Chapter 3

Xie Qingyuan had properly sent a calling card announcing that he would visit Lan Jueqi, saying there was something he wished to discuss.
Naturally, Lan Jueqi had to bring out his finest things to entertain such an honored guest.
The tea was spirit tea harvested only once every thousand years and was exceedingly rare; the water used to brew it came from the first snowfall that Suncrest Peak had collected over many years. The other ingredients, the tea utensils, and everything else involved in brewing it were likewise no ordinary objects.
After putting down his cup, Xie Qingyuan brought up the matter of taking a disciple.
Soaring Void Mountain truly was one of the top ten sects in the cultivation world, but compared with other sects and powers that possessed memorable specialties, it seemed rather unremarkable.
Among the other sects, for instance, the first-ranked Cloudslayer Sect was famous for blades and swords, so every twenty years at the Abyssal Reach Selection it placed particular emphasis on disciples with stronger physiques. Bitter Zen Valley was unquestionably the best in musical cultivation and cared more about musical sense when selecting disciples. Azure Waves Cliff specialized in medicine and alchemy, so cultivators aspiring to become healers or alchemists would apply to Azure Waves Cliff during the Abyssal Reach Selection.
Those who wished to follow the path of demonic cultivation could go to the Demon Palace; those unwilling to be constrained by a sect or the Demon Palace could instead choose the Three Isles and Ten Continents, where great cultivation clans stood in abundance.
As Lan Jueqi understood it, Abyssal Reach Academy was like the basic general education of his previous life. Anyone with cultivation talent could enter to build a foundation, while the Abyssal Reach Selection was like taking entrance examinations and choosing a university and major. Students and the various sects and powers selected one another based on grades, interests, and talents.
Soaring Void Mountain was like a university that offered every major without being exceptionally outstanding in any one of them, yet had excellent overall strength when everything was combined.
If someone wanted to specialize deeply in one particular field, Soaring Void Mountain truly was not the best choice.
Lan Jueqi had not joined Soaring Void Mountain through the Abyssal Reach Selection.
Bian Weichen had spotted him directly and accepted him as his final disciple. At the time, Lan Jueqi had only recently transmigrated here and was an orphan who knew almost nothing about this world.
Heaven was round and earth was square. Beyond the Central Continent lay the Ten Continents and Three Isles, while beyond the heavens the Twenty-Eight Mansions stood guard. Cultivators worked together to resist the Extraterritorial Nightmares.
Because of the threat posed by the Extraterritorial Nightmares, nearly everyone in this world cultivated. Even those unable to formally enter a cultivation sect would at least practice simple breathing techniques to absorb spiritual energy.
To formally join one of the major powers and gain access to higher-level cultivation methods and better resources, one had only two choices: gain admission to Abyssal Reach Academy and participate in the Abyssal Reach Selection, or possess extraordinary talent and be directly chosen by a cultivator qualified to take disciples.
The latter situation was exceedingly rare and was often abused for favoritism. Someone like Lan Jueqi, who genuinely possessed great talent and was fortunate enough to be discovered early by Bian Weichen, was truly one in ten thousand.
For most people, the once-every-twenty-years Abyssal Reach Selection was their only chance to join one of the great powers and obtain formal status.
Originally, according to Lan Jueqi’s plan, he had intended to continue investigating the reason he failed his love tribulation.
He genuinely had never thought about taking a disciple.
At the end of the day, the Way of Ruthlessness was only a mental cultivation method, and a very common one at that. After learning it, one still had to pair it with other spells and divine techniques. Not everyone possessed Lan Jueqi’s level of comprehension and could create many powerful techniques of their own.
With the threat of the Extraterritorial Nightmares hanging over everyone, many people considered what more destructive spells a mental cultivation method could complement and which weapons it would make easier to learn.
Compared with other sects, Soaring Void Mountain’s cultivation methods held no special advantage. The Way of Ruthlessness was excellent, but other sects could cultivate it too. Moreover, Suncrest Peak, Lan Jueqi’s lineage, did not take disciples, so even someone who came to Soaring Void Mountain for the sake of the Way of Ruthlessness would find it difficult to obtain Suncrest Peak’s true teachings… In short, considering everything together, Soaring Void Mountain had indeed struggled in recent years to recruit promising talents through the Abyssal Reach Selection compared with the other sects and powers.
If Lan Jueqi were willing to accept a disciple, there would undoubtedly be many people who would choose Soaring Void Mountain solely because of his reputation.
Xie Qingyuan said none of these reasons aloud. He merely looked steadily at Lan Jueqi and, with a faint smile, asked whether he was willing.
Lan Jueqi hesitated and did not answer for a long time.
Bian Weichen was gone, and the senior brother and senior sister above him were gone too. The responsibility of passing down Suncrest Peak’s Way of Ruthlessness had fallen to him, but given his current situation…
【I haven’t overcome my love tribulation. How can I take a disciple?】
【I still want to know who the person I like is, ahhhhh!】
Xie Qingyuan tightened his grip on his teacup and asked softly, “Does Junior Brother have other plans?”
If Lan Jueqi could not see through his love tribulation and stopped cultivating the Way of Ruthlessness, then he truly would have no need to take a disciple.
If anyone else had asked this question, Lan Jueqi might not have bothered to answer. But the one asking was Xie Qingyuan, and that was different.
Lan Jueqi had been only five years old when Bian Weichen accepted him as a disciple and brought him back to Soaring Void Mountain. He had been the youngest disciple in the entire sect.
The senior brother and senior sister of his own Suncrest Peak lineage were far ahead of him in both cultivation and life experience, so in ordinary life they truly had very little to talk about.
Everyone on the peak cultivated the Way of Ruthlessness. Aside from necessary instruction, his senior brother and senior sister had absolutely no interest in entertaining a child.
Newly admitted Lan Jueqi had been terribly lonely. He was at exactly the age when children loved to play and make noise, yet he did not have a single friend.
That lasted until he secretly slipped out of Suncrest Peak and met Xie Qingyuan, who was only a head taller than him.
From the days of their childhood topknots, they had talked and laughed together. Before they knew it, more than seven hundred years had passed. Xie Qingyuan might not truly count as Lan Jueqi’s proper senior brother, but he absolutely deserved to be called Senior Brother by him.
People said cultivators of the Way of Ruthlessness were expressionless mutes, but Xie Qingyuan had known Lan Jueqi far too early. No one in the world understood better than he did what Lan Jueqi had been like when he first began cultivating the Way of Ruthlessness and had not yet learned to suppress his emotions.
Lan Jueqi had no need to put on that coldhearted, detached facade of the Way of Ruthlessness in front of him.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a plan,” Lan Jueqi said honestly. “I just feel that the reason I failed this love tribulation is very important to me. It might even be the key to breaking through the Way of Ruthlessness and reaching Sainthood.”
If he was going to accept a disciple, then he had to teach them properly and give them correct theoretical knowledge.
Xie Qingyuan said, “So you want to wait until you’ve passed this love tribulation before taking a disciple?”
Lan Jueqi said, “Yes. I’m sorry, Senior Brother. I’ve disappointed you.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. Cultivation is never smooth sailing. Setbacks and difficulties are normal.” Xie Qingyuan gave a soft laugh and continued slowly, “I simply never expected Junior Brother to be stumped by a love tribulation as well. That really surprised me.”
Lan Jueqi had nothing to say.
Xie Qingyuan said, “Everyone knows the reasons someone cultivating the Way of Ruthlessness fails a love tribulation, so…”
“So…”
Yet no conclusion came even after all that. Xie Qingyuan lowered his eyes and saw his reflection in the clear tea within his cup. His eyes were icy cold, without the slightest trace of a smile.
Fortunately, Lan Jueqi’s attention was not on him.
【I’m already devastated that I failed the love tribulation because I fell in love. More importantly, I don’t even know who the other person is. Finding him will be like searching for a needle in the ocean.】
“Senior Brother!”
Lan Jueqi suddenly leaned closer. Caught off guard, Xie Qingyuan hurriedly raised his head.
“Actually… I actually don’t remember who the person I like is.” Lan Jueqi looked anxiously at Xie Qingyuan, his eyes practically pleading. “Senior Brother, do you believe me?”
“I believe you.” Xie Qingyuan answered without the slightest hesitation.
【As expected of Senior Brother! Just like always, he’ll definitely believe me!】
Lan Jueqi let out a breath of relief. Even he found this discovery absurd and had been too embarrassed to tell anyone.
But keeping a secret bottled up felt awful!
Master Bian Weichen had said that people drew closer to those who shared the same secret and gave them their trust.
Right now, the only person Lan Jueqi could trust was Xie Qingyuan. And now that they held the same secret, they would trust each other even more!
Xie Qingyuan continued, “Love tribulations on the Way of Ruthlessness are more or less the same. All require severing the roots of affection: either the other person dies, or you yourself are injured. If you find that person, what will you do?”
Lan Jueqi had not thought about that question yet.
“I think I definitely know him,” Lan Jueqi said, analyzing the matter with great seriousness. “I just don’t know what level his cultivation has reached. If my cultivation is lower than his, then I definitely won’t be able to kill him.”
Xie Qingyuan said, “Injuring yourself to sever your roots of affection basically treats the symptoms rather than the cause, and your cultivation could even regress. The loss wouldn’t be worth it.”
Lan Jueqi scratched his head. “Uh… not necessarily. Plenty of people give up completely after a failed romance and sever their roots of affection. It doesn’t have to reach the point of fighting.”
“You think he’d date you for a while, then willingly let go?” Xie Qingyuan could not hold back a low laugh and shook his head. “Immortal Venerable Radiant Ascendance, you underestimate yourself far too much.”
Never mind Lan Jueqi’s cultivation, realm, or temperament. With looks like his alone, who would not like him?
Lan Jueqi: “Huh?”
As Xie Qingyuan said, he truly was very good-looking. His brows and eyes were fine and distinct, and because he cultivated the Way of Ruthlessness, he rarely showed emotion. At a glance, he resembled a still, frozen lake.
But who would willingly invite suffering by taking the initiative to fall for someone on the Way of Ruthlessness?
Bian Weichen had once said that the hardest thing about the Way of Ruthlessness was falling in love—and the easiest thing was also falling in love.
“I was thinking I could make a friend, and when the time comes we could part on good terms. Would that… still not work?”
Lan Jueqi blinked. A fleeting trace of bewilderment softened his eyes, making fragments of light shimmer within them.
Xie Qingyuan: “It would.”
The frozen lake suddenly shattered, revealing the clear water beneath the ice—the most captivating sight of all. Xie Qingyuan swallowed the tea in his cup, which had gone completely cold. The tea was so sweet it had turned bitter as it slid down his throat. Only after the cloying sensation faded did he continue, “It’s actually a pretty good idea.”
Lan Jueqi: 【Wouldn’t that be the legendary ‘we loved once’? Uh, uh, uh… why does that make me sound a little scummy…】
“It would be his honor!”
Xie Qingyuan set down his teacup. The base struck the stone table with a crisp click.
Xie Qingyuan’s remark came completely out of nowhere.
Lan Jueqi: “Huh?”
Xie Qingyuan instantly went rigid.
He had fought the Extraterritorial Nightmares countless times and had certainly faced moments between life and death, yet never once had he been this nervous.
Lan Jueqi: “Ah!”
Xie Qingyuan nearly stopped breathing.
【Ahhhhh, the teacup cracked! This tea set has only been used a few extra times. How can it be this fragile?!】
Following Xie Qingyuan’s movement, Lan Jueqi watched helplessly as several tiny cracks first appeared in the cup before it shattered completely.
【No way, ahhhhh! This tea set was specially for entertaining Senior Brother. What am I supposed to use next time he comes, ahhhhh?!】
Xie Qingyuan let his tense shoulders relax, turned his face away, and coughed. “I used too much force. I’ll compensate Junior Brother with a new tea set later.”
Lan Jueqi hurriedly said, “There’s no need. That would be too much trouble for Senior Brother.”
It was only a tea set. Lan Jueqi would never make an issue of something like this with Xie Qingyuan.
Xie Qingyuan had come tonight precisely to confirm whether Lan Jueqi intended to continue cultivating the Way of Ruthlessness. Now that Lan Jueqi had a rough plan, Xie Qingyuan did not stay any longer.
Before leaving, he told Lan Jueqi that if he found any clues, he could come to him for help at any time—
He wanted to see exactly which audacious bastard had seduced his junior brother into falling in love.
If Lan Jueqi could not bring himself to strike, Xie Qingyuan certainly would not go soft.
Xie Qingyuan—the young master of Soaring Void Mountain and current headmaster of Abyssal Reach Academy, renowned throughout the cultivation world for his refined, gentle demeanor—felt intense dislike for a complete stranger for the first time in more than seven hundred years of life.
Lan Jueqi personally escorted Xie Qingyuan out of Suncrest Peak.
The night was deep, the bright moon hanging high.
“Junior Brother can stop here.” Xie Qingyuan raised a hand and caught a strand of moonlight. With a turn of his wrist, it became a long sword.
Those who cultivated Soaring Void Mountain’s unique Ice-Drinking Canon possessed extraordinary understanding and control over magical artifacts and weapons. Master one method and all methods opened before you; any magical artifact or weapon could be paired with this cultivation art. Thus, disciples of this lineage used every imaginable object as a weapon. If not for their uniform white sect robes, it would have been difficult to tell they belonged to the same school.
Xie Qingyuan had already reached the Tribulation Crossing realm, and his mastery of the Ice-Drinking Canon had long since become extraordinary. It did not matter if he carried no divine weapon. Plucking a flower or leaf and turning anything in heaven and earth into a weapon for his own use was second nature to him.
The sword of moonlight gleamed with icy brilliance.
Xie Qingyuan casually twirled it in a flourish. His robes swept around him in glimmering light, and the white jade pendant at his waist swayed gently with the motion.
This, perhaps, was what a sword immortal looked like.
A similar image suddenly flashed through Lan Jueqi’s mind. “Senior Brother!”
Xie Qingyuan had already stepped onto the moonlight sword. Hearing him, he turned around.
Lan Jueqi said, “About that person… I don’t think I’m completely without clues.”
====
Sensing the approaching figure, the disciple on duty at the library hurriedly swallowed a yawn halfway through.
“Young… Young Master, is there something else you need?”
“I wanted to ask what records remain from the surveys of cultivators’ aptitudes over the past thousand years.” Xie Qingyuan smiled faintly. “Sorry to trouble you.”
“No trouble, no trouble at all. It’s what I should do.” The duty disciple hurried to find the relevant books for him. Besides those, Xie Qingyuan borrowed quite a few books himself. The disciple glanced over the covers: the newest edition of The Register of Divine Weapons, The Pinnacle of Combat Power in the Cultivation World, and even something as inexplicable as The Cultivation World Beauty Rankings.
…The Young Master must have been looking for too many books and accidentally taken the wrong one, right?
The duty disciple thought about it idly.
Soaring Void Mountain had a profound heritage; once gathered together, the relevant books and records could have formed a small hill.
“I remember that person was extremely tall and held a divine weapon gleaming with cold light. Someone capable of earning my secret love must surely possess a divine bearing beyond the mortal world—the most unique person under all the heavens!”
Under the bright moonlight, the foremost cultivator of the Way of Ruthlessness in the present age spoke, his eyes curving as a smile appeared.
He looked a little delighted and proud, and a little shy.
A divine bearing beyond the mortal world, the most unique person under all the heavens?
Xie Qingyuan put away his usual smile, flipping through pages as he walked deeper into the library.
That night, the library of Soaring Void Mountain remained brightly lit.