The sects and cultivators who had come to attend Situ Jian’s Dao Infant Ceremony were of a higher caliber than in previous years.
That was only natural.
Even among those who achieved the Dao Infant stage, there were differences in age, aptitude, and prospects. Could someone who succeeded in a mere hundred years, like Situ Jian, really be compared to those who needed seven or eight hundred years?
At present, Situ Jian was merely a Dao Infant cultivator, but no one could say what the future held for him.
If one wanted to befriend a powerhouse, one had to place one’s bet while that powerhouse was still weak.
As a result, quite a few sects had sent core disciples and highly capable elders to lead their delegations.
Yet the most eye-catching group was still the party from the God-Seeking Sect.
“Senior Sister, it seems like everyone is looking at us.”
“Don’t talk. Can’t you see that Senior Brother hasn’t said a word?”
“Everything is up to our Sect Master.”
…
The God-Seeking Sect’s master appeared to be no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old. His gaze, however, was cold and aloof, giving him an otherworldly air of detachment. He seemed largely unconcerned with the disciples following behind him.
The five disciples behind him all looked like teenagers, but in truth, even the weakest among them had already successfully questioned their Dao hearts and formed their cores. The clothes they wore and the belongings they carried, however, were truly too shabby for young Core Formation cultivators. They looked even more impoverished than some wandering cultivators.
The guests who had come to observe the ceremony exchanged a few glances. They had already gossiped plenty among themselves, but none of them dared say anything outright.
No matter how fallen the God-Seeking Sect might be, its master, Xu Guan, was a prodigy of unparalleled talent. At such a young age, he had already reached the Immaculate Realm and become a Celestial Lord. Among the guests present, his cultivation was unquestionably among the top three, if not the top two. Who would be foolish enough to provoke him at a time like this?
“Greetings, Sect Master Xu.”
The disciples of the Longevity Dao Sect had long since heard of the master of this once-hostile sect. Knowing that they could not afford to offend him, they hurried forward to receive him.
“Disciple, present the congratulatory gift,” Sect Master Xu instructed.
“Yes.”
A gentle-looking young man who followed closely behind Sect Master Xu stepped forward and presented the gift.
“This is the God-Seeking Sect’s congratulatory gift for Dao Lord Situ. Please accept it.”
The disciple responsible for receiving and announcing the gifts took it, but nearly lost his polished, all-accommodating smile. His hand trembled, and it looked as though he was about to drop the gift on the spot.
At the crucial moment, a hand pressed down on it.
“Sect Master Xu is certainly generous. The gift contains the head of the demon cultivator Zeng Gu. This Grotto-Heaven cultivator slaughtered many disciples of the Longevity Dao Sect. We issued a bounty for him seven years ago, and now we’ve received him right here.”
The newcomer smiled and spoke with easy confidence, without the slightest hint of concern.
Who else could it be but Shu Xin?
She looked at this future bargain-basement master of hers with a beaming smile. Her master-to-be was quite handsome, at least—but as for his character, he was rather difficult to assess.
This was also Shu Xin’s first time meeting the master of the God-Seeking Sect in person. Previously, they had communicated only through letters and other means of sending messages.
After all, Sect Master Xu spent most of his time in seclusion, and his cultivation was so high that he was hardly someone Shu Xin could simply arrange to meet. But now that they had reached an agreement, it was only natural for her to meet him.
“Accept it,” Shu Xin instructed the disciple. Then she cupped her hands and said with a smile, “The God-Seeking Sect has honored us with its presence. Please, come this way.”
Xu Guan quietly looked at Shu Xin, then at the two swords tucked around Shu Xin’s waist, and said, “You’re not suited to being a sword cultivator. Sword cultivators value pressing forward without hesitation, yet there isn’t the slightest trace of that in your brows. If you continue like this, you’ll only be wasting your talent.”
His words were exceedingly blunt—little different from an outright provocation.
The other disciples of the Everlasting Dao Sect had already gone to call for reinforcements, while others went to fetch Situ Jian, the host of the banquet.
Xu Guan’s disciples, however, were quite astonished. The fact that their sect master had spoken at such length showed that this outer sect elder of the Everlasting Dao Sect was truly impressive.
They had followed their sect master to the Everlasting Dao Sect and had encountered quite a few disciples from other sects along the way. To be honest, none of them had seemed as good as their own brothers and sisters.
Even so, their sect master still felt that they were not good enough.
They had never expected that this outer sect elder of the Everlasting Dao Sect—who seemed so adept at getting along with everyone—would actually earn their master’s regard.
“I’ve always known that I’ll only ever be a third-rate sword cultivator.” Shu Xin raised her brows slightly, completely unbothered. He was only speaking the truth, so why should she take offense?
Shu Xin herself had joked with the Sword Spirit before that it must have been blind to recognize her as its master—and clearly not very choosy, either.
Though her innate talent was fairly good, at best she would be a third-rate sword cultivator, a second-rate spell cultivator, and a first-rate demonic cultivator.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t get past the hurdle in her heart—the one that kept her from treating human lives as mere weeds—so she could only become a cultivator of the righteous path.
She possessed such keen self-awareness that even the Sword Spirit couldn’t be bothered to mock her anymore.
Xu Guan glanced at Shu Xin’s calm and composed expression but said nothing more.
The relationship between the Wenshen Sect and Shu Xin was merely a normal business arrangement. Once they brought Shu Xin to the Wenshen Sect and collected her apprenticeship fee, the sect’s immediate financial crisis would be resolved. After that, Shu Xin could go wherever she pleased. In a few decades, she would automatically leave the sect, without causing the Wenshen Sect the slightest loss.
They could both give the Everlasting Dao Sect a black eye and earn some spirit stones. Why wouldn’t they?
Several of Sect Master Xu’s disciples were secretly sizing Shu Xin up, and Shu Xin didn’t mind in the slightest.
It was fine. These people would all be her future colleagues, so building a good relationship with them couldn’t hurt.
Shu Xin personally led Xu Guan to one of the best seats available and had her disciples bring over a generous supply of spirit fruits and pastries. Within the scope of her authority, she could say that she had given her bargain-basement master and junior brothers and sisters quite a comfortable experience.
Once that was done, Shu Xin didn’t linger, lest she arouse suspicion.
She strictly fulfilled the duties of her position as an outer sect elder—and, in the process, took the opportunity to make one last profit.
【That woman from the Lin family has been watching you for quite some time. Aren’t you going to go over and take a look?】The Sword Spirit held out for a long while before finally asking, 【What do you think the Lin family is going to do? Do you have any idea?】
“No.” Shu Xin answered without hesitation. “I know they’re definitely going to make a move against me, but I have no idea what method they’ll use. I could rack my brains all day and still never figure out what those stupid, vicious people will do. I’m not a god. As long as I can prepare against them, that’s enough.”
【Then what was all that confidence you showed earlier?】
“Isn’t that what I have you for?” Shu Xin said with a smile. “With you here, and with Sect Master Xu here too, keeping me alive shouldn’t be a problem. As long as I’m still breathing, I’ll be able to make them pay—with interest.”
It only ever says nice things when it needs something from me. The Sword Spirit was out of ideas.
It, too, was wondering what had gone wrong when it chose its master.
If it remembered correctly, as the most awesome immortal sword in the world, it should only have chosen masters blessed with tremendous fortune—people with iron will, capable of changing the world.
But what exactly was this thing in front of it?
By the time most of the guests had taken their seats, Shu Xin, as Situ Jian’s fiancée, had also been seated in one of the places of honor.
Coincidentally, Lin Family’s Lin Youwei was seated right beside Shu Xin. No one knew who had arranged for the two of them to sit together.
Quite a few cultivators who had deliberately spent spirit stones to exchange for their seats felt they had gotten an excellent bargain.
There was going to be a show.
Who else could it have been?
Of course it was Shu Xin herself.
To sell tickets, she had personally arranged for Lin Youwei’s seat to be next to hers.
“Junior Sister Lin, you’ve prepared everything, right?” Shu Xin asked, turning her head toward the somewhat distracted Lin Youwei while pretending to take a sip of wine.
“It’s all ready. The Ancestor said that our Lin Family was in the wrong, so he gave you a little extra as well.” Lin Youwei spoke with difficulty. This was the most she could hint at. Whether Shu Xin understood was up to her.
“How generous of him. Don’t worry—I’ll dissolve my engagement with Situ Jian later. I’ve been paid, so I’ll do the job. You can rest easy.” Shu Xin sounded completely unconcerned.
Lin Youwei lowered her head and drank several mouthfuls of wine, unwilling to respond.
Before long, Situ Jian emerged after changing into the distinctive attire worn by core disciples of the Everlasting Dao Sect.
The Everlasting Dao Sect revered eternal life through the ages. Moreover, with an Earthly Immortal presiding over the sect, its disciples’ clothing often took the chun tree as its motif, and most of their robes were green.
Ordinary outer disciples had little more than a few leaves embroidered on their robes. As their rank rose, more leaves, branches, and even sections of trunk would appear on their garments.
The Dao Infant robe Situ Jian wore had several more touches of branchwork than a standard Dao Infant disciple’s robe. Though the difference was difficult to make out, in the eyes of those who knew what to look for, it clearly revealed how highly the Everlasting Dao Sect regarded him.
Xu Guan’s eyes lit up as well.
This young man’s natural constitution and aptitude were truly without equal in all his years of experience.
No wonder the Everlasting Dao Sect valued him so highly.
【Tch. So what if he’s talented and gifted? Every immortal I’ve killed was a genius who had towered over the ages and crushed everyone of their generation.】The Sword Spirit added sourly, then turned back to urge Shu Xin on. 【You need to hold a banquet someday too, and make them all furious with envy.】
“Throwing a few banquets like this to rake in money isn’t a bad idea.” Shu Xin rubbed her chin. “How did I forget about this? The most profitable part is collecting congratulatory gifts. Once I’m high-class enough, I’ll hold a banquet whenever I feel like it—one for my birthday, one when I’m in a good mood… I’ll definitely make a fortune.”
All she needed was a thick enough skin. It didn’t matter if the guests didn’t want to come. As long as the gifts arrived, that was good enough.
Damn it, this woman was completely impervious to persuasion. How could she be so cautious?
The Sword Spirit was practically beside itself with rage.
“Thank you all for honoring me with your presence. By a stroke of luck, and with the sect’s assistance, I have achieved the Dao Infant realm. I do have a few insights to share…”
At gatherings like this, Dao Infant cultivators would ordinarily exchange a few compliments before sharing their insights, discussing their cultivation experiences with their fellow practitioners and honored guests. It was also a way to consolidate one’s cultivation, give the other guests a glimpse of one’s strength, and showcase the depth of one’s sect.
Situ Jian, however, skipped all that empty pleasantry and went straight to the substance.
From beginning to end, his gaze remained fixed on the entire assembly, never once straying.
Lin Youwei confirmed again and again that Situ Jian and Shu Xin truly had no feelings for each other.
The principles of cultivation Situ Jian discussed were profound yet easy to understand, and he offered insights of his own. Clearly, the reason he had achieved so much in such a short time was that he genuinely possessed considerable ability.
Xu Guan’s eyes grew brighter and brighter as he listened to Situ Jian. If he had been given the choice, he wondered how much he would have preferred to be dealing with Situ Jian rather than Situ Jian’s fiancée.
When Situ Jian had reached the halfway point and was preparing to move on to the next topic, Shu Xin suddenly rose to her feet.
“Please wait a moment, fellow Daoists. Situ and I have something to discuss.”
Although Situ Jian had been interrupted, he did not become annoyed. He merely said calmly, “If it isn’t urgent, it can wait until we’re finished.”
“It is rather urgent.”
Just moments ago, Shu Xin had received part of the resources Lin Youwei had brought over. The storage pouch had only just been placed in her hands.
She discovered that, besides the resources they had agreed upon beforehand, the Lin family had also included a seal.
The seal looked utterly ordinary, even somewhat plain. If one did not examine it carefully, one might not recognize it at all.
But Shu Xin had long since memorized the appearances of all those precious magic treasures. She had done so in the hope that one day she might be able to “find a bargain.” Moreover, under the Sword Spirit’s absolute deterrence, any magic treasure whose grade was lower than the Sword Spirit’s would reveal its true nature before it.
Thus, Shu Xin easily saw through the disguise concealing the seal.
The Five-Sided Mountains and Rivers Seal.
It was one of the many magic treasures in the Lin family’s collection. Supposedly, when a Cave-Heaven True Immortal underwent tribulation to break through into the Immaculate Realm, it could help resist the lightning tribulation.
Even if it could only withstand a single portion of the tribulation, it was still a treasure that every Cave-Heaven True Immortal yearned for—especially those whose lifespans were nearly exhausted and who could only rely on external assistance to break through.
A tiny seal like this was enough to kill Shu Xin more than ten times over, without even needing to take a detour.
They were truly rich.
Damn them, they were truly rich!
Although Shu Xin considered herself no longer poor, she could not help developing the urge to rob the rich and aid the poor.
Rob the Lin family’s wealth and aid her own poverty.
Was the Lin family trying to use her as a blade to kill someone?
Were they even planning to hide behind her and reap the benefits afterward?
A treasure this precious could never have been given to a nobody like her unless they were certain they would eventually be able to take it back.
Interesting.
The Lin family had already set such a perfect stage for her. If Shu Xin continued to drag things out, she would be letting down the audience waiting to see what happened.
“I’m ashamed to admit that Situ Jian and I have known each other for a hundred years. Over the years, we have been both teacher and friend to one another, like family. However, the path to immortality is long, and entering into a dao partnership is something that must be considered with the utmost caution. Back then, the two of us were young and foolish, unaware of how different our paths would become.
Though we have been bound by a century-old engagement, Situ Jian and I are now close friends who understand each other deeply. I do not wish to hinder his journey. Therefore, I ask everyone present to bear witness: the engagement between Situ Jian and me is hereby annulled. From this day forward, we will remain fellow disciples and friends.
Heaven and Earth shall bear witness to this.”
[Dog holding a rose in its mouth] Please bookmark and leave a comment!
