A cyan light flashed across the sky, and the entire sect entered a state of full combat readiness.
Elders and deacons who had been in secluded cultivation emerged one after another. Based on past patterns, the beast tide would reach them in two to three days.
Lu Changsheng watched the commotion, utterly baffled. Why did these beast tides happen like clockwork? Couldn’t they just change directions for once?
Could the Cangyun Sect possess something that kept them yearning for more?
But he had been here for ten years. If there really were such a treasure, would it even be the beasts’ turn to claim it?
Ye Tianyi had returned after signing up and told Lu Changsheng to prepare himself well.
Lu Changsheng said nothing more.
Meanwhile, upon a distant mountain peak, three figures from the Profound Heaven Sect stood looking toward Qingyun Peak from afar.
“I was no match for Zhou Qingyu. Please punish me, Elder!” Li Changfeng knelt on one knee, cupping his hands and bowing his head.
The old man shook his head and said, “Zhou Qingyu’s brilliance exceeds our estimates. It is difficult for anyone in the entire Cangzhou to match him. This is not your fault!”
Li Changfeng fell silent.
Shi Feng also frowned deeply. Having witnessed the entire battle, it was truly difficult to remain calm.
To be close to Core Formation before the age of thirty, paired with such astonishing swordsmanship-even the elders in their own sect who specialized in the sword probably could not compare.
“What should we do now?”
“His swordsmanship is likely approaching the seventh level. Such a person is far too terrifying, a top talent even within the great sects. If he were just an ordinary genius, it would be one thing. But under these circumstances, we cannot allow him to live!”
A sinister glint flashed across the old man’s eyes.
Li Changfeng asked, “What are our orders?”
“You two will assist the Cangyun Sect in resisting the demon beasts as usual. Leave the rest to me!”
“Understood!”
The two nodded.
Time flew by, and the moment of assembly arrived.
The sect left behind a portion of experts to guard the mountain, while the rest followed the Sect Leader to meet the beast tide, intent on intercepting them before they could strike the sect or harm the mortals below.
After Lu Changsheng finished explaining a few safety precautions to Ning Yuxin, he followed his Senior Brother to report for duty.
Instantly, the entire sect stood arrayed and ready. The disciples brimmed with excitement and ambition, looking as though they had finally caught the opportunity of a lifetime.
After all, cultivators sought the Dao and possessed abilities far beyond ordinary mortals; they naturally harbored a penchant for fighting and proving their prowess.
In their youth, a hot-blooded passion always boiled within them, accompanied by ambitions that soared to the heavens.
Aside from a highly reluctant Lu Changsheng, almost everyone else was wild with excitement.
Soon, the cultivators from each peak completed their assembly. Zhou Qingyu stood at the front of the queue with Ye Tianyi and Lu Changsheng, followed by dozens of inner disciples.
“Greetings, Senior Brothers!”
She bowed to Zhou Qingyu and Ye Tianyi.
The two smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
Then, Luo Xianling walked over to Lu Changsheng with brisk, cheerful steps.
“Senior Brother Changsheng!”
She held her hands behind her back, her face adorned with a beaming smile, her eyes glistening like water.
“What is it, Junior Sister?”
“I brought you the Spirit Stones!”
As Luo Xianling spoke, she produced a cloth pouch and stuffed it directly into his palm.
Lu Changsheng was stunned. Probing it with his Divine Sense, he froze dead in his tracks. There were actually ten thousand Spirit Stones inside!
A peak master only received a little over a hundred Spirit Stones a month, and the Sect Leader received two hundred. Yet here were ten thousand. How many years of hoarding did this represent?
Outside of a wealthy woman like Ning Yuxin, ten thousand Spirit Stones was an astronomical sum for any ordinary cultivator, even for someone of the Sect Leader’s standing.
For a moment, he stammered nervously, “So many… You…”
“Don’t worry, my father doesn’t know!” Luo Xianling giggled, before adding with a touch of shyness, “Anyway, he always said this was the dowry he saved for me. It’ll be mine sooner or later, so I just took it a bit early!”
“This…”
Lu Changsheng’s hand trembled slightly. Looking at his Junior Sister, he found himself entirely at a loss.
He cast a guilty glance toward the Sect Leader, only to find Luo Tian staring fixedly at him with a gaze far more terrifying than any fierce beast.
“Junior Sister, are you absolutely sure the Sect Leader doesn’t know?”
Lu Changsheng lacked confidence. Did that look like the gaze of someone who didn’t know?
Further away, the Sect Leader continued to glare. An elder beside him couldn’t help but ask, “Has little Changsheng offended you, Sect Leader?”
“No!” Luo Tian replied, though his fierce glare did not diminish in the slightest.
The elder asked, “Then why are you…”
Luo Tian glanced back at him. Wasn’t it obvious enough?
His own daughter was practically being abducted right before his eyes. How could he possibly smile?
After a long pause, he gritted out slowly, “I don’t know why, but lately, the moment I lay eyes on that brat, I get infuriated. My body instinctively surges with an urge to slap him to death. A few times, I almost couldn’t hold myself back!”
“This…”
“Sect Leader, surely it hasn’t come to that. Though Changsheng is usually a bit lazy, he is a decent youth. Furthermore, I heard Tianyi has started pushing him, and he has already broken through to the fourth layer of Spirit Accumulation!”
“Oh? And is there a massive difference between the third and fourth layers?” Luo Tian’s face remained utterly sour.
The elder offered, “The Qianjun Peak Master still possesses good judgment. Changsheng’s natural talent is not weak; he merely lacks guidance and real-world tempering.”
Luo Tian frowned at the elder, his expression cold.
Ultimately, Luo Tian shot another glance at Lu Changsheng and cursed under his breath, “What a beast.”
His daughter was only sixteen or seventeen, yet the boy actually had the nerve to lay a hand on her. Truly lower than a beast.
Every single word of this exchange drifted straight into Lu Changsheng’s ears. He let out a massive sigh of relief; he had thought he was caught stealing the man’s Spirit Stones.
Luo Xianling urged him once more to let her know if the Spirit Stones weren’t enough, then turned and skipped back to Luo Tian’s side.
As the Sect Leader’s daughter, she had to set an example and stand alongside her father.
However, her heart still fretted over Lu Changsheng. Nudging her father, she whispered, “Father, Senior Brother Changsheng is participating in a beast tide defense for the very first time. He has no experience. Nothing bad will happen to him, right?”
“What could happen to him? Which of the disciples here isn’t doing this for the first time?”
Luo Tian snapped irritably. Was Lu Changsheng the only novice here? Weren’t all the others in the same boat?
“I don’t care. You have to look after him!”
Hearing this, Luo Tian’s brow furrowed even deeper.
He remained silent for a long time. At the end of the day, she was his own flesh and blood, leaving him completely helpless. He sighed softly and said, “Zhou Qingyu will protect him, and the elders of Qingyun Peak are present. He won’t suffer any mishaps.”
“That’s a relief!”
Luo Xianling’s heart finally settled.
Luo Tian, however, pressed on, “Ling’er, do you truly like him that much?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“You will eventually leave the sect and walk a path separate from him. Many times, these things are beyond your choice. I fear he will disturb your Dao Heart and sever your future prospects. He is destined to be unable to keep pace with your footsteps.”
Luo Xianling frowned, her expression turning complex. After a long silence, an unyielding determination resurfaced on her lovely face.
“Then once I have achieved success in my cultivation, I will be the one to protect him!”
Her words were resolute, catching Luo Tian completely off guard.
For a moment, he couldn’t resist looking at Lu Changsheng once more. Staring at the youth who consistently hid behind his Senior Brother, the Sect Leader fell into deep thought.
“I simply do not understand. What exactly do you see in him?” Luo Tian demanded.
Luo Xianling glanced back, her eyes shimmering like a sky full of stars, radiating an indescribable joy.
“He is exceptionally handsome!”
Luo Tian: “burly?”
In this world, valuing talent, background, or even sheer effort made sense, but judging purely by looks was a rarity indeed.
Could a pretty face be eaten for dinner?
Luo Tian fell completely silent. He couldn’t help but touch his own face. Was he himself not handsome?