In cultivation sects such as theirs, nearly everyone began practicing martial arts from the moment they learned to walk. As a result, people possessed an instinctive reverence for the strong.
At this moment, what made Ye Huaiyao’s performance so captivating was not merely his exceptional appearance or graceful bearing, but the sheer power revealed through that beauty.
Cheng Yuan stared at the scene, his gaze deep and cold, apparently lost in thought. He had almost forgotten to sit back down.
The silver bell chimed.
Time was up.
A moment ago, everyone on the field had been concentrating on circulating their spiritual energy, completely absorbed and oblivious to what was happening around them. Only now, when they glanced about, did they realise that they had somehow been surrounded by a sea of azaleas.
They all startled, then turned toward Ye Huaiyao.
Silence descended.
A moment later, cries of amazement and cheers erupted like a sudden spring bursting forth beneath the sunlight.
Even the Universal Illuminating Mirror had not expected Ye Huaiyao to possess such a trick. He stared blankly for a long while before finally snorting.
“I always wondered how a cunning, gluttonous brat like you managed to live this long without getting yourself beaten to death. Turns out you really do have some skill.”
Ye Huaiyao’s predicament was not merely that he could not use spiritual power. Everyone also knew that his spiritual meridians had been destroyed.
If he were to employ some secret art unique to Xuantian Tower and someone happened to recognise its origins, it could bring him even more trouble.
Yet what he had used was the simplest possible method.
Every cultivation sect taught its disciples how to commune with nature and transform the power of all things into their own. But how much one could perceive, and how much one could accomplish, depended entirely on one’s aptitude and innate understanding.
Some people attained enlightenment in an instant. Others spent their entire lives unable to comprehend it.
Therefore, even if someone wondered how Ye Huaiyao could suddenly have such an epiphany, he could simply claim that the destruction of his spiritual meridians had been such a tremendous shock that it had triggered an awakening.
It was a flawless explanation, leaving no trace behind.
—Of course, in a certain sense, it wasn’t even a lie.
The Illustrious Sage truly lived up to his reputation. The Universal Illuminating Mirror admired his insight and cleverness, but was too proud to praise him outright, so after grumbling for a while, he had managed only that one reluctant compliment.
Ye Huaiyao laughed, “Senior, you obviously want to praise me, so don’t suppress yourself. You’re the Illuminating Mirror, and I’m the Illustrious Sage. Five hundred years ago, we were practically family. If I bring glory to myself, doesn’t that make you look good too?”
This brat was shameless and endlessly glib. There was not the slightest trace of a grandmaster’s dignity about him.
The Universal Illuminating Mirror couldn’t even decide where to begin criticising him. He snapped angrily, “Nonsense! Who’s family with you? My name is Huaijiang. Not a single character has anything to do with you.”
“Ah, yes. ‘The little moon spans Huaijiang, hanging across the heavens like a constellation.’”
Ye Huaiyao immediately picked up the words and continued with a grin. “Majestic and imposing, yet full of poetic depth. What a fine name, Senior. I never knew that was what you were called. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Those final three tsks were positively loaded with meaning. Very few people could turn a compliment into something so thoroughly infuriating.
Huaijiang was simultaneously amused and exasperated. At last, he couldn’t help saying, “I’m beginning to suspect that the Beicang Demon Lord was actually a great benefactor. When he buried you beneath Yaotai back then, perhaps he was really just doing the people a favour.”
Ye Huaiyao’s smile abruptly froze.
Huaijiang had meant it as nothing more than a casual joke, but his words had unexpectedly touched upon one of the most perplexing episodes in Ye Huaiyao’s past. His thoughts were suddenly dragged back to the day of the final battle. Amid the collapse of heaven and earth, there had been that inexplicable embrace, the lingering warmth of which seemed almost tangible even now.
Ye Huaiyao lowered his voice, “It wasn’t him.”
Huaijiang didn’t understand: “What?”
Ye Huaiyao never got the chance to explain. By then, the disciples responsible for counting the azaleas had finished recording the results for this group.
The other disciples had produced only a few dozen blossoms at most, making their results easy enough to count. But Ye Huaiyao’s flowers formed such an enormous sea that there was simply no way to determine the number. In the end, the disciple in charge could only write vaguely: “Flowers bloom throughout the courtyard; number impossible to calculate.”
Master Jingyin, the head of the Chensu Sect, wore a complicated expression as he looked at the result.
Ye Huaiyao had been a disciple of the sect for many years, yet he had never displayed any particularly outstanding talent. Who could have imagined that he would attain enlightenment at a moment like this?
The sect’s younger generation was gradually declining. They desperately needed a promising successor like him…
Yan Jin had already recovered from his initial shock. With one glance, he saw straight through Master Jingyin’s thoughts.—The old man was hesitating over whether to protect Ye Huaiyao in front of him.
The courtyard was filled with delicate blossoms, their fragrance pleasant and pervasive. Yan Jin’s gaze turned cold. He absolutely would not allow that to happen.
His feelings toward Ye Huaiyao now consisted of more than merely wanting to vent Ji Lanying’s grievance. There was another emotion mixed in… jealousy, one that even Yan Jin himself was unwilling to acknowledge.
He had always been confident in his cultivation, yet even he could not make so many flowers bloom at once.
In his eyes, Ye Huaiyao was merely an insignificant ant whose cultivation could be destroyed with a single casual order. There was no way Yan Jin would believe that such a nobody could possess greater talent than himself. With that thought, he gave a derisive laugh, “All you’ve done is make a few flowers bloom. It can’t be used to attack an enemy, nor can it be used to refine pills. In my opinion, your sect’s test is rather pointless.”
His words were blatantly rude. Yet because of his status, no one could openly rebuke him.
Master Jingyin frowned, already somewhat displeased with Yan Jin. At the same time, however, his words had reminded him of something.
He turned toward Ye Huaiyao. “Come here. Let me examine your injury.”
Ye Huaiyao knew perfectly well that his performance would inevitably arouse suspicion and discussion. He had prepared for this already. Without saying anything, he extended his arm and allowed Master Jingyin to place two fingers against his wrist.
The moment Master Jingyin examined him, he knew that Ye Huaiyao’s spiritual meridians truly had not recovered.
A quiet sigh escaped him inwardly. What a pity. A cripple was still a cripple. Just as Yan Jin had said, making a few flowers bloom was ultimately useless. Without any offensive power, whatever Ye Huaiyao did would amount to nothing.
After weighing the matter carefully, Master Jingyin decided that Ye Huaiyao was not worth offending the powerful Yiyang Yan Clan to protect.
Just then, a female disciple who knew nothing of the situation and was emboldened by the favour she enjoyed within the sect came hurrying over.
“Shizun*, Ye-shidi** may have lost in the great competition, but his performance just now was wonderful. Does that mean he can move back to Tai Ning Peak?”
(*TN: teacher/ master.)
(**TN: junior brother.)
After Ye Huaiyao had been injured, he had been driven down to a crude dwelling at the foot of the mountain. His food, clothing, and daily necessities were all extremely plain, which had broken the hearts of many of the female disciples.
Ye Huaiyao observed Master Jingyin’s expression and already had a fairly good idea of what the man was thinking.
Nevertheless, he turned toward the female disciple and smiled with a slight nod, expressing his thanks.
Sure enough, Master Jingyin said, “Naturally.”
He continued, “Ye Huaiyao is exceptionally intelligent, with extraordinary comprehension. He is a pillar of our sect and should be sent to Ghost Wind Forest for further tempering. Huaiyao, once you return, you may move back to Tai Ning Peak.”
The moment those words were spoken, the cheers and discussion around them abruptly died away. The female disciple who had asked the question stared in disbelief. “Shizun?”
She could not understand his decision at all. His words sounded pleasant enough. After all, he had promised that Ye Huaiyao could return to Tai Ning Peak once he came back from Ghost Wind Forest. But Ye Huaiyao’s injuries were nowhere near healed.
The danger of entering Ghost Wind Forest was on an entirely different level from making a few flowers bloom. Put plainly, this was still sending him to his death.
Why? The sect wasn’t so short of people that they couldn’t let him recover first, was it?
Seeing the confusion on so many faces, Ye Huaiyao did not want everyone to waste their breath arguing and risk further angering the sect master. He therefore took over the conversation himself.
“The sect master is right. This disciple will obey.”
Without changing expression, he continued, “As the saying goes, ‘It is good to have a great tree to shelter beneath.’ I will always remember that I am a disciple of the Chensu Sect. Once I enter Ghost Wind Forest, I shall charge fearlessly at the front, exterminate every last demon, and leave not the slightest opportunity for the other sects to distinguish themselves. Please rest assured, honoured masters!”
Master Jingyin: “…”
If Ye Huaiyao actually did that, the demons of Ghost Wind Forest might not even be wiped out before the Chensu Sect had offended every other sect in the cultivation world. How could anyone possibly rest assured?
And if those words got out, wouldn’t everyone think that this was how the Chensu Sect taught its disciples to behave?
Yan Jin had already confirmed that Ye Huaiyao could, at most, borrow external forces to make a few flowers bloom. He had no ability to attack anyone. Not only was he useless, he was also shamelessly glib. Yan Jin’s contempt for him deepened.
Unwilling to waste any more time, he cast Ye Huaiyao a disdainful glance and turned to Master Jingyin, “Sect Master, I’m tired. I’ll take my leave.”
The Yan Clan was immensely powerful, and Yan Jin himself was a promising young talent of the main branch. Master Jingyin swallowed his irritation, forced a smile, and said, “Third Young Master, take care. We won’t see you off.”
Yan Jin rose to his feet. His attendants immediately followed in a flurry. As they passed Ye Huaiyao, the rush of air from their robes made his sleeves flutter.
Their blatant disregard for courtesy left Master Jingyin with nothing more to say. After arranging the disciples who would be sent to Ghost Wind Forest, he dismissed everyone.
The old man was a shameless snob who fawned on the powerful and looked down on the weak. Still, he had inadvertently done one good thing before leaving—he had taken Cheng Yuan with him, temporarily sparing Ye Huaiyao from that pervert’s harassment.
Although the people of the Chensu Sect were less than impressive, the sect itself occupied a beautiful landscape. Mountain ranges stretched into the distance, streams murmured over their beds, and lush forests and slender bamboo could be seen everywhere, dotted with wildflowers.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him for the moment, Ye Huaiyao was in no hurry to return. He wandered through the mountains while contemplating everything that had happened since he recovered his memories.
At present, there were two things he needed to accomplish. First, he had to heal his injuries. Second, he had to contact Xuantian Tower.
The first matter was not particularly difficult.
He had already made plans. Although Ghost Wind Forest was extremely dangerous, that very danger had resulted in its unusual soil and the rare species that grew there.
Ye Huaiyao had never personally visited the forest, but he had heard that it contained numerous medicinal herbs highly effective for treating internal injuries and repairing spiritual meridians.
If not for that, he would have had countless ways to refuse the trip to Ghost Wind Forest. There had been no need for anyone else to meddle and “save” him.
The second matter, however, was more complicated than it appeared.
Xuantian Tower was not a place that ordinary people could simply visit. Furthermore, Ye Huaiyao’s current position within the Chensu Sect was precarious. He did not dare rashly entrust anyone else with delivering a message on his behalf.
Therefore, his only option was to wait until he left the Chensu Sect and see whether he could encounter another disciple of Xuantian Tower.
As Ye Huaiyao pondered this, he wandered onward at an unhurried pace. Then he faintly heard a commotion coming from somewhere nearby.
“You’re nothing but a stray dog nobody wants. You’re lucky to get a meal, and now you want candy too?! Do you deserve it?”
“Oh? He actually dares to fight back! What, you’ve already cursed your own mother to death, and now you want to kill us too?”
Ye Huaiyao pushed aside a curtain of drooping flower branches. Not far away, beside a stream, a group of young boys were fighting in an open patch of ground.
—Or rather, five or six children were ganging up on one older boy.
Ye Huaiyao’s sharp eyes immediately recognised the child being beaten. It was the same boy to whom he had given a packet of pine-nut candy not long ago.
The boy was around eleven or twelve years old, and by age alone should have been somewhat older than the children attacking him. However, from their clothing, it was obvious that those children had already been formally accepted as inner disciples. The boy, meanwhile, wore the clothes of a labourer.
Ye Huaiyao guessed that he had missed the ideal age for beginning martial arts training and could therefore only perform odd jobs within the Chensu Sect. He had no skill, no allies, and no status. Even being a few years older than the others did him little good.
A child swept his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. The others laughed and kicked at his back, pressing his head into the dirt.
Ye Huaiyao frowned slightly. Yet the boy stubbornly refused to lower his head. He held himself up with both hands, pressing so hard against the damp earth that his fingers had dug two deep hollows into the soil.
Seeing this, Ye Huaiyao did not immediately intervene. He simply stood quietly behind the flowering tree and watched.
Huaijiang was probably bored as well. He watched the children fight alongside Ye Huaiyao, commenting with great interest, “This kid’s martial arts are a little poor, but there’s a viciousness in his eyes. Tsk, tsk. I like him.”
Ye Huaiyao said quietly, “Senior, he’s only a child. He’s not even an adult yet.”
Huaijiang: “…”
He froze for a moment before realising what Ye Huaiyao meant. “Brat! You know perfectly well that’s not what I meant!”
Ye Huaiyao apparently found it extremely entertaining to make the old man lose his temper and burst into laughter.
The children, too engrossed in their fight, did not hear him. By the time Ye Huaiyao and Huaijiang had finished speaking, the boy had already struggled back to his feet.
The other children became furious. Shouting curses, they rushed toward him.
To Ye Huaiyao’s surprise, the boy did not immediately run. Instead, he turned around, seized the nearest child, lowered his head, and bit down hard on the child’s arm.
The child screamed in pain, desperately kicking and striking him, trying to make him let go. The others rushed over to help.
But the boy remained silent. He endured their shoves and blows without loosening his teeth. He kept biting until he tore an actual piece of flesh from the child’s arm.
Then he spat the bloody piece onto the ground. His mouth was smeared red, and the ferocity in his expression was startling.
The bitten child clutched his bleeding arm and burst into tears from the pain. The others were beside themselves with rage and were just about to swarm the boy again.
At that moment, a white figure flashed past. The child leading the charge was still running forward when he suddenly realised that someone had appeared directly in front of him.
He stopped short. Before he could react, a sharp thud sounded against his forehead. Someone had given him a hard flick on the brow.
The force nearly stunned him. He halted in his tracks and looked up. Ye Huaiyao stood directly before him, slightly bent at the waist, smiling pleasantly at the children.
