After days of harsh training, Wang Yang finally felt like he made a leap thanks to Muchen’s timely guidance. He expected more since his master has always been generous, but…

  “Not happening.” Muchen shut him down with a clear smile.

  “Why…?” Taken aback, that’s all he could ask.

  Muchen thought for a moment and looked at the starry sky, his breath visible in the cold moonlight.

  “Wang Yang, what are your favorite dishes?” He asked.

  “Why suddenly…” Wang Yang felt like his master tried to divert the topic.

  “Just answer.” But Muchen pushed for it.

  “Well… golden fried rice, sesame noodles, braised pork, smoked salmon, that Dim sum, those noodles made to dip in cold broth, and um… anything Master pces in the array becomes my favorite.” Now that he remembered the fragrant dishes, Wang Yang’s stomach cried for missing the dinner and he could almost taste the dishes he named.

  “I see, how about I let all those dishes be your dinner?” Muchen asked.

  “I mean… I’ll definitely be happy, but that’ll give me a stomach ache.” Wang Yang knew the limit of his stomach very well after overeating a few times.

  “Of course it would. You’re trying to digest too many dishes at once.” Muchen looked at him with a smile again.

  “…Oh.” This time Wang Yang understood the intent behind it.

  Like food, learning about too many techniques at once will stretch him thin. It will not only slow his progress, but also make the techniques he gains subpar.

  “You’ve only taken the first step in your journey. What’s the hurry?” Muchen leaned against the wall and stared at the moon.

  “Well… I just…” Wang Yang couldn’t say it. Even if he knew that the news should’ve reached Muchen by now. But he couldn’t say it himself, at least not before he made a point.

  “If it’s about defeating Lie Feng and what happened at Jade Hall, you don’t have to worry about it.” Muchen chuckled. “That’s those old fogies being petty, they can’t touch me so they are going after my reputation by any means.”

  “But still… I should’ve done better.” Wang Yang looked at the ground. “No, I’ll do better in the trial. Better than others.”

  Since he learned of how his actions could implicate Muchen, he had tried his hardest not to cause trouble. He wasn’t a genius like Sun Lingling who could handle the pressure, he had to walk a tighter rope. And, one slip caused waves of rumors and badmouthing according to Hua Mei. However, Muchen hadn’t mentioned it till now.

  “Do you think that some rumors will hurt me more than seeing my disciples risking injury?” Muchen asked. “Do you see me as such a person?”

  “N-No… it’s just…”

  Even days after the incident, Li Muchen never asked him about what happened. He never asked him to take accountability or correct his mistakes. Every time he returned, he only asked how much he had progressed in training and studies before leaving him some rewards.

  So why was Wang Yang so adamant on defeating Lie Feng? Was it to repay the grace his Master has shown him till now, or was it for his self-satisfaction?

  “Wang Yang, I’ve said multiple times that the only thing I ask of my disciples is that they don’t skip on training.” Muchen patted Wang Yang’s shoulder. “The only thing I want from you is to do the best you can in any situation, even if the best you can do is run away. I’d rather have that than to bury you with my hands.”

  “……Understood.” Wang Yang felt the urgency in his words.

  He couldn’t refute good advice, as death’s bde was sharpest when one became reckless. And, he didn’t have the heart to talk back to a master who had his best interest in mind. However, deep in his heart, he still wanted to get back at the people who targeted his master. He wanted to teach them a lesson, while still following what Muchen said.

  That backfired, didn't it? Muchen could see the determination dripping off Wang Yang’s face.

  “If you want to defeat Lie Feng, I won’t stop you as long as you don’t do anything reckless.” Muchen could only smile and go with the flow.

  “Really?” Wang Yang clenched his hands.

  “Do what you want, but with caution. I’ll handle the elders behind him.” Muchen stood up and pointed towards the estate. “Let’s go in, I’ll cook dinner for you.”

  “Haha, thanks, master!” Wang Yang stomped the fire and followed Muchen inside, but something weighed on his mind. “Master, your hand was colder than usual today.”

  Muchen stopped in his tracks and turned back. His eyes looked straight into the curious, inquisitive gaze of his young disciple.

  “Must be because this winter is colder than usual.” Muchen smiled.

  “That’s true, if these uniforms didn’t have that warming array, I would’ve gotten a cold when Hua Mei threw me in the frozen ke.” Wang Yang shuddered.

  “That would’ve been a problem. Should I make some chicken soup for you?” Muchen led him back inside.

  “Yeah, I’ll really like that.”

  He is sharper than most, but still na?ve. It’ll take time for him to get used to the cultivator society. Until then, my job is to protect him from schemes and teach him how to get out of them. However, the smiling Wang Yang wasn’t aware of the thought in Muchen’s head.

  “I’ve let those guys run around for too long to not unsettle the sect affairs.” He muttered in the cold wind before entering the estate.

  No one knew that a new wind would blow through the Azure Sky Sect after the coming trial.

  ***

  Two days passed by and the day of sect-wide trial came. The location of the trial to select disciples for the Eastern Martial Meet took pce in the eastern side of the inner sect. The location, Heaven Rending Valley.

  Although called a valley, a major part of this pce was a closed system of caves sealed off from the world. However, the valley, known as the outer area, had a size comparable to a province. To access the valley area of this pce, known as the outer area, everyone went through the Tiger Peak.

  The Xu group, alongside Wang Yang, were on their way to the gathering location. The sun had risen an hour before and things were great before they passed through the East gate of Tiger Peak. The sudden spike in heat in the middle of winter made them sweat and take off the extra yers. The dust kicked up by the hundreds of disciples walking down the arid earth had most of them covering their mouths and noses.

  “I heard that there are multiple Qi beast kings locked up in the cave system.” Huajun felt fear creep up, even if he only mentioned it.

  “Not only Qi Beast kings, but thousands of strong qi beasts spawn in the depths of Heaven Rending valley every year.” Haomu learned of this recently.

  “How do they even contain that many beasts in one pce?” Yesu trembled.

  One Qi Beast king could rally thousands of beasts, and it’d take a few mid-sized sects to suppress them. If three or more beasts appear, a major sect would have to move before the beasts wipe out a country.

  What would numerous Qi Beast Kings do when gathered? And, all of them were much closer than anyone thought.

  “They are all sealed inside the deeper parts of Heaven Rending Valley thanks to our Sect Master and Grand Elder’s combined formation. And, the Peak Masters and Elders lead teams of elite disciples to thin out the numbers every six months. Other major sects also participate from time to time. I want to join the Fming Tiger squad our Peak Master leads, they kill the most Qi beasts out of all the squads.” Xu Qiang added with much excitement.

  “Our Sect leader has kept this pce sealed for centuries while working with other major sects. After recruiting the first disciples from all over the continent, the Sect Leader established the Azure Sky Sect to form a tight fortress around this pce.” Haomu’s eyes also sparkled with pride.

  They are both Sect fanatics. The rest thought as the two agreed on something for the first time since they met.

  “What do you think, Brother? Wanna join the Fming Tiger Squad with me? They have trials every year in the month of the Tiger. The competition is super tough, though.” Xu Qiang wrapped his hand around Wang Yang’s shoulder.

  “I’ll think about that, but before that…” Wang Yang scratched his face and pointed at the crowd behind them, and Sun Lingling stood in the middle of that encirclement. “Why aren’t we going with Senior Sun?”

  He had left Plum Peak with her, then met Xu Qiang and others at the entrance of Tiger Peak. He thought they’d go to the gathering area together, however, the passing-by disciples started to circle around Sun Lingling. As the curious crowd thickened, they drifted apart.

  “Ah…” Huajun had a wry smile.

  “I mean…” Haomu and Yesu looked away, their ears red.

  None of them had been able to look Lingling in the eye since they met her, it almost made them thank the heavens that Wang Yang was so approachable. A girl their age had a suffocating pressure that they only felt from elders at Tiger Peak. They couldn't wrap their heads around it.

  “If we go in now, we’ll get lynched.” Xu Qiang said with a ugh.

  “I don’t think the disciples would go that far.” Wang Yang tilted his head.

  “I am not talking about the disciples.” Xu Qiang gestured towards Sun Lingling’s face with his chin, and one look showed anyone the real danger.

  “Senior looks real pissed today……” Wang Yang could see the subtle rise of sharpness in Sun Lingling’s eyes.

  Other disciples felt it too. The If you get too close, I’ll cut you down energy. That’s why they stayed about a few meters away from her and didn’t slow down their pace in fear of stopping her.

  “Well, I understand their enthusiasm. This is the first time she has made an appearance since the selection ceremony. With that much progress, it’s not inner disciples alone, I am sure the core disciples and elders of each peak are keeping an eye on her too.” Xu Qiang smiled, his blood boiling to have a match with Sun Lingling.

  “Of course, they are.” A sharp jeer came from the left, and the crowd parted. “Unlike this fool here, she is a genuine genius with heaven’s favor.”

  “Lie Feng…” Wang Yang could recognize that voice even in the current hubbub.

  “Hello, Mr. Subpar.” Lie Feng closed the fan to show off his smile. The young man captivated the attention of the female disciples nearby without even trying.

  “What do you want again?” Xu Qiang wasn’t amused.

  “Calm your horses, big guy. I am not here for this idiot. I only came near you peasants to take a closer look at the real gem. And, I have to say…” Lie Feng gnced in Sun Lingling’s direction, “She is beyond what I expected. A marvelous existence.”

  “What’s with those cringy ass lines? Don’t you feel embarrassed?” Xu Qiang scoffed.

  “Why would I be embarrassed while praising true beauty? If anything, it is my privilege.” He unraveled his bck fan, the word Heaven etched on it with gold. “A privilege granted to me by heaven~!”

  “I thought he had a few screws loose, but the entire top floor is gone here,” Haomu muttered.

  “Now now…” Huajun tried his best to keep the conflict from escating.

  The commotion drew more attention from nearby disciples. Under the eyes of many, the rumors from before stirred up again with both Wang Yang and Lie Feng present. Adding Sun Lingling’s presence seemed to have sparked it even more than before.

  “There’s such a big difference between the two, no?”

  “I can’t understand how they are junior and senior who started at the same time.”

  “Why would Peak Master Li even choose him, because of him… ugh!”

  The whispers seemed to grow louder. But Wang Yang paid no attention to them. Instead, he approached Lie Feng. His eyes had no doubt, and with each step filled with confidence.

  “What? You want to try punching me again?” Lie Feng’s lips formed a snting, mocking smile.

  Everyone expected a showdown. But, what Wang Yang did next shocked them all.

  “I am sorry.” Wang Yang bowed his head. “I wasn’t in my right mind at the time and tried to attack you.”

  Wang Yang wasn’t the type to talk with his fists. If it wasn’t for the surge of fire qi that day, he wouldn’t have attacked. He would’ve asked for a sincere apology for insulting his Master and proved him wrong in other ways, but he wouldn’t react with violence at the very least.

  “Hahahaha.” Lie Feng found the situation hirious. “So, you finally know what you did wrong? Fine. I am generous, so I’ll forgive you.”

  “Thank you.” Wang Yang smiled, but took a step closer and continued. “But I haven’t forgiven you for insulting my Master.”

  “W-What?” This caught everyone off guard, including Lie Feng.

  Wang Yang wasn’t a violent person. He had a forgiving nature and tried to find the good in everything. But, no matter how young and na?ve Wang Yang was, he would never let go of the people who attacked people important to him.

  “I will defeat you in this trial and make you take your words back.” Wang Yang decred and returned to his friends.

  “Haha, that’s my brother!”

  Xu Qiang smiled ear to ear and Wang Yang received a nod from Sun Lingling. With his determination high in the sky Wang Yang entered the gathering area.

  The stage to prove himself awaited Wang Yang under the curious gaze of the entire sect.

  ...

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