Chapter 6

Because of the threat posed by the Extraterritorial Nightmares, everyone in this world practiced cultivation, but not everyone achieved anything with it or reached Spirit Transformation and went to the extraterrestrial battlefield.
In the end, only a tiny fraction possessed real aptitude, and the higher the cultivation realm, the fewer people there were.
Most people could only sense faint wisps of spiritual energy and recite Energy Refining formulas that did little more than strengthen the body.
A fortunate few managed to enter Energy Refining and Foundation Establishment, gaining another hundred or two hundred years of life. But for true cultivators, Golden Core was where cultivation properly began: only then could one start learning all kinds of spells and divine techniques and controlling divine weapons.
Abyssal Reach Academy required students to possess at least the aptitude to reach Golden Core, which was extremely demanding for many people. Even passing the aptitude selection did not mean one could continue studying there without trouble. After enrollment, anyone who failed to reach Nascent Soul by the age of three hundred would be expelled.
Even successfully reaching Nascent Soul did not guarantee passing the Abyssal Reach Selection and entering one of the great sects or powers for further cultivation and study.
The selection proceeded step by step, and every stage was brutally competitive, judged by strength.
Abyssal Reach Academy required the aptitude to reach at least Golden Core; the major sects and powers required disciples to show hope of reaching Spirit Transformation—meaning they could participate in the extraterrestrial battlefield.
As for what happened after that, whether they could return alive from the extraterrestrial battlefield was another question entirely. In a place like that, naturally, the higher one’s cultivation, the greater one’s chances of survival. Strength decided everything.
Cultivators who managed to return after accumulating enough merit on the extraterrestrial battlefield generally knew what path they wanted to follow next.
Except for the Demon Palace, which could not be left once joined, the Ten Great Sects allowed disciples at this point to choose whether to withdraw from the sect.
They could establish themselves independently as unaffiliated cultivators if they no longer wished to be constrained, or go serve one of the great clans of the Three Isles and Ten Continents. From then on, they would have nothing more to do with their former sect.
For this reason, many cultivators who entered sects preferred to practice more widely used mental cultivation methods. If they later left the sect, those methods could still be paired with other cultivation arts they acquired afterward.
Very few unaffiliated cultivators without a sect or school could continue all the way to Grand Ascension. After all, the resources needed to reach Grand Ascension were no small sum, and those resources were largely monopolized by the great sects and powers.
Someone like Ye Wuhen—an unaffiliated cultivator who reached Grand Ascension and carved out a terrifying reputation for himself on the extraterrestrial battlefield—was rarer still, practically unique.
Xie Qingyuan said, “Being capable of reaching Spirit Transformation doesn’t mean someone can reach Grand Ascension. Many cultivators know that their chances of Grand Ascension in this lifetime are tiny, yet they still cultivate with all their strength in pursuit of that sliver of possibility.”
The assessment for becoming a sect’s true-inheritance disciple was, in truth, an assessment of one’s aptitude for Grand Ascension. Of course, passing the assessment did not mean one was guaranteed to reach Grand Ascension. Cultivation only grew harder the further one advanced. The sect simply concentrated its resources on disciples capable of traveling farther along the path.
“But before any of that, they have to come back alive from the extraterrestrial battlefield.” Xie Qingyuan’s voice lowered. “Any student of Abyssal Reach Academy may one day go there. Every additional thing they learn gives them one more chance of surviving.”
A cultivator like Ye Wuhen, who had survived countless life-and-death crises on the extraterrestrial battlefield, had experience that could benefit Abyssal Reach Academy’s students for the rest of their lives.
Lan Jueqi blinked to show he understood. 【So basically, he has such extensive experience courting death that no matter what he does, he just won’t die. That really is valuable experience worth spreading around for everyone to learn from, isn’t it?】
The corner of Xie Qingyuan’s mouth twitched. He pretended he had heard nothing.
“Whether it’s me or you, we only have what we have today because we relied on our sect,” Xie Qingyuan said. “I actually admire Ye Wuhen greatly. If it weren’t for… ahem. In any case, if he doesn’t want to come, there’s no need to pressure him.”
If Ye Wuhen were not suspected of being the object of Lan Jueqi’s secret love, Xie Qingyuan would have welcomed him to teach at Abyssal Reach Academy far more enthusiastically.
At that moment Lan Jueqi had only one thought: 【Senior Brother is broad-minded and knows how to respect and recruit talent. He truly is a model for cultivators like us!】
Xie Qingyuan…
Xie Qingyuan coughed even harder.
Lan Jueqi found this strange and stared at him without speaking. 【Is Senior Brother feeling unwell somewhere?】
“Cough, cough. The wind seems a little strong today.” Xie Qingyuan rubbed his throat. “It’s making my throat feel dry.”
Lan Jueqi glanced at the barely swaying shadows of the trees beside them.
The higher a cultivator’s realm, the longer their lifespan, and naturally their constitution improved as well. They no longer bruised from minor bumps like ordinary people, nor did they catch colds or develop fevers.
Lan Jueqi: 【This little bit of wind?】
Xie Qingyuan’s nerves tightened. He was just about to say something to patch up the excuse when Lan Jueqi’s thoughts changed again: 【It must be because he hasn’t been drinking enough water. If I’d known, I would’ve drunk less tea earlier and saved more for Senior Brother.】
Xie Qingyuan: “……”
All right. No need.
The two reached a fork in the road. Xie Qingyuan pointed, indicating that they should part here. “This is far enough. Go back and pack your things. In a few days, you’ll come with me to Abyssal Reach.”
“Yes,” Lan Jueqi answered.
The single word was short and forceful. Even without hearing his thoughts, Xie Qingyuan could hear the excitement in it.
He was that happy?
Xie Qingyuan shook his head and turned away.
【This time I finally get to travel with Senior Brother.】
The thought sounded as though they were about to go on a spring outing together.
Xie Qingyuan laughed to himself, thinking that no matter how many years Lan Jueqi cultivated the Way of Ruthlessness, he still had a childlike nature.
【Back then, if Master’s order hadn’t been impossible to disobey, I would’ve gone to the extraterrestrial battlefield with Senior Brother.】
Xie Qingyuan froze abruptly.
He had always believed that Lan Jueqi had been indecisive back then, forcing Bian Weichen to make the decision for him. At the time, Xie Qingyuan had even thought it was not bad for Lan Jueqi to stay behind. Just as the elders had said, one should not put all one’s eggs in the same basket. If Lan Jueqi was safe, Xie Qingyuan could be at ease.
But in the end, he had still felt disappointed.
They had both known perfectly well that once they reached Grand Ascension, they would go to the extraterrestrial battlefield and fight side by side.
Lan Jueqi remained where he was, lost in memory.
It had been right here that he saw Xie Qingyuan off before his departure for the extraterrestrial battlefield, watching his back disappear into the distance.
【I’d already packed everything and was planning to sneak after him. I don’t know how Master found out, but he insisted I stay on Suncrest Peak. Senior Brother must have been so disappointed then.】
【This time, I won’t break my promise again.】
After making up his mind, Lan Jueqi suddenly noticed that Xie Qingyuan had stopped walking and was turning around.
Lan Jueqi: “?”
Lan Jueqi: 【Did he forget something?】
“You… you…” Xie Qingyuan’s hand trembled continuously inside his wide sleeve. It took tremendous self-control for him to finish his sentence.
“The year I went to the extraterrestrial battlefield, Junior Brother saw me off right here.”
At the time, he had secretly resented Lan Jueqi’s hesitation. He had wanted only to leave as quickly as possible and never see Lan Jueqi again, which was why he had not looked back.
Of course he knew Lan Jueqi would stand behind him and watch him leave.
—Lan Jueqi had always observed proper courtesy.
Hearing Xie Qingyuan’s words, Lan Jueqi nodded. Then he heard Xie Qingyuan continue, “I always thought you yourself didn’t want to go to the extraterrestrial battlefield.”
“But thinking about it carefully, I was completely wrong.” Xie Qingyuan’s voice dropped. “From the moment you set foot on the battlefield, you were always charging at the front. You were never a coward.”
“That was because Senior Brother and Master had already gone ahead of me.” As Lan Jueqi spoke of the past, he unusually failed to restrain his emotions, and laughter entered his voice. “On my very first day on the extraterrestrial battlefield, people heard I was Xie Qingyuan’s junior brother and all came over asking how many Extraterritorial Nightmares I could kill.”
This was something Xie Qingyuan had never known.
Lan Jueqi’s eyes shone brightly. “How could I embarrass Senior Brother?”
【Senior Brother is still far too modest. The Ice-Drinking Canon is so demanding to cultivate—how many people can truly master it? Hearing Senior Brother’s achievements being repeated from mouth to mouth on the battlefield made me feel honored by association. I was immensely proud.】
“So… that’s how it was?” Xie Qingyuan suddenly did not know what to do. He had long grown accustomed to Lan Jueqi’s coldness—or rather, to the appearance of coldness Lan Jueqi deliberately created by suppressing his emotions.
Xie Qingyuan did not think Lan Jueqi needed him to protect him carefully. It was only that on a battlefield filled with danger at every turn, the two of them would have been the backs each trusted most to guard his own. Merely imagining that feeling made Xie Qingyuan’s nose sting and brought tears close to his eyes.
He had once longed for it. Later, he stopped allowing himself to.
Because a strange System now let him hear Lan Jueqi’s inner thoughts, Xie Qingyuan felt both furious and, in some small, shameful way, excited.
Lan Jueqi had already trusted him in a way he trusted no one else. Compared with everyone else, Xie Qingyuan knew more about Lan Jueqi. He knew Lan Jueqi had not been expressionless and taciturn since childhood, and Lan Jueqi was willing to speak more in front of him.
On one hand, he hated that other people could now know what Lan Jueqi thought and felt. On the other, he was thrilled that he could finally understand Lan Jueqi completely.
Words could be ambiguous, and people could say one thing while meaning another. Inner thoughts could not.
Xie Qingyuan opened his mouth, wanting to tell Lan Jueqi about the System. As the person whose thoughts were being exposed, Lan Jueqi had the right to know.
The instant that thought arose, a violent pain suddenly seized his head. A tremendous roar sounded, the clear world before his eyes turned white in an instant, and strength drained from his entire body.
“Li… Little Qi…” he called instinctively, his voice extremely low.
Xie Qingyuan’s heart clenched. A fierce burning agitation rose in his chest, and his knees weakened as he pitched forward.
Lan Jueqi had no time to notice the nickname. He hurriedly caught Xie Qingyuan, panic filling his thoughts. 【What’s wrong with Senior Brother? Could it be that he doesn’t believe what I said?】
Xie Qingyuan slowly recovered, only then realizing that Lan Jueqi had somehow taken the initiative to hold him, those eyes fixed on him with complete concentration.
The realization made him stiffen abruptly.
For a Tribulation Crossing cultivator like Xie Qingyuan, the System’s small attack was not enough to threaten his life, but it could restrict his movement. It took him a long while to recover, especially from that burning agitation in his chest, a sensation Xie Qingyuan had not experienced in a very long time.
Xie Qingyuan reached out and wrapped his arms around Lan Jueqi, tightening them little by little until his head rested against Lan Jueqi’s shoulder and neck.
“I have never been so grateful that you regard me as your senior brother.”
From now on, Xie Qingyuan would only ever be Lan Jueqi’s senior brother. Always.
Xie Qingyuan was even more grateful now that the System had chosen the wrong person. Otherwise, his feelings for Lan Jueqi would have been exposed completely. If that happened, he probably would no longer be the senior brother Lan Jueqi trusted most.
The Supreme Firmament Mystic-Spirit Coldheart Silent-Annihilation Sovereign Cultivation System of the Way of Ruthlessness…
Xie Qingyuan scoffed inwardly. It did not have much ability, but its name was certainly long enough.
Even without this System, he, Xie Qingyuan, would still help Lan Jueqi master the Way of Ruthlessness, pass his tribulation, and reach Sainthood.
“Bzzzt…”
“The Supreme Firmament Mystic-Spirit Coldheart Silent-Annihilation Sovereign Cultivation System of the Way of Ruthlessness will assist you in mastering the Way of Ruthlessness. Mission issued: Man, do not challenge me so easily!”
“Mission duration: seven days.”