Su Yong’an dragged Yan Xiu’s cold, stiff hand like dragging a heavy piece of wood, stepping out of the suffocating clamor of the spirit-testing plaza amidst countless shocked and probing gazes.
It felt as though those gazes were trying to burn straight through his back, yet he walked out of the area with his head held high and chest puffed out, his pretty peach blossom eyes bright and sparkling, his face full of smugness that said, “I’ve done a great deed.”
He completely disregarded the low pressure radiating from the youth he had forcibly “kidnapped,” which was cold enough to freeze three feet of ice.
The surrounding crowd chattered excitedly. “Who is that? How can a little toddler have such great authority? He can directly bring someone into the sect?”
A person nearby sighed, saying that had they known this pretty little toddler was so kind-hearted, they should have gone over to play the pity card too.
Nearby disciples within the sect proudly explained, “That is our Junior Brother Yong’an! He is our sect’s youngest peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he’s only eight years old!”
The crowd broke into an uproar once again. So this was the sensational figure in the cultivation world over the past few years, who had topped the charts for both genius and looks at just eight years old. Seeing him today, his reputation was indeed well-deserved.
High up on the high platform, amidst swirling clouds and mists.
Sect Master Ye Xuan watched as the small figure dragged a “trash” away toward the edge of the plaza. Instead of angering the majestic face, it prompted a trace of an extremely faint smile, which instantly returned to being as calm as an ancient well.
His gaze swept over the crowd below, who were buzzing with discussion due to this unexpected interlude. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was like a great bronze bell, clearly overpowering all the commotion:
“Silence! The disciple-recruitment grand ceremony will continue!”
Just six words, imbued with the majestic pressure of a Soul Formation stage cultivator, instantly made the boiling plaza as quiet as death.
Everyone instinctively shrunk their necks, hurriedly pulling back their gazes to refocus on the spirit-testing stele.
The deacon disciple also quickly restrained the astonishment on his face, returning to his bureaucratic and rigid demeanor as he called out loudly: “Next!”
It was as if the farce just now was merely a small pebble tossed into a calm lake; after the ripples subsided, the surface remained smooth as a mirror. The rules and majesty of the Mingjian Sect were unquestionable.
Yuxu Peak Master Su Lan and his wife Wen Qingzhi exchanged glances, both seeing helplessness in each other’s eyes along with a trace of… well, a sort of habitual indulgence.
Su Lan rubbed his temples and muttered under his breath, “This kid… I’ll deal with him later.”
Wen Qingzhi pursed her lips in a light smile, speaking softly, “An’an is kind-hearted, let him be. That child over there looks like… someone who has had a hard life, too.”
Su Lan hummed dismissively and said nothing more, though his gaze drifted toward the plaza while his mind had already drifted back to Yuxu Peak, pondering how to “discipline” his own bold and mischievous little monkey.
The grand ceremony of recruiting disciples continued in a subtle atmosphere. Perhaps stimulated by Su Yong’an’s little interlude, or perhaps driven by a premonition that a supreme spiritual root was about to appear, a suppressed anticipation filled the air.
Time passed, and the spirit-testing queue steadily shortened. When the last batch of boys and girls nervously stepped forward, almost everyone felt somewhat uninspired, figuring there probably wouldn’t be any more surprises today.
Right at that moment!
A boy around twelve or thirteen years old took his place at the end of the line. He stood tall and straight, wearing a well-tailored moon-white brocade robe. Though the fabric wasn’t of the absolute highest grade, it was clean and neat, setting off his gentle temperament.
His features were refined and handsome, his brows carrying a calm composure rarely seen in someone his age.
He walked composedly toward the spirit-testing stele with an unservile and unarrogant posture, appearing exceptionally quiet amidst the nervous crowd around him.
He stretched out his well-defined, clean, and slender hand, calmly pressing it against the cold stele.
Hum!!!
The dormant stele suddenly erupted with dazzling radiance! It wasn’t the single bright color of ordinary spiritual roots, but a pure, fierce, and dazzling crimson-gold akin to the scorching sun melting gold!
That light soared straight into the sky, faintly condensing into a divine, magnificent, and vividly lifelike phantom of a blazing phoenix spreading its wings above the stele!
A resounding phoenix cry seemed to echo from the depths of everyone’s souls!
The entire plaza instantly fell into absolute silence! You could hear a pin drop!
Immediately following that, the sound of gasping breaths rang out even more shocking and frantic than when Su Yong’an had thrown someone earlier!
“Hiss!!!”
“Ph… Phoenix?!?”
“Supreme Fire Spiritual Root! It’s a Supreme Fire Spiritual Root!”
“Oh my god! Another Supreme Fire Spiritual Root! Is the Mingjian Sect trying to defy the heavens?!”
“Wasn’t the last one the water spiritual root of that little monster Su Yong’an from Yuxu Peak? And it’s only been a few years?!”
Envious, jealous, and fanatical gazes became practically tangible, instantly locking onto the boy who had triggered the miraculous phenomenon!
High up on the platform, several peak masters and elders who had previously appeared somewhat lazy instantly straightened up, sharp light bursting from their eyes!
Even deep within Sect Master Ye Xuan’s calm, pool-like eyes, a trace of hard-to-conceal burning intensity flashed past!
A supreme spiritual root! A peerless aptitude that might not produce even one in decades or even centuries!
Today, two of them had appeared back-to-back in the Mingjian Sect! One was the supreme water spiritual root of the eight-year-old peak Foundation Establishment practitioner Su Yong’an,
And the other was this fire spiritual root boy who had triggered the phoenix phenomenon right before their eyes!
Once this news spread, it would be enough to shake the entire Immortal Luo Continent! The prestige of the Mingjian Sect would rise to yet another level!
Ye Xuan’s figure vanished from his spot in an instant, and the next moment, he appeared like a ghost in front of the boy.
Dressed in dark profound master robes with a majestic expression, he now wore a trace of a gentle smile as he looked at the boy whose demeanor remained calm. His voice was mild yet carried an invisible pressure:
“Child, what is your name? Where do you come from?”
Faced with a personal inquiry from the Sect Master, the boy still showed no panic. He bowed in greeting, his voice clear and steady:
“Disciple Lin Zhimian, a scion of the Lin family of Jiangcheng.”
“The Jiangcheng Lin family?” A flash of realization crossed Ye Xuan’s eyes, his smile deepening. “So you are the son of the head of the Lin family, no wonder you possess this dragon-and-phoenix bearing. Is the family head well?”
“My father is well, thank you for your concern, Sect Master.” Lin Zhimian responded appropriately.
Ye Xuan nodded in satisfaction, gazing at him with burning eyes: “Lin Zhimian, would you be willing to enter my tutelage and become my direct disciple?”
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like pouring cold water into boiling oil, and the high platform instantly exploded with noise!
“Sect Master Senior Brother! That’s not playing fair!” Peak Master Li Yuan of the War-Exalting Peak (whose ritual robe still faintly bore the ink trace of a crooked turtle) jumped up first, his voice booming like a great bell:
“Our War-Exalting Peak focuses on killing and slaughter, matching this domineering and peerless Phoenix Fire the best! This child belongs rightfully in our War-Exalting Peak!”
“Senior Brother Li’s words are misguided!” Peak Master Wang of the Dan-Cauldron Peak (who had once suffered the pain of having his beard shaved) stroked his sparse beard and said leisurely,
“Fire spiritual roots are the foundation of alchemy and artifact crafting! With such supreme aptitude, wouldn’t it be a terrible waste and a casting of pearls before swine if he doesn’t enter my Dan-Cauldron Peak to delve into the Great Dao of alchemy flames?”
“Old man Wang, hold your tongue!” The head of the Beast-Taming Garden couldn’t sit still either.
“The phoenix is the leader of all birds! This child carries the phoenix phenomenon and is naturally destined to be close to the spiritual birds and celestial beasts of my Beast-Taming Garden! Entering my Beast-Taming Garden is the righteous path!”
The bigwigs’ faces turned red and their necks thick as they argued endlessly, stopping just short of rolling up their sleeves to brawl on the spot.
Everyone in the plaza watched with gaping mouths. The disdain and mockery directed at the “trash” a moment ago were still vivid in their minds.
In the blink of an eye, another boy had become the hot commodity that the Sect Master and peak masters were fighting over. What a stark contrast, and how ironic!
Lin Zhimian stood quietly at the center of the storm, listening to the high-ranking figures fighting over him.
There was not much smugness on his face; instead, he lowered his gaze slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
The farce at the edge of the plaza just now—that pretty figure who descended like a little sun, proudly and spiritedly protecting another “trash,”
And his final crisp, loud declaration of “Yuxu Peak’s Su Yong’an”—had been carved into his mind like a brand.
Yuxu Peak… Su Yong’an…
Just as Sect Master Ye Xuan saw his junior brothers about to come to blows and prepared to speak once more to settle the matter with a final verdict, Lin Zhimian suddenly raised his head.
He took a deep breath, bowed to the Sect Master and the several peak masters who were arguing until their faces were red, and spoke in a voice that wasn’t loud, yet clearly cut through the noise:
“Disciple Lin Zhimian respectfully begs the Sect Master and all peak masters.”
The arguing stopped abruptly. Everyone looked at him.
Lin Zhimian straightened up, his gaze calm and resolute as he looked toward the direction of Yuxu Peak, and stated loudly:
“Disciple… wishes to go to Yuxu Peak.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
On the high platform, Su Lan was holding a teacup, having just taken a sip when he heard this, coughing out a “poof” that sprayed tea all over Peak Master Li Yuan’s brand-new ritual robe (Li Yuan).
He widened his eyes in a dumbfounded expression that conveyed: Who am I, where am I, what did I just hear?
Ye Xuan was also stunned, a rare trace of bewilderment appearing on his majestic face. The other peak masters were even more flabbergasted, as if struck by a binding spell.
Yuxu Peak? The peak where that mischievous monkey Su Yong’an lived? This kid… passing over being the Sect Master’s direct disciple and the major main peaks,
To go to that famously “Buddhist-style” Yuxu Peak (mainly because it had an even more laid-back peak master and a doting peak master’s wife)?!
“Are you… certain?” Ye Xuan asked uncertainly.
“Disciple is certain.” Lin Zhimian’s attitude was resolute. “Disciple admires Junior Brother Su Yong’an’s… chivalrous spirit, and yearns for it in his heart. I earnestly beg the Sect Master to grant this!”
Admired… a chivalrous spirit? Yearned for it in his heart?
The expressions of the peak masters on the high platform instantly turned exceptionally colorful. Li Yuan twitched at the corner of his mouth, looking at the fresh water stains and the turtle ink mark on his ritual robe,
Thinking to himself: You call that a chivalrous spirit? That’s called being a troublesome brat!
Elder Wang instinctively touched the beard he had finally managed to regrow, feeling lingering fear. The head of the Beast-Taming Garden, meanwhile, wore a look of complete bewilderment.
Sect Master Ye Xuan looked at the undeniable determination in Lin Zhimian’s eyes, glanced sideways at Su Lan who was still in a petrified state, and finally smiled helplessly, though a trace of profound meaning flashed in his eyes:
“Very well. Since your mind is made up—Junior Brother Su,” he turned to Su Lan, “this good sapling is handed over to your Yuxu Peak.”
Su Lan snapped out of his daze as if waking from a dream, hurriedly standing up with a mixture of wild joy, bewilderment, and the illusory sensation of a pie falling from the sky and hitting him squarely on the head. He quickly bowed:
“Understood! I strictly obey the Sect Master’s decree! Thank you, Sect Master! Er… thank you, Nephew Zhimian!”
The look he gave Lin Zhimian was practically as if he were looking at a priceless treasure found after being lost.
The other peak masters looked at Su Lan’s foolish, happy expression of having “picked up a huge bargain.”
And then looked at Lin Zhimian’s determined face, which practically read, My heart is like a stone, it cannot be turned, feeling their chests swell with stifling frustration and nearly coughing up a mouthful of old blood.
How hateful! They only hated themselves for not having a good son as snow-white, cute, and adept at “picking up people” as Su Yong’an!
On Yuxu Peak, the breeze blew gently, and the bamboo shadows swayed.
Su Yong’an had no idea what a massive commotion had been kicked up on the mountain gate plaza because of the “trash” he had picked up and the “phoenix” that had voluntarily defected.
Right now, he was dragging Yan Xiu along like a huge, silent piece of luggage, puffing and panting as he climbed up to a quiet and elegant courtyard halfway up Yuxu Peak.
“Whew! I’m exhausted!” Su Yong’an let go of Yan Xiu’s hand and sat straight down on the smooth blue stone steps at the courtyard entrance.
Without a shred of decorum, he wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with his small sleeve, his little face flushed red like a ripe peach. The little white mink on his shoulder was also panting with its pink tongue out, looking thoroughly worn out.
Released by him, Yan Xiu immediately took half a step back, retreating back into his invisible shell of cold silence.
He lowered his head slightly, his withered yellow hair covering his brows and eyes, carrying his tattered bundle on his back.
Standing before this courtyard brimming with spiritual energy and exuding exquisite elegance, he looked like an unseemly blot intruding upon a scroll of immortal scenery.
He clenched his fists tightly, his nails once more digging deeply into his palms, using that tiny sharp pain to remind himself of his “out-of-place” nature and his “lack of right to exist.”
After resting enough, Su Yong’an bounced back up, trotted around Yan Xiu who remained as silent as a rock twice over, his pretty peach blossom eyes full of curiosity.
Only then did he belatedly remember that he had been so busy “upholding chivalry” and “snatching” someone back that he didn’t even know the other person’s name!
“Hey!” He stretched out his tender, fair finger and carefully poked Yan Xiu’s washed-out, patched sleeve, his voice crisp.
“What’s your name? My name is Su Yong’an, as you already know! Su Yong’an of Yuxu Peak!
From now on, this place is your turf! I’ve got you covered!” He patted his small chest, radiating the grand, heroic aura of following the boss means getting meat to eat.
Yan Xiu’s body stiffened imperceptibly the moment his finger touched him. He slowly raised his head.
Those deep, pool-like eyes appeared even deeper and more desolate in the quiet light of Yuxu Peak.
He looked at the dazzlingly pretty little toddler before him, whose smile was blindingly carefree.
He looked into those crystal-clear eyes, which were filled with pure curiosity and a certain naive “urge to protect,” and felt emotions churning in his heart that were complex to the extreme.
Regret. Deep regret. Why on earth had he acted on a whim, led by the hand by that warm little palm, leaving that place of despair and suffocation like a puppet on strings?
Knowing full well that this place was the clouds, while he was merely dust in the mud he didn’t belong here at all.
Bring him back? How long could this young master’s sudden impulse of kindness last?
When the novelty wore off and he discovered that this “trash” had no value whatsoever, it would only lead to greater humiliation and… abandonment.
Vigilance. He instinctively resisted this sudden, scorching warmth of kindness. It felt too unreal, far too much like a dream from which he might wake at any moment.
Did deeper traps lie hidden beneath this warmth? Was this young master truly naive, or did he… harbor other motives?
And there was also a trace of… an extremely faint heartbeat stirred by that smile, one he was unwilling to admit even to himself. But that heartbeat was quickly covered over by an even deeper frost.