Half an hour earlier.
“Tsk tsk… a twenty-two-year-old Peak Master. Truly a remarkable talent of this era.” Ji Liang’s voice echoed within Shen Ruochu’s Soul Sea.
From the moment Gu Chengxing brought her back, it had been destined that she would become a member of Transcendent Peak.
Her relationship with Senior Sister Lin Qing was excellent. Naturally, Lin Qing had brought her along for this occasion.
After asking Shen Ruochu for her opinion and considering her status, Lin Qing had arranged for her to stand at the very back, in a relatively inconspicuous spot.
From there, she could clearly see everything happening at the front.
She watched Gu Chengxing receive the respect of the elders of Transcendent Peak. She watched him be revered by the gathered disciples.
In a certain instant, Shen Ruochu’s emotions underwent a drastic shift.
“Peak Master… how wonderful…”
Her eyes darkened as she murmured softly.
Then, a surge of intense hatred abruptly welled up in her gaze, spilling from her throat in a nearly twisted sound.
“Hehe… hahaha…”
“He’s so powerful. So radiant…”
“Haha…”
The sight of Gu Chengxing being surrounded and exalted by so many caused Shen Ruochu’s emotions to spiral violently.
Ji Liang sensed the shift but did not attempt to soothe her. Instead, she chuckled. “Naturally. You and I are prisoners beneath others, while Gu Chengxing stands above all.”
“He was born with such dazzling status. Even if he kills the innocent, people will still claim that those he killed were villains.”
“Human nature has always been like this. What is so strange about it?”
“Besides, no one knows he has ever killed anyone. From beginning to end, only you, I, and he are aware.”
As those words fell, Shen Ruochu’s emotions became even more extreme. The killing intent emanating from her body began to show signs of materializing.
Ji Liang’s heart stirred, her thoughts shifting as a trace of anticipation rose within her.
She waited, waiting for Shen Ruochu to cause some kind of disturbance at this important occasion.
But in the very next instant—
With a sudden shift, Shen Ruochu suppressed her nearly unhinged emotions completely. The killing aura dissipated as if it had never existed.
The twisted resentment, struggle, unwillingness, and hatred all transformed into cold indifference in a single heartbeat.
It was bizarre beyond measure.
It was as if, in that instant, two personalities residing within her had switched places.
One as deep and cold as an abyss. The other mad to the extreme.
Yet that was not the case. Shen Ruochu did not have multiple personalities. The one controlling all these emotional shifts was herself alone.
Ji Liang knew this clearly.
As the remnant soul attached to Shen Ruochu, even though she could no longer access her memories, she was undoubtedly the person who understood her best in this world.
In these three years, she had never seen nor known that Shen Ruochu possessed such terrifying control over her emotions.
“You…” Ji Liang’s voice carried disbelief.
Shen Ruochu’s gaze returned to calm.
After speaking, she no longer wished to remain there. Turning her back to the crowd, she quietly left.
She understood herself clearly. For these three years, she had always been this extreme, unstable, even pathological.
She had never killed a single person in her life, yet at ten years old, she had comprehended the Slaughter Dao.
The deeper one thought about it, the more chilling it became. It revealed just how deeply extreme and hidden her nature truly was.
Most of the time, she forcibly suppressed her emotions, masking them with cold indifference.
Only today, when she saw Gu Chengxing, had she failed to restrain herself for a fleeting moment, allowing that long-buried emotion to surface briefly.
Within her heart, Shen Ruochu whispered, “Don’t rush. I will kill him. I definitely will.”
She swiftly returned to Transcendent 001.
After sending a couple of messages to Lin Qing, she entered the cultivation chamber within the cave dwelling, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating.
The surge of killing intent today made her feel as if her will could advance further.
She had a premonition that after today, her strength would undergo a tremendous transformation.
…
Azure Cloud Mountain, Main Peak.
Sect Master Hall.
Gu Chengxing stepped into the grand hall once more, feeling as though an era had passed.
“Sect Master.”
He looked respectfully at the figure seated at the head position.
In front of him stood four figures of differing appearances and extraordinary bearing: an elderly man, a middle-aged man, and a mature woman among them.
Jian Wushuang nodded calmly and gestured toward the four. “They are the Peak Masters of the other four peaks. You should be familiar with them.”
Gu Chengxing carefully observed them before greeting each in turn. “Gu Chengxing greets Peak Master Chen Wunian, Peak Master Feng Wujing, Peak Master Zhen Wuqing, and Peak Master Liu Wuyan.”
Chen Wunian and Feng Wujing, the two oldest among them, nodded with satisfied smiles.
Zhen Wuqing gave a slight nod, his expression unreadable, though his eyes remained fixed on Gu Chengxing with evident curiosity.
Liu Wuyan was far more outrageous. She stepped closer, swaying provocatively as she circled him with teasing allure. Yet her eyes were clear, filled only with curiosity and a sharp glint of intelligence. If not for the others present, Gu Chengxing suspected she might have reached out to touch him.
He did his best to avert his gaze, though some instincts were difficult to restrain.
Cough.
Chen Wunian and Feng Wujing exchanged bright looks.
“Not bad. Peak Nascent Soul Realm,” Chen Wunian remarked slowly.
Of course, Gu Chengxing was actually at Peak Mid-stage Void Shattering Realm. He had merely concealed his true cultivation somewhat.
Somewhat.
“Gu—Cheng—xing! Ah, I wasn’t certain at first. It really is you!”
Liu Wuyan’s delighted voice sounded beside him.
Gu Chengxing looked at her in confusion. “Peak Master Liu…”
“Call me Sister!” she corrected.
“Ah?”
That was indeed true. Chen Wuxin had once entrusted young Gu Chengxing to Liu Wuyan’s care for a couple of days.
Gu Chengxing hesitated. His inherited memories were incomplete. He had no recollection of such events.
“Sister Liu…” he said somewhat awkwardly.
Her face instantly brightened. “That’s better. Hehe.”
She patted her chest enthusiastically, causing a dramatic ripple that made Gu Chengxing’s eyes twitch before he quickly looked away.
After all, he was a man of integrity.
“Ahem. Peak Master Liu, please maintain the external image of our Azure Cloud Sword Sect Peak Masters,” Jian Wushuang reminded dryly.
The group ceased their chatter and turned to him.
Liu Wuyan’s eyes held faint resentment, though she restrained herself.
“Today, I have gathered you for three matters. First, for you all to become acquainted.”
“Second…”
“The once-in-thirty-years disciple selection ceremony will soon begin. As Peak Masters, it would be best if you attend personally.”
He paused briefly.
“Lest, in a few years, the sect become riddled with holes.”
All present understood what he meant.
It was a warning to carefully screen disciples and eliminate or mark Hidden Agents of the Sect from other factions.
Jian Wushuang had mentioned this briefly to Gu Chengxing the previous day.
“As for the third matter, it concerns Peak Master Gu.”
“Me?” Gu Chengxing looked up, puzzled.
“Ahem… Chengxing…”
Jian Wushuang coughed again, as if suppressing mischief.
Gu Chengxing suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
“Your master once believed your temperament too detached. Therefore…”
His unease intensified.
“Therefore, he personally visited the major forces of the Desolate Domain and exerted considerable effort to secure marriage alliances for you… a total of eighty-seven successful engagements.”
Gu Chengxing: ???
The Peak Masters: ???
Marriage alliances: ???
Wait.
Eighty-seven?
From major forces across the Desolate Domain?
Gu Chengxing staggered back two steps, his face pale. “Sect Master… you’re joking, right?”