“A good performance, but regarding the condensation of spiritual power into physical form—do not easily let others see it, or they will be jealous.” They would say either you took a demonic and crooked path, or you stole someone else’s cultivation technique.
How could a disciple taught by that vase be so impressive?
Bu Chengyue felt an indescribable sense of shame in her heart. Because she, as a master, had a poor reputation in the cultivation world, her disciple—despite being exceptionally talented—had to keep her abilities hidden; otherwise, it would only draw abuse and slander.
“Master, I am not you.”
Bu Chengyue instantly felt as if she had been seen right through, overcome with embarrassment. In the past, when she was alone, it didn’t matter if the world treated her like mud. But she shouldn’t let a perfectly fine youth like Sheng Meng turn into mud as well. She was a genius; she ought to shine brightly.
She had clearly wanted her to keep a low profile to avoid standing out, yet hypocritically claimed it was out of “fear that others might do harm out of jealousy.” In reality, she was just afraid of trouble.
Yet Sheng Meng said, “I am not you.” She did not want to blindly show weakness and act soft; she wanted everyone to hold her in awe and fear.
Bu Chengyue still remembered when she first met Sheng Meng, the girl obediently complied with whatever she said, showing absolute obedience to her master. When meeting other elders or fellow disciples outside, she was also humble and submissive, even sharing half of her umbrella with her.
It seemed there would be no need to share her umbrella with her in the future. Bu Chengyue gave what she thought was a kindly smile. “Understood. If you want to prove yourself, then go ahead. Although your master is afraid of trouble, she won’t leave you to fend for yourself either.”
Having said that, she intended to withdraw her divine sense.
“Master,” Sheng Meng called out to stop her, “this disciple will not disappoint you, nor will I bring you trouble.” Once she grew strong enough, she would give her master the peace and quiet she desired, and no one would be able to speak ill of her.
Bu Chengyue heard this but did not take it to heart, quickly withdrawing her divine sense. She was, after all, more than a hundred years older—where in the world was there a case of a disciple protecting their master? She needed to focus on the exam venue that belonged to her.
Just then, the results for this round of competition came out: “A disciple refined a mid-grade pill! Although the quality is not very good, everyone else produced low-grade pills. No matter how good the quality of a low-grade pill is, it is still low-grade.”
“Boring. Every year it’s the disciples of the Alchemy Hall who take first place in this exam. What’s there to look forward to?”
Everyone present seemed to think the same way and didn’t really care who came in first. The person announcing the results cleared their throat: “This person is not a disciple of the Alchemy Hall, but rather…”
Some suspected they had misheard. The elder of the Alchemy Hall hadn’t come, and the Eldest Senior Brother of the Alchemy Hall standing in the back felt his legs go weak. In a trial of alchemy, the first place winner wasn’t from their Alchemy Hall?
“Who is it then?”
“Could it be someone from our War Hall?”
Those who had been calm and unruffled moments ago were now all high-spirited and curious, their probing eyes fixed on the announcer’s mouth, urging them repeatedly. Only Bu Chengyue was pondering how she should deliver her award acceptance speech in a moment.
“It is Sheng Meng, under Elder Bu’s lineage.”
“…”
“This Venerable does not believe it!” Gong Pei shouted like this, and actually flew down in person to inspect and verify. Bu Chengyue pretended to be astonished, staring with innocent eyes looking here and there, before breaking into a bright smile.
“That child is usually diligent and hard-working, and happened to have an interest in the path of alchemy, so she studied it a bit more. I must also thank Senior Brother He of the Alchemy Hall for giving the child so much guidance.” In any case, Senior Brother He wasn’t present today, so she could say whatever she wanted.
“Immortal Venerable, Sheng Meng said she was painstakingly cultivated by you.”
Bu Chengyue looked like someone who had just realized she should claim credit for herself: “That’s right, that’s right! I also expended a lot of effort!” Clumsy, charming, and naive, she looked more like the person who had suddenly won first place and was at a total loss.
“Heh heh.” Yang Shuwen sneered mockingly. “Senior Brother Gong will find out the truth very soon over there. If your disciple didn’t cheat, then following you is truly wasting her talent; however, I think there must definitely be something shady going on.”
Bu Chengyue couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to her and went to chase after Gong Pei. Just now, Gong Pei had taken the lead, and several people had gone along to watch the scene; she had to go hold down the fort.
“There’s no need for a soul search, is there?”
The scene was quite a spectacle. Sheng Meng stood beside the alchemy cauldron with her head lowered. The workbench had been searched into a complete mess. Behind her was a dense crowd of disciples, while in front stood the domineering Gong Pei. If the others hadn’t restrained him, he might have already chopped Sheng Meng into pieces.
Soul search? “Has Sheng Meng broken the laws of heaven? May I ask Senior Brother Gong, is being my disciple considered breaking the laws of heaven?”
An unyielding voice arrived before her figure. As she entered the field, the crowd’s focus shifted once again: Where is Immortal Venerable Chengyue’s umbrella? Wait, Immortal Venerable Chengyue is really beautiful!
“Senior Brother might as well think about how to poach such a good talent from my place instead.”
Gong Pei did not reply, merely glaring venomously at Bu Chengyue as she walked over to Sheng Meng’s side. Sheng Meng spoke up: “I am not leaving.” Visibly, Elder Gong’s face darkened by another shade.
“When adults are speaking, children shouldn’t interrupt. Please forgive her, Senior Brother; she was terrified, so I will take her back to comfort her. After all, the exams continue tomorrow, so you should also head back early to rest.” She then turned her head and said to Sheng Meng, “Sheng Meng, this is only the first exam. Winning first place was just good luck, and also because the others let you win. Come, bow to all these senior brothers, senior sisters, junior brothers, and junior sisters.”
The two left under the watchful eyes of the crowd; leaving early had always been a tradition of Yuediyunjie.
Bu Chengyue grabbed Sheng Meng’s arm and flew with her on a sword, shuttling through the clouds and mist. “Tomorrow is the Array Formation Trial. Elder Gong of the Array Formation Hall has never gotten along with me, and with today ending like this, you must be careful of him playing dirty behind your back.”
Tonight she would have to sneak over to take a look, guarding against them playing framing games in secret or tampering with the props. That guy named Gong was stubborn and single-minded; even if he were beaten to death, it would be impossible for him to have a good attitude toward Sheng Meng. The array exam was on his turf, so she must not be careless.
As she steered the sword, she thought to herself: Although Gong Pei was annoying, he was not a villainous hypocrite. The reason he kept speaking ill of Bu Chengyue was that he truly believed those rumors, mistaking them for the truth.
“Tomorrow, I’ll ask the elder of the Weapons Refinement Hall to add a body-search checkpoint, and you should go sit in a conspicuous spot so they can’t claim you cheated. We in the pavilion will monitor every single stroke you make at all times. Don’t be nervous; with your ability, top three won’t be a problem.”
“Master, do you hope I get poached?”
Huh? Was the topic she just discussed related to this at all? Was the wind up in the sky too strong, so Sheng Meng didn’t hear clearly?
“That’s not important. Did you remember everything I just instructed you?” It was a temporary tactic; she genuinely felt it wasn’t important.
Yet Sheng Meng refused to let it go, insisting on knowing: “I’ve been under your tutelage for half a year. Is Master still not used to it, still treating me as an outsider?”
“How could that be? Master treats you as family, and you should treat Master as family too. Yuediyunjie is our home.” Bu Chengyue gave a gentle and warm smile, without a single moment of it being believable.
Sheng Meng stood on the flying sword, her eyes filled with the sight of the celestial woman whose robes fluttered in the wind. Only she knew that if Bu Chengyue fought with all her strength, probably only the Sect Master in the entire Shenxuzhou could fight on par with her. Having such a backer, she had benefited immensely after relying on her for just half a year—how could she be sent away?
No one could compare to Bu Chengyue, and no one should even think about making her leave her side.
Sheng Meng suppressed the surging emotions deep in her eyes. “If Master is lying to me and coaxing me, then please coax and deceive me for as long as possible.” Her master was soft-hearted and swayed by gentle approaches; playing the victim worked every single time.