Chapter 105 - Digging the Wall
Leaving the small secret realm was a simple process. After feeling a wave of energy, the scenery in front of them changed, and the strange flowers and plants of the secret realm disappeared from behind them. They had returned to the edge of the Quiet Valley.
Everyone had noticed the earlier wave and had come to their own conclusions. It must have been a spatial fluctuation. Now that they had left the space of the small secret realm and returned to the real world, naturally, the scenery around them had changed as well. However, finding the direction of the fluctuation and locating the small secret realm again would not be easy.
As soon as they emerged, Jiang Yan and the others noticed a communication signal left by the academy’s seniors. They quickly contacted them. After a day or so, people from both the academy and the Qianxue Sect arrived and met up.
When Elder Gan saw Jiang Yan and the others, her expression immediately darkened: “Why aren’t our Qianxue Sect disciples with you?”
Her implication was clear: why was it that all the people alive around Lu Qiusheng were from Tianfu Academy, but the disciples of Qianxue Sect had been abandoned by them? If they didn’t tell the truth, she would rather go to war with Tianfu Academy.
Jiang Yan sighed inwardly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to save the disciples of Qianxue Sect, but when Lu Qiusheng was the only one left with a few companions, all the other people who entered the small secret realm had died, victims of the consciousness fighting for control of Lu Qiusheng’s body. If they hadn’t arrived in time, if Chi Changye hadn’t delivered that key blow, Lu Qiusheng wouldn’t have survived either.
Jiang Yan took out two storage bags and handed one to each of the senior leaders, briefly explaining their experiences:
“We entered the small secret realm here, but we weren’t aware of what was going on at first. Not long after we entered, we found Zhao Min’s corpse, which made us realize something was wrong. If Chi Changye hadn’t forced his power increase at the critical moment, perhaps we would have ended up like that as well. Later, we found Senior Brother Lu and his companions unconscious. While waiting for them to wake up, we stayed inside and recovered. Once they recovered, we didn’t want to delay, so we quickly left.”
Elder Gan’s spiritual sense entered the storage bag, and with a single glance, his face grew even darker. Everything left behind on the bodies was enough to prove what they had gone through before they died. While he couldn’t directly blame Jiang Yan and Lu Qiusheng’s group for their deaths, it was hard for him to let them off so easily.
“Where’s the small secret realm? You just came out of it, so you should know how to enter, right?”
Jiang Yan replied, neither humble nor arrogant: “We accidentally stumbled in. When we left, we just had to walk in one direction to exit. However, we have no idea how to get back in. Please forgive us for being unable to help.”
“That’s right,” Lu Qiusheng quickly added, not wanting to make things difficult for his senior brother alone. “We entered the small secret realm from the end of this Quiet Valley. Senior Brother and the others also entered from here. If the seniors want to enter, perhaps you could stay here and search carefully. Maybe you’ll accidentally stumble upon the entrance.”
Fang Wangru glanced at Elder Gan, then turned his gaze to Lu Qiusheng with a look of approval: “Well said. Some people just don’t have good luck. What’s meant to be will happen, and what’s not meant to be won’t. Luck can’t be forced. Alright, since you’ve come out alive, let’s head back to the academy. Be more careful next time—you’re not always going to be so lucky.”
His last words sounded like he was scolding her own disciples, but in reality, he was still favoring them.
Elder Yi, who had arrived with them, was looking at Chi Changye with a pleased expression after discovering that he had successfully built his foundation. He was in a good mood, and as for what Elder Gan had said, he considered it nonsense. With a flick of his sleeve, he said, “Let’s go. Those of you still obsessed with the small secret realm can stay here and guard it. We’re going back, so follow us!”
He pointed at Chi Changye and Gu Yao. Gu Yao had been specifically mentioned by Hu Valley Master, and knowing Gu Yao’s abilities, Elder Yi didn’t look down on him.
“Yes,” Gu Yao and the others responded obediently, following Fang Wangru and Elder Yi. This left Elder Gan fuming, with no other course of action but to retreat and think things over.
On the way back, Gu Yao learned that the deeper areas of the Qiuqu Mountains had indeed seen appearances of secret realms before, both large and small. This was why both Tianfu Academy and Qianxue Sect were fighting to control the area. In the end, neither side gave in, so it became a shared trial ground for both factions.
As for those who didn’t make it out alive, the trial grounds are rich in resources, but equally dangerous. Every year, countless disciples from both the academy and wandering cultivators die here. So, after staying here for a while, one becomes accustomed to such dangers and can maintain a calm mindset. This is simply the harsh reality of the cultivation world.
However, upon hearing that Valley Master Hu was still at The Pill Peak, Gu Yao glanced at the little fatty with a questioning look. Should the little fatty continue to hide, or should he reveal himself to Valley Master Hu? If the people outside, including those traveling with them, knew the little fatty’s true identity, they would likely be shocked beyond belief.
The little fatty should have anticipated that after his grandfather saw Gu Yao’s alchemy skills, it would be harder for him to leave. But he still hadn’t decided whether to meet him or not. As a result, on the way back, he was so troubled that he started losing hair, which piqued Tian Feirong’s curiosity. He asked Gu Yao, “What’s wrong with the little fatty? He seems to get more depressed the closer we get to the academy.”
Gu Yao replied, “I know the reason, but he’ll only talk about it if he’s willing.”
Tian Feirong stomped her feet in frustration, “So, I’m the only one who doesn’t know? Is this still what it means to be friends?”
Gu Yao laughed, “Who told you to be so slow? Brother Ye and I figured it out ourselves.”
Tian Feirong’s anger deflated instantly, “You can’t say things like that. Not everyone is as ‘heaven-defying’ as you and Brother Ye. Didn’t you see that every time we took a break, Elder Yi would take Chi Changye aside, and the two of them would practice swordplay and spar?”
Lu Qiusheng, itching to try it himself, joined in to see how strong Chi Changye really was to earn his senior brother’s praise. However, Lu Qiusheng couldn’t last long under Chi Changye’s swordsmanship. Without using spiritual power, just relying on sword techniques and physical strength, Chi Changye easily defeated Lu Qiusheng. If spiritual power and sword intent had been used, Lu Qiusheng would have been utterly defeated. In the end, Lu Qiusheng could only run to his senior brother, seeking comfort and affection.
As for Elder Gan and the Qianxue Sect disciples, despite their frustration, they didn’t want to speak to anyone from Tianfu Academy. But when they thought about Valley Master Hu still being at Tianfu Academy, they had no choice but to follow along.
The most amusing yet troubling thing for Gu Yao during the journey was that several female disciples from Qianxue Sect would often approach him to ask for alchemy advice.
If they were genuinely skilled in alchemy, Gu Yao would have been happy to exchange and discuss with them. But even he, being somewhat slow to catch on, could tell that these female disciples were only using the excuse of alchemy to get closer to him. They all had one thing in common: they were quite attractive. Although Gu Yao was somewhat slow in such matters, having experienced similar situations before, he quickly realized that the Qianxue Sect was trying to “dig at the walls,” targeting him.
If Gu Yao had been a native cultivator, achieving success in his own time, he might not have figured it out so quickly. Perhaps he would have even become conceited. But in his past life in the Starry World, Gu Yao had experienced countless attempts to “dig at the walls,” with the most common method being sending beautiful women. Some women from prestigious families even came to approach him, lowering their stature to entice him, causing him much disturbance. In the end, he died without ever having experienced romance. In this life, however, things had turned out differently—he had already crossed that line.
Thinking about this, Gu Yao couldn’t help but glance at Chi Changye, his face slightly flushing.
Lu Qiusheng, sitting with his senior brother, squinted his eyes to observe the situation on Gu Yao’s side. Of course, he was just enjoying the spectacle, adding fuel to the fire by teasing, “Xiao Gu is quite lucky, huh? Doesn’t Chi Changye worry about this? The Qianxue Sect really went all out, even bringing Ren Yufeng here. If Ren Yufeng’s suitors knew about this, Xiao Gu would gain even more enemies.”
Those people wouldn’t blame Elder Gan, who arranged this, or Ren Yufeng, who came with a purpose. They would only blame Gu Yao, seeing him as an enemy. Even if Qianxue Sect managed to recruit Gu Yao, he would likely face a lot of provocation the moment he stepped through the door, and his life wouldn’t be easy.
Jiang Yan smiled and said, “Chi Brother isn’t worried, so we don’t need to concern ourselves. Besides, you’re underestimating Junior Brother Gu. He may seem simple, but he’s actually quite clever. There’s no way he wouldn’t see through things.”
Junior Brother Gu understands it all in his heart.
They were watching the drama unfold when Gu Yao had already politely rejected the request from the female cultivator, Ren Yufeng. If it weren’t for Elder Gan’s words, the proud Ren Yufeng might have stormed off, but even now, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything more. With a cold expression, she turned and left.
As soon as she left, Chi Changye returned. Seeing him, Gu Yao sighed with relief. He really couldn’t handle such romantic attention.
“That guy is too much! Junior Sister Ren personally went to ask him, and he didn’t even give a nod. Is he even a man? Doesn’t he have any compassion for a beautiful woman?” As soon as Ren Yufeng returned, someone voiced their displeasure on her behalf. Her looks were indeed striking, and even the male disciples of Tianfu Academy would be moved by her, wanting to pursue her.
“Exactly! I heard he’s a four-spirit-root talent. What’s there to be proud of? With his current cultivation, who knows how he got here. He probably used some underhanded methods to take shortcuts. Building a foundation is not that easy. But Junior Sister Ren is a promising talent, one that the Sect Leader personally approves of. She was focused on from the moment she joined.”
“He’s just lucky he got the inheritance of alchemy. Don’t be fooled by Elder Gan’s attention to him, it’s all because of Valley Master Hu. Haven’t you seen that Valley Master Hu is still at Tianfu Academy because of him? If it were our Qianxue Sect, maybe Valley Master Hu would even cultivate a good alchemist for us. Even if not, if we go to Cuiyan Valley to request pills in the future, it would be much easier.”
Listening to these people speak in her defense, Ren Yufeng’s expression didn’t improve at all. It was because she knew the true purpose of Elder Gan and the others that she felt even more unsettled. She didn’t dare to resent Elder Gan, but she shifted her anger onto Gu Yao.
She shot a glare at Gu Yao, but just as she did, a sharp gaze met hers. Ren Yufeng’s face paled. She recognized who it was. In fact, this person was even more attractive and charismatic than Gu Yao, but it was clear to everyone that this person protected Gu Yao.