Yuan Dawei and the others had been drilled until their hearts were utterly numb.
They had no idea where Eldest Senior Sister had learned so many combat techniques. She beat them so thoroughly that they had no chance to fight back.
Over the past few months, they had gone from high-spirited at the beginning, to questioning their entire lives midway through, to utterly numb by the end. Shu Xin had practically played them to pieces.
Her methods included, but were not limited to, staring them down and criticizing them at length before every match, nearly shattering their Dao hearts with her words, only to launch a sudden attack afterward under the grand name of “psychological warfare”; pretending to fall and surrender halfway through a fight, then suddenly counterattacking when they approached, all while mocking them with, “All’s fair in war”; and, worst of all, suddenly transforming into one of them during a melee, tricking them into turning on one another. She called that one “The True and False Monkey Kings.”
They forgave themselves for not knowing what a Monkey King was, but Eldest Senior Sister seemed very pleased with herself.
At first, Yi Renjie, the second senior brother and a Dao Infant cultivator, had not needed to join the battles.
But after watching his junior brothers and sisters get beaten so badly, he had no choice but to take the field when they came begging him for help.
It had no effect whatsoever.
It merely added one more person to the group lying on the ground and moaning.
Not long afterward, Qi Feiyang broke through to the Dao Infant stage and emerged from seclusion. He had not even had time to announce the news before his junior brothers and sisters dragged him over to help swell their numbers.
Poor Qi Feiyang. He had just broken through and become a great cultivator, and before he could enjoy the pleasure of reaching a new realm, he was beaten black and blue. The joy and pride of his breakthrough vanished without a trace.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. This won’t do,” Shu Xin said as she squatted down and patted her junior brothers’ and sisters’ faces with her sword. “You’re far too careless. Once the Questioning God Sect recruits more disciples in the future, there’s no guarantee that some people with ulterior motives won’t join. If you can’t tell them apart, it’ll only be a matter of time before the Questioning God Sect is swallowed whole, skin and flesh alike.”
“Eldest Senior Sister, we’ve already seen through all your tricks. From now on, we won’t believe a word you say!” Li Qinghe said, having learned her lesson the hard way. She and Meng Wenrui had been deceived the worst, and they were also the most unwilling to admit defeat.
“Oh? Then go back and recover properly today, and come find me at this time tomorrow,” Shu Xin said with a smile. “If all of you working together still can’t defeat me, even though I’m only at the Core Formation stage, then you might as well give up on trying to reach the Dao Infant realm. You’d only be wasting resources.”
With that, Shu Xin left happily, leaving her junior brothers and sisters sprawled on the ground. They helped one another up and began discussing their plans.
[You really don’t hold back,] the Sword Spirit remarked. [You’re treating them like demonic cultivators.]
“It’s better for them to be deceived by me now than by someone else in the future.” Shu Xin was thoroughly pleased with herself. “A loud drum needs a heavy hammer. I’m doing this for their own good. They’ll all have to travel the world on their own someday. They can’t stay at my heels forever.”
“Though I have to admit, the Questioning God Sect’s cultivation methods are pretty impressive. For Core Formation cultivators, they’re already stronger than many practitioners at the same level.” Shu Xin did not begrudge them her praise. “It’s just that there are too many geniuses and heroes out there. At best, they’re standing on the same starting line as the core disciples of the Nine Sects and Ten Schools. And with their lack of resources, they’ll eventually fall behind in their cultivation. So if they want to improve, they can only push themselves even harder.”
[What about you?] the Sword Spirit retorted. [You have a whole speech ready when it comes to other people, but when it’s your turn, you only fight those with lower cultivation than you. Don’t you have any shame?]
“How can they compare with me?” Shu Xin asked, genuinely surprised. “The reason I’m pushing them so hard is so that I won’t have to push myself in the future. The Questioning God Sect isn’t just my sect. If every one of them reaches the Mahayana stage of the Wugou realm, they can spend their days capturing demonic cultivators and sending them to you to cleanse your blade. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Rather than whip myself into shape, I might as well whip everyone else into shape! Why do you think I wanted to become the Eldest Senior Sister?”
The Sword Spirit was momentarily speechless.
Sometimes, it felt that there was a reason Shu Xin remained completely unaffected by the Three Winds and Four Fires.
Her logic was entirely her own, and she had complete faith in everything she did. No one could sway her.
At the very least, Shu Xin would not have to worry about her Dao heart becoming unstable before she became an Earthly Immortal.
If it became any more stable, it would turn to stone!
[They definitely won’t trust you so easily anymore. What are you planning to do tomorrow? With Yi Renjie joining them, the pressure on you will be considerable,] the Sword Spirit said, forced to change the subject.
“A wise man always has a plan,” Shu Xin replied with a smile. “Those little sparrows of theirs are no match for an old fox like me. Ha ha ha ha! They’re nothing to worry about, nothing at all.”
You really are wasting your talent by not becoming a demonic cultivator.
The next day.
Yuan Dawei and the others arrived fully prepared once more.
They had already agreed that no matter what Eldest Senior Sister said or did this time, they would not believe her. They had also come up with a secret signal. Even if Eldest Senior Sister transformed into one of them again, she absolutely would not be able to confuse them.
“Hmm? Why hasn’t Eldest Senior Sister arrived yet?”
“She’s always been very punctual.”
“Could it be that she knows we’ve made foolproof preparations this time and is too afraid to come? Don’t look at me like that. I was just saying!”
After waiting for quite some time, they still did not see Eldest Senior Sister. Instead, their master arrived.
“Something happened over at the Profound Spirit Dao Sect. Your Eldest Senior Sister is rather busy, so she asked me to come tell you,” Xu Guan said, casually waving his hand as he looked them over. “Not bad. Your cultivation seems much more solid than before. Your Eldest Senior Sister’s training wasn’t in vain.”
“What? Eldest Senior Sister left?” Yuan Dawei froze. “Then why didn’t she tell us?”
“It was an emergency. There was nothing to be done.” Xu Guan waved a hand dismissively. “Enough. If you’re really disappointed, your master can train with you instead. It will also give me a chance to see how much you’ve improved these past few days.”
“Master, we—” Yuan Dawei was just about to refuse when he noticed that his junior sister, Li Qinghe, was tugging at his sleeve and staring suspiciously at Xu Guan.
“Master, Eldest Senior Sister often transforms into other people to trick us. Are you really our master? You said you were going to prepare for seclusion, and that all our training would be left to Eldest Senior Sister. You suddenly showing up while she’s gone makes it very difficult not to be suspicious.”
“Exactly. I’m very suspicious too,” Cao Ru and Meng Wenrui added.
“Indeed. Master should be busy preparing for seclusion lately.” Yi Renjie looked suspiciously at Xu Guan. “Eldest Senior Sister, did you transform into Master’s appearance to trick us again? We won’t fall for it so easily this time.”
Xu Guan was caught between laughter and tears. “I raised all of you from childhood. Why don’t you ask me questions that only we would know—things your Eldest Senior Sister couldn’t possibly know?”
“Very well, Master,” Yi Renjie said, taking the lead. “You’ve attended so many banquets. How many spirit stones have you earned from them in total?”
Xu Guan: “...”
“At first, I still kept count, but after I had too many spirit stones, I stopped counting them.” Xu Guan was stumped by the very first question. “No tallying, no tallying. Next.”
“Master, what did you say when you gave me that Comprehensive Formation Manual?” Cao Ru asked.
Xu Guan thought for a moment. “I believe I told you to work hard and not squander your talent.”
“I knew you were the Eldest Senior Sister in disguise! Back then, Master, you clearly said my aptitude was only average and that I couldn’t compare with the other disciples, though finding another path might not be a bad idea!” Cao Ru said indignantly.
Huh? Did I really say that back then?
Xu Guan was beginning to doubt himself.
Just then, another familiar voice came from the sky.
“Huh? Disciple Shu Xin, why have you taken on your master’s appearance?” Another “Xu Guan,” dressed exactly the same, stood in the air and gazed down curiously.
“Still claiming you aren’t the Eldest Senior Sister?” Qi Feiyang immediately sprang into action, pouncing first.
The other disciples followed close behind.
“Disciples, don’t hit her too hard. As fellow disciples, you should always value harmony,” the “Xu Guan” in the air said lightly.
Yuan Dawei became even more convinced and charged at the Xu Guan on the ground along with the others.
“…Ridiculous!” Xu Guan nearly choked with anger. With a wave of his sleeve, he sent every disciple flying and crashing to the ground.
“She’s that powerful? Is that really Master?” Yi Renjie finally managed to get back on his feet and hurriedly looked up at the figure in the sky.
The others came to their senses as well. If this really was the Eldest Senior Sister in disguise, she should have used her Core Formation cultivation to fight them.
So if this person was truly their master, then who was the one in the sky?
There was no master in the sky at all—only a laughing Shu Xin.
“Hahaha, this is hilarious.” Shu Xin laughed heartily. “Weren’t you preparing a secret technique to deal with me? Let me see it. It doesn’t seem to be working, though.”
“Eldest Senior Sister, you used Master to trick us!” Qi Feiyang said furiously. “Of course we’d fall for it inside the sect! And Master, why are you helping Eldest Senior Sister deceive us?”
Yi Renjie hurried forward to apologize to his master.
“Who says I’m necessarily the real one?” The Xu Guan on the ground glanced at them and answered with that one sentence. He then gave Yi Renjie another sharp knock on the head before instantly transforming into a tiny scarecrow and dropping to the ground.
“Sorry, but both of them were fake.” Shu Xin picked up the scarecrow with a smile. “Did you assume that one of the two had to be real? Not necessarily. The scarecrow I transformed just now couldn’t answer your questions either. You saw me reveal my true form and immediately assumed that this one was real. Falling into that kind of fixed mindset is dangerous.”
The junior disciples all clutched their heads in frustration.
Why did their Eldest Senior Sister always have so many tricks for fooling them?
There was simply no way to guard against her!
“All right, I won’t trick you anymore. In truth, you’re all more or less ready to reach the Dao Infant Realm. Renjie and Feiyang only need to consolidate their Dao Infant cultivation,” Shu Xin said, her tone softening. “Once you leave the mountain, you’ll each undergo experience on your own. Remember: trust no one but yourself. In certain extreme situations, you can’t even trust yourself, because all kinds of illusions and divine abilities can deceive your senses. So you must hide as many trump cards as possible, while also keeping your eyes and ears open at all times. Only by noticing the tiniest details can you glimpse the truth.”
When Cao Ru and the others heard this, their disappointment vanished at once.
“Eldest Senior Sister, are we really going out to gain experience so soon?”
“Yes. Break through as quickly as you can, then pack your things and come with me to the Xuanling Dao Sect.” Shu Xin smiled. “I’m giving you only one month. The few of you should have enough time to break through to the Dao Infant Realm. If you can’t be here on time after one month, I’ll leave with the others.”
“Awoo—!”
The junior disciples let out a collective howl, their frustration instantly forgotten.
If they missed the chance to accompany their Eldest Senior Sister to the Xuanling Dao Sect and swagger around there, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.
“Eldest Senior Sister, should I stay behind to look after Master?” Yi Renjie volunteered.
“No need. You’re coming with us, and Master will be coming too,” Shu Xin replied. “Otherwise, how are we supposed to claim a piece of the pie at the Xuanling Dao Sect? The few of us wouldn’t be enough.”
Besides, Xu Guan going to the Xuanling Dao Sect to seize resources and carve out territory at this time could also lower the other sects’ guard.
After all, the other cultivators of the Immaculate Realm had already begun preparing to break through.
“All right, Eldest Senior Sister. I’ll definitely work hard.”
A month later.
Yi Renjie, Qi Feiyang, Cao Ru, Yuan Dawei, Li Qinghe, and Meng Wenrui had all finished packing. They waited outside Shu Xin’s door in the best of spirits.
“Very good, very good. You’re all looking quite lively.” When Shu Xin opened the door and saw them gazing at her like a pack of puppies, she couldn’t help praising them. “Master will follow behind us and only appear if a cultivator of the Immaculate Realm makes things difficult for us. Along the way, I’ll tell you about the objective of this mission.”
“Yes, Eldest Senior Sister.”
The Xuanling Dao Sect possessed vast territory and abundant resources, and had stood for many years.
In truth, the affair involving Busi Manor’s collusion with the Blood Demon Sect was nothing more than a failure on the part of the Xuanling Dao Sect to properly discipline its subordinate forces. As long as they purged the traitors, the matter could be resolved; it was not a particularly serious problem.
The trouble was that, around this time, rumors had somehow begun circulating that the Xuanling Dao Sect’s two Mahayana ancestors were on the verge of death.
Immediately afterward, several other sects affiliated with the Xuanling Dao Sect were discovered to have ties with the Corpse Yin Demon Sect, the Spirit Parasite Demon Sect, and others. With people deliberately fanning the flames, the Xuanling Dao Sect seemed to have become synonymous with collusion with the demon sects.
Some of the more perceptive affiliated sects sensed that the great structure was about to collapse. Nearly all of them contacted other Dao sects within a short period, willing to switch allegiance.
Likewise, some outstanding disciples who were not part of the Xuanling Dao Sect’s inner circle either “found true love and agreed to marry into another family” within a very short time, or “discovered that they were actually the illegitimate child of an elder from another sect.” In short, all kinds of excuses were used, and they left the Xuanling Dao Sect one after another.
As for the elders of the Xuanling Dao Sect in the Grotto-Heaven Realm and the Immaculate Realm, they too received invitations from various sects and clans, all offering extremely generous terms.
Some were willing to remain loyal and cursed out everyone who came to persuade them otherwise. But those from influential clans within the sect—or those who had never been particularly loyal to the sect in the first place—were naturally tempted.
For a time, the Xuanling Dao Sect, once an enormous power, seemed like a lone boat adrift in a storm, in danger of capsizing at any moment.
Collapse that begins from within is often faster than any attack from outside.
“Forget about those affiliated sects of the Xuanling Dao Sect. Our Inquiry God Sect can’t afford to support them, and we wouldn’t dare take them in,” Shu Xin cautioned. “Remember, when we get there, we only want the old cultivators who tend the spiritual fields and flowers for the Xuanling Dao Sect, or those responsible for teaching newly inducted disciples. Those are the people we need. As for disciples, we might as well select them from among mortals. The disciples chosen from mortals may have poorer aptitudes, but at least their backgrounds will be clean.”
“Oh, right. Other than those people, should we seize some cultivation techniques or something?” Yi Renjie spoke up. “I heard that the Xuanling Dao Sect has quite a few techniques that lead all the way to the Mahayana stage.”
“That’s because Master had no choice but to sell the jade slips containing our sect’s own techniques to make money,” Yi Renjie said righteously when he saw the looks on his junior brothers’ and sisters’ faces. “Some of our techniques were stolen from us. What’s wrong with wanting to steal a few techniques back?”
Nothing was wrong with that, of course.
“As for cultivation techniques, we’ll see how things go. Taking too many won’t do us much good, because most likely, the disciples we recruit won’t be able to cultivate to that level.” Shu Xin advised them not to place too many expectations on half of their disciples. “Your master personally guided all of you, and at most, they can teach six disciples—and that’s assuming all of you have good aptitudes. This time, we’re expanding the sect and recruiting at least dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of disciples. You have no teaching experience, and those with better aptitudes won’t be joining our sect anyway. So, for the short term, there’s no need to place too much hope in cultivation techniques. If possible, we should seize as many spirit stones, spiritual flower and herb seeds, spirit beast cubs, medicinal pills, magical artifacts, and the like as we can. Those are the real hard currency.”
As for land and mountain ranges, who knew whether they could hold on to them once the fighting began? Cash flow was king.
Cao Ru and the others nodded, then recalled something and said, “If you see any promising formation masters—or jade slips containing formations—seize those for me too. I’ve read that Comprehensive Compendium of Formations so many times already. They say the exquisite formations are monopolized by those sects, and I have no way to learn them even if I want to. Keep an eye out for me.”
“I’d actually like to see what the Xuanling Dao Sect’s saber techniques are like too,” Qi Feiyang said. “If you see any powerful saber-type magical artifacts, remember to tell me.” Now that he had reached the Dao Infant stage, it was time for him to refine his own life-bound artifact. His previous saber was beginning to fall behind.
Everyone seemed to have opened the floodgates and began listing what they wanted.
Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought they were heading to a market for a major shopping spree.
“Good. It’s enough that everyone knows what they want.” Shu Xin waved her hand grandly. “Follow me, and I’ll make sure you all eat well and drink well. You won’t be lacking anything.”
“Long live Eldest Senior Sister!”
“I swear I’ll do whatever Eldest Senior Sister says from now on.”
“If Eldest Senior Sister tells me to go east, I’ll never go west.”
…
Within the Xuanling Dao Sect, two distinct factions had now formed.
One faction believed that the sect’s most urgent priority was to preserve itself. They should abandon part of their assets and relocate elsewhere. As long as they retained a single Mahayana-stage patriarch, they would still have a chance to rebuild in the future.
The other faction believed that one Mahayana-stage patriarch alone would be unable to withstand attacks from the other sects. They might as well stay and take a gamble. Perhaps those sects would not truly launch a full-scale attack.
As for surrendering, everyone had considered it, but no one dared say it aloud.
Pei Qiyun remained silent, waiting for her sect master to make a decision.
In truth, her master had already suggested that she quietly lead some of the younger disciples away. Pei Qiyun had refused.
For one thing, she was already well known. If she left, it would be easy for others to discover her, and that might instead place her junior brothers and sisters in danger. It would be better to let other senior brothers and sisters preserve the sect’s future.
For another, she knew very well that talk of leaving the sect to rebuild in the future was nothing more than a form of self-consolation.
Once a sect declined, the chances of rising again were exceedingly slim.
“We’re all Daoist sects, branches of the same tradition. Surely they won’t really drive us to such extremes?” The sect master of the Xuanling Dao Sect had once again received news that one of their affiliated sects had defected to the Changsheng Dao Sect, the Myriad Thousand Dao Sect, or another sect.
“Senior Brother Sect Master, there’s no point saying things like that anymore. If another sect had fallen into the same situation as ours, we absolutely wouldn’t show mercy either.” One of the elders took the initiative to speak. “Our most urgent concern now is how long the patriarch can hold on. As long as the patriarch remains alive, they won’t launch a full-scale attack.”
The sect master fell silent.
“One of the patriarchs has, at most, a year left.”
And if their luck was bad, it might only be a matter of days.
That was why the people outside could afford to wait.
“Sect Master, is there truly no other way to extend the patriarch’s life?”
“There are very few methods capable of extending the lifespan of a Mahayana-stage cultivator. Everything that could be used has already been used.” The sect master shook his head. “I even considered having the patriarch seize another body. As long as the patriarch could cultivate back to the Mahayana stage, it wouldn’t be impossible. But the patriarch has already failed several times and can’t withstand another attempt.”
Cultivators from a sect like the Spirit Parasite Demon Sect, which specialized in possession and body-seizing techniques, were naturally suited to that path. Ordinary cultivators could not simply imitate them.
Moreover, cultivators nearing the end of their natural lifespans were different from those who died violent deaths. The former had already had their lifespans restricted by Heaven; they could live only so long. The latter, however, had died through an accident while still possessing many years of life. Thus, body-seizing was often successful in the latter case, while the difficulty for the former increased by several levels.
“Could it be that the Xuanling Dao Sect has truly reached the end of its days?”
…
The area surrounding the Xuanling Dao Sect was already filled with scouts from the other sects.
They were waiting for the moment the Xuanling Dao Sect’s Mahayana-stage cultivator died. The instant that happened, they would notify their respective sects and seize the opportunity to divide up its resources.
Every cultivator wore a tense expression. They watched the competitors around them while remaining wary of the Xuanling Dao Sect’s interior. Their nerves were stretched taut.
At that moment, Shu Xin swaggered over with her fellow disciples, naturally attracting the scouts’ attention.
“Which minor sect are they from? Have they come to scavenge for scraps too?”
Seeing the disciple jade tokens worn by Shu Xin and the others, the scouts could not identify their sect at all.
If they could not identify it, they simply treated it as an unknown minor sect.
However, just as the cultivators were about to approach and drive Shu Xin away, they saw Xie Xianzhi of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect personally go forward to greet her.
Immediately afterward, Chai Lingxin of the Carefree Dao Sect and Xiang Peiyao of the Truth-Seeking Dao Sect also heard Xie Xianzhi’s words and flew toward Shu Xin.
Those three were all prominent figures who held up their respective Daoist sects. Just who exactly had Shu Xin and her companions come from?
“I remember now. That must have been Shu Xin from the Inquiry God Sect!”
