Chapter 5
As for the matches that followed, there wasn’t much worth watching, at least as far as Shen Zhouxing was concerned.
Until she heard, “Fifty-sixth match! Lü Jing! Versus! Tao Weimo!”
Hearing a familiar name, Shen Zhouxing suddenly remembered that there had been no news of Lü Jing since he left on his last mission. If his name was on the competition roster, that should mean he had returned! So why hadn’t he come to see her?
A woman landed on the fighting platform and took her position, but Lü Jing was nowhere to be seen.
“Lü Jing!”
“Where is Lü Jing?”
The announcer had never encountered anyone failing to appear without prior notice, so he called out several more times.
The crowd below began to stir.
Had Lü Jing gone missing? Shen Zhouxing started to worry. Once the competition was over, she would have to ask Sun Benzhi about him.
In the end, Lü Jing was absent from the match, and his opponent won by default.
The outer sect competition lasted an entire day. Cheng Jin overcame one opponent after another and successfully advanced to the top ten.
“Wow! Who would’ve thought you’d be entering the inner sect after only a month in the outer sect!” On their way back, Shen Zhouxing was genuinely happy for Cheng Jin. Ever since joining the sect, Cheng Jin hadn’t relaxed for a single day and had worked diligently at her cultivation.
Of course, Shen Zhouxing also couldn’t help sighing inwardly at the vast differences between people.
“It’s just a shame I didn’t get to face that Li Xiang!” Cheng Jin was still somewhat dissatisfied.
“Oh, think of it this way. Once you enter the inner sect, your cultivation will improve by leaps and bounds. Won’t protecting me be a piece of cake then?” Shen Zhouxing reassured her.
“It’s not certain I’ll enter the inner sect… If none of the elders take an interest in me, I still won’t get in… Besides… I’m not so sure I want to enter the inner sect anymore.” Cheng Jin hesitated as she spoke.
“Why?”
“What if I enter the inner sect and happen to be away from the sect one day? What will you do if Li Xiang comes looking for trouble?”
“You don’t need to worry about that! I…” So Cheng Jin was still worried about this! Shen Zhouxing thought for a moment and decided she couldn’t keep Cheng Jin in the dark any longer. She might as well tell her the truth.
“I’m planning to leave the mountain. Once I’m gone, Li Xiang won’t be able to find me and cause trouble anymore!”
“Leave the mountain?!?!”
“That’s right. What’s wrong? Is it really that surprising? It took me eighteen years just to reach the early Qi Refining stage.”
“When?” Cheng Jin asked.
“Once I’ve saved enough spirit stones, I guess. I’ll exchange them for a decent amount of money after leaving the mountain, then start some kind of business to support myself.”
Seeing Cheng Jin’s reluctant expression, Shen Zhouxing hurriedly reassured her. “I’ll at least wait until you’ve become an inner sect disciple before leaving! Don’t worry, it won’t be that soon!”
“So that’s why you’ve been working so hard gathering spiritual herbs every day? To earn spirit stones?” Cheng Jin had previously assumed that Shen Zhouxing was gathering herbs to earn spirit stones because her defective spiritual roots made cultivation more difficult and she didn’t have enough resources.
“Relax, relax! Come on! I’ll cook you one of my specialty dishes today. Let’s go back and celebrate!” Shen Zhouxing interrupted Cheng Jin’s gloomy thoughts and began pushing her toward home.
“Oh, right. I need to find Steward Sun and ask why Lü Jing missed the competition today.” Shen Zhouxing was still concerned about Lü Jing’s absence.
“I’ll come with you,” Cheng Jin said.
“All right.”
“Lü Jing really has gone missing…” Shen Zhouxing’s fears had come true.
“Shh, don’t spread this around. I already reported it to the sect a few days ago, and they’ve sent people to investigate.” Sun Benzhi stroked his beard, though he didn’t seem particularly anxious.
“This isn’t something the two of you need to worry about, especially you!” It was one thing for Shen Zhouxing to meddle in other people’s affairs, but why had Cheng Jin, this rising star of the outer sect, come along too?
“You still have matches against the inner sect disciples tomorrow, yet you have the time to worry about someone else! I certainly don’t want to see you still living here next year!”
Sun Benzhi didn’t think much of Shen Zhouxing, but he did appreciate talent.
And so, after giving both of them a lecture, he sent them away.
Hearing that people had already been dispatched to handle the matter, Shen Zhouxing could only hope everything would go smoothly.
Perhaps it really was as Sun Benzhi had suggested, and Lü Jing had simply fallen into some mountain ravine and gotten trapped there.
After all, he’d only gone into the mountains on a mission to collect beast horns.
That night, Shen Zhouxing found herself thinking about Lü Jing again and couldn’t quite fall asleep.
Even if he was merely trapped somewhere, he hadn’t reached the stage where he could abstain from eating. Would he really be all right after being stranded for so many days? But judging from how calm Sun Benzhi was, surely nothing too serious had happened. On second thought, Sun Benzhi didn’t seem particularly concerned about disciples of mediocre talent. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited until a few days ago to report the disappearance, and he hadn’t even informed the competition organizers…
As she tossed and turned, the bed creaked incessantly, making her even more irritated.
What a lousy bed!
Shen Zhouxing grew annoyed. Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she might as well light a candle and figure out what was wrong with it.
She couldn’t stand putting up with this every night!
Having made up her mind, Shen Zhouxing sprang out of bed, picked up a candle, and began shaking the bed frame. She quickly discovered that the books wedged beneath one of the bed legs had shifted out of place.
Shen Zhouxing had noticed those books from the beginning. Two books had been wedged beneath the bed’s four legs to keep it steady. What a sorry state this bed was in.
Shen Zhouxing lifted one of the bed legs, intending to reposition the books. But the moment the leg left the ground, several objects suddenly clattered out, bouncing like little beads.
Looking closely, she discovered they were spirit stones! The bed leg was hollow!
Shen Zhouxing immediately lifted another bed leg. Sure enough, a pile of spirit stones had been hidden inside that one too.
She counted them and discovered there were more than twenty! Good heavens, she was rich again!
Needless to say, these spirit stones had been hidden by the original owner of this body. Shen Zhouxing was saving spirit stones so she could leave the mountain. Perhaps the original owner had been planning the same thing, but before she could carry out her plan, Li Xiang had beaten her to death…
In that case, Shen Zhouxing could leave the mountain whenever she wanted.
Once Cheng Jin entered the inner sect, she could start packing her things.
Cheng Jin should be able to enter the inner sect directly, right? Judging from everyone’s reactions, she was probably one of the most outstanding disciples of her generation.
But what if she didn’t make it?
Forget it. Shen Zhouxing had promised to stay until Cheng Jin entered the inner sect, so she would leave whenever Cheng Jin finally got in!
The following day, the “Inner Sect Exhibition Matches” began. Of course, that was just what Shen Zhouxing called them.
After a night’s rest, Cheng Jin behaved unusually, repeatedly hinting, both directly and indirectly, that Shen Zhouxing shouldn’t attend.
“Huh? What do you mean, since I’m not competing, I can just sleep in?” Shen Zhouxing couldn’t understand why Cheng Jin was suddenly acting so strangely. Normally, whenever Shen Zhouxing had nothing to do, Cheng Jin would pester her endlessly.
“Don’t tell me you’re…” Shen Zhouxing remembered revealing her plans the previous night. “You’re planning to lose on purpose, and you don’t want me there to see it!”
Cheng Jin was momentarily speechless. After a long while, she finally said hesitantly, “My family is poor, and ever since I was little, hardly anyone has thought much of me. You’re the first person who hasn’t looked down on me since I came up the mountain… and my first friend.”
What on earth had gotten into her?!
“Within an immortal sect, only talent and ability matter. If someone else lived in this courtyard, they’d certainly want to be friends with you too! What do you mean I’m the only one who respects you? Did the elder who recruited you look down on you? Don’t your instructors appreciate you? I couldn’t hope to have talent like yours even if I lived eight lifetimes! And you’re willing to throw away your future just to stay with me? Cheng Jin, oh, Cheng Jin! Are you living up to your own name? Are you doing justice to all the hard work you’ve put in?!”
It was rare for Shen Zhouxing to say so much in one breath. Cheng Jin lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to utter a word.
“Come on! I’m definitely going today! And I’ll be watching you! If you dare hold back even the slightest bit, I’ll leave the mountain immediately!” Transforming into a strict mother, Shen Zhouxing marched Cheng Jin straight toward the martial arts arena.
After they took their seats, Cheng Jin remained silent. Shen Zhouxing glanced sideways and saw Cheng Jin repeatedly sneaking guilty looks at her.
Shen Zhouxing sighed helplessly and could only try to reason with her.
“Cheng Jin, even after I leave the mountain, I’ll still be your friend. If you want to see me in the future, just come find me. You can’t deliberately give up your chance to enter the inner sect because of this. How am I supposed to feel about that? And how would you be doing justice to yourself?” After Shen Zhouxing finished speaking, she noticed Cheng Jin’s eyes had turned red, as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
“Hey, don’t do that!” Shen Zhouxing hurriedly patted her shoulder. “It’s not like we’re saying goodbye forever! Who knows? Maybe by the time you come looking for me, I’ll be rich enough to own half the city, and I’ll treat you to all the finest food and drink! By then, you’ll be famous throughout the world, able to summon the wind and command the rain. People will call you… hmm… Lord Zizai! You’ll be able to go wherever you want and see whoever you want!”
Cheng Jin was naturally a reasonable person. “It’s just that our separation is going to be… so sudden…”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself already, aren’t you? If you don’t perform well, what if none of the elders take an interest in you? Come on, cheer up!”
“Mm!” Cheng Jin nodded and collected herself. “Even if I face Lord Yanqing, I’m going to last more than thirty-five moves!”
Now that was the spirit!
The current record for an outer sect disciple facing Ye Lan was thirty moves, held by none other than Chang Dai.
Before long, Cheng Jin’s name was called.
“Cheng Jin! Versus!”
Cheng Jin frantically repeated Lord Yanqing’s name over and over in her mind.
“Chang Dai!”
Sigh… She still hadn’t been matched against her. Cheng Jin felt a little disappointed.
“Cheng Jin, good luck!!!!! You can do it!!!”
Cheng Jin nodded and stepped onto the platform to fight.
Chang Dai was already waiting for her. Cheng Jin showed no fear. After exchanging formal greetings, she drew her sword and assumed a fighting stance.
“Junior Sister, you certainly have plenty of fighting spirit!” Chang Dai looked at the girl before him. She was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and her cultivation had barely reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. At her age, that was already remarkably impressive.
“Even though Senior Brother has reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, I’m not afraid! I’ll certainly give it my all!” Cheng Jin replied with neither arrogance nor humility.
Chang Dai smiled at her words. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Junior Sister. Your senior brother reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment a few days ago.”
A flash of shock crossed Cheng Jin’s face. Then she heard a distant voice shouting at the top of its lungs, “Cheng Jin! You can dooooo it!”
Hearing this, Cheng Jin couldn’t help smiling. She replied, “Senior Brother, please give me your guidance!”
A trace of appreciation appeared in Chang Dai’s eyes. He returned her salute, drew his sword, and held it before him, signaling for Cheng Jin to attack first.
Understanding his intention, Cheng Jin raised her sword and launched her attack.
Clang! The two blades collided, sending sparks flying. Cheng Jin’s attack was blocked head-on, and the impact nearly knocked the sword from her hand.
So this was the difference between cultivation realms?
“Your sword didn’t even leave your hand. Not bad! Again!” Chang Dai pushed Cheng Jin’s blade aside. After retreating and landing, Cheng Jin immediately attacked again.
Several exchanges passed, but Chang Dai only defended without attacking. Not once did Cheng Jin manage to land a hit. Was this truly the difference between their cultivation realms?
After yet another of her attacks was blocked, Chang Dai finally went on the offensive. Cheng Jin hurriedly responded, barely managing to block his strike before the impact forced her several steps backward.
Cheng Jin quickly regained her stance and prepared to defend again. However, Chang Dai looked dissatisfied and launched the exact same attack!
Was he… guiding her through his moves?!
Cheng Jin suddenly recalled how people had described Lord Yanqing guiding Chang Dai through their match in the past. Admiration welled up inside her. She immediately understood and, remembering how Chang Dai had defended against her earlier attacks, attempted to block his strike in the same way.
Clang! Another metallic ring sounded. The attack was blocked with perfect precision, and Cheng Jin had flawlessly reproduced Chang Dai’s earlier technique.
Seeing that the girl opposite him had caught on, Chang Dai switched to another move.
The two began exchanging attacks and defenses, trading several moves in quick succession. Their movements grew faster and faster, until the spectators could barely keep up.
Suddenly, Cheng Jin gained an insight from those exquisite sword techniques. It was sword intent!
She froze for an instant before suddenly executing a sword technique that neither of them had used before.
Clang! This time, Chang Dai didn’t meet the strike head-on. Instead, he skillfully redirected its force and looked at Cheng Jin with delighted surprise.
“That’s… sword force that can only be achieved at the Foundation Establishment stage!” Someone beside Shen Zhouxing exclaimed in astonishment.
Shen Zhouxing couldn’t understand the techniques, but the difference in strength between the two was so obvious that even she could tell Chang Dai was deliberately holding back and guiding Cheng Jin.
Had she… just reached Foundation Establishment?
“Wow!!! Cheng Jin! You’re amazing! Go, go, go!!!!!!” Shen Zhouxing was overjoyed and shouted wildly toward the platform.
Even after her previous attack was neutralized, Cheng Jin remained perfectly composed. She shifted into another stance and thrust her sword toward Chang Dai with incredible speed, attacking from an extremely tricky angle.
Chang Dai couldn’t dodge, nor could he easily redirect the force, so he had no choice but to block it head-on.
Clang! The tip of Cheng Jin’s sword struck the fuller of Chang Dai’s blade, and he blocked the attack perfectly. However, Chang Dai was forced to take a step backward.
“Excellent!!!!!!!” The crowd couldn’t help erupting into cheers.
“That girl has reached the middle Foundation Establishment stage!” Someone shouted again, making Shen Zhouxing even more excited as she cheered wildly.
Chang Dai was both surprised and delighted. Once he regained his footing, he said, “Junior Sister, you truly are a heaven-sent genius. You’ve advanced to Foundation Establishment in just two sword strikes. Since that’s the case, your senior brother will no longer hold back.”
Cheng Jin was astonishingly calm. She gave a slight nod, and the two engaged in combat once more.
Within fewer than ten moves, Cheng Jin’s spiritual energy began running dangerously low. Finally, she gathered all her remaining strength, seemingly preparing to deliver one last strike.
Chang Dai also knew it was time to determine the victor. He responded with his full strength, leaping into the air and unleashing an exquisite attack.
Boom! The sword blades collided, triggering an explosion of spiritual energy so powerful that even the floor of the spectator stands trembled.
Shen Zhouxing immediately stood up to get a better view, only to block the person sitting behind her. That person also stood up and craned their neck. Soon, the entire audience had risen to their feet.
Cheng Jin was kneeling on one knee, her face deathly pale and her palm covered in blood. The sword in her hand had actually shattered into powder. Meanwhile, Chang Dai stood to one side with his sword in hand, completely unharmed.
“Chang Dai! Victory!”
“That girl’s final sword strike just now… wasn’t it already at the late Foundation Establishment stage?”
“No way! She advanced three levels in a row! Her talent is even greater than Senior Brother Chang’s!”
Hearing the result, Cheng Jin stood up. After exchanging salutes, the two stepped down from the platform separately.
Shen Zhouxing rushed over to the platform and hurriedly helped support Cheng Jin.
“Are you all right?” Shen Zhouxing quickly examined the injury on her palm.
“I’m fine. It’s just a superficial wound. I’ve only exhausted myself a little.” Cheng Jin shook her head.
“There’s still some ointment left from what Senior Sister Ye gave me last time. I’ll help you apply it when we get back!” Hearing this, Shen Zhouxing finally relaxed.
She’d known Cheng Jin was talented, but she hadn’t expected her to be this talented!
“Have you really reached the late Foundation Establishment stage?” How could an ordinary person advance from Qi Refining to the late Foundation Establishment stage without spending at least three to five years cultivating?
“No. I was just one step away during that final strike, but I failed to break through.” Cheng Jin shook her head again.
“That’s still incredibly impressive!” Shen Zhouxing said. Just one step away? Given Cheng Jin’s talent, wouldn’t she simply wake up tomorrow morning and discover that she’d broken through?
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