Chapter 7
And so I settled on Canglan Peak.
During that time, I released a messenger butterfly to inform Li Yuan, but he never replied.
It was as if he did not care whether his only disciple lived or died.
Fortunately, Canglan Peak had the densest spiritual energy in the entire Changheng Sect. I immersed myself in cultivation every day, and time passed quickly enough.
My only annoyance was—
I sat upright on my bamboo bed, controlling my breath as I meditated. The instant I entered the proper state, Ah Yuan’s clear voice floated in from the courtyard.
“Master, this move is so difficult. Could you teach me personally?”
“Oh, Master, why am I so stupid? I’ve tried three times and still can’t do it.”
Expressionless, I opened my door and found Shen Du teaching Ah Yuan swordsmanship.
His fierce technique turned soft and powerless in her hands. Paired with her dewy gaze, it looked like some kind of flirtatious suggestion.
I almost laughed.
Did Shen Du not suffer fools?
Which of the disciples he had taught was not a peerless talent, one in ten thousand? This must have been his first encounter with someone like Ah Yuan.
After watching the spectacle for a while, my hands began to itch. I kicked a branch off the ground and leaped in front of Ah Yuan.
“Junior Sister, let me practice with you.”
I had entered the Changheng Sect six months before her, so calling her “Junior Sister” was entirely proper.
Ah Yuan wanted to refuse.
But I moved too quickly, every attack sharp and relentless, forcing her to respond.
Nearly eight minutes later, I held the branch across her path and curled my lips. “You lose.”
At that moment, the humiliation of having her boot ground into my face seemed finally released.
Ah Yuan’s eyes reddened with fury. She threw down her sword and cried,
“Master, those were your moves! She stole your teachings. Will you throw her out?”
What a thing to say.
She nearly made me laugh.
“Why would anyone need to steal such a simple move? Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?”
Ah Yuan’s face shifted from red to blue.
Apparently pushed beyond endurance, she dropped her affected, syrupy voice, pulled out her seven-stringed zither, and lunged at me.
The wooden branch in my hand instantly crumbled to powder.
In my panic, I spotted Shen Du behind me and shoved him forward without hesitation.
“Enough, Ah Yuan. Stop this.”
Shen Du raised a hand to soothe her, then shot me an icy glance.
“The world contains countless talented people. Ah Yuan merely awakened late. In time, she may not be inferior to you. Why humiliate her like this?”
Ah Yuan immediately beamed.
“Master is right. Zhao Fuqu only dares bully me because she has some talent with the sword. But there are so many talented people in the world, and she doesn’t have a master as wonderful as you. What gives her the right to be so arrogant? Besides, you’re a genius who appears only once in a century. Before you, what right does she have to act so proud…”
Before she could finish, my expression abruptly changed.
Ah Yuan had watched me closely. Seeing this, she sneered.
“What’s wrong? You can’t bear a few words? How thin-skinned can you be?”
I pressed my lips together and glanced at Shen Du, looking as though I wanted to speak but hesitated.
Before I could open my mouth, the sky, clear and bright only moments ago, suddenly darkened. Black clouds pressed down in layer upon layer. Within a few breaths, a gale began to howl as lightning flashed and thunder boomed.
The immortal attendants around us paled.
“What’s happening? Why did the weather change?”
“Doesn’t Canglan Peak have Immortal Shen Du’s barrier to keep it warm as spring all year? Has the barrier failed?”
“Impossible. The Immortal is at Spirit Transformation.”
Even Shen Du’s normally unruffled expression showed a flash of surprise.
He brushed Ah Yuan aside, closed his eyes, and began calculating with his fingers.
In a corner no one noticed, I sat cross-legged on the ground and began meditating where I was.
The surrounding spiritual energy surged madly into my body.
I was about to form my Golden Core.