Jiang Xuezhi felt she had stirred up a major trouble…
Inside the Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor, Yun Cangming set down his brush and returned to his desk, only to be questioned about matters concerning Jiang Xuezhi.
“Honored Immortal.”
The head of the Transmission Hall, Tan Taiyue, was in charge of recruiting new disciples this time.
She stood before Yun Cangming’s desk, gazing at the Sword Venerable Fuxue seated on the throne, equally astonished that he had personally written a golden decree for a junior, a junior who was also wanted by the Profound Heaven Sect.
“As far as I know, Jiang Xuezhi’s reputation outside is far from favorable. She murdered her fellow disciples, betrayed her sect, stole the sect’s treasures, and slaughtered cultivators in the Desolate Region Secret Realm. For someone like this, Heavenly Yong doesn’t need to help clean up the mess, but we also shouldn’t let her be associated with Heavenly Yong, should we?”
Yun Cangming sat upright behind his desk, golden light piercing through the clouds and falling upon his frost-white robes, yet it failed to soften even a hint of the chilling aura around him.
He lifted his gaze slightly to look at Tan Taiyue and calmly said, “How much of an external reputation is true or false, you cannot be certain either. Everything you’ve heard is merely hearsay, one-sided accounts.”
Tan Taiyue stared at him in a daze. Although she knew the Honored Immortal was not as aloof and unapproachable as he appeared, this was the first time she had witnessed him defending someone so directly.
He would protect others, but always in silence, without drawing attention.
Such straightforwardness was unprecedented.
“Jiang Xuezhi may be a hunted criminal,” Yun Cangming withdrew his gaze and casually tidied the brushes and ink on his desk. “But after she receives Heavenly Yong’s golden decree, she no longer is.”
Tan Taiyue was left speechless, unable to refute.
Sword Venerable Fuxue spoke the truth.
No matter how the Profound Heaven Sect had previously portrayed Jiang Xuezhi as vicious and terrifying, once Heavenly Yong issued her the golden decree, everything changed.
The authority of the Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor was more than enough to convince everyone that Jiang Xuezhi was not that kind of person.
There was no need for detailed evidence; merely Heavenly Yong’s acceptance of Jiang Xuezhi would prove her innocence.
Such was the power of the foremost immortal manor.
“It was my oversight,” Tan Taiyue bowed her head and said. “From now on, I will make judgments only after truly understanding the situation. I beg the Honored Immortal’s forgiveness for my rash words and actions.”
Yun Cangming remained silent, and Tan Taiyue knew she was not being blamed. After a pause, she said, “During the disciple recruitment trials, I will do my best to learn more about this cultivator. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave.”
These were words of farewell. Despite having reached the rank of Hall Master, Tan Taiyue still felt immense pressure when alone with Yun Cangming.
She did not expect Yun Cangming to respond to her words, but as she bowed and prepared to leave, he spoke again.
“I’m afraid you won’t have the chance to understand.”
Yun Cangming’s voice was not loud, sounding somewhat distant, and the content of his words left Tan Taiyue shocked and bewildered.
“She will not come,” he stated.
Tan Taiyue looked at him in disbelief. “What?!”
At the same time, at the exit of the Desolate Region Secret Realm, Jiang Xuezhi, having obtained the inheritance and shaken off her pursuers, vanished into the concealed dust and mist.
Where she disappeared, she had discarded a pile of useless items, among which was the gleaming golden decree.
The golden decree of the Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor was cast aside by her like worthless trash, treated as garbage.
Yun Cangming lowered his long eyelashes, unable to decipher his own feelings.
She gave him the feeling of a gust of wind.
The wind is free, untamable, and naturally unwilling to be bound by rules.
The Tianyong Immortal Manor represents shelter, but also countless regulations.
When he wrote the Golden Invitation, he never truly expected her to come.
He simply thought it would bring her some peace and reduce conflicts in the cultivation world.
Constant disputes were not what Tianyong Immortal Manor wished to see, and the endless reports from the overseers about Jiang Xue’s latest actions and troubles felt both chaotic and bothersome to him.
If everyone could just quiet down and settle, that would be enough.
It wasn’t necessary to force her to join, to keep her under his watchful eye.
Yet, even though he had anticipated rejection, when it actually happened, the emotions he felt were entirely different from what he had imagined.
Yun Cangming slowly rose to his feet.
A gentle breeze stirred the loose strands of his ink-black hair, casting faint shadows across his refined and handsome face.
He resembled an ancient sword half-drawn from its sheath, steeped in morning dew, exuding an aura of silent, supreme authority.
“Unwilling to come, is she…” he murmured slowly. “If she doesn’t want to come, then I’ll make sure she does.”
The seventh day of the seventh month was the Qixi Festival in the mortal realm.
On this day, the mortal world held the Qiqiao Lantern Festival, a rare occasion where unmarried men and women could walk side by side without facing criticism.
Coincidentally, it was also on the seventh day of the seventh month that Tianyong Immortal Manor opened its gates wide, welcoming disciples who had received the Golden Invitation to participate in the entrance examination.
Tianyong was situated in Zhongtian Realm, the region in the cultivation world with the densest spiritual energy and the richest spiritual veins.
Zhongtian Realm lay beyond the four continents. To reach it, one had to embark on a long journey, cross a boundary gate, and proceed on foot to Tianyong Mountain.
Within Tianyong’s domain, external disciples were forbidden from sword flight or using flying artifacts, only those with the sect’s identity jade tokens were permitted such privileges.
By the day before the seventh of July, the area outside Zhongtian Realm’s boundary gate was already teeming with cultivators.
Most were there to see others off, seizing the chance to catch a glimpse of Tianyong Mountain’s grand entrance.
The inns near the boundary gate were fully booked, with rooms reserved months in advance. Those who couldn’t afford accommodations or lacked the credentials to cross the boundary gate camped out on the ground, hoping to catch a sight of Zhongtian Realm’s majestic immortal mountains as others passed through.
As the young lord of Sin City, Ling Zhao naturally had the finest room to rest in.
The lord of Sin City, Ling Xun, had business interests in the area, owning several inns that were thriving during this profitable season.
Ling Zhao stayed in the luxurious room arranged by his father, his ears filled with the strategist’s repeated admonitions.
“Young Lord, the Lady is unwell, her old ailment has flared up again. The Lord is staying with her, so we are the only ones here to see you off to the academy. We can only escort you to the foot of the immortal manor’s mountain; we cannot enter beyond that. Once you’re inside, you’ll have to rely entirely on yourself.”
The strategist sighed. “You’ve never acted alone before in your life. Please, do not be reckless. Have you kept the token the Lord gave you safe? There is an old acquaintance of the Lord within Tianyong. When this person sees your token, they will surely show you special favor. You will undoubtedly pass the selection smoothly.”
Ling Zhao impatiently fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist. “It’s right here. Is this the third time you’ve asked? Do all older people nag like this?”
The strategist replied, “Young Lord, I may appear older due to my preserved appearance, but I’m actually not that old—just over a hundred years. I’m still younger than most others.”
“I know, I know, stop talking so much. Finish what you’re saying and go rest. Can you let me have some peace too?”
Ling Zhao’s eyes drooped listlessly. The strategist took one look and understood everything.
Entering the immortal manor should have been a momentous occasion, something countless people couldn’t obtain even after several lifetimes. Ling Zhao had once eagerly anticipated it, so why did he now show no trace of joy?
Wasn’t it simply because his youthful heart, newly awakened to love, had become distracted?
Ah.
Beauty brings trouble indeed!
“Young master, the priority now is to successfully enter the immortal manor for cultivation. There are plenty of women out there. Once you enter Tianyong, won’t there be all kinds of outstanding female cultivators? Why remain stubbornly infatuated with a notorious eccentric woman?”
The strategist spoke with profound sincerity: “Even if you insist on having that Jiang Xuezhi, you can wait until after formally enrolling in the immortal manor to find opportunities to meet her. With higher cultivation, would you still fear not being able to win her over?”
“Who said I insist on having her!”
Ling Zhao jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately refuting: “Old man, stop talking nonsense, alright? I don’t have to have her. I’ve already said it was all part of my plan, me taking the bait was entirely my scheme. Do you even understand what I’m saying?”
The strategist smiled indulgently: “I understand, I naturally understand. Everything is within the young master’s plans. Since your plans are solid, there’s even less need to rush, isn’t that right?”
“Of course.” Ling Zhao stood by the window, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not rushing at all. I just…”
He gazed distantly at the boundary gate of Zhongtian Realm, taking in the countless cultivators squatting nearby waiting.
He wasn’t unhappy, nor was he anxious about anything. He just felt an indescribable fear toward the unknown Tianyong.
And some reluctance to part with the freedom he was about to lose.
No matter how good Tianyong was, it wasn’t home.
It was a gathering place for many great powers of the cultivation world, where numerous high-level cultivators competed fiercely, and where legendary figures like the Tianyong Old Freak and the Snow-Soothing Sword Venerable were said to appear.
Being able to enter Tianyong was certainly a good thing, but once he actually went in, would he be able to handle it?
Everyone about to enter would have such thoughts.
Lin Wanwan did too.
She felt she was probably the last one to arrive here.
She had come directly after emerging from the secret realm, without even returning to her sect to report to her master.
Mainly because the mission had failed, Jiang Xuezhi was perfectly fine, so she had nothing to report, and there genuinely wasn’t enough time anyway.
Looking at the golden token in her embrace, which had been delivered to her the day she escaped the dangers of the Barren Lands…
She had long received Tianyong’s approval, waiting all this time for today’s formal enrollment.
She hadn’t told anyone about this, afraid that if others found out, the token might be stolen.
Since returning to the Xuantian Sect, she had pretended to still be striving for this spot, desperately thinking of ways to obtain it.
Coming to register now, she feared encountering complications that might prevent her from crossing the boundary gate, so she had concealed her tracks throughout the entire journey.
What she found unacceptable was that despite all her caution, she still spotted familiar figures near the boundary gate.
Xie Wangwu wasn’t recuperating at the sect. He had forced himself to come here despite his illness, accompanied by Wushuang who was taking care of him.
With Xiao Jin dead, Lin Wanwan not returning to the sect, Xie Wangwu had no one else to use, Wushuang was the only capable person left to him.
Wushuang believed she had found her chance to rise, constantly hinting to Xie Wang that if Lin Wanwan truly entered Tian Yong, she would never return to his side. Even if someone from Xuantian Sect were to enter the First Immortal Manor, it shouldn’t be Lin Wanwan, whom he valued most. Even if Lin Wanwan obtained the qualification, she must not be allowed to succeed, she had to be stopped.
Xie Wang, of course, did not want to lose Lin Wanwan.
He had already lost his senior disciple, Xiao Jin. If he were to lose Lin Wanwan as well, who would inherit his legacy? Who would assist him?
Entering the First Immortal Manor was undoubtedly a great opportunity, and Xuantian Sect needed such glory. But as the sect leader, he couldn’t go himself and could only choose from among his disciples.
Xie Wang held a nomination slot. He had anticipated that Lin Wanwan would be preoccupied with the grand opening of the immortal gates on the seventh day of the seventh month and would come directly here. Yet, deep down, he still held a sliver of hope that she would remember him and return to Xuantian Sect first before heading over.
But reality disappointed him.
“Master, look! Isn’t that Junior Sister?”
Wushuang spotted Lin Wanwan, who hadn’t had time to conceal herself, and immediately said to Xie Wang, “See? Junior Sister didn’t even return to the sect and came straight here, afraid of missing the opening of the gates. It shows how much she cares about Tian Yong’s recruitment.”
“Even though there’s still time, she couldn’t even spare a moment to visit you. With your severe injuries, she still prioritizes her own future over you. If we let her leave like this, how will you ever see her again?”
Wushuang clung to Xie Wang’s arm and said, “Master, you care about Junior Sister the most, and you’re one of the top cultivators in the Upper Three Realms. With your personal guidance, how could she not improve? Hasn’t her current peak Foundation Establishment stage been entirely thanks to your careful teaching? You’ve always treated her the best. Now that Senior Brother is gone, she should stay and accompany you. Her eagerness to leave is truly heartless and ungrateful.”
Wushuang kept whispering poison into Xie Wang’s ear, but Xie Wang was no fool, how could he not see her intentions?
“But she does have the qualification to enter Tian Yong.”
Xie Wang took out the golden scroll issued by Tian Yong to Xuantian Sect disciples.
“If she doesn’t go, in your opinion, who else in the sect is qualified?”
He gazed calmly at Wushuang, who wanted to speak but dared not under his piercing stare.
Xie Wang let out a cold, mocking laugh, his scorn making Wushuang flush with shame. She didn’t dare say another word.
Her schemes had been laid bare.
Her relentless efforts to undermine Lin Wanwan were merely because she wanted the nomination slot for herself.
The grand occasion of Tianyong had gathered all the strongest forces of the cultivation world at the Zhongtian Border. Everyone eagerly awaited the moment the gates would open.
Yet, there were those who couldn’t care less.
It was truly hard to believe, but there was indeed one person who, no matter how many times the golden scroll flew before her, would ruthlessly swat it away without even a glance.
Jiang Xuezhi was deeply annoyed.
She was busy suppressing her sensitive period while searching for the next secret realm entrance, and she had no time to spare.
Yet this golden scroll clung to her like a stubborn piece of gum, no matter how many times she drove it away or threw it far, it always flew back on its own.
It seemed determined to block her path until she gave in.
So, was this Tianyong Immortal Manor recruitment not voluntary but mandatory?
Frowning, Jiang Xuezhi stared at the golden scroll obstructing her path once again, crossing her arms as she fell into thought.
“I’m a wanted criminal. Are you sure you want me?”
She tried to reason with a golden scroll, which seemed utterly bizarre, yet appeared to be working.
The scroll hovered mid-air, the characters within slowly shifting in response to her words.
[You are no longer.]
The familiar calligraphy was unmistakably from the same hand she had seen on the scroll before.
The strokes were untainted by worldly vulgarity, free from artifice, devoid of ostentatious beauty, only the essence that remained after all embellishments were stripped away, grand and majestic, pure and peerless.
Such handwriting uncontrollably reminded her of one person.
“Yun Cangming?”
Jiang Xuezhi blurted out the name.
The scroll paused for a few breaths, neither confirming nor denying.
Only after she uttered that name did it write three words, restrained and calm yet carrying an invisible storm:
[Jiang Xuezhi.]
An indescribable pressure washed over her, as if she could hear Yun Cangming himself calling her name.
Those three syllables he emphasized inevitably reminded her of the two promises she had made to him.
She had asked him to remember her name and to seek her out if he needed anything.
And now, he remembered.
And he had called.
Jiang Xuezhi slapped her forehead, inexplicably breaking out in goosebumps.
So strange.
Something’s not right.
For the first time in her life, Jiang Xuezhi felt she had stirred up a massive problem.