Under Venerable Yuchen? Venerable Yuchen's disciples have come out of seclusion?

Others in the Mission Hall heard the administrator's exclamation and turned their heads. Everyone knew that the disciples under Venerable Yuchen had gone into seclusion for three years immediately after becoming his students, and no one had ever seen them. Hearing this suddenly made everyone quite curious.

Two junior sisters named Gu?

Soon, the administrator returned the tokens to Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue, handing them two placards marked with numbers.

"Junior sisters, these are your number plates for the Sect Grand Competition. Just take them with you when it is time to compete."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

"Safe travels, junior sisters!"

***

After Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue left, the Mission Hall erupted into intense discussion.

"Did you not see the cultivation level of that disciple under Venerable Yuchen?" a disciple asked his companion in disbelief.

"She is already at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining?" The companion looked equally incredulous.

"How many years has she been cultivating? She's already at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining?"

Is it fast to go from a mortal to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining in four years? Haha, to Gu Mingxi, it seemed quite fast!

"Is this the cultivation speed of a genius?" other disciples sighed silently.

Before long, someone retorted. "A genius? The junior uncle named Gu who accompanied her is also a genius, but her cultivation is not as exaggerated as the other. This is a genius among geniuses!"

And just like that, the rumor that Gu Mingxi, the disciple of Venerable Yuchen, was a "genius among geniuses" spread throughout the entire sect.

This rumor soon reached the ears of other personal disciples. They had different reactions, but without exception, they all became more vigilant toward Gu Mingxi. They could not judge her easily without seeing her, but her cultivation alone was enough to warrant serious attention. She was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, while most other personal disciples of her generation were still at the ninth or tenth level of Qi Refining. Gu Mingxi’s cultivation was truly far ahead of her peers.

At the Talisman Peak, Lan Ci, who was busy drawing talismans, paused upon hearing the news, and the talisman under his hand instantly turned to ash.

Mu Chunfeng, who was drawing talismans nearby, glanced at Lan Ci and said calmly, "Junior brother, it is just a piece of news. Your heart has become unsettled."

Lan Ci's expression shifted. "Senior brother, she is indeed very strong. When we joined the sect together, she was the only one who reached the summit of the Path of Questioning the Heart. You know as well as I do what reaching the summit of that path signifies."

Mentioning the Path of Questioning the Heart, Mu Chunfeng was no longer as indifferent as before. Clearly, he remembered the other person who had reached the summit: Mo Yuqing!

Mu Chunfeng sighed and said, "Mo Yuqing has remained at the peak of Foundation Establishment for over three years now. She is truly patient; it is all to enter the Ziyun Secret Realm."

Lan Ci asked, "Senior brother, if it were you, would you suppress your cultivation for three years like Mo Yuqing just to go to the Ziyun Secret Realm?"

Mu Chunfeng remained silent for a moment before saying solemnly, "If I were in her position, I would make the same choice. You have never been to the Ziyun Secret Realm; you do not know how rich the resources inside are. If my cultivation hadn't broken through five years ago, perhaps I would have followed her example and suppressed it too."

Hearing his senior brother say this, Lan Ci became even more curious about the Ziyun Secret Realm. His senior brother also came from a family of cultivators and had seen countless treasures, yet he was willing to suppress his cultivation to enter again.

Lan Ci asked curiously, "Are there really that many good things in the Ziyun Secret Realm?"

Mu Chunfeng nodded and replied, "The Ziyun Secret Realm is our Tianyan Sect's own private realm. The sect can guarantee that there is no life-threatening danger inside. With no danger and so many precious treasures to be gained, who wouldn't want to go again? You must know that apart from our own sect's realm, which other realm is devoid of danger?"

Speaking of this, Mu Chunfeng sighed. "Four years ago, before you joined the sect, we personal disciples from several peaks went to explore a secret realm with our senior brother. There were no treasures there, but plenty of danger. If it hadn't been for our senior brother's quick reactions and the defensive artifact given to him by the Sect Master, we might have died there."

Mu Chunfeng took this opportunity to educate Lan Ci: "In the future, if you go out to gain experience, you must go with fellow disciples. After all, you can look out for one another, and there is more trust among fellow sect members; at critical moments, it might save your life."

Lan Ci nodded thoughtfully.

***

At Sword Peak, when the news of Gu Mingxi reached Mo Yuqing's ears, she felt a bit of curiosity about this junior sister. After all, this was not the first time she had heard of Gu Mingxi. She had heard from her master, He Ming, that Gu Mingxi's talent was truly excellent, but she would not be coming to Sword Peak.

A mutated Lightning Spirit Root combined with a Lightning Spirit Body was indeed a perfect seed for a sword cultivator, so it was no wonder her master was tempted.

However, after Gu Mingxi became a disciple of Venerable Yuchen, she went into seclusion for three years. During those three years, Mo Yuqing had long since pushed Gu Mingxi to the back of her mind. It was only today, hearing the news after Gu Mingxi's emergence, that she remembered her again.

Regarding what her master had once said, Mo Yuqing didn't have any particular thoughts. Gu Mingxi was a genius, and she, Mo Yuqing, was also a genius. She understood that her master’s words were merely a sigh of regret, as he also knew that Gu Mingxi was destined to be under Venerable Yuchen.

It was just a pity that their entry times were different. Mo Yuqing had entered the sect ten years earlier than Gu Mingxi, and that ten-year gap was not easily bridged. After all, their talents were evenly matched—Gu Mingxi had a mutated Lightning Spirit Root, and Mo Yuqing had a mutated Ice Spirit Root. Both had spirit bodies; neither lost out in talent or fate. We shall see how they both fare in the future.

"Since we are both geniuses, let us see whose path leads further and faster!" Mo Yuqing looked at the sunlight outside the window and smiled gently. "I hope you will not disappoint me, Gu Mingxi..."

A gentle breeze blew past, as if to scatter Mo Yuqing's words into the air.

***

At Star Peak, Sect Master Qing Mu was handling sect affairs while a very relaxed man sat beside him. This relaxed man was naturally Yuchen. Besides Yuchen, who else would dare to drink tea so leisurely while the Sect Master was busy with sect affairs? Only Yuchen would do such a thing.

Qing Mu shook his head, choosing not to comment on Yuchen's behavior. In the past, Yuchen liked to do other boring things while he handled sect affairs, and he still liked to do so now.

Regarding the rumors about Gu Mingxi in the sect, Qing Mu and Yuchen had naturally received them. After Qing Mu finished handling the affairs, he moved to the table nearby to taste tea face-to-face with Yuchen.

"Junior brother, your disciple... silent for three years, and now that she has come out of seclusion, she truly startles everyone with her first cry!"

Yuchen looked at his teacup and replied unhurriedly, "Could a disciple taught by me ever be anything less than excellent?"

Qing Mu shook his head helplessly at Yuchen's narcissistic response but did not refute him. He and his junior brother had grown up together; after so many years, how could he not know his brother's temperament? In private, his brother could do as he pleased, and in public, he was capable of maintaining his image, so why demand so much of him?

"Mingxi's emergence also serves as a timely warning to the other personal disciples; they have become somewhat slack over the past three years."

Yuchen nodded in agreement. "Indeed. After this Sect Grand Competition, there is the Cultivation Grand Competition waiting for them. Whether our Tianyan Sect can continue to hold the title of the number one sect in the Azure Cloud Continent depends on these little ones."

Mentioning the title of the number one sect, Qing Mu’s reaction was quite indifferent. "Whether we are number one or not doesn't really matter. But if the disciples of this generation cannot hold it up, the consequences will not be as simple as just losing a title."

Yuchen glanced at Qing Mu and laughed. "Senior brother, you don't need to worry so much. Not to mention that my disciple will be at the Golden Core stage in fifteen years, Mo Yuqing, the first disciple of He Ming, will definitely have promoted to Golden Core by then, perhaps even to Nascent Soul. The younger generation has their own destiny; just keep them on their toes, no need to be so worried."

Qing Mu smiled and shook his head, feeling somewhat helpless toward Yuchen. "If things could really go as you say, that would be for the best."

Just as Qing Mu and Yuchen were talking, sect disciples brought another batch of paperwork. Looking at that thick stack, Qing Mu rubbed his head in frustration—another day of missing his disciple. When his eldest disciple was still in the sect, he could share many of the burdens, but now that he had gone out to gain experience, all the work had returned to Qing Mu.

He longed for retirement every day!

"When will Cheng Yu promote to the Void Refinement stage? If he promotes, I can finally retire..."

An Chengyu, who was away gaining experience, suddenly sneezed several times. He muttered to himself, "It couldn't be the master thinking of me again, could it?"

An Chengyu was well aware of his master's desire to pass the position of Sect Master to him; after all, the master had never hidden his intentions, and everyone in the sect assumed An Chengyu was the next Sect Master of the Tianyan Sect. At first, An Chengyu was happy for his master's trust, but after dealing with stack after stack of paperwork, he realized that his master was simply unable to stand the tedious work and wanted to dump the position onto him as soon as possible.

And so, the thought of running away took root in An Chengyu's heart. Under the pretext of gaining experience, he had hurriedly left the sect.

Being saddled with so much paperwork—it was simply too terrifying.