Bu Chengyue was someone who yielded to softness but rejected force. She let out a sigh, the sound originating deep within her chest and echoing from the bottom of her heart. “This Master has never liked fighting or competing. If you are willing to follow me, then follow me. If you are unwilling, your Master will not block you either, but I will not actively send you away.”
Therefore, the initiative lay in Sheng Meng’s hands; whether to stay or leave was up to her.
A response like this should, by logic, have put Sheng Meng at ease. Yet for some reason, she simply could not relax that held breath. Instead, she felt even more stifled and depressed—because Bu Chengyue did not care about her.
“Sheng Meng, in this lifetime, will never turn her back on Master.”
“Mm.”
Rarely had she made a vow with such genuine sincerity, yet all she received in return was a single-word response. Sheng Meng took a step forward, drawing close to Bu Chengyue, and thought secretly: Master, I will make you reach out your hands on your own initiative and grasp me firmly.
If Bu Chengyue had known that Sheng Meng’s method of making her care was to risk her life, back when they were riding the sword through the air that day, she would have told a few lies to coax her. Who could have known that she cared about this matter so intensely!
When facing a situation where, because she did not take first place in the formation competition, she went on to fight fiercely in the tactical trial and on the arena stage… Yet her scores in artifact forging and written exams were both first place. As long as she did not perform too poorly on the arena stage, a spot in the top three was absolutely guaranteed.
Seeing her face sliced and injured by the tiger claws of the Shadow Hall, Bu Chengyue’s heart twitched. It had been many years since there was anyone who made her worry so deeply; to be stimulated so suddenly like this was somewhat difficult to bear.
“Is it not said that Immortal Chengyue’s beloved disciple is particularly skilled at secret and shadowy footwork? Today, one certainly cannot tell.”
“Indeed, these movement techniques and stances are upright and open in the extreme.”
On the spectator stands, people were whispering among themselves. Bu Chengyue heard it, and her brows knitted even tighter. She had always taught Sheng Meng to be open and aboveboard, to be mindful of fellow disciples’ comradeship… yet her fellow disciples feared and envied her brilliance, seizing any opportunity to suppress her ruthlessly, while she still used awkward, unfamiliar moves to resist.
Sheng Meng wielded double blades. One hand twirled a blade behind her back to block several flying needles, while the other hand thrust her blade tip diagonally backward to cut off her opponent’s retreat. The other blade swung horizontally with a turn of her wrist, attacking from left and right, trapping the Shadow Hall disciple so that he could only step back.
With a scissor-like snip of the two blades, a new wound was added to that person’s body. Seeing the silver gleam forcing its way right before his eyes, he ducked back urgently in dodge, yet forgot he had already backed up to the edge of the arena. Sheng Meng turned her hand and used the hilt of the blade to give a light nudge, pushing him off the stage, and smoothly withdrew her blades, winning this match.
The crowd was drawn in by her severe and cold aura. Although she did not strike to kill as rumored, this momentum was still aggressive and pressuring, which, paired with the bloody mark on her face, made her appear even more intimidating.
Bu Chengyue abandoned the proper path, directly vaulting over the railing, and walked swiftly toward the arena. Sheng Meng waited expectantly, but her Master first went to pull up the person lying on the ground. “This is a medium-grade Rejuvenation Pill; take it.”
Since when could the Soul-Capturing Dream-Severing Umbrella let just anyone inside? Sheng Meng sensed the few shallow wounds on her body; without using spiritual energy to heal them, she weakly called out, “Master.”
After dealing with the Shadow Hall disciple and ensuring there would be no accidents, Bu Chengyue took Sheng Meng to rest and recuperate while waiting for the next round of matches. She pulled out a bottle of pills and tossed it into Sheng Meng’s arms.
“Master has given plenty already; please take it back.”
“So I’ve given them already, huh? But the wounds on your body haven’t healed yet. Is it that you don’t know how to take them, or did that person just now inflict a severe poison on you?” Having pills and not taking them—are you waiting to die?
She had investigated Sheng Meng’s condition at the very first moment and knew that although there were many wounds on her body, they were all superficial. Even without pills, they would heal after a few rotations of spiritual energy. But she was angry right now, constantly feeling as if Sheng Meng was going against her—and it was that kind of feigned compliance, where no fault could be found on the surface, yet constituted disobedience nonetheless.
Not letting her be dark and ruthless, she managed to act with orthodox righteousness, yet in the end returned a battle-scarred disciple. Every single drop of blood flowing out felt like a slap on Bu Chengyue’s face: Following the methods you taught, your disciple ended up injured like this. Do you dare say you were right?
“Still not eating—are you waiting for a river of blood to flow, or are you expecting me to feed you?” Bu Chengyue felt those red marks were an eyesore; looking at them too long made her eyes ache.
Even after she said this line, Sheng Meng still didn’t move. Bu Chengyue closed her umbrella, crossed the few steps to her side, pinched a pill, and lightly held Sheng Meng’s chin to make her open her mouth, letting the top-grade Rejuvenation Pill, brimming with dense medicinal fragrance, roll inside.
Sheng Meng’s eyes widened. She didn’t know whether it was her Master’s gesture that made her heart flutter more, or the top-grade pill overflowing with spiritual energy in her mouth that was more surprising.
Master was cupping her face, personally feeding her a top-grade pill—and that pill had also been refined by Master’s own hands.
“Is there anywhere you feel unwell?” Bu Chengyue asked in confusion. Why had Sheng Meng’s face suddenly turned red? Although the Rejuvenation Pill was top-grade, it was still just a Rejuvenation Pill after all. “Sheng Meng?”
“Thank you, Master. This disciple is lacking in fortune and life, and perhaps cannot quite digest a pill of this grade, which is why I am feeling a bit flush.” The previous stifled depression was swept away entirely; she truly believed it was the medicinal effect of the Rejuvenation Pill.
“You can’t just follow every single word Master says to the letter either; learn to adapt! What open-and-aboveboard talk are you giving to those from the Shadow Hall? I taught you not to strike too heavily, I didn’t tell you not to strike at all! Making yourself look like this—Xiao Tubo, who you’re matched against this afternoon, holds a grudge against you. Are you going to yield to him too?”
“I won’t.”
“Strive for what is necessary, let nature take its course for the rest. It’s the final match; even if you lose, you have already obtained the qualification for the secret realm trial. Safety comes first, remember?” She pulled away from Sheng Meng again, wanting to open her umbrella to cover herself, but felt it might seem too distant, so she let it be.
A few days ago, Sheng Meng’s line “I am not you” had instantly erased the distance Bu Chengyue had closed with her over the past six months. A clear boundary lay between two separate rivers; they were two different kinds of people. Bu Chengyue felt that she shouldn’t let her own flawed logic lead the child astray, and that it was better to maintain a distance.
Yet Sheng Meng followed along behind her. “Master, I am about to break through to the next realm.”
Advancing again would bring her to the late stage. So fast, and at a time like this—with her having to enter the arena stage this afternoon, there was no time for her to consolidate her foundation. Bu Chengyue used spiritual energy to help smooth her meridians, and in the blink of an eye, brought out another top-grade True Yuan Pill—completely free of impurities, harmless and non-damaging, an essential item for breaking through.
In this way, Sheng Meng surpassed Xiao Tubo, who was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. However, that kid had been pulling tricks behind the scenes, eating things he shouldn’t have eaten and using things he shouldn’t have used, suddenly reaching the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. But because he used magic treasures to conceal his true cultivation level, people only assumed he was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
Reflecting on this, Bu Chengyue needed to cause a big scene so that the entire sect would know her disciple had just broken through. “Let me call down a bolt of lightning for you. It will hurt, but it will be beneficial.”
There is no lightning tribulation when advancing from the mid-stage to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, but Bu Chengyue could summon one to strike and temper her bone structure, making it sturdier while also drawing people’s attention.
After Sheng Meng nodded, several ink-black clouds spread out from the kingfisher-green Soul-Capturing Dream-Severing Umbrella and flew above her head, beginning to rumble. Purple lightning and thunder light flashed as a bolt of lightning struck down squarely. Though it could not compare to the heavenly tribulation of the Heavenly Dao, Sheng Meng felt that after enduring the pain, it was as comfortable as soaking in a warm spring.
This umbrella had accompanied Bu Chengyue through many lightning strikes; having endured countless tribulations, it had grasped a bit of the secret, and with the source power of heavenly thunder inside it, it was immensely beneficial for cultivation.
“What lightning tribulation? Just making some noise—Sheng Meng has broken through to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, time to celebrate!”
Sheng Meng watched her Master tell a lie to the Sect Leader with a straight face, her lowered eyes holding a smile. Aside from the Heavenly Dao, who else could send down a lightning tribulation? Ah, Master, what a wonderful surprise you are.