Even after walking into the classroom and sitting down, Cang Yu’s mind was still completely dazed.
Yi Ling’s fingertips had been ice-cold, but the spiritual seal he left behind felt as though it were branded into Cang Yu’s divine sense, still faint and burning hot. With an absentminded expression, he touched his own cheek, then immediately yanked his hand back.
“Tch,” a person sitting beside Cang Yu let out a cold sneer. “Since when can someone with a Five-Element Spiritual Root come to Shangqing Academy to cultivate?”
Hearing this voice, Cang Yu felt a sharp buzzing in his brain.
He remembered. He would never forget it.
It was Shan Chengming, who, like Luo Xingzhou, possessed a Single Water Spiritual Root.
During those five years of bullying he suffered at Lingxiao Palace, aside from Luo Xingzhou pulling the strings behind the scenes, Shan Chengming was the one who mistreated him out in the open.
Perhaps Shan Chengming felt that despite having the exact same aptitude as Luo Xingzhou, he had failed to even become an outer disciple under Yi Ling, whereas Cang Yu had secured the position instead. Thus, he had flown into a rage born of humiliation.
The fear in Cang Yu’s heart was magnified infinitely. He tried his best to make his voice sound normal. “For this fellow Daoist to speak like that, it is a bit rude, is it not?”
Shan Chengming had already grown resentful of Cang Yu back during the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony. He could not understand why Yi Ling would accept a waste as his disciple. Could it truly be that he merely took a liking to this person’s face?
Although Shan Chengming ultimately became the personal disciple of the Second Elder, Fang Qian, he had always wanted to join Yi Ling’s sect. He had not expected that on his very first day at Shangqing Academy, he would find Cang Yu sitting right next to him. Jealousy surged uncontrollably from his heart.
“I am merely speaking the truth,” Shan Chengming said spitefully. “You do not truly believe Elder Yi accepted you as his disciple out of genuine sincerity, do you?”
In just a few short hours, chatter on the Spiritual Resonance Scroll had already spread the rumor that Cang Yu was chosen by Yi Ling solely because of his face. As for that move he used, the Six Absolute Freezes, it was surely an illusion. How could he possibly know it?
Memories of his past life echoed in his mind. Cang Yu turned pale, not hearing a word of what Shan Chengming was saying, which instead made the other party feel as though he had hit the nail on the head.
The mocking smile on Shan Chengming’s face deepened. Just as he opened his mouth to mock him a few more times, the Spiritual Resonance Scroll hanging at Cang Yu’s waist vibrated twice.
He expanded the spiritual screen and found a transmission displayed in the Immortal Destiny Records. Cang Yu had only obtained the Spiritual Resonance Scroll yesterday, and the only person listed in his Immortal Destiny Records was Yi Ling. Needless to say, it was naturally a transmission sent by him.
As Cang Yu received the transmission, a row of golden characters popped up on everyone’s Spiritual Resonance Scrolls, except for Yi Ling’s own: “【Grand Elder】Yi Ling has sent a voice transmission to Cang Yu.”
Consequently, all the disciples sitting in the classroom turned their eyes toward Cang Yu at once.
Cang Yu’s hand trembled. Why did this privilege have to announce even something like this to everyone?
Flushing with embarrassment, Cang Yu tapped open Yi Ling’s transmission.
“Is everything well at Shangqing Academy? Master cares deeply about you.”
Cang Yu thought: Which demonic cultivator dared to possess Master?
The first half sounded fine, but the second half was clearly not something Yi Ling would ever say. Not to mention that Yi Ling rarely called himself “Master” except when he was feeling awkward, an ordinary voice transmission was obviously not awkward at all.
Besides, when had Yi Ling ever expressed his true thoughts so directly?
This voice transmission was not loud, but it happened to be heard clearly by Shan Chengming. His mocking words were thoroughly choked back in his throat, and his expression shifted erratically. In the end, he could only turn his head away resentfully and stop looking at Cang Yu.
Holding the Spiritual Resonance Scroll, Cang Yu thought it over repeatedly before finally replying with a voice transmission to Yi Ling: “This disciple is doing well. Thank you for worrying about me, Master.”
＊
Yi Ling naturally had his reasons for choosing to send a transmission through the Spiritual Resonance Scroll.
He had asked Lu Yufeng for the roster of the new incoming disciples and found the name Shan Chengming particularly familiar. After pondering carefully for a moment, he finally recalled from his memories of his past life that this person seemed to have frequently bullied Cang Yu.
However, his past self had not known about this matter. Yi Ling was able to reach this conclusion now because he noticed that Shan Chengming had always been very close with Luo Xingzhou, and Cang Yu always looked very frightened whenever he saw Shan Chengming.
Yi Ling clenched his fingers tightly. He would never allow such a thing to happen again.
In his past life, the reason Shan Chengming dared to bully Cang Yu was simply because Yi Ling rarely inquired about his affairs. As long as Yi Ling showed that he cared deeply about Cang Yu, he doubted Shan Chengming would dare to act out again.
For the first time, Yi Ling felt that the Spiritual Resonance Scroll was not entirely useless, at least it was sufficient to let all the disciples know that Cang Yu was not someone they could easily push around.
After sending the voice transmission, he set the Spiritual Resonance Scroll aside. He did not expect Cang Yu to reply, after all, what he had said was truly far too abnormal. Unexpectedly, the Spiritual Resonance Scroll vibrated shortly afterward.
Yi Ling opened the transmission in surprise, and Cang Yu’s voice, laced with embarrassment and shyness, drifted out. Upon hearing it, he could not hold back the smile in his heart and let out a light laugh.
He really was frightened.
＊
After the first class ended, many disciples walked over to Cang Yu, actively wanting to tap Spiritual Resonance Scrolls with him. Before Cang Yu could realize why he had suddenly become so popular, dozens of new fellow cultivators had been added to his Immortal Destiny Records.
Although those disciples found it very strange that even though many people had obtained Yi Ling’s seal today, the seal on Cang Yu’s Spiritual Resonance Scroll remained gray.
However, Yi Ling, who had never used a Spiritual Resonance Scroll before, had already broken rules twice for Cang Yu. Anyone could see that regardless of whether Yi Ling had merely taken a liking to his face to raise a pretty vase, Cang Yu’s status in his heart would certainly not be low.
Therefore, building a good relationship with Cang Yu was equivalent to building a good relationship with Yi Ling. It was such a worthwhile deal that no one would refuse to do it.
Cang Yu was not a foolish person and quickly understood Yi Ling’s purpose in acting this way. His nose felt slightly sour. He had not expected that in order to help him live a better life at Shangqing Academy, his master would actually break routine to send a voice transmission through the troublesome Spiritual Resonance Scroll.
Yet, he felt an unwarranted sense of panic. In this restarted life, Yi Ling was so good to him that it always made Cang Yu feel as though all of this was merely a dream before his death.
Furthermore, whatever he could obtain now depended entirely on Yi Ling’s thoughts and actions. Although Cang Yu was very happy to receive such treatment, he could not rely on his master forever.
He could no longer be negligent in his cultivation as he was in his past life. He had to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm as quickly as possible, by whatever means necessary.
The next class was Swordsmanship.
Shan Chengming, who had been feeling aggrieved for a long time, finally came up with a way to make Cang Yu look bad.
He firmly believed that it was impossible for Cang Yu to use the Six Absolute Freezes, and that Cang Yu must have cheated on the martial arena yesterday. If he could expose Cang Yu’s cheating, would the ever-impartial Yi Ling still show Cang Yu a pleasant countenance?
Taking advantage of the moment before the immortal master teaching the swordsmanship class arrived, Shan Chengming walked over to Cang Yu, who was holding his spiritual sword and carefully wiping it clean. He spoke up, “I wonder if Fellow Daoist Cang has some time right now?”
Cang Yu’s body stiffened. His fear of Shan Chengming from his past life seemed to be etched into his flesh, blood, and bones. Looking at the fake smile on the other man’s face, a wave of nausea churned in his stomach, and he instinctively gripped his sword hilt tightly.
“Is there something you need?”
“I heard that Fellow Daoist Cang used the Six Absolute Freezes during yesterday’s contest, and I admire you greatly. It is just a pity that I did not witness it with my own eyes. I wonder if it is convenient for you to demonstrate a move or two right now?” Shan Chengming spoke flawlessly while observing Cang Yu’s expression with great interest. Seeing the other party’s face gradually turn pale, he became even more convinced of his theory.
Nothing remained in Cang Yu’s ears except his own heart beating like a loud drum.
Shan Chengming really was going to make things difficult for him using this matter. The moment Yi Ling controlled his body to use the Six Absolute Freezes, Cang Yu had thought about what would happen if other disciples discovered he could not actually use it. However, since Yi Ling had done so, he naturally had a way to handle it.
Yet, Cang Yu had not expected to encounter Shan Chengming today, nor had he expected that even after Yi Ling directly stated his stance, Shan Chengming would still try every possible way to target him.
He deliberated before speaking, “This sword technique is far too dangerous. If it injures someone…”
Unexpectedly, Shan Chengming interrupted him very urgently, shouting loudly, “I think you probably cheated, did you not?”
As soon as these words were uttered, all the surrounding disciples looked over. Quite a few disciples stepped forward wanting to pull Shan Chengming back and stop his impolite behavior, but they were pushed away by him.
Shan Chengming gripped his sword hilt with full force, swinging the sword blade violently toward Cang Yu’s dantian.
Cang Yu was caught completely unprepared. He took the full blow of this move, and immediately, a sharp, excruciating pain spread rapidly throughout his entire body, causing his consciousness to blur. Memories of Shan Chengming’s face, twisted with anger, flashed through his mind. His knees buckled, and he fell to his knees on the ground.
“You cannot even dodge my move,” Shan Chengming’s eyes were full of mockery. “With this level of skill, you can also…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a wind blade sliced through the air and slammed directly onto his wrist. Blood instantly flowed, and the spiritual sword hit the ground.
“Stop! What are you doing?!”
Shan Chengming clutched his wrist and turned to look, his face pale with terror. “Sect Leader Lu…”
Lu Yufeng had not wanted to come and teach the disciples swordsmanship. He could not be bothered to do something that did not earn him spiritual stones.
However, Yi Ling had tossed him a full fifty thousand spiritual stones to teach a single swordsmanship class, a proposal he simply could not refuse.
In the end, he was merely a little late. The moment he stepped into the classroom, he saw Cang Yu clutching his dantian and kneeling on the ground, clearly having been bullied, while the little brat standing in front of him was actually looking so triumphant.
If Yi Ling found out about this, could he still keep those fifty thousand spiritual stones?
Lu Yufeng felt a wave of severe annoyance. No matter what, Cang Yu absolutely could not suffer any harm in the class he was teaching.
After figuring out the truth of the matter, Lu Yufeng let out a cold sneer.
Spurring his conscience aside, he said with a face as cold as frost, “Preposterous. This Sect Leader was also present at the time, and I saw him use the Six Absolute Freezes with my own eyes. What, does Little Friend Shan feel that this Sect Leader is also suspected of cheating?”
Shan Chengming’s face turned deathly pale. He did not understand why he had been so anxious to make Cang Yu look bad, as if he were out of control. Disregarding his still-bleeding wrist, he knelt on the ground to admit his mistake, “This disciple knows his mistake. Please punish me, Sect Leader.”
Seeing him admit his mistake so quickly, Lu Yufeng’s expression softened slightly. He ordered him to run ten laps around Shangqing Academy, then went over to express some concern for Cang Yu, who was lying on the ground, thereby bringing the matter to a close.
Classes at Shangqing Academy ended around five in the afternoon.
Cang Yu straightened his robes and stood quietly at the entrance. After a day of study, many disciples had become familiar with Cang Yu. Passing by, they could not help but feel puzzled and asked, “Are you not going back?”
He replied with a smile, “Master said he would come to pick me up.”
Some of the disciples were envious while others were surprised. They walked away while discussing it among themselves.
“Elder Yi is truly so good to him.”
“Sigh, my master rarely pays attention to me, probably because I am only an outer disciple.”
“However, other elders might not necessarily treat their own personal disciples this way, right?”
Throughout the day, Cang Yu had grown accustomed to the admiration and envy of these people. He had felt embarrassed at first, but now he felt nothing.
Yet, he waited for a full hour and a half, and all the disciples had left, but Yi Ling still had not appeared.
Cang Yu stood waiting in silence.
He had considered sending a voice transmission to Yi Ling, but considering that Yi Ling did not use the Spiritual Resonance Scroll often and he did not carry a transmission stone on himself, he ultimately gave up.
He looked up at the sky, feeling that Yi Ling was probably delayed by some emergency and could not arrive on time. As a disciple, he should be understanding of his master. As long as it did not rain, it did not matter if he waited a bit longer.
However, it was as if the heavens insisted on working against him. Just as Cang Yu thought this, a sudden downpour burst forth, soaking him completely to the skin.
Cang Yu stood there in shock.
At this moment, Shan Chengming, who had just finished running ten laps, finally returned to the entrance of Shangqing Academy. Although he was also drenched, seeing Cang Yu still standing in the same spot brought a wave of satisfaction to his heart.
He had long heard Cang Yu say that Yi Ling would come to pick him up. He originally thought it was true, but an hour and a half had passed, and had Yi Ling not still failed to show up?
Shan Chengming walked over and said, “You do not truly think Elder Yi would personally come to pick you up, do you? You had better return early, lest catching a cold causes trouble for your master.”
Looking at Shan Chengming’s arrogant, departing back, Cang Yu felt deeply bewildered.
Was being punished by Sect Leader Lu not enough for this person that he still dared to come and act arrogant in front of him? However, with a personality like his, it was no wonder he had treated him that way in his past life.
The injury at his dantian was still aching faintly. Looking down at the soil soaked by rain in the flowerbed, a plan suddenly formed in his mind.
＊
By the time Yi Ling realized the hour was wrong, it was already six in the evening.
He had never possessed a good sense of time. This time, in order to pick up Cang Yu on schedule, he had not even regulated his breath to cultivate.
Yet, in the end, he was still late. Fortunately, it was only an hour late.
His disciple must think he was not a good master right now. As Yi Ling rushed toward Shangqing Academy, he felt remorseful in his heart, thinking that he still had to find a way to make it up to him.
However, when Yi Ling arrived at Shangqing Academy, he saw someone collapsed at the entrance from afar, and his heart tightened instantly.
Disregarding his dignity as an elder, he walked over quickly, only to see his little disciple lying on the ground covered in dirt. The new clothes he had carefully prepared for him were torn in several places, and his entire body was covered in injuries big and small, with bruises scattered across his face and arms. Blood flowing from his wounds mixed with the rainwater, staining the area around him a deep red.
Sensing Yi Ling’s approach, Cang Yu, who was lying on the ground, opened his eyes weakly and with great difficulty, “Master…”
A surge of intense rage and murderous intent erupted in Yi Ling’s heart, causing a metallic, bloody taste to burst in his mouth.
Which bastard actually dared to injure Cang Yu so severely?