Lu Changsheng returned to Qingyun Peak, his face full of worry.
His originally leisurely days had been shattered.
Between teaching Ning Yuxin cultivation to earn Spirit Stones, his Second Senior Brother had even arranged a duty for him to resist the beast tide.
If it were just that, it would be fine. At most, he would just follow the Elders and Senior Brothers for a round and be done with it.
But Luo Xianling was actually going to steal the Sect Leader’s Spirit Stones for him. If the Sect Leader found out, how could that end well? Wouldn’t he make things incredibly difficult for him?
What if he sent him to guard the spirit herbs in the Hundred Herbs Garden again? This time, would it be a basket or a burlap sack?
“Ah!”
Lu Changsheng sighed lightly, lamenting the hardships of life.
But just as he looked up, a familiar figure stood nearby. It was actually Shi Feng, whom he had seen before.
That old man was also standing to the side.
Sensing someone’s arrival, the old man turned back. Seeing Lu Changsheng, he merely smiled and nodded.
Shi Feng, however, was still full of hostility. He didn’t say much and simply continued to look toward the back of Qingyun Peak.
Lu Changsheng didn’t really care; he was just curious as to why they were here.
However, in the next moment, he sensed two auras surge, accompanied by intense fluctuations of spiritual power.
Two figures leaped from the earth into the high sky. They were Zhou Qingyu and that youth from the Profound Heaven Sect.
Zhou Qingyu stepped through the air, forming hand seals. Azure spiritual power swept out, transforming into a ribbon of light that struck downward.
As it danced horizontally, a fierce wind howled, shaking the mountain forests.
He was already at the ninth layer of Essence Condensation, only one step away from Core Formation. However, Lu Changsheng noticed that he had suppressed his cultivation, revealing only the seventh layer of Essence Condensation.
The youth from the Profound Heaven Sect also moved. He swung his arms, and crimson spiritual power soared into the firmament like a roaring fierce tiger, carrying a hint of dominance.
As their spiritual power collided, a deafening roar echoed in the ears. The surrounding spiritual energy was thrown into chaos, and spiritual light scattered across the sky, blooming with extraordinary colors.
There was also the faint sound of spiritual power being annihilated.
The entire Qingyun Peak was engulfed in noise, and the sand and stones underfoot jumped.
Lu Changsheng watched his own hair flutter in the wind and couldn’t help but frown.
“Are they sparring?”
As he muttered to himself, he sensed that the youth from the Profound Heaven Sect also had the cultivation of the seventh layer of Essence Condensation.
According to his knowledge, within the Profound Heaven Sect, the only one of this age with such cultivation was their second disciple, Li Changfeng.
As the two continuously exchanged blows, resisting each other, their spiritual power intertwined. In this contest, they seemed evenly matched, with neither side claiming victory for a long time.
The old man was also watching intently, completely ignoring Lu Changsheng.
Soon, a brilliant light flashed in Li Changfeng’s hand, and a long spear materialized. As he grasped it, the spear thrust out like a dragon, flashing with streaks of silver light and emitting a sharp hum.
He swung both arms, as if lifting a thousand catties of force, and struck forward with killing intent.
Zhou Qingyu stood suspended in the air, completely unmoved. With one hand resting behind his back, he brought the two fingers of his other hand together, and a sharp aura surged from within him.
Countless streams of sword qi appeared out of thin air, hovering beside him. As he pointed downward, the many strands of sword qi shot across the sky. The sound of tearing air arrived in rapid succession, causing everyone’s hearts to tremble.
The old man’s expression froze at this moment. He could feel the Sword Intent derived by Zhou Qingyu, a power that moved even someone like him.
Exactly as the sword qi fell, the long spear clashed against it, producing a startling crack.
The spear, originally surging forward like a swimming dragon, was forcefully stopped in its tracks.
The sword light was far too sharp, its killing intent astonishing. Li Changfeng was forced back, his sleeve cleanly severed. The sword qi grazed his lower robe and slashed just past his neck.
Yet he still persisted. The long spear clashed against the strikes, leaving behind a series of sword marks on its shaft. A look of shock appeared in his eyes; the power of the sword path was truly awe-inspiring.
Unsurprisingly, Li Changfeng was defeated.
The battle came to an abrupt halt.
Li Changfeng cupped his hands in a formal salute.
“Brother Zhou is truly extraordinary. I willingly admit defeat!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qingyu remained perfectly calm, still standing with his hands behind his back.
“Brother Li flatters me. You are already an outstanding figure among our peers. I merely took advantage of the sword path!”
“I am simply no match. Brother Zhou’s talent is unmatched in all of Cangzhou!”
Li Changfeng chuckled lightly and descended from the void.
The old man also spoke up, “The Little Sword Immortal of Cangyun truly lives up to his reputation. I have been enlightened!”
“Senior overpraises me!”
With that said, the three took their leave.
Lu Changsheng didn’t pay them any mind. He just looked at Zhou Qingyu, lost in thought, and couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.
If those naive young girls had seen that scene just now, what would have happened?
Countless people would have fallen head over heels for him.
“Will you die if you don’t show off?”
He muttered to himself. The cooler Zhou Qingyu’s posture was just now, the more of a headache it gave him.
The other party had clearly come to test him, yet he didn’t hide his abilities at all. How straightforward could he be?
Last time, the Profound Heaven Sect sent people to assassinate Ning Yuxin and her brother. He had already left one alive. Did they not catch him? Or did they just fail to interrogate him properly?
Didn’t anyone bother to remind Zhou Qingyu?
However, Lu Changsheng had no way to deal with it. It wasn’t that Zhou Qingyu liked to boast, but rather that his temperament was just like this-devoted purely to the sword path, single-minded, and utterly unconcerned with worldly schemes.
But the more he stole the spotlight now, the more thorough the methods others would use against him later.
“Ah!”
Zhou Qingyu also noticed him. He descended from the void and spoke slowly.
“Little Junior Brother, I heard from Second Junior Brother that he wants to take you to resist the beast tide?”
“That’s right!”
Mentioning this made Lu Changsheng’s headache grow even worse.
Zhou Qingyu, however, said calmly, “Staying in the Sect all the time isn’t a good thing. It’s good to go out and gain some experience. When the time comes, you can just stay by my side!”
“Alright!”
Lu Changsheng nodded, not bothering to be polite, since this was exactly what he had planned all along.
Anyway, wherever Zhou Qingyu was, with the exception of Shi Feng, absolutely no one would pay any attention to him.
The Little Sword Immortal of Cangyun’s limelight was enough to overshadow everything else.
He just had to follow along, play a supporting role, and maybe pick up a couple of Demon Beast corpses on the side to sell. Earning a few Spirit Stones wouldn’t make this a total loss.
After speaking, Zhou Qingyu left to continue his cultivation.
Watching his retreating figure, Lu Changsheng muttered, “He really is becoming more and more like a true Sword Immortal!”
Over the ten years they had spent together, although Zhou Qingyu didn’t say much, he still cared a great deal for this Little Junior Brother, freely piling all his cultivation insights and experiences in front of him.
Whenever he obtained something good from the Ascension Assembly or a secret realm, he always thought of Lu Changsheng first.
“This Senior Brother is too straightforward. It’s really worrying. I need to send him to one of those large Sects. With his talent, he’ll definitely get better protection!”
He thought of the Great Kingdom War.
Every few years, the Yue Kingdom would hold a Great Kingdom War.
At that time, all the Sects across the entire Yue Kingdom would send their elite disciples onto the battlefield.
There, the most astonishing geniuses would be determined, to be recruited by even more powerful Sects and given access to greater and better resources.
Their original Sects would also receive protection in return. This was one of the reasons the Cangyun Sect had remained standing all these years.
After all, such a small place often only held back those talented disciples. They needed a broader stage to truly shine.
As long as Zhou Qingyu secured a rank and entered an Immortal Sect, Cangyun would be protected, and he himself would be much safer staying here.
The cultivation world was simply too cruel. The outside was too dangerous, and he dared not reveal too much of his true strength.
The tallest tree in the forest is the first to face the wind; excessive brilliance invites early ruin. He understood such a simple truth perfectly well.
In the Yue Kingdom, the absolute strongest were only at the Nascent Soul realm, and there weren’t many of them to begin with. As long as he didn’t court death, he would remain very safe.
Thinking of this, he was about to return to his room. However, above Cangyun Peak, a Flowing Light shot into the sky, blooming into a patch of azure radiance that lingered for a long time.
Lu Changsheng knew what that meant. It was the warning of the approaching beast tide.
…