Yu Chengyan and Yu Si stepped into the rain.
Both were highly advanced cultivators. The fine drizzle evaporated into steam before it could touch them, dispersed by their true qi, so neither carried an umbrella.
Now that the First Immortal Sect had accepted Yu Chengyan, it was only proper for him to pay his respects and offer thanks to Gu Guangming. Yu Si, who was preparing to depart, also needed to bid farewell to the host.
They ascended the stone steps toward the summit. After hesitating for a long while, Yu Si finally spoke. “If my lord intends to conceal his identity, you must act with utmost caution.”
If not for their ancestral master manifesting a divine sign, Yu Si would never have waded into such troubled waters. The First Immortal Sect stood at the head of all sects and was the core of the Heavenly Alliance of the cultivation world. If possible, he did not wish to deceive Gu Guangming, nor offend him.
Yu Si had staked his own reputation to earn Gu Guangming’s initial trust. Once Yu Chengyan remained here alone, Gu Guangming would undoubtedly test this so-called adopted son of Daoist Bai Hao. If Yu Chengyan were exposed, Yu Si would find himself in an impossible position.
If Yu Chengyan were willing to reveal his true identity, that would be another matter. Yet entering the sect founded by his own father under concealment clearly suggested otherwise. In that case—
Yu Si’s thoughts churned restlessly until a cool voice interrupted them.
“I will not be discovered.”
“What?” Yu Si did not immediately understand and looked at him instinctively.
Yu Chengyan raised his gaze.
At such a close distance, Yu Si noticed for the first time that this aloof and austere young man possessed eyes like amber.
There was an unyielding hardness to Yu Chengyan’s entire bearing, yet those eyes alone were pale and clear at their depths, the corners slightly upturned, holding a faint warmth that lent him his only trace of softness.
In the brief days they had spent together, Yu Si had sensed that although Yu Chengyan was impeccably courteous, his temperament was too cold. It was as though a layer of frozen snow lay perpetually over his bright gaze, nothing penetrating deeply enough to stir true emotion.
Yet in this moment, perhaps out of gratitude, a hint of gentleness finally surfaced.
“Thank you for your assistance, Pavilion Master,” Yu Chengyan said calmly. “I will not place you in a difficult position.”
As if to reassure him, he added, “On the way here, I watched the recording sphere.”
The recording sphere?
Yu Si then recalled that Yu Chengyan had reviewed the preserved images left behind when Daoist Bai Hao was still active in the cultivation world.
He meant that after watching them once, he could replicate them convincingly enough to deceive Gu Guangming, the current grandmaster of swordsmanship?
Ordinarily that would sound absurd. But this was the son of Xie Jianbai. At that thought, Yu Si’s worries eased.
He clasped his hands sincerely. “A tiger father does not beget a dog son. As expected of the Venerable’s child. It was I who worried unnecessarily.”
He meant the praise sincerely, yet he immediately sensed Yu Chengyan’s aura grow colder.
The fleeting warmth shown toward his benefactor vanished, sealed away once more. It was as though a frigid wind had swept through, leaving only endless ice and solitude.
“You overpraise me,” the young man replied evenly.
Though Yu Chengyan never neglected outward courtesy, Yu Si could feel the subtle shift in attitude. A suspicion similar to Xinghan’s rose within him. Perhaps the father and son did not share a harmonious bond.
By then, they had reached the main hall again.
After further polite exchanges between the two sect leaders, Yu Si departed, leaving only Yu Chengyan and Gu Guangming behind.
“Ling Xiao, come, sit,” Gu Guangming invited him to the cushioned couch and personally poured tea. “Daoist Bai Hao favored austere cultivation. You likely have not tasted the tea of our Spirit Mountain. Try it. If you enjoy it, I will send you some.”
Yu Chengyan was just over three thousand years old, a young age by immortal standards, yet he held real authority in the Heavenly Realm. He was accustomed to being served tea, so he found nothing unusual in Gu Guangming’s gesture. Only after a brief delay did he remember that in this realm he was merely a junior seeking assistance.
“I will pour,” he said.
Gu Guangming had only been making a polite offer and readily yielded.
They conversed, Gu Guangming probing subtly while Yu Chengyan responded calmly, as though unaware of any testing. After tea, they moved to the nearby trial platform, where Gu Guangming personally offered guidance.
When Yu Chengyan demonstrated Daoist Bai Hao’s signature techniques, Gu Guangming was finally convinced.
“Excellent, Daoist Bai Hao laid your foundation with great care. Once you successfully cross your tribulation, you will surely accumulate deeply and erupt forth. In a few hundred years, perhaps the title of foremost sword in the cultivation world will change hands,” Gu Guangming said with a smile.
The First Immortal Sect was built upon the sword. The title of foremost sword naturally belonged to its current sect master.
“You are too kind, Sect Master,” Yu Chengyan replied, his heart calm as still water. “I have much yet to learn in the sword path. Your mastery resounds through the world. I hope for your continued instruction.”
The more Gu Guangming observed him, the more tempted he felt.
The young man before him was neither arrogant nor impetuous, gifted in both talent and temperament. With time, he would surely become extraordinary. And he stood alone, unattached. If brought under his banner, it would strengthen his own influence and perhaps even grant access to Daoist Bai Hao’s lost techniques.
The thought made his desire to help Yu Chengyan break through more genuine.
“What matters most is your tribulation,” Gu Guangming said kindly. “Do you know what opportunity you seek? A heavenly treasure? A secret realm?”
Yu Chengyan paused. “Perhaps… it is related to a person.”
“A person?”
“Yes.” He lowered his gaze. “After Pavilion Master Yu divined for me, I felt something stir in my dreams for several nights. I cannot see clearly, only the sense that it involves someone. Perhaps by helping her, I may help myself.”
This was no lie. Yu Chengyan had defied heaven to appear in this earlier era. His immortal power was sealed, and he truly stood at the peak of the Golden Core stage, facing a bottleneck.
His greatest inner demon had been the death of his mother before his eyes at sixteen.
That year, he too had stood at the Golden Core peak.
From then on, his heart demon grew like a vine, entwining his heart and leaving part of him forever trapped in that day.
Now fate had returned him to that very crossroads.
If he could change her destiny, perhaps… perhaps he could—
The thought was too beautiful, too extravagant. He did not dare pursue it further.
Gu Guangming harbored no suspicion. Such opportunities were not unheard of.
“One person costs little,” he mused. “After the grand ceremony, once your identity is formally acknowledged, the entire sect shall be at your disposal. I was close with Daoist Bai Hao. If you do not object, I would treat you as my own adopted son.”
For the sect master of the foremost sect to offer such favor would be an immense honor to others.
Yu Chengyan had no habit of collecting fathers.
“I dare not,” he said calmly. “If I break through to the Nascent Soul stage, I will repay your kindness.”
It was a polite refusal.
He had no intention of remaining here long. Once he found his mother, he would take her away and sever all entanglements.
“First claim your jade token,” Gu Guangming said amiably. “From now on, treat this place as your home.”
They stepped outside. The Sea-Measuring Stone stood in the plaza before the hall.
“Have you tested your root before?” Gu Guangming asked.
If Yu Chengyan’s true aptitude were revealed, it would cause trouble.
“Please give me the token,” he replied respectfully.
Gu Guangming handed him a new jade token. “One drop of blood.”
Yu Chengyan sliced his fingertip with a thread of sword qi. A drop of crimson blood fell onto the token. It trembled violently in his hand, as though some immense force sought to burst forth.
His expression cooled. He pressed down with his own power until it fell still.
Gu Guangming turned to leave, but Yu Chengyan said, “Since I am here, I may as well test.”
He placed his hand upon the Sea-Measuring Stone. After a moment, characters surfaced upon its mirrorlike surface.
“Above average. A fine root,” Gu Guangming said with satisfaction.
Yu Chengyan smiled faintly, but his eyes grew colder.
The moment his blood had fallen, the power left behind by Xie Jianbai had recognized him, even bending the test result according to his will.
What a joke.
He despised the connection between himself and his father more than anyone in this world.
For three thousand years he had deliberately walked opposite paths, in sword, in dao, in governance.
And yet that power had acknowledged him as its rightful inheritor.
His jaw tightened imperceptibly.
It must be bloodline. Yes, it could only be bloodline. There could be no other reason.